PART FIVE: BIRTHRIGHT
Even as the snow continued to fall from the cold Wintrian skies, the sun shone through the clouds and gave Thea an ethereal glow. Alyan knew he should have been used to it already but his Protector’s goddess-like beauty still astonished and dumbfounded him especially when her smile radiated the sun’s rays all the better.
“Alyan, are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asked him with a tone so caring it melted every bad feeling he had ever had.
“I’m- I’m okay,” he said shyly staring deep into her eyes. It took him a while to realize that their interaction must have seemed so strange to the Wintrian Warriors staring at them so he turned to them and smiled shyly.
Thea faced her sister-kin confidently and said, “This, my dear sisters, is the true and only Prince of Wintria! Ismead is a fraud and we shall prove it!”
Her sister-kin were still dumbfounded and did not speak and so Thea grabbed hold of Alyan and they began their trek towards the Royal Palace, leaving them behind clueless as to what moves to take on next. Alyan was certainly not ready to claim the throne and had never felt as unworthy of it as he did then but Thea would not allow him to turn back. She stubbornly insisted on their journey and they made it sooner than he’d wished.
There was an array of the best trained Warriors of Wintria at the gates to the Palace armed to the teeth and poised and ready to engage Alyan and Thea in a war for their presumed prince. Thea knew the guards would not willingly accept the truth of the true Prince and so she braced herself for a fight yet again, unfolding her staff and taking up a defensive position before Alyan.
Alyan was flabbergasted at Thea’s bravery. There was no way she could take on the entire force of the nation’s brightest and finest and hope to survive yet she so willingly placed her life on the line for him yet again. What had he ever done to deserve such a brave soldier as a Protector? And to think that he was the worst coward to have ever existed; so cowardly that he had yet to claim his rightful birthright even though it was always at arm’s reach.
What was clear to him then was unless he claimed his birthright right before the force steadily advancing towards them, they would attack and defend the fraud they believed to be their prince and it would cost Thea her life. His own life may have meant little to him but Thea’s life was far too precious to be lost because of his cowardice.
He shut his eyes even as his body trembled under the weight of his cowardice. He struggled to find inner calm and ignore the extremely hostile situation he and Thea were faced with to find himself- to take up the Mantle from his father. He felt his father’s spirit rise up within him. He felt the strength of his mother’s warrior spirit comforting him.
The power was within him all along. This was his birthright. He was an Oracle- one that could not be compared to any other Seer in the land. He was a Prince and it was about time he started acting like one. He embraced the power- felt it coursing from the universe to the atmosphere; seeping into his chakra and then coursing through his veins.
It felt like Alyan had been curled up too long and his magical circuits were stretching for the first time and then he felt his chakras all open up, one by one. He felt the power of the Prince of Wintria fully manifest itself before all gathered there. It felt good to finally accept the powers he was born to receive- it was his time then just as it had been when his father took up the mantle and all the way back to the times of his ancestors when the first Prince took up the mantle.
He opened his eyes feeling more powerful than he had ever been in his life. The guards that had been so intent on pursuing and eliminating he and Thea were on their knees. He turned to face Thea who was still standing ahead of him in a protective stance. However, something about her had changed…
She appeared to be as shiny as a golden statue and even her clothes had been transformed to reflect the traditional dress of the Protector of the Prince of Wintria- a brilliant white armored knight’s suit complete with armored breast plate and shoulder pads, armored heavy army boots and protective chain mail.
Thea’s beauty shone so brilliantly, he was dumbfounded once more. Could she be any more beautiful than in her warrior’s garb? He continued to stare at her more until she turned around and smiled at him. She then got down on her right knee, holding onto her staff and pronounced ever so fervently, “My Prince.”
Astounded, Alyan then noticed that Thea was not the only one whose clothing had been transformed. He was wearing the traditional clothing for the Prince of Wintria complete with the symbol that had been associated with the Prince since time in memorial; an Ice Dragon and with a brightly shining eye in its middle.
He looked from Thea to the guards who did not dare look up unless his Prince ordered it. Alyan gently asked Thea to rise up and she obliged happily. He lovingly caressed her face and thanked her for everything she had ever done for him before turning to the other guards and asking them to rise up as well.
The guards immediately responded to his request and rose up proudly.
“Where is Ismead?” Alyan asked them.
“In the Palace, my lord,” responded the commander of the squadron.
“Take us to him,” Alyan said referring to himself and Thea.
The Commander immediately obliged and took them into the Palace. Rather than run away, they were surprised to find Ismead seated on the throne, defiantly wearing the crown upon his head, waiting for them, unperturbed. Rather than acknowledge his Prince, his attention was solely focused on Thea.
“Welcome home, my love,” he spoke to her.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Hey there, looks like you made it through another intriguing episode. Didn’t get the previous parts? No worries, sail back to before Prince Alyan made his tremendous journey home 😉 And as always, look forward to the next episode due to be out soon!
elenaverseblog.wordpress.com 