When Lux stretched her arms as she awoke the next morning, she had a goal in mind. She would find a way to communicate with Rayne and gather as much information as possible. She didn't know exactly how she might manage to do it, but she had a newfound confidence and rage since her conversation with Mika the previous night.
As Lux walked through the dormitory, making her way towards the bath, she noticed some of the other maids who had accompanied her during their training the other day.
Opening the door to the bath, she walked in and remembered something her mother had told her.
According to her, this time of year was when new guards and maids were most common. If that was the case, then it was likely that some of the other maids might be in the same situation as her.
Actually, allow her to rephrase that.
The same situation as her fake story.
Maybe some of the others also had siblings, or possibly friends, who were taking the guards' exam. They might know more about it than she did.
As she climbed into the bath, she smiled to herself.
She had a plan.
✦✦✦
"When addressing anyone, you will call them 'lord' or 'lady.'" Mrs Rodia stood at the front of the room, Hazel beside her as she lectured them.
Lux had to resist the urge to sway, twirl her hair, or do something. In the morning, they had been shown what they would usually do during the day and how they were to do it. It was completely boring, and she hadn't had the chance to ask anyone what they might know about the exam.
Mrs Rodia continued. "However, when you address the royal family, you will call them by their respective honorifics."
She moved towards the board behind her and began to write something.
"When speaking with Her Majesty Queen Annika, you will call her 'Your Majesty.'"
Lux straightened up at the mention of the Queen. This was a good opportunity to learn more, seeing that, as of right now, she didn't even know who the Athas were.
"When speaking with Crown Prince Sylas, you will address him as 'Your Highness.'"
Lux made a mental notebook in her brain and tried to take in everything Mrs Rodia was saying.
"This is the same for his younger siblings: Princess Harper, Princess Delilah, and Prince Mikel."
So, there were four children? What about the King?
Lux wanted to ask, but looking at Mrs Rodia's fiery eyes made her conclude that she would find out later.
Suddenly, a voice whispered next to her.
"Ha... they're not even his siblings." Lux turned to look at the girl, who had messy blonde hair that was almost green.
"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.
The girl opened her eyes in surprise. "You really don't know?"
Lux shook her head.
"Oh, well... I guess I can tell you then." The strange girl slightly leaned in, and Lux copied.
"Prince Sylas is half-siblings with Princess Delilah, Harper, and Prince Mikel. Well... that's what we're told." She rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, Prince Sylas's father died when he was four. The Queen remarried and had the rest of his so-called siblings. However, their father disappeared a while ago, and I'm certain that the Queen banished him for having children with someone else. I mean, I've heard that the children don't even look like her."
Lux was completely shocked. Disappeared? Can kings really just disappear?
"Would you mind telling me what you two are mumbling about?" A voice boomed throughout the room, and she froze.
"Err... well—" She tried her best to think of an excuse, but none came.
Mrs Rodia smirked. "Kira, you will see me during lunch."
Lux groaned inside her head, even though no one could hear her.
✦✦✦
Lux sighed as she picked up a bowl of strange mushy white liquid. At least it wasn't more bread.
Mrs Rodia had lectured her for ten minutes straight. When she asked why the other girl wasn't also getting lectured, Mrs Rodia replied with "because you're such a troublemaker," and continued for an extra ten minutes.
Now she only had ten minutes to eat, and her spirit was deflated, even more so when she remembered that she couldn't sit next to Mika. However, she did see the girl who had told her about the Athas earlier, and she decided to go apologise for making Mrs Rodia shout at her.
"Hello!" She sat down, trying to be a bit enthusiastic.
The girl looked at her, confused for a while, but suddenly recognition hit her face.
"Oh, you're that girl from earlier," she remarked.
Lux swayed in her seat. Did she really not remember her from a few minutes ago?
"Yes, I am. I just wanted to apologise for making you get yelled at," she replied.
"Oh, don't worry, it's fine. You got the short end of the stick anyway," she responded, eating a spoonful of the weird mushy food.
Lux was even more puzzled now. What did 'short end of the stick' mean?
Still questioning it, she began to eat the strange food herself, but remembered something.
"I forgot to ask, but what's your name?" she questioned.
"My name's Pearl. What about you?" she said nonchalantly, continuing to chew her food.
"My name is Kira. Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed, trying to be high-spirited since Pearl wasn't.
Pearl continued to eat, silently staring at the wall, and Lux felt strangely intimidated.
"Uhm... Pearl. Do you know anything about the guards' exam?" she asked, sweating slightly.
Pearl looked at her with a deadpan expression but did stop eating for a quick minute. "I don't know anyone taking it, but I do know that at lunch someone takes food to the commander running it." She turned her head to the door.
"Oh, I think that person's going to the commander right now."
Lux followed her eyes and did indeed see someone carrying a tray.
She jumped up, a plan brewing in her mind, and she raced towards the maid.
She quickly yelled over her shoulder, "Thank you, Pearl!" and walked up to the girl.
The maid looked up at her in confusion. "Hello?"
"Hello, I was just thinking that you might like some help taking that to the commander," Lux asked, using her hands vividly.
The girl looked her up and down but then shrugged slightly. "If you really want to."
Lux took the tray from the girl. "Yes, I really want to. By the way, how exactly do I get to the commander? I'm not quite sure yet."
The girl described how to get there, and Lux thanked her with a smile. Then, she was gone.
She smiled to herself.
She was going to Rayne.
✦✦✦
Rayne finished changing behind his bed and exhaled.
Today was the second day of the guards' exam, and he was ready.
However, he wondered if there was more he could be doing. He hadn't even bothered to search for a place of high magic concentration so he could talk to his siblings, as well as his mother.
Not to mention Lux... he hadn't found a clear way for them to communicate yet.
He sighed. He was ready? No. He was a failure. There was so much he still had yet to do.
Suddenly, he heard chatter coming from the entrance, and he turned his head to find Cedar talking animatedly about something.
Ever since the exam had started, Cedar hadn't stopped talking. Rayne scratched the back of his head; it was annoying, but it oddly reminded him of Lux.
Out of nowhere, a guard came through the door, panting while holding a scroll.
"Your next e-exam is now. Please meet at the training grounds." And then she left as soon as she had come.
Rayne stood up and dusted himself off. He wasn't ready, but someone like him never would be. He'd just have to do the best he could.
As he made his way to the grounds, he noticed many other guards running around frantically, and when one passed just by him, he thought he heard "Ataraxia..."
Ataraxia. He'd read about it during his training at Adamas. They were a country that had bad relations with Flei, as the Athas and Callis descended from the land they had conquered. There were other countries that ruled parts of that land, but Ataraxia had the largest portion of it.
But... why was Ataraxia relevant now?
"Get into line!" the commander's voice boomed, and Rayne shook his head. He'd think about that later.
Rayne got into line and found himself standing next to the girl who had looked surprisingly angry the day before. However, she seemed completely fine now.
When Rayne looked at the commander, he noticed that Lady Naya wasn't accompanying him. Was she not needed for the next test?
The commander continued to address them. "Today marks the second day of your exam. I hope you will all try your hardest, seeing as half of you are already gone."
Half? That was more than he had expected. But when he thought about how many were gone from the tunnel, and then how many had... lost at the wall climb, it started to make sense.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The commander started to walk in front of them, his hands behind his back. "Today's test will focus on your combat ability. In this castle, our main weapons are swords. As such, in a short moment, guards will hand out swords to each of you. The guards will then partner you with other participants. Said guards will then watch your match. You will all have ten matches each, and during the matches, you cannot kill your opponent. The match will be over when one of you is on the floor."
So, it was combat... The only people Rayne had sparred against were Lux, who preferred magic, and his mother. He didn't have much experience, and he started to wonder if he would be able to do it.
"Only thirty people will be eliminated in this test. Try your hardest," the commander yelled finally, and guards came around with swords.
When Rayne was given his, he swung it in the air to test it. It wasn't as good as his sword, Aubrier, but it would suffice.
Eventually, a stern-looking guard came up to him. "What is your name?"
"Darrion," he replied flatly.
The guard then pointed to an open area, and Rayne saw a man standing there by himself.
"That is your opponent. I will be the one observing your match. Good luck." The guard then went to an area where other guards were gathering, and Rayne started to make his way over.
Once he was facing his opponent, he studied him and exhaled. He seemed fairly scrawny, which meant Rayne had a good advantage over him. Maybe he would be able to do this.
"Make yourselves ready," the commander yelled, and all the guards stood to watch the matches, a scroll in their hands.
The tension was palpable, and the loneliest leaf could be heard dancing in the wind.
Finally, the commander raised his hand, and the words "Go!" left his mouth.
Rayne dashed towards the scrawny man, who tried to do the same.
Rayne quickly noticed that the man was holding the sword too tightly, showing that he most likely didn't know what he was doing. The man lunged at him, completely out of control, and Rayne swiftly dodged out of the way. The man tried his best to regain his balance, but Rayne slashed at him, making him fall to the ground, finishing the match rapidly.
The guard started to write on the scroll, and the scrawny man spat on the ground.
"Darrion is the winner. Wait for the next match," the guard stated nonchalantly and then proceeded to walk away.
That was... surprisingly easy, Rayne thought to himself, as he was directed to his next opponent. Maybe the rest of the fights would be similar to that.
And that was true. In his next eight matches, he managed to defeat each opponent easily, and his confidence slowly started to build.
In his last match, he was paired against the girl who had finished in the first ten with him.
She seemed fairly confident, her dark purple braids fluttering in the wind behind her as she stood on the other side of the arena.
She might have been confident, but Rayne was as well. He had a rare belief in himself.
"Make yourselves ready!" the commander shouted for the final time that day.
Rayne got into position, his path clear.
"Go!" he yelled finally, and Rayne dashed in, just as he had in his previous matches.
The girl did the same, and Rayne found his pace matched. It was unexpected, and for a minute he doubted himself, but he continued, attempting to strike her, but it was met with a swift block. They managed to trade several blows before he attempted to feint to the left. However, she managed to see through it and followed him through, never letting up on her attacks.
Rayne started to feel hopeless, thinking that there was no way he'd win this match. However, he saw an opening—at least, what he thought was one—and lunged with his sword at full force. The girl smirked slightly and sidestepped, tripping Rayne up and landing him on the floor.
"The winner is Thea," the guard exclaimed finally and wrote something down on the scroll before walking away to where other guards were gathering.
Rayne cupped his head in his hands. He was absolutely mortified. For once, he was stupid enough to believe he could do it, and his overreaching confidence had cost him the match.
"You were fairly good," a voice muttered from somewhere, and Rayne looked up to find Thea standing in front of him.
He turned his head to the side in shame. Now she was pitying him.
"Thank you," he murmured.
"No, I'm being honest. You did really well. That was some of the best swordsmanship I've ever seen. Don't be hard on yourself." She then simply walked away, and Rayne decided that he could at least stand up.
"All participants, line up," the commander boomed, and Rayne dragged himself into position.
"We've now decided who the thirty that are eliminated are," the commander stated, and Rayne clenched his hands. What if they had seen how horribly he had lost the previous match? What if that was enough for him to be eliminated? What would happen then?
"If I call your name, please leave the castle promptly. You'll be escorted by our guards," the commander exclaimed, and Rayne took a deep breath.
The commander went on, and Rayne was waiting for the name Darrion.
"...Jack Tenner, Holly Lemon, Ashlyn Grace, Barry, who does not have a last name, and finally Terry Ranger," he said finally, and Rayne sighed. His name was not on the list.
But maybe it was simply a postponed elimination.
"If your name was called, please leave promptly. Everyone else, please return to the barracks." The commander then walked off stage, and Rayne started to make his way to his dormitory.
On his way, he saw a maid carrying a tray of food, but he brushed it off quickly. A maid had brought the commander's food the day before as well, so it was normal, but when he looked again, he saw grey hair and red eyes that he could never forget.
He rushed up to her, looking around before taking her hand and hiding behind a nearby wall.
"Oh goodness! Darrion! You had me scared!" Lux smiled widely, setting down the tray on the ground before jumping to hug her brother.
He hugged her back tightly but then felt like he didn't deserve it. He could have gotten himself eliminated today, and Lux would be all by herself. An older brother was supposed to protect his younger siblings.
"Kira... I'm sorry," he murmured, and Lux released her grip on him.
"What for?" she questioned, her face becoming more and more frightened.
Seeing the expression on her face, he felt guilty. He hadn't failed her yet.
"Nothing... don't worry. But... what about you? Why are you here?" he asked, wondering why she was delivering the commander's food.
"Oh! I just asked the maid carrying it if I could take it for her. I needed to see you desperately." Her face turned slightly more serious, and Rayne became more worried.
"Why? What happened?" he asked, his face becoming the one that was frightened.
"You don't need to look so scared! I found an area of high magic concentration, and I talked to our siblings yesterday," she stated, and he started to feel guilty.
Lux had communicated with their siblings before him, which meant she had already done so much more than he had.
"Where... where was it?" he questioned.
She placed a hand on her chin. "Er... I should have brought that map... Well, I do know that it's behind a painting of fruit in a really nice corridor. The painting opens, and there's a tunnel you need to climb through. It's how I entered the castle."
He sighed. Of course, she forgot the map. However, this was useful information; he could find the tunnel in his own time, if he needed to.
He crossed his arms. "Is everyone okay?"
"Yes... but Lyra..." Her face darkened, and he decided that they didn't need to talk about her now.
"Did you find anything useful?" he asked, and Lux's face brightened. She seemed proud of herself.
"I did! For starters, there's going to be a ball at the end of this week. I'm not sure what it's for though. I'll also be serving, so I can learn a lot more."
A ball... that would be a good way to learn more information, and it was extremely helpful that Lux would be serving. "What else?"
"I learned information about the Athas! For example, the queen is called Annika, and she has four children. The oldest, the crown prince, is called Sylas, and his younger siblings are called Delilah, Harper, and Mikel, but they're his half-siblings, apparently." She muttered the last part, but Rayne was impressed at how much she had found out. The books in the library seemed to be outdated, as he hadn't read about a queen called Annika.
"What do you mean by apparently?" He left his thoughts to come back to what she had said.
"I heard from a fellow maid-in-training that there's a widely believed rumour that Sylas's siblings aren't actually related to him. The queen's first husband is missing... wait, no—that was her second, her first one is dead, and her second husband went missing. Apparently, she banished him for having children with someone else. I was told that the children don't even look like her," she said somewhat dismissively, as if she was sceptical.
"But... I think the Athas are the ones that sealed us in the palace..." she muttered.
"Why do you think that? It most likely is true, but you sound as if you might have proof," he asked, and she turned to him with anger on her face.
"Because they're evil! They practically force people to work for them, and then they never see their families again! How can people like that not have anything to do with sealing us in the palace?! They're the reason our siblings have never gone outside!" she shouted, and Rayne was stunned.
"I understand why you're mad... but... that's... not really proof," he stated, and she calmed down.
"Okay..." She rubbed her arms sadly. "But what about you? What have you learned?"
Rayne turned to the side in shame, seeing as he had learned next to nothing.
"I heard guards say Ataraxia, which is another country with bad relations to Flei," he murmured.
"Ah... okay." She picked up the tray. "I think it would be best for me to go now. The commander is probably wondering why his food hasn't arrived yet, and he sounds like he's a scary man," she said with a smile, though her eyes were sad.
"I'll try to get this job again, and this time I'll give you the map." She then left, and Rayne watched her back move further and further away.
✦✦✦
Kaia ran through the halls and all the way to the training grounds, though she was confused as to why she was needed there.
Her aunt had left her room, which she rarely ever did, and told her that she was needed in the training grounds by her mother. She hadn't stated why and had left as soon as she had come.
When she arrived, she found her mother in full armour, and her siblings awkwardly standing in a line.
"Ah, Kaia, you've arrived." She smiled, and Kaia joined the line.
"I have, Mother... but may I ask, what is this?" she questioned.
"It's training. Rayne and Lux have left this palace because they were trained. You, the rest of my children, are not," she replied, her smile still completely intact.
Arden raised his hand hesitantly.
"Yes, Arden?"
"If I may ask, Mother... why do we need to train if Rayne and Lux are going to free us from the palace?" he mumbled, still looking hesitant.
"Arden. Do you truly believe that when we are freed, that will be the end of it? No, my sweet child. We will have to fight, and we'll have to win," she spoke, almost like a song.
Lyra raised her hand.
"Yes, Lyra?"
"Even Auri and Merce?" she asked flatly, and Kaia turned her head to look at her youngest siblings, who were practically shaking.
"Yes, it is great to have skills at young ages. I regret not making you all train sooner. I did that for Rayne and Lux, and they both have amazing abilities," she remarked.
Suddenly, Kaia heard someone's steps, and she turned her head to find her aunt, her blonde hair and long robes flowing out behind her.
"Astrid, I'm here. I'm sorry for making you wait." She stood beside her sister, and her mother's smile grew even wider.
"It's fine, Lilith. We haven't started yet." She put a singular hand on her back.
Astrid. Her mother's name was Astrid. She didn't even know that. When her father was alive, he always called her "dear," and she barely saw her aunt and mother talk.
"Okay, children. I'd like for you to do a lap around the whole palace," she chimed, and Arden audibly groaned.
"It's only a warmup, Arden. Now, get going." She turned to discuss something with her aunt, and they all set off.
It was cold, and Kaia wished that she had brought her peach shawl. Despite that, she continued to run, and she did it quite easily. She was light on her toes, since that was required of a dancer. She had heard all about it in the books she had read, as well as other famous dancers. If they really did get to leave the palace, she wanted to meet them, and maybe even dance together with them on a stage.
Suddenly, she heard a cry, and she turned to find that both Aurelia and Merce had fallen over. Not wasting a single second, she turned around and lifted them both up. It made her slower, but she would be fine.
How could their mother expect two five-year-olds to run around the whole palace by themselves? She really couldn't understand what she was thinking.
"Tha-thank you, Kaia." They both cried in unison, and she smiled.
Though it was hard, they all managed to do the full lap, panting and sweating all the way.
Once they arrived, they discovered that their mother was gone, leaving only their aunt.
"Good job, children," she said, and though her mother's voice sounded as if she was singing, her aunt actually was. She was a whimsical person in that way.
"Your mother is attending to something at the moment. She's left me to help you practise your magic." She smiled, and Kaia wondered what on earth she could possibly be attending to.
"Now, I'd like for us to start by simply summoning your magic. I myself have water magic, and I'm not sure if I'll be the greatest help to those of you with light magic, but I'll try my best."
Kaia spread out her hands, concentrating hard, managing to summon a small ball of light.
She looked around at everyone else, who was clearly struggling, just like her. None of them really used magic except Lux, but she was naturally gifted.
Kaia struggled to keep the light in her hands, which was slowly starting to become too hot. She turned to Lyra, the only other sibling of hers except Rayne who had light magic.
She was strangely relieved to see that, just like her, Lyra was struggling, seeing as Lyra was so smart. It honestly felt like Lyra was better than her sometimes, despite her being younger.
Their aunt came around and looked at them individually, nodding her head at each.
She clapped her hands in delight. "That's good, children. We'll now work on keeping that for ten minutes straight."
Along with Arden, Kaia groaned.
✦✦✦
Oak silently walked the streets of Sidus at night, her steps loud and her hood hiding her face like it always did.
She sighed; she had been coming here more than she was supposed to recently, and it wasn't good.
Suddenly, she felt a hand pull down her hood, and she attempted to scream, but a hand quickly covered her mouth.
A strange figure appeared before her, and she started to sweat. It was so stupid of her to come out during the night. What had she been thinking?
"That's strange. People call you the helper lady, but you look like a child." The strange figure came closer, and she saw that it was a red-haired man. She suddenly remembered that she had seen him at rebel riots. Did that mean...?
The person behind her released their grip on her, and she gasped for breath.
"What's your name?" he asked simply.
"... Oak," she replied reluctantly.
"That's not your real name," he stated, and she didn't reply.
He sighed. "Okay, 'Oak', we have a question for you."
She straightened her shoulders. Was that his way of saying that he was going to beat her?
"Do you really mean it when you said that you support us?" he asked, and she was a bit surprised but didn't reply.
The person who had been holding her suddenly came to stand beside him, and she saw that it was a woman with similar red hair to his.
"You can answer the question, or else it will get messy here," the woman whispered intimidatingly, and Oak took a deep breath.
"Yes. I support you," she replied, and the two rebels looked at each other.
"Why do you support us?" the woman cocked her head, clearly not believing her.
She was silent, but at a crack of the woman's knuckles, she answered the question.
"Because it is obvious that the Athas got rid of the Callis, yet no one does anything about it. I believe you're doing the right thing—the thing that no one else will." She remarked, and the rebels looked at each other again.
The woman spoke. "We'll be finding you later. If you find yourself in trouble with any of us, say you know Rhea and Ronan." Then they left, leaving Oak to wonder what she had gotten herself into.