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“That was a long lecture...” Icurus sighed. Xavier sat beside him stiff in his seat, his eyes darting around the room, especially towards Icurus and Edward.
Icurus noticed his friend’s worried gaze and spoke, “What’s wrong? You seem anxious today..”
Xavier shook his head, “No...just a lot on my mind...”
Edward giggled beside him, “Was the breakfast really that good?”
Xavier smiled weakly, “It was good.”
Icurus pursed his lips, he knew something was bothering his friend, but Xavier didn’t tell him.
Miss Evans clapped her hands together, getting the students’ attention. “We will be having a practice duel. I will be picking who will be facing whom. I suggest you all move to the garden.”
“What’s a duel?...” Icurus whispered into Edward’s pointed ears.
“We have to fight each other but don’t worry, it’s just a friendly competition,” Edward smiled reassuringly.
“Right...”
Xavier furrowed his eyebrows, “Do I have to do it?” He looked at Miss Evans but she was busy with papers on her clipboard. “I thought I had prophecy magic or something...?”
Edward stood up. “Come on, we should get going,” he said cheerfully.
The garden was barely a garden at all. Instead, it was a small patch of land with a few trees, surrounded by high fences and centred around a podium.
Miss Evans cleared her throat and bellowed, “You will be dueling with students of Stormbringer Academy”
“Them?” Pyrrhus scoffed, raising an eyebrow, “What’s the point of fighting them? They can’t do magic” he stood behind Edward.
Eden frowned, “I think they are masterful with their swords!” She said looking ahead, not knowing where else to look.
“What would you know? you’re blind” Pyrrhus rolled his eyes.
Miss Evans cleared her throat, “It is important to know that only having magic doesn’t make you any better than a person with a sword” Her hands were placed on the podium, “with that not all of you have magic used for combat”
“It’s true” Edward turned around and smiled, “not all of us are capable of fighting using magic...Eden can’t use hers, she can only see spirits and talk to the dead. It won’t be much use in battle” he explained with a prince’s pride.
“Thank you Prince Edward” Miss Evans spoke up, “for explaining to your not-so-bright subject”
“As Prince Edward had said, not all of you can fight using your magic, so it is expected of you lot to learn swordplay”
She waved her hand in the air and pointed her finger to the heavens. As if by magic, a display of weapons emerged behind her, each with its unique qualities. But among them was a silver ring with a purple stone that shone like an eye.
The ring flew onto Edward’s slender middle finger. He grinned at the sight of it.
“Your parents and guardians all left something for you...” Miss Evans spoke lightly.
A bow without arrows flew to a timid boy with dark skin, an afro, and golden eyes. He wore a colourful tunic with red and yellow patterns, but what stood out was the Kingdom of Zalare’s crest on his chest—a dragon’s head. He was Jabari’s younger cousin named Kovu. He held the bow in his hands, quite content with his prize.
Another weapon, a whip, flew towards Levina. She didn’t care for it much.
Beside her stood a large, quiet boy with grey, cracked skin and an unremarkable face. But he was strong in build. He wore trousers and an ill-fitting white tunic branded with the Kingdom of Etheria’s crest—a snowflake. He received a double-sided axe.
A sword with a sky-blue hilt and scabbard flew towards Pyrrhus. He took it in his hand.
Edward admired the craftsmanship. “Ooh! That looks exactly like one of Brontes’ works!”
Pyrrhus didn’t pay him any attention. “Well of course—my mother got it for me.”
Edward cheered, “Cyclopes live under the sea after all and are brilliant blacksmiths!”
Xavier raised an eyebrow. “How do they light the forge?”
“Magic,” Eden shrugged. “What else would they use?”
Another sword, similar to Pyrrhus’s but with a turquoise hilt and ocean green scabbard, flew towards Icurus, to his absolute surprise.
Miss Evans smiled gently. “A sea nymph arrived this morning with that sword.”
Edward gasped beside him. “That’s also his work!”
Icurus unsheathed the sword, revealing the beautiful grey blade that caught the gleaming light of the sun. On the blade, writing curved into it said:
𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓫𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓷
-𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓶𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻
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Icurus pursed his lips as a wave of conflicting emotions washed over him. He didn’t know what to say. On one hand, his mother had abandoned him when he was six and never looked back. On the other, she had now gifted him a sword, claiming she had watched over him always. He took a deep breath and sheathed the blade, hanging it at his waist.
“Don’t you like it?” Edward asked.
“No...I do like it,” he replied slowly. “It’s just...a big surprise.”
“Yeah no shit,” Xavier chimed in, standing beside him.
Icurus still felt bittersweet, unsure whether to feel happy his mother finally remembered him, or angry that she had waited so long to reach out, and couldn’t even do so in person. He wondered if the sword was a gift or a reminder of the loneliness he felt without his parents.
His thoughts were interrupted by Eden and Edward’s excited jumping over Eden’s new necklace, which could render her invisible. “This is so cool!” she cheered.
“It is!” Edward agreed enthusiastically.
Icurus smiled at their excitement, glad to have more friends than just Xavier now.
Another gate opened to reveal students from Stormbringer Academy in their armour. In front stood Ariana, smirking, with Alcester cowering behind her.
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ᕯᕯ★ᕯᕯ
The study was dimly lit, the only light coming from a flickering candle on the desk where my mother sat. She twirled her quill absentmindedly, her emerald eyes glowing faintly in the shadows. Worry etched itself across her delicate features. Strands of violet hair framed her pointed ears and angled face.
“This is not good...” she murmured, glancing up at me. “How could an empty ship sail itself?” I wasn’t sure if she was asking me, my sister perched on the bookshelf, or just thinking aloud.
“I don’t know, Mum,” I replied with a shrug.
“It’s magic!” my sister chirped as she hopped down, her wings fluttering.
I rolled my eyes. “Obviously.”
“Or perhaps,” my mother mused, “it was one of the sea creatures.”
I tilted my head curiously. “You mean sea monsters?”
“No,” she said, her voice icy as the Queendom of Etheria. “I meant the intelligent ones - the sirens, mermaids...or maybe the elves that Berend wanted to ally with.”
My mother had never cared for faeries, despite being one herself - born to one, raised by one, and thus learning to resent them. My grandmother in particular.
“Mum...” I began gently, “Father wouldn’t like you accusing others so quickly. We don’t know that it was them.” I hesitated before adding, “You’re one of them too, you know.”
The alliance between my parents had been more my father’s idea. My mother fell in love with him and wanted to escape her family. I know my father loves her as much as she loves him. Yet, I am also aware that he sees her as a gateway or a start to a new world. But my mother doesn’t.
She sighed in exasperation, touching her pointed ears. I mimicked her, feeling the subtle roundness of my lobes - unlike my younger brother whose ears could pass for elven. My mixed blood, mother said. You win some and lose some. Me and my sister did get the better half of the bargain, we had wing roots, and my brother didn’t.
“I know,” she said finally, “and so I know how dangerous they can be...” She trailed off, never comfortable discussing her fairy heritage. She tried too hard to seem human.
“I want you to investigate,” she instructed seriously. “Look for any trace of them.”
I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
Before I could leave, my sister shoved past me. “Mum! I have something to tell you!”
Mother perked up immediately. “What is it, sweetheart?”
I frowned. She never called me sweetheart, though I was the eldest.
“At breakfast, a blu-” I nudged my sister aside.
“Turquoise,” I corrected. She is colorblind, well at least to me, she might as well be.
Glaring at me, she continued, “A rose landed on a mage and he saw the future! I glimpsed Edward chained and bleeding!”
Mother paled at the mention of my younger brother. She was miserable knowing our fates, destined for sorrow.
My brother, the hero who could have been. The next Achilles as my very old grandfather said. Yet, the Fates can be cruel.
My sister, the forgotten princess. Locked up in a tower for the rest of eternity, with no prince being able to or willing to save her.
And me, to be possessed by an evil ancient rose - curses courtesy of our grandmother.
Edward still didn’t know his prophecy. Mother wanted his innocence preserved as long as possible. But it seemed the time was coming sooner than she hoped.
“You two should go,” she said weakly. “I need time to think.”
“Yes, Mummy,” my sister curtsied before scurrying out.
“One more thing, Ernesto,” Mother called as I turned to leave. “Speak with Icurus. His father was on that ship.”
“I know. Rosa told me.”
She nodded. “A sea nymph delivered a sword for him today - from his mother. See if she knows anything about his father’s fate.”
“I will,” I promised.
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As I walked through the halls of my castle, I saw Diana giggling up ahead. “So what do you think about Ernesto?” she asked.
Rosabella raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Him? I don’t think he likes me.”
I came up behind her and grabbed her waist, whispering, “You have no idea what my twin brother likes.” I stroked her beautiful face with my finger.
“Okay...” She slipped out of my grip.
Shouting echoed down the corridor - the cries of bickering children.
Rosabella chuckled. “That sounds like my sister.”
“Is your sister murdering someone?” Diana asked, eyebrow raised.
“Hopefully,” I chimed in.
“I’m going to go check it out” Rosabella dashed off.
Diana went after her. “Hey, wait up!”
“Me too!” I said, following in pursuit.
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The clash of swords rang out across the garden as the two fierce fighters duelled.
“Oh, for Thor’s sake, give up already!” Levina shouted at Ariana, who quickly regained her footing after a staggering blow.
“In your dreams!” Ariana shouted back defiantly.
Sweat dripped down both their brows as they panted from exhaustion. Yet both were too stubborn to call it a draw and end the fight.
“Oh Zeus...they’ve been at it for half an hour now,” Edward sighed.
“We noticed buddy,” Xavier said, worn out just from watching the young princesses battle.
“I hate to say it, but I’m bored,” Icurus admitted.
Alcester buried his face in his hands. “Me too,” he said, looking up with a pout. “I could be watering the flowers by now...”
Pyrrhus scoffed. “Why would you water plants?”
Xavier frowned. “Dude, shut up.”
“Hey guys, what’s happening?” Rosabella interrupted cheerfully. Pyrrhus immediately went silent.
“Oh, just watching these two fight,” Icurus said casually, though his hand gripped his sword hilt, wondering if Rosabella knew about the sword. It seemed she did not.
Miss Evans clapped loudly. “Enough!”
The two girls halted their duel.
James, the swordplay instructor for the royal and noble children, smiled brightly, his teeth glinting like snow in the sunlight. “Excellent work, girls!” he praised. “You both did quite well.”
The princesses glared at each other, clearly unsatisfied to leave it at a draw.
“So who would like to spar next?” James asked the group.
“I’ll go!” Edward volunteered, raising his hand. With a flash, the ring on his finger transformed into a magnificent double-headed spear, an orb glowing at its centre where the twin blades met the shaft. An ancient, ominous aura surrounded the mythical weapon.
“Cool spear,” Icurus remarked.
Edward blushed slightly. “Thanks. It was a gift from my grandfather Hades.”
Icurus froze. “Hades...as in the Lord of the Underworld?”
Edward nodded, oblivious to Icurus’s reaction.
“Oh yes, our Grandfather is the Lord of the underworld!” She cheered
Icurus struggled to compose himself as the realization sank in that Edward and Eleanor were demigods. Xavier stood nearby, similarly stunned.
Eleanor continued, “You see my Grandmother got our grandfather drunk and then took advantage of him” she pursed her lips, “you could say she ra-”
Rosabella gently covered Eleanor’s mouth before she could elaborate further. “I think that’s enough information for now, thank you, Eleanor,” she said delicately.
Diana patted Eleanor’s shoulder. “Yes, we understand.”
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