The night was broad and grim and the district was vibrant with silence. The streets was lined with lamps, some of which flickered hauntingly, while some dimly lit the streets; the lamps that were working right were probably fewer than the defects. Passing by under the light of these street-lamps were the figures of two, close police officers—Sasha and Arthur. They were discussing all sorts of subjects: from dangerous cases down to the most trivial as the latest funny cat-vid.  In contrast to their surroundings, their company seemed to brighten up in friendly bouts of laughter and jokes.

Meanwhile, on the rooftops above, someone flitted up and about, shadowing the two of them. Of course, both Sasha and Arthur didn't notice this strange figure in a drab hooded cloak.  When Sasha and Arthur stopped and entered the same apartment something went loose inside the heart of the mysterious figure.  The figure's heart started beating fast and her head almost as if spun in confusion. She wanted nothing more than to barge in through those doors to confirm that her worst fears hadn't been realized—that Arthur had fallen in love with someone else.

But she gritted her teeth and calmed herself down, she thought she shouldn't be selfish and let Arthur have his own life, but no matter what she did, she couldn't stop falling for him. She, Aisha Flores, Great-mage and daughter of the Arch-mage Merlin, a one-in-a-million talent, have been conquered by an average police man. Alas, as fate would have it, they weren't meant for each other. This was probably the last time she could see him and she had to see him enter an apartment with another girl. How long could she recover from this? Unbeknownst to her, however, Arthur was gathering information about her profile, which seemed so elusive.

Inside the apartment, Arthur and Sasha were discussing the possibility that Aisha was a high-ranking mage and that she entered through the border through classified means.  With this information, Arthur resolved to find out the reason behind her entering the country. Hence, his next point of investigation would be near or at the border. Of course, he'd have to do it discreetly and unofficially or he would suffer repercussions.

***

A day later, inside the Camelot Palace, where the hero of the country resided, Aisha was walking down a hallway. Her appearance had somewhat changed from a completely average look to that of royalty. One key feature that differed Aethereans from Gaians were their ears that tapered to a point. However, whenever an Aetherean would visit Branch under a tourist-pass they were required to disguise their ears with magic as a precaution against extremist groups that hate the peace between the two races.  However, now that she was going to proclaim her alliance with Arthur, she didn't need to hide her heritage anymore, and thus, she decided to reveal her distinctly pointy ears.

Aisha was going to meet Arthur Pendragon of this current age, the wielder of the sword Excalibur. His father had just died and had passed onto him the task of being Branch's hero, thus, marrying him would immediately topple the plans the Round Table was concocting. They were supposed to meet seven months ago in a park, disguised as ordinary citizens to break off the ice that stood between them due to their statuses, but out of some mistake, that didn't happen. Arthur Pendragon ended up meeting a girl named Maya, whom he immediately rejected at the end of the day as he quickly realized she wasn't the daughter of the Arch-mage.

In the case of Aisha, she probably had subconsciously noticed that Arthur Crane wasn't the right guy, yet somehow felt drawn to him. Now, as painful as it was for her to decide, she must put her nation first before her personal feelings.  In front of a huge crowd of press, soldiers and politicians, she would become Arthur Pendragon's fiancé.

Aisha held the handle of an ornamented and gigantic double door. She lightly pushed it forward and some mechanism in the door's hinges activated and did the rest for her. The door creaked open and revealed a courtyard filled with flashing lights from cameras and the voices and murmurs of people. Gracefully, she walked past by the spectators in her beautiful, white one-piece dress frilled from the chest to the shoulders. The elegance of her movements may have caused hearts of men in the vicinity to skip a beat.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The center area of the venue was surrounded by a ribbon, keeping the press from getting too close. This area was preserved for the nobility of the Cloud Kingdom and the Politicians of the Republic of Branch.  Inside this space, were tables luxuriously ornamented with flowers and precious objects made of glass. The cutlery were all either made up of gold or silver depending on the status of the one using it.

As Aisha approached the table at the center she happened to glance at the man standing beside it. He was a tall burly man of a mature and manly appearance. His countenance could be considered as diamond among coals, that is to say, he was very handsome; the kind that is one among a thousand—no, to be more accurate, one in a million.  His auburn hair dazzled resplendently, due to the light of the morning sun.  Upon seeing Aisha, he immediately sent an amiable smile, greeting her from afar, even before they exchanged words.

"Greetings," Aisha coolly pronounced, "might you perhaps be Pendragon, Arthur Pendragon?"

"Indeed I am," Arthur answered, taking Aisha's hand and kissing it, "milady, Aisha."

"I take it you know already what happened?"

"Yes, I do dear Miss," replied Arthur with a smile, "a cunning police man seemed to have taken the liking of deceiving you. What utter barbarity."

Arthur's eyes widened a bit as he felt Aisha's grip tighten, as if in irritation; he thought it looked as if she cared for her deceiver, but he immediately brushed off the idea as Aisha masterfully smiled at him with a brilliant gaze.

"Indeed," Aisha retorted calmly, "it was an unfortunate misunderstanding."

'Calm down Aisha,' Aisha thought to herself, 'don't let your personal feelings get the better of you.'

***

Arthur was on his full-on pensive look while studying various possibilities of Aisha's true identity. He wasn't about to give up on her yet, he was sure he'll find a way to locate her wherever she was. Having exhausted numerous options, he decided to let loose a bit and watch some news. However, the moment he opened his MV (Mirror Vision) what greeted him was something surprising. A girl, wearing a dress so beautifully woven that it endorsed her own beauty to a greater extent, was holding hands with the hero of the country—Arthur Pendragon.  Arthur was sure he knew who the girl was. Even though the dress made her look so different, even though she had already removed the magic that had disguised her, thus revealing her pointy ears, he couldn't mistake her for anyone else—she was Aisha.

Suddenly it all clicked: the mysterious entries happening at the border that the upper brass of the police force was somehow protecting.  Her high-level magic that instantly incinerated the Mutates at the station; and the reason why she mistook him for someone else was because he and the hero of the country shared the same name.

Aisha Flores was Cloud's well known mage, the Great-mage, successor to the throne of Arch-mage Merlin. In the Cloud Kingdom, leadership was determined a little bit different compared to other nation found in the world. It was determined by both competence and strength. Basically, anyone in the country who had such traits would be scouted and adopted to the Flores family—these recruits would undergo harsh training and eventually undergo trial. The one that would come out as the triumphant victor would be crowned as successor. Hence, Aisha was Merlin's successor not by birthright but by merit.

Arthur was starting to see the whole picture, although he didn't want to admit it. His chest somehow tightened, feeling the most uncomfortably excruciating pain. The look of Aisha, smiling together with another man while holding hands, numbed Arthur's reaction in shock. He couldn't believe it—

'How can I,' he whispered to himself, looking at Pendragon, 'stand against that?'

'Maybe I should just give up,' he added morosely, having lost all hope of proposing to Aisha.

But then he remembered something—there was a way to get her back. A way so they could end up with each other. However, it would mean reopening old wounds and resisting an old trauma.