The Magic of Aurelian

Kiran

The flight to Zephyriss had been mostly uneventful, except for the fact that Eleonor was still avoiding me. She had spent her time next to her brother and spoke to me only in single-word responses. It was the most frustrating thing I had ever experienced, but I couldn’t say anything without giving us away. I would have to wait until we were in private to speak with her.

Zephyriss was the capital of the Air Kingdom, and I had to say, this was the place I least looked forward to visiting. The Air Fairies tended to put on airs, no pun intended. They thought highly of themselves and were often not willing to risk themselves to help others. It was surprising that they sent students to the academy at all, but we were glad for it. Their cities were not located on dragon territory like the other four kingdoms, so they did not have close relationships with the dragons. They were located between the Copper and Ice Dragons but interacted with them only as needed.

Our arrival in Zephyriss was welcomed much like in the previous two kingdoms. King Zephyr, who was named after the original Zephyr for which the city was named, greeted us and had us escorted to our rooms. Our dinner would not be until tomorrow, so he had arranged for dinner to be brought to our room as we arrived rather late in the day.

Eleonor immediately shut herself away and said she was going to bed early as she was exhausted. A part of me wished to disregard her words and seek her out, but I knew that would only upset her further, so I decided to wait for tomorrow.

The next morning, we had breakfast with King Zephyr and his Queen. They were both less talkative than King Ignatius and Queen Dhara, so I had to be the one to initiate the conversation.

“We are all quite excited to see the Ethereal Silk Canopy today. I have heard wonders of its beauty.” The Air Kingdom was known for its silk. They had a spider that was only found in the Air Kingdom that produced colorful luminescent threads that eliminated the need for dye. The Air Fairies had traded their textiles with the Copper Dragons for years, but they had yet to trade with other Fairy Kingdoms. Making a trade deal between our two kingdoms would be highly advantageous.

“Yes, its renown is far-reaching. There is no finer silk in all of the Realms.”

“I would have to agree with you on that. My mother has a dress made from your silk, and I’d say it’s one of her finest garments.” I was being honest, but I also figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk up his silk as it would make him more amenable to work with us Light Fairies.

“I’ll be happy to give you and your entourage a personal tour of the Silk Canopy.”

“We are honored, Your Majesty.” He liked me talking him up, so I went with it. Even Eleonor gave me a look of approval. She may not be talking to me right now, but she was being very professional in continuing to do her work as my advisor.

Eleonor

The Silk Canopy was truly a wonder to behold. At first sight, it looked like a regular grove of trees, but once you got closer, it was possible to see the colorful threads of silk all over the trees. Layer upon layer of shimmering pastel threads floated above our heads. The colors made me smile, and I inadvertently sought Kiran’s eyes so that I could share in my joy with him. I had gotten so used to his friendship and presence that I forgot I was avoiding him. Our eyes met, and for a moment, he was all I saw. It wasn’t until I heard my brother’s voice that I was able to pull away from his gaze.

“They must have some giant spiders here to be weaving all of these webs,” He shivered in disgust at the thought. My brother, the big strong warrior who went on monster raids, shuddered at the thought of giant spiders. I shook my head and lightly laughed at Gabriel.

After our tour was complete, we journeyed back to the castle where we were presented with our very own silk garment to wear to dinner. Kiran was given a simple blue tunic, while I was given a full-length sheath dress with mixed pink, yellow, and blue threads. The styles were simple to showcase the beauty of the silk itself, but I loved how the fabric seemed to glide over my figure and fit perfectly over my slender curves.

I wasn’t prepared for Kiran to be waiting to walk together to dinner, but I should have known he would wait for me. He was a creature of habit, and even though he hadn’t said anything to me, I knew my presence calmed his nerves. We would only be meeting two ladies tonight, which would make the evening easier as there would be fewer people to make conversation with.

As I did at the other two dinners, I reached for Kiran’s hand, but I was surprised when he slightly tensed at my touch. He immediately relaxed when he realized I was just squeezing his hand, but he quickly pulled his hand away from mine the first chance he got. I wasn’t sure whether to feel upset at his reaction or not. After all, I had brought this upon myself.

We entered the dining hall and King Zephyr immediately came to greet us. “Come, let me introduce you to the two young ladies who fit the shoe. I am certain you are eager to get to know them.” He smiled as he walked us over to the other side of the room.

I froze as I saw the two women before me. My heart felt like it dropped to my stomach, and I barely heard King Zephyr when he introduced them, “May I introduce Lady Aria and Lady Sylvie.”

Aria giggled as she put out her hand for Kiran to kiss, “I am certain no introductions are needed. Prince Kiran and I were at school together this summer.”

“And I was as well,” Sylvie, not one to be left, behind chimed in.

I was certain this had to be some kind of joke. How was it possible for the two of them to have fit my shoe? They had to have used some kind of magic as there was just no way that they would have been able to squeeze their feet into the shoe.

King Zephyr went to greet some of his other guests, leaving us to Aria and Sylvie. They were all over Kiran, and as we were in public, he had no other choice but the be nice to them. Aria, however, took every opportunity to glare at me.

We all sat down to dinner, and even though I was set to sit beside Kiran, Aria and Sylvie decided they needed to be on either side of him. It would not have been fitting for me to make a scene, so I could do nothing but look at the display before me. The two women kept finding reasons to touch Kiran, and my stomach lurched at the sight. If anyone should be touching Kiran, it was me…at least that’s what my brain kept screaming at me. Then, I would shake off the jealousy and remind myself that I had no claim to Kiran and I was not a Lady like the others.

Dinner was endless, and I was drained after the day we had. My original thought was to go up to my room, wash the day away, and sleep, but I ended up pacing around my room. I needed to talk to Kiran about our kiss and everything else. He needed to know the truth so that I could end this charade, and so that I could make sure Aria and Sylvie stopped trying to sink their claws into him. I know he would never go for either of them as he had always defended me against them and already turned Aria down several times at both school and the balls, but my jealousy was overpowering all rational thought.

Kiran

If I thought the previous two dinners were difficult to sit through, then I was gravely mistaken as this dinner was the worst of them. Aria and Sylvie of all people were the two ladies who fit the shoe. We all knew they couldn’t be the woman I sought as they had revealed their identity to me at each ball, but they persisted with their games. Eleonor had walked ahead of me and gone to her room without sparing me a second glance. I know how she feels about Aria and Sylvie, so this dinner must have been difficult for her. Before I could follow Eleonor, King Zephyr stopped me to discuss some trade options. We agreed to schedule a meeting with my mother to move forward with our plans. By the time I made it to my room, I was certain Eleonor had gone to sleep as I saw her light was out underneath her door. I dejectedly went to my room and again promised myself I would speak with her the first chance I got.

As I turned on the lamp in my room, I was startled by the surprise I found on my bed.

“Aria, how did you get in here?’ She was sitting in the center of my bed, wearing a short silk robe that was tied at her waist but nearly open at both the top and the bottom, showcasing her long legs and the curve of her cleavage. She had taken down her long dark hair, which flowed down to her waist. I couldn’t deny she was beautiful and any other man would have found her alluring, but I only found her to be desperate. I had never given her reason to think that I was interested in her, but here she was anyway.

“Kiran, you don’t have to keep denying our connection. Give in to your desires. I am more than happy to be everything you could ever want and need.” She curled her finger around a strand of hair as she spoke.

“Aria, I didn’t invite you into my room, so I think you should go before you embarrass yourself any further.”

Her eyes narrowed at me before she let out a giggle. “You’re so funny, Kiran, like I said, just give in to me already.” With that, she got off the bed and untied her robe, letting it fall behind her. I looked down immediately, not wanting to see her like this, but not really knowing what to do. A knock sounded at the door, saving me from having to say anything, but I also didn’t want to answer the door as the person was sure to see Aria. I picked up her robe without looking at her and held it to her front. The person on the other side of the door continued to knock, and no matter how much I wished them away, they persisted.

“Go hide,” I whispered harshly to Aria and ushered her in the direction of the bathroom before opening the door. I only cracked it slightly, fearful of Aria and her potential for havoc.

“Eleonor…” She was the person I least expected to be on the other side of the door, but she was also the person I most wanted to see right now.

“Kiran, I…would it be possible for us to speak privately for a moment?” She looked nervous and hopeful all at once, and she came here for the exact thing I had been wanting from her the entire day.

“Kiran, who’s at the door?” Bile rose in my throat as Aria appeared behind me, still unclothed save for the silk robe she clutched in front of her. She put her hand on my shoulder as she looked past me and opened the door wider so that Eleonor saw her.

I turned back to Eleonor, and I saw in her eyes the exact moment that her heart shattered in her chest. I know what I saw because my own heart shattered right along with hers. “Eleonor, this isn’t–”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Good night, Your Highness.” Eleonor quickly cut me off as she looked down at the floor. She ran to her room on the other end of the hallway and quickly threw open the door, but not before I heard her stifle a sob.

I attempted to follow her, but Aria pulled back on my arm, “Let her go, she’s not worth your time.”

“Leave Aria,” I yanked my arm out of her grasp and my anger had me getting up in her face. “Eleonor is worth countless millennia. No part of you comes even close to Eleonor’s value.” With that, I walked off to Eleonor’s room and knocked but there was no response. I leaned my head against the door, hoping to hear her on the other side, but all I heard were her faint sobs. Once again I was conflicted, she had told me this whole time that she couldn’t be with me, but if that were true then why was she crying like this? When it became clear that she wouldn’t be opening the door, I returned to my room and spent a sleepless night in bed. This trip couldn’t end soon enough.