Chapter 7
Eliane
Every head turns to me as I walk through the door Da opens for me. I walk inside feeling insecure. I roll my shoulders back and push my chin up, showing everybody the confidence I want them to believe I have. On the front row are nine, good-looking, young people sitting.
“Eliane? This is your seat,” a guard informs me, putting his hand on my back, pushing me forward. A shiver rolls over my spine. My brain screams for him to let me go.
“I can walk on my own, thank you,” I say calmly to him, repressing the urge to snap.
The man looks surprised, but decides to not make a thing about it. He shrugs before walking away. I stroll toward my seat and turn around to scan the crowd for Da. My eyes find his and relief washes over me. He didn’t leave me on my own. I give him a small smile as he silently speaks to me.
“Stay calm, collected, and confident. You got this,” he mouths to me. I give him a thumbs up and shift my focus to the stage. The king starts speaking and the introduction of the candidates begins.
“Braxon, you can come up,” the king says smirking, calling his son up after the demonstration of the other boys called Aiden, Ethan, and Caleb.
The prince walks up, looking no different than any of us.
He is walking confidently, not showing any emotion.
He doesn’t look at his father as he steps beside him.
“As you all know this is my son. I understand that you might think he will have an advantage, but I promise you he hasn’t.
He will be treated exactly the same as any other candidate,” the king continues.
No wonder the boy doesn’t seem warm and fuzzy.
The king isn’t only bitching on me, it seems. “Since you already know my son, I will not ask him the usual. I do assume you are curious about one thing.” The smile on the king’s face grows wider and wider.
“What is your goal by entering this trial?” The crowd goes silent as Braxton swallows, showing his Adam’s apple to the people on the front row.
“I want to prove what I am capable of,” he replies, pressing his lips together and locking his jaw. His shoulders are tense, and he has this strange look in his eyes.
“We already know what you are capable of! You’re a monster!
” someone in the crowd screams. I turn around to look at the guilty man, wanting to give him the finger, but before I even blink, the man is being dragged away by the guards.
Braxton dashes off the stage, not giving the man any attention, and sits down as fast as he can.
I turn to look at him, but he doesn’t meet my gaze.
He is staring to the ground, clenching his fist and a tick pops up in his jaw.
This boy has such a handsome face it is almost unfair.
As he clenches his jaw, a small dimple appears in his cheek.
I bet it is even more visible when he is smiling, but if I have to believe the rumors, he never shows his smile.
I am getting drawn out of my thoughts when the king starts talking again.
“Next up is my mystery guest. Last but definitely not least. Eliane, you may come up!”
I jump up from my chair.
Shit.
Focus.
Stay calm, stay collected. I need to focus on my breathing for three seconds.
I wipe my sweaty palms on my dress as I step forward.
I feel with my hand on my leg, making sure the dagger is still there.
I hold my shoulders back and straighten my back, the dagger between my bra pressing in my flesh as I do so.
The king welcomes me on the stage with his arms outstretched.
I crunch my nose and nod at him, turning my face towards the crowd, not sitting down like the others did.
“Welcome, dear, what is your name?” the king asks.
That moron, pretending like he doesn’t know my name.
He just said it.
Why can’t he just put my name in the letters he sends me? Even the letter with the invitation for today we got this morning was addressed to the girl with the power of the sun and light. I turn to him, holding my head high, but narrowing my eyes.
“You already know my name, apparently,” I begin, switching toward the crowd waiting for me. “But for those of you who don’t know. My name is Eliane Lux Angevine. On the day of the trial, I will be eighteen years old. Which means I am seventeen right now.”
I look around the crowd, looking for support as I speak my words.
I speak every word with full confidence while all I want to do is sink through the floor.
The eyes of the crowd make me want to disappear, to cover myself with my arms. I glance at Braxton, searching for a smile, but he is focused on the king, not smiling yet, sadly enough.
My gaze shifts to Da, and he gives me a comforting nod.
My tense shoulders ease as the king continues speaking.
“Why did you enter the trials?” he asks, his eyes darkening, like he is forcing me to say something good. He wants me dead, but I don’t care. I am not going to lie. If he wanted me dead, he could have killed me when I was a little baby.
I am scared for everything.
But I am not going to be scared for him. I don’t want to seem scared at least. I don’t want anyone to know what I really feel. So I put on a mask.
“Because I have been taken away from my parents by you because of the trials. Because you wanted me to enter.” I sharpen my eyes at him and he stares in them, letting out a silent hiss.
“And what may your signet be?” the king asks, gritting his teeth.
He knows there is no damage control for him to do at this moment, because no one speaks up.
No one asks why. I swallow the lump in my throat.
Da nods at me again, signaling I can move forward with the plan.
I focus, stretch out my arm with my palm up, and a ball of light appears above it.
Silence falls over everyone. I gather the magic, weaving all the light together.
The entire palace brightens, and cheers and applause fill the air as my eyes follow the light spreading through the halls.
I look into the crowd again. My eyes meet those of Braxton.
“I am a light wielder,” I breathe out smiling, locking our intense eye contact. “And I am the one and only sun wielder to exist.”
The king’s eyes widen, and he rolls his shoulders back.
“Well thank you, Eliane, we are very excited for what you have to show us during the trials.”
I can’t help but smirk at the king. I threw him off balance and I would swear I heard him sputter. My eyes find Braxton’s again.
He chuckles.
And I mean really chuckles. His hands cover his mouth fast, but it is too late.
I saw his dimples, and I don’t think this will be the last time I see them. I will make it my mission to make this boy smile again. I can’t help myself. And I can’t seem to wipe this stupid grin off my face as I walk off the stage.
“I’m going to head out for a bit,” I announce.
“That’s fine,” Da responds. “Just don’t go too far, Goldie.”
I nod, jogging upstairs. Me and Da already trained this morning.
It felt good to fight all the feelings from yesterday’s announcement away.
I am still wearing my training clothes from earlier.
A tight T-shirt hugs my body. I can feel the point of the dagger tied on my leg, pinching in my thigh as I look around in my bookcase.
I climb up the ladder to reach a book from an upper shelf.
Lights from across the room gather and bolt towards that one book, that one book I needed to find.
“Aah, there you are.” I slide over, grabbing the book before I jump down. With the book under my arm, I pace outside. The waterfall comes into my sight and I slow down.
In a few days, a week before the start of the trial, we are expected to stay at the palace in a side building.
Why I have no idea of. It stresses me out, but Da comforted me earlier and told me he would be there too so it should be fine.
In front of me appears my well-known willow tree.
My favorite actually. On top, the twigs split in three.
With the leaves hanging down it has a sad appearance, but if you look closely, it will be the most beautiful tree you have ever seen.
I throw my book up in the tree. My hands grab the barks as my feet try to find a spine to stand on so I can climb up.
I pull myself up, holding onto a twig. My feet step on the splitting of the tree and I sit down on the biggest branch, close to the water and lean back, grabbing my book again.
My gaze falls over the small lake and waterfall beside me.
The water is clear blue and around the water are plants and flowers growing wildly.
They have no desire to be controlled and every year they seem to pop up wherever they like.
Trees, like the one I am sitting on, surround the small lake.
It looks magical. I clench my book to my chest as the memories sink in.
Da used to take me here as a kid. I would take his big hand, and we would walk here together.
We would sit by the water, and he would tell me fairytales.
After that, I would run into the lake, my little feet splashing all the water around as Da lifted me up and flew me through the air like an airplane.
I would scream and giggle all the time and Da would follow my lead.
Sometimes when we came here, deer, bunnies, or birds would sit and drink water out of the lake.
I think that is where my love for those animals comes from.
When Da told me about my future and I got older, we would come here to practice my signets.
He didn’t want me to train my signet much as a kid.
He homeschooled me and wanted me to have a as normal life as possible.
He just wished for me to be a kid. He wanted me to enjoy the little things I had and for that I am thankful.