The castle had been bustling all afternoon. People from the village came and went, as the entire staff ran busily about.
The beginning of the celebrations in honor of the Prince’s return was to be a party of great splendor, held in the largest garden of the palace, with performers and music, food and drink, and all of the castle and village were invited.
Astasha had spent the afternoon preparing herself, returning to her small clearing to properly pull as much energy as she could handle, centering her focus and grounding her mind. After bathing, she changed into a long red gown with gold embroidery, leaving her back and arms exposed, her sash tied around her hips. As a witch, she never went anywhere without it, as it carried a number of magical items she never knew when she might need. The pouches that held them dangled and bounced as she gracefully made her way out into the garden.
The area was packed with people from all walks of life: villagers, royals, soldiers. Tables were scattered across the grass adorned with foods and drinks of lavish proportions. As much as Astasha longed to grab a glass of mulled wine, she knew she needed her senses clear.
Her eyes roamed across the crowd, landing on the pinnacle of the festivities. Raised up on a makeshift stand so as to look out over the gathering, were two thrones. In the largest sat the King, chatting with one of his military advisors, and next to him, in a silver tunic and light armor, was Prince Calder. He was smiling and laughing with whom she guessed was the Captain of his Royal Guard. That smile… Would she ever not be in awe of it? It had won her heart, after all, and the thought of it had comforted her on many lonely nights.
She found herself watching him, a faint smile on her own lips, and a small flutter in her soul. He was just as handsome as she remembered. She could still recall his smell, the taste of his lips, the feel of him against her.
His eyes moved, suddenly finding her amongst the throng, causing her heart to skip a beat, but she forced herself to lock away her memories of him, and focus on the task at hand.
She bowed her head ever so slightly to him before turning and making her way toward a group of dancers performing on the lawn. From the corner of her eye, she watched the Prince excuse himself from his conversation and rise, making his way toward her.
She could sense him approaching, feel his energy as he moved through the crowd, nodding and greeting people as he went. And then, he was beside her.
"Sorceress Astasha."
"Your highness."
They didn't look at each other, pretending to watch the dancers as they moved to exotic music.
"Congratulations on your successful return." She said.
"And to you on your position. I never doubted it would be yours once Fiera stepped down."
She could feel the electricity between them. Though their words were formal, both hid something much more intimate.
She had been eighteen and he twenty when they met. Sent into the village by his father to assess the needs of the people for the coming winter, he spotted her in the market. She was selling herbs and had captivated him with her flowing red hair and eyes like fire.
It took him purchasing her entire stock to convince her to accompany him for the remainder of the day, and by nightfall, they were absolutely infatuated with one another. He was funny and kind, she, witty and strong. And when he was forced to return to the palace, he left her with a kiss on her hand, and a promise to return to see her again, which he did.
They knew it would never be more than a fleeting romance, but he would come to meet her as often as he could, and they would steal away to be with one another.
The power that would be held by an heir of both royal and magical blood, was deemed more than any ruler should have, and therefore, it was forbidden for royalty to be with a witch. And so, for a year, they hid in the shadows together, laughing and kissing and learning all there was to know about one another, Astasha shielding their experiences as best she could with the magic she was just learning to use. But on the eve of his twenty-first birthday, reality came crashing down upon them.
The day a prince turned twenty-one was the day he was to depart on his quest for the throne. Astasha would never forget that night, how she had wept and he had kissed her tears away, how they had spent their last time together in intimate embrace of one another, entangled in each other's bodies. Still new to her powers, the experience was beyond anything she could have described; every moment, each sigh, and touch, and quiver, she felt on a level that seemed impossible. They were in love, making love, before they were forced to say goodbye.
The emptiness she had felt when he was gone had almost consumed her. But she forced herself to be strong, to put up that little barrier around her heart that she was, now, all too familiar with. She focused on her powers, on learning all that she could about them, practicing magic by night, selling herbs by day, but at the end of each one, she found herself with an ache in her soul… without even realizing it, she had been waiting for a familiar smile and those bright blue eyes to emerge from the crowd. But they never did.
A year later, the King came to her village in search of a new fire witch, and Astasha's mother had pushed her into the running. She tried to refuse, knowing that if she was accepted, it would mean someday she would be a part of Calder's Magical Advisory, and the thought of being around him without being able to be with him tore her apart. But when the King personally came to her small cottage to name her as his choice, Astasha had no option but to accept.
For years she had forced herself to try to forget about her love for the Prince, to harden her heart and resign herself to the position she would hold until the magic left her. But there was nothing she could have done, no spell she could have performed (although she had tried to find one) that would have stopped her from feeling everything she had tried to forget, the moment she saw him again.
And now he stood next to her, so close that she had but to reach out her hand and touch him. No matter how much energy she gave to the bubble around her heart, being this near to him was slowly breaking it apart. But she had a job to do. She needed to be able to read him, and not just his energy and emotions, but his essence, where maybe, just maybe, she could figure out what it had been she had felt during the ritual.
A servant passed by with a tray of mulled wine and she stopped him to take two. As much as she hated manipulating the man she loved, she needed his guard down. It would make it so much easier to work her way in. She smelled it to make sure there were no poisons present (something she had been rigorously trained in), before turning to face Calder.
He had been watching her, his lips slightly parted, a look on his face that showed he too was battling something inside.
"To your victory." Astasha said, holding out a cup to him.
As he reached out to take it, their hands touched, and once again, it was like a rush of electricity in her veins. Their eyes locked on each other as he took the glass and they both drank. A small sip wouldn't be enough to dull her senses or muddy her powers, but it might just ease her nerves. Calder's eyes drifted to her mouth as she lowered the chalice from it, and heat rose in her cheeks. All it took was a simple glance from this man and she was weak in the knees. What she would give for him to kiss her…
The moment was broken, however, by an older gentleman, one of the financial advisors, if she was to remember correctly. "Your highness, many congratulations on your successful return!" he said, bowing to the Prince.
Astasha took the opportunity to slip away, but glanced over her shoulder to catch his eye as she wove through the crowd, heading toward the edge of the garden, into the forest… the perfect place to be alone.
Astasha set her glass down on a table as she wound her way through the festivities. Having performed a quick spell when their hands had touched, tethering Calder's energy to her, she could sense where he was and knew he was following her. No sooner had she slipped into the crowd, had he excused himself from the conversation he was in, and headed after her. While she knew he was smart and wouldn't make it obvious, he was quickly starting to catch up, and she worried someone might notice him rushing after her into the woods, so she quietly uttered under her breath, and with a flick of her wrist, a rush of air pushed a servant carrying a tray of glasses, right into his path. A smile broke across her lips as she heard the poor soul apologizing profusely for getting in his way, while Calder graciously tried to take the blame. He had always been so humble, never viewing himself above anyone. It was part of what she had loved about him, still loved about him if she was being honest. She k
Astasha was shaken to the core, her thoughts running wild, and her energy sporadic and messy. None of it made sense, not what she had felt or seen. Could it have been her emotions for Calder warping her perception, making her feel and see things that weren’t actually there? No, she knew better than that. Something was wrong. And to make matters worse, she had allowed herself to fall into a compromising position, one she had sworn she would avoid at all costs. But there was just something about him… he truly could make her lose all thought of reason. As she slipped back into the party, she knew it was imperative that she returned to her room as quickly as possible, where she would be shielded behind closed doors to properly process what had happened. There was no knowing what emotions could be felt coming from her if she didn’t collect herself before speaking to Errant. Rushing through the crowd, she quickly made her way back into the castle. Desperate to reach the Magic Wing, she ha
What was he thinking!?Astasha couldn't believe the Prince was actually requesting her presence in his private chambers. Of course, this wasn't entirely unusual. Members of the Magic Advisory had been known to attend to the royals in their rooms from time to time, but mainly when they were ill or needed something cleansed. This particular request was quite unorthodox, and with the possibility of an Authentication Ritual, not to mention whatever suspicions Cordelia harbored, it could be disastrous. No one refused a regal request, however, and luckily the servants were sworn to tight lips regarding private matters of the kingdom’s rulers.Astasha quickly changed into a slightly less revealing gown of black and gold, and followed the young servant through the palace to the royal quarters, her runes clicking against her thigh as they walked, although she would be thoroughly surprised if they were actually needed.They reached a set of vast doors with guards stationed on either side. “The
Everything that had happened since the Prince had returned felt surreal, like a dream and a nightmare wrapped into one.Astasha was drained of everything. Never had her energy levels been so low.Errant had indeed heard her message, and had rushed toward the Prince’s chambers, sending a servant to summon the rest of the Advisory. It was on his way there that he had come across the sorceress, unconscious and pale on the floor.Quickly, he tried to revive her, but something was wrong. Energy was lashing out of her, chaotic, frightened, unpredictable, and dark. Whatever had happened to his young Fire Witch, it had shaken her so deeply, it destabilized the very foundation of her energy.As soon as his Earth Sorcerer arrived, Errant ordered him to ground her as much as possible, attempting to calm and subdue the erratic energy pulsing through her, before rushing off himself to ensure the Prince was secure.At last, Astasha had come to, full of panic, and demanding to know if the demon had
Astasha had left the King's quarters with her mind reeling. All she knew about blood magic was what she had read in that book, and now she had barely any time to find a way to use it to free Calder. It had very much been insinuated, that should she get caught, there was nothing the King could do, and rightfully so. Josnen was indeed the ruler of the land, but when it came to magic and the laws that bound it, the High Council of Sorcery was in charge. Should a mage break any of the rules put in place by them, their punishment could not be overruled by the court. It was a delicate dance between who stood where with the laws of royalty and magic, but a necessary one. Therefore, the King had done all he could to help Astasha by informing Errant that a replacement Fire Witch was to be brought in before he would allow the ritual to move forward, so that Astasha could be left to recover from her ordeal. While she was sure the Grand Sorcerer had his suspicions, he could not go against Josn
Whatever happened now, there was no going back. She had sealed her fate, and with it, Cal’s. If she failed, they would both suffer greatly. The demon clapped its hands together, making her jump slightly. "Wonderful! Now, let's get me out of this body and your precious Prince returned to you.” It turned and sauntered into the sitting area, plopping down into a chair. “I’m assuming you’d like to know how.” Astasha followed, taking a seat across from it. “That would be helpful. Considering you’re a demon, I’m assuming whatever ritual you have in mind will require the use of a less favorable magic?” It put its fingertips together. “Such a clever girl. It does indeed require something a little more to my tastes, blood magic, to be precise, although I’m sure you’ve worked that out already. You’ll need a sacrifice too, a human one.” Astasha blanched. "Absolutely not." As much as she wanted to free her Prince, she refused to harm another being to do it. The demon raised its eyebrows.
Once Astasha knew how the power of ‘the sacrifice’ (as the demon called it) worked, it had given her detailed instructions as to how to actually perform the ritual. After that, she left the Prince's chambers as quickly as possible, wishing nothing more than to cleanse herself of their lascivious encounter. Returning swiftly to her room, she immediately bathed, her cheeks burning red as she washed away the traces of her former arousal. She didn't know if she would ever be able to forgive herself for what she had done, what she was about to do, but she would deal with those consequences later. For now, she needed to focus on the more pressing issue at hand… preparing for the ritual without getting caught. Once washed and dressed, Astasha slipped out of the castle to the woods, taking with her all the supplies she would need. Her little clearing would be the perfect location; hidden, and known only to her. No one would accidentally stumble upon what was happening without knowing where t
Despite her racing heart, Astasha forced a calmness over herself. Not only was she about to break more magical laws than she had ever thought possible, she was also sneaking the most dangerous being in the kingdom out of the only place it was secure. There was no time for second thoughts now, though. Once again, she urged the flames outside the Prince’s door apart. But before stepping through, she paused. The moment the demon crossed that barrier, her life was forfeit. She thought about the promises she had made, the oaths she had sworn, to the Advisory, the King, Cal, even herself. Somehow, each of them had led her there, to that moment, and with a final breath of freedom, she walked through the parted fire and into the hall, the demon right behind her. Making their way out of the castle was slow going and full of anxious pauses. Each second, she waited for the alarm to sound, every corner, for Errant to come into view. But after a handful of quick ducks into small corridors, an