ONCE UPON a time, there was a witch who closed herself off to the world and lived in a very secluded mountain.
She wasn't lonely. In fact, she has a dragon by her side and the fairies whom she saved from extinction.
She lived harmoniously with them for thousands of years.
The witch's life is so harmonious that there were no fights and threats in her land. So much so, that she slowly grew tired of it and became unhappy.
She was tired of the continuous cycle of her life in which what she only does in her daily life was to eat, sleep, read, and so on. There was no excitement for everyone and she wanted something new.
And so, she came up with a plan.
It was a plan to leave her old body behind and find a new one. To escape such a life and live with excitement, just even once.
She carefully crafted a plan in which she will cast magic that will separate her soul from her body and enter a new one, preferably a dead one.
When she succeeded in creating such magic, she left behind a letter for her beloved dragon and fairy friends to see.
Unaware that her reckless action will soon cause chaos to befall the continent.
She then cast magic on herself and saw as to how her soul left her body, her body dropping to the ground and disintegrating into the wind, for it is a thousand years old.
Her soul was the only key component in making her body appear youthful.
She set on to her journey after that and in a faraway land, saw a light calling for her.
She races to that light and the moment she touched it, it engulfed her and carried her to her new body.
A new life waiting for her.
~ ~ ~
"THE EMPRESS! THE EMPRESS IS GIVING BIRTH!"
Chaos soon filled the palace as the head maid shouted the news in a hurry. The meeting was disturbed and all of the people of high status are excited and annoyed at the disturbance but it soon dawned on them what the head maid shouted.
"A birth to a new heir!"
That news made every stilled in shock and surprise.
The emperor quickly stood up and was out in a flash, his cape fluttering behind him as his advisors rush with him to where the Empress is.
As soon as they came, they saw the Empress tired and weak on the bed. By her side is the newborn baby with her eyes closed and her chest unmoving.
Silence filled the room as they waited for the baby to cry but none came.
Tension filled the air like a thick fog as they nervously glanced at the emperor, fearing for the worst.
The emperor rushed to the empress' side and held her hand. The empress' eyes are still on the child as she felt the warm hand of the emperor on her.
It was clear that the empress had a hard time giving birth as her face is still drained out of color and traces of sweat can be clearly seen on her beautiful face.
"Is… Is she alive?" The emperor asked nervously, seeing that the baby didn't cry.
The empress didn't answer but soon smiled, turning her gaze to him and bringing her finger to her lips as a sign to be quiet.
"She's asleep."
The emperor sighed deeply and smiled at her, gently tracing her hand with his thumb.
"I'm glad."
He peeked to her side, where the baby is, and saw the most beautiful baby he had ever seen.
She has his hair, which is almost a silver color as her eyebrows and eyelashes are in a shade of gold, like the empress' hair. The eyelashes touched the baby's plump cheeks as her lips are slightly open.
She looks so fragile and tender which made the cold emperor look at her softly.
It was his first baby girl, a princess.
The emperor could clearly see that the child is not alive, as the baby's chest didn't rise after some time.
It dawned on him that the child is stillborn, and that breaks his heart.
He slowly stood up and walked to the other side, his feet wobbling in defeat as he saw the baby. He looks closer and held her in his arms, the empress looking at both of them with such adoration and love.
"You look alike." She said, a small smile plastered on her face.
The emperor held back his tears as he nodded, "It is because she’s, my girl."
The empress let out a satisfied laugh and closed her eyes, tired and exhausted.
"I'm sleeping now, Xerxes. Take good care of our child and give her love, in my stead."
As soon as she said that, her body went limp and all the people in the room broke down crying as the doctors and physicians frantically crowded the dead empress.
The emperor anticipated that she will not last long, from her state and her strength when he held her hand, but he didn't expect her to go like that.
The only woman he ever loved, died when she gave birth to their princess.
A lone tear escaped from the emperor's eyes as he hugged the baby closer to him, giving her all his warmth.
While the people are busy crying and trying to revive the empress, the tear that the emperor shed fell on the child's cheeks.
Which made the child flinch at this and opens her eyes before it rested on the crying man holding her.
She slowly reaches for his cheeks as if she tried to console him.
Upon contact with the small hand, the emperor looked at the child as he is met with the most beautiful ocean blue eyes that seemed to have a golden hue when the sun hits it.
The child looked at him curiously as his eyes widened at the awakened child who he thought had died along with his wife.
He thought he was seeing things because of grief but when the child gently patted his cheeks, that seemed to wake him up.
"Owho-ho?"
The child made gurgle noises towards him.
He just stared at her in disbelief as she looks back at him, her blue gold hues met his and he felt that they were drawing him in.
He didn't realize that the people crowding the empress are now looking at him in shock because the princess was alive and breathing, holding the emperor's cheek.
They thought it was a miracle that the once dead baby came to life.
"Alesteria."
The emperor called for the baby by a name that they assumed to be her name.
The baby responded with a giggle while still holding onto the emperor's cheek.
Everyone was frozen in place.
This was also a shock to them as they heard the emperor himself bestow the princess her own name.
The head maid who interrupted the meeting was now beside the door and looked solemn as she stares at the dead empress on the bed.
"You will be Alesteria Alaric of the Vlatka Empire."
The emperor continued as his voice resounded in the room, like it was the law.
As he finished this, he glanced at everyone in the room before his eyes landed on the dead empress that seemed to be sleeping.
He closes his eyes and with a heavy heart, he turns towards the door as he carried the baby in his arms, being gentle as he possibly could.
The newborn unknowingly went closer to him and that made his eyes look at her softly.
"The first princess of the empire has been successfully born. News about Alesteria should be distributed nationwide, no mentions of the deceased empress will come out of this room."
The people lowered their heads and knelt in front of him, all swearing loyalty to the emperor.
"We shall do as we are commanded." They said in unison as they solemnly pledged.
The emperor seemed satisfied with this and nodded. He gave the dead empress one last glance before giving his final order and goodbye to his beloved.
"The body of the empress should be handled with care, and bury her in her favorite garden. After you buried her, set this place on fire and build it into a garden which shall be named Aleria."
The people all looked up to him and nodded, a fierce look on their faces as they wholeheartedly answered.
With the emperor's command, all the people get to work for the funeral of their beloved empress but also the spreading of the news about the birth of the newest royal.
The emperor left the place with a grieving heart.
Memories of the empress flooded his mind as he stared at the empty halls, a dark void filling his heart.
"Ovuwha!"
The gurgle of the baby awoke his mind and the dark void that he felt earlier slowly dissipates.
He stared at the baby's eyes as they looked back at him, he sighs and walked out of the palace with the bundle of joy in his arms.
The sun greeted them as soon as they stepped out and the newborn closes her eyes momentarily to adjust to the brightness.
She opened her eyes again and stared at the bright blue sky, almost reflecting her own. She was in awe of everything around her and when her eyes landed on the emperor, she saw him smiled softly at her, making her smile back at him.
A new life…has been born.
THE CASTLE was bustling for a whole month as the baby continue to sleep, her peaceful form in a beautiful and intricate crib that was made from the softest bamboo and designed with various gems. A month ago, after she was born, she fell asleep in the cold emperor's embrace and never woke up, even after a few hours. The people in the palace thought that the princess is just tired but she never once moved nor did she open her eyes. This phenomenon caused great panic to the palace as the first princess just continue to sleep peacefully, unaware of the havoc she is causing. The truth is, the body is still adjusting to the soul inside. The body is making sure that the soul is not slipping out from the body while also ensuring that it doesn't have a tear from the process. The soul inside, now named Alesteria Alaric, is also sleeping as she spent her energy waking up before they truly declare her dead. She decides to wake up at that time, even though her soul was still unstable inside
"YOUR HIGHNESS is so cute today!" Alesteria looked at the maid who was assigned to be her nanny bored as the nanny smiled warmly in return, holding a rattle in one hand and clothes on the other. She looked at her, dead in the eye, and clenched the bottle that she was holding very firmly. The cute act made the nanny squeal for a moment before cooing to her. "Now, now, your highness. I know you like your food but I have to dress you up." Alesteria knows that she needs to changes. She felt the milk sliding off her cheeks as it soaks into the bed, her hair, and her clothes.
"ALESTERIA~!" "Alesteria~!" "Alesteria~!" 'Ah, now I know why I feel irritated minutes ago. It was a premonition.' Alesteria looked at the boy who interrupted her sleep and saw a boy with light blonde hair and deep blue eyes, there is even a dimple on his cheek as he smiled brightly at her. Even though he is smiling like that, Alesteria knew that this boy looks like someone who causes trouble. Alesteria looked at the boy once again as she is still in her nanny's embrace and gave the boy a blank look, clearly displaying her irritation towards him. "Wow, Ales is staring at me! Do you find your brother handsome?" 'I find you annoying.' The boy, who is also the first prince of the Vlatka kingdom, is named Aldrich Thaddeus Alaric. Obviously, he is Alesteria's older brother. Alesteria remembered the first time he saw this boy and it immediately reminded him of one of his friends in the mountains. He was the same in terms of they may look innocent but they cause trouble whenever th
'ARE YOU kidding me?!' That is what Alesteria cried in her mind as everyone in the room became silent by the emperor's command. Everyone simply froze when they heard his command, and they were wondering if they had heard him correctly, but when they saw the emperor's expression, they knew they had. 'A-A ruby emerald…!' It is regarded as one of the world's most valuable gems. One stone of it may cost half of the budget of a lesser kingdom, and as it matures, it becomes stronger than metal. All of the people know this, it is just basic knowledge. So, it's understandable that they were taken aback when they heard the emperor's decree. 'Getting a ruby emerald is near impossible! And he wants it by the time of the princess' banquet!' Tristan, who is the emperor's aide, already knew who would be tasked to get the ruby emerald. It was inevitable for him, who decided
CONTRARY TO Tristan's and Bastian's wishes, after Xerxes visited Alesteria, he pushed through with his command to have the ruby emerald be placed on the princess' tiara. The job of finding the ruby emerald fell on both Tristan and Bastian. Tristan was entrusted to seek nobles who may have a piece of the ruby emerald whilst Bastian scours the east, where the ruby emerald originally came from. They can use all means and methods, even the imperial knights and the teleportation scrolls are at their disposal because their deadline is only by the end of this month. That is why Bastian can't help but scream out his frustration. "SON OF A GOAT! JUST THROW ME INTO A PIT AND LET ME FIGHT WITH LIONS INSTEAD!" The echoing of Bastian's scream pierced through Tristan's ears as they finally exited the main palace. Tristan rolled his eyes at Bastian's rough behavior while the people passing by stared at them for a mom
'HE IS crazy, very crazy!' A ruby emerald is one of the rarest and most exquisite jewels known to mankind. It has a combination of both ruby and emerald whilst the color mixes with each other, creating an infusion of both colors, also considered rare because of the quality of mana that it contains. It can even hold up to a dragon's lifeforce and can withstand all disasters, but within the early stage of its formation can it be considered as fragile. If it reaches maturation, it can never be crushed nor broken. 'That crazy emperor! Doesn't he know how hard it is to find a ruby emerald?! That thing is the rarest of them all! What's worse, he wants to put it on my head?!' Alesteria knew what the ruby emerald can do. It was, after all, her own creation. The ruby emerald was just an accidental jewel created when she was beginning to control her powers centuries ago. It was a combination of her raw mana and the mana of a dragon, her friend. That is the reason why it can hold a dragon
IN A faraway land near the east, where the southern border is located, a man who is on a mission to save his life and lineage is desperately clinging on the side of the door as he hurls his guts out. 'I don't know why but I knew that I was never good with traveling. Why did I decide to ride a carriage instead of using the scrolls?' He regretfully thought as he hurls again. Tristan was regretting his choice right now but this was all because of Bastian, who had a bet with him that he will never be able to make it to Duke Versormer's territory alive. Bastian knew of Tristan's severe motion sickness. 'Why did I even agree to that stupid bet…!' The bet wasn't worth it if Tristan is being honest, but it would hurt his pride not to accept it. 'His house isn't even worth it, but I'll show him…' Tristan thought as he wiped his mouth. "Are you done emptying your stomach? If you want to be the
AFTER TRISTAN closed the door, he let out a shaky sigh as he clutched the book tightly.He knew what he did, but it was what he had to do. He thought of letting Bastian know and explaining, but he was not ready if ever Bastian will hold a grudge against him.'Ahhh! Whatever happens, happens!'Feeling frustrated, he turned to the left to go to the room assigned to him and get his bags so he can leave immediately, but before he could take a step, a small boy blocked his path.This young boy is no older than 3 years old, standing upright like he is older than his age, and soft gray eyes looking at him in the same way Saxon did.Tristan instantly knew who this boy is."Young lord Nicholae." He greeted him, bowing his head a little.The young boy named Nicholae nodded at him, his posture is similar to Saxon's as his eyes landed on the book in Tristan's hand."I see. So, you made a deal with father."