Thank you BridgesTunnels for all your help on the blurb :) <3

Without darkness, nothing comes to birth, as without light nothing flowers.*

Asteria.

Attending the Asterian Academy of Nuvues, had been my dream ever since I could remember.

It was utopian. Intangible. I hadn't dared to let myself hope that someday I might be training alongside the rest of the Nuvues.

I had known that the Znicit had not worked, although the reason was still a mystery. My powers still resided within me, although I seemed to have no control over them. My dad and I had decided to keep that a secret between us. And perhaps, when and if the time came, we could reveal it to the world. What happened at Evelyn's party was not the ideal way that I had hoped for it to happen. I was still scared. The pain was still fresh in my mind and body.

 However, the thought of attending Asteria was like a beacon protecting me. I hated myself for being so fascinated. So hopeful about the idea of visiting the Academy. Especially since I still had a week of Ellermans to endure. 

I woke up the next day, feeling considerably less sore and starving. I lay in my bed and gazed at the high ceiling, which was now bathed in the cascading sunlight. My room remained exactly as I remembered it before going to Stonewall. Scarcely decorated and un-homely.

I sat at the edge of the bed, carefully putting my weight on my right leg as I slowly stood up.

 I walked over to the floor-length windows and gazed at the emerald garden beyond it from my first-floor room. 

I could see the well-manicured gardens complete with a palette of hues. Expertly maintained topiary dotted the garden. An ornate gazebo stood a little further away from me, covered in bougainvillaea tendrils. The soft glow of the sun gently kissed the beautiful petals. The vibrant pink a stark contrast to its white. I had spent many evenings just loitering in the gardens. It was colossal and I hadn't been able to explore it in its entirety. It had a dozen gazebos and about fifty fountains, each with a symbol of the golden falcon. The view from my room was the single thing that I liked about it. 

My arrival at the palace had been the source of a lot of commotion and my dad was forced to send me away to live with my aunty soon after. Of course, that was before the mishap with Ezra had caused me to be shipped off to Stonewall. In a way, I knew I deserved it. In fact, I had been shown more kindness than I deserved anyway. 

There was a gentle knock at the door, and I turned around, wondering who it could be at this hour. Half of me dreaded that it would be Andreas. However, that fear was dispelled when a gentle, female voice called.

"Sir Ezekiel?" it said. "His highness would like you to join him in the gardens."

I stood stunned for a while, unused to the salutation. 

"Sir?" The voice repeated, more insistently. 

"Er- yes," I finally said. "Yes, alright. I will be there. Thank you." 

The footsteps receded as I went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror.

I had always felt that the bathroom was much more flamboyant than required. With its animal hide carpet, fake; because hunting had been prohibited in Evimeria. The ornate bathtub and the wide mirror which reflected my entire form, the jewelled taps encrusted with exquisite gems, the polished marble flooring and the millions of settings on the bathtub that I had never quite got around to using. 

I twisted the tap and splashed the water onto my face. The cold water felt good on my skin, waking me up effectively. I stared at my reflection for a while. My pale, emaciated face looked tired and worn, my hair dishevelled. My irises were contradicting my fatigued face even more than usual. I was still in disbelief of what was happening. A few days ago, I was at Stonewall. And now, I would be attending Asteria. I undressed and went to take a shower, my eyes suddenly widening in shock as I noticed the dark mark on my forearm. 

"What the-?"

I brought it closer to my eyes and wondered if it was the water that was causing an illusion. The dark red numbers seemed to have gotten darker, more prominent somehow. I dried it off and to my shock, saw that even without the water, the ink was brighter than I remembered it. I usually preferred wearing long sleeves rather than explaining the origin of the tattoo. I had had it ever since I could form memories. The only difference being that it seemed to grow with me. Proportionally. Never fading. Against the numerous faded scars on my skin, they seemed to stand out with even more prominence. 

I quickly dressed and started making my way downstairs. I walked along the long corridors and towards the palace gardens. Maybe it was because I was scarcely in the palace, but the mahogany wainscoting and the deep red, velvet carpets seemed somehow grander than usual.
The ornate chandeliers glittered under the sun rays, which seeped through the enormous windows. The many busts, each including one of the five symbols of the prosperity of Evimeria, decorated the corridors. 

The falcon. The tree. The sun. The entwined hands. The dagger.

I made my way downstairs, hoping I wouldn't come face to face with any of the Ellermans. It seemed that my prayers were answered however when I reached the garden unhindered. The neatly trimmed topiaries lined the avenue on either side. Tall trees adorned with vibrant flowers stood serenely, casting soothing dark shadows below. I relished in the harmonious trilling of the birds for a few blissful moments. 

I stepped into the bright sunlight of the gardens and saw another large gazebo at the centre. A table set with cutlery sat at a corner of it. My father sat on one of the chairs, his gaze trained on a sheaf of papers in front of him. Sunlight was cascading merrily into the gazebo, lighting it up with an enchanting golden glow. I walked up a couple of stairs and took a seat beside him. 

"Mornin'," I said awkwardly. My dad put the papers on another chair and looked at me.

"Good morning, Ezekiel." He nodded at me.

A butler in an impeccable suit walked over to us with a large food-laden tray and slowly served the delicious smelling food. My stomach rumbled with hunger as my dad smiled. "I suppose we better eat first." 

I dug into the omelette, my tongue revelling at the burst of flavours in my mouth. For a while, we ate in silence, after which my father finally spoke up.

"I have some important things to tell you, Zeke," he said. I looked at him and saw that his brows were furrowed in worry. He glanced around and took a deep breath. "My father, he is not happy with the decision. As I am sure, you are aware." I nodded as he continued. "I am delighted that it worked out this way, however-" he sighed, "I know what he said; it wasn't wrong." 

I bit my lower lip and nodded. I knew what he meant. Despite everything, the fact remained that my little stint yesterday could easily have killed someone had it not been for his timely intervention. I shuddered when I thought how eerily similar yesterday's incidence had been to the one so many years ago. The one involving Ezra.

"I...know that it's not fair to you. You have not had the training that they have had, but-'' he took another deep breath as I looked at him, puzzled. I felt suddenly unsure of where he was going with this. His grey eyes darkened as he spoke in a low voice, "I want you to participate in Arvinna this time, Zeke."

I stared open-mouthed at him. "What?" I blinked stupidly. 

He leaned back and raked a hand through his dark hair. "I usually would not have pushed you towards this, but-'' he sighed deeply, gazing at me, "for once, I was able to get my father to agree to this. I just need you to participate." 

I stared at him, my throat suddenly dry. "I...do not even know sh-" I bit my tongue, hurrying into a more civilized sentence, "-what I'm supposed to do in that." 

"It's a tradition. Really rather simple on the face of it," he answered, completely ignoring my slip up. "What you have to do is go into the artificial forest, find one of the foals tied there, and bring him to safety. It...establishes your legal right to the crown." 

I stared at him. "What? Why?" I spluttered, unable to comprehend their weird traditions that never made any sense to me.

"There are...obstacles,'' he replied. "The Arvinna is supposed to prove that you are capable enough to protect the life of an innocent animal and thus, proving your capability to rule as well."

"Um," I began, struggling to come up with a way to frame my next sentence in a more courteous manner. "Dad, I mean this in the nicest way possible but I'm really uninterested and incapable  of ruling." 

The servant walked in with another helping of eggs. My dad nodded and thanked him while I gawked at him and continued, "I...I have no idea about the forest. I do not know anything about it. And I definitely have no fuc- interest in ruling." I backtracked quickly. 

He looked at me solemnly, his gaze so steady that I had to avert mine. "You are not incapable of anything, Zeke," he spoke softly. "I thought we had been over this and how your tendency to put yourself down is unhealthy and-" he sighed, placing his hand on the edge of the tablecloth that I hadn't realized I had been twisting nervously again. He gently pulled it out of my sweaty grasp.  I stuttered an apology as he continued. "-self-destructive." 

I sat up a little straighter, playing aimlessly with my food instead as worry pooled my stomach. 

"There's not much to know anyway. Just keep your head down, find the foal, and get out of there. It should be easy," he replied, ignoring my last sentence.

"In a fucking forest-'' I gulped as he flinched slightly. "S-sorry."

Majority of my life had been spent on Earth at Stonewall, a rugged all-boys' high school. It was a world apart from the sophisticated regal family of Evimeria. Both metaphorically, and even literally. The rare times that I was in the palace, it was a constant battle against my natural instinct to use slangs, something that was seen as blasphemy in the royal household.

My father had never interrupted me or tried to change my manner of speaking. I was thankful for it, however, it was still odd to see him flinching subtly, even though he tried to mask his distaste.

"That is the sole issue that you have," he answered calmly. "The forest," he sighed. "Listen to me, Zeke, I will love to offer you some assistance, but I cannot do that to the others." 

I nodded. "I...what if I do not want to be a part of it?"

He took a breath. "I...really urge you to participate. Follow Evie or Meredith if the need be. But just complete it. It's time that Evimeria meets her third Prince."

I didn't reply. My mind was a flurry of questions. I could understand what he meant. If I did participate, that would be my first official public appearance. So far, the Ellermans had mostly denied any relationship that they had to me. I didn't even know what the people of Evimeria, or even if Obscura at large knew about me. I could speculate some things, but none of it was positive. 

My dad spoke again, "I will deploy security for you, Zeke," he said, lowering his voice. "I only need you to get into the forest and get out of it. I will make sure all the obstacles are taken care of beforehand.

I stared at him in shock. "No..." I said, shaking my head even before realizing what I was doing. "Just..."

I sighed. The selfish part of me wanted to heed to his advice. I knew I would be at a massive disadvantage. However, the unfairness of it all was tugging at my conscience too much for me not be bothered by it. "I'll...think of something," I said, trying to smile confidently at him. "I'm good at guerilla."

My dad stared at me for a while before a soft smile broke on his lips. "I trust you, Ezekiel," he said. "Just get through this one, and things will be much better."

For a second, I did believe his words. But something in the back of my mind kept telling me that things were not going to be as easy as I was hoping.

There was the added pressure of appearing in public. I was yet unsure of how Arvinna took place. Even if I managed to force myself into a civilized outfit and present some kind of an outward regality, the entire facade would crumble humorously the moment I open my mouth. 

For now, it didn't look like I had much of a choice anyway. 

*PS: Quote by May Sarton.