* IRA EMERSON ELYSIAN *

I had always craved for mother's love.

She was always so occupied with Elliot and how to protect him from father and everyone, I barely received any attention from her. Sometimes, I doubted if she even knew that I existed and was desperate for her love and attention.

Anything was fine. Even a smile, a small praise for wearing my shirt properly, for learning the etiquettes without messing up, a 'good job' just like she'd give it to Elliot when he did something right - literally, anything was fine.

And after trying everything and failing to gain her attention, I'd thought she didn't love me simply because I was a Naught.

I slowly began to realise that I wasn't like father who was a renèi Possessor, neither was I like mother who was an Ezèrian. But Elliot was an Ezèrian, just like mother and Ezekiel was a renèi Possessor, just like father - they had something that would give them attention, but I didn't. Why was I a Naught? Why couldn't I be like father, a renèi Possessor?

Why couldn't I be anything but be a nothing?

I woke up with a jolt, my eyes wide, sweat trickling down from my temples to cheeks, my breathing heavy and my back-pain more worse than before.

My hand impulsively reached my waist, searching for my scabbard, my sword - only to realise I didn't have it with me. I dropped my hands, sighing.

I leaned against the wall, this time not caring about my back or how hard it throbbed in pain when it touched the wall, not caring about how I was just sitting wherever I was so carefree, not caring about the burdens I had on my shoulders.

Since when everything went so wrong?

I ran a hand through my hair, thinking about nothing particularly, everything was going against my way, against my will.

I sighed, suddenly remembering everything that had happened a while ago. I was with the Ezèrian - where was she?

Frowning, I turned around in a rush, only to find her sitting across me, her back facing me. I was surprised I hadn't realised her presence beside me for so long.

I should stop letting my guards down.

I cleared my throat. "How long has it been?"

She turned around, her eyebrows raised and I saw relief in her eyes but she didn't speak anything - instead she raised her index finger to her lips, indicating me to shut my mouth.

I did.

Using the corner of her eyes, she indicated towards the passing workers behind the wall, making me realise it'd been late enough that all the maids and workers have started their day.

"We have to depart from here - without being noticed, of course," she said quietly, her figure too close to my liking. "Can you walk?"

I couldn't feel my back due to the excruciating pain.

"No need to depart, I can just come up with an excuse - they won't question me," I said, making sure keep my voice quiet.

"And what about me? They will surely question me, Your Highness," she pointed out.

"Not if you are with me." I dismissed her with my hand.

As expected, I didn't hear any questions from her. Sighing, I peered at the maids and workers who were busier than usual days - because of Elliot's amalgamation.

There were too many of them. I was thinking of simply walking away without giving any excuses as I was in no mood of talking to anyone because of my pain in the back. But given the situation where there were too many people to avoid even with a plausible excuse, it was most likely that rumours about me and the Ezèrian would spread, meaning it'd reach my father, which I want to avoid in the first place.

The workers may just nod and won't even question about me and the Ezèrian after I give them an excuse, but the moment I pass them, the nasty murmurs and whispers about a peasant like her being with me would start and both her and I would be affected by it.

I turned around. "There are too many of them. An excuse won't help and me suddenly sprouting out of nowhere and passing them won't work either," I said, embarrassed that I had to go with the Ezèrian's plan.

"Are you indirectly suggesting that we should depart from her without being noticed?" she asked, and I could sense the amusement dancing in her eyes as she smiled broadly, in a teasing manner. "Just like I had mentioned before?"

I faced her, raised an eyebrow. "I am simply suggesting we should leave from here - with a strategy," I emphasised the last word as she scoffed.

"Isn't that what I literally said, Your Highness?" she kept her voice calm and low, but I knew she wanted it to be raised.

"No, you did not mention that we should have a strategy as well. You simple said we should depart from here. As if we should just show ourselves," I threw up my hands in a mocking gesture.

She took a long breath and let it out, then smiled, pressing her lips together. "Yes, you are right. I didn't mention we should have a strategy as well," she blinked while still smiling.

"Pardon me for asking this Your Highness, but would you like to share your strategy with this dolt?" she asked, pointing a finger towards herself.

I tilted my head to a side. "Are you not suppose to do that? You're my bodyguard after all," I was the one talking amusingly now.

She simply smiled at me, blinking as I saw her curling her fists tightly while also gritting her teeth.

"Since we are doing this my way, I don't think I'd be needing a strategy." with that being said, she stood up, barely making any sort of sound.

I frowned in confusion, not knowing what she was about to do next.

"Miss Echethier, what. . ." I stopped midway when I saw her raising her hands, facing her palm towards the sky and then, for a brief moment, she moved her hands in a swift arc and that's when it happened.

The clouds above us - that were serene, calm and quiet began to rumble, suddenly darkened, mist forming out of nowhere around the large yard, workers and maids lifting their heads up to see the sudden change of weather caused by none but the Ezèrian herself.

Then, as if the sky was burdened enough, it let out the water that it'd been holding, rain poring down slowly as the maids and workers frowned in realisation but they all decided to find a shelter first instead of solving the mystery.

The Ezèrian's face was still, hard and focused, her eyes never leaving the sight of the sky. I watched as she increased the rain with a little smirk, as if she was having fun soaking all the workers and their hard works.

I had never seen an Ezèrian using their elemental powers - my mother was forbidden to use her elemental powers so I never saw her using Fire Manipulation but she did break the rules when she used the Protection Spell on Elliot.

I was mesmerised by the miraculous stunt of Ezèrian and I wanted to see it again. I wanted to see what else she could do with those formidable powers of hers, how she could've benefited the country if only she had a right to live without hiding.

Stop it. The Ezèrian are potent - they can single-handedly blow up a whole empire.

They are to be executed. They are to be gone.

They are monstrous beings.

Meanwhile, I tried to get up, only to fall back when the sharp pain in my back stung. I swallowed, trying again and then standing up, my hands impulsively reached my back.

I could feel the feathers protruding out.

Realisation hit me like a flash as I realised how much of trouble I'm in and how badly I needed treatment. The feathers were coming out faster than I realised. Was I in that much need of help?

I took a brief look at the maids and the workers - they'd already left the yard, making their way to the Palace. After a few minutes, they were all gone and that was our cue to escape without being seen.

"Your Highness, we can go now," the Ezèrian dropped her hands and faced me and I realised she looked tedious.

Why would she be exhausted? The Ezèrian were too powerful to feel tired.

I was about to question her but didn't when I realised we had too much of little time and we should start moving.

"Where are we going? We can't simply just enter the Palace. That way they will know we were here nearby,"

"How else should we enter the Palace then?" she asked tiredly.

"We have to enter through the grand entrance, formally - and not me being in musketeer shirts instead of my vest," I pointed out, my eyes fixed on the yard.

"Do you want me to arrive in a fancy horse with fancy clothes and all? and then boast about how I am going to be your knight? " she frowned.

"That would be much better," I said and continued. "Look, I know we wouldn't have had do any of this if only I hadn't fainted like that and we could've just be done with everything secretly. . ." I trailed off. "but, my back is just. . . ."

"We can talk about what happened to you as we walk. Let's go," she said assuringly, gesturing me to walk and I did.

"The rain - how long is it going to last?" I asked, walking beside her, my palm on top of my head as water crinkled down my hand and hair, both.

"ten more minutes since I have stopped working on it," she said, pacing faster. She wasn't even protecting herself from soaking herself and she also wasn't bothered by it.

Because of the rain, she'd taken off her wig, her white hair on display to anyone who will cross path with us. Her hair had soaked completely and each strand of her hair had turned darker than gray colour.

"If we pass that, we will be directly out of the Palace," I pointed towards the wall which was completely covered with bushes and many more trees but behind those deep bushes and beaches, there stood a lintel.

Twenty-five years ago, when the Ezèrian had usurped the throne after eliminating all of my father's relatives, father had to make a secret passage to escape from being killed. While the Ezèrian were busy massacring his family, using his renèi Possession, he made a way to get out of the Palace without grabbing anyone's attention.

"Your Highness, the only thing I can see there is just a lot of bush," The Ezèrian pointed out, throwing up her hands.

"Exactly," I said smugly, walking towards the bushes that were too big and tall to be called bushes.

I stood in front of the bushes and branches of trees that were spiraled against the lintel. It'd take us some time to go through the bushes.

I ran my hand through the bushes, hoping my hand to reach the other side of the lintel but it didn't - there were too much of greenery.

"If we pass the bushes, we will find a lintel that will directly land us outside the Palace,"

The Ezèrian turned to face me, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"No one knows about this?"

I shook my head in response.

"We have to go through it if we don't want to rise suspicion," I said, thinking of how on earth I would pass this much bushes and what if while going through the bushes, something sticks into my back?

I sighed and looked up. The rain would stop anytime soon and the workers would be back. We had to be quick.

"Well, Let's go," with that being said, I stepped towards the bushes until I was inside it and once I was, it was like as if I was in a maze of darkness.

"Miss Echethier?" I called out, my hands impulsively reaching for something, or someone.

"I am here, Your Highness," she replied, her voice calm and was behind me.

I walked forward, pushing the leaves with my hands and protecting my eyes and soon, after passing through leaves after leaves and them getting into my ears and nose, we finally reached the lintel that my father had built by himself.

I ran my hand through the lintel, relieved that I could no longer feel the leaves and signaled the Ezèrian to jump over it.

"There are more bush that's covering the lintel from the other side. Be careful," I told her as she made her way to the lintel.

"Have you done this before?" she asked, throwing her legs over the lintel and in a swift motion, she blended through the bush and was already out of my sight.

She did it so easily?

"I did it once. When I was a kid," I answered, doing the same as her and as I hopped over, several leaves covered my face but somehow, balancing myself I reached the other end.

I dusted off leaves from my clothes once I was out of the Palace and looked behind. No one could ever guess there was a lintel here, not with all the bushes that's covering it.

I stopped gazing at it when I heard a light chuckle from the Ezèrian.

I turned around, raised an eyebrow, asking what was so funny now.

"Your Highness - your hair - it's all filled with leaves," she said and laughed again.

With the rain being poured all over my hair, the leaves were stuck in my hair, all greasy and sticky, unable to be pulled out by my hands. I ran a hand through my hair but my hands stopped midway when I felt two fingers, which definitely weren't mine, grazing my hair gently and plucking out the leaves one by one.

I looked up, only to see the Ezèrian picking out the leaves from my hair with a lot of effort due to our height difference, making me immediately bend down a little to match her height. I watched her eyes scrutinising my hair deeply, her fingers warm against my scalp, never once pulling my hair too hard.

The closeness between us set my heart racing, palpitating, thumping loudly against my chest, making me feel all sorts of things that I was completely aware of. I didn't know where to look -- her face which had mere inches of distance from mine?

"There," she said, backing away and smiling at me, her dimples appearing in her cheeks, making me lost. "All done."

There was a silence between us until she broke it. "Well, where should we go now?"

With my heart being warm after its irrational palpitations, I finally uttered some words,  my voice oddly quiet. "Anywhere. Anywhere that's far away from here,"

She was surprised for a second before the corners of her lips quirked upward, her soaked cheeks glistening. "I think I have the perfect place for you."