"Do you want to come in for a bit? You look tired." Serena asked Una as our carriage halted in front of the gate of Libra embassy. I had downed the entire flask of water by the time we reached and revived normalcy. 

"I think, I should clean up a bit or my mother will bury my living body," Una said and jumped out from the driver seat.

"Aren't you supposed to be one of the mightiest Defensors in all the Four Realms?" I raised a playful brow at Una.

She punched me lightly on the arm, "Clearly, you haven't met my mother."

We sneaked into our chamber and heard Rosa's snores before finding her sleeping deeply on her bed. The three of us sighed at the same time, staring at her.

"I wish I could curl up on my bed too. But if I sleep now, I will surely wake up with tomorrow's sun," Serena said holding in a yawn.

"I have practice in about an hour." Una shook her head and swept her gaze around our cozy warm chamber. I pointed the lavatory's door to her, and she walked in.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble if Violette or Landon finds out, that we have a Defensor in here?" Serena hissed in my ear as we sat on my bed.

"If anything, I think they'll make her sit for some tea and ask her questions about her dragon."

"Spikes."

"Spikes, yes." I laughed.

As she laughed with me, I couldn't help but feel at home. I remembered how she had jumped in front of me, when I had displayed a full version of my powers in front of the two, apparently, strange royals. Serena was deeply involved in my mess and she had no idea how risky it was.

"Serena, thank you, for being with me. I...I'd be lost without you."

She stopped laughing but a faint smile still lingered on her pretty face; she took my hand in hers. "Eleni, you know... you remind me of my younger sister. She was a Vacant, too. I... I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most," she loosened a breath, "I couldn't understand her and I regret that. But I am here for you, whenever you need me." Her dark cocoa-tinted eyes shone. The haze of the golden hour complemented Serena's light brown hair, in that moment. 

I wanted to ask her more about the sister - was it her white dress that I was wearing? But this wasn't the time or place, so I only managed to say, "I am here for you, too."

The loud creaking noise of the door being opened, made us revert back from the emotional daze.

"I will put on the kettle," Serena chirped and got up.

"No sugar for me," Una prompted.

I noticed a scroll peeping out from the inside pocket of Una's overcoat, as she sat opposite to me on Serena's bed, patting her face dry with a towel.

"What's that? I hope you didn't get it wet." I asked pointing to it.

She bent her head to look at it and groaned loudly. "Damn, I forgot all about these two missions," she held it in her hands and uncurled it, "The High-Council of Autumn Realm has put me and Nigel on a mission. The other Realms have put their people on this, as well, since it's a high-priority operation. Nigel doesn't seem to care much, but my mother will lose her mind if I don't either."

Before I could ask further, I saw Rosa turning around in her bed. I put a finger to my lips, gesturing Una to stay silent. We stayed hushed until we heard her regular breathing resume. Serena brought over three steaming cups of tea, in a platter and the aroma hit us like sunshine after a heavy rain.

"What is it about?" I asked, resuming the conversation,  and picked up a cup.

Una blew over her cup before answering, "You must have heard about the Eclipses?"

"The Eclipses, yes, the most infamous cult in all Realms?" Serena said, stifling another infectious yawn.

"Yes, that. One of them was recently caught on my island, but he fled. They have been looming around a little too much, amassing more people," Una added with a snort, "Well, if you call them people."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"They are all Luesha, Eleni." Una raised her brows at me. The derogatory word was enough to emphasize her views on the subject.

"Yes, I know but... they are people, alright." I shrugged.

"I mean, yes, if you see it that way. They've been forced to form a society of their own, since everyone has deemed them as Abomination," Serena seconded.

Una spoke cradling her teacup, "They are the unknown entities of our world. And they hide. What if someday their leader wakes up and decides to unleash their mysterious powers on us? What then?"

I flinched at her words. It was indeed scary. The Luesha were rare, as rare as the day when the sun shone brightly on this awfully chilly Winter land. No one knew the extent of their powers, what they could do or what they could summon!

"So, is that your mission, to find them?" Serena asked leaning towards her.

Una swallowed hard, meeting her gaze and answered. "Well, in a sense. Though, no one has ever been able to truly capture any of them, and even if someone does, they escape one way or the other. I just have to find some intel on their leader."

"The most wanted man." Serena chortled.

"Or woman." Una corrected, "it's a mystery on its own."

I took in the fresh information, nodding to myself. Lueshas, the people born of Two Realms, were coming out of the shadows since the recent years, apparently rebelling against their status of Abomination, and had formed an army, known as the Eclipses.

The Lueshas, when found, were crucified, until a few decades ago, but High King Maris had debarred the law when he came into rule. The whole of the Four Realms had been divided into two ideologies by the time, the ones who wanted them killed as before and others who would like to give them a chance at life, just like any normal person does. It seemed barbaric to deem some humans as Evil just because they had the blood of two different Realms.

There was a shell of comfortable silence around us, as we sipped our teas, until Serena spoke in the silence, "You said two missions, what's the other?"

"Actually, that's confidential," Una looked at our curious faces and frowned, adding with a sigh, "Let's just say, an important member of our court has gone missing under mysterious circumstances."

Before any of us could ask any further, Una got up placing her finished cup on the platter, "Well, this was fun. But it's got to end for now." She grinned at us but her smile faltered as her eyes met mine.

Her tone lowered, "I am not done with you, Eleni. You still have some explaining to do. I cannot, for the love of the Throne, understand, why an Earth Elemental has been living her whole life in the Spring Realm!"

Her diamond-shaped face bare of all amusement, looked intimidating, like she was in the ring, glaring down an opponent. The dread in my stomach intensified. It had slipped my mind, in all the chaos of the previous night, that the part of the interrogation was yet to come. The Lady of the Autumn Realm would not let it rest without getting to the root of my history.

She had just gotten a new mission.

Realizing the stiffness of my posture, she added gently, "I want you to come over to the Virgo embassy. Let's see the extent of your powers."

Serena interrupted, "Why? Won't someone find out?"

"I'd say she'll be the safest in her own Realm, and that's Autumn. Besides, I have a private arena."

Serena wiggled her brows, "Wow, Una. I'm impressed. Private arena..."

Una's cheeks reddened bright.

I listened half-heartedly to my two friends talking.

Why did people keep making decisions for me?

I was always fascinated by crossbows. The heavy yet beautiful arch of the lath fitted tightly under my curled fingers. The bow did not leave my side, even after the arrow would slide from my fingers, springing free from the bowstring. There was something about aiming with a twisted, pointy, iron-head arrow that penetrated the target perfectly. It gave me stability. But instead, mother had made sure that I would be stuck with daggers. She had made that decision for me. I carried a set of twin daggers in my satchel till date out of habit, just as she had instructed.

The Head Elementor at my school, had informed my father that I was a lost cause, due to the lack of my powers. And it was apparently my own fault that the other children troubled me incessantly. My father had argued but in vain. Thence, he had homeschooled me for three years.

And in the darkness of one fateful night, my whole life had changed. Distant blurs of the past, haunted me, as I remembered being carried through a dense forest. No matter how hard I tried to remember, it was all hazy. But the emotions that I had felt that night were still palpable. All the memories that I had of my father had been of a different house, and not the one in which I had opened my eyes, after a long fitful sleep. Mother made me wait for him, just the way she did, day and night, all the while making a new home for us in Liberan. But it had never felt home without father.

Playing and fighting with Amelia, had become my entire world. Until one afternoon, when mother had left the house, like any other normal day, to work her shifts downtown in Uncle Barak's coffeeshop. That was the last I saw of her. I searched high and low, clutching little Amelia's hand, but mother was nowhere to be seen.

I was eleven and had to take care of another seven-year-old, as well. Uncle Barak had sheltered us for a year out of the goodness of his heart and Aunt Julia had found me some errand jobs in the neighborhood. Somehow, I remembered that father had asked me to take care of Amelia. Through my meagre savings, I managed to keep Amelia at school and also got out of Uncle Barak's hair, returning to the house that my mother had managed to secure under my name. Circumstances had made that decision for me.

The only decisions that I ever made was to grab the opportunity of working at the Post as a calligrapher, when Jorah's mother, who lived a few houses away from mine had referred it to me. The other was starting the small poultry business. The only two things that made me feel proud of myself.

I had nothing, not even the powers that almost everyone had been blessed with. My parents had collectively decided that I was not to be told of them. They had made the biggest decision of my life for me.

And now here were two people, two new friends, who were yet again making decisions for me. Though they had my best intentions at mind, it would've been better, if I was asked. I was to be trained with Una and, it seemed like that was that. Decision made.

"So, I'll see you after my first duel of Round Two," Una was saying.

I looked from her to Serena, their eyes, expectant. Expectant of the answer that they wanted to hear.

"Sure," was all I could manage. 

*** 

Note : So, this was like the last filler chapter, literally filled up with too much information. Also end of part one.
All the names and new terms that I coined, are derived from Latin.
Remember, Vacuusha? Yeah that was derived from the Latin word - Vacuus, which means Vacuum or Vacant. 
Similarly, Luesha, is derived from the Latin word - Lues, which means, Abomination or Evil. 
And Eclipses, is well Eclipses, the astronomical phenomena. 

P.S. There'll be dragons for entertainment in the next chapter :) 

P.P.S. Also the THRONE! 

~Happy Reading❤✨~