"Get up," Trent ordered as I fell once again.

It had been three weeks since I had given the speech and my training was in full swing. Trent and Naomi were teaching me to become a full-fledged water master and the rest of the royal family was exposing me to the rest of the nation. I trained with Trent and Naomi seven hours a day. When I wasn't training, I was visiting the different parts of Atlantis and meeting the people.

King Caspian had suggested that to truly make the people believe that I was going to save them, then I would have to understand their struggles. Everyday, I visited hospitals or clinics or homes of people that were fighting the curse. I would hear epic love stories with tragic endings and great sacrifices that didn't work. It saddened me greatly and every night, I fell asleep with dried tear stains on my face. As the days passed by, my heart ached more and more for Trey and my determination to find the countercurse grew.

But despite my tenacity, I just couldn't seem to fully grasp mastering water.

"It hurts," I grunted, trying to force myself up from the ground, but slipping on the slick surface of the training arena instead.

"Because you are weak," Trent said, towering above me. 

"I'm not," I argued, coughing.

"Prove it," he replied, hissing through his teeth. 

Drawing from the energy of the water on the ground, I flipped up onto my feet, creating a water energy ball in the process and launching it at Trent's legs. He dodged it easily, turning it into ice and then ricocheting it off the wall and back towards me. I turned the mass of hard ice around towards him, splitting it into shards of ice and then sending them towards Trent at high speed. Just before they hit him, I combined them to make a single pointed icicle. Trent stopped the icicle just before it stabbed him in the face and caused it to melt in his hands. He raised his eyebrows at me as the water dripped from his hands.

"Better," he said as I breathed deeply. "Now do it again."

Five hours later, I collapsed onto my bed in my room. I was sweaty and felt disgusting, the saltiness of the water drying my skin out. But I was so exhausted and tired that I couldn't even more. The training session that day had been particularly grueling and every sinew of my muscles screamed in agony with the slightest of movements. 

I heard a knock at my door followed by the sound of it opening.

"Madame Lucia, would you like me to prepare a warm bath for you?" I heard Valencia's voice say. I nodded, my neck aching as I did so.

"Can you put the soothing tonic in there?" I replied, my eyes closed. 

"Of course. Anything you like," she said. I heard her enter into the bathroom and turn on the faucet for the bathtub. As she prepared the bath for me, she hummed. Her sing-song voice echoed through the door and into my room and I soon felt sleep tug at the corners of my mind. I began dozing off when Valencia shook me awake.

"Madame Lucia. Your bath is ready," she said. I groaned loudly.

"I need help getting up," I told her. She nodded and helped me sit up in bed and then gingerly guided me into the bathroom. After that, I let her go. I stripped down and then dipped my hand into the bathtub which was brimming with water. The water was warm and I could smell the pungent scent of jasmine coming from it. I stepped into the water and then sat down in the tub, gathering my hair behind my neck. I sighed and closed my eyes, feeling the slight cooling sensation of the soothing tonic. After a few moments, I felt my muscles relax. I took several deep breaths, clearing my mind like Master Yoqi had taught me. Once cleared, I focused my attention on one single idea: the countercurse.

I didn't get a lot of time to myself. Over the past few weeks, I was constantly surrounded by people. I was either training or meeting the citizens or attending meetings with various members of the royal family. It was only on rare occasions that I got a moment to myself. Before, Valencia and the other maiden girls insisted on bathing me after every training session. But after being constantly surrounded by people, I insisted that they let me do it myself. I needed some moments to myself to collect my thoughts and I couldn't do that with people always around me.

It was getting dangerously close to the time that I needed to leave from here and go back to Trinity University. I had one month left here in Atlantis and I still hadn't figured out the countercurse. I had made all of these promises to the citizens of Atlantis and to myself that I would break the elemental curse, but I had made no attempts on that promise. And I was quickly running out of time.

Mikael still wouldn't speak to me. He insisted that I wasn't ready yet. He said that I still had "much to figure out" and that I wasn't strong enough yet. And while I was working on the strength bit with Trent and Naomi, I needed to work on the figuring out bit by myself. Which is what I did during my baths.

Sighing, I rubbed my aching shoulder muscles and began to think, going over all of the information that I had collected thus far.

The prophecy stated that a fish born as a product of the marriage between two other fishes living in a stormy ocean would be the Chosen One. I had already established that I was indeed this Chosen One. I was a water master born as a product of an astray--my father--and a chosen--my mother. My father was astray because he didn't make any effort to break the curse to allow his love to endure. My mother was the supposed chosen one. She had taken on the responsibility of breaking the curse when my father would not. As a product of this marriage, I was thus the Chosen One.

I always wondered if there were others out there that were in the same situation as me. Wasn't it possible that there was a water master born of an astray and a supposed chosen one? How was it possible that it was just me? When I had asked Zayll this question, he assured me that I was the only one.

"Water masters fight everyday to break this curse. They dedicate their lives to finding a countercurse, in hopes that if they find something, it would help the Chosen One to break the curse. In our schooling system, we teach children from an early age about the curse. They come up with ideas on how to possibly break the curse. And the majority, if not all, water masters live here in Atlantis. So it must be you," Zayll had told me. 

So it was indeed me, which sucked because I would have loved to give the responsibility to someone else. 

I had visited the libraries of the schools that Zayll had mentioned to see what the kids had come up with. They were interesting ideas, ranging from a true love's kiss to a love potion. But the common thread in all of them was the element of true love. The older children had elements of sacrifice in their ideas, just like my mother had. But I was convinced that the curse went further than that.

Sacrifice was important. Jeya, the seer from the fire nation, had said that sacrifice was one of the ways that the ancient Magii used to honor magic. Sacrifice was also the ultimate way to show love for someone. Love is about making sacrifices. Going to war for someone. Giving up one's dream for someone else.

Giving up one's life for someone else.

That's what my mother had thought. She thought that if she sacrificed herself--gave up her life--for my father in an act of true love, that it would break the curse. But it didn't work. And I didn't believe that it was because my mother wasn't the Chosen One or that the curse had to be broken by a water master. Regardless of who was breaking it, my mother was in a relationship with a water master. She was affected by that love, too. It shouldn't have mattered whether she was a fire master or a water master. No, there was something more. And the reason I thought this was because Mikael's brother also sacrificed himself for my mother. And there had to have been a reason for that. 

Leonardo Gemeni also sacrificed himself. I was convinced of it. I knew that my mother couldn't have killed him for no reason. She wasn't that kind of person. And Leonardo was her teacher. He was to her what Mikael was to me: a knowledgable guide. So she couldn't have killed him in cold blood. There had to be a reason for his death. And the only way I could explain that was that it was a sacrifice. 

But if sacrifice meant that it was one life for another, then Leonardo hadn't sacrificed himself for my mother. From what I had heard, she had killed him. He wasn't trying to protect her or anything. She just killed him. So it wasn't a sacrifice; not technically at least. And if it had to be a sacrifice, then why? Why was Leonardo's sacrifice important?

I slapped the water of the bath, opening my eyes and growing frustrated quickly. I rubbed my forehead with my knuckles as thoughts flew rapidly through my mind. I was doing so well at limiting my concentration to only one idea, but the more I thought about the curse, the more ideas I had and the more confused I became. I needed someone to talk this out with and that someone refused to talk to me because I wasn't "ready yet." Growing tired, I raised myself out of the bath, grabbing the soft cotton towel and drying myself off.

I needed to get out of the palace. I felt suffocated by the stark white of everything. I wanted to be out in nature, to breathe fresh air and allow my thoughts to roam freely in the atmosphere where I could sort them. Thinking this, I pulled on a pair of white linen pants and a silky grey blouse. I placed a straw fedora hat on my head and put shades over my eyes. I didn't want to be bothered. The entire nation knew what my face looked like now and it was impossible to walk in the streets without being stopped by a citizen. 

I snuck out from the back entrance of the palace and stole away towards the beach. I walked further down than I usually did towards a grove of densely packed trees. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me and then I ducked into the forest. The trees were tall with weeping leaves and vines hanging from their branches. The sun filtered through the canopy creating speckled shadows on the forest floor. I walked silently and quickly, the sounds of my feet muffled by the soft dirt on the ground. When I neared a clearing, I slowed down. 

On the other side of the forest was a small piece of land that sloped into the water. There were a few large boulders and stumps of trees here and there. I chose this location because it was secluded. It was in the center of two rays of land, but it was far enough away that no one ever came here. I sat myself on a flat rock and let out a long sigh. I kicked my shoes off and crossed my legs underneath me. Now I could think.

In my speech, I had said that I was not only fighting for love, but I was fighting for peace. My mother told me in her letter to let the dove on my bracelet remind me of what I was fighting for. Was that a clue? The fig tree in the beak of the dove was part of the Trinity that all Magii followed. The fig tree of course represented peace. My mother told me to fight for peace, but she also told me that it was my duty to break the curse. So what was the link?

Was the link what I had said in my speech? That love didn't necessarily mean just romantic love, but also love of each other? In the time of the Original Witch, all Magia lived together in peace. After she had put the curse on the water masters, everything became divided--all the Magia turned on one another and became separate. So what if the curse went beyond just a sacrifice made out of true love? What if the curse had something to do with the Trinity, too?

I felt a vein pulsing in my temple. I took my sunglasses and hat off and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. In and out. In and out. In and out...

I steadied my mind and focused my consciousness on the water in front of me. I breathed steadily, matching the rhythm of my breathing to the soft waves of the water against the shore. Lapping up, breathe in. Receding out, breathe out. 

I shut my mind off for a few moments to ease my headache. I felt the power of the water soothe me as I let my mind fully encompass the water's properties. I was becoming better at being one with my element as Naomi had taught me. 

Feeling my strength and composure become restored, I opened my eyes. 

The sun was setting now and it was nearing dinner time. The forest would soon get too dark to navigate through and I needed to head back to the palace before anyone found out that I had escaped on my own. Regretfully, I slid off the rock and slipped my feet back into my shoes. I collected my things and then set off back towards the looming and illuminated palace.

I got to my room and turned the lights on with magic. I went into the bedroom and tossed my things onto the bed. When I looked up, I let out a scream.

Zayll was sitting on my bed, his eyes downcast, his hands folded in his lap.

"Merlin's balls! You scared the shit out of me!" I cried, my hand clutching my beating heart. He looked up, his eyes distant.

"Sorry," he said. I frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He picked at the sleeve of his navy sweater, but didn't say anything. I felt a sense of dread engulf me and I sat down next to him. "Zayll? Is everything all right?" I asked. He looked at me, his eyes dark.

"My mother..." he began and I felt a cold dread go up my spine. 

"Is she okay?" I asked, reaching out and grabbing his hand. His gaze fell to my hand on his and he slowly took my fingers in his. 

"She fell ill after lunch. They took her to the healers, but she lost consciousness. She still has woken up yet," Zayll told me. 

"Damnit," I hissed. "Is it the--" I began but I didn't have to finish after I saw Zayll's face; I knew the answer. It was the curse taking its effect. Cordelia, who had been almost like a mother to me these past few weeks, was possibly on the brink of death and I was the only one who could save her. 

"How long?" I asked, my voice a whisper. He shook his head.

"They don't know. They said it's a kind of pneumonia spreading through her lungs. It's killing her quickly," he said.

"Zayll, I--" I started, but he stopped me.

"Just please hurry, Caley. I can't lose my mother. Not like this," he said, his eyes dark. 

"I will. I promise, Zayll. She won't die. Not like this," I said. I felt my heart twist inside of me as I watched the helplessness on his face. It reminded me of my own expression when I watched my mother slowly die because of the poison in her veins. If I had any hope of saving her, any at all, by whatever means necessary, I would have taken the chance. I was Cordelia's only hope now. I was the only hope left of all the people in Atlantis. I had to save her. I had to save them.

                                                       ~**~**~**~**~**~

The next few days, Trent told me that he wouldn't be able to train me. He said that he needed to help his father and take his mother's temporary position while she was ill. She was hospitalized with the healers working diligently to restore her health. She was conscious now, but only just barely. She fell into long hours of sleep and would wake up screaming in a cold sweat. Her health was deteriorating fast. As the days ticked by for my departure, so did the time left for her life. 

The added pressure only stressed me out even more. The time that I usually dedicated to training with Trent and Naomi I used now to figure out possible theories on how to break the curse. My mind was overwhelmed with thoughts. Whenever I tried to focus, I kept thinking about Cordelia, which made me think about my mother, which made me think about what might happen to me and Trey. It was all too much for me to handle, so I found myself stealing away to the secluded area in the woods for hours at a time. I distanced myself from everyone--Gerrard, Zayll, Anoki--and kept to myself most of the time. I found myself lost in thought continuously so much to the point where people stopped trying to talk to me all together. I was racing against a ticking clock; I had no time for other people.

Because I still needed to train, I took to practicing the water spells by myself. I taught myself the movements that Naomi had shown me to manipulate water more easily. I memorized and practiced the spells that Trent had given me. I used the extra time I had to hone my skills on my own, to become independent, just like how I had started out.

As each day passed by, I felt myself growing stronger. With each spell I mastered, I felt more comfortable using my own element. With each fluid movement I learned, I felt the ease of manipulating water. The movements that Naomi had taught me reminded me of a dance. They were graceful and light, quick and fluid. My muscles were no longer tense when I used magic. Rather, they were relaxed, as if I was in a state of meditation even while performing magic. This allowed me to actually feel the energy surge throughout me, letting me manipulate and control it. But even though I was getting stronger, I still didn't know the countercurse.

I walked to the secluded area of the forest, my mind blank. I had just visited Cordelia in the hospital wing of the palace. She was immobile, just staring blankly at the vaulted ceilings. She made no sound, no movements. Her eyes were fixated on a point above her, as if she were staring at the heavens, waiting to be taken out of her misery. 

I had been thinking all day. Even during my solo training session, I was thinking. I had one week left until I had to go back. My time was nearly up. I had these last few days to find an answer and if I didn't, I would be letting an entire nation down. Moreover, I would be letting myself down because if I failed, then it meant that this entire year away from Trey was just a waste. If I failed, it meant that whatever I did to save mine and Trey's relationship was for nothing. He would discover my traitor status when war broke out and he would never forgive me. But if I succeeded, then there was a chance. Now all I had to do was succeed. 

I reached my spot and sat down on top of the big rock. I closed my eyes and meditated for a few long moments, sorting my thoughts and arranging them in a way that I could understand. Today was different than most days. Ever since Cordelia had fallen ill, the skies in Atlantis weren't as bright. The sun refused to come out from behind the thick greyish white clouds. The atmosphere of the nation seemed to reflect that of the inside of the palace: cold and dreary. And this atomosphere seemed to reflect the condition of the people.

It seemed like the people of Atlantis were also suffering. Like their beloved queen, the people of Atlantis seemed to have the life taken out of them. They walked around shuffling their feet. They had distant looks on their faces. Instead of constant celebrations and laughter and music coming from the plaza, numerous fights broke out. The people were losing it; they were afraid that whatever had befallen the queen would happen to them. And the dreary weather only made it worse.

Today, however, the sun was out and shining. The clouds had broken apart to reveal a blazing sun that beat down on the nation of Atlantis. The city, which had seemed so dead the past few weeks, came back to life. The streets were filled with people; the atmosphere had changed. I wondered how the weather could so drastically change a nation.

But I felt it, too. It was like a calm before the storm. The water was still. The birds were chirping. The air was light. It was peaceful, but there was an eeriness that lay underneath it, lurking below the calm before it took everyone by surprise.

I took advantage of the stillness, though. As I sat on top of my rock, I went over--once again--the details that I had discovered to help me figure out the countercurse.

I was convinced that there was a link between the Trinity and the elemental curse and I was convinced that my mother had been close to figuring it out. She had sacrificed herself for my father and Leonardo had sacrificed himself for her.

That much I had figured out. But that was where I became puzzled. What could be the link? How could I relate what my mother had done and what Leonordo had done to both the Trinity and the elemental curse? 

I opened my eyes and got up, going over to the water's edge. I slipped off my shoes and bent down, dipping my hand into the cool water. Immediately, a sense of calmness fell over me. My beating heart slowed, my throbbing head ceased. I stood back up and clutched onto a low hanging branch of a nearby tree. I dipped my foot into the water and shivered at its temperature. But then, I had an idea.

I was most calm when I was touching water. What if I could think better while I was in it?

Thinking this, I lifted up the skirt to the dress I was wearing and stepped completely into the water. It was cold on my skin, but it felt nice after being in the sun for so long. I let the hem of my skirt fall and it splayed out in the clear water. I treaded forward, the water going up to my knees. With each step I took, I went deeper and deeper into the water and I felt more and more at peace. The raging thoughts in my head slowed and I felt at one with the water. 

I turned and then lay on my back, holding my breath and floating on the water. The water lapped up against the back of my neck, tickling my ears. I closed my eyes and with the water to soothe me, I continued my thought process.

What if my mother represented peace? That would mean that she was a symbolic part of the Trinity. That would also mean that Leonardo was a symbol, too. What if he represented magic? He was an omniscient and omnipotent wizard, after all. He could have very easily represented that part of the Trinity. Which left my father. The leader of the Order of Light. He had to have represented power. At least that's what my mother must have thought. So if magic sacrificed itself for peace, which sacrificed itself for power, that meant that power needed to sacrifice itself, too.

I took a deep breath and submerged myself completely underwater.

Leonardo sacrificed himself for my mother.

My mother sacrificed herself for my father.

But my father didn't do anything.

He didn't give up his life for my mother or for Leonardo. Maybe that was what the fault had been in my mother's plan. My father hadn't given up his life for her in an act of true love. And that's what triggered the curse. That's what had failed. If the Trinity could be completed in a triple sacrifice of true love, then maybe the curse could be broken. 

I opened my eyes, feeling a surge of power supplied by the water pulse through my veins. I rose quickly, rising out of the water, feeling the droplets drip off of me just as all doubt and uncertainty left me. I was sure that that was the answer. I was sure that that was the countercurse.

And now, I needed to talk to Mikael.

_________________________________________________________

A/N: Sorry I took a while to update. I moved into my own apartment and life got really busy. School starts for me next week. I really want to finish this story before that, but it seems unlikely. We'll see. I blame Teen Wolf for distracting me. That freaking show is just so damn good. #DylanObrienForever

Anyway, you think Caley figured out the countercurse? None of you guessed right at all, but let me tell you, it was really amusing reading all of your guesses. 

So now she [might] have the countercurse. Do you think it'll work when she does it? Do you think Zayll's mother will live long enough for it to work?

Leave me a comment! Don't forget to vote!

Song in the side: "Titanium" cover by Sam Tsui. 

XOXO