Chapter 10:

Zachary

A month into third year and we already started having threats, as captain of the flames, we were called on an emergency meeting with the chiefs of our Academy.

‘captains, we have received yet another threat from the Japanese kingdom, the emperor is serious and they want to make the European empire slaves to Asia’

‘the only people I’ll be making my personal boots shiner is his daughter and I mean it’ that was Mereleona, fury was all over her, anger in capital letter was spelt all over her face

‘calm down your majesty, we need the best students in the various courses from each house, from the flames of the forest, prides of Barbados and the royal palms, so prince Zachary, princess Mereleona and Lord Benjamin, organize that, princess Mereleona, organize the warriors’

‘a woman is leading the army? What have we turned this academy too’ Benjamin said

‘oh shut up ben, are you going to lead it’

‘no, but definitely not you especially’

‘say that again, I dare you’

‘guys, stop acting so immature’ I said rolling my eyes

‘chief, I don’t think I should lead the warriors’ Mereleona said, I looked at her in shock, what then was she daring ben for

‘so you step down, coward’ ben said

‘mind you Benjamin, I am no coward, I mean that there is someone else who deserves to lead the army and that girl is Aurelia’ I didn’t hear that right, Mereleona volunteered her place for Aurelia, what was happening in this Academy

‘I agree with her highness’

‘shut the fuck up, no one asked for your opinion Anthony, go bring out the best in the Red Rose if you can’

‘you shut up Benjamin’ chief said and that shut him up, finally

‘sorry chief’ he said, I rolled my eyes

‘who is this Aurelia you speak of your highness’

‘she is a first year’

‘A first year? What would she know about wars?’

‘nothing, agreed, but she is brave and leader worthy and I know she would lead the army to victory’

‘well then, prepare her, the victory of the empire lies in your hands and the palms of this Aurelia you have so much trust in. it is settled then, Aurelia would lead the army’

‘once again, a female, I can’t just wait to meet your Aurelia’

‘you won’t meet her ben, I promise you that’ Mereleona said and walked away.

  I entered my dorm to meet luke with a girl, wait, what, a girl in my room

‘get out, now!’ I said in anger, the girl quickly got up and scurried away, I banged the door shut in anger to meet a glaring luke ‘don’t even look at me that way’

‘why shouldn’t I, you scared my chick away’

‘you can meet her outside’

‘dude, what’s your problem with ladies, I won’t chase Aurelia away if you brought her here’

‘and I would never bring her here, you know I hate girls in my room, girls who use cheap perfumes especially’

‘are you gay?’

‘if I was you would have known first’

‘shut up’

‘Speaking of Aurelia, guess who the fuck is leading our army to fight those disgusting Japanese’

‘you?’

‘I wish, Aurelia’

‘what did she do’

‘who?’

‘Aurelia’

‘what do you mean what did she do’

‘you were about to tell me who is leading the army then you said Aurelia’ I sighed rubbing my temples

‘must you be stupid all the time, Aurelia is leading the army’

‘what has this academy turned to, first a female captain, now a female leader, when did that start happening’

‘shut up dude’

‘she can’t lead the army, first she is a girl, then she is a first year and she’s a kid, how old did you say she is again, yeah, 16, it can’t work’

‘Leona volunteered her, she was meant to lead, then she gave the position to her’

‘gosh was I dead, why couldn’t she hand it to me’

‘what can you do?’

‘now you doubt me’

‘no I don’t, it was a direct question’

‘I hate you mate’

‘I love you too brother’ I said patting his shoulder and fell on his bed

‘so when did the Japanese decide to attack us’

‘they didn’t say, they are going to surprise us’

‘and won’t they be surprised who’s waiting for them’

‘I’m telling you’

‘I got queen Merida to come for the archery competition next week’

‘what did you do’

‘nothing, I just asked her while she was having lunch with my parents, my mom made me serve them so I wouldn’t sneak out of the castle that day, your mother told my mom to handle us, what does she mean by that’

‘she said that’

‘I am so tired of having mothers in my life. They annoy the fuck out of me’

‘yours is better than mine’ I replied

‘agreed. I only pity Isabelle who sees her day and night’

‘the poor girl. Being a duchess’s daughter is hard work’

‘you think, I prefer to wear dresses than suits and coats’

‘I wonder how you would look like in one’

‘I’d be a beautiful princess and you’d be stuck in chocking coats and tuxedo’

‘I so much doubt that luke’

‘I hate to ask this question but I just have to, when is training starting’

‘tomorrow, goodluck Lucas’ I said smirking as I got up from his bed, a pillow hit my back ‘hey, what was that for’ he didn’t reply instead he threw another one at me which I caught

‘goodluck too’ I gave him a mock bow

‘thank you’ he glared and threw another pillow

‘I hate you so much Zac’

‘I love you too’ I said going to the bathroom.

Aurelia

We were challenged by the Japanese, I became scared. Prince Zachary had called an emergency meeting with the flames in our grand hall

‘so flames, you all must have heard we were threatened by the Japanese kingdom and they want the European empire all to themselves, they want us as their slaves’

‘the only slaves I’m seeing is his daughter, princess stupid, she’s going be my personal boot shiner’ Stella-Maris said, prince Zachary laughed

‘I think she’s taken already your highness, Mereleona booked her already’

‘the bitch of a twin, I’ll beat her to it’ Stella growled making us laugh

‘as I was saying, we are not going to let them have the empire, we are warriors in training, this would be our first battle alone, it’s time to show the empire we are ready to defend them, we are ready to be warriors, the Japanese were first defeated by us and they would be defeated once again by us’

‘flames of the forest, we burn the enemies with our fire, we are the bravest and strongest known warriors of the empire, we lead the army and we cannot have weaklings on the battlefield, so I am starting first by asking; if you do not want to participate in the war, speak now and show your cowardice’ my brother prince Andrew said looking at the crowd

‘if any one dares pull away I will kill you myself especially if you are royalty. True royalty never flees from battle…’

‘but must always be ready for it’ I replied. That was something mother always told us, I looked up to see people staring at me, did I say that out loud

‘how do you know that’ stella said

‘uh…i…uh heard it from her before’ I lied

‘you did? Where?’

‘uh…stables, she was talking to Elizabeth’

‘really, that phrase is so cool’ stella replied and faced Bethany who was still talking

‘so if you hear your name, you are representing flames front line, this is only for first years, by tomorrow second year would be out. So we have; Aurelia Montez, Elizabeth Howard, Macbeth Wettin, Louisa De Bornat, Mary Williams, Katrina Bernadotte, Patricia Scott, Jake Mathews, Alessandro de Marco, Sean Roberts, Reuben Peters, Steve Jeffery, Edward Taylor, Shawn Ruben. That would be all for first years, you are to meet with her highness, princess Mereleona of the prides tomorrow where you would meet other front line like yourself. That would be all, dismissed’ and we all went back to the dorms

‘I’m so proud of you Aurelia’ Stella said lying on the couch

‘thanks, do you think you’ll get picked for front row’

‘of course I’ll get picked, who in the fifth year except me would get picked’ I laughed, taking a good look at her, I saw Mereleona

‘I still cannot believe you and Mereleona are twins’

‘identical twins, I hate it’

‘why?’

‘why? Leona is everything a Spanish warrior should be and it looks like I’m hiding in her shadow you know, I’m strong, no one knows or believes but I can handle a sword better than my sister, but no one looks my way, Leona this, Mereleona that, it’s suffocating you know’ I looked at her, she was jealous of her twin and she had always wanted to let it out, she was as good as Leona but Leona was more courageous than she was, that was the main difference between them.

‘you’re as good as Leona you know’

‘yeah, but who knows that’

‘I do’

‘except you of course, you know what, I am not going to have this conversation, let them think whatever they like, I don’t care, but I know Leona is not better than me and she never would be’ Stella said and walked into the bathroom. Okay, she was broken inside, I understood how she felt, when you’re being compared to your twin, painful indeed. I looked at the mirror, my hair had begun growing back to its original form, my hair color was now brown and purple, I needed a wig as soon as possible.