"I understand," I replied.
"There's a prophecy where a Forbidden Dark Prince falls in love with the Princess of Light and Darkness. One who rules the kingdoms and yearns for unity. The Forbidden were once a part of the dark kingdom lands, and one of the reasons why they were allowed to live among our lands was thanks to your mother and father," she revealed. "Your grandfather on your father's side banished the Forbidden due to their appearances. They don't look normal, like you and me. Their figures are ones you'd see in horror stories and fairytales, but they are fae. We don't talk about them in classes for their own safety, but many believe it's because they were banished from the lands."
"Why were they accepted into the lands only to be banished?" I inquired. "It makes no sense."
"When your mother fell in love with your father, she showed him that the Forbidden Fae weren’t a threat. They merely were misunderstood and spoke a language many didn't quite understand. Your father didn't believe at first, but a man who was one of his strongest knights was 'taken' by their people and somehow survived. That man is the current King of the Forbiddens. The one you may have seen in the chariot," she explained. "However, when your life was threatened, your mother encouraged the Forbiddens to run to the lands where they would be safe just in case things went south with the King of Light, which is exactly what happened. With the loss of the dark kingdom to the frozen ice and us migrating over to this kingdom, we were too far away to aid them. We only venture to our lands that are close to the dark kingdom for two occasions. One is the festival, and the second is during the second year exams."
"Wait. We'll get a chance to be close to those lands during the final exam of this year?" I inquired.
"Yes," she answered. "I doubt King Rose will change it. However, that all depends on what's bothering you, doesn't it?"
I thought about it before I nodded. "I think King Rose may be up to something," I announced. "This may be a crazy theory, but it may make sense as to why Xavier is kind of the way he is."
"Let's hear it." She smiled and gave me her full attention. "Again, it will remain between us."
Her reminder made my lips curl as I took a deep inhale and let it out.
"The Forbiddens told me they were informed that we wanted to hurt them. They were basically set up, which would make sense because no way would a pregnant queen come this deep into the lands unless her own kingdom was threatened and her husband, the king, wasn't present. They referred to my mother as a savior, which lines up with you just informed me about, and they told me that we must figure a way to melt the ice kingdom and discover my mom. I know that if I become stronger, I may be able to find my mother somehow, but melting the ice of the dark kingdom may be tricky."
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before carrying on.
"The queen told me that I should be patient, which may make sense now that Rainer and I are basically out of commission for the school year, but I feel that our out of commission status backfired on our lingering culprit, which I believe is King Rose. She kept stressing one of light, but I'm aware from Xavier's mention of it that King Rose is of Darkness."
Seraphine was quiet for a long moment before she commented, "King Rose is of both."
I was going to continue, but the revelation caused me to pause. She nodded at my shock before continuing, "As is Alicia. To be honest, we all carry hints of our opposite trait. I'm of light, but it doesn't mean I cannot use dark magic. Duality can be born, like with yourself and Rainer, which is far more dangerous and powerful than myself, my husband, Alicia, or King Rose. However, because my rose is with Emmanuel, it not only gives me the bonded ability to communicate with him through thought and feel his emotions, it also grants me the ability to use a bit of his dark magic, just as he is able to use a bit of my light magic when push comes to shove."
"Then when I got temporarily cursed with that dark spell and Xavier said his father could aid me, he was saying it because he believes his father is of darkness when he's the opposite and hiding it?"
"Yes," she replied. "Alicia’s dominant magic is shadowed, but because she's been a queen for such a long period of time and needs to use pure light magic to help the land grow and thrive, her capability in that department has grown exponentially. It's also the reason why she's rather cold-hearted or not as emotional. She has to ensure her body is balanced. Her colder personality is based on her shadowed self, while she feeds the land light magic. This information stays between us."
I nodded, and she added, "Rainer can know as well."
"He'd figured it out, wouldn't he?" I suggested with a slight grin.
"He would, but frankly, with how connected the two of you have become, I believe it would be hard to hide it." Her eyes dropped to my finger and I followed her gaze.
"He didn't give me that."
"I'm aware of that," she declared with a wink. "He would have told me."
"I haven't told him about it yet," I confessed. "I don't know how it showed up."
"Do you understand exactly what occurred when you were about to get hit by that meteor?" she inquired with great interest.
"Not really." I'd repeated the incident over and over in my head and couldn't grasp exactly what occurred to summon my father's presence. "My pendulum came out of nowhere and was attached to this ring. I heard Rainer's voice at some point, declaring he wouldn't lose me, and then my father was there, slicing the meteor in half. I think it was my father. It's not like I've seen a striking image of him. Why is that, actually?"
"Due to the whole incident with the frozen Kingdom of Darkness and us transferring over to your kingdom to keep it safe, a spell was placed on the lands to get rid of the initial memory of the incident. Many believe it to be a legend, and people know of the princess of the lost Kingdom of Rosadette. However, no one knows the true tale of it all but the royals who still live, which is a very few individuals. Due to this spell, all images of the King of Darkness, King of Light, and Queen of Rosadette were removed to not trigger anyone's memories until the queen's return. Upon her arrival, the spell will be broken, and the memories will flood in. The creator of that spell was a Fae Witch who hoped that the dark kingdom would be unfrozen upon your mother's arrival. She still lives, but I believe she lives down in the lower lands. She was very close to your mother. I believe her name was Shin."
"Shin!" I exclaimed. "We met her," I declared before slapping my hand over my mouth. "Uh. You didn't hear that," I muttered against my flesh, which made Seraphine laugh.
"Alright. I'll pretend I did not hear that," she assured me. "To answer your question about what occurred and why Rainer needs six to eight months of recovery, it’s because he conducted a forbidden spell called Soul Strike. It's one Emmanuel knows how to perform, but it became forbidden for a reason."
"Soul Strike," I repeated the name. "Why was it forbidden?"
"Soul Strike calls upon your soul traits and morphs it into a physical form for a few seconds to defend someone or the individual themselves from a threat. The summoned trait is then forced back into the individual, but it leaves a sort of void in its place."
"A void?" I scrunched my face in worry, especially with the uncertainty of the topic. No matter how many times I asked, no one could really explain to me why Rainer was struggling with summoning his magic.
I'm sure because Seraphine was his mother and the queen, they couldn't hold back on the detail - and the fact that her husband knew how to use the same trait.
"Think of it like popping a balloon. No matter how many times you try to fill it up, the air will escape. You have to patch up the spot, but in comparison to throwing some tape and calling it a day, it takes months for the opening to heal. A part of it 'patches up' on its own thanks to the summoned soul trait returning to its place, but due to the abrupt pull, it leaves a wound behind and the magic flows out of those openings. When you try to envision it, the soul is very small, so you wouldn't think tiny holes would make a huge impact, but it causes drastic problems on the body, especi
ally the mental state where you harness your thoughts and magic abilities."
"So...was Rainer lucky?" I inquired. "And in trouble?"
She smirked at my second comment before she sighed. "Yes, he was lucky. Other than his father, no one has survived the spell, and thus the reason why it's forbidden. Rainer must have found it in one of the ancient books in his father's study but never brought it up to ask. For him to perform it is surprising, but he could have died if he wasn't so lucky that the trait returned and covered a decent portion of the wound."
"That's complicated," I admitted.
"That's why he's in trouble," she said with a grin. "I just have to wait until he recovers."
"That...sounds scary," I concluded. "Just make sure he can walk, breathe, and doesn't lose any fingers," I suggested.
Her smirk widened to a smile as she returned her gaze to my ring. "I can't fully answer why that ring showed up when he used it, but I'm sure he'd be able to answer that if you asked."
She uncrossed her legs and grew serious once more.
"Back to your speculation. You may be onto something with King Rose, but we're still investigating."
"Wait. So you guys noticed something?" I gasped.
"I know we seem rather laid back as royals, but we like to catch onto things and see how things play out," Sera commented as she further leaned into her chair. "Alicia has noticed Xavier acting weird since term two. She assumed it was due to the stress of your wilting rose, but she noticed that King Rose has been having talks with Xavier."
"Talks." I didn't like the sound of that.
"I would call it lectures, but Alicia noticed these discussions were in an ancient language that Xavier shouldn't possibly be able to communicate in."
"Meaning..." I was trying to understand what conclusion this information would lead to, but I wasn't quite sure myself.
"Alicia thinks King Rose has been attempting to trigger Xavier’s soul trait. The one that belongs to the late King of Light."
"Why would he do that?" I inquired. "What would that do?"
"We're not sure as of yet. He may be trying to acquire information that only the previous King of Light knew or he may try to shift those traits into physical qualities in Xavier."
"Wait. So basically, he wants to try and shift what makes Xavier...well, Xavier, and replace it with the traits of the last King of Light? Not necessarily like reincarnation because their souls have already ascended, but to try and mimic who the previous King of Light was so it may trigger the memories of their past?"
It sounded crazy and yet the sudden revelation made perfect sense.
Seraphine nodded slowly while her stern eyes darkened.
"However, Alicia doesn't think her husband is doing this on his own accord."
"You think he's being manipulated?"
"That’s a possibility," Sera replied. "It would have to be someone who has a born trait in manipulation. We've been thinking of the possibility of them also having a strong enough glamor to act as one of the guards, but that's a slim possibility since we've started scanning our guards in the new year."
"What about if it's someone who attends the academy?" I suggested. "When did the king start acting 'different' or conducting these talks with Xavier?"
"Since the second term started. A little after the test you successfully won," she revealed.
"Hmm." My brain was working overtime to try to mesh all the information gathered together to formulate a potential enemy. "What if this person knows who I am? As in, they know I'm the only heir of the Rosadette kingdom. They must know about that, as well as realize that Xavier was failing at controlling me. Maybe they expected that I'd drop out after the humiliation I experienced, but instead, I came back stronger than ever and proved my worth. That was unexpected, and thus they decided to move on to another plan. Maybe they've been trying to control King Rose, but what if they can only do it for a short period of time or he'll notice? So they take the opportunity to lead him to do these talks with Xavier and try to conjure up the traits of the late King of Light. He could have done that, and maybe something occurred to trigger Xavier's breakdown. It would make sense if the attempts to trigger the traits of the King of Light and the sight of the rose having one remaining petal triggered Xavier's 'I'm going to freeze you’ rampage, which would explain why he said he was the one to freeze my mother. Technically, his past self’s trait did."
More dots were beginning to connect as the words left my lips.
"Recently Xavier has been getting treatment, right? Therapy. This therapy has to happen more often, right?"
"Yes," Seraphine replied. "If it may add to what you're formulating in that mind of yours, Xavier is partners with Vixen this year. Since Xavier is a bit of a training freak, they've been training during the evenings and nights while the days have been reserved for school and therapy. At least, that's what Alicia stated."
"Then it makes sense!" I declared like a lightbulb had turned on in my head. "When you read about fae psychology, it explains that you can only truly be manipulated or reach a state similar to sleepwalking when you're in light sleep. Deep sleep with the combination of magic can stun the individual into wakefulness. What if whoever is controlling King Rose can't get through to Xavier anymore because he's so drained from all the therapy, school, and training they do afterward that when he sleeps, he goes straight into a deep sleep? The frustration of it all could lead to this person having to make another plan, like setting up the incident at the exhibit with the Forbiddens! All to try and get rid of me?"
Seraphine looked deep in thought for a few moments before she muttered, "If you died, it could have triggered another trait awakening in Xavier and maybe even Rainer."
"Which would lead to them fighting and potentially killing one another?"
"I wouldn't admit it to Rainer, but Xavier is slightly stronger than him. If the exhibit incident hadn't completely drained him in an effort to save you, the two of them fighting would surely lead to Rainer's death," she predicted. "Xavier would then be in an extremely weakened state, which would make it even easier for whoever this individual is to tamper with the traits one more time and unlock whatever information they need before killing him."
"Whatever this information is, what if it's something that can destroy all three of the kingdoms, or give this individual enough power to rule all three?" I suggested. "If they kill me, Xavier, and Rainer, there's no one to claim the rightful thrones, right? Unless Vixen could rule?”
"Vixen wouldn't be able to rule Rosadette kingdom. Maybe the dark or light kingdoms if the land reacts, but not your family's kingdom. Essentially, if you die, that's it, unless your mother has another child, which is a very slim possibility since she swore to be only your father's."
"So are they trying to simply kill me?" I suggested.
Seraphine stared at me for a long moment. "There's the very small potential that you could control all three of the kingdoms."
"Define 'small' potential?"
"Small as in a one percent chance, but large enough for me and Alicia to believe it's quite possible. You're of light and darkness. The essence of your parents is within the land of darkness and the land of Rosadette. You were present and cursed with your mother by the King of Light, which means his energy was embedded in you as well. We haven't brought it up since it's nothing but a theory, but after your display of power at the exhibit, we worry that whoever is behind this now knows just how dangerous you can be. You may not have noticed, but the land has been growing more powerful recently."
"The land? Meaning our kingdom?"
"Ours and the Kingdom of Light where Fae Rose and Shadow Rose are located. We've noticed the difference. The energy of the plants is stronger. The magic coursing throughout nature has become the strongest its been in years."
"Why would that be connected to me?"
"It started when you arrived here, from Alicia's analysis. As to why we know the difference, it was the day you were humiliated at the arena. The land e
nergy dropped significantly that week. We also noticed a dip when you were sick with a fever."
I was a little speechless at her knowledge about what occurred with me, which had her grinning from ear to ear. "I'm Alicia's best friend. When something troubles her, she informs me, and we try to problem solve it together. Intriguing enough, a person by the name of Rosadette Campbell is a real mystery to crack down on."
"Oops." I shrugged. "My bad."
She giggled, which helped bring down the tension in the room regarding everything we'd just discussed. If we were really onto something, then not only was I in danger, but so were Xavier and Rainer. It also meant we had an enemy lingering in our midst and had no idea who they were or what they looked like.
"What are we going to do?" I questioned. "This is a little worrisome."
"We will be patient, like the Forbiddens encouraged. Whoever's weaving up these incidents will take a break before doing something that can give them away. Your theory proves a few things and means Alicia needs to stay around the kingdom more often to watch over King Rose while Vixen should continue the therapy and evening training until the end of the semester. Seeing as this medical rehab center is for royals only, that narrows down anyone trying to sneak in. All we'll have to look out for is your exams, if you do wish to participate."
"Do you think I should?" I inquired.
The way her eyes twinkled in amusement told me she already had a game plan.
"You have a plan."
"I do. It may get ugly, but if I can plan it correctly with Alicia's aid, everything may fall into place to reveal the culprit."
"Guess I'm taking the exam," I concluded.
"Only if you're able to walk properly," she commented.
"I'll work on that." I pouted my lips. "I feel better. Never would have thought talking this through would give us a solid plan."
Fae Rose Academy: Year Two (For The Purely Divine Book 2) Page 21