Kingdom

102.Raven's claws (3)

Nori kept rambling. She spoke about paintings, about how stunning the view of the Palace from the upper levels is, and about the beautiful portrait the King drew.

Jin smiled and exclaimed, throwing random comments from time to time. Nori gave him no opportunity to change the subject. The last thing she wanted was for Seokjin to be asking questions about Jimin, Jungkook or any of the things that happened.

Nori needed time to think things over before she could give him any answers. She needed to be alone. And even if Jin's presence was pleasant and reassuring, Nori couldn't wait to send him away.

As soon as the rooftop of her residence showed up in between the trees, she thanked Jin for accompanying her, and urged him to go back to his house.

"It's not good to leave Jungkook alone for too long." she said when the advisor insisted on escorting her all the way to her room.

Jin hesitated for a moment, but was kind enough not to insist. He wished her goodnight and headed back towards the lower level of the Palace.

It has been a few minutes since Seokjin left, yet Nori hasn't moved an inch. She stands still, alone in the dark garden and stares ahead towards the curved roof of her residence.

But her eyes see nothing. She is lost in her thoughts. Wondering how to deal with that dangerous and unpredictable entity that has made her life so complicated - magic.

Nori can sense it all around her. It's like air - at times so quiet and motionless that she doesn't notice its presence; other times it is loud and destructive like a hurricane.

Nori knew that using magic could be dangerous. But knowing something and experiencing it are two different things. Never before has the Princess been in such direct contact with that power. Never before her life has been so tangled with unknowns.

Enchanting the apples was like a game for her. Nori never expected it to have any consequences, she didn't think her spell worked at all. But it did. And it was strong enough to challenge even Hyojin's magic.

Jungkook's mother. One of the most powerful dark witches in all Eastern Kingdoms. She was witty, outspoken, and courageous. Everyone in the village knew her, yet no one knew who she really was. They didn't know her real name, so they called her Nadil, which in their local dialect meant - Daughter of the Wind.

They said she arrived one night when the wind blew strong from the south, bringing the salty scent of the distant sea. Her child was crying, holding onto his mother's dress with both hands. Her husband was hardly standing on his feet - an arrow sticking out of his back.

Hyojin begged the locals for food and shelter, telling them her family got attacked by thieves and robbed of all their possessions. People got scared of the strange lady and refused to help her. But two brothers opened their house to the foreign woman and assisted her family to find work and build a life in the village.

Since then each of the brothers has been extremely lucky. One found a bag of gold in his garden when digging a well; another miraculously recovered from a severe illness. People say that Nadil has blessed them with her gratitude.

Nori heard that story in the local tavern when she visited Kook's home village. She went there only weeks before the wedding. No one but Jungkook knew that the Princess had gone to meet his mother. It was all done in secrecy, because the request Nori had for that woman was not to be known by anyone.

Back then, in the company of a witch powerful enough to enchant a King, Nori was not afraid of the magic, or of the witch. The Princess was happy to get a wine that would put King August to sleep, and she cared not about the risks of making spells and enchantments.