Battle of Lies

Chapter XXI

 Nadine stood in the forest. Magic was all around her. She could feel it, yet she had no connection to it. All her life, she had been raised to be perfect. To be the model citizen and queen she was supposed to be. To be normal.

The last thing she remembered was an explosion then darkness.

"Why must I wear that?!" Nadine screamed.

"Because. The ceremony is about to begin and you must be there for it," her mother assured.

"But why must I go to the ceremony?! Faen doesn't have to go, so why do I?!"

"Faen has to be elsewhere, training with your father. You are only 7, you can't learn to fight. Girls don't fight. Especially not girls like you."

"But why am I different?" Nadine had calmed down, but she was still on edge.

"Nadine, being different is what makes you unique. Your father told me not to tell you. Not yet, not ever. You can call Magic and I know you won't remember any of this... because of protocol, but just go to the ceremony. Be a girl, for once."

"Yes, mama." Nadine had noticed how pained her mother looked as she told her that, so Nadine stopped fighting. She slipped into the dress with ease. Her mother pulled her hair back into an updo with only half of her hair inside the band that held the hair in place. A bit of blush was placed on her cheeks and lip gloss on her lips.

Together the two walked to the ceremony. They sat down and watched as Alexander, Nadine's best friend, became the crowned prince of Awlera.

"Now, it is time for the crowning of the princess. When Prince Alexander becomes king he must have a queen. May Nadine Freman please come up?" the king requested.

Nadine stood. She had known this was coming but it still caught her off guard.

"Ms. Nadine Freman, this has been arranged since the moment you were born. Could you please hold out your left hand? Prince Alexander, could you please hold out your right hand?"

The two friends both held out their left hand.

The king lifted a small needle that lay rested on a pillow that one of the servants was holding. The needle was insignificant, but it told a great story because Nadine's brother and Alexander's sister had gone through the same ceremony, as had kings and queens of past.

The king first pressed the needle into Alexander's pointer finger. The needle was enchanted. No pain was felt. A drop of blood was drawn and the king turned to Nadine.

Fear encircled her, but she remained still. The king did the same to her as he did to Alexander.

"Children, hold hands."

Alexander took Nadine's hand in his and the two felt a spark run through their bodies.

"Please welcome Prince Alexander and your future queen, Nadine," the king said. All the people from the city-state cheered. They had been waiting for this moment for over seven hundred years and now it had finally come.

"Shasil i. La mespe ni pak," the whispers. Nadine knew they were saying what they had said the last time they whispered to her but it was in a different language. This one was just as unrecognizable as the last.

"Nadine?" Jordyn asked, appearing beside her.

It took Nadine a minute to realize who was talking but Jordyn had noticed.

"What's wrong and why is Magic surrounding you?"

"Nothings wrong and I don't see any magic. I'm no mage." Nadine said defensively. Magic wasn't a bad thing but Nadine had still grown up protected from magic not embracing it like one would do with their own brother or sister.