Violet Eyes

The Village

Mage and Clif waited silently on the stable wall, Prince's horse already ready to go next to them.
"Where is he?" Mage muttered, sighing after Clif shrugged in response.
A shape rounded the side of the castle and came barreling toward them, it was Prince.
He skidded to a stop in front of Mage apologizing with every pant he made.
"So- Sorry- Couldn't- find- pants"

Whenever the trio went to the village, Prince posed as Mac, Mage's cousin from Lawes. The Lawe didn't wear kilts, not even the rich (which confused the prince) so Mage had made Prince some trousers and forced him to wear them every time they went out, no matter how many time he protested.

"I could have turned your kilt into a pair of pants for you." Mage said, hopping down from the wall.
"Oh, I guess you could have....I didn't think of that. It comes with being stupid" Prince chuckled before bowing his head to Clif. She frowned and shook her head, flicking the princes temple. Clif never liked it when the prince talked down about himself which much to her disappointment, was often.

Prince grinned and rubbed where he had been flicked, "That was harder than usual M'lady." He muttered lifting her off the wall and setting her on the ground gently.
"Do you have the money?" Mage asked, they were going to go to the tavern for a meal before the festivities began at noon.
Prince smiled and jangled his pocket. "Yep, should we be off then?"
A familiar warmth spread across Mage's back as she started sprouting her dove wings.
"Go on ahead!" She said as she felt her muscles stretch and bone form.

Mage jumped into the sky, power surging through her as she felt her muscular wings beat, pushing higher into the sky. Mage leveled out next to one of the kings hunting hawks, who was used to her presence in his skies.
Scanning below her, she could see Clif and Prince- now to be referred to as Mac- entering the forest. Mage pushed even higher till her breath grew short and then tucked in her wings and dove. Shouting with joy as she fell faster than ever before, and nearly hitting a tree as she leveled out above the pair wind in her feathers and sun on her back. The happiest moments of Mage's life were in the sky yet stupid curiosity overruled her love for the sky.  Very carefully, to not rustle the trees she lowered herself into the forest, hopping from branch to branch with the aid of her wings, which she had shrunken to a smaller size for balance. Mage hated herself for it but she couldn't help but listen into the one sided conversation below.
"Me too, but I prefer the one we had last year." Prince was saying. It was oddly cute how they had managed to communicate without Clif even opening her mouth.
" If I could convince father, would you want to join in during one of our grander meals?"
Mage stopped for a second, peering down to see Clif's answer.
No.
"Too shy?"
Yes.
Prince laughed and edged the horse on, "Do you think the maji beat us to the tavern?" 
Clif shook her head and pointed directly to Mage, who yelped and shot back into the sky, thoroughly embarrassed   that Clif had somehow managed to find her in the shadows of the trees. 

After ten minutes of vigorous  flying fueled by embarrassment that Clif had caught her flying. , Mage arrived at the tavern and was pleased to see that neither the prince nor his horse were in sight.  She landed on the roof of the tavern with a loud thud, causing cheers from below and an elderly man to stick his head out the window and shout up
" Mage! Glad to see ya lass" 
"And you too Bail, did we beat the noon rush?" She responded while jumping off the roof, her wings slowing the fall.  
"Close, the men should be here any minute."
Mage's wings retracted into her back with a crackle as she made her way into the partially crowded tavern. Half the crowd shouted greetings as she entered

"Mage! Maggie has been dying to see you again, still thinks her eyes are turning blue!" Said a man from the bar, Mage patted his back as she sat next to him.
"Well she'll see me this afternoon I plan to perform a bit for the festival"
A couple men crowded round as Bail served her a drink.
" Anything particularly interesting from the castle?"  One asked.
"Not really," Mage said then took the opportunity to slip Prince into the conversation. " Mac is coming to visit though, he's up the road a bit with Clif. No wings." She grinned a bit.
"Hey Mage,  I heard there was a bit of trouble with some Maji on the border, do you know them?" a different man asked.
Mage frowned "I heard about that, and no I don't. Contrary to popular belief I don't know every Maji, I do want to meet them though, it's rumoured one has powers like mine."
"Speaking of powers,"  Prince said, entering the room and earning respectful looks from the few people who had figured out who he was, "I found a few friends of yours outside." He pulled two girls and a boy in with him. "Care to give them a demonstration?"
Mage knelt on the ground in front of the small boy as a few people crowded around, and was pleased to see Prince watching with eager eyes as well, even after all the years he had seen it, magic never ceased to amaze him. Just to please the Prince she did his favorite trick, blowing a bit of purple smoke into the air she pulled it into a square and set it floating around the boy, he poked a finger through it but pulled back in shock when his finger turned blue. When he pulled it out of the smoke his finger was back to normal.  Prince wasted no time in sticking his whole arm through the smoke.
Mage tsked "Oh wow, this whole time I thought you were nearly and adult, but I see you are still five."
Turning back the the boy, she asked what his favorite color was.
" Yellow" He replied in a timid voice. So Mage crafted a ball out of smoke, that turned the boys hand bright yellow when she handed it to him.
"Now go play, and stay out of trouble." She said, sending the boy on his way, and turned back to Prince who had stuck his head through the smoke and was trying to catch his reflection in a cup.
"Wha- never mind." She laughed and turned back to the counter, only to turn around again when she realized something was missing.
"Hey Mac?"
"Aye?"
"Did you leave Clif outside again?"
Prince's eyes widened and he dashed out side, only to return a few seconds later apologizing profusely.
" Sorry Clif, I forgot!"
As a castle servant Clif had been taught to wait outside when her superior is conducting business, unless otherwise instructed. Prince being the guy that he is often forgot this and left Clif to stand with the horses.
Prince led Clif to the bar and they took a seat on either side of Mage, Prince changed sides after a second to sit next to the silent servant. The lunch rush started and men began pouring in. Often people called a greeting to Mage and Mac one particularly attractive boy greeted Clif before anyone else, earning a death stare from the prince.