Elizah Cohen sat alone at the small desk in the classroom full of children. She had a book in front of her, but she couldn’t understand anything. The text in the book was peculiar and not even close to the common tongue. She sighed as she lost interest in the complex text and decided to look outside instead and let her mind wander.

It had been ten long years since Elizah first started coming to the schoolhouse, but still, she was never comfortable with the place. She had nothing against the students or the teachers; rather, everyone else had a lot against her. She was out of place in the small schoolhouse; her family background and history were to blame.

All through her childhood, Elizah had only known poverty. Her family had struggled to pay for basic items. With the absence of her father, things were extremely difficult for Elizah, her brother, and her mother. It was by a miracle that her mother’s friend had offered to get Elizah into school, so Elizah assumed it was a privilege to attend the schoolhouse. But she wasn’t prepared to face what was waiting in the schoolhouse.

From the very first day, the other students avoided her. Elizah initially never understood and believed it had something to do with the economic status of her family but later overheard the children’s gossip. According to rumours, her father was a traitor of the kingdom, and so the nobles’ children had been taught to avoid her at all costs. That day itself, Elizah went home with frustration and tears down her cheeks but chose not to ask her mother about the rumours. Over the years, she chose to not think about the rumours, but there were times when she was left wondering if they could actually be true.

She had never seen her father, and her mother had claimed that it was for the best. He had left on the day she was born, according to what her older brother had said. All he had left behind was a book and something for her mother.

The book was the only thing that Elizah could use to remind her of her father. But nothing inside the book ever seemed to make sense.

She tried to ask her brother, Micah, if he remembered him, but he always got angry when the topic was brought up. And even if she wanted to ask now, she didn’t know where her brother was.

She was lost in thought but suddenly startled out of it when she saw someone moving near the entrance of the door.

A man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a round figure was standing at the door. A smaller figure of a younger man was hiding behind the larger man. It seemed like the young man didn’t even want to be there at all. The boy was lanky, and his gaze was fixed to the floor. The taller figure was instantly recognisable to all as the King, Cyprian Larkspear himself, but the one hiding behind him was someone unknown.

Whispers echoed in the classroom as students shuffled into their seats and no longer had the look of excitement on their faces. King Cyprian’s presence had managed to frighten the others, but Elizah was unfazed; she just looked curiously at the younger man.

‘Could he be the king’s successor?’ She thought to herself. She knew that she shared a birthday with the prince, but that was all. In fact, it was the very first time she’d ever seen him outside the palace. The prince had been quite sheltered away from the public eye. Hence she figured her guess could be off. Besides, the boy was much smaller than what she’d expected for the prince, nor did he look like the type to fight. It really didn’t make much sense to her why he would be here in the first place. She quickly dismissed the idea that the boy was the prince. She decided it would be best if she didn’t bother with what the king was here for and turned back to her book, trying to translate the nonsensical words.

Jayden Larkspear was trying his best to hide away behind his father. He didn’t want to be there, not in the slightest.

He hated and feared the very thought of being in a large classroom full of students. He had enjoyed his private tutoring lessons with the tutor. But the nation’s people began wondering why the prince hadn’t been seen in sixteen years and began to speculate strange things, so he had to go to the large schoolhouse building with all the other students.

He had spent his entire life alone and with the people in the palace as the only ones to talk to. But he enjoyed being alone. His parents rarely called him to do much, so it wasn’t that he had any royal duties either. Even if he was with his parents, he always got in trouble by triggering his mother’s temper.

He only had one major fear. He knew that one day, people would start asking many different questions. About his destiny, what really happened on the day he was born, and why had he never seen anyone outside the palace. But the truth was simple and hard to believe. He just didn’t know. He never bothered to ask anyone as well. He did as he was told and just followed instructions.

He never asked to be the prince. Why couldn’t he have been born as a farmer’s son or a smaller noble’s son? What really happened that day? He had always thought to himself.

“Come, Prince Jayden,” he heard a woman’s soft voice.

Jayden gave a slight nod and walked with her into the classroom. He tried to make himself seem smaller and unnoticeable, but with how tall he was, it was an impossible task. It seemed like everyone’s eyes were watching him. It was slightly overwhelming to see this many people when he had grown up secluded from the world.

The teacher directed him to a seat in the back of the room, and he walked over slowly.

The pairs of eyes on him slowly began reducing until there was only one pair left on him. He slowly sat down at the desk at the back of the classroom.

He looked at the girl staring at him.

She had piercing blue eyes, unlike any other colour he had ever seen, and long blonde hair in a braid on her shoulder.

But unlike the other children in the classroom, the girl’s gaze seemed to reflect a feeling that Jayden knew all too well.

She had curiosity in her eyes, and the thought of the many questions she would ask him made him feel slightly sick already.

“Elizah, pay attention,” The woman at the front said, and the girl turned around rapidly.

So the girl’s name is Elizah, Jayden thought to himself.

Jayden opened his books with a sigh and wondered, I guess one thing’s for sure, getting used to seeing people is going to be harder than I thought.

Elizah walked out of the classroom late that evening. Every day she waited till everyone left, but today she saw the prince outside the class walking home, and her curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to know more about him, so she listened in on the conversation. A noble’s son was standing next to the prince and was trying to make idle conversation, but the prince seemed disinterested.

“So what was your destiny? Why have you been locked away from everyone? Why can’t people use magic in public?” The noble’s son asked Jayden.

Elizah cautiously listened. As someone who didn’t know her own, destinies fascinated her.

Destinies were the stories that the seers told when a child was born. Every time any child was born, the seers were called to hold the child and read into their futures. The child’s destinies were told to the children when they came of age, and were a major part of people’s lives.

Until the ban on magic. Since seers were magic users, many were killed and destinies soon became a thing of the past.

Elizah had been told she was born before the ban on magic, but her mother still never told her her destiny. But this didn’t really hurt her as she was always amazed by those of other people.

At that, Jayden’s hands balled into fists by his sides and slowly opened, as if the very topic got him angry.

Elizah just stood rooted behind the door where neither of the boys would see her. She was interested to hear the outcome of this conversation to answer some of the many questions she had but couldn’t ask.

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if this sort of situation had come multiple times before. His vivid green eyes opened slowly, and he calmly said, “I don’t know. My parents never told me.”

Behind the door, Elizah’s eyes widened in surprise, and she tried her best not to move an inch.

The noble’s son seemed somewhat bemused by this answer. “How can you not know? You’re obviously lying,” the boy said, and his voice was rising, “Do you know how many people in my family have died because of the ban on magic? Do you think you can shrug that off as just something you don’t know?”

Elizah remained silent, but she felt a shiver down her spine from the boy’s words. She had seen for herself when people died all of a sudden with strange occurrences like trees growing out of their homes or their houses just suddenly burning up. There were people’s theories on the topic, saying it was magic, and it seemed this boy had the same thought.

Jayden took a deep breath, and Elizah could hear the shaking in his voice as he said, “Look I’m telling you the truth. If you want to believe me then do so, otherwise, just leave me alone.”

The noble’s son didn’t say another word before he stormed away alone and left the prince behind.

Elizah then slowly walked out of her hiding place behind the door and passed the prince, but surprisingly he didn’t avoid her but rather looked at her in fear.

“Um-,” Elizah was about to say, and the prince just ran, leaving her very surprised. Elizah began to walk home as she pondered over what she saw.

A glint of hope to make a good impression on the prince had suddenly ignited within her, as this conversation between the prince and the noble made her wonder if he was truly different from the nobles she’d seen. Maybe he would give her story a chance? Rather than pompous and uptight as she had expected from the prince, he seemed more worried and nervous.

But reality tugged at her.

Everyone believed the rumours; why wouldn’t he?

He’s not even going to know who I am. Who will notice a nobody like me? Why does it even matter? She finally decided.

While she was thinking she had been walking, she hadn’t realised that she had made it all the way to the small cottage at the edge of the forest. The area in the forest was closed off, but her mother’s friend had managed to secure a small plot of land near the edge of the forest.

She reached the door and opened it to see her mother in the kitchen with her apron on and her hair tied up. When Roxanne heard the door open, she turned and smiled at her daughter. “How was your day, Liz?” she asked as she wiped the flour from her hands and walked over to Elizah. Elizah smiled and embraced the older woman.

“Nothing unusual. The same old class and people,” Elizah said.

Roxanne placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and said, “Oh, I almost forgot. This came for you in the mail.”

She took an envelope from the cupboard in the kitchen and handed it to Elizah. “It’s from Micah,” Elizah said as her eyes widened.

Elizah smiled one of her big smiles, which only came when someone mentioned her brother. She tore open the envelope and read the letter which was written in his usual sloppy handwriting.

“What does he say?” Roxanne asked. Roxanne never had access to schooling and education during her childhood but made up for it with her enthusiasm to send her children to school to learn and not make the mistake that she had made.

“The usual details of the camps and how humourless they are around there. He asked about the terrible two,” Elizah rolled her eyes as she read the sentence. Elizah never had liked her step-siblings but knew that without them, she’d end up on the streets. It was only because of her step-father that the family was still managing the large taxes, or so she was told.

“Liz, they’re still your siblings even if you don’t like them,” Roxanne said gently. Elizah couldn’t argue with those words, so she continued reading.

Roxanne saw the tears that welled up in Elizah’s eyes as she read the letter for the second time and couldn’t help the sadness in her own heart. “Is there anything about his return?” Roxanne asked her softly.

Elizah shook her head, and the tears spilt down her cheeks. Roxanne took her daughter’s hand and led her over to the small bench near the large piano on the other end of the room. Roxanne sat down and let Elizah sit by her side.

“Where are they?” Elizah asked between her choked sobs. Roxanne knew who Elizah was referring to.

“They won’t be home soon. They are busy at the market,” Roxanne said softly, “I can spend time with my brave little girl alone.”

“Mother, why do the spirits hate us so much? Can Micah ever come home?” Elizah asked Roxanne, “They already took father away. Now Micah too.”

“Don’t blame the spirits for something like that. Micah will come home one day,” Roxanne said.

“You’ve been saying that for years, mother, but he’s not home,” Elizah whispered softly.

“He will come and he’ll never have to leave us again,” Roxanne said, “Do you want me to play for you?”

Elizah nodded. She loved listening to the beautiful music from the instrument when Roxanne played. She always watched Roxanne’s hands as they seemed to fly across the keys but maintain a beautiful tune, while when Elizah tried, it never seemed right.

Roxanne began to play a melody that she had learned when she was a child, which was Elizah’s favourite song, even with the imperfections that Roxanne occasionally made. The tune was a calming mix of low notes, which made a sweet melody.

Roxanne continued to play as Elizah was lost in the mesmerising music. When Roxanne was done, Elizah had looked at Roxanne and smiled.

“Mother,” Elizah began, “Can you teach me how to play just like you?”

Roxanne smiled at the girl, “Of course. But on another day, I have some work to finish.”

Elizah gently nodded and walked to the back door, and said, “I have to do my chores anyway.”

Roxanne heard the door close as the girl walked outside to the field. She let the hidden tears stream down her cheeks. Memories of the times she’d spent with Liran by the piano surfaced in her mind, and she remembered the promise of a happy family that they had made for each other.

As more tears slipped, she wondered if she’d ever have that dream of a happy life for her family.

Prince Jayden Larkspear flopped onto the bed in his chambers and lay staring at the ceiling above him. He was still slightly tense from his conversation with the noble boy, but it was starting to pass.

He heard a knock at the door and said, “Come in.”

An older man stood at the door in a painter’s smock and his greying hair rumpled.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Prince Jayden,” The man said.

Jayden looked down and smiled to see the court painter and also his only company standing in the doorway, “Oh, no you’re not. I just returned.”

“How was your first day ?” The man asked as he shut the door behind him.

“It went better than I expected,” Jayden lied.

“Did you make any friends?” the painter asked.

“No,” Jayden replied curtly. He walked to the door and bolted it shut before he walked to his cupboard to get his hidden box of paints.

“You seem worried,” the painter observed.

“No I’m not,” Jayden replied sharply, “do you have the parchment?”

He was suddenly startled by a sharp knock at the door, and he told the painter,” Take the back door out of my room, I’ll paint the design on the sheet by sunrise.”

Jayden had wanted to learn to paint as a diversion, but his mother denied him the material. The court painter had helped Jayden without the king and queen’s knowledge, and now the painter gave him patterns which the boy could copy with ease onto a canvas.

Jayden unbolted the door and opened it to see Queen Noxaura standing in the doorway.

“Who were you talking to?” she asked him, “I’ve told you not to talk to the servants who roam about. They only give you gossip.”

“Sorry, mother,” Jayden said softly.

“Why aren’t you training in the arena? You are smaller than all the others in build and you are terrible with a sword. You don’t deserve the title of the prince unless you get better,” Noxaura said.

What if I don’t want to be the prince? Jayden thought to himself, I can use a bow and arrow quite well anyway.

He couldn’t argue with Noxaura unless he wanted trouble. As he thought about the possibilities of his destiny, he walked out to the training ground without saying a word.