Chapter 13

“Are you sure that this leads to the Philosopher’s Stone? “ Roselle asked doubtfully as the Prince and herself went to the marketplace where they advertised their wares, from consumables to jewelry and other such things. Prince Caspian was busy preening himself, worrying about whether or not his light green hair looked good in the lighting, probably. Honestly, he was her friend, though sometimes Prince Caspian invested too much stock into his looks and worried about the trivial things about whether or not he looked dressed for the occasion and did the exact perfect posture or pose that the situation demanded.

“Hm?” Prince Caspian said while he was in the middle of preening himself. “Oh, oh. Oh yes. There was a merchant who said that they handled the Philosopher’s Stone in this Kingdom, though it was passed onto a man that called himself Faust.”

“Who is this Faust, and what do you know about him?” Cerise asked while Prince Caspian took some time to consider.

“Well…” Prince Caspian said a bit embarrassedly. “I don’t know, exactly. He’s a very mysterious man.”

“What my useless brother is saying,” Nautilus said with a sniff. “Is that Faust has proven elusive in several of the Kingdoms. He is a great Mage that once worked with Nicolas Flamel, the person who created the Philosopher’s Stone, mind you. He was on a quest to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone because he wanted it back, you see.”

“Is he hoarding it to himself, then?” Cerise said in astonishment. “Do you realize how much good the Philosopher’s Stone would do for the people of the various kingdoms, instead of being hoarded away as a priceless relic in someone’s mansion? We need to track down this Faust and find out information about his current location.”

“If you do find him, though, Roselle,” Prince Caspian said softly. “What will you do?”

“I will challenge him to a Duel if I must,” Roselle said. “Alongside my beloved Cerise. We do make a perfect matching pair, don’t we, my Ceri?”

“Since when did you start calling me Ceri?” Cerise said while she ducked her head and hid her blushing face from view. It was just like Roselle to come up with an affectionate pet name for her, especially to her mortification. It was just…too endearing, too cute! She couldn’t handle all this concentrated cuteness that was the pint-sized Roselle!

“Why, don’t you like it?” Roselle said, looking slightly amused. “Tut, tut, Ma Cherie Ceri. You will get used to it, in no time.”

“Hahaha,” Prince Caspian said, putting a hand to his face while laughing at Cerise’s misfortune. “Roselle, if you’re going with endearing nicknames, you can always call me ‘Cas’ if you’d like.”

Roselle stuck out her tongue at the Prince. “Caspian just suits you fine.”

“You wound my heart, my fairest Rose,” Caspian said, and it was now Roselle’s turn to blush as she pounded her tiny fists on Caspian's chest.

“No, no, no!” Roselle cried. “Only Cerise may address me in such a manner! You’re really a homewrecker, aren’t you, Caspian?”

Caspian laughed before he grabbed Roselle by her wrists to stop her pounding against him.

“Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy my good-natured teasing?”

“Mmmmmngh,” Roselle said before she looked towards Cerise for help. “Ceri! Help me overwhelm this fool!”

“It’s kind of amusing to watch you two,” Cerise said, glad to see that Roselle was the one who was flustered right now instead of herself. “That’s what you get for calling me ‘Ma Cherie Ceri’.”

“Oh come now,” Roselle said. “It was enchanting! Don’t you love being called pet names and other affectionate nicknames by your beloved wife?”

“Seriously, stop it,” Cerise said, but she couldn’t help but laugh all the same. Her beloved Roselle really did love her, and Cerise couldn’t imagine there being anyone else in the world that she longed to be with than her. “Though you know…Roselle…after all that we’ve been through together…we’ve really bonded, haven’t we? Who would’ve thought that the likes of us would become friends…or lovers?”

“It’s strange when you think about it,” Roselle said, before she flicked her hair. “But it also felt inevitable. I think that the stars have aligned together for our union, don’t you think?”

“Get a room, you two,” Prince Caspian said, while both girls giggled at Prince Caspian’s grumpiness. “If you have time to be flirting, then you definitely have time to be training, sparring, practicing, or studying! Time is very valuable you know; or as Viola would say, ‘time is money’”

“Oh, relax a little, won’t you Caspian?” Roselle said while she looked at him with big pleading eyes.

Caspian couldn’t resist Roselle’s charms.

“All right, I suppose I can let it slide. Though in all honesty, we need to figure out where Faust is; and what he’s planning to do with the Philosopher’s Stone.”

“What do we know about the Philosopher’s Stone in general?” Cerise asked before Prince Caspian racked his brains on the lore that he’s read.

“There isn’t much more on the Philosopher’s Stone, and even if there is, the texts haven’t been translated from their ancient languages. It might even predate to the Word itself; the Word that the goddess spoke, and eventually sang the world into existence. Magic is resonance, like the tenor of a voice. And they blend and meld and layer over one another. So I’m guessing that the Philosopher’s Stone was made with the potency of raw magic from primordial times, but all the scholars that have known the properties of the PHilosopher’s STone have been systematically purged because the belief of the Church tried to quell the Philosopher's Stone so that they could hoard it for themselves. Though I think that the Philosopher’s Stone is neither a thing of the Church or magic, something rather a curse.”

“A cures?” Cerise asked, before saying.

“I read in one translation, a tiny verse, mind you, that the Philosopher's Stone can make you immortal,” Prince Caspian said. “But that’s a dangerous price to pay, don’t you think? The cost of immortality must bear one’s conscience as their lovers and friends fade away while you’re still living on without them, watching civilizations rise and fall…it’s not the charming thing that you think it is. Immortality, something that has been desired by mankind throughout the centuries, come with a price.”

“I see what you mean,” Cerise said. “I don’t care for immortality. What I wish for…what I hope that the Philosopher’s Stone will do…is cure my sister. That’s why I embarked on this journey, despite having doubts, despite being told by people that I couldn’t do it.”

“Ah, we found the merchant,” Prince Caspian said. “Please let me work my charms upon her and we will be able to get Faust’s location.”

The merchant batted her eyes at Prince Caspian, while Caspian gave her a brilliant smile that could disarm and the entire army. “Miss Aimee, it’s good to see you.”

“Oh, Caspian,” the purple haired woman said, showing as much bosom as possible towards the Prince. “Come to take a look at my wares?”

“Oh, Miss Aimee, as you’re regarded for your intelligence and supreme good taste, I’ve heard that you have some valuable information that would be in the Soreno Kingdom’s best interest,” Caspian said, a gleam in his golden eyes. “You’ve encountered a man by the name of Faust? You originally had the Philosopher's Stone before selling it to him?”

“I’ve made several coins and filled out my purse from him,” Aimee said while licking her lips. “He had plenty of money to spare. I could buy the whole capital ten times over from this! Though a kiss from my dearest Caspian; is truly a priceless treasure that can’t be measured.”

“You flatter me, Miss Aimee,” Caspian said.

—x—

“We found out the information that we needed,” Cerise said with a gleam in her eyes as she dashed off towards the harbor, twirling on her foot. “We need to find this Faust and track him down if Miss Aimee’s information is accurate. Though Prince Caspian, I never thought you would kiss the hand of a maiden that wasn’t Roselle.”

“Sometimes a Prince has got to do what a Prince has got to do,” Caspian said stiffly. “I did not particularly savor that woman, who threatened to spread the gossip of Roselle to the four corners of the Soreno Kingdom, but using my charm to help save Roselle from embarrassment and humiliation is my only wish to help her achieve her goals.”

“Awh, come on, Caspian, lighten up,” Cerise aid while knocking him against the shoulder. “You’re a lady killer! Maybe you should try settling down with Miss Aimee or some other woman; because Roselle is off-limits, you know?”

“I will never forget my beloved Roselle,” Caspian said as he put a hand to his heart. “But alas, it is not meant to be. But surely, Cerise…you must remember the training and information that I gave you. Practice dedicatedly and devotedly. You need to stay on top of things. And there’s so much that you haven’t learned, as well! I’m not sure how you will pass these trials.”

“Don't worry, Caspian,” Cerise said with a soft smile towards him. “You can trust that Roselle has good judgment. She wouldn’t have devoted her life to me if she didn’t think that I could do something that would save the Kingdoms from despair.”

“I honestly can say, Roselle does see things in other people that most people wouldn’t,” Caspian said before he said. “I cannot accompany you on your journey, but I will be ruling over the Soreno Kingdom and managing things from there. You will have Viola to accompany you, however; I trust that she will be useful?”

Viola bowed. “My Prince, but…”

“I want you to keep an eye on Roselle and Cerise,” Prince Caspian said. “Make sure to protect their lives as you would mine. Just think of this as an extension of the Soreno Kingdom’s goodwill, Roselle, to the Rozrrian Kingdom.”

“Thank you, Caspian,” Roselle said with a soft smile towards the Prince. “Thank you for the information that you gave us. It’s very helpful and gives us a lead on where the PHilosopher’s Stone would be. I guess we’ll have to borrow one of your ships and head straight away to the continent of Alantia.”

“The weather gets horrible just as you’re entering Alantia,” Princess Nautilus said. “Though we’ve heard that Faust is hiding out somewhere in that country. I do wish you good luck on your journey; you’re going to need it.”