“You know, I have a favour to collect”, Sasha said, walking in on Elias.

“This is my room, what about knocking?”

“Knocking? I hate this needy, horny girl. So you will end this. Now! I am collecting my favour.”

“Good girl, I was starting to think you were a real dumbass. What took you so long to figure it out?”

He was standing at the bed pillar, leaning towards it, in something, did she understood now, must be his sleeping pants and an old tank top. His hair was a real mess and she just couldn’t stop drooling. She grinded her teeth, she was not considering answering. This was not how she had intended to use her hard-won mud wrestling.

“You are lazy, sleeping until dawn”, she said, pointing towards the window and the sun on the horizon. “You know, put on some clothes will you?”

“Well, contrary to you, I have had a very good night's sleep. You should make me company next time, would have taken away those black rings underneath your eyes.”

“I slept perfectly well”, she lied through her teeth. Not wanting to think of her dreams, of how he had tormented her, how she had woke up, not being able to stand it any longer, walking down the castle hallway to his room before breakfast. She was pathetic.

“Well, princess you should since it’s my old bed.”

He looked devilishly at her. This was a piece of information she didn’t need.

“You have to be kidding me.”

She had enough. With one fast move, she went forward, pulling his arm behind him, pushing it hard up against his back.

“I am nobody’s princess. I would suggest you start delivering your promise and do less talking, shall we?”

Elias wriggled out of her hold, closing his hands on her waist.

“Now princess”, he said slowly, “About that favour of mine.”

She didn’t want to anticipate this, but she did. She wetted her lips, engulfing in the feeling that has been building up in her body for days. She was hardly able to stand, her body limp at the same time as each muscle in her body was on alert, everything was colliding.

The feeling was extraordinary. She savoured it, putting it in her memory fond.

“I would say I won”, Elias said. “Still think I would get dressed?”

She pushed at him. Going from a desire to anger and still feeling her body sizzle. He didn’t bounce an inch. He just laughed and went for the kill. His lips came crashing down on hers. No foreplay, no warning, just pure hunger.

She didn’t even was the first to end it. He was such a smartass. She hated the smile on his lips.

“Get dressed. We are getting breakfast”, she hissed at him and hid her hands. They were glowing with a soft light.

He thought he still had the upper hand, guess who would be surprised with some extra magic to breakfast? What she had regained of her magic since she had let go of Aaliyah, was brewing potions. And she had practiced. He would pay for the kiss of torture. No one messed with her.

She felt the magic inside of her. Her fingertips were glowing, the light was seen when she called her gifts forward. She had won and she had leveled. Her magic was pouring in her veins, and it felt really good. Sasha was still weak, but she felt strong, stronger than she had in a long time. With the orb, and her new relationship to the king, her victory felt more possible than ever. She just had to escape the castle, paying a visit to her troop. Dear old Greg would know exactly how to twist a purple orb. And then she would wait, wait for her powers to return, and her revenge to be delivered.

She just had to stay clear of Elias. He would stop her, did he ever understood that she was not just cocky, she was perfectly sober when she said she would destroy her father.

“Hungry?” Elias asked her and Sasha turned around putting her hands in her pockets.

She looked at the room, shocked that she had not seen it before. Sasha felt her chin flushing pink. His bed was monstrous. They had to have specially fabricated an extra-large. It was much longer than a usual bed. He was a large man, so it was no wonder. What put her on hold was the headboard. It was a whiteboard, nicely decorated with ornaments looking like different kinds of flowers, and up towards it, several pillows were stuck in a complete disorder. And between one of those comfy pillows lay the head of a giant teddy bear.

“Breakfast?” Elias asked again, now putting the curtains aside, letting the sun hit the room. The wallpapers were filled with magic formulas, all written, as did it look like, by the owner of the room. She could see the oldest ones with the more childish writing.

“Insatiable”, she answered and let her focus shift to Elias, now nicely dressed in shorts and a white jumper. “Let’s see if the cook still has some warm bread.”

Elias was filling his plate with food, bread, sausages, poached eggs, and a big glass of apple juice. Sasha smiled. Taking her glass of juice, silently mumbling phrases she hadn’t been using for ages. She got her hands on some warm bread. This morning was starting just great.

They ate in silence. Or Elias ate. Sasha studied Elias juice, and the ceiling. There were a lot of spider webs up at the rafters, and the big crystal lamps had probably not been cleaned the last years. Had she had some spiders she could have made a real nice potion, as it was now, she had taken the spur of the moment.

“God morning sister”, Ivy said, entering the room. “And Elias.”

Her sister was dressed in a white dress, all fluffy and gorgeous. She was looking like a big hibiscus. Her blond curls falling down her back, and the blue eyes like a summer day.

“Morning”, Sasha said. “Want me to pour some honey tee for you, or do you prefer the apple juice?”

She could snatch some more of that warm bread.

“Oh, I see you are drinking juice. Get me some tea and o croissants will you?” Ivy said and joined them on the table. She looked innocent enough, but Sasha knew her. Her sister studied every detail of Elias, sweetly conversing with him about the dinner and the queen’s almighty plans for the day. All the time the humor was twinkling in her eyes, the amusement barely withheld.

“I will leave you two ladies to catch up, could need some time on my own”, Elias said and rose from his chair.

Sasha held her hands behind her back, her breakfast still untouched on the table and Ivy’s tea still waiting. Finally, he was leaving.

“Yes, I really think you should use this day just enjoying your company prince. It will be for the best”, Sasha said with an edge to her tone. She almost couldn’t contain her laugher, but she did.

Elias bowed and left them all alone in the kitchen.

“It was ages since you did that”, Ivy said and hid her face in her napkin. “He looks gorgeous.”

“Don’t you think the yellow became a bit too shiny then?” Sasha asked, and then she started to laugh. And when she started she just couldn’t stop. Ivy joined her, laughing, wiping some tears with the napkin, and starting to laugh again.

“He really looks something. His face outshines even his yellow eyes”, Ivy said and shook her head. “I bet he deserves it.”

“He does”, Sasha said. “But the thing is, when his eyes does turn real yellow out of anger, they will perfectly match his new, improved face colour. Making the scene even more ridiculous as his temper rises.”

“Maybe we should shadow him? It could be quite the show?”

“Maybe we should”, Sasha said. “I´m quite convinced we will pretty soon see a perfect match in colours.”

She ate her food under silence, her mind deep in thoughts. The magic was back, and with that came hope. Sasha took out the orb from within, playing with it underneath the table. With her fingers glowing white, and his orb a black purple, it was mesmerizing.

“It takes the mind of a twisted healer to kill from within”, she mumbled, forcing the orb back inside again. “Ivy, do you remember the book mother had on darker magic?”

“The dull one, with grey cover and pink rain worms on?”

“Yeah, that one. It always did predict bad weather, the rain worms becoming dark grey.”

Sasha had always kept an eye on it, trying to stay as far away from home as possible if bad weather was coming. If Ella caught her, she would usher her inside, and Sasha hated to be inside.

“It’s a miserable book, must have been destroyed in the fire”, Ivy said.

“But it might still be there, under the ashes”, Sasha pondered. “I need that book.”

“I bet there is a copy of it in the royal library”, Ivy said. “Why don’t we skip Elias and go and look there instead?”