On the way back to the dorm, I couldn’t help making my way near the tavern to see if those Fire dancers were still performing.

And, they were.

The dazzling orange flames spun, creating a traipse that reminded me of that one time when I entered the Lord Commander’s manor and saw the painting that was just paint thrown on a canvas.

I moved off to the side and bought a bag of strawberries, lamenting at the seventy copper for a bag of twenty. Even if they were perfectly red and were perfectly juicy, couldn’t I get a bag of forty for twenty-two copper in the west district near the farm lands?

Vultures.

Someone began to sing and I turned to see an islander hoisted upon a man's shoulders. Her voice sounded like the soul of the seas even though she looked like a tiny girl. The man carried his feelings on his face as evident as grey clouds were note of a storm. His smile couldn’t have been erased even if you gave him fist full of silver. Not that I could blame him, the girl’s voice was mature for her age and it carried a depth that some older women didn’t possess.

The blue spiral tattoo hunched up along the ripples of the man’s cheeks, forcing his eyes to squint. Tell-tale sign of an islander.

They made me wonder what it was like to sail upon the blue. How it felt to feel wind and salty sea slapping against my face while my palms burned off by rope burns. Yet, I was ever grounded. My personality was the perfect example of how grounded I was.

Tsk, I must experience the joys of the seas one day.

My intentions to leave were stolen when a blonde-haired lass walked right up to me. I might have mistaken her for someone else had not the guardian in golden armor stalk behind her. Thus, my eyes dropped down to a pink lip stain with green juice of an island fruit. Her blue eyes shimmered with excitement that only comes from doing something mischievous like sneaking out of the Duke’s Palace and roaming the streets for fun. Her war-like shirt exposed the shoulder of one of her arms and she wore a war kilt that ran up to black boots with straps.

“I’m surprised to see you out and about. Usually, you are so dull. Always staying in your dorm and training.” She smiled like a little pixie and had she not been the daughter of the Queen and Duke of Ciderpines, I would have walked away.

“When one has enough strength, then all the joys of the world will lay at my feet. Until then, having fun is nothing but an untimely distraction.” I turned my gaze away from the young girl singing to the Duke’s heir. “Definitely when we are on the border of a kingdom that has a deep-seated grudge against your father.”

Alaine De’Sav frowned. “Resting is also part of the growth or do you think everything should be pure work.”

I smiled. “Of course, my lady.”

The way she studied me as if to see if I was just humoring her. I wasn’t but I wouldn’t admit it even if I was.

“I won’t hold you up then. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stepped to the side.

I bowed and walked out the circle that the crowd gifted us. Her words played in my head after all, she already made my training more troublesome than its worth. Also the reason Charles believed he was my rival even though we weren’t in the same bracket to begin with.

Sigh, I returned to the dorm and went to the public bathhouse. After cleaning up, I returned and meditated.

Dawn did not come before someone knocked on my door. Scrunching up my brows, I opened the door to see the Lord Commander. He motioned with his scarred hand and I closed the door behind me, following him without a moment thought.

We walked out of the dorms along the path to the forbidden section of the compound. The trees and beautiful flowers were scarce here. The heat rose and there wasn’t any of that humidity to make up for it, just pure, dry heat.

“I don’t want your curiosity to kill you,” He joked. “The Duke values your talent and clean background. More than anything, your potential to attract his youngest daughter and tame that ball of fury.”

“Oh?” My eyebrow rose not out of shock but due to annoyance. For I knew what came next.

“I’m sure you guessed it by now but you are to become the Princess Consort. Or rather she will be a Duchess and is going to inherit an island. The church is happy with this engagement, so if you have any issues, I hope you stomach them. Ball them up deep down and shit it out because nobody cares.” The Lord Commander smirked and moved towards a small building tucked between a rocky outcrop.

We walked in and the heat increased by several degrees. A river of golden-flames poured down a cliff right into a pool that made up the majority of the building's guts. I glanced at the Lord Commander who motioned at six people in ambiguous robes and masks that were expressionless. They marched towards me and I fought the need to retreat.

They grabbed me and dragged me to the river, not even flinching as they stepped in. Their robes must have been fireproof because they didn’t seem to feel the same pain as I did.

“Don’t fight, focus on purifying your body and soul. Let the Goddess protect you and you will have nothing to fear.” One of the people spoke and I couldn’t honestly care what the hell he was saying.

But, I wanted the pain to stop and thus I focused on my Goddess. My soul all but jumped towards her as my mental landscape set aflame and her envoy, a woman that looked like a mix between a Lioness and winged-human. She extended her hands down, cupped my face, and then graced me with a warmth that settled the agony that tore through my very soul.

I’ll be honest, I may have cried and screamed but I didn’t remember any of that!