Tinkle. Slunk…

“Alve…”

“Dear?”

“Little mouse?”

“Princess Alvedaima,” the High Adjunct roughly called.

Reclaiming her thoughts, Alve finally took notice of the sweet smell of lime wafting on her tender pork. Cooked to its core, it was the rare meat she had at times. The clanking of crockery was bereft when the princess held her sights on the gathered Chonerin. They were all looking at her, concern in their eyes.

“Yes?” Alve guessed, her attention towards the High Adjunct who sat at the other end of the table. To her left, Savana gripped her giggle, and Savon shifted into laxer distress.

“I’ve asked if you had enough confidence to pass the tests,” the Lady Dasia inserted. While Alcvin sighed at the Lady’s right, she continued, “your uncle is very fond of your studies, and whatever results you will receive, know that you will never disappoint us. You’ve worked hard these past moons.”

Alve had forgotten that she was having lunch with the High Adjunct’s family in celebration of her Thanom, her birthday. Basking under the canopies of Oholdon Garden, the princess had left her head to the last early morning visitor. She barely even noticed the prematurely near greens and flowers of the enclosed garden. Concealed over glass staring at the winter sky, all manner of northern plants blossomed with the help of Lady Dasia’s own eth. The exams were the last of Alve’s woes.

“Yes,” the princes replied sadly. If only her brother was there at the table, her tone could have been livelier.

The brief moment of silence did not last when Savon jostled his sister. When the family realized it was time, the High Adjunct with a pampering voice said to her, “and since you worked hard, we’ve prepared a special present.”

“Present?” Alve bounced back at the thought of the gift.

“Brother Savon had suggested us this,” Savana rose from her seat as she went to the arriving Findeloria servant pushing over a steel cart. Laid over it was a velvet cloth covering a small translucent glass globe. When Savana reached for its stand, it was to Alve’s surprise a golden gilded arm and its claws encapsulating the sphere. Upfront of the princess, it glistened with intense aged nature.

“It is a gift from Counselor Franden of the Lahuku Man Bi Caste in Baya,” the High Adjunct spoke out as Alve ogled at the antiquity. “That right there is an eth item called a seeing orb. It is usually used for seeing through the eyes of animals. It was usually played by children but since the Counselor had none, he would rather give it to you.”

The ball tore an idea from Alve’s mind. “Would it need me to use eth, High Adjunct?” she asked as to how the news of her incapability of using eth was already eating her heart.

“No, it does not appear to be. It is a toy and Savon thought that a princess with no chance to see the great outdoors would be glowing if she were to receive such a gift.” Alcvin patted his son’s young shoulders, proud as he could always be to anyone in his family.

Alve was feeling the heat. When her cousin smiled at her, she could only suck in warm air. “All you have to do is place your hand on its stand,” Alcvin continued, “the beast in your mind will ultimately register to the nearest to your proximity and let you see what they see.”

The desire for birds floated into her awareness. Alve had always loved birds, their wings carrying them afar beyond the eclosed mountain peaks. As dying her chest wants towards the skies, thoughts of the white owl swam in her head. Decided, when the princess finally touched her hand over the stand’s scales, the orb blurred only to darkness.

Savana burst into a cacophony of laughs. “Silly little Alve! It’s winter, animals hibernate in the winter!”

Alve sat in her sitting room’s couch. The same place where Lord Tron had sat, not even wet from the dispersion of his icicles. The seeing orb was tucked away beside the daima flower back in her sleeping chamber. Alone, it did not matter how the princess sat nor dressed. So when she sketched the dying embers of her fireplace, her back was crooked, and her white sleeping gown stained with coal. Only the faint arcane lamp infront of her tea table gave off enough light.

It was evening when the servants left with her finished meal and warm room. Despite her anxiety of the recent cold, they could never leave the princess with burning flames. That she may come harm to it, it sombered Alve. They could never leave anything to trust, ever. She was also conscious enough of the small tears running down her face, she was always alone. Sad. Tired. Scared. The princess drove her charcoal stick to snap and break. The hearth on her paper too dark to be conceived. She laid on her couch into the night, her silent sob creeping into trance.

When a chill hand brushed over her forehead, Alve struggled to wake.

“Shhh,” he said to her. “It’s me, Arlou.”

“Big brother…”

“Alve, you’re sick.”

Maybe. She counldn’t open her eyes. She didn’t even remember if she ever slept. There was a thump before Alve felt the lanky arms cradled and carried her off. The door to her room creaked open and she was then later laid onto her cold bed. It was freezing but her brother’s attentive gesture saddled the princess to her blanket. His hand was on her forehead again when the lulling feeling of ease came to her for the second time.

“Brother… what…” she said with an outstanding sigh.

“I’m healing you, Alve. Just like how uncle would.”

“Uncle Alcvin?”

“No. He would never.” It sounded bitter in his quiet whisper. “Like uncle Alvon.”

“Tell me about him, please. I never met him and no one talked about him.”

When his hand left her head, Alve felt a little better, mostly because her bed felt warmer. It was long before Arlou responded to her plea. It was enough however when it came with a story.

“The second son of King Armoldeous and Lady Fahdayn was the oddest of his brothers. Unlike his eldest brother, prince Arleous, he did not like the steel sword. Nor like the other brother, Alcvin, who created mischief wherever he went. Little boy Alvon ruled his father’s library. He studied the arcane at such a young age, sometimes over passing the Acolyte of Chustern himself.

“He was better than father?” Alve asked, his eyes still closed but smiled instinctively.

“He was best than all the other mages of the Pillar-State. But among the things that outstanded many was his love for eth-leahn. Unlike Alcvin who destroys villages, the great Alvon would go to those villages to heal and help the people. One time, he told me, that he learned to make an actual house for chickens to live in.”

Alve giggled. “But why isn’t he here? Why haven’t I seen him?”

There was a long pause. Alve had doubted that her question would have frightened her brother away when he abruptly said, “because he is on a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yes. He told me that he was on a special mission given to him by King Arleous and it would be years for him to come back. It entailed of saving Entherah, I don’t what or how but he did promise to come back. I’m hopeful to be there when he does.” The last bit brought a short sorrow in his voice.

“So, in consequence, he left most of his things to me. One was the daima flower, the other…” Alve heard her brother’s footsteps exit her room before coming back with a small juggle. “I shouldn’t be here too long.Uncle will give notice.” With that Alve really wanted to open her eyes but they still remain heavily shut. “I will leave this here then,” the echoing sound of her cabinet being drawn shocked Alve.

“Why did you left the daima plant here?” her brother asked.

Alve was only shocked to hear the anger in her brother’s tone.

“Don’t ever leave it in the open!” Arlou hissed. Alve still could not respond when the prince continued, “regardless, I’ll hide them both in the closet with your drawing items. No one would lay a single eye with all those wrecked papers and paints.”

“I’m sorry,” she said finally. Tears building up in her closed eye lids.

Her brother gave a small exhale and finally returned to her side. “Don’t cry little mouse. It is fine. I just don’t want uncle to take away that belongs to you. And besides, its part of growing-up when you make mistakes.”

Alve was biting her lip and fighting away the waters when she recalled her brother mentioned both of the items hidden. “What…what is the other one?” she stuttered.

“Since you could not sleep until you opened it. Its my gift to you, or uncle’s apparently. It is a journal of all the plants he learned that were potent to healing and other diseases. I know it sounds useless to you, but, he had perfectly preserved the plants in the journal. Something like you could enjoy even a little.”

“Would you need it?” Alve asked, wondering indeed that such a gift would help his brother more than an ethless princess. Waves of sadness returned to taunt her anew.

“Worry not, dear sister, for I have already copied it! Magnificently of course.” His proud assurance gave the princess a little ease. “Now, its time to sleep. We wait for your results tomorrow.”

Arlou started to leave, his soft feet muffled under the carpet. When she imagined he was at the door, Alve finally called out, weighed in exhaustion, “thank you, brother. Thank you so much.”

There was no reply but she knew he heard.