AMETHYST: The rise of Tetra

Chapter 18

    With time anything is possible in life. One could learn a whole new skill, a language, dancing, singing, an instrument, find love, lose love, absolutely anything is possible if you give it time. It’s a concept that most on the human planet can’t seem to acknowledge to the best of it’s abilities, before you know it Monday has arrived again and the entire human population resumes their complaints about work, forgetting the weekend they just had. Though things on the completely human planet had been different to that on Boraq, the planet of Gods and Goddesses that valued their time enough to let it blur in between the lines of importance and opportunity. Most on this fascinating planet of possibilities had schedules that varied from day to day, depending on how time had to be utilised and maximised, and the opportunity lay clear in their heads knowing that nothing had been more important than time in their lives, the only shared aspect with the human world. 

    With the year that followed Leopold’s escape, several things happened: the first was the absence of the young boy who had been caged in the cells of King Voltor, in his place, was a man who had long abandoned the companionship of books and himself, and replaced it with the forceful stereotypical approach of becoming a man. King Alek had been shocked at the appearance of his son, and despite the story of his escape not adding up, he believed it, though made it his duty to shove his son into the harsh world of training, fighting and becoming the kind of man that was far from the one Cassandra had seen. Gone were the sleepless nights in which he thought of the stunning woman who had been the first to take his breath away, now lay in the presence of his sleepless nights countless naked women to give him the entertainment that he had so desired after diving into the new realm of being the manlier man. It was a trait that gave him comfort, and helped heal the wounds of losing the woman he was so fond of. The truth the King Alek and Queen Viana had instilled into the mind of their son upon their return had also ensured that aside from forgetting the woman who once stole his heart, Leopold would also come to hate the water kingdom as much as his parents did, and with that the lives of the youth had been switched as they had been unwittingly dragged in between a war they originally wished not to be a part of. 

    A year had passed and King Voltor had yet to realise that his own daughter had been the cause of their greatest enemy's triumph, and despite the guilt she felt, she knew she wouldn’t have had it any other way. The short romance that lasted only a couple of weeks had ended abruptly, and no longer was the woman entranced by the thoughts of the young boy whom his parents had captured, he lay at the back of her head, not knowing if she truly would see him again. One year was enough time for Cassandra to lose hope of ever seeing the magnetising man once again, but it wasn’t enough to create hate for a kingdom like Leopold had with the water kingdom. In the meantime the Princess had busied herself rejecting proposals and finally making friends on common grounds that were now as close to her as they were with their kind.  

    Cassandra, Aida and Jerome had become the troublemakers of the water kingdom, always together and always doing something they shouldn’t. Their fascinations lay beyond the comfort of the King and Queen, though the ease of attacks from one kingdom to another had been a breath of fresh air that had allowed just a year of freedom before further turmoil would erupt. 

    Aida and Jerome had been the only siblings in the common world that had accepted the friendship of the Princess, and in turn, also enjoyed the slight taste of luxury they received at the several visits to her chambers of just walks to admire the inside of the castle. They knew not of the fascination their friend had had once upon a time with a boy that belonged to the enemy, and neither would they find out by the mouth of the jolly woman, though there was a time where the words of promise would come to life, and that would be the start of a great challenge for the youthful pair. 

    Though as she remained within the walls of the castle, acknowledging and digesting that Leopold was, in fact, the son of the enemy -and so processed the fact that she would never see him again- she opened herself up to the idea of exploring her life before settling down with a man of her parents choice. It had not even occurred to her that her dear friend Jerome had suffered a consequence much like Leopold, crushing on the Princess though knowing he would never be able to have her as his, for he was nothing but a commoner. 

    ‘Jerome, you know I have dinner with my uncle, if I ruin this frock mother will have my head!’ Exclaimed Cassandra, observing as her daring friend began climbing the hill that was way too steep for anyone’s liking. Aida and Jerome had been in the company of the Princess almost every evening before dinner, and every evening a new plan would lead them to the office of the King, where the man would sit behind his desk, containing his laughter as the Queen delivered her shoutings to the trio that were frankly, inseparable. Though for once Queen Emilda had seen the content in her daughter's eyes that always lacked, and knew better than to separate her from her common friends, and strip her from that source of happiness. She had been weary of the longing looks Jerome had given his daughter, of course, though she trusted that Cassandra knew the consequences of loving the wrong person in her kingdom. 

    ‘Come on Cassandra, it’s just a small hill. Take off your shoes and hold up your frock’ suggested Aida, running after her brother to the front of the hill. There had been nothing the siblings had not been capable of convincing Cassandra to do, and at this point the Princess had given up with the formalities of behaving like a Princess when she had spent way too much time having fun as a commoner. Taking the advice of her friend, she slipped off her new pointy shoes, and gathered her frock in her hands, rushing towards where the two stood, laughing as she climbed a most filthy hill that would no doubt result in a blemished frock and muddy feet.

    When they returned back down, it had come to the Princess’s attention that she most certainly was going to be receiving yet another lecture from her mother, and perhaps even would be grounded this time, nevertheless she regretted nothing about her day, having had the most fun as she bid her friends farewell before dragging her dirty shoes and outfit back to the castle straight to the dining room where gasps had signalled the acknowledgement of her state. Her mother’s glare had pierced through her without even meeting her gaze, and as she took her seat in front of her cousins, her uncle cleared his throat and faced his sister, the Queen, with a look of complete embarrassment. Words had not been shared as the dinner passed by, though the after effects of the dinner were prompt, and as soon as the Queen’s brother took his leave, Emilda puller daughter to her chambers to have yet another word of seriousness with her. 

    ‘Cassandra, what is wrong with you? What have you done to your new frock?’ She questioned in a tone that was enough to tell the Princess she was in deep trouble. 

    ‘I’m sorry, I was just playing with Jerome and Aida-’

    ‘Oh those two, they’re always causing you trouble!-’

    ‘Hey, don’t blame them, I’m the one that agreed’ interrupted Cassandra, heating up the tension that was already present in the room. 

    ‘Do not interrupt me, Cassandra. Do you know how embarrassing it was for your uncle to see you like that today? You are a Princess, Cassandra, it’s about time you start acting like it!’ Exclaimed the Queen, flushed and exhausted from the countless lectures her daughter had received. 

    ‘A Princess is supposed to be good with commoners, and I am! Besides, you’re the Queen, he’s your brother, he has no right to tell you what I can and can’t do! He doesn’t dictate our life, mother’ she tried to reason with the woman. It reminded the Queen of herself at a younger age, though having the responsibility of a Queen and a mother meant she had no choice but to put her kingdom first. 

    ‘He is my brother-’

    ‘And I am your daughter, so whose happiness matters more to you?’ backanswered Cassandra, seeming completely out of control to Emilda. 

   ‘Cassandra, you are speaking completely out of line today! Those kids are starting to become a bad influence on you, I have had enough. You are grounded, you are not to meet those kids anymore’ banned the Queen, taking a step that she had always been hesitant to take. Her words had no effect on the rebellious Princess however, who had no intention of separating from her friends, and perhaps Emilda was more than aware of this. 

    ‘I am a Princess, you cannot tell me who I can and cannot be friends with!’ Exclaimed the stubborn young girl, running out of her chambers before her mother could grill her anymore to boredom and anger. Queen Emilda took a deep breath, acknowledging the common rebellion of a teenage girl before returning to her own chambers, knowing she could do nothing else to educate her own child on the mannerisms of being a Princess. 

    Cassandra ran out of her castle, going through the town till the arrived the small cottage she had come to spend most of her time in. Cleo, mother to Aida and Jerome had been a widowed woman, raising her children and welcoming the Princess at any given time, treating her like a child of her own, and so when the knock arrived on her small door, she welcome the girl in with only a warm smile and the greatest of intentions. 

    ‘Cassandra, darling, what’s wrong?’ She questioned, observing the worry etched all across her face. 

    ‘My mother grounded me from seeing Aida and Jerome. She still thinks she can control my life’ raged the Princess, taking a seat on the chair in front of her friends who had been eating their meal as their mother cleaned away. 

    ‘Your mother banned you from seeing us? For how long?’ Asked Jerome with concern, not knowing how to get on with his days without the divine woman he had grown to like. Cleo had been aware of his fascination, of course, though had warned him to keep to himself, knowing she wanted nothing to do with royal life and royal troubles.

    ‘Darling, if your mother has disallowed you from seeing Aida and Jerome, then perhaps you shouldn’t be here?’ suggested a concerned Cleo in the most gentle tone ever. 

    ‘No, she can’t tell me what to do. I am old enough to be friends with whoever I want!’ Expressed Cassandra, earning a chuckle from the mother of her friends. 

    ‘Sweetheart, she doesn’t mean any harm, she’s your mother. She has a protective instinct over you, one day you’ll understand when you have children of your own’ explained Cleo, coming to sit next to the royal woman who dared to pour her heart and soul out to a mother that was not her own. ‘Come one, why don’t you eat something with Aida and Jerome, and then go back home to make amends with your mother?’ suggested Cleo, and Cassandra had no choice but to agree. 

    The life of the princess had been entertaining in a pure way, one that would differ from the life she would live once the worlds of the opposite people would clash, and love and hate would take over their entire lives. 

    Leopold, on the other hand, had spent his days, training to be a warrior like no other, then hanging out in the company of Maisie, a mere commoner who had turned into a s****l companion for the Prince that required more than he ever had. Sneaking her into the castle every night, he would unload all feelings upon the woman who had been clueless as to what had been going into his head. All the hate, pain, separation and fatigue of pressure and training had been left to be let out at a time when Maisie was in his presence. He had not picked up a book since his return, and that mere thought bothered him to the core, though he refused to let himself go back to being the soft hearted person he had grown up to be in the past. 

    ‘Prince charming, care to join us for a drink at the pub, Maisie will be working there tonight’ had said Tron, a dear friend and fellow warrior of the fire Kingdom. The friendship between the guys had been one like no other, based on drinking, girls and swearing at each other in moments of drunkenness. Without a word Leo followed the men into the small pub in the middle of the town, and as always headed straight for their usual table that no one sat on, knowing that it belonged to the Prince of fire, of course. Maisie had spotted her Prince charming entering the establishment where she worked, and wordlessly took over the beverages she knew he would be having. It was no surprise when Leopold pulled the woman down onto his lap as she worked, and no one uttered a word of complaint as he did so. He got wasted with his mates as they yelled and thrashed around, causing all sorts of uncomfortable commotion around the pub of the poor owner that had no choice but to let it happen. 

    By the end of the night the drunk Prince had dragged Maisie back to his chambers, doing whatever he pleased with the willing woman who had only been interested in being a royal and escaping her own reality. Though for Leopold she had been only a tool to unleash his emotions and get the manly satisfactions he wished for every night. He had yet to allow her to sleep the night, and would send her out through the secret passages after he would be done with her, returning to his lonesome as he most loved to be on his own.

    As daylight approached, Cassandra had decided to make peace with her mother, knowing she would not be able to stay away from her best friends, who had yet another adventure planned to get themselves into trouble, this time trouble that would be permanent, and so the Princess approached the office where she knew her mother would be in, reading her book, before plucking up the courage and replacing her negative attitude with a positive one. Knocking on the door, she waited for her mother’s response before stepping in, a bright smile on her face as she reached Emilda.

    ‘Cassandra, you look bright and happy this morning. What is it you want?’ Asked the woman, knowing exactly why her daughter had come to her the way she had. 

    ‘Mother, I only wish to apologise about yesterday. I did not consider you or father when I took ridiculous actions, and I know better than to always agree to my friend’s requests, especially when we’re having someone over for dinner. I will be wary of my actions next time and ensure it does not happen again’ she spoke confidently, knowing her mother would forgive her either way due to the weak spot she had for her child. Emilda knew better than to think her daughter would really stop meeting her friends regardless of the punishments she gave her, and so she decided to make peace with her daughter and restore the trust that would perhaps benefit her more than the strictness. 

    ‘I am glad you have realised, and your apology is accepted. You are allowed to meet your friends, however, you must learn how to behave yourself. If you are going to go climbing hills then at least wear something less expensive’ suggested the Queen, putting a smile on Cassandra’s face almost instantly. 

    ‘Thank you mother! You are the best!’ She exclaimed, placing a kiss on her mothers cheek before running out to get changed as the Queen had suggested to meet her friends to explore yet another path of nature amongst their lands. 

    This time, however, the siblings had decided to drag the Princess out to a part of nature that most certainly had been further away than their usual trips, and it just so happened to be a trail that would lead them to more than just a good view. A clueless Cassandra rushed to meet her friends that had waited for her by the beginning of the forest, the very forest that merged both lands of fire and water on the planet.

    There existed on Boraq, a spot deep within the forest, holding a waterfall that merged both lands, with half part water and half part fire dripping from the exact same location, with no barrier like the ones the residents of the planet had created. It was a part of land that had been forbidden to anyone to access, knowing that it was too close to enemy territory, though it hadn’t stopped a pair of curious teenagers to barge into the depths of their planet. 

    It had also not seemed to stop the Prince of fire from escaping to the forest with his female companion, wanting to have the s****l experiences with her in nature as he always loved to. Though this time he had managed to take her far, and far away he had initiated things he would come to regret. 

    The trio had walked far into the forest when Cassandra had stopped them, noticing where they were leading her to, and knowing that if they got caught her friendship certainly would be affected with them. 

    ‘Jerome, we can’t go to the sacred waterfalls. Do you know what would happen if we got caught? Or worse, captured by the enemy?’ Her thoughts had not even floated to the mysterious man she had once felt so fond of, and it had never occurred to her that she would perhaps be seeing the man she craved to see again, with another woman.

    ‘Oh come on, Cassandra. Everyone talks about how beautiful it is, let’s go find out for ourselves. I promise we will be back in no time, just trust me. Just a peek and we’ll run back’ he pleaded, being a big fan of nature himself. The reluctant woman groaned, having no choice but to give into his wishes, knowing the stubborn man would eventually convince her anyways. 

    ‘Fine, just a peek’ she agreed, following them towards the location. Excitement had fluttered within her at the sight, for she was equally as excited and as curious to see what the fuss had been about. Though when the time approached and they had arrived at the scene, her mouth hung open at the beauty ahead of her. 

    The magnetising scene had her hooked, and she refused to return with just a peek. It had been a feeling like no other, one where she felt peace and an urgent need to get closer to the view she could see from afar. 

    For Leopold the sight had been non-existent as he shoved Maisie to the bark of a tree, passionately trailing kisses down her body, ready to undress and get what he wanted. Though in the heat of the moment he had forgotten how deep into the forest he had gotten, and what the consequences of that could be. 

    Cassandra carried on with her travels, advancing towards the sight faster than her friends, who were left behind, slowly trailing on as she rushed towards it with a desperate need to be right in front of it. 

    Though her trail had been interrupted by the sound of moans and noises that had distracted her momentarily from arriving at the magnificent sight. Following the source of the sound, she gasped and squealed, turning around when the sight of her very own love snogging another came to view. She had yet to figure out who the mysterious man was, though she could only hear his voice as the frustrated man sent off Maisie into the distance upon noticing that someone had found the Prince with a commoner. As Cassandra turned back around to meet the eyes of the man, it took her no time to realise who she was facing, and in that moment, the two knew that they had found each other again.

    ‘Cassandra?’

    ‘Leopold?’