Stargazer

Chapter 17

Without a second thought, I ran out into the waves, still in my clothes and hollered at the top of my lungs. The cool water stung as it hit me with it’s surprising force of its waves. I gasped a breath as I went under a large wave and it pulled me into its hold, flipping my body with ease. I had no idea water could be so strong. The rivers I had swam in had some very strong currents, but this was a whole other level. This water was as violent as a vengeful god with no competition.

As I felt the sand beneath me once again and the powerful water pull back its force with the wave, I was able to gasp and sputter for air. I felt really stupid for thinking I could swim in an ocean and even more so that I had felt so free a moment before. That moment turned to gloom as I thought of all the pressure coming down on me with the force of the ocean waves, and the uncertainties I didn’t even have info of, such as the magic I supposedly possessed. That scared the daylights out of me.

“Trying to kill yourself, now, are you?” The sarcasm of Dru’s voice resonated from behind as the crunch of footsteps approached in the sand.

“You saw that, huh?” I had hoped no one had. “I underestimated the power in those waves,” I pulled my braids to one side of my neck and sat in the sand looking out at the horizon.

“Just like you underestimate the power within yourself,” Dru laughed and took a seat next to me. “You have no idea what you’re capable of.” He took off his sandals and dug his toes into the black crystals of the sand, next to my own.

“I just...don’t know what to believe anymore. It’s impossible, really, that I could be carrying any magic. My life has been too difficult for me to possess such a thing. I’ve worked way too hard.”

“Not impossible! In fact, I saw you use it with my own eyes...multiple times!” I thought back all the way to the beginning of meeting Prince Drudo in his suite, debating whether or not to end his life. When our lives had intersected, surviving the escape, the desert, and bringing us to where we were now, sitting on the beach discussing my unknown abilities. I had that vision just before meeting him, but I wasn't so sure if that would have been considered magic either. What happened felt very out of my control.

I gave up. Nothing came to mind what he was referring to. "I have no clue what you're talking about, Dru." I said, suddenly feeling weary with exhausted.

"What about when you summoned the light of Yuna? When we were escaping? I thought you had even admitted to me that you had done that!"

"I admitted that I had knocked out Pierce! Yuna appearing from behind the clouds was just a lucky coincidence!"

"Coincidence? I think not! I have never seen a moon shine so brightly on a completely cloudy night! Besides," he looked at me with a smile that crept across his face. "Makawlah confirmed it was the power of light that you have. More specifically, the light of the celestial bodies, whatever that means." He shrugged.

Celestial bodies; it made sense to me, then. A confirmation that the stars had always been connected to me, in what way exactly, I didn’t know yet. I had so many questions that my mind began to buzz with excitement and confusion. There was so much I didn’t know about magic, where would I even begin? As if he were able to read my thoughts, Dru put a hand on my shoulder to try to ease my mind.

“You should go back and see Makawlah again...when you’re ready.” He added on the last bit, sensing I was a bit overwhelmed. She knows a lot with her ability to read things, she could probably help you understand more about your magic.”

“You’re probably right. I feel like we won’t be able to know where to go forward next until I can figure out how to do that. And we shouldn’t stay here long,” I said, regretfully, as I looked around and felt the beauty of the place calm my soul.

“Why not!? Do you have something against a place that may actually succeed in relaxing you a bit? You’re a little uptight, you know that?” I knew it, but it couldn’t be helped and I wouldn’t be able to make him understand.

“We shouldn’t stay here because someone from the Guild could find us. They could’ve seen us escaping and followed our direction, tracking us. And besides, why would you want to stay here in a village of a traitor king, anyway? I mean, I’m surprised you’re still alive after you were dumb enough to reveal yourself that night we arrived, and then on top of it, you confronted Griffith, surrounded by his people, and none of your own to protect you! I have to be ‘uptight’ if you’re going to put pressure on me to save our butts all the time! I only trained every day of my entire life to become one thing. The one thing I wrecked the moment I saved you!”

“First off,” Dru jumped up in excitement and kicked a splash of seafoam water at me. “No one could've seen us escape or followed us because of you! The skies went black, and I remember that because it was absolutely terrifying to me to see them so black. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my own face! While we were moving at high speeds on the back of Chicken no less!”

Chicken? I thought, and then recalled that was the name he gave our bauble bird. And I suddenly wondered how he was doing.

“Second of all, don’t worry about Griffith and I. We worked it out, we’re friends now!” He worked it out? I didn’t even know how something like that could be worked out. I assumed he saw my confused gaze and he sat back down to explain.

"He promised to not use the title of King anymore, and I agreed to recognize his leadership in Altawny." Dru sat back down and played with the delicate black sand he focused on as he spoke and unconsciously formed a glittering mound with his hands.

"Apparently, the Altawny people's heritage goes back to before I could even tell you the royalty lineage of Geldel began. I have decided to honor their lineage by allowing a leader that can represent their people. Griffith has now decided to go by the title of 'Chieftain' of Altawny, and I have formed an alliance with a promise to do my best to support the needs of their people. "

"That is an honorable promise," I began, and he responded by lifting his head slightly, but then I continued speaking and crushed him. "How can you promise such a thing!? The whole reason the Guild was attempting to get rid of you, is that you signed the last rites of the throne saying you would try to take over Sordova. How can you take care of your own people if you're more interested in "conquering" territories?"

"Aw, the last rites of my Father. You knew about those, huh?" His chestnut eyes met my honey gold ones in a match of defiance and he smiled whittingly. "Solé, if I tell you something about those last rites, you must promise me you will not yet repeat it to another soul, and you must believe me." I looked at him and hesitated.

"Okay. I promise to not repeat it, but I won't promise to believe you. That would require trust which you have not earned yet from me." He shook his head, exasperated, throwing his short brown curls that had been tucked behind his ears onto his face.

"Fine." Dru took a deep breath and looked out at the sun now setting in the sky creating a panorama scene of painted colors. I could tell he was having difficulty saying whatever it was he wanted to.

"Dru, I won't tell another soul, I promise. You have my word and I never break my word."

He let out a slight chuckle, "Oh I believe you, that you would never break your word, miss perfect." I frowned at him. He had a way of joking around whenever things got serious as if he were avoiding it.

His lips quivered with guilt as he spoke, "The last rites of the throne everyone saw me sign under oath, were actually a series of falsified documents. I never signed the last rites."