Aurora

Part 1, Chapter 5

Arrabella.nineI jumped as I saw my father walk into the throne room, smiling wickedly. We, my sisters and I, were waiting for his return from the alternate dimension that was discovered.

“I've negotiated with the Erathiahns of the alternate universe. I've acquired us some allies,” He announced and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“What were the terms?” I asked and when he smiled wider, a chill ran down my spine.

“One of you is getting married, Arra.” He smiled and I choked on air. “Granted, it'll be to their prince that isn't born yet. You've all got 10 years to prepare.” He quickly moved to the other side of the room. “One of you will be chosen soon, so good luck!”

He left so suddenly that I didn't even get to scream at him. 

I shook with the anger that pulsed through me.

“Arra?” Chrys looked at me and I shook my head.

“I'm nine, Slone. Acira is four, you and Claire are fourteen and eleven, respectively. Chrys is six, and Shaelyn is only one!” I paused, unable to speak. “None of us are old enough to be married!”

“We can't control that right now, so let's not focus on it, Arra. We have important things to talk about.” Slone said as she sat at the long ionak table behind the throne, unseen by outsiders. I picked Shaelyn up and held Acira’s hand, leading them over to sit across from Slone. 

Claire and Chrys were the last to come over, standing beside Slone, directly across from me. “I've blocked off all entrances and locked all the doors, we can proceed.”

Now we can get to the real reason why we're in here.

A year ago, the day Shaelyn was born, the Erathiahn Empire met with the Unseelie Queen and King of Airenna, creating an alliance with them to take us down. 

We had angered the Unseelie fae with the birth of a Seelie halfling. As a result, the alliance was made, and the previous Seelie Queen, Skaia Cornaith, was murdered.

Of course, we also angered the country of Jeoaria, the Territory of Maow, and the Kingdom of Ibissi because of the births of Slone, Chrys, and Claire. Thus meaning that we have been at war with Jeoaria and Maow. Luckily, we escaped war with Ibissi because of Naomi, who was from Ibissi herself. She spoke with their leaders to call off their troops and put a truce in place.

Here we are now, one small speck in our solar system, which in turn is a smaller speck in our galaxy, at war with a whole other galaxy, our own galaxy, our own solar system, and even people on our own planet.

Our mother and father won't do anything to save us, so the six of us will have to find a way. Granted, I was the one that made the first move. I was the one that told Naomi to go back to Ibissi and speak with any and all scientists there. We needed a device that could help us save our people by moving them to a different planet, perhaps a different galaxy, or a different dimension.

It was because of me, that our father found that alternate dimension, found the other Black Erathiah, and married one of us off.

I'll just have to get through it.

“Let's see on the astral maps who we could possibly contact for help.” Slone says as she taps on the table and it lights up with writing written in proper Na’aine, which I wasn't able to read yet. Claire taps a few things before an immersive map of our solar system appears in the air.

“We're here.” I said, pointing to our planet, Na’aisho. Acira giggled from beside me and I lightly patted her head.

“That's Eepuss right?” Acira asked me, pointing at the biggest planet in our solar system, Natsla.

“Eiphus,” I corrected, “But yes, that's Eiphus. Good job Acira!”

“Eiphus is part of that bothersome empire now, so we can't get help from them.” Slone sighed.

“What about Nestea?” I asked, pointing to the smallest planet in our solar system.

“Also with the enemy.” Claire snapped.

“What about neighboring systems?” I paused, thinking. “Iona? Bastie Baret? Arionto? Heck, even Hanama!”

“All conquered. Hanama and Arionto have both been destroyed as well.” Slone said grimly. I paled.

“So we're alone…” I whispered as I looked at the map, swiping through all the systems and galaxies.

“We're going to have to take the deal that father made, aren't we?” Claire looked up at the ceiling. She was met with silence.

I looked down at Acira and Shaelyn. They shouldn't have to go through this. I won't let Shaelyn be chosen. Acira on the other hand… She's old enough to be arranged with another. I'm not sure how Erathiahns do it, but if their prince would be born soon, Acira would be a qualified candidate. 

I messed up her hair and watched her pout as she tried to fix it, to no avail. I can't let them have her, she's too young.

Lightly, I tapped the table twice and it turned off.

“We're screwed.” I whispered. “Where's their main planet?”

“Black Erathiah? I think it's in Erath Prime.” Slone looked at Claire for confirmation but she only shrugged. Chrys tapped the table, turning it on, before she started searching for it, swiping quickly. 

“Is that it?” She asked, pausing. “That's really big.”

We were staring at a planet a whole lot bigger than our own. Probably bigger than our largest sun. The planet wasn’t too detailed, but that was because it could not be scanned from our galaxy. 

“Yeah we're dead.” Claire sighed.

I heard Acira inhale deeply and my eyes widened.

“Wait, Acira don-” I was cut off as she blew a strong gale in my direction. I hung onto the table as to not get blown away. I was relieved when Slone covered Acira’s mouth, stopping the gale and leaving me to regain my balance.

“You guys are too glumpy. Did you see that though, Claire? So cool!” Acira exclaimed with excitement.

“Of course I did, kid. Let's not do that again.” She smiled softly. 

“Hey Arra? How about you take Acira to go train while Claire and I discuss a few things.” Slone gave me a look.

“Okay, got it. Come on, Acira.” I said, holding my hands out to her and she enthusiastically takes them. We speed-walked out and made our way out of the throne room.

“Do I get my own battle suit?” Acira asked and I laughed as I shook my head. 

“No Acira, you're 4.”

“So?” She stomped, pouting.

“You won't be battling anyone anytime soon, but I suppose that it's easier to train in…” I trailed off and she smiled widely. 

“Yay yay yay!” She screamed and I cringed. 

“Come on, let's take you to Mr. Taylama and get you your suit made.” I sighed and she excitedly swung our hands between us.

When we arrived, I opened the door for her and she instantly disappeared. I shook my head when I heard the tailor’s screams of surprise.

“Sorry, Mr. Taylama!” I called as I closed the door behind me.

“No no no, it's quite alright. She just scared me, is all.” Mr. Taylama laughed, embarrassed.

“Can I get my battle suit now?” Acira whined, tugging on his pant leg.

“Your… battle suit?” He asked, looking at me quizzically.

“That's right. She's starting her training today and she's got to get accustomed to wearing it.” I explained and he nodded softly, causing his long gray curls to bounce a bit. 

“Lucky for you,” he turned around to navigate his way through mountains of materials, “I've already made it, just in case.”

“Thank you, Mr. Taylama. It's greatly appreciated.” I smiled softly as I watched Acira twirl.

“Not a problem, princess!” He called from wherever he was. “Now,” he spoke, his voice gradually getting louder, “this suit is imbued with a bit of magic, all of them are. Acira won't ever grow out of it, because the suit will grow with her. Now, this suit isn't invincible, it will rip, just not as easily as most.”

“Can I try it on?” Acira jumped up and down as Mr. Taylama came into our line of sight. 

“Give me just a moment, hun. She's just like you when you were four.” Mr. Taylama laughed and I felt the blood rush to my face in embarrassment. 

“You don't say..” I laughed nervously. 

“Now, as I was saying, this suit is very important. Please don't do anything to it.” He pleaded and I gave him a knowing look, causing him to sigh. He handed me a small black ring and I smiled softly. 

“Looks just like my old one… before I broke it, of course.” I smiled sweetly. 

“I ought to give you a piece of my mind…” He mumbled under his breath and I laughed. I beckoned Acira over to me and she skipped over to me, excited.

“Now, to activate it, you have to set a password. A word of your choosing, but something that you'll remember, alright?” I stated and she nodded. I slipped the ring onto her right ring finger and it shrunk to fit her small, slender finger. I pressed on the top of the ring and it glowed a bright white. I motioned for Acira to create her password. 

“Shio!” She smiled and the ring glowed a deep blue before dimming and returning to its natural black state. “That was so cool..”

“Very. Now, just tap the top,” she quickly did as told, “and say your password.” 

“Shio.” She spoke and the ring disappeared as her body glowed dimly. Slowly, a black bodysuit with dark blue streaks built itself onto her body, causing her to shriek and giggle. 

“It tickles!” She giggled loudly and I shook my head in amusement. Once her clothes had been replaced by the bodysuit, a layer of sheer black material covered it all, causing her outfit to have a shimmer of sorts. A bright blue light encased her face before disappearing, most likely insinuating that she has a visor to shield her face from the wind and other things that might hit it.

“This is so cool!” She exclaimed. I held my hand out and she took it.

“Thank you Mr. Taylama,” I said, slightly bowing my head. He smiled and waved me off.

“Just don't destroy my suit.” He said before turning and going back to what he was doing before we arrived.

I led Acira down the winding halls of the castle before we reached a plain white door. Letting go of her hand, I pulled it open, motioning for her to go in first. Closing the door behind us, I took a deep breath. This is going to be a long day.

“Alright, Acira. You have the power over air, how have you been using it?” I asked her and she smiled.

“I use it to run really fast and make tornadoes and stuff. Sometimes I use it to fly, but that's too hard, so I don't usually do it,” she paused, thinking. “I use it to blow people away like I did to you earlier. Oh! When I fall and I get hurt, I blow over it to make it scab faster.”

“That's actually really smart of you.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. 

“The nurses in the infirmary told me that air dries up a wound, causing it to scab. It also doesn't let infection in, so they tell me to blow on some people's wounds.” She nodded cutely. I was surprised. She took it upon herself to learn how to use her own abilities to help people, albeit in a small way.

“Hmm… how about we teach you how to fly first.” I stated and she clapped her hands in excitement.

“Alright, gather air around you and near your feet, and then push yourself upwards.” I instructed and she nodded. She frowned, concentrating, and I watched her clothes stir. Slowly, her body lifted off the group, but she was so stiff.

“Acira, you're too rigid. You control the air, and the air is wild and free. Just feel it.” I told her and she looked at me, scared.

“But what if I fall?” She asked me and I softened.

“The air is your domain Acira. Trust the air, and it will catch you.” I said and she nodded softly before closing her eyes. I watched as her hair floated around her gracefully.

I felt a breeze pick up in the room and she suddenly started flying around the room with as much grace as I've ever seen. She opened her eyes and giggled as she did a couple of pirouettes in the air.

“This is so much fun!” She looked down at me from above and I smiled softly. I motioned her to come down.

“Do you know any attacks? Other than you blowing people over with your… mouth.” I asked as she landed in front of me.

“Not really, but can't I learn how to use a weapon? Please?” She begged and I sighed.

“Alright,” I sighed, “I've been thinking about teaching you archery. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds cool!” She giggled and I shook my head in amusement. I put my hands together, closing my eyes. I imagined an intricately woven bow with white-gold tendrils weaved through.

Opening my eyes, I slowly pulled my glowing hands apart, watching a bow build itself between my hands.

“Cool..” She watched in amazement and a full-sized, enchanted archers bow floated between my hands. She reached up and grabbed it, smiling.

“There’s some targets set up behind you. The bow will automatically generate an arrow for-” She cut me off as she spun around quickly, pulling the string back quickly. The arrow appeared between her fingers and she immediately let it fly. I watched, surprised as it buried deep into the middle of the target. She got a bulls-eye...

“Like that?” She asked me, looking up at me with wide, expectant eyes.

“Y-yeah…” I trailed off. She’s better than I ever was, and this is her first time handling any kind of weapon. As far as I knew.

“What’s next?” She smiled and I didn’t respond.

I wasn’t exactly surprised that she had this talent of hers. Both our mother and father had that talent of knowing how to do things on the first try; something that I didn’t inherit.

It was obvious that Acira did.

“I think that we’re done for today,” I said tiredly, smiling softly down at her. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, looking deeply into my eyes. She frowned softly, before turning away.