Fire Rises

Moving Pieces

I rolled over and groaned as sunlight washed in through my window. 

What time is it?

I felt around for a pillow to put over my eyes, but instead felt a body next to me. Right, I’m sharing my room with Ari now. She stirred at my contact before quickly sitting straight up and looking over to me.

“s**t Eve! Are you okay?! You passed out and we couldn’t wake you back up! We really, really need to stop fainting. We’re supposed to be powerful women, and we look really f*****g weak, honestly.”

“Uhh, yeah I’m fine I think. Was yesterday real?” I knew the answer. Even just her presence in my room was proof enough of that. 

“Yup.” She popped the ‘P’ on the word implying she agreed with how wild it all was.

“Fuck.”

“Yup.” Her lips pressed into a tight line.

“So... what are we going to do?” I propped myself up on my elbows to try and get a better handle on reality.

She laughed without humor back at me, “About which part?”

I decided I wanted to start with something light. “What was the deal with Clara and my brother?”

Ari’s eyes got dreamy as she responded, “Ugh, true love! It’s so beautiful! I think he spent the night in her room last night!” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, as if I would enjoy this information.

“I guess that’s why we were able to sleep in so late. She never came to wake us up…” I shook my head trying to push away the images that were threatening to make an appearance in my mind. “Okay so anyway, moving on. Is Lucian in trouble?”

“Lu..Luc…” Ari shuddered just trying to say his name. We really did terrify this poor girl. At least she seemed to be warming up to me. “Your brother’s situation is complicated. The whole conversation was kind of put on hold until today even before you fainted. We should probably get ready and meet everyone soon so we can be a part of it.” I appreciated that she said ‘we.’ This was clearly too much for just me to handle and I really needed a friend. 

I bolted all the way out of bed remembering Maverick. “Where is Maverick?”

Right on cue, the door swung open and Maverick came running in. “You’re alright!” He breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped me in a big hug. 

He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my head away. His face fell before I could explain, “Let me brush my teeth first! Our first kiss can’t be tainted by morning breath!” He laughed and let me go to the bathroom. He followed me in, and perched himself on the edge of the tub.

I looked at him through the mirror, still somewhat in disbelief that he was real and here and mine. “So, you’re still here. And in my room. Does this mean Archer is cool with this now?” As I spoke I smeared toothpaste on my toothbrush and stuck it in my mouth.

He c****d his head to the side, “Who is Archer?”

“He’s… it’s a whole thing, but it's Prince Charming.” My words were jumbled as I continued to brush my teeth while I spoke. The faster I got this over with, the sooner I got my first true love’s first kiss. 

“Oh. Then no. Not at all. I actually had a thought as I was catching you mid-faint last night. So… don’t be mad, okay?” My eyes flared in the mirror. ‘Don’t be mad’ meant that there was likely something to be mad about coming my way. 

The glow seemed to derail his train of thought momentarily. His eyes became hooded as he stared back into my glowing ones.

I angrily spit into the sink. “You were saying?” I prompted, not willing to be distracted from whatever bombshell he was about to drop.

He shook his head, wiping what were presumably not nice thoughts from his mind before continuing, “This situation is complicated... First and foremost your safety is my primary concern, but seeing as you and your brother are total badass dragons, I don’t want to treat you like some delicate flower. You are clearly capable of handling yourself, so it seems like our biggest responsibility is going to be keeping everyone else in the world safe from your apparently evil sister-in-law-to-be.” I didn’t disagree, but my eyes still glowed waiting for the rest. He took a deep breath in and rattled off the rest so fast I almost couldn’t understand him, “I-told-the-prince-that-you-aren’t-my-true-love-and-I-just-felt-protective-because-you-are-so-new-and-vulnerable-to-this-world.”

I spun so quickly that he reached to grab me thinking I’d topple over again. “Did he believe you?” Maverick gave me a small nod.

“Why?” 

He shrugged his shoulder. “I mean, I can be very persuasive if I have the right motivation.” 

“That’s not what I was asking and you know it. Why would you do that? You have to tell him the truth. If he doesn’t know the truth then I will have to stay here. I can’t stay here with him. I want.. I want to go with you.” My voice cracked at the end. Panic swelled in my stomach.

“Okay, so, I hear you and your concerns are valid. I probably should have talked to you about this first and for that I apologize. I do." His eyes became so large I almost forgot that I was mad. But then he kept talking. "But you were passed out and the decision needed to be made at that moment. I didn’t have time to wait for you to wake up and get your feedback.” He grabbed both my hands and pulled me between his thighs. He brought my hands to his mouth so he could tenderly kiss each one. “I don’t want to leave you here. I want to spend every second of forever with you. I know it's crazy soon to say that, but it’s the truth. I just know that in order to do this properly and give everyone the best chance at survival, this is the way it has to be, okay?”

Tears stung my eyes. “You’re leaving me?” My bottom lip trembled as I fought back my tears. He moved one of his hands to my face, his thumb caressing my quivering lip.

“No, it isn't like that. Sh, sh, it's okay! Love, look at me. I promise it’s only just for now. I need to take Lucian away from here. If he stays here Prince Charming is either going to kill him to make an example of him, or his sister is going to find a way to have him do her dirty work. I have to get him away from here.”

Despite the fist that remained gripped around my chest, a smile played on the corner of my lips. “It sounds like you have a plan.”

His lips parted into a smile that made my heart skip too many beats. “I have a plan.”

****

Maverick’s Plan B was simple enough in theory. We all had our roles to play. I was to stay in Far, Far Away, convince everyone that I was madly in love with Archer, and that I was under Sophia’s spell. Maverick had gotten me an identical cloak to the one that Sophia gave me, so that part was already taken care of. 

Ari still had two more days to stay here before she would have to go to Arabella and Kian’s kingdom. Instead of avoiding all magic like we originally thought would be best for her, Ari was now supposed to start secretly practicing her witchcraft by studying from the book Maverick had smuggled in for her. Her powers could be a huge asset if she was able to master them. Besides, it was kind of f****d up of us to tell her to avoid her birthright.

Clara was going to stay with me in Far, Far Away. She was supposed to treat me as if I was emotionally fragile, presumably still trying to process my brother’s outburst, in hopes of minimizing the time I’d have to be around Archer. I felt bad that she also had to stay here for the time being. I hadn't talked to her since she'd had the pleasure of meeting my brother, but I could assume she wanted to be with Lucian as much as I wanted to be with Maverick. At least we would have each other to commiserate with. 

Maverick would take Lucian back to his kingdom and in return Lucian would guard the place from the potential danger that Autumn was trying to unleash on the world. When the rescheduled wedding date rolled around Maverick, Lucian, and Ari would return. We were all banking on Autumn and Sophia continuing to wait for the wedding when all of the royal families were gathered to act on their evil plans. When they did, we wouldn’t have to do much to show everyone their true colors; they would do most of that for us.

I had my doubts about it all, but I trusted that Maverick had not only my best interest at heart, but also the rest of the world. I was quickly learning from Maverick that nice did not directly translate to good. He was both and I loved him all the more for it. 

Maverick had gone to find my brother and fill him in while I finished getting ready for the day. They were going to leave that night after dinner. Maverick told me that Archer wanted him to leave right after I fainted, but he convinced him to extend his welcome a bit longer so he could ‘help clean up’ after Lucian’s tantrum the night before.

In the light of day, the destruction my brother had caused was more apparent. It was bad. Smoke still billowed from the deep gashes that covered the earth's surface. I wasn't surprised to discover people were already working hard repairing the impressive amount of damages. Luckily Lucian had missed the many civilian homes that were already in shambles. Charming didn't need my brother's help to ensure his countrymen lived in devastation. 

Once we were dressed, Ari and I made our way to the kitchen for breakfast. Without our wakeup call from Clara we had missed the formal breakfast, but I can’t say that I was disappointed. I wasn’t ready to face anyone or answer questions. Not yet at least.  

This was Ari’s first time in the kitchen. Her reaction was about the same as mine, sans the terrifying hanger. We began searching the cupboards for something to eat when the chef entered the room. 

“Can I help you ladies…” His thoughts trailed off as he realized who he was talking to. My brother’s grand entrance had clearly affected more than his own reputation. The chef stood frozen in the doorway seemingly unable to move.

I sighed deeply. Damn you, Lucian. I really didn’t want to have to regain everyone’s trust. I had had a hard enough time of it the first time around. 

My stomach protested against the distraction reminding me that if I didn’t eat soon I wouldn’t be in any condition to help my cause. 

“Hello! We missed breakfast and we’re looking for something to eat.” Ari was a natural at smooth greetings. Her words seemed to have shaken the chef from the trance he was in. 

“Oh, yes! The queen mentioned you would likely be absent and had me set two plates aside for you ladies. They are here in the fridge. If you want to have a seat in the dining room I’ll heat them up and bring your food to you.”

Paranoia gripped at my sides. If Sophia could enchant a cloak certainly she could enchant anything else. Can I trust the food here anymore? I made a mental note that undoing spells would be the most immediately useful area of magic for Ari to study up on.

“Thank you, Chef. Actually, I just realized that Ari hasn’t gotten to see any of the city. I think I’ll take her out to breakfast, if that’s alright.” Ari looked at me questioningly but agreed nonetheless. “Ari, let’s see if Lucian would like to join us.” 

And Maverick. I did really want to catch up with my brother, especially since he was going to be leaving again so soon, but mostly I wanted to spend some time with Maverick before he left. So far all of our conversations had been geared towards planning and plotting against the evil brewing within this kingdom. I wanted to know so much more about him. I also needed to ask him about his parents and how they would take the whole ‘my enemies daughter is my son’s true love’ thing.

My true love's parents must truly hate me. I swallowed down the anxiety that began to bubble in my stomach and led Ari towards the maids’ quarters. 

****

As we approached a room we were told was Clara’s we could begin to hear noises from the other side. The most prominent of those noises was Clara sobbing.

If Lucian so much as hurt a single hair on her head I swear to god… Fire trickled out of my mouth just at the thought.

“Eve, stop it.” Ari nudged my arm, but quickly reached for the doorknob clearly as nervous as I was.

When the door opened, the first thing we heard was Clara begging, “Please, please your highness, please don’t take him away.” Clara was curled up in Lucian’s lap while Maverick stood across the small room. Lucian was petting Clara’s hair and saying such sweet words that I never would have imagined my brother capable of saying. The shock of hearing him be so tender immediately evaporated the fire previously leaving my mouth.

Lucian’s expression did not match his words, though, and I still was on edge. He was staring straight at Maverick with glowing eyes and smoke steadily streaming from his nose.

 Maverick turned towards me with wide eyes when we walked through the door. “She’s really upset and now your brother hates me. Can you try?” He sounded so deflated. He was such a strong person who had already shown me his interior matched his exterior. I didn’t want him to lose that spark over something as stupid as my brother’s temper. I wrapped my arm as far around his waist as it would reach, trying to offer him a little comfort and stand as a united front.

“Lucian, don’t be a d**k. Maverick is trying to help. Clara it’s going to be okay. Trust me, my brother isn’t worth any of these tears.”

She managed to stammer words out between her sobs. “I-I-I d-d-on-’t f-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-l that waayyyyy.”

Oh my god, these f*****g people. I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to recenter my energy. I was too hungry for the level of patience this conversation required. 

I tried to make my voice sound more sympathetic. “I know. I’m sorry. Maverick has to leave me, too, but they’ll come back.”

“Sister, have you considered that maybe this prince is also evil and he’s just trying to take me away to do with me exactly what he claims Prince Charming’s sister is trying to do to you?” His voice was animalistic and fire spit from his mouth with every word.

10, breathe, 9, breathe, 8, breathe… Counting down and breathing was a calming technique Clara had taught me, but I didn’t get very far.

Maverick threw an exasperated hand in the air. “Do you see what I’ve been dealing with here?”

Lucian’s whole body started to shake. He gently placed Clara on the bed as his bones began to pop and readjust.

Through gritted teeth I tried to gain control over the situation. “Lucian, cool it. You won’t even fit in this room as a dragon. If you shift you’ll crush Clara and kill her.” I was used to my brother’s volatile mood swings, so I only felt annoyed at his meltdown. Everyone else was completely freaking out. Clara, at least, didn’t seem to be afraid of him; just very concerned for him. She reached towards his torso and ran her hand up and down his back. His body stopped trembling, but I could see he wasn’t going to let this go. He gently took her hand with both of his and held it against his chest.

“I’m so sorry, Angel. I never want to lose my temper around you.” He was talking to Clara, but his words struck a chord with me. I had felt the same way about Maverick. And Clara. And Ari for that matter. I was, in many ways, a monster, but these people really did make me want to be better. They gave me the very best of themselves and they deserved the same of me in return. The thought was enough to curb my own growing frustration.

Maverick pulled me from my mind. His energy seemed to have also calmed along with my own. “Love, can you please explain the situation to them?” 

I smiled at him. I loved when he called me love. This man deserved open and honest communication. “Absolutely, but I’m really hungry.” Right on cue my stomach growled.

Lucian laughed, finally breaking free from the aggression that had possessed him just moments prior. “Tsk, tsk tsk. Oh, little sister,” he gave me a playful disapproving look. “And here you are acting like I’m the one putting these people in danger.”

“Ha. Ha.” I gave him an eye roll and then a wink in efforts to lighten the mood. He wasn’t wrong. “I think we should continue this conversation over brunch. Outside of the castle walls. Let’s go.” I turned towards the door, but Maverick stopped me.

“They’re not going to let us go parading out of the front doors. I can teleport us.” I considered it for a moment, before nodding in agreement. Everyone else was just as eager to leave this place, even if only for a moment. Maverick instructed everyone on how to stand and soon the world shifted into a kaleidoscope of colors.