THE CHOSEN

"My name is Prince Aiden." I said it flat like I'd said it a thousand times. "Heir of King Asher. Wielder of all four elements. The unstoppable." The titles felt heavy. Grumpy. A stickler. That's what they called me. Man, my life was such a bore. No friends. No first kiss. Just training and laws. Then I found my kryptonite. And it wasn't green. She had brown eyes and a smile that undid every wall I built. Before then, I've been getting these.... episodes. Visions. Same details, every time. Day or night, didn't matter. I stopped mid-step beside the stone walls. My vision blurred. Silence pressed in, heavy and suffocating. Then it hit - another episode. A valley. Vast and alive. And ten steps ahead, a woman stood with her back to me. Her body was stiff. Wind pulled at warm, blonde hair like it was trying to tell me something. She looked like something out of a myth. I couldn't see her face. Couldn't tell why I was there. Why chase a mystery you couldn't solve? But I felt at peace. Deep, unnatural peace. A fulfillment I had never felt, not even at home. Something pulled me towards her. Invisible. Magnetic. Not magic. My best guess? Older. My sight snapped back. My heart was pounding so hard I thought my ribs would c***k. Whispers curled through the air. The ground trembled. A gust of wind cut past me, sharp as a command: Follow. I clenched my fists and forced a breath. The trembling stopped. My hand went to my chest. My necklace pulsed. Gold string. A round, purple stone. Old magic. Elowyn had passed it to me for luck. I didn't know what it meant. Not yet. I wouldn't tell anyone until I was certain. But I had this feeling. A pull to be whole again. Bizarre. Beyond comprehension. Beyond normal. Beyond supernatural. It wasn't a what. It was a who. I avoided the courtyard. Avoided the guests. Avoided every pair of eyes that wanted something from "The Unstoppable." The stone walls were quiet. No Flora, my blood sister. No ceremony. Just me. I pushed off. Air caught under my boots. Up. Focused. Only the wind. Only the pull in my necklace. Ten steps ahead. Always ten steps. Higher. Colder. The kingdom shrank below me until it looked ordered again. Perfect. Like the vision. Then I saw it. Above. Not clouds. Scales. A dragon. Massive. Wings blotting out the sun. When did that ever happen? My breath stopped. Terrified. The necklace burned. The ground trembled though I was miles up. The command roared in my skull again: Follow. I couldn't take it anymore. I lost balance. Air slipped. Arms flailed. No ground. No wind. Just falling. I blacked out. Cold. That's the first thing I felt. Not air. Stone under my back. My eyes cracked open. Ceiling was wood. Low. A house. Not home, the Fortress. Pain pulsed behind my skull. I tried to sit up but failed. She was there. Fifty. Maybe more. Silver streaks cutting through dark hair pulled back hard. Face lined like she'd seen every lie the world could tell. Eyes sharp. Not kind. No yet. The kind that measured you and found you wanting. Intimidating. Shouldered like she'd chopped wood her whole life. Arms crossed. She didn't step closer. "You're awake," she said. Voice low. Gravel. No pity in it. I tried words. Only a rasp came out. Her gaze didn't soften. "My daughter found you in the forest. Half-dead. Singed. Mumbling about dragons." She turned. A wooden bowl hit the table with a thud. Steam rose from it. Bread. Stew. Simple. "Rest and be gone," she said. Not a question. A command. Then she left. Door closed behind her. Heavy. Food stayed. I was alone with the smell of it and the pounding in my head. I was surprised to recover quickly. Too quickly. Headache gone. Lungs full. Like the stew had fire in it, or her hands did. What did that woman use? Some herb? Some old magic? She didn't look like a healer. She looked like a woman who broke bones for breakfast. Speaking of old magic, I remembered something. Then I reached for my chest. Empty. My necklace was missing. Gold string. Purple stone. Gone. I forced myself up. The place wasn't much. Rough wood walls. One window. A table. A cot. Not so good looking. But I searched every corner anyway. Hands shaking. Chest hollow. Found it. On the table. Beside the empty bowl. Empty because I was starving. So much that anything would suffice. I held it. Felt the pulse. Old magic. Mother's luck. Then a voice behind me. Sharp. Cold. "Don't move. Or else." Disobedience first. Pride second. I turned. Taken aback. Beauty. Younger than me. Maybe twenty. Hair wild like the forest. Eyes that didn't blink. She held forward a blunt kitchen ladle like it was a sword. Both hands tight. Knuckles white. "Thief," she said. She was fair. Not palace-fair. Wild fair. Skin pale like she'd grown up under the forest shade, not sun. Blonde hair, but not gold. More like wheat after rain. Tangled. Strands stuck to her cheek. There was something about her face. I didn't know it yet. Anger hit before sense did. A thief. Me. Aiden of the Fortress. No one called me that. No one dared. "What kind of i***t thinks they can threaten me with a kitchen ladle?" I said. Jaw tight. "And take it back." She didn't flinch. Held the ladle steady. "What do you call a guy who takes other people's things?" She tilted her head. "That's mine." Surprised. The word hit my chest. "Yours?" I looked her up and down. Rough dress. Dirt under her nails. Calloused hands. "Where could you find something as valuable as this?" Her eyes dropped to the necklace in my hand. Gold string. Purple stone. Then she moved. Quick. Groped in her pocket and pulled hers too. Silver string. Purple stone. Identical. Aiden, surprised. The moment our hands were both holding them, the necklace pulsed. Once. Together. Like they recognized each other. Still stunned. The pulse was gone but my fingers wouldn't open. "How did you get that?" I said. Voice lower now. Less prince. More boy. She shrugged. Held her silver string up to the light. "My mom passed it down. Family necklace. Or something. She said it came from the forest before the Fortress had walls." Then she turned it on me. Eyes sharp again. "And you?" Obvious pride. It slipped out before I could stop it. "I'm the heir of King Asher, the Elemento, wielder of all four elements. My mom gave it to me." She burst into a laugh. Loud. No fear in it. "I didn't know he could just drop out of the sky. Get a new trick, actor." She doesn't believe me. I'm out of here. Turned for the door. She blocked it. Ladle still in hand. "I saved you," she said. "You owe me. My dragon may have scared you much but I helped, and you're the scaredy cat. So you better return the favor." Aiden, surprised again. "What do you mean?" Dragon? She owns that dragon? She figured out what I was thinking." I raised him. Name's Marvu." This was so embarrassing. No one ever embarrassed me this much. I tried defending myself. "I've never seen a dragon my whole life until then, I..." She looked away, as though bored already. "You know what? Fine." I said. Chin up. Arrogant prince kind of way. "But I'm not cooking dinner and washing plates ever!" She thinks fast. Looked me up and down. Princely cloak. Mud on the hem now. "You said you're a prince, right?" "Believe me now?" She tilted her head. Then mischievous. "Can you fly?" Me, confused. Minutes later, I'm flying with her on my back screaming. "This is awesome!" What was I led here for? I didn't sign up for this. Her weight was exhausting. Arms locked around my neck. Knees tight at my ribs. Except my baby sister, Flora, I never carried anyone around like this. Annoyed. "Stop yelling in my ear!" She didn't reply. Caught up in the moment. Laughing in the wind. Her hair whipping my face. I asked again. Jaw tight. "Why me? Why not your stupid dragon?" Filled with joy. Mouth gaping as we cut through the air. She turned her head just enough for me to hear her over the wind. "He never let me ride him,"she said. Voice bright. "Past injury on the back or something like that." So I'm the victim. Perfect. Below us, tall trees passed. Not green. Pink. Leaves wide as shields. Vains glowing faint like they had fire inside. The branches swayed though there was no wind down there. Elegance. Like the forest was breathing. Petals drifted up to meet us. Soft. Silent. Palace gardens had nothing on this. I went down a bit. Just enough so her hand could reach out. Her fingers brushed the leaves in flight. She gasped. Like a kid. I felt her breath on my neck. Warm. Fast. My heart started pounding hard that I almost lost control. Air wobbled. For a second the sky tilted. We touched down on the edge of a cliff. I had to. The cliff was nearby. She was still happy. Hair wild from the flight. Grin too wide. "That was memorable,"she said. We sat on the edge of the cliff. Feet dangling over air. She, as though sure I'd catch her if she fell. Not even holding on. I told her not to be cocky. "Lean back or you might fall and I won't catch you." She didn't worry. Responded mischievously. "You're the one who should worry more about falling." While I was confounded at that, she made a unique shout that echoed. Sharp. Then behind me, wings flapping heavily. Air hit my back like a storm. My heart pounding as I had my suspicions. She watched me. Holding her laugh. Eyes bright. Waiting. I finally saw the dragon. Terrified, I didn't know when I fell off the cliff. Legs gave out. Air grabbed me. Apparently, she didn't worry about me. Instead guffawed with her hand on her mouth. Shoulders shaking. Dramatically, I flew back up with a mean face. Cheeks hot. Cloak flapping. Dragon or not, I had enough embarrassment for one day.