5. Aura
CHAPTER 5
Aura
" S hut up." Aura squealed, seeing the small black ball of fur in Esmeralda's lap as she entered the library. "Kellian is going to lose it!" She laughed.
"Well, I know he had that rule, but—" She looked worried, eyebrows scrunched up, her eyes looking sad.
"Oh please, Kel would do anything for you. Just ask really nicely, maybe add a tear or two and you're golden." Aura smirked. Esmie paused, in thought,
"You think?" she smiled.
"I know." Aura nodded, then walked over, picking up the small ball of fur and cuddling it in her arms. "What is your name sweetness?" She purred to the small creature. Esmeralda was beaming again.
"Mittens! I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, I just found them outside by the barn. One of the stable hands said that they'd been wandering around the last few days, no mom or sibling in sight. It's getting cold at night so I wrapped it up and brought it inside." Esmie's eyes were filled with adoration to the small kitten and Aura knew there was no way her brother would take that away from Esmeralda. Esmie had come to them rather young, her parents dying in the war a decade after deciding to go and help the fae. Only her Gran was left to be the royal witch, and she taught Esmie as much as she could before she passed not long after. Kellian and Aura had sort of just taken her into their family after that. Moving her rooms closer to theirs, and adopting her into their own lives. Kellian knew what it was like to lose parents so young but old enough to know what was going on. Aura was so young when their parents passed that she held few memories of them. It was why Kellian was so protective of Esmeralda, he knew the pain of losing family after knowing them. She was an added sister after that. Stayed with them, ate with them, and attended royal meetings with them. She was family.
"Goddesses, tell me that is a sweet little kitten!" Kyeria said walking into the library and up to Aura, to see the cat.
"Meet Mittens!" Esmeralda announced. Kyeria fawned over the kitten, as she did all animals. There was no way Kellian could say no now. Not when all the girls were attached to this little bundle of black fur. They spent much too much time fawning over the kitten before discussing research. Kyeria said she was looking into the people who had been captured by the mad king. Talking with the light sprites and trying to gain more information on the status and if they could help. Aura nodded enthusiastically, it had been something prying on her own mind as well but Kellian had always dismissed Aura's pleas to go on a mission to get them back. Esmeralda found more information on the Greenburrow line and how it was connected to dragon riders. Kyeria had been riding Ameline rather successfully now as her dragon began to get stronger and stronger. Kyeria had mentioned that Ameline wanted to meet with the council and introduce Kyeria to them. After they discussed all their updates with one another, boots were heard stopping down the hall. Aura turned, already knowing it was her brother.
Kellian turned into the library. He was wearing a rather fancy coat, golden embroidery all up the chest and arms, with his formal trousers on. He looked rather fancy for a midweek late afternoon.
"What is that ?" Kellian asked, glaring at the kitten.
"Um—" Esmeralda mumbled, "mittens."
"Excuse me?" Kellian scowled. Kyeria inserted herself walking up to Kellian, a hand on his arm, leaning into him.
"Esmeralda found a sweet, helpless, motherless kitten in the stables," she said sweetly. Really had to throw in the helpless and motherless part in there, huh? Aura thought.
Kellian melted immediately as he looked at Kyeria. It was only slightly sickening. Aura smiled nonetheless and peered over at Esmeralda who sat waiting.
"Fine." He groaned. "But this is the only exception. You can have one," he said sternly. Esmeralda nodded quickly.
"Promise!" She squealed and ran over to hug Kellian. He sighed and hugged her back. He really couldn't say no to her.
"Can we discuss the people trapped by the Mad King?" Aura asked her brother later that night. They were in what was once the ‘War Room'. The Hollow had been a secret kingdom now for over a century. Hiding behind the magical border that stretched over the Dragonier Forest to the South, the Ash Mountains to the East, and to the edge of land North before the water of the Isles. It was five years ago now that a group of people from The Hollow had ventured beyond the borders, to bring back information and updates from the outside realm. Instead they had been captured by Evanthian soldiers, and brought back to their king. Lovingly called, the Mad King, as he was, in fact, mad.
The Mad King started the war a decade ago that pushed all magic wielders, and fae off the continent. Thousands were killed, the rest pushed back to their home land of the Fae Islands. The witches went into hiding, many also killed alongside the Fae. The Mad King despised magic, and wanted it gone. When he captured the group from The Hollow, he did not kill them, he enslaved them. His own personal magic. Two witches, a fae, and a villager. The light sprites had reported back that the human had been killed after the first year, the witches and fae unharmed, but locked in the dungeons. Only pulled from when the King demanded it.
"Who were they?" Aura asked. She had been too young to be included in the council meetings when it happened. Too young to even be told the whole story. But she knew now, she demanded a seat at every council meeting. Kellian and Fendiah agreed without fight, some of the council members disagreed but were outnumbered. It was a sore topic, one Kellian did not like to speak on. He did not agree with Fendiah's plan to wait, to not rescue them.
"Villagers, not of the court." Kellian sighed, knowing that was what his sister meant. Aura sat down in one of the oversized chairs, the fabric beneath her puffing out with dust. She swatted away at it,
"Of course," she mumbled. "Can you talk to him?"
"Grandfather has been gone so often now." Kellian sighed. It was true, in his old age, he was a bit of an absent king. A beloved one. But absent.
A hidden kingdom was not one that needed much from a King, and most royal duties had now fallen to Kellian himself. Fendiah handled the dragon council meetings that could take many weeks. Relayed back the information and Kellian ran the kingdom for the people. Aura held open court, hearing the villagers' concerns once a month. Aura had helped Kellian split the royal duties, a gesture that left her yearning for something more. For the past year, she had thrown herself into tracking the beast that had plagued their lands, channeling all her energy into eradicating it. And succeed they did. But with the beast vanquished, she was left with an insistent void.
"I want to go," she declared firmly, her shoulders squared in determination.
Kellian's brow furrowed in concern. "What do you mean?"
Aura took a moment to assess her brother. He appeared older, more regal, ready to assume his role as king. Fendiah, she knew, was ready for retirement. Yet, her own ambitions burned fiercely within her.
"I want to lead a rescue mission," Aura said, her voice steady with resolve. She outlined her plan to him, describing how she could assemble a small, skilled group, aided by sprites familiar with the Evanthian castle, to perfect their strategy. Kellian listened intently but was clearly reluctant to endorse her involvement.
"We could send soldiers," Kellian countered, his voice tinged with unease.
"No," Aura insisted, her voice unwavering. She locked eyes with her brother, her stubbornness echoing their mother's fiery resolve. "I need to be the one to go."
Kellian hesitated, a flicker of worry in his eyes. "You are needed here."
Aura shook her head resolutely. "Kyeria can take over my responsibilities. She will be their queen soon enough." Kellian's face softened with pride as he thought of his soulbound, the fire-haired Kyeria. The bond they shared fascinated Aura, a mystical connection she had only read about in old tales and dusty library books. She was eager to discover the depth of such bonds herself.
"She'll be a good queen," Aura said with a smile, her eyes meeting Kellian's. "And you'll be a good king."
Kellian studied her for a moment, understanding her need to engage in something meaningful, something that would allow her to contribute to The Hollow. They were two sides of the same coin, and he knew that she needed to focus on something that made sense, that fulfilled her.
"Okay," he said slowly, his voice filled with reluctant acceptance. "Give me a list of your top three choices within the week."
Aura's smile widened as she eagerly accepted. She surged forward to embrace her brother, her gratitude pouring out. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.
Kellian held her close for a moment before releasing her. "I need a full plan, I'll be the one to approve the plan," he said, his voice steady.
Aura's face lit up with unrestrained joy. "Whatever you say!" she said, her excitement barely contained as she waved and left the room. Now, she had to assemble a team to infiltrate an enemy castle and rescue three prisoners. It was a daunting task, but one she was determined to conquer.