Chapter 5

When Amara woke the next morning, she was looking at a wooden, unfamiliar ceiling. The Black Sheep Inn, she recalled, sitting up in her bed. Not home. She felt a pang of homesickness, wanting to be back in her own room, with the green curtains and high shelf of books, the wooden walls and flooring, the window that showed all of Agraud below.

But here she was at an inn in Foreviel’s Kingdom, her family and her home feeling so far away, almost as if they were in another world.

With a sigh she crawled out of bed and changed into the new clothes that Margo had been kind enough to get for her, a dress that was dark green and blue.

She walked out of the room and downstairs. It had quieted down since the night before, but there were still murmurs of conversation and people scattered around the place.

“Good morning, Amara,” said a voice, and Amara turned to see Erkar sitting at a nearby table with Margo and Triesa. “Sit down here.”

Amara hesitated, but then took the seat next to Erkar, wondering what they wanted from her. Remember, act as if you’re going along with them, she told herself.

“I have developed a plan for the week,” Erkar continued. “We are going to fan out across the Kingdom and all cover different areas, looking for signs of one of these Powered Ones. There are two here, as you know – water and fire. Look for any hints.”

“What ‘hints’? It’s not like they will be running around screaming that they have powers,” Triesa scoffed.

“I’m assuming whatever the element they can control would be drawn to them. For example, Amara can talk to plants. Maybe the water Powered One has the waves of the ocean get closer to them than it does other people,” suggested Erkar.

“So we search all week for these Powered Ones,” Margo reflected.

“And maybe the week after that. Either way, we do not leave this Kingdom without them,” said Erkar.

“Fantastic,” muttered Triesa.

“Am I going too?” Amara spoke up.

The three seemed taken aback upon her talking, almost as if they had forgotten she was there. “Well…yeah. If you’d like. We could cover more ground that way,” Erkar said with a nod.

“Sure,” Amara replied. This could be my chance to escape, she told herself.

“I suppose we could begin then. Split up, report back here by the time the sun sets or when you find any hints of Powered Ones. Whichever comes first.”

Amara set off, not sure where exactly to go. She didn’t quite have a plan out together yet, but she decided to come up with something on the way. It couldn’t be too difficult. People escaped from these kinds of situations all the time.

Today there was an overcast sky, but it didn’t look as though it were about to rain, and it was quite warm out – from what Amara had heard, most days in Foreviel were warm. She walked down the street, people moving on either side of her and most not even glancing in her direction. It was quite unlike what she was used to – back in Agraud, everyone would take notice of her, greet her with a bow or curtsey, and she would talk to almost everyone in the Kingdom.

But now she may as well be an ordinary citizen, because no one so much as batted an eye.

The royal family, she thought to herself. Not her family, back at home, but the one in Foreviel – could they help? Couldn’t she tell them she’s the princess of Agraud’s Kingdom and that she was kidnapped? Surely they’d understand – she was a part of a royal family, and so were they. They wouldn’t want their daughter taken either.

There was a castle on the east side of the Kingdom, elevated above the other buildings, as any royal family’s home should be. Amara took a turn, heading in the direction of it, keeping her eyes on the building as she walked.

She approached a gate with two guards on either side, both staring ahead silently as she passed through, almost as if she was invisible.

Here near the castle, there were less people than there were at the other side of the Kingdom, and it seemed as though there were more guards. This is the district the royals reside in. They’d definitely increase the security, Amara told herself.

She looked up at the castle. It was much closer now, made of moss covered stone with a large iron gate at the entrance and several guards standing in front of it. A staircase led from the path to the gates.

Amara took in a breath before heading for the stairs. She could request an audience with the king and queen and explain her situation. She could tell them she was Princess Amara, and they would definitely listen to her. They had to – they knew who her father was.

She would have kept going but someone spoke up nearby. “Where are you going?”

Amara looked to see Triesa standing there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, giving a cold stare that took all of Amara’s willpower not to flinch under. “I…I was just…I mean…you know…we were…” Triesa kept her gaze fixed on Amara, anticipating an answer, but Amara couldn’t think of a good excuse. We were out looking for the other “Powered Ones”, she recalled. “I was…looking for the other Powered Ones. You know. Like Erkar said.”

“Oh. Well what, did you think a royal family member might be a Powered One? Because that’s certainly where you seemed to be heading,” Triesa retorted.

“It…it was a possibility,” Amara stammered out.

“But that wasn’t why you were going there. In case no one has told you since they didn’t have the guts to insult a princess, you’re a terrible liar. You stutter and take too long to answer.”

“R-Really?” said Amara. “I wasn’t aware I was stuttering. Maybe I just…talk like that.”

“Right, and I’m Esdera herself. You better tell me the truth or I’m dragging you back to the Black Sheep Inn by your hair.”

Amara could feel herself beginning to crack under the pressure: Triesa’s dark brown eyes locked on her, seriousness written across her face, anticipating an answer. Go through with the lie, said a voice. Be stubborn.

But before she could think further she blurted out, “I was going to the king and queen because I wanted them to help me! They know my father so I thought they’d help me get back to Agraud.”

Fear and regret washed over Amara, and Triesa stared her down before speaking again. “Come on then. We’re going back to the Black Sheep Inn.” She stood upright and then started walking off in the inn’s direction.

“Bu—”

Triesa whipped around. “You’ve proven untrustworthy. Do you really think I’ll let you wander Foreviel if it’s possible you’re going to try and run away? Let’s go.”

Slightly frightened and reluctant, Amara walked after her.

“So you get to stay here until proven trustworthy again. And greater news, I’m your nursemaid for the day.”

Amara felt a bit offended, but didn’t dare to speak up as Triesa continued. They were back at the Black Sheep Inn, Amara sitting at one of the tables as Triesa paced. The inn was mostly empty, but there were a few people here and there. “You don’t get to leave my sight either. I highly doubt you’d know how to escape a place, since you spent your entire life up in your precious castle, but Erkar says to take no chances.”

She looked Amara right in the eyes as she spoke, and Amara found she couldn’t hold Triesa’s gaze. Amara looked away, glancing over at the bar. “Well…could I get something to eat?” She wasn’t particularly hungry; she was mainly searching for an excuse to stop talking to Triesa.

“Yeah, just don’t try anything. You wouldn’t get very far,” Triesa insisted, sitting down at a nearby chair. Amara quickly headed over to the bar, and she could feel Triesa’s eyes boring into the back of her head.

Amara pulled up a seat to the bar, trying to recall what was on Tygris’s menu. Nut butter scones, she thought to herself. Maybe she could try that.

As she waited for Tygris to arrive, she looked to see a potted plant nearby. It appeared to be a flower, but it was wilted and looked like to be on the verge of dying. Sadness filled Amara’s heart as she sat closer to it, examining the shriveled plant. “Poor thing,” she said, looking at it.

Amara placed her hand on the side of the pot. “I do hope they tried to take care of you,” she commented. “Wish you could live…”

A warm sensation spread across her fingers, and it seemed to transfer to the plant, much to Amara’s confusion. The dirt in it seemed to glow somewhat, spreading to the dying flower, and strangely, it seemed to be changing. As if it were getting livelier.

Could she…heal plants? It wasn’t something she’d experienced before. Am I supposed to be able to do this? She asked herself. All these “Powered One” accusations seemed to be making more and more sense, much to Amara’s fear. That can’t be right, she thought. No way.

She just focused on the flower itself, which seemed to be getting healthier by the second. A smile spread across Amara’s face. “Look at you. Already feeling better.”

“What the hell?” spoke up a voice. Amara whipped around to see a man standing there, with brown hair and a trimmed beard, staring down at the healing plant.

“Oh. Hello,” Amara said kindly, but the man talked again.

“What kind of magic is this?” he demanded, scrutinizing the flower. “You’re-You’re healing the bloody plant?”

“Uh…well—”

“You’re a mage! This girl knows magic!” he yelled.

“I don’t know ma--!”

“Hey, back off,” said a voice. Amara looked to see Ellius was there standing behind the bar. “There’s no way this girl’s a mage.”

“I just saw her lad, she healed a dead plant.”

“She is not a mage. That’s crazy,” Ellius insisted.

“How the hell would you know? You didn’t see her do it! I did! She’s a ma—”

Suddenly he was turned around and Triesa was there. “Shut the hell up, you moron. She’s not a mage.”

“What is a small lass like you going to do? And why are you two defending her? She’s a bloody mage!”

“One more chance. Shut your mouth,” Triesa snarled, and Amara found herself recoiling at the harshness of her voice.

“Go home to your kitchen, lass. This doesn’t concern you, and you shouldn’t be defending a mage,” the man hissed.

Amara saw anger flash across Triesa’s face about a second before her fist snapped forward and connected with the man’s nose. He fell back, yelling out, and Amara only just had time to get out of the way before he fell against the bar, right where she had been sitting. She heard Ellius exclaim “Oh my gods” right before Triesa grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the bar table, causing him to collapse onto the floor.

Amara searched for something to say, but no words came out. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tygris come up to the bar. “What happened?!” she exclaimed. “Why’s that man on the floor?”

Once again Amara wasn’t sure how to respond – her eyes just moved back and forth from the passed out man to Tygris. Ellius was standing next to her, looking equally flustered.

However, Triesa spoke up. “Oh, had a little too much to drink. Poor man collapsed,” she said very casually, as if the whole fight never happened.

Tygris gave the man’s unconscious body a disgusted look. “No drunks are allowed at my inn. Can someone please get him out of here?” she added, raising her voice for the rest of the inn to hear.

Someone came over to get the unconscious man, but Amara was barely paying attention. Her heart was racing – what would’ve happened if Triesa hadn’t stepped in? Would the man have her hauled off, convince everyone she was a mage? She could’ve been sentenced to death if Triesa didn’t approach him.

Amara looked up, only to find Triesa had gone back to her seat, not far away from the bar. She found herself looking at her for a while – how was she such a good fighter?

Then she heard someone clear their voice, and Amara turned to see it was Ellius. “You’re…not a mage though, right?”

“Gods, no,” Amara insisted. But she was doubting herself – plants talking may have seemed normal, but was healing them just the same? The idea made Amara anxious, so she tried to push it out of her head.

Ellius seemed to relax. “Oh, all right. I mean, having a mage at the inn wouldn’t be all that good for business…”

Well, you have three in here, Amara thought to herself. But she didn’t dare to say so out loud, even if they had kidnapped her. She wouldn’t wish that kind of punishment on anybody. So she just nodded in response.

“Who is she, anyway? That girl. I’ve seen you sitting by her,” Ellius remarked.

Amara looked over at Triesa, knowing that was who Ellius was talking about. “Her name is Triesa. I don’t know all that much about her though. We only just met.”

“How did you?” Ellius asked.

Amara hesitated. She could tell him the entire truth and he could possibly help her. She glanced over at Triesa, and her stomach lurched as she saw her staring Amara down, almost as if reading her thoughts, her dark brown eyes giving Amara a “don’t you dare do what I think you’re going to do” look. She turned back to Ellius, deciding it was best not to try and escape while any of the Silent Ones were in the same room as her. “I came here with some…friends, and they introduced me to her.”

“And where’d she learn to fight like that?” Ellius frowned.

Amara looked over at Triesa, who was reading a book with her feet up on the table. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Triesa kept Amara at the inn all day. At one point Amara summoned the bravery to ask if she could go out for a walk – and if Triesa could just walk with her – but Triesa said no, that she had to stay inside the rest of the day.

It was torture. Sure, Amara couldn’t go most places without being watched over, but she was at least allowed to go places. Never had Amara spent a full day cooped up in one place. She didn’t know how some people could do it.

By the evening, the inn was filled once again. Ellius was tending the bar and Tygris came in and out occasionally through the back door, doing both the serving and cooking. Amara was sitting by herself at the table, with fish head stew sitting in front of her next to some of Tygris’s nut butter scones.

Just then, Amara felt someone standing nearby her. “Hello,” they said. Amara glanced up to see it was Erkar. He took a seat across from her. “Make any progress?”

Amara shook her head. “Triesa kept me inside all day.”

Erkar gave her a look. “Why?”

She shook her head again. “No reason,” she lied. She didn’t really feel like telling Erkar, because then she’d feel guilty telling him she tried to escape – even though she had absolutely no reason to feel bad.

“There had to be. Triesa doesn’t do things without reason,” said Erkar.

Amara didn’t reply. She didn’t know what to say. She could lie – but Triesa had said she was a bad liar, so that may not work – or she could keep her mouth shut. Amara decided the latter was easier.

But her expression must’ve given something away, because Erkar said, “you tried escaping, didn’t you?”

“What…makes you think that?” asked Amara hesitantly.

“I had Triesa follow you in the first place to make sure you wouldn’t try to. And since you spent the day here…clearly, you did something she thought was an attempted escape.”

Amara wasn’t sure what to offer in response. The first thing that she thought was to apologize, but she didn’t have to. None of this was her fault in any way.

Erkar didn’t speak for a few seconds but then he finally said, “I get why you’re trying to escape. I mean, we did kidnap you…but I was hoping you finally understood.”

“Understood what, exactly?” Amara retorted with a slight glare.

“Why you’re here. You’re a Powered One, Amara. According to the prophecy, you are supposed to save Acirewiel, one way or another. The others and I are trying to get that to happen.”

“Who said I wanted it to? And how do you know I even am a Powered One?” Amara demanded.

“Well, you did talk to trees earlier. No one else can do that, Amara. Not one person.”

“Well, maybe I’m a mage,” Amara suggested, and Erkar hissed “shhh!” as soon as she said it.

“You’re not a mage,” Erkar said in a whisper, looking around nervously. “Powered Ones are different from mages – mages can’t harness elemental powers. Powered Ones can.”

“Alright then. But there’s got to be an explanation other than I’m a Powered One. I’ve been told it’s just a fairy tale. How can I, a simple princess of Agraud, be a Powered One? I’m not extraordinary.”

A slight smile came onto Erkar’s face. “Well, the universe has a way of choosing the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things. There’s only five other people like you out in Acirewiel. If that’s not ordinary, I don’t know what is.”

Amara couldn’t think of a response. The whole “Powered Ones” thing was steadily making more sense, but it still seemed to be impossible. “Even if this is all real, you could’ve tried talking to me or something rather than kidnapping.”

“And how do you think that would work, Amara? Your parents are royals. If they were thought to be working with any kind of magic, that would reflect terribly on your Kingdom – there’s no way they would let you come with us. Especially considering they’d have no idea who we are. Too many flaws in that plan – which is why we had to go with the alternative.”

Again, Amara was at a loss for words – which she hated, because it made it seem like she was beginning to agree with Erkar. And she didn’t, at all. Although he was somewhat making sense, it still didn’t justify what they did.

Erkar’s head lifted up. “Oh, Margo’s here. I need to go talk to her,” he said before getting up out of his chair, leaving Amara.

As Amara took a bite of the fish stew, she began to think about escape again.

Obviously, Triesa was going to be on her like a hunting dog on a stag, so now Amara would have to be extra-cautious. She was willing to bet any amount of pieces that she wouldn’t be allowed to go around on her own tomorrow – so the difficulty of her mission had grown.

But there had to be a way. Somehow or another, Amara was going home.

- - -

Author's Note: Well, I finally decided to post chapter 5. I could've done this months ago actually, I just kind of procrastinated. :/ Truthfully I'm already in the middle of writing chapter 9, so there's quite a few other chapters I'll be posting later.

Been busy with school, but I've managed to find a bit of time. Also I've recently posted on my main blog and reviewed the game "Undertale", which has become one of my favorites. I've been playing it for a while and it's so good. Check that post out if you'd like.

In other news, sorry to say but I'll have to close character sign-ups. I've already come up with a ton of characters for this story, and seriously can't fit in much more because I can't find any more room for them in the plot. Sorry! D: