“Don’t be scared, Your Majesty. I don’t mean you any harm nor am I greedy for your powers. I am simply, for the lack of a better word…curious.”
With her lack of response, the elf continued, “The world is a mysterious place, and the more you know, the more you realize how little you understand. I do not believe in coincidence, Your Majesty. The fact that our fates let us meet means that there must be a reason our paths crossed.
“Knowledge about things you do not understand can prepare you for the dangers coming your way. You should also need to know about your own powers. You might need them in the future.”
“I don’t know how to use magic,” she said warily, “and I….I don’t plan to use my powers either. I am fine with how things are at the moment.”
Though she appeared calm, one could sense in her choice of words that she had no interest to pursue this topic.
Magic–it was both a gift and a curse.
As a daughter of a witch, Seren had lived a life of hiding precisely because of her identity. She grew up ignored by her family and disdained by her own people for the powers she had no control over. Not that she blamed them. When she had accidently used her powers in the past, they always caused harm to others and it made others hate her. That was why she had accepted the poor treatment they had of her that was unbefitting a legitimate princess born into the royal family.
p、A,nd A-n、o、ve,1 But everything had changed now she became the Queen of Megaris. Her identity was of the ‘wife of the King’ rather than ‘daughter of a witch’, and she was accepted and respected by the people like a normal human being. Her life with Drayce was going fine, and she wished for nothing more. She had no wish to use her powers and harm others, repeating the vicious cycle she experienced in Abetha.
“You seem scared, Your Majesty,” Yorian said, his gentle tone like that of an old man cajoling his grandchild. “You seem to have had many bad experiences, hence your reluctance. I am not saying that you should disregard them, but…can you allow me to speak more on this matter? All I ask is that you listen. In the end, I will respect your choice.”
After letting out a shaky sigh, Seren gave him a firm nod. As she waited for him to talk, she reached out to the man she trusted the most, her hand grabbing onto Drayce’s arm. Her husband pulled her closer to him, placing his free hand on her hand, gently caressing it to comfort her.
“Your Majesty, why do you think the world gave birth to beings capable of wielding magic?” Yorian started, and he continued to speak, not needing anyone’s response. “Why do some have wings to fly, while others have tails to swim? Why can one use Fire while others manipulate Water, and there are those who have neither?
“It is all a matter of balance and harmony. The strong and the weak, the hard and the soft, the light and the darkness, life and death. Those who possess powers are no less fortunate than those who have nothing–because those who are more capable are given the responsibilities of protecting the ones that need protection. Those who are weak, on the other hand, have responsibility to support those who are helping them, but at the same time, they too want to grow strong so that they themselves can ensure their own survival.
“Having powers itself is neither good nor bad–it is up to the intention of the one who holds that power. To deny accepting their existence is merely running away from reality.
“Instead of being scared of using your powers, focus on understanding them so that there will be no reason for you to be scared. Just like a knife, magic is but a tool that can hurt if left in the hands of an ignorant child, but it can save lives if given to a guard.
“Your Majesty, think of how you should use your powers not only to save yourself but also to save those around you who are in danger. I believe you won’t want to stand on the side, feeling helpless and incapable of doing anything aside from waiting to be saved.
“That stormy night, King Drayce was able to protect everyone in this ship because he knew exactly how to use his powers.” The elf then gestured at the lively sailors milling about on the deck of the ship. “Weren’t you glad that he successfully saved all these people?”
Seren remembered one of the earliest incidents of her use of powers.
The daughter of a servant who used to play with Seren died after getting punished because she broke the doll of the First Princess. Seren still felt bad about that day as it was her fault and just because she used her powers accidentally in anger, it made everything even worse. She would never stop blaming herself for her death. Even her cat, she died and she could do nothing to punish the culprits which were obviously her siblings and cousins.
Seren nodded hesitantly to what Yorian said.
“Thank you for your wise words, Yorian.”
The silver-haired elf felt glad that she had casted off her bias against her own powers. “If you don’t mind, Your Majesty, may I scry into your powers so we can get more knowledge about it?”
Before answering, she once again looked at Drayce, her eyes filled with questions. They seemed at a loss, and they were asking him what he thought and what she should do.
He caressed hand and offered her a comforting gaze. “My Queen, it’s up to you to decide. If you don’t wish to then no one can force you. You don’t need to worry about being able to use your powers to protect others as I am there. I will protect you and everyone around us. You only have to think about what you want, others don’t matter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I don’t mean to force you at all. You can decide however you feel right. I will accept that decision,” Yorian assured.
Seren nodded and lowered her head as she pondered over this issue.
‘There is no harm in knowing about my powers. Whether to ever use them or not, I can decide when the time comes. Also, I cannot always depend on Drayce to protect me when there are evil people like that Black Witch. I need to learn to face her if she comes after me again. I will make sure to teach her a lesson for trying to take me away from Drayce.’
She looked at Yorian with determination in her eyes. “I would like to know more about my powers.”
The small smile on Yorian’s lips widened as if to tell her she made the best decision. “You are really brave, Your Majesty. I know making such a decision is not easy for you.”
Seren looked at Drayce who offered her a reassuring smile that seemed to say, “You made the right choice,” and then he looked at Yorian. The two men nodded at each other. Drayce was allowing Yorian to scry into Seren’s powers as she herself gave her permission.
Yorian looked around the ship where people were everywhere, the sailors busy doing their work and the knights keeping a check on things, some even helping the sailors doing menial labor. “We will need a quiet place for that so we have to wait for the right time.”
Drayce and Seren understood and left all details related to this matter in the hands of the wise elf.