A Princess's Wish (Temporary WIP Novel Title) (Patreon)

Prologue

“Stand up, Maria. The world isn’t going to play fairly with you if you truly want to become a captain.” Medios stood tall and with a confident smile on his face, a wooden sword in his right hand while his left was behind his back, his blue eyes locked on his little sister. “You’re the one that wanted this training. Are you telling me that you want to give up already?” The young Prince brought both of his heels together, the bangs of his red hair just barely coming into his vision as he took a step closer to the young Princess, mentally noting that her fair skin was covered in bruises and marks.

“Don’t you think… you’re being a bit… hard on me?” Maria tried asking through heavy breaths, clutching tightly to the wooden sword that she had managed to keep in her grip. “I’m only eleven! You’re treating me like I’m-”

“Agi.” Medios’ voice broke through the young girl’s pleas, fire sprouting in the air between them and lurching in her direction. “I told you, the world isn’t going to play fair. If you want to be ready, I’ll make sure that you are!” Charging at the girl right behind the fire, the young prince sighed and stopped dead in his tracks as the flames came in contact with Maria’s wooden sword, igniting it right away. However, with his eyes still locked on his sibling’s face, it was easy to see a flicker of determination in those red eyes, bringing a smile to his face. “Huh… You’re determined to see this through, despite being at a clear disadvantage. Noron could use more soldiers with that look.” The flames on the wooden sword grew immensely as the prince once again used his magic. “Magi.” The fire immediately covered his view of Maria’s face, causing him to have to wait and see what her next move would be, considering he was still going easy on her.

Dropping her weapon the moment the flame touched her hand, Maria did her best to smile through the pain, running to her left and bringing her burnt hand to her face to try and keep the fire from her eyes as it began to follow her. Choosing not to say anything to her brother, a soft gasp left her lips as she realized he was no longer standing in the same spot he was when he used his magic but was only a step in front of her, his hand raised in the air for another attack. Instincts and a desire to not be harmed drove the young blonde to raise her own hands and attempt to catch the wood as it came down toward her. Unfortunately, just before she managed to get close enough to stop the attack, the wooden sword suddenly shifted to the right and continued to come down onto her shoulder. A loud crack filled the room as Maria dropped to her knees and whined in pain, coughing quietly as the impact had radiated into her chest.

“Stand up, Maria. We’ll get you another weapon to use.” The young man placed her wooden sword onto the ground and watched with a soft smile as his little sister made him proud as a sibling once again, seeing her stand to her own feet and clutching her shoulder. However, as her red eyes filled with a dense darkness, changing into almost a void of black as she finally stood up straight, Medios realized this was something else happening and not just her being determined to get better. “Maria…? You can’t be… No one in our family has ever been a Summoner!”

“Young one, what would your name be? I don’t recall ever having been summoned by someone as tiny as yourself.~” The spirit’s voice was calming and sweet, yet distorted and twisted as it filled the room. A short pause of silence followed when the spirit got no answer from the overwhelmed girl. “Oh, dear. It would appear that I’m your first Summon. I’m honored, sweetheart! But, tell me something, who should I kill for you today?~”

Holding her left hand into the air toward her brother, the young princess smiled and looked behind herself, seeing an almost intangible girl about her size and age with black wings that were three times the size of her body but just as dark and black as her own eyes. The feeling of the spirit’s wings wrapping around her body felt so warm and inviting, even compared to her bed after a fresh wash. And the feeling of the spirit’s soft hands caressing her cheeks was gentle and somehow boosted the princess’s confidence enough to silently convince Maria to turn her attention back to her brother and declare her victory. However, before she was able to open her mouth and say anything to the spirit that had appeared for her, a loud smack filled the room and the spirit vanished from her vision. A moment later, Maria realized that the sound that filled her ears was Medios getting a clean hit on her neck. “M-Medios…”

The young Prince’s light skin was pale with fear as his little sister’s eyes changed from that black void into their natural red color, actual worry and concern coursing through him as Maria hit the ground in front of him. “This can’t be happening… Just what was that thing…?”

Act 1

Five years have passed since what the Royal Family of Noron have been calling “The incident”. No one outside of the castle walls know of what came to be that day, or even questioned the damaged shoulder that Maria returned from training with. No one wanted to know after Medios explained what happened with the surprise Summoning of something Unknown. Nothing had ever seemed to be wrong with the young prince or princess after what happened, but their parents, King Jeremi and Queen Clara have always had their concerns about what their dear Maria could become if she actually learned how to use her summoning magic properly.

Part 1

Scene 1: “Proving Yourself”

“Medios, come on!! You promised to help me find an instructor in my summoning ages ago! And you just got back from your mission, do you know how long I’ve been waiting?!” Maria followed her brother by staying at the side of his horse, wearing her favorite red skirt and undershirt with a matching pink top over it to represent the family’s colors. She smiled to herself as she realized that she now must've been a decent five foot and four inches tall when comparing herself to the horse. “I’ve even been practicing while you’ve been away. Ever since what happened, I’ve wanted to grow stronger. If I can do something at eleven that can terrify my brother, who was on his way to becoming a Captain, imagine what I could do if I was able to properly make that happen! Or if I was just stronger in general…” The young girl smirked as the horse stopped, giving her reason to believe that her brother was finally going to keep his promise. The blonde leaned against the animal and began to gently pet it, looking up to see Medios wearing a look of disbelief on his face.

“... I suppose you leave me with no choice, Maria. Fine. I’ll take you to find an instructor on one condition.” The prince got down off of his horse, looking at his sister from the other side. “You prove to me that you can handle yourself in an actual fight. No going easy, no rules, just a plain fight. If you can prove to me that you’ll do fine, I’ll help you look.” The young man ran his hand through his red hair and sighed quietly, letting the nearby help at the stable take his horse from him. “I swore that I’d never do this, but you’re too damn persistent...” Medios brought headed directly for the training room in the castle, making sure to not stray too far from his little sister in the process. “We’ll go over the basics of what you know. How to fight with a blade of your choice and then we’ll see your magic skills. After that, I’ll determine how you are in an actual fight. If you decide to start with a fight, that'll shorten the time we need to be in here instead of looking for a master for you.”

Maria followed closely behind her big brother, an excited smile on her face as she walked into the training room only a few steps behind him, taking her time in deciding which weapon to use against Medios’ longsword. “It gives him a bit of reach as well as momentum to hit harder than most swords. While it is a bit slower than most, I know he’s quick and can swing his sword even faster. So, I’ll need to be agile and-”

“Maria, let’s go!” Medios called her from the other side of the room, drawing his blade and holding it over his shoulder. “Tell me, do you want me to go easy on you to start? Or go all out?”

“I’m afraid that if you don’t go all out, I’ll end up winning this too quickly.” Maria’s smile only grew as she picked up a pair of twin daggers, twirling them in her palm for a moment as she approached the young prince that was waiting ever so patiently. “Garex.” Wind started to swirl around the princess’s feet as she stared at her brother, a soft breath leaving her just before the wind under her feet exploded in intensity and sent her flying in his direction. “Magaru.” Her voice was quiet, reserved, and even focused as she stopped herself behind her brother.

Of course, Medios was easily able to block from behind, simply moving his blade to cover his back instead of leaving it on his shoulder. “You can use the third tier and second tier back to back? I suppose I won’t be able to go easy on you, after all, dear sister.~” They both shared a quick glance as the wind magic dissipated along with the effect, leaving the prince able to attack without worry. “Masene.” From underneath the boys feet, the ground began to shake and rumble, splitting into equal sized rocks and floating in the air at his eyes level. The only part of Medios that was visible from behind was his lips as if he was singing. However, those rocks only stayed in place for a moment before systematically flying toward Maria and attempting to hit her.

Instead of zapping herself of more magic, the young woman instead opted for deflecting as many of the stones as she could with her blades. Bringing her twin daggers to her face in a boxing position with the blades facing away from her, her red eyes seemed to shimmer as she started swatting away rock after rock, surprisingly not letting a single one slip through her defence as well. However, with the amount flying at her, Maria found herself having to slowly back herself away from her brother, step by step until her back hit the wall of the training room. “Tch.” Bringing the back of her hand to the wall she was against, the princess cast her next spell. “Senex!” The wall that she was now leaning against reached out into multiple platforms, both to surround her and prevent her from behind hit and provide her a place to charge at her brother from. The girl eagerly used the opening she had made, running along the pieces of wall that were still protruding out and heading toward Medios. “Sorry, Medios! I guess I should’ve expected you to use more than fire as well. I underestimated you a bit…”

A smile came to the prince’s face as he simply danced around the pieces of wall that were heading in his direction, proud to see his little sister having grown from the scared little girl to a potential warrior in such a short amount of time. “It’s still not enough, though…” Jumping into the air, Medios landed on the same piece of wall that Maria was charging at him on, running at her with blade in hand and making the first swing at the left side of her stomach. Expecting her to block it, the prince made sure to swing as hard and as fast as he could in order to properly test her skills. Luckily, and unexpectedly, Maria jumped over his blade instead of blocking it, causing the young man to change direction mid swing and aim up for her feet. Unfortunately, in doing so, his blade gave her the perfect platform to stand on for a just a moment. Looking into the blonde's eyes, he was able to see them flicker from red to white and back to red, as if she was channeling her summons instead of actually bringing them into their world. “Impressive, Maria… I didn’t even know Summoners could channel anything other than their own energy.”

“It’s like a contract, in a way.” The young woman hopped off her brother’s sword the moment their piece of wall had made it across to the other side of the room and collided with it, combining with what was already there. “I tell them how much I need and of what and they provide it. If I say that I need them to come to our world with their incantation, then they will, no questions asked.” Maria smiled as she dropped her blades onto the ‘ground’ they were on and took a step closer to Medios, jabbing at his face and changing her fighting style from bladed to hand-to-hand. Unfortunately, before she was able to reach his face, the feeling of cold steel was immediately felt against her neck, meaning she had lost this boute between the two.

“You’ve definitely improved from what I saw five years ago. Clearly, you’ve mastered the basics of at least Wind and Earth magic and are even practicing your Summoning magic. I still don’t think I should, but we’ll find you a teacher. Though, I’m not sure who there would even be to teach since Summoners are so rare…” Medios pulled his blade away from his sister’s neck and smiled, seeing a very thin trail of blood lead from under her chin down to the top of her dress. “Oh. By the way, if you’re going to change up your fighting stances or even styles on the fly, make sure to not make it so obvious. If you had kept one of your daggers by your neck like when you were defending yourself, this might’ve been your win.”

“Really?!” The excited tone of Maria’s voice caused both of the siblings to chuckle as the results of their magic began to dissipate, leaving the room in the same state it was when they started their match. “I never thought I’d be able to beat you… But to hear you say that there was a chance… I’m not going to stop until I’m stronger than you.”

Medios rolled his eyes as he sheathed his sword and put it back on the weapon’s rack. “Yeah, yeah. But, we need to find Mother and Father to let them know the results of your training. I’m sure they will be pleased with it.”

Scene 2: “In Search”

Stepping into the throne room, where their father and mother always were due to people coming in and wanting to ask things of them, Medios and Maria stayed silent as they heard their father’s voice booming through the room. It was tough at first to pass through all the people who came to be in the throne room to watch King Jeremi and Queen Clara pass judgement on matters that were brought to them. But the two siblings managed to get through just fine after a moment as they heard their father talk. Their first clear view of their parents in at least a few days brought a smile to their faces, even if their lightly tanned father was just sitting with one leg crossed over the other as his blue robes with his crown on his head. Though, seeing their fair-skinned mother wearing her long red dress that clung to her curves caused their smile to grow as the woman casually waved to them.

“For the last time, I’ve said that we cannot send troops to your farm to protect you from something that’s not even out there. The last time I sent my men out there, there was nothing there for two weeks. There is no need to cry wolf, so do not bother.”

The two siblings shared a look with each other as they watched the farmer their father was talking to walk between them, a disgruntled look on the stranger’s face.

“Ne-” The king paused as he noticed his two children walking up to the steps leading to the throne without warrant. “It’s you two. Is there something you need of us? You know that you can always wait until dinner if it’s important enough to be discussed without people around.” Jeremi leaned back in his throne, putting his elbow against the arm of it and bringing his head into his hand, letting the white hair on the left side of his head fill the space between his fingers. The look in his eyes was one of annoyance and irritation as he looked at his two children, silently waiting for them to respond.

“What your father means to say is that if you’d rather discuss this in private, that it’d be best to wait until it’s time to eat together.” Their mother, Queen Clara, had a bright smile on her face as she leaned forward in her chair and made sure to at least look like she was paying attention to her children. “Though, that doesn’t mean we don’t like listening to your needs when you feel like bringing them to our attention.”

“Mother, Father…” Maria started in a slow and hesitant voice, staring down at the ground and clenching her right fist as she knelt in kind, bringing her knees to the ground and putting her hands in her lap. Immediately, it was easy to hear all the gasps that filled the room from the crowd behind them, all of them surprised that the princess of all people was bowing. “I want to leave the castle for a few days and go to the armory. I have gained approval of my magic skills and want to grow stronger. Whether it’s me or Medios who inherit this kingdom, one of us has to be strong enough to protect it by the other’s side. He is plenty strong as is, but I need to improve if I am to be worthy of doing such a thing.”

The king slowly rose out of his throne, walking down the steps in front of him until he was only two steps away from his little girl, incidentally towering over her with his massive height. “What the hell are you talking about, Maria? I’ve told you time and time again after the incident to not bother with magic. No matter what you want to believe, you are not going to be any-”

“Father, she beat me in a duel.” Medios interrupted his father as he stepped between the grown man and his little sister, once again earning a unified gasp from the crowd that he was in front of. “She beat a captain that is five years her elder in a duel. Without using her Summoning abilities. I think at the very least, she is worth practicing magic. It would be best to have-”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, boy!” Jeremi clenched his fist, ready to throw a punch despite the crowd being able to see everything that was happening. “The very first time my daughter used her magic, she used a technique that our family has never been able to do before. Not even your mother’s grandfather. And now that she’s been training against my direct command, you want me to let her go find a tutor just because she was able to handle someone like you in a fight in our home? How is she going to fair in an actual fight? In the real world? On the outskirts where there are nations and tribes that we don’t know that fight differently than you were trained? What about then?! Do you want to send your sister-”

“Honey!” Clara’s voice broke the shouting into silence as she remained in her throne, gesturing to her little girl that was on the verge of tears from the display. “Give her a chance. We’ll give final approval on who trains her, but it’s clear that she wants this. She was willing to disobey you to make it happen for the better of her people, after all. Would you really want to punish an honest heart like that?” The quiet woman, who was just as tall as her daughter, let out a soft chuckle as she stood from her throne and grabbed her red dress, lifting it slightly to properly walk down the steps before her. Though, the woman was quick to drop down to her daughter’s level and let her light red hair fall toward one side of her head as she tilted her head to the left. A soft sigh left the woman’s lips as she ran her thumb under her little girl’s tear-filled eyes. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. There’s only been one Summoner Captain in the recent history of Noron. If I remember correctly, his name was Damus de Faria.”

“Damon.” Jeremi spoke up in a bit of a disgruntled voice.

“Damon de Faria.” The blue-eyed woman glared at her husband, who turned away from her and avoid eye-contact. “He must still be somewhere in the kingdom. Though, I’d have no idea where. Go find him. I’m sure he’d be a far better teacher than what your father or eye could find on our own.” Clara made sure to smile as her little girl lept into her arms for just a brief but tight embrace. “Oh! No weapons out in town! Keep them in the training room, Medios!”

The young prince nodded and smiled to his mother before turning and leaving the throne room without bothering to look at his father. “Come on, Maria. Let’s go find Damon and get your training started.” Medios smirked and stood at the exit of the room, watching his little sister run in his direction and only meeting his father’s eyes long enough to shoot him a glare worse than Clara did.

“Don’t worry about it, Medios. We’ll find Damon and I’ll be able to get started training!” The princess gently pat her brother’s shoulder as she walked past him, heading into the hallway and directly toward the stable that was just outside the castle. As she approached her favorite white horse in the stable, Maria couldn’t help but smile and almost bounce in place as her excitement started to get to her now despite what happened with her father. “So, where do you think an ex-Captain would be?”

“I hope I’m wrong, but he’s more than likely either at the brothel or at the bar. Places that I don’t want you walking into, okay?” Medios hopped onto his own brown steed and lead the way into town, listening for the galloping of Maria’s horse to make sure that she was keeping up with him. The trip into town was a short and silent one for the two, only having a short distance between their castle and the town around it. However, as the prince slowed his horse for the people, he was surprised to see people gathering around him to shake his hand but no one did it for his little sister. “Excuse me, could you possibly point us in the direction of where a man named Damon would be? We’re on the search for him to give Maria training.”

Every eye that was gathered around her brother suddenly and slowly turned in her direction, causing a cold feeling to travel along the girl’s spine and make her shiver. “Please? I want to be able to protect this kingdom when it’s time for our generation to take over. And, whether it’s me or Medios to inherit the crown, I want both of us to be strong enough to keep you all safe!” Unfortunately, every eye that started to stare at her never moved away from her, even after confessing why they were looking for Damon. “Okay, I’m not an outcast! You don’t have to look at me like-”

“Yo know, for a princess, you’re rather loud!” A young girl’s voice called out from the edge of the crowd. It seemed deep but high enough that the voice belonged to a girl the same age as Maria, bringing a slightly annoyed smile to her face. Unfortunately, the voice was only met with a man with wavy brown hair and one deep brown eye, the other having a scar along it and kept closed, wearing leather armor being the only thing visible from the top of it. Those eyes stared directly passed the princess, giving her another thing to feel nervous about as the voice popped back up, but his lips didn’t move. “People look at you like this because rumor has spread of the Summoner Princess. And everyone is waiting to see if it’s actually true or not!” Suddenly, a small girl with deep black hair and bright yellow eyes hopped onto the man’s shoulder, a small dragon with red scales and matching yellow eyes curled up on the top of her head.

“And who might you be? I don’t recall ever seeing a dragon any of the times I’ve snuck out of the castle and gone into town.” Maria made sure to yell as to make sure the girl could hear her calling out.

“You snuck out of the castle?! What if father found out?!”

“He won’t. Trust me.” The princess stuck her tongue out and gently rubbed the back of her head as she looked back at the girl with a dragon on her head. “Fine… If I do this, you’ll all tell me where to find Damon de Faria.” The young girl took a deep breath and closed her eyes, pausing and opening them again a moment later, this time with the color of her eyes being a bright purple as she looked directly at the man and the young girl on his shoulder. “Fly from the sky and protect your treasure, Bahamut.”

Everyone watched in silence as the girl’s eyes stayed purple but nothing happened other the area around them getting a bit darker, a few of them almost immediately starting to doubt that she was the real deal. All of them looked around to see absolutely nothing going on in the area they were standing in, a few of them even looking into the air. However, one gasp from someone looking into the air was enough to cause everyone else to look as well. Everyone other than the silent man and the girl that was accompanying him. Screams started to fill the road as Maria only giggled in response to it all, a sudden and loud roar filling everyone’s ears.

Medios looked up as well after hearing the roar, gasping as he saw a large white dragon with what appeared to be red blood marks on its wings standing on all fours, using the rooftops as it’s footing. It took the prince another moment to notice the bright green eyes that accompanied the bright color of the dragon’s body, clashing against the massive shadow its body cast over everyone. “You… You can summon THAT?!”

“Oh, Maria… It’s you again.” Bahamut’s head poked down between the buildings to get a good view of the young girl who had called him dozens of times now, even if for brief moments sometimes. “Did you need something again? Wanting to fly above the town? Maybe someone warm to crawl up against outside in the field? Or did you just want to prove a point like last time?”

“Prove a point.~” The smiling princess giggled as the massive dragon stuck it’s tongue out and licked the side of her head, knowing that it was a form of affection from him. “Thanks, buddy! I promise that the next time I call you, I’ll make it interesting!~” Maria closed her eyes once again, Bahamut fading out of existence piece by piece as her eyes changed back to their normal red color. Once again, the blonde girl locked eyes with the black-haired girl that had a bright smile on her face, the shadow that had fallen over them fading away and showing off the blue earrings that sat under the nameless girl’s ears. “Was that enough proof for you that I’m able to-” The girl blinked as exhaustion overtook her, everything seeming to get heavy and slow as she leaned against her steed to steady herself.

“You pushed yourself, Princess Maria.” The man wearing leather armor approached her, his deep and gentle voice echoing in her ears as a black cloth cloak over his left arm becoming visible as he stepped through the crowd, as well as the broadsword that was sheathed at his side. Holding out his hand, the man smiled and opened it and showed what appeared to be rock candy. “It’s medicine specialized for Summoners to help recover Energy. It’s not an instant fix, but it helps.” After the princess snatched the candy from his hand, the man bowed in front of her and forced the girl that was with him to do the same. “It seems you do need my tutoring after all.”

“‘Your’ tutoring?” She asked with a mouthful of candy, immediately breaking her uptight aura. “Wait, are you..?”

“The one and only Damon de Faria. And this mouthy girl with me is Karin. She is my current pupil. And you’re welcome to join her in training. You have a natural talent, after all.” The man stood back up straight and turned around, facing away from the royal siblings. “I’ll be on the outskirts of town at sunset with Karin. If you find us by the bar, you’re more than welcome to come and train with us. It’d be an honor to have someone like you with us.”

“See you tonight, Princess!~” Karin walked backward in the same direction that her mentor was headed, facing Maria and giggling as her tiny dragon roared at the royal girl. “Oh, and make sure to bring a weapon of some kind! Training can get a bit intense!~”

Scene 3: “New Faces”

“Maria, how are we going to get out of the castle without the guards finding you and forcing us to bring you back? I’m one thing because I’ve roamed the streets of town at night for years now, but you haven’t so much as left the castle without being accompanied.” Medios watched his little sister open her mouth to say something against that comment, only to sigh and and shake his head. “Sneaking out doesn’t count, Maria. If it does, I would’ve left the castle my first time when I was five.” The prince chuckled as the two approached the stable with the sun now setting behind them. “Crap. It’s almost time to meet them at the bar at the edge of town.”

Taking a deep breath, the princess closed her eyes and focused for a moment, debating on which spirit to summon that would be the best to keep them hidden as they rushed over to meet Damon. “Come forth and howl at the moon, Jack.” Opening her eyes, her usual red color was now a dull but clear gold color, a gust of wind rushing by them only for a humanoid werewolf to be standing in front of them. Though, with the setting sun, it was hard to see the beast’s gray fur and missing left eye, despite it being easy to see him standing on two feet. Maria smiled as she saw an old companion once again come to her aid for something. “Hey. We need a ride to the edge of town while staying discreet. I used to ride on your back all the time after the incident. Do you think you’ll be able to take both of us?”

Opening his mouth to speak, Jack’s voice came out low and distorted, almost broken into pieces. Though, it also seemed almost happy to see the princess again. “Not a chance. I can barely carry you at top speed now, let alone two of you.” Closing his mouth, towering figure got down on all fours and pushed his left leg slightly behind his right, digging his toes into the ground and looking at Prince Medios instead of Maria. “You must be the prince that Maria always talked about. You can ride on your horse. If reason stands, no one will question you at night considering you are five years her elder. I’ll take her and run along the rooftops.”

Medios just stared into the werewolf’s bright white eye that seemed to just be one solid color, letting out a heavy breath as it began to sink in just how much his little sister was practicing this magic that had nearly put her life in danger only a few years ago. “Maria, we’re going to have a serious talk about all these summons you can do and how much you’ve practice. But that will wait until we get back from the training.”

Maria got off her horse and quickly tied him into the stable, kissing the side of its head before climbing on Jack’s back. “I guess I’m in trouble, huh, big guy?” Almost immediately, the group took off back towards town, rushing as quickly as they could until the first building approached.

With a smile clearly visible on his snout, the werewolf bent his knees as far down as he could, grinding into the ground and slowing himself down at they approached the structure. “Hold on tight!” The feeling of his fur being grabbed onto as tightly as the princess was able was all the signal he needed to know he could jump. Springing off the ground with all fours, Jack launched both himself and Maria into the air, clearing the one story building with ease and almost silhouetting himself in the moon as he came back down and landed on the stand of the roof of the building on the other side, using his claws to stay still on it while building up strength in his arms. “Now’s where the fun starts!~”

“What do you mean…?” Maria asked, almost afraid of what was about to happen as she looked around and saw nothing but slanted rooftops around them that all came to a point. It took a moment, but the princess realized exactly what was going to happen if her summon rushed himself on these rooftops. “Just make it quick and be careful. This is rather draining…” Closing her eyes and bringing a hand to her head to cover her right eye, the young girl felt her summon jump from one building to the next, never missing a beat or a step as he gradually got faster and faster by bouncing from roof to roof. Eventually, the girl had to close both of her eyes and tilt her head upward to look toward the sky. “Jack… How far are we from the edge of town?”

“Three more buildings! Hang on Maria!” Medios’ voice echoed from below the summon and his master, calling their attention only long enough to let them know just how far they were. He wasn’t going to say anything, but the young prince was able to see Jack’s body starting to fade away as they bounced, wondering if it was because of the extreme stress that his sister was incidentally putting on the spirit. “This isn’t good…”

Finally, the last building before the bar came into view and instead of making another jump onto the bar, the werewolf grabbed onto the edge of the rooftop he landed on, spinning himself around and dropping to the ground. With a thud that was very audible inside of the tavern, the beast landed on his hind legs and smiled as he set Maria on the ground. “Awhooo!~ Jack started bouncing in place for a moment as Damon and Karin stepped out from the tavern to see what was going on. “That was more tiring than I expected, but it was incredibly fun! Be sure to call me again when you need something, Princess. Even if it’s just to go for a run.~”

Damon sighed as he approached the girl that quickly dropped to her knees and waved the summon off with her right hand, her eyes returning to their normal red as well. “Damn, kid… At least someone like me is close by when you pull stunts like this. Was using Jack to run here from the castle the best idea?” Holding his hand out from the cloak that covered it, a smile came to the ex-captain’s face. “Here.” Once again, he was carrying that rock candy from earlier in town, this time a ring with a blue gemstone visible on his middle finger. “I didn’t know you can summon more than one type of spirit. Must be pretty special to do that. Though, it’s not entirely uncommon among those who are summoners.”

Maria shook her head and pushed the candy away, taking a deep breath and using the tavern’s wall outside to help stand on her own two feet. “I’m alright… Just put too much stress on Jack while making him run.” The young girl chuckled and leaned against the wall after hearing the ‘special’ comment. “Is that so? I guess that means you have more reason to train me, then.” The blonde let out a soft huff before getting on her own two feet and seeing her older brother turn the corner on his horse. “Oh… We must’ve left him behind, huh?”

“Man, you really are kinda stupid, aren’t you?” Karin stomped her foot as she stepped in front of Maria, catching her attention and holding out a piece of that rock candy herself. “Eat it. Even one helps more than you’d expect.” A soft smile came to the black-haired girl’s face as she watched the princess take the candy and pop it into her mouth. “But, Master’s right. Being able to summon multiple kinds of spirits isn’t rare among summoners, but it promises great talent and adaptability by those that can do it.” The girl smiled as she looked up and smiled at her dragon who roared at her. “Yeah, yeah. I know. She’s definitely got something about her that makes me want to get to know her a bit too.~”

Medios slowly got down off his horse and held tightly to the reigns as he walked over to Maria and the group. “I know you were running yourself a bit fast, but you don’t have to leave me behind, Maria. What if you had fallen or something worse happened like you got stuck on a rooftop?”

“Heh. Sorry, Brother. But, we made it.” Maria got off the wall now and stood on her own two feet with a soft smile. “Maybe it’s from everything that’s happened today. Sparring with you, summoning Bahamut, and then summoning Jack. It’s a bit exhausting.” The two siblings shared a quick look with each other before smiling and nodding in unison, as if something unspoken was confirmed between them.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way, let me give you a gift, Maria. As acceptance into my tutelage.” Damon pulled a blue heart-shaped pendant from under his cloak and held it in front of Maria. “These blue gemstones are what’s been common called a ‘Summoner’s Stone.’ They help regulate the magic output needed during summoning. Basically, they help you use less Energy during a summon. So, it can last longer and lowers the risk of a Fracture.”

“Fracture?” Medios and Maria both looked at the man with a slightly puzzled look, only for Karin’s dragon to hop off her head and fly around in their faces.

“A Fracture is what happens when a summon drains too much of a Summoner’s Energy.” Karin started, a smile and a bit of a know-it-all look on her face as she held her hand in the air for Damocles to land on. “Instead of being just unable to move or use magic like when you’re exhausted after using too much earth magic, a Fracture lets the spirit you have summoned attempt to take over your mind. Of course, it takes a very long time for it to be able to happen, but there is always a chance if you drain too much energy. Luckily, you’ve been smart today and left yourself plenty of energy on reserve every time we’ve seen you with a summon.”

Maria audibly gulped as she looked into the girl’s yellow eyes, processing the information that was just told to her. Without hesitation, she quickly reached for the pendant that was dangling in her face and put it around her neck, watching the blue gem sparkle in the last remnants of sunlight. “That’s why you have those earrings and ring.”

“Yeah. And you now have the pendant, but that can’t be all you wanted to meet us for.” Medios seemed a bit rushed as he spoke, the adrenaline of the long ride still coursing through him a bit as he admired the blue sparkle everyone had. “I mean, what does your training entail? Where should we meet you each day for her to train?”

“Meet me? Oh, you think that the training takes place in town…” The older man brought a hand to the back of his head and smiled softly, looking toward the ground before looking into the prince’s eyes. “Sorry, Kid. My training takes place in the wild. Of course, not too far. We’ll just be in the forest that’s on the other side of the tavern. It helps more than training in a castle because of the natural elements at play. Also, the fact of not having to work around someone else’s schedule to train your pupil.” Damon looked over at Karin and gestured towards the tavern. “Look. I can make you a promise that I have the resources and capabilities to keep her from having a Fracture, but if she really wants me to be her tutor, you need to leave her under my care. Being a princess and all, I imagine it’s not a simple choice, but-”

“I’ll do it.” Maria spouted out, that same look of determination in her eyes that was there when she trained with Medios showing. “I’ll go with you.”

“Maria, what are you talking about? I can’t let you go with him… Who knows just how intense it’s going to be for you? And with the risk of being taken over by one of your spirits… I can’t allow that. I’m worried about my little sister, and I don’t even know how Mother and Father would feel about such a thing.” Medios looked at his little sister as he brought his hand to his chest and kept it there, looking right into the girl’s red eyes. “Come on. We’ll find you another instructor that can teach you the proper ways to use your magic. I’m sure there has to be-”

“Medios…” Maria wrapped her arms around her brother and buried her head into his chest, smiling brightly as she held him tight in her arms. “I’ll be fine. I’ll even write home as often as I can and even stop by to visit if training doesn’t take all day. I want to do this, hell, I need to do this.” The young princess pulled back from her brother just before feeling his arms wrap around her, that smile still present on her face. “It’s either this or prove to Father that my magic is pointless. So, I’m going through with this…”

The young prince could easily see the resolve in his sibling’s eyes as he looked at her, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, she would just keep arguing it and even possibly ignore him completely. Looking at Damon, Medios let out a soft huff and looked directly into the man’s brown eye. “You keep my sister safe. You train her as you see fit, but if she is being pushed too hard, you stop and let her rest. If I hear word about her having suffered from a Fracture or anything else that can come from this, I will personally see to your execution. Do I make myself clear Damon de Faria?”

Damon could easily hear the serious nature of the boy’s tone, knowing better than to argue and risk turning this into some royal family dispute. “Crystal, Your Highness. I’ll even dedicate some time to her training to allow her to write back home if you so choose.”

Maria hugged her brother tightly in her arms once again, smiling before stepping over to Damon and letting out a soft sigh. That look of determination was immediately replaced with understand and sympathy for her brother as she watched him get back on her horse. “Next time I see you, I’ll easily be able to beat you in a fight, Brother!!”

The girl’s voice echoed through the small area they were in, bringing a smile to the prince’s lips just as Karin was coming back out from the tavern. “Good. I look forward to seeing the warrior you become, Sister.” Turning his horse around, the young man galloped back in the direction of the castle, leaving the trio alone.

“Are you going to be okay, Maria? If you want, I can give you more time to go back home and talk this over properly.” Damon tucked his hand back under his cloak and turned around to head into the forest on the other side of the tavern, not walking anywhere just yet in case Maria did choose to run back home.

“No. I need this. Talking it over with my family would only amount to Father getting angry and placing guards around us, Mother getting upset with him and Medios getting caught in the middle. I don’t want that.” Looking to the ground, Maria did her best to fight back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes from the brief farewell that just didn’t feel like enough. Bringing a hand to her hip, she silently made sure that she had brought her twin daggers with her. “Damon…”

“Hm?” The older man tilted his head to the side, looking at the girl one last time as he waited to hear what she wanted. “Something on your mind?”

Closing her eyes, the young princess let the first tear fall from her eyes and to the ground, clenching her first as she tried to steel her heart. “I want to be able to defend my brother the next time I see him. I want to be stronger than him before I look back. You can make that happen, right?”

“I’m only a teacher, Maria. You already have the skill. I’m just going to teach you how to properly use it.” Damon smiled over at Karin and Damocles, ignoring the fact that Maria was now wiping the tears from her eyes. “So, yes, Maria. I’ll be able to make it happen.”

“Good. Then let’s go train.” Turning around, the young princess took her first step towards improving, smiling as the blue pendant bounced with her each step. Sharing a quick glance with Karin, a giggle left both of the girls’ lips as Damocles hopped onto her blonde head and curled into her hair.