Fantasy Opposing Kingdoms [pastel/solarem]

[PastelWitch]

Princess Aelor of the Mountains

Name: Aelor La'odel
Gender: Female
Pronouns: She/Her
Sexuality: Pansexual

Physical Description: Aelor is Dark Elven Princess; she has long black hair and dark purple eyes. Her skin is a grey-ish purple with many markings that sometimes glitter in the right light. She often wears clothing of dark colours and silver accessories.

About: Aelor always portrays an air of elegance and beauty to the people of her Kingdom, she works hard in order to show this "perfect" princess outlook not only for the people but for her parents too. She studies hard, including trying to learn a form of magic passed down through the generations - she seems to have an affinity for it, and it makes her parents hopeful that she'll make a fine Queen one day. However, Aelor doesn't always like this role she's been born to play. Sometimes she just wants to play-fight with the Knights, or run barefoot in the gardens and let her shoulders relax.

 

[Solarem]

Princess Elisia of the Sea

Name: Elisia Clarire
Gender: Female
Pronouns: she/her
Sexuality: Bisexual

Physical Description: Elisia is a human princess, with long golden hair and bright green eyes, freckles sprinkled across her nose. She prefers to wear light colored clothes, favoring a sky blue over everything else.

About: Elisia tries her best to be the perfect princess her parents want, though it never seems to be good enough for them. An only child, they are particularly hard on her as she is the only option for the throne. She is rarely allowed beyond the castle grounds, causing her to long to see what else the world can hold. She is often warned of the "dangers" of the neighboring kingdom, and told that the neighboring people are beneath her own kingdom.

 

[PastelWitch]

Aelor sat in her carriage, already feeling rather motion sick, dreading the upcoming meet. She was supposed to go and meet the neighbouring King's daughter as part of a "diplomatic mission" or, in her Mothers words "go and find some dirt on them, I know they're up to something". This whole thing felt like such a waste of time, not to mention the unnecessary meeting place being in the neutral country of Khal Darr meaning she had been forced to sit in the forsaken carriage for several hours. She had worn something relatively comfortable for the ride but it was already beginning to rub her skin in the wrong ways. She sighed heavily, looking at the passing flora and hoping that the human princess would be somewhat easy to talk to, in all honesty Aelor couldn't care less what her 'rival' was up to and a tiny part of her dared to imagine that they might even be able to bond over the one thing they have in common. "Don't be foolish" she told herself, turning away from the moving and nauseating window and looking at the many silver bands decorating her fingers, turning the family ring over and making the embedded crystal glow dimly with her feeble attempt at magic.

"We're arriving into Khal Darr, Your Grace"
"Thank you"

The carriage bumped as it when from the rough pathway to the cobbled streets making Aelor grip her stomach in fear, she was almost there just a little further. Khal Darr was a wonderful city full of many different people and many different trades; it was always busy; bustling with life at every hour from open taverns to street markets. It was a haven for those who didn't give their fealty to any of the Kingdoms, and wanted a place to live where they were more 'free'. Truly, most Kingdoms had a small part in Khal Darr's prosperity and it was labelled a neutral zone, where diplomats were able to travel to and from without the pressure of rivals.

Once arriving at what was colloquially known as The Hall, Aelor walked inside ready to face her apparent rival and fellow princess.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia sat nervously in one of the plush chairs that adorned The Hall, fidgeting with the folds of her skirts between two fingers in an attempt to keep her racing heartbeat under control. Her parents had made it extremely clear how important this diplomatic meeting was for demonstrating the power of their kingdom, and she wanted nothing more than to please them. They had also made sure she understood exactly how dangerous this other princess was, with rumors of her magical powers making its way to her kingdom. Elisia wasn't sure she wanted to judge this princess so quickly based on that, but she knew her parents had already made up their minds.

She took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind, focusing instead on something more pleasant: this was the first time she had been outside of the palace grounds in years. She was enchanted by the sights and sounds of the city they were in, it was nothing like the quiet atmosphere maintained in the castle. A part of her wished she could go explore, but she knew such behavior would earn her a lecture from her parents later. Still, Elisia could dream.

She was pulled from such imaginings when a guard stepped up to her, saying, "The Princess Aelor is arriving, Your Highness." Elisia nodded and thanked him, then stood from her chair to face the grand entrance to The Hall. The doors parted to reveal a girl, seemingly to be her age, though that was where the similarities stopped. The other princess's dark hair and dark clothing was a great contrast to her own golden hair and pastel dress. Elisia stared at the other girl for a moment, briefly forgetting her manners. Realizing her impolite behavior she gave a little squeak of embarrassment and inclined her head slightly toward the other princess.

"Greetings," she started, nervously. "I- I am Princess Elisia."

 

[PastelWitch]

The Hall was nicely decorated, Aelor mused as she followed a guard through it's walls, with oak side tables, many candles and beautiful portraits, heading up a flight of stairs layered in a nice dark red carpet and to a small-ish room with a very "comfy" vibe. It reminded her of her Grandfathers old study, smelling of old paper and smoke, it held a couple of armchairs and a nice fireplace to keep the place warm. Princess Elisia was very much not what Aelor had expected at all, she was almost glowing with hair like a golden sun and her dress like the sky at dawn - she was slightly fidgety and seemed nervous which also caught her by surprise... for some reason she had expected some kind of sinister witch vibe.

"And I, Princess Aelor. It is a pleasure to meet you"

Aelor responded in kindness, giving her a curtsy and most professional, courteous smile. The guards bowed respectfully and left the room, allowing Aelor to open her arms in an inviting gesture towards the plush chairs, "Shall we take a seat? I'm sure we have much to discuss" Aelor sat, but not relaxed, trying to fill the gap with trivial talk about the journey and the weather - her Mother had said she wanted 'some abhorrent secret or devastating news' to come home with, and while that was never Aelor's plan in the first place she didn't actually know why she was here. Her Father mentioned he wanted to know of the Clarire family weakness and it's military operations but that also wasn't exactly something Aelor knew how to approach, perhaps Elisia had also been given some kind of agenda by her family - a shiver ran up her spine. In truth, deep down, she was glad Elisia seemed so... normal. She couldn't help it, but something about their meeting made her almost excited, she was pleased that she wasn't the only young Princess around, and after the many awkward encounters with other Royals, this already felt much more up Aelor's alley.

"Khal Darr is very lovely, isn't it? I must remember to try and find some local treats to take back as my Aunt adores them, have you been waiting here long?"

 

[Solarem]

Elisia followed Aelor's lead gratefully, returning to the chair she had been sitting in before the other princess's arrival. She couldn't help but continue to study the girl now sitting across from her. Her parents had made this girl out to be some kind of monster, a dangerous being who couldn't be trusted. All Elisia could see was a normal looking girl, who looked almost like a living embodiment of the night, dark but beautiful.

"Yes, Khal Darr is beautiful," Elisia replied, trying to turn her attention to the conversation rather than just the person across from her. "I haven't been here long, and I was escorted here immediately after arrival, but the little I was able to see through carriage windows looked lovely." Her fingers returned to fidgeting with the top layer of her skirts. She knew her parents wanted some sort of gossip to use against Aelor's family, but they hadn't specified what exactly what they were looking for, and Elisia had no idea where to begin.

"Have- have you been here before?" she asked, trying to continue the small talk. "This is my first time."

 

[PastelWitch]

Elisia seemed very pleasant if not a little nervous, still it was a far cry from the image that her parents had given her. Aelor was somewhat taken aback; her first time? In Khal Darr? Surely not... This was such a hot spot of activity, a major trade route and vital import city, it seemed strange that it would have taken till now for her to have come here even on 'family business'. She almost choked on the complimentary wine before raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I've been here several times with my family, and on my own. I have to admit it's a little bit of a shock to hear this is your first time visiting"

Aelor wondered for a moment, sure they were supposed to be talking about their kingdoms or something but it seemed like Elisia was perhaps not really used to this sort of thing, and with it being her first time in Khal Darr a wave of excitement washed over her - she should show Elisia all the wonderful sights that her Kingdom had something to do with, like the night market and the Ivrias Firebreath fountain. It seemed like a good idea after all, it would show the time, effort and resources the Dark Elf Kingdom gave to make this city a hive. She assumed Elisia had at least heard about some of the attractions here, but there was an air of naivety around her that made Aelor question it, and besides the young princess could always bring a guard with them if it made her feel safer.

Aelor cleared her throat, "Perhaps this is a little presumptuous of me but would you like to see some of the things the La'odel Family has provided to the city? Things appear much different in person than on paper"

 

[Solarem]

Taking in Aelor's response to her statement that it was her first time in Khal Darr, Elisia was immediately aware that she had said something that she perhaps should have kept to herself. Her eyes widened slightly, and she tried to think of something to smooth it over, but it seemed that Aelor was already moving past her initial shock. At first Elisia wasn't sure she had heard the other Princess correctly. Her eyes snapped to meet the other girl's gaze, but she found only sincerity in her face.

Aelor seemed to be genuinely kind, not at all what she had been led to believe the rival Princess would be like. She would likely be a lovely companion to explore the city with, and Elisia did want to see what else there was to see beyond what she had been able to view through the carriage windows. And, well, this was meant to be a diplomatic outing, surely her parents couldn't be upset with her for going to see what the other kingdom was contributing, it would be rude to decline an invitation from another Princess.

Elisia glanced to the window, where the sun was streaming brightly through the glass almost inviting her to come and explore, and back to Princess Aelor. Her expression brightened slightly, a hint of excitement flashing across her face. "I think that would be lovely," she answered.

 

[PastelWitch]

Aelor smiled warmly before placing her glass on the table beside her and using her magic to weakly place the cork back into the bottle top. She had done it without thinking; a part of her life that at home was treated with encouragement and praise, but she had failed to remember that it was not something she should do in front of others so casually. She hoped Elisia didn't notice, refusing to look the other princess in the ye and hoping the brush it off as if it never happened. It was only a very small movement, perhaps it went unnoticed?

"The weather is lovely as well, it will be good to walk a while"

Aelor guided Elisia outside, informing a guard that she and the other Princess will be taking a walk, and that they're welcome to follow at a sensible distance. She also got a parasol and lifted it over her head, not used the direct light in the city. Even in the summer the mountains often cast a shadow over most of her home kingdom, the direct sun here always made her skin burn so easily.

Immediately the familiar wave of cinnamon and incense hit Aelor's nose; a wonderful accumulation of different cultures, Khal Darr was always busy with markets, stalls and street vendors - some could be pushy if you let them, but most were doing a good trade here and people came from far and wide to visit and shop. Aelor decided to show Elisia the main street, where most of the high quality goods were; jewels, fabrics and spices among the many shops they walked past.

"The La'odel family helped with allowing many of the miners and appraisers of gemstones, gold and other precious materials safe passage through our mountains to the city." she mentioned as they passed a window filled with glittering gold trinkets. "It also meant more job opportunities for those in that field." she added proudly. "Come, I'll show you the fountain and we can take a short rest"

 

[Solarem]

Elisia froze briefly at the small magic Aelor demonstrated. So it was true, then. The Princess of her rivaling kingdom possessed magic. Although, that didn't make sense. She had grown up being told that anyone who wielded magic became cruel, and that it turned people into monsters. That's why it had been banned in her kingdom for generations. But Aelor... didn't seem like a monster. She seemed kind and welcoming. Regardless, she could tell the other Princess was uncomfortable with her own display, so she elected to ignore it and continue on with their planned journey.

She was slightly disappointed, but not surprised, to see one of her family's guards following behind them at a distance as they departed The Hall. Of course she wouldn't be trusted on her own, even for a little while. She was distracted by Aelor unfurling a parasol, and she was once again struck by the beauty of her accompanying princess. The sun seemed only to emphasize the shadowy elegance that Aelor radiated, rather than diminish it. It was almost distracting her from the words Aelor was saying, but Elisia managed to bring herself back to the conversation.

"The Clarire family has allowed travelers from far off lands safe passage through our harbor and kingdom in order to bring uncommon goods and spices to the market here," she volunteered timidly as they passed through the bustling streets. "And of course merchants from our own land bring fish and other products of the sea."

 

[PastelWitch]

The weather was pleasant as they meandered through the streets, the sun was bright but it wasn't too harsh and allowed Aelor to relax a little. As they talked and walked she would occasionally glance over to her fellow Princess, admiring the way the light caught her golden hair and how her skin seemed to glow warmly - she was incredibly beautiful and no doubt there were hundreds of suitors always lines up for her hand. Aelor caught herself and looked away before a blush formed, distracting herself with more idle chatter.

As they rounded the corner into the main square they came upon the fountain of Ivrias Firebreath; a large stone dragon that spout water from it's mouth - it was very pretty, and large. A monument to the dragon that was a legend for Aelor's people, a kindly soul who protected the mountains, despite being something relatively close to her home a lot of people across the world knew of the stories. She took a seat on the fountain edge, resting her feet.

"I've heard such wonderful stories about the sea. Is it as beautiful as they say?"

Aelor has never seen the ocean; she considered herself fairly well-travelled but only ever knew of the great lakes, or the rivers, never the sea.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia took in all the sights and smells as they traveled through the streets, wondering why she had never been allowed to come here before now. She tried to focus more on her surroundings than the Princess next to her, but she kept finding her gaze drawn to the graceful elf next to her.

She was grateful when they turned a corner and reached the fountain, and she could focus her attention entirely on the magnificent fountain in front of her. She stopped, staring in amazement at the exquisite sculpture. The sunlight danced off the brilliant scales and caught the droplets of water spraying from the mouth of the dragon.

Elisia walked forward, reaching her hand out to touch the spray with her fingers, smiling in delight. "This is beautiful!" she gasped, turning to look at Aelor sitting on the edge of the fountain. She perched on the edge next to the other Princess, pretending not to notice how close they were.

Briefly Elisia considered telling Aelor that she hadn't ever been to the actual ocean, only seen it from a distance, but remembered the reaction to hearing Wlisia had never been to Khal Darr and thought better if it. Despite the kindness Aelor had shown, she was still her rival supposedly. She imagined the Princess of the sea never being to the sea would cause some talking.

"Oh! The sea is wonderful," she answered, hoping Aelor wouldn't pick up on her momentary pause. "It's so huge, it stretches on for miles and miles, and you can't see the other side. I've often wondered what might be out there past what I can see."

 

[PastelWitch]

Elisia's playful curiosity had Aelor giggling, she could be incredibly cute at times and it made the human girl seem so innocent and she held an air of freedom that Aelor couldn't help but envy. The fountain proved to be a good choice to rest as the young girl played with the water and sat closely beside her, it felt so comfortable, so natural, she wanted to keep talking here forever regardless of whatever ulterior motive either of them had. She chuckled alongside the girls antics, struggling to understand why her parents so vehemently hated the Kingdom by the Sea and all their kin. Elisia seemed like no more than a fun and attractive young woman, not a hint of malice in her like her parents made her fear.

Aelor stopped for a brief moment, why did she keep thinking about her appearance?

There was a sort of, awkward pause between Aelor's question and the response she had wanted, she tried to pay it no mind as Elisia described the ocean, it sounded wonderful.

"I would love to visit it one day, perhaps even venture onto a ship if I could I'm sure it would be thrilling!" Aelor didn't exactly consider herself a thrill-seeker, but something about discovering new sights, and discovering new things made her elated. She opened her mouth to ask if Elisia had ever visited the mountains before closing it sharply - of course she hadn't. they were supposed to be rivals. Swallowing her question Aelor instead asked; "Is your Kingdom's harbour rather busy then?" Thinking it could be a way to get some information that wouldn't make this whole trip a complete waste of time in her parents eyes.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia looked up from the water, meeting Aelor's purple eyes, noticing how the sunlight seemed to make them almost shine like gems. She forgot herself for a moment, then hastily looked back to the water of the fountain, running her fingers through the coolness of the pool. Why was she finding this Princess so distracting? "Oh, yes," she replied, turning her attention back to the question. "It seems like it is always full of ships from all over, and there are always some coming or going."

At the mention of Aelor wanting to visit the sea, Elisia couldn't help but feel a small thrill at the idea. If the Princess could visit, it would mean more opportunity for conversation like this. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken to someone so easily, and this person was supposed to be her enemy. Before she could stop to think about it she blurted out, "Perhaps- perhaps you could come and visit Cerean some day."

Realizing what she had just said, the Princess of the Sea closed her eyes in embarrassment and shook her head. "No, I'm... I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, such an invitation would be foolish, my parents would never..." she trailed off. "What about your mountains? What are they like?"

 

[PastelWitch]

Elisia's sudden proposal for a visit shocked Aelor, it was as if she read her mind, although her taking it back simply made Aelor smile - they really were much more alike than she could have imagined. It seemed both of them had overbearing parents who had made the other out to be some kind on villain. Which, as Aelor looked Elisia over taking in her freckles and emerald eyes, she definitely wasn't - more like a godde-

She cleared her throat, "Well, the mountains are lovely. Although it can be rather cold most of the time, it means we always have the most beautiful sunset. There's a waterfall not too far which sometimes freezes over, we get a rather lot of snow..." Aelor thought for a while, scrunching her eyebrows, compared to a lot of the other places she'd visited, her home Kingdom wasn't really much to look at. A lot of snow, a lot of bare trees and a lot of wolves... not exactly the most appealing of places.

"Oh how could I forget... the castle has a tall tower and observatory. The stars are so clear and you can make out constellations so easily, the night sky is very clear and free from other light. I think that's my favourite place of all" she added fondly, the library would be her second favourite, but that was less of a "tourist destination" than the observatory. Aelor looked away from her fellow princess for a second, seeing the guards standing awkwardly next to each other. How could she have forgotten her reason for coming here? Her parents will be so disappointed if she doesn't return with some kind of new information.

"Shall we start to head back to The Hall? How did your parents convince you to meet me?" As she got up and offered an arm for Elisia to hold onto.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia hung on to Aelor's words as the girl spoke about her home. She wondered what snow would be like, it was far too warm by her home for them to ever get anything more than rain. She tried to picture what it would look like if Cerean were ever to be covered in snow, but gave up, unable to form such an image in her mind. She was pulled from such imaginings when Aelor's gaze moved to something to the side. Following it, she remembered she was being watched by one of her family's guards, and she immediately stiffened. She doubted her parents would look kindly on her being so friendly to this Princess, not when she had hardly gained any information that they would consider to be useful.

Aelor's offer for her to take her arm caught her off guard. She hesitated, weighing the dilemma. On one hand, taking her arm would indicate almost a friendship between them, something she wasn't sure would go over well. On the other, well, if she declined the offer, then she could be looked at as being impolite, and that wouldn't do anything for her image in Aelor's eyes. Elisia's eyes flickered back and forth from the guards to Aelor's welcoming gesture, and she made up her mind. Standing, she accepted Aelor's arm, intertwining her own.

Trying to ignore the slight shiver of excitement she felt at being so close to the Princess of the Mountains, Elisia focused on the quesions she had asked, rather than the beauty of the other girl. "Convince me?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "They- it wasn't a request. It was ordered of me, as Princess. I, um, I didn't have a choice."

Although, it wasn't all that bad, really. She had gotten to leave the castle grounds, and had finally met someone who was easy to talk to. The other Princess was elegant and graceful, like living moonlight, and Elisia was pleased to have encountered her. "But I'm glad I'm here. To meet you," she blurted, in spite of herself.

 

[PastelWitch]

Wanting to impress not only the people of Khal Darr, but the guards accompanying them too, Aelor figured that offering an arm and leading the other princess would create a good image if news reached her homeland - she had let herself forget the reason she was here and it put a sour taste in her mouth. Elisia graciously accepted the offer however, and as their arms linked together all the tension melted away almost instantly, having her so close made Aelor feel warm and comfortable - an insatiable need for more closeness was dangerously vivid in the front of her mind but she did her best to ensure no hint of such a thing was visible. Even though a small smile wasn't disappearing.

Aelor was shocked at Elisia's honesty; she had expected some typical response that had been drilled into her like Aelor's parents had told her. "I-I see..." she said, not really sure how to respond, all of her life Aelor had made sure that she was a picture of perfection and yet Elisia's honesty and her cute way of stammering her words had her questioning everything she had been taught.

C-could they, actually become friends?

Aelor smiled, she could feel her cheeks warming at the fact that Elisia was happy to see to have met her. "I-I- ahem - I'm also glad to have met you. I have to be honest, my parents had me thinking you would be some kind of spiteful and wicked person. In truth you seem to me to be a kind-hearted and rather beautiful person" Aelor blushed ferociously, "I-in terms of how you talk about your Kingdom... of course"

Gods, what was happening to her?

 

[Solarem]

Elisia's eyes widened at Aelor's comment about her, and statement that she thought Elisia was beautiful. Sure, she had added that she meant in relation to how Elisia spoke about her Kingdom, but if she wasn't mistaken, that had seemed almost to be an afterthought. She thought she detected a hint of a blush on the other Princess, but she couldn't be sure, unused to reading elves. Regardless, the idea that someone like Aelor might even possibly be blushing at her caused her own cheeks to redden, and she broke her gaze away, turning her eyes to the ground, to the buildings around them, to anywhere except the glittering purple eyes of Aelor.

"Of- of course," Elisia replied, her voice coming out as hardly more than a whisper. What was she doing? She wasn't even supposed to be friends with this girl much less... much less nothing. "You, um, you aren't what I expected either," she admitted. "My parents, they told me rumors of you and... and magic." The golden haired Princess hardly dared to speak the last word. Even speaking about it felt like a betrayal of her parents and the generations of her kingdom before her.

 

[PastelWitch]

Aelor could sense the slight tension between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward, it was... exciting? Hm, perhaps that wasn't the right word. It kept something between them electric and wanting more. Elisia seemed much more nervous all of sudden and at first Aelor had hoped her comment hadn't come off the wrong way, or made her uncomfortable - but when Elisia mentioned her parents saying something similar she relaxed a little.

"I have a feeling our parents don't like each other very much" It took a few seconds for the other word to register, and it finally clicked as they approached The Hall, the guards leading them to the room to be left alone once again.

"You don't have magic in Cerean?" she asked rather bluntly. Magic wasn't really considered "common" in her kingdom either, but it was a part of their life and Aelor was considered blessed to be able to wield it. She wasn't particularly good at it yet, but it was still an integral part of their history. Aelor knew that magic wasn't really part of life like it used to be centuries ago, but she was told there were scholars that still used it... was it... was it weird? Was it taboo?

Suddenly Aelor feared she had done something offensive, "I hope it's not something that bothers you?" she added once they were alone.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia watched as the guards left them, waiting until there was a bit more distance before she turned back to Aelor. "Magic hasn't been allowed in Cerean in... centuries, really," she replied in a hushed voice. "There are some who still try to practice it but my parents, and their parents, and their parents' parents, and further back, they arrest anyone who does. And those people usually, um, are taken care of." It had all seemed so normal to her back home, but here, saying it out loud to this Princess, Elisia started to wonder if there was something wrong with this way of thinking.

"I grew up being told that... that magic corrupts anyone who uses it and makes them dangerous." It was true that her parents kept her inside the castle walls out of fear a rogue magic user would retaliate for her family's past actions, but perhaps they had more than enough reason for that. She shook her head to clear the thought, it didn't matter right now.

"I, well, when you used magic, I was a little worried," Elisia admitted. "I thought... I thought maybe the rumors were true, that you were wicked and cruel. But I don't think you are, not anymore." She sat gently on the chair she had occupied earlier, fidgeting with her skirts again, avoiding Aelor's eyes. She wasn't sure why she had even brought up magic in the first place, and now she worried that she might have alienated the other Princess, speaking what she had been taught.

 

[PastelWitch]

Aelor listened carefully and watched as Elisia fidgeted and finally sat in her chair, explaining what she had been told. She thought for a moment, recalling all the things her own parents had told her about the Cerean's; how they were a spiteful and vicious nation hellbent on constant war. Elisia definitely wasn't liked that. Aelor thought for a while, wondering if she should approach the topic of magic more, the other princess seemed nervous and unsure of it but something made Aelor want to prove that magic was nothing to be afraid of.

Making sure the door was closed, Aelor closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus on her heartbeat - slowly, small lights began to appear around her, flittering within the room like small blue fireflies. Around twenty of them appeared before Aelor opened her eyes, keeping the magic simple and harmless while trying to impress Elisia for... why was she trying to impress Elisia?

The small lights danced around slowly, "Magic, like any mortal skill, relies on the intent you have behind it. It's not dangerous by itself." she held a hand out, allowing the small lights to flit around almost playfully, "I can't do much yet, but where I'm from it's considered a gift and it's something we respect." The lights slowly faded away, Aelor struggling to keep her concentration up for long periods of time, "It used to be part of everyday life centuries ago, but I'm not sure I've ever met anyone else who can use it"

She looked over to Elisia, purple eyes locking with green ones rather intensely, she felt a rush of embarrassment, she'd not meant to lecture like that.

 

[Solarem]

Elisia kept her attention focused on her skirt, not wanting to see Aelor's reaction to what she had said. Her gaze was drawn up when she noticed a soft blue glow had appeared in the room around them. She instinctively flinched backwards upon seeing the lights dancing around, but as Aelor spoke, she relaxed slightly.

Elisia watched the lights floating gently around the room, wondering why her parents were so convinced something like this could be evil. She looked back to Aelor, who looked absolutely ethereal with the lights shimmering around her.

As the lights began to fade out, Elisia found herself wishing they would stay longer. Almost without thinking, she reached out toward one that was closest to her, trying to touch it. As soon as her fingers brushed against it, the shimmering turned from blue to gold and flashed brighter before disappearing with the rest of them.

Elisia squeaked in surprise, pulling her hand away quickly, looking to Aelor, searching for an explanation in her purple eyes. "Thank you for, um, showing me that," she stammered. "I think... I think I'm okay without magic."

 

[PastelWitch]

Aelor hoped that she had only shown that magic can be something beautiful, and not scary; she wanted Elisia to like magic, to like her. These glowy little sprites were a simple but hard to maintain magic that were totally harmless, she'd hoped that Elisia might have seen it as something fun and exciting. She noticed of course, the way one of her little blue lights turned yellow at the other princesses touch, it confused her greatly - she'd never known something like that happen before. Her lights had always been blue.

Puzzled, Aelor thought for a while, how would she explain something that she didn't understand herself? "Perhaps I just wanted to show off a little, I never meant to startle you - are you alright?"

She was concerned, of course, for various reasons - but to harm or scare Elisia was not part of her plan and she dreaded what she might tell her parents. The thought of tarnishing her kingdoms name made Aelor's blood run cold. She should think of something else maybe, to help distract her?

"W-what do you like to do?" she said in a panic, "For... fun?"

She couldn't help but mentally scold herself, what a ridiculous question.

 

[Solarem]

"I'm alright," Elisia replied quietly. "I just... didn't expect that, is all." She took a shaky breath, trying to settle her nerves. She looked to the door, hoping the guards hadn't heard anything and come to investigate. She hadn't meant to do anything to make the other Princess look bad, after all. At Aelor's question, Elisia tilted her head, pondering her answer.

She spent nearly all of her time studying, or being tutored in various duties; her parents never seemed to be satisfied with her progress. She thought about what she liked to do with her limited free time, and what she could tell Aelor. "When it's sunny out, I like to go to the garden. Sometimes I bring a book with me, and sit on a bench there. And I just... listen to the distant sound of the waves in the ocean." Elisia looked at Aelor. "What about you?"

 

[PastelWitch]

Relief flooded Aelor's system, thank goodness, Elisia seemed perhaps startled but otherwise fine and she hoped that no word of this would reach her parents ears. To be honest, it's not like she had expected that to happen either, and still didn't really an answer for why - her gut was telling her that there was more to Elisia than met the eye and perhaps there was a small chance that magic flowed through her veins too... But Aelor wasn't exactly sure how to approach that, she was most likely wrong anyway.

Although she didn't have any expectations for Elisia's answer, she wasn't sure that her idea of fun matched with her own. "Listening to the waves... that sounds, relaxing. How quaint." She gave Elisia a smile, enjoying the way the light filtered in through the window and danced across her freckles making them look like stars. "I love stargazing." She said, almost hypnotised by them, "when the sky is clear I want to spend all my time looking at them, admiring them. I also enjoy simple pleasures like singing and dancing but stargazing truly feels like a whole new world"