Stella Gardens

"It was today ten years ago." Brie said without turning around to look at Nicholas.

She just knew that it was Nicholas that had arrived, after all, no one else dared enter the Stella Gardens.

"I got your message from Ryenne." Nicholas informed his sister as he took a step forward. "What did you want to talk about?"

"The incident yesterday, was it really father that saved you and Marcus?" Brie turned around with a desperate look in her eyes.

It reminded Nicholas that despite the grown up and brave front she had, Brie was a fourteen year old girl that had lost her mother at a very young age.

"It wasn't." Nicholas admitted, shaking his head.

"So your memories?" Brie asked, her eyes expressing how hopeful she was that he remembered everything.

"No, Brie, not all. Not the important ones." Nicholas could feel his heart breaking as he saw the disappointment on his sister's face.

"Does that mean you could still lose the crown? Father is dying." Brie sounded so sure that their father would pass soon.

"How did you know?" Nicholas asked his sister. "I thought only his doctors knew."

"I'm a Ganti mage, a necromancer, my people and I can feel when people are about to pass on." Brie reached out towards a plant, one that was clearly dead or at least dying.

When Brie touched it, it sprung to life miraculously.

"Dark magic." Brie hissed, disgusted by her own power as the plant mutated into something that looked like a monster of a plant. "A curse and a blessing."

"Brie, I won't lose." Nicholas promised as he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "I can use my magic now, soon enough I will remember things. My ministers even have a plan on how to hasten the recovery of my memories."

"Do you even know what your true magic can do!?" Brie shouted as she balled her hands into fists and glared at her older brother. "I know for a fact that your ministers don't know the whole extent of your power."

"What are you talking about Brie? Of course my minister knows." Nicholas tried his best to seem confident, but the truth was far from what he was saying.

"Don't lie to me, brother." Brie hissed. "You told me yourself that all Dion knows is that you found a new way to use Corporali and Cruor Magic. They don't know the specifics."

Nicholas was silenced by Brie's answer.

He was unsure of which was true and which was a lie.

"You've always been able to tell if someone was lying to you Nicholas. You could always tell because of your magic. So what do you sense, brother?" Brie asked him.

Nicholas sighed and shook his head.

His instincts told him that Brie was telling him the truth, but at the same time he felt that something was off.

His mind was struggling to tell him something, but instead it gave him a very bad headache.

"Fine." Nicholas said in surrender, hoping that before things got worse he would know what to do. He would figure out which repressed memory or knowledge had been fighting to come to the surface. "Tell what I've told you in the past, maybe it will help."

The gloom surrounding Brie and the entire garden suddenly vanished and it was a lot more vibrant than when Nicholas first entered the garden.

He couldn't help but look around in awe, catching his surprise, Brie laughed at him.

"I guess a lot of your memories are still missing." She teased. "Father hates having me around for more festive occasions. For some reason, when Cruor Energy Magic and Ganti Black Magic are mixed, I can channel emotions of dread, sadness, fear, and pain from his guests to everyone else."

"They will return, they are slowly returning and if you have lied to me Brie, I will be unforgiving." Nicholas shrugged as he leaned against a pillar.

"You are my ticket out of a life of servitude and being used as a pawn, Nicholas. I would never betray you." Brie said, her eyes gave off a truthful and hopeful expression.

Nicholas nodded in response, he had nothing to say. He didn't completely understand the situation.

"Let me start there then. Since Cruor Princesses are not eligible to inherit and compete for the throne, we are often used by our brothers as either pawns on the most disgusting one, wives." Brie's expression went sour as she mentioned the second option for Cruor daughters.

Nicholas was confused by her words, hadn't she struck a deal with him that they would get married after he won the throne?

"Right, the deal we struck was for me to be married to you in order to protect myself from being used as a pawn." Brie explained, much to Nicholas' relief.

"A marriage of convenience that will never be consummated." Nicholas said as he thought carefully of the situation.

"You agreed that you were fine with having one less child as tradition dictates. I will deal with the backlash coming from the Ganti Clan and I will keep them in line." Brie explained in a forceful tone.

Nicholas couldn't help but be impressed with his sister, for someone who was so young she already had the makings of a great leader, unfortunately she was a woman.

"What else do you have to tell me, something about my magic this time Brie." Nicholas told his sister who frowned and shook her head.

"Very well, but first, take off your limiters, I need to check your mana mark." She gestured towards his bracelet and earring, prompting Nicholas to take them off as she had asked.

Brie then too his arm and ran her hand over the mana mark, sending a chill up his skin from her touch.

"Sorry about that." Brie said as he looked up with a worried look. "That crystal is new."

"Yes, it happened yesterday." Nicholas didn't explain any further, but his sister seemed to accept it.

"You need more mana before you can tap into your true magic again, and Ryenne and I might have found an easy solution." Brie exclaimed with an awkward smile.

"Why do I feel like I am going to regret this?" Nicholas groaned.

"You won't, you'll have to harness mana from Ryenne." Brie said as a mischief filled smile crossed her lips.