THE LIFE OF A TRAITOR'S SON

It had been a week since Leomere had won the contest, and he had yet to meet the princess or see the world outside. Being cooped up in his room for a week, with nothing to do but eat, sleep and think - it had been taxing on his mental state.

He sighed glancing around the decorative walls, which he had studied so many times that he could have drawn them from memory. The room far more luxurious and spacious than his former home in Ramoth. It had high ceilings and ornate details, it's walls decorated with intricate patterns and beautiful tapestries, depicting scenes of heroism and adventure. The room bathed in sunlight from a large window overlooking a beautiful garden. And the furniture, made up of fine wood.

However, despite all these Leomere wasn't actually happy, nothing different from when he was with his bhabu - at least bhabu kept him company.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door. He sprang to his feet and opened the door, it was Venus and a royal guard.

"Greetings Leomere." Venus began.

"Uhh...Greetings."

"I am here to inform you that the mages demand an audience with you. The guard over here will accompany you when you get ready."

Leomere stared at the guard - he looked as though he was forced. Probably missing his family or so, Leomere swallowed. "Just a moment, I need to grab something."

The guard nodded.

Leomere went back into his room, he knew the mages would try to use their magic to probe his mind and discover his secrets. He had to find a way to stop them. He searched through his belongings until he found a necklace, given to him by his bhabu. The necklace was said to have powerful protective properties, and Leomere hoped it would be powerful enough to keep the mages from reading his mind. "I didn't know this would come in handy, thanks bhabu for always looking out for me." He kissed the necklace and placed it around his neck, feeling a sense of comfort and protection. He followed the guard to the room of mages, where he was instructed to sit in the middle of the chamber.

The room was dimly lit and the mages sat around him in a circle, their hooded faces shrouded in shadow. Leomere felt a sense of dread as he waited for them to begin their interrogation.

"You walk very silently for a man, perhaps too silent." The leader began, her voice slow but steady. "We have a Leomere Gaza of Ramoth iye creek hmm and who is Gaza?"

"Yes, Gaza the one who birthed me." He replied swiftly.

"And your father?"

"Forgive me leader I thought we were here for strengths and weaknesses."

When Leomere spoke, the woman's face wrinkled slightly as she smiled, revealing deep crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. She removed her hood, revealing long, silvery hair that flowed down her back in waves. Her violet eyes sparkled with intelligence and mischief, and Leomere couldn't help but wonder if she was too young to be the leader of the mages. He wondered if she had been appointed for her skills, or if there was more to her story than he knew.

"Oh! He talks back! A feisty one," the mage exclaimed. "But it's true, isn't it?" She raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on her face. "You don't have a wand, medallion or bracelet, and you can't wield sorcery, can you?" She looked at him expectantly.

"No, I can't," Leomere admitted.

"And yet, you managed to escape the maze of madness with your little friends," the mage mused.

Leomere smirked. "Turns out I'm not that useless after all."

The leader got on her feet. "I suppose. One of you knows dangerous sorcery, strong enough to tamper with YHÀKADÉI itself." Her voice echoed through the room. "But just let your little buddies know that we'll soon figure out who that person is! And they'll be taken care of, children with that kind of power are to be tamed." She drew an imaginary circle in the air.

"What are your strengths?" the mage asked, her eyes curious. "And are there any weaknesses you'd like to share?"

"I'm an excellent swordsman, and I'll fight until my last breath," Leomere replied, pride evident in his voice. "As for weaknesses? I have many." He sighed.

The mage began to circle around him like a hawk eyeing its prey, and he wanted nothing more than to stand up, but with a flick of her wrist he was pinned down. A look of amusement played across her face.

"Don't lie to me boy!" Her voice was growing impatient. "I know you wield sorcery! Aurea! Gwen! Read him to me now!"

They both stood up and drew two circles in the air, then traced a line at the centre. After a while, aurea spoke up. "Leader I can't read him."

"What?!" The leader's eyes widened, "nonsense! Move!" She decided to try herself. "By the power of the light in the sky I demand to know what lies in this boy's heart!"

Nothing happened, all the mages got to their feet and took positions, combining all their powers together. In unison, they raised their hands in the air and drew all their circles - a great energy radiating from within.

"Nyawai nirayan...Nyawai nirayan." Nothing was happening, they tried again but couldn't get through. They were blocked from his mind, gasps kept erupting in the room.

"Impossible!"

"He's completely neutral."

She released the seal she had placed on him, that pinned him to the chair.

At first Leomere was unsure of the necklace, but when it worked - he had to act a little cocky and take credit for it. With a smile he said. "You didn't let me tell you about my weaknesses leader.

After a while she nodded.

"Leader, a true warrior is he who turns his weaknesses into his greatest strengths."