Chapter 3

Castiel flipped through a book in his study; his calloused hands traced the edge of the leather as he skimmed through the pages, seemingly looking for something, but then he put it away after a few seconds before picking up the next book.

The sounds of metal clanking drew his attention to his incoming guards before the knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a guard bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, there has been an incident in the Princess's wing!"

Castiel dropped the book in his hand and quickly left to join his sister.

Odeliah crossed her legs as she watched the attendant who was pressed against the floor, hands held to her back by the guards. The attendant looked scared but wasn't making any noise, so Odeliah merely waited for her brother considering it was his servant. He arrived, still in full armour. She wondered if he always wore armour or what. Even in their own home, he was in full armour. She wondered if he felt stuffy and uncomfortable.

"What happened?" he asked, seeing the scene.

She lazily pointed at the woman on the floor with her fan. "Make her drink the tea." The guards looked up at Castiel as if waiting for permission. Odeliah frowned, they might be her brother's men but isn't this too disrespectful? "Make her drink it!" Odeliah repeated, her voice cold and detached.

Castiel nodded at the guards who held the attendant firmly as another brought the remaining tea to her lips. She shook her head violently, trying to resist, but the guards' grip was too strong. The tea was forced into her mouth, and she was made to swallow.

Moments passed, and the attendant's struggles intensified. She began to gag, her face contorting in pain. Blood trickled from her mouth as she spat out more, her body convulsing violently. The guards held her upright, but it was clear she was in her final moments. Her eyes rolled back, and with one final spasm, she collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

Odeliah watched the scene unfold, her face a mask of indifference. Castiel, knelt beside the lifeless body, examining it briefly before standing up.

"She was too bold this time," Castiel said quietly.

Odeliah fanned herself, understanding that 'she' referred to the crowned princess – Hesperia. The beautiful, perfect heir to their mother's throne was known for her formidable strength and intelligence.

"You think it was Hesperia?" Odeliah asked her brother. He waved at his guards to drag away the body. Odeliah watched the girl's body being dragged away and found it strange; the attendant should have at least pleaded for her life, but instead, she said nothing, merely crying and struggling in her last moments.

"Who else could it be? You know very well how much she despises you." Castiel spoke as if his words were common knowledge. After her coming of age ceremony, Odeliah hadn't interacted with her older sister much, so she could only ascertain certain things from an onlooker's perspective. "Before I leave, who did you pick as your Koa?"

Odeliah dropped her train of thought. Her brother was expecting her to pick out a strong warrior. If he saw the scrawny man she chose, would he be upset? "Go and bring him here," Odeliah asked a free attendant, who bowed before retreating. "Do sit down, brother, and share some tea with me," she said as the tainted tea set was cleared from the small table.

Castiel nodded and sat on the opposite couch. "I hope you can stay sober for the banquet tonight; it wouldn't be good if you were inebriated amongst the nobles."

She laughed nervously, aware of her reputation for barely being sober. "You won't have to worry, brother. I have decided to swear off wine."

Her brother's pointed ears perked up as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. "Really? You do not have to go that far; it is only for tonight."

Odeliah shook her head. "It is no problem, brother. It is about time I became more serious." She looked up to see cold, piercing suspicion in his eyes, and she felt her heart shake in fear. Was this too out of character? "Besides, I realized I much prefer to be fully aware of my actions when I enjoy myself." She put on a rather satisfied look, bringing her fan higher up so he could only see her glazed eyes. Only after this did his gaze soften, and she let out a small sigh.

"Your Highness, the Koa," an announcement was made, and footsteps echoed down to the sunroom.

Ahqi entered the sunroom, his transformation strikingly evident. He did not look quite as scrawny once he had been put into well-fitting clothes. He looked leaner and more athletic, his black hair was now neatly tied back, revealing his sharp features. He wore simple black and white robes with the sleeves tied tightly around his arms and a held to secure his robes in place. He bowed deeply, greeting his benefactors. "The grace of the Kaiser be with you, your Highness."

Castiel examined Ahqi with a critical eye, his expression unreadable. "So, you are the one my sister chose as her Koa?"

Ahqi straightened up and met Castiel's gaze without flinching. "Yes, Your Highness."

Castiel continued to scrutinize him for a moment longer, the more he looked the deeper his lips curved downwards. "Tell me, what makes you think you can win this competition?"

Ahqi didn't hesitate. "I may not have the brute strength of some of the others, but I have precision, speed, and the will to win. I will use these skills to my advantage."

Castiel raised an eyebrow at his confidence. "I hope you live up to my sister's expectations."

Ahqi bowed again. "I will not disappoint, Your Highness."

Odeliah watched the exchange quietly, sensing her brother's disapproval. She knew he had reservations about her choice, and she had to admit, she wasn't entirely confident either.

"I have faith in his abilities," Odeliah said, her voice steady. "Do not worry about this, brother."

Castiel looked at her determined expression and could only let it go. He should have known better than to leave her to choose her own Koa, but it was too late now.

"I will be heading to the dark woods this afternoon," Castiel said, his tone more relaxed. "I will leave my servants and attendants in your care. I will be back soon enough."

Odeliah nodded, feeling relief. Castiel was quite a scary figure to her; it was for the best if he was away for now until she got used to this world. As Castiel left the room, she turned to Ahqi, who stood quietly, his eyes uninterested in her and her brother. She felt a bit strange; he was still cold to her. "I want to watch your sword technique closely; we should go to my gardens."

Ahqi bowed his head slightly. "Yes, your highness." Even his words sounded cold. Her smile seemed to wilt, but it remained a smile, nonetheless.

She led him to the gardens, which were empty and mostly quiet except the occasional bird chirping and leaves rustling. The sun cast dappled shadows through the leaves, and a mat was spread out for her to sit on. A crystal bowl of fresh fruits was placed beside her, and a jug of water was ready for Ahqi.

She picked a grape from the bowl and watched intently as Ahqi unsheathed his sword and started to practice his sword stances. She watched him for a while, but eventually her thoughts wandered to the state of her family.

'Was it really Hesperia?' She asked herself, it didn't make sense for her older sister to try and kill her. Right now, Odeliah was not her competition, no one was her competition. Her sister's position was solid as concrete, there was no obvious way to shake her off the crowned princess position. It made Odeliah feel anxious, it was starting to look like this world was impossible.

'No, get a grip! There must be a way!' She told herself as she picked up another grape. They tasted so sweet she was wondering if these were magic grapes. 'Magic?' That's right, this world should have magic, she didn't know why but she felt a bit excited at the prospect. She had never seen magic before, much less tried to do it. But the second she looked a bit deeper into her memories she realised the problem, elves couldn't use magic.

Odeliah sighed dramatically, her ideas were dead ends. She needed to do something that would let the court have some faith in her and less in her sister. She looked up at Ahqi; he looked handsome when he was concentrating. "Ahqi! Come have some fruit!" she called, her voice catching his attention. An attendant handed him a towel, and he approached the princess.

Ahqi felt it was strange that she did not seem too worried about winning the Koa competition. If he were in her shoes, he would be quite anxious right now, having picked a subpar swordsman. Did she have that much confidence in him? Somehow, that idea was quite endearing.

Odeliah, who had sorted through her thoughts, had given up on winning. She didn't think he could beat someone with the name 'Anaia Pendragon'; that was just asking for the impossible.

She offered a piece of grape to him, raising her hand to his lips. His calloused hand held her wrist, and he ate off her fingers.

"Thank you, your highness," he said. She could see his cheeks had a faint blush, and her mind short-circuited. She expected him to just take the grapes and feed himself; why did he eat off her fingers?

"Ah-it's no problem!" she said quickly, hurrying to give him something to drink. Having a grown man like him do something like that made her feel quite nervous.

Ahqi accepted the drink, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he looked away. "You seem troubled, your highness. Is there something on your mind?"

Odeliah hesitated for a moment. "Ahqi, you don't have to exert yourself too much." He didn't have to die trying if he couldn't win.

Ahqi nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. I will do my best, and I will train harder to be worthy of your confidence."

That's not what she said though?