Chapter 8

Myna went looking for Arya and found her with the king.

Myna was both peeved and relieved when she finally found Arya. She was about to go on a rant, scolding Arya for running off like that and leaving her running around looking for her, when she saw who she was with.

She quickly paid respect to the king and the two high-ranking nobles before she left.

Now here was she, following the king to who-knows-where.

She passed by rose bushes, status, a white marble water fountain and servants and gardeners hard at work keeping the royal gardens and grounds looking nice and pretty.

They stopped to pay respect, bowing or lowering their heads when the small group passed them, before going back to their work.

Nobody paid too much attention to Arya or if they did, it was quick and brief, giving her looks of curiosity before going back to work.

Arya thought they were heading towards the royal palace but they weren't.

Instead, they made a sharp right turn and headed to a smaller building. 

It was made from white marble and gold. It looked well-maintained and also looked to be some temple to an ancient god that you find only in history books. Huge and towering column of white marble supported the roof and the floor was made of polished white marble just like the temple itself. Gold vines and flowers decorated the columns, the vines wrapping and circling themselves around the column with the solid gold flowers clinging onto the vines. 

The royal lion symbol of the royal family was engraved on the two heavy steel doors and those doors looked heavy and sturdy.

They climbed up the stairs and went past those in front of these huge gates that opened up immediately for them.

The insides of this place were just as majestic as the outside with those same white columns and polished white marble floor. But the space was filled with what looked like coffins that were arranged in neat rows with white flags with a golden lion symbol hanging off the walls, draped over those coffins and even a golden lion painted onto the ceiling of this place. Small, round metal bowls filled with golden fire lit up the tomb with a soft yellow light.

Arya realized that this was a royal tomb where all dead royals were buried. There couldn't be any other explanation for what else this place could be.

Arya wondered why they were here. Were they going to kill her? Imprison her here?

As if he could read her mind, the young nobleman addressed her worries.

"Don't worry, little one. You're just here to see if you really are part of the royal family. A blood test will be performed here on you."

Arya took in the words "royal family" and "blood test".

"Wait…what blood test?!! What even is a blood test? You think I could be part of the royal family? A princess?!!"

Elijah-the young noblemen-wasn't listening to her words. He was more focused on the girl herself. 

Yes, those glittering and blinding green eyes. They were beautiful and captivating to look at. There was a sort of fierceness in them that hinted at power and strength.

He has seen those eyes before. Not in person but in a painting and from the king himself. The late king Cullen. He had striking and captivating green eyes that he became famous for. The "Green Eyed One" was what they called him and no one had such beautiful green eyes like him. His mother, the queen, had green eyes too; her eldest son inherited those bright, dark green eyes. Now that he looked closely and carefully at the girl, he saw that her eyes were the exact same shape and shade-a almost perfect match to the dead king's.

But that alone would not be enough to prove her connection to the late king and the royal family. More evidence was needed.

The king claimed that she had telekinesis. The power of the late King Cullen. He was the only one in the kingdom to have it. Even after 15 years since his death, there had not been a single reported case of someone else having that power. That power was his and his alone-at least until now if the king was telling the truth. And Elijah trusted his master/adopted father figure very,very much.

But despite all of that, a blood test would still be needed to officially confirm her relationship with the dead king.

He looked over to Catalina as she tried to ensure and comfort the nervous girl.

"You'll need to draw blood for it to work but it doesn't have to be a lot. Even a single drop would be enough for the test to start working, so don't worry."

The girl still didn't look assured and Catalina held her hands and brushed her hair, trying to calm her down.

"Still, I'm scared."

Arya didn't know what was going on and wanted to leave but Catalina kept a firm grip on her shoulders-firm but still gentle.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Just relax. We won't hurt you."

The king paid no attention to them and instead drew out a small dagger from within his robes.

One small cut to his palm and two small drops of blood hit the floor of this tomb.

At first, nothing happened but then the entire floor started glowing and emitting a bright golden light that blinded Arya.

After the light faded away, Arya could now see what looked to be a large family tree had sudden;y appeared on the floor of this house of dead royals.

Names of all the dead and current royals. Marriages and deaths. Children born from each marriage. Kings and queens of the past that were marked out with a small crown symbol over their names. Each name was written out in gold and the tree looked like it was incomplete. 

The king saw Arya's look of curiosity and he smiled. He threw out his arms and gestured at the building they were in.

"This. This here is the House of the Royal Dead. This is where the members of royalty are buried. We also use it to keep track of all existing and deceased royals. This tomb here processes a very special magic. If you really are a member of royalty or related to a member of royalty by blood, then your blood should be able to trigger the magic it possesses. The tomb will only react to your blood if you have the blood of royalty flowing through your veins. Once your blood hits the floor of this special place, it will add your name into this royal family tree. It will also reveal who your parents are as well. If you're not a member of royalty, then nothing will happen."

Arya gulped. She had something she wanted to say before she did this test. 

"What will you do to me if…I fail?"

The king was quick to respond.

"I won't kick you out onto the streets. I can give you a job here as a servant girl where you'll be well fed, well paid and have a roof over your head or we could find some loving and good family that wishes to adopt you as one of their own. Your pick."

Arya let out a sigh of relief. So either way, she'll be fine.

She nodded once.

"Let's get this over with."

…..

Arya winced as the dagger cut open her hand. It was just a small cut, nothing too deep or serious but it still hurts like crazy.

The blood splattered and poured out of her open wound, leaving ugly red stains and botches on the pristine white floors rather than just tiny drops of red like the king.

Arya held her breath. She could sense that the king and the two nobles were as well.

At first nothing happened. At least for the first 10 seconds.

Then a blinding flash of golden light lit up the entire tomb. It lit up the entire tomb, outshining the small fires lit up all around the place. 

Arya saw the light fade away and the light became more bearable to look at.

Soft golden light outlined the family tree. But it seemed as if it was adding a new addition to the tree. A new branch of royal sprouting from where the late king Cullen's name was and connecting to "Unknown". A single name could be found between the two parents. 

Arya. 

The king choked on his own spit when his theory was confirmed right before his very eyes. He was an uncle now and he now had a niece who he never knew about until this day. Arya. That was his niece's name. He could see the similarities between her and his older brother: The eyes, the power, the way they smiled, and the sharp but delicate and beautiful facial features. He was looking at the very face of his brother in this young girl that was his long-lost daughter. 

Catalina nearly gasped in horror and realization as a new member of the royal family was standing right before her eyes. A princess. Even if she was of illegitimate and unknown origin, she was still a royal as clearly stated by the magical royal family tree as her father was the late king Cullen. It was unclear who her mother was-was she a noble? A maid servant? A commoner?-but regardless of that, Arya was still a royal

Elijah didn't show too much of a reaction to the reveal of who Arya's father was. 

So her name was Arya. Not a name that a noble or royal would have given to their daughter but "Arya" was still a beautiful name for this girl-no, princess-and he was the first one to react to the new-found status of Arya's. The kingdom had another princess now and he wanted to pay respect to her.

He made a quick bow to the stunned and overwhelmed Arya.

"I greet her highness"

Catalina followed suit with a small curstry.

Arya stood there blank faced and unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Her entire life was overturned in a matter of seconds. She went from being a nameless orphan to a princess in seconds.

Her emerald green eyes flickered back and forth between Elijah, Catalina, king and the floor of the tomb that had revealed her true identity.

Arya thought she was still dreaming and that this was all in her head but a painful pinch to her left cheek told her she wasn't dreaming at all.

This wasn't a dream.

She really was an actual long-lost princess who was the king's niece. 

Fate really loved to throw curveballs at her these days.

The king raced over to her and grabbed her hands.

Arya was rather taken aback by how he suddenly appeared right in front of her when she swore that he was on the opposite side of the tomb just moments ago.

Silver-gray eyes looked right into her own bright green ones. Arya saw a mix of emotions in those gray eyes: Joy, excitement, love and worry.

Why worry?

The king's grip on her hands was firm but gentle and looked as if he too was having a hard time believing what just happened. When he spoke, his voice was soft and warm like a summer afternoon sun.

"Arya. I believe you probably already know this but you are my niece, the daughter of my older brother as the royal tomb just revealed. The results from the blood test can not be faked or staged. I know it must be overwhelming for you as it is for me to suddenly discover that I have a niece now."

Arya could not believe that the king was addressing her so casually and by name. Kings don't do that!!

"Your highness-"

The king cut her off and shook his head. He reached up and brushed back a strand of her hair from her face, tucking it back behind her ear. His expression was soft and gentle like a moving father rather than a distant and all-powerful king.

"Just call me uncle. No need to be so formal when we are uncle and niece, Arya."

Arya processed that bit of information for a bit. The shock of discovering she was a princess was outweighed by the fact that she suddenly had an uncle now-someone to call her family. Someone she was blood related to. She never knew who her parents were and grew up as a penniless orphan begging for scraps of food to eat when she couldn't get it by doing some jobs and chores for others.

Was fate finally smiling down on her and taking pity on her? Or was this all one big comedic joke?

"Uncle. What's going to happen to me now? I…I'm honestly scared."

Arya's voice cracked a little and her fears and worries slipped out of her mouth with her question. The future looked scary despite her sudden good fortune. She heard all kinds of stories on the streets of how bastard children of noble families got killed off just for existing because they were considered threats to the illegitimate children in the quest for power. Stories of how illegitimate children were treated badly and neglected. 

The people gossiped and talked all the time about the lives of nobles and royals. Arya heard all sorts of things about how the upper classes lived. Of how the nobles were not human but gods with their superhuman abilities even if she had never seen an actual noble before. She heard of how noble families had lots of children and how petty power struggles resulted as a result of so many children. 

And now she was a part of this glittery world of the royals and upper class.

The king surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug and Arya started tearing up because no one had ever hugged her before.

"It's going to be alright, my little niece, I'll figure out everything for you so you don't need to worry about a single thing."

Elijah and Catalina looked on at the touching scene that was playing out right before their eyes between the king and his long-lost niece.

Catalina leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"You think that girl could be a potential contender for the throne?"

Elijah's eyes never left Arya as he gave his response, whispering back to his female friend.

"No, unlike the other princes and princesses, she was never given the proper training and education to compete for the throne.But she doesn't stand a chance against all the other royal children even if she did receive proper training and an education. I took just one look at her and I knew right away that she had no real ambition or aggressiveness in her to fight for the throne. She's someone who was not raised and brought up in the cutthroat and tangled up web of royal politics like the other royal children were. "

Catalina knew he was right. Her sharp blue eyes glanced over at the girl who was having a heated conversation with her uncle right now. They were talking about her future and what her life would look like from now on. 

That girl had no real fight in her nor did she have the eyes of someone greedy for power and the crown. That girl was different from the rest of the royal children who thrived for more power and respect from the nobles and their followers while they coveted the throne for themselves. 

"No, rather than being a player in the royal politics games, she might become a victim to it instead. Killed just for having royal blood inside her veins. History has shown us that just being a royal means that you always have to watch your back for assassins and death."

"I agree, Catty. The funny thing is that I had only known her for such a short time but I get a feeling that I would gladly put my life on the line for this girl."

Catalina ripped her attention from Elijah and caught Arya giving a big and childish smile. It was a smile filled with joy that made you want to smile with joy as well. Catalina felt as if she would do anything to see this girl smile and keep her happy.

"Eli, how can anyone have such a bright and warm smile like that?"

Elijah shrugged.

"Beats me but that smile of hers somehow makes my day feel a little bit brighter."

Arya wrapped up the conversation with the king and she was feeling a little bit more assured now. 

As the small group left the tomb, Arya walked alongside her uncle with Catalina and Elijah next to her. She was sandwiched between the king/her uncle and the two nobles but it felt less restricting and scary now to her.

The king-no, her uncle-promised that she would remain a secret and no one would know about her for her own safety.

Arya's presence as a new royal princess could be seen in a negative light as another player in the royal succession game. Arya could be targeted and killed off just for being a member of royalty even if she didn't have any intentions or wish for the throne since no one took chances when it came to securing the throne and making sure that they did not have any contenders-present or future-that might challenge them for the throne later on.

A more particular reason for keeping Arya's existence a secret and not introducing her to the world of nobility and royalty was that Arya needed time to adjust and get used to her new identity as a princess. She was the only niece of the king, a princess by blood even if it was only through the dead king's older brother, and was to be treated as such. But Arya lived her life on the streets, begging or working for food to eat and a roof over her head, and it must have been a massive shock for her to transition from rags to riches even if she was doing a good job of hiding it right now.

The nobles. The parties. The luxury and extravagance. The flattery and sweet talking. The royal political games. Those under her trying to gain royal favor and curry favor from her. The way how the weak and spineless were looked down on and crushed under the feet of the powerful and respected. How power and strength were all that mattered in this glittery and golden world filled with struggles for more power and influence. 

Such things were nothing to a young master or young mistress of a noble household or a royal prince or princess. Just another part of their daily lives.

But Arya would be crushed and vulnerable to such things. 

She wasn't ready to face the world as Arya the princess yet.

Arya was thinking about holding hands with the king but she didn't feel that comfortable with him yet.

The day was still young and it was probably late afternoon judging from the way the sun was up in the sky.

She shot a look at the two nobles. If she was going to be spending lots of time with them from now on, she needed to know them a bit better.

"Elijah Bohun, the youngest swordmaster ever recorded in history. I heard from my..uncle that you are a highly skilled sword user and possess a fire ability."

Elijah nodded once.

"Yes, your highness, that's me. Elijah Malva. I'm single and unmarried right now although everyone keeps telling me to get a girlfriend even though I'm only 23 years old and I have lots of time to get a girlfriend. As for my ability, my power is Pyrotekineis. I have the ability to manipulate, produce and control fire. Pretty cool isn't it?"

Arya was a bit embarrassed at being called "your highness".

"Nice to meet you, Mr.Elijah. But can you please don't call me "your highness". Just "Arya" is fine."

Elijah shook his head even though he was holding back a laugh.

"No can do, little princess. That would be very wrong and rude if I didn't address you properly."

Arya just decided to drop the whole subject. She focused on the noble woman instead.

"Hello, your highness. My name is Catalina Malva. As for my ability, I have poison manipulation and my passive ability is poison immunity. I can create and control all kinds of poisons freely as I wish and it also comes with the bonus of making me immune to all poisons and toxins!!"

Both Elijah and Catalina greeted her with respect and formality. Arya felt like she had to respond to them, tell them what her power was.

Arya played with her hands and looked down at her feet.

"Well…I really don't know what my ability is except that I can move things without touching them."

The king, who was quiet for so much of the walk, suddenly spoke up. He turned his head away from the rose bushes and looked at Arya. His eyes looked sad and Arya wondered why.

"Telekinesis. That's your power. It's the same as him. I thought I would never see that power again. My older brother's power being passed down to his only descendent."

It hit Arya. The king's only brother. Her…father. 

"I have his power."

The king wiped his eyes to get rid of the tears in them.

"Yes, yes you do. And his eyes and smile. You have all the traits my brother had except for your brown hair."

Now Arya was curious as to what kind of person her….father was. She never knew him or met him before. But from how the king was talking so fondly about him, he must have been a good person.

Arya spent the rest of the trip back to the mansion talking to Catalina, Elijah and the king/her uncle.

Maybe fate was smiling down on her for once and she was going to live a good and happy life from now on.