Chapter 5 THE VISIT TO THE SORCERERS

“Your Highness,” Athalia whispered to Adrian during a pause in the music, “do you find it… difficult?”

“Difficult?” he repeated.

“To watch someone else… be loved in ways we cannot control,” she said softly.

Adrian nodded slowly. “I have gotten to understand that every glance and every favor is never mine to take, yet I cannot ignore it.”

"Really?" she said disbelieving. "Doesn't it bother you?".

Of course it bothered him.

But hearing her say the words out loud made the jealousy inside him feel like a flame fed with oil.

“I” he began, but he couldn’t find the right answer.

Athalia finally looked at him.

Her eyes glittered, it was calm, but sharp.

“You don’t have to pretend with me, I didn't pretend I despise my sister” she said slowly. “We want the same things, remember?”

Athalia lifted her hand, almost unconsciously, and touched Adrian’s cheek lightly. “You will prove yourself,” she said. “I will stand with you. Together, we will claim what is rightfully ours.”

A spark lit in Adrian’s eyes.

But their shared moment did not erase Athalia’s private discontent nor did it stop Adrian’s private fears. It was of a resolve for ambition. It was a spark that would grow into ambition, determination, and later, dangerous schemes and Athalia’s own ambition stirred in response.

Each comparison every passing day drove a thorn deeper into Athalia and Adrian’s pride filled with resentments and insecurities.

To Adrain, the crown of Arrandelle was his to inherit, but the hearts of the people seemed to belong to another.

The coronation passed without incident. The kingdoms feasted, honored the new Seatopian king and returned home with renewed alliances.

The palace was now quiet and the shadows had grown long across the floors. Torches flickered against the walls, and the distant sound of waves against the harbor echoed faintly through open windows.

Athalia returned to her chambers with Lira close behind, moving carefully and silently in thoughts through the empty halls.

Adrian walked back to his quarters separately, thinking of the conversation, the understanding they had and of the quiet weight of expectation he bore. Even as he shut the door behind him, he could still see Eric’s smile in his mind and hear Emelia’s gentle laughter.

"What if he takes my birthright?" he thought to himself.

But Athalia couldnt take the comparisons anymore. She clenched her fists in rage recalling the countless times she was compared to Emelia.

"You took my man and now you want my spotlight. she said "If i cant have the throne and the man i desire then you'll never have any either".

Driven by a hunger she had championed with polite words for years, athalia sought out a sorcerers. Well, me.

“You mean she came to you grandma?’ the eldest child asked.

“Yes” she answered.

It was the beginning of the choices made, and the quiet envy in the palace that would shape the lives of all who lived within it” she said. “And though no one yet knew it, these peaceful, bright, and golden days were the calm before the storm.’

Athalia came to me “She continued

“Lira, her maid, begged her not to come but Athalia was beyond persuasion”

“Your Highness, the cliffs are dangerous, and sorcery always costs more than it gives,” Lira begged.

“I will not be second to anyone,” Athalia said firmly. “Never.”

The sorcerers lived on top of the cliffs where the ocean roared like an angry beast. Her eyes were clouded like pearls, and her voice carried like wind over jagged rocks.

“I want beauty beyond comparison. The power to influence kings, and the ability to make any heart bow to my will.” Athalia asked.

“You shall get all you desire,” she whispered.

“But there's a price! You shall not bear a child. Should you defy this decree, everything you gained will be torn from you.”

Athalia didn’t care. “I accept.”

She thought the cost was irrelevant. She had no need for children but a need for power.

The sorcerer waved his hand, and her fate was sealed.

For two weeks, Athalia locked herself in her chamber. She took no meals except those brought by Lira, and no one entered except her loyal servant. Rumors spread throughout the palace: “Is the princess ill?” “Is she heartbroken?” “Is she plotting something?”

No one worried more than Adrian. He paced his chambers, running his hands through his hair. “Did I push her too far? Does she regret trusting me? What if she thinks I’m weak? What if she tells Father? What if… she hates me now?”

He replayed their conversation in the coronation hall over and over.

He lost sleep, lost appetite and lost the small sliver of confidence he had managed to kindle within himself.

Then, one evening, a maid bowed before him. “Your Highness… Princess Athalia has summoned you.”

Adrian froze.

The queen was delighted when she heard this and summoned him, he nearly ran through the corridors. The queen sent servants to guide him with delighted smiles, whispering about reconciliation and love.

Adrain’s heart raced as he followed the servant through the palace corridors. When he arrived at her door, he felt unprepared for what awaited behind it.

But nothing prepared him for what he saw.

Athalia stood at the window, back to the light facing him. Her hair shimmered like molten gold and her skin glowed. Her eyes sparkled with a dangerous and intoxicating charm.

She turned slowly, and Adrian’s breath died in his throat.

“You…” he stammered. “You look incredible.”

Athalia dipped into an elegant curtsy.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Come sit.”

He sat beside her on the long bed as she took his hands gently.

“ I told you…” she said with a soft smile. “….we would get what we want.”

He moved closer toward her as if bewitched.

“What have you done?” he asked

She smiled. “A little self-improvement.”

Adrian reached out as though drawn by invisible strings. “I was worried… that my words drove you into hiding.”

Before he could finish, Athalia leaned in and kissed him. It was a soft, deliberate brush of lips that ignited beneath his skin.

He froze then he pulled her closer.

Somewhere in that embrace, two flawed hearts found validation in each other’s darkness.

The next morning, Adrian returned to his chambers.

Athalia who was awake in her chamber were with thoughts equally sharp.

“Lira,” Athalia said softly, “prepare what we discussed. The preparations must be flawless.”

The maid nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. Everything will be ready.”

Athalia closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself a quiet breath. Power had a cost, and she had paid it willingly. But she was not done yet.

It was just the beginning of the quest for power for Princess Athalia.