Blood Ties

The Princess's Secret

While walking through the hallways, Sirius couldn't help but wonder what was happening with the princess—what secret the queen wanted to hide from the king.

Upon arriving at the room where the queen and the baby princess were, Alessandro slowly opened the door, not wanting to wake his daughter if she was asleep. But upon hearing the baby's laughter, he ended up opening the door abruptly and entered, saying, "My beautiful princess is awake!"

Alessandro walked over to where she was, picked her up in his arms, and began kissing her chubby cheeks. Sirius entered shortly after, and upon seeing the princess, knew the reason why the queen had intercepted him in the hallway. He understood the princess's secret.

"Isn't she precious?" Alessandro asked while showing the baby in his arms. Sirius silently nodded, which didn’t please Alessandro.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Sirius realized that the king wanted him to praise the princess and wouldn't be satisfied until he spoke highly of her.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, it's just that the beauty of the princess took my breath away—it left me speechless."

"I understand, she is the most beautiful thing in this world."

April arched one of her eyebrows as she looked at Alessandro. He cleared his throat and rectified himself, "You're beautiful too, my love, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

April ignored Alessandro's attempt to fix what he had said and greeted Sirius. "Long time no see, Sirius. How have you been?"

"I've been well, Your Majesty, thank you for asking."

"Thank you so much for coming. Please have a seat."

Sirius took a seat in front of the queen, and they exchanged glances while Alessandro tickled the baby.

"I suppose Alessandro has already said it all," April said.

"Not everything, but he asked me to accompany you as your guard on your visit to the Kingdom of Laios."

"That's right. I have to go close the Hades rift that's there. It was a promise I made to my brother, and now I must fulfill it."

"And what if it's a trap? I mean, even if he's your brother, he's still the enemy."

April showed him the mark of the alliance between them and responded, "I'm aware of that, but if he betrays me, he will die too. Our alliance is not just by word; it's by blood ties. If he betrays me, he will die as well."

"I understand."

Gabriel entered the room and said, "Your Majesty, there are some documents that need to be approved immediately. Please return to your office."

Alessandro hated the idea of having to go back to work, but he knew Gabriel's words were not a lie. There were still many documents that required his signature, so with great regret, he handed the baby over to April, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and said goodbye. "I must go. I'll see you later."

Once they were alone, Sirius approached the little princess again and said with a voice full of concern, "Now I understand why you intercepted me this morning. Even though she's only six months old, her power has already awakened."

April stroked her baby's chubby cheeks and said, "That's why I'm very worried about Lissana."

"I understand your concern. The power she possesses is too great for such a small body. You know that could be dangerous, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware that she could suffer a magic overload. I've been using my magic to stabilize hers, but it's not always effective. Sometimes she unintentionally uses canceling magic."

Sirius stared at the baby, the little girl brimming with power. April was someone very powerful and possessed an almost unlimited amount of magic, but that girl seemed to have inherited not only April's power but also Alessandro's.

"What powers has she manifested?"

"So far, fire, air, and sometimes light magic."

"What?"

"Yes, I was also surprised the first time I discovered it."

"Normally, a person can only manipulate one element, but in your case, it's different—you possess two elements, although your flames themselves don't burn."

"Now they do. Ever since I broke the last seal, I have started to control my magic even better and do things I couldn’t do before."

"What I mean is that someone who manipulates so many elements can be very dangerous for herself."

"I know."

"The princess could die."

April remained silent, seemingly surprised, yet not.

Sirius suspected she had already considered it, which was why she kept the power a secret.

April caressed her baby's head and replied, "I am aware of Lissana's power and, to be honest, it terrifies me in more than one sense, but that's not the only reason I’ve kept her power a secret."

"I suppose the questions you wanted to ask are related to that?"

"Yes. My mother gave her life to hide my power, but now I believe she did it not only for my father but also for her family."

"For the elves?"

"Maya mentioned once that children born between a human and a lightbearer were considered abominations. If such a union were to happen and a baby was born, the elves would take those children to their kingdom, separating them from the human world. They are undefined creatures, neither of the Light nor of Darkness, which makes their power greater than that of a normal elf or human. If I am considered an abomination for being a half-blood, what do you think they will think of Lissana if they discover her existence?"

"I think nothing good."

"Exactly. That's why I fear for my daughter's fate. I’m afraid that, in the future, they might try to separate me from her."

"I respect your decision to hide your daughter's power, but if you ask for my opinion, I think Alessandro deserves to know what's happening with his daughter."

"I will tell him, but this is not the best time to do it. So, could you keep this secret?"

"I already told you I would. I won't go back on my word."

"Thank you very much, Sirius."

"Going back to the main topic, when do you plan to journey to the Kingdom of Laios?"

"I would like to leave tomorrow if possible, but I still have to wait for Cassian."

"There are some things I need to take care of before we leave, so I don't think it's possible to leave tomorrow either."

"I understand. Then I'll be waiting for you here. Come back when you have sorted out your matters."

"I'll come as soon as possible. I don't think it will take me more than two days."

"Alright."

Sirius stood up and said, "I'll leave immediately so I can prepare."

"Thank you very much, Sirius."

"You're welcome, April. See you soon."

After Sirius left, Lissana used her wind magic to lift the curtains with a strong gust of wind. Immediately, April used her magic to cancel her daughter's.

What worried April the most about leaving was the separation from her daughter. She feared that Lissana’s power might spiral out of control in her absence.

She caressed her baby's cheeks and said, "My little one, you must behave while I'm not here."

April had so many questions about her daughter's power and what she should do to protect her, but there was no one who could answer them. She let out a deep sigh.

"How I wish you were here, Mom."