The Hunt for the Royal Runaway

Chapter 1: Pre-Revelation

Years Later in the Diamond Palace

Akisha Diamond’s Point of View

“Too slow, Your Highness.  If you’re always like this, your enemies would enjoy watching you take your last breath in the battlefield.”  Randall confidently uttered while pointing the end of his sharp sphere at the center of my chin.

Goosebumps filled up my system yet I can’t help but smile.

Upon taking a brief stare of defeat towards him, I let my body lay freely down the ground. And despite my exhaustion and sore, I couldn’t help but laugh out of happiness.

At last, Randall decided to fight with me after a thousand pleas. 

“W-what’s wrong, Your Highness? I told you…if we do this, you might get hurt.” He responded with an evident worry. I almost heard his throat gulp down his anxiety when he saw that I am smiling through the pain he imposed to my body. In an instant, all his confidence and pride of being able to take down a princess have faded away. He even almost sounds apologetic. Gross.

“Hey….” I muttered deeply as I close my eyes and clench my fist.

“Y-yes, Your Highness?” Randall tensed up. The clashing sound of metals from his body armor were heard the moment he stepped away and pulled his sphere back. When he allowed an open space between us, I lifted my body slightly, only to look away to the railed windows of our castle.

“It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? Honestly, I never expected that you would give in with my request, Randall…” I sighed while observing the birds fly freely up the blue sky.

He remained silent but I was quick to notice that he followed my gaze away.

Good, now is my chance to get back at him.

“I guess the rumors are quite real. After serving our family for more than 10 years, your fighting skills became really off the charts! Too bad, you underestimated me…..” I followed. Randall must have been distracted by my innate charm that he couldn’t help but lower his guards when I started speaking calmly.

“Your Highn—“

“Huaaaaah!” I quickly slid my right foot to where his ankles stand, causing him to stumble down. When he fell side first, I rushed to give him a headlock with my fibble strength. Adrenaline rush is now in my blood.

“Yesss! Take that!” I screamed lively, taking pride with my moves.

But as I immersed myself with the brief sense of joy, he was quick to turn the tables around. Uh-oh.

“Aaaaahhh….” I grunted by the time he got back up and twisted my arms to pin it down my back. His strength almost made my bones break. I sensed a piercing tension from the way he clutched my arms, leaving me paralyzed. Now that he managed to face me away from him, I couldn’t think of any offenses that would leave him unguarded.

“Do not celebrate in the middle of a fight.” He uttered seriously, leaving me panting and hurriedly thinking of my next moves.

Come on, Akisha. Think!

I calmed myself down and hurriedly assessed my situation. Right now, both of his hands are holding the wrists of my arms against my back. That’s right! Both of his hands are preoccupied now so it means that he is not holding his sphere.

“I will not lose to you!” I declared before directing my feet to run in 360 degrees so that I could turn to where the sphere fell. There it is!

“Your Highness, enough of this…you wouldn’t find a suitor if you act all rogue in a playful combat!” He argued, still holding my upper body immobile.

“Who said I would want some st-stupid suitors?!” I rebutted, channeling all my remaining strength to the lower part of my body. Without wasting a second, I kicked Randall’s back by letting my left foot slide to the gap between his legs and forcefully clashing my ankle up his lower spine area. I targeted the part of his body that is least covered by his armor. My move caused him to lost his balance once again and he fell knees first down the ground.

“Aah—“ He groaned before automatically letting my arms go.

It worked! But I’m not finished yet. Like what he told me, I couldn’t celebrate in the middle of a fight. Hurriedly, I rushed to pick up the sphere so I could use it to threaten him. Everything felt like it was in slow motion. My heart is beating so loudly. I couldn’t mess it up this time.

The moment I finally picked it up, I felt like my body became one with the weapon. I felt like my arm had a mind of its own as it grips towards the metal rod and aimed it to my back where Randal should be kneeling a few feet away.

“Randall, you lost! Don’t att—“

“Your Highn—“

All my excitement went down the drain when I realized that I hit Randall’s face quite seriously with the edge of the sphere. I felt numb and cold as blood dripped down from his forehead down his left cheek. Suddenly, I remembered…I was the one who suggested earlier that he take his helmet off. Immediately, I dropped the sphere to the ground.

“Noooooo! Randall, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you! You were supposed to be kneeling down! Why did you follow me when I ran?!” I shouted as I pressed my left palms to his forehead to stop the bleeding.

I can’t believe I did this to him.

“Hold on…I—“

“It’s okay, Your Highness. I’m fine. Don’t use your magic too much. You’ll need it for your lectures later.  I’ll be healed as soon as I go to the infirmary.” He mustered, hiding his pain behind sad smiles.

I shook my head.

“No…I grew up in your watch Randall. You know how stubborn I am.” I declared as I channel all my remaining energy. I let my body imbibe the flow of magic from my heart down my palms. Just like how I’ve been practicing on my own since the beginning, I focused on looking at the wound at his forehead with an intention to ease his pain.

I am from the most powerful House. Even if my magic is not that strong, I should at least be able to do this, I thought. 

Not long after, I felt my magic manifesting itself physically. Heat was emitted from both my palms until a faint glow of light appeared and was passed down to where Randall’s wound is located.

“Finally….” I uttered silently, trying my best not to lose focus. Strange. It is for the first time that a light was manifested from my magic. I don’t know exactly what it does. But judging from the way I feel, I can sense that I could develop it to something even stronger.

I know it was good magic.

“Impossible….No enchanters were able to use healing magic this good before.” Randall spoke as if he saw a ghost. I furrowed my eyebrows as a response. He touched his forehead gently, seeking for answers about what just happened.

As we both gaze at each other, his jaw dropped slightly. His dilated pupils tell me that right now, we are thinking of the same thing.

How in the depth of the forsaken realm did I manage to use a non-existing magic to make his wound disappear?

--

The day flew swiftly in a blink of an eye and the next thing I knew, night time arrived. I sighed. I always hated night time. In my life, night time means being confined in a huge gold room decorated with eye-sore causing tacky-colored roses all over the ceiling. Every night, I would sleep in my extra-huge dome bed with unnecessary velvet curtain that would make me feel trapped even more. Just by looking at how my room is decorated, I couldn’t breathe properly. Before my maiden would knock on my door and do their rituals of washing me before I was knocked out by a sleeping spell, I would always look over the window to gaze at the stars above enveloping the earth.

Right now, there is where I am because there is where I belong.

“Hmmm, I wonder if celestial magic exists…that would be really cool to have.” I talked to no one but myself while eyeing the moon. I admit, even if I always hate night times, I like the darkness that it brings because it causes illumination from the sky. The sky is always bringing me comfort I couldn’t seek anywhere else. I love how peaceful and far from reach it is. It reminds me that someday, I will be free to reach its heights. And if there would be a chance to control the beauty and placidity it brings, I would gladly share it with every enchanter in the world.

“Your Highness…” I heard a familiar voice of a woman that snapped me away from my silent dream.

Here they come.

“Come in…” I replied respectfully. I hopped down the edge of my window to welcome them. With a single gentle push from Lady Lana, the door opened gracefully, revealing my 8 dignified maidens in olive green ballgowns and white hairbands, all prepared to perform their duties. Lady Lana, their head stands firm in the middle. She was the one to lower her head to me first and the rest followed suit.

“Oh come on…no need for honorifics, Lady Lana….guys! You’ve been cleaning my ass since I was a baby.” I joked, bumping Lady Lana’s shoulder lightly, though she only smiled at my movement.

“Thank you for that offer, Your Highness but we refuse to drop thy honorifics. It is expected that we always act the status imposed to us. Also, we suggest that you become wary of such unrefined words before your parents hear it.” She reasoned with deep vocabulary without even choking or stuttering.

“Gosh…why won’t you accept me as your friend! I don’t care about that status nonsense…I’m not comfortable with you treating me so highly.” I threw a sort of tantrum in front of them, not really caring at how I appear to be.

“Someday, you’ll get used to it, Your Highness.” Lady Lana responded with a peaceful voice and it signaled the other maidens to finally direct me to the bathroom and strip me naked. The next thing I knew, the 8 of them were scrubbing my back and armpits while my lower body soaks in bubbles.

“Ish. I can do this myself…why do you guys treat me as a child?” I complained while pouting and looking away from embarrassment.

“We apologize, Your Highness. Us taking care of you the moment you wake up and go to sleep is customary.” Lady Lana reasoned before she proceeded to massage my scalp with lavender shampoo.

“I know, I know. By the way, have you heard of Ran—Sir Randall after the…err…incident that happened earlier?” I dared to ask her.

“I heard he is already doing great. His wounds have completely healed already. Thanks to your first-aid magic.” She replied as calm as ever.

“That’s good to hear but….I’m not really sure if its only first-aid magic that I was able to use.” I reasoned back without intending to have a reply from her. I spoke in a whispering-like manner as I zoned out, thinking of the light that came out of my palms earlier. I’m sure this is the first time that I ever saw something like that. The fact that it even came from me is more terrifying.

“Hey Lady Lana, is it true that the Opal Realm is the nearest natural realm from us?” I diverted the topic as I try to ease my mind.

“Indeed, Your Highness. It could be travelled by foot. I cannot tell you the details any further…for your own safety. You’ll learn everything from your geography lessons soon.” She countered just before she rinsed my then bubbled-hair.

“I see.” Those were the only thing I managed to say as they went to dry me off, cloth me once again, and send me to bed.

“Thank you for tonight, my maidens.” I uttered after an hour of bedtime preparations that they did for me.

“It’s an honor, Your Highness. May you sleep well tonight and dream sweetly.” Lady Lana bid her farewell before they exit my room.

The moment silence filled my empty room, my smile automatically faded as I rushed to grab my brown cloak that is hiding under my bed and carelessly jumped out my window.

Tonight, I will go visit the Opal Realm and see its wonders for the first time.

--

The rustles of dried leaves were heard in the empty and dark path to the edge of the House Diamond’s property. I grabbed the edge of my cloak's hood tightly as I try to blend in with the colors of the sleeping bushes and quiet flowers, all peaceful under the silver moon. They say that this shortcut is always unguarded starting 10 in the evening daily. This would be my only shot. I need to take it right. 

A few more careful steps and I can see our castle from the edge of the shortcut when I looked back. It means that I already reach this far. No turning back now, Akisha. Don’t worry, it will be worth it.

I continued my walk until finally, I reached the vines separating our property from the outside—the Opal Realm.

“Almost th—“

Suddenly, I was frozen. My heart started beating loudly that I thought it would break the silence of the night. As I gazed to my left, I saw one of the Kingdom’s knights guarding the exit. 

Stay calm, Akisha. He’s asleep. He wouldn’t catch you if you’re careful enough, I thought. 

I took a deep breath and composed myself. The knight is deeply asleep and even snoring. I continued walking while avoiding to step at the dried leaves on the pavement so it wouldn’t let out crisps. Three steps were all it took and finally, I reached the Opal Realm.

“W-woah….” I couldn’t help but get astounded at my new surroundings now. Clearly the earth element is alive in this realm. Birds were chirping so beautifully and the greens of the trees were so bright that anyone who steps foot here wouldn’t think it was night time.

So this is how a natural realm looks like.

The river is flowing continuously with clean, blue waters while fishes jump up and down. Every kinds of flowers are sitting in all bloom all around too!

“How I wish I could live here!” I jumped up and down before exploring freely. My efforts are all worth it. I rushed to the river to have a taste of the water and I felt instantly refreshed. When butterflies land on my shoulders, I couldn’t help but feel welcomed.

I will definitely escape the kingdom a thousand times more just to land a feet here again.

--

“Wake up, Your Highness! You will be late to the ceremony….”  A forceful pull of my blanket away from my body interrupted me from snoring deeply.

“Mmmhhh. W-wh cerem-ny?” I asked whoever was waking me up groggily as I wipe my drool without opening my heavy eyelids. My half-awakened senses are pulling me back to sleep.

“THAT ceremony!” The lady suddenly screamed in my left ear, causing me to bolt up my bed and panicking to look around. Realizing what she meant, my heart suddenly thumped louder than whenever I thought I was going to get scolded by Randall.

“Is t-that today?” I grabbed the lady by her dress tightly. 

I see. Of course, it is no one but Lady Lana.

“Indeed. Your parents will be mad anytime if you’re late. The king and queen are expecting you to arrive at the Royal Arena in 5 minutes.” She said without a hint of agitation, causing my panic to intensify.