First day in this world, already in trouble.

As he told her the story of the young man who lost his way her mood had a hard time keeping up. At first she was furious. Sure, she could disagree with her parents, but had she ever waged war against them? She knew she had gone away with Simeon, but it had turned to this. Without Simeon's training, would she even have been able to survive here? But then she felt sad, maybe because she could imagine how it was to feel betrayed, feel like what you had worked on was broken down. That was how she had felt when Connor hadn't come to her side when she had been mauled by the beast.
"Why would he do something like that?" she whispered, although she knew that everyone eventually wanted power. It was a driving force for so many creatures, and she felt saddened to think about it all. "Did you know him?" she asked carefully.

"Who knows." he said with a slight shrug. It really didnt matter to him what motives had driven Valerian or if it was even for a specific reason. It didnt change the fact they were now missing the book and it was the young prince that had it. "Yes." he answered a little dreadful in tone, looking at Saoirse before he sighed. "It was like having a brother you could never get along with. Except this one had titles and was far more annoying than the average brother." was the best way he could put it. He ran a hand through his hair, and then he realized that neither of them had showered in ages. Not that it seemed to matter much in this unbalanced realm but now that he was aware he felt like he needed it. "Well, guess that means we have to completely change our plans." he said, nodding for her to follow as he went to the castle's well. He didnt even know if it was still functional, but he placed a hand on it just to be sure.

"I guess it does," she said, feeling a bit defeated. However as he moved, she moved with him, stopping at the well with him. What was he thinking off? Then it dawned on her, feeling her blonde hair a mess and her skin a little grubby from sleeping in piles of books. "Hey, if you are thinking what I'm thinking ... I think I know a better place where we can clean up," she said, sending him a devilish smile as she showed him around the side of the castle until they reached a passageway that led them under the castle. It was dark, but she could find her way around, taking his hand as to not lose him on the way.
What they reached was a rather large pool area. "I found it one night when I couldn't sleep ... It's heated, my guess is from a natural hotspring beneath the castle, which is also why it never really feels cold in there," she pondered before she pulled her shirt off, dropping it in the water, because she might as well clean it as well. Then she removed her pants. However she didn't really dare remove more before submerging herself in the water. Dunking her head under she felt her face get cleaned before coming up to the surface again. Then she removed her underwear and bra, placing it on the ledge of the pool. "Please don't stare," she said in a tease, pushing water up on his feet before she swam away from him, enjoying the warm water surround her. She chuckled and it echoed around them making her chuckle more.

Saoirse couldn't help but giggle ar his question, turning around to look at him. "Oh yes, what we are in now is actually a very sacred pool only meant for the truly devout," she said trying to act serious, but it was hard keeping a straight face when she was kidding. "Normally if you were to enter it without living up to the criteria you'd burst in to flame - no, no don't doubt the logic of water making you catch on fire, this is serious business," she giggled swimming in circles around him. Of course she was kidding, but it helped the two of them unwind when they were stuck at something. And right now they needed to think about anything but that book.
Sighing she laid her head back in the water, letting her ears be submerged as she heard the underwater sounds. Or rather lack thereof. "Back home I really loved going to the beach; even though I was pretty self conscious about my marks, it was like in water you could always be yourself,' she said smiling to herself as she remembered how Amos had impatiently taught her how to swim. Chuckling to herself she turned to look at him, her face relaxed as the waters heated her whole body up. "How about you, were there beaches here once as well?"

"Well because in my word I'm the only one I've ever met that has marks like these ... Daemon summoners have black ones in different tones, but mine are silvery and looks more like scars," she argued looking at him with sad eyes. She just couldn't help it. But also she felt a little shy now because he had called her marks beautiful. "I don't think I'll ever find the true beauty in them," she pondered. Maybe she would start to tolerate them more, but she didn't think she would ever find them appealing. However she was reminded if what Amos had looked like when they were together. How he touched every part if her marked body and tried to reassure her of how beautiful she was. Those times seemed so far away.
He spoke about the beaches and her face lit up. "Maybe it can be so again, maybe when we get to the bottom of all this book stuff we might be able to really start the restoring what is beyond the castle," she said hopefully. She splashed some water in his face, giggling in a playful manner. Deep down she was still just a kid trying to have fun.

To think that she could've grown up here and be adored as he told her sounded so far fetched. But she was happy that they changed the subject before she would start to feel too concerned about how she looked. The teasing went back and forth and it felt good. "A mystery? How come?" she asked a little confused, mostly because she really felt like she had been quite open with him. "What is really so mysterious about me?" she rephrased, swimming around a bit, but not too far from him. She was interested in hearing his thoughts, although she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous to hear what he would say. She knew she had always been strange, but this world somehow made her feel like she belonged. Not something she could say had happened often in Gambion, unless she was with Amos.

Reminded him of someone? Did she even dare to ask? "I hope that someone was a good someone and not the village fool," she smiled, clearly jesting still but as he turned more serious she could recognize those feelings. She swam a little closer, smiling at him as she reached out and took his hand under the water. "Well you came back to help; The least I could do was help you too you know," she argued, giving his hand a soft squeeze. It felt so natural. It was really a friendship that had blossomed from trust, and how closely they had worked in the library.
"I really like having you around ... Even though I still can't properly pronounce your name," she chuckled, trying once again to say his name in the native tongue. But it was just so hard when you weren't used to speaking it. She eventually gave up with a small giggle.

"I don't know, calling you Aurel or Auron feels so weird, like if you started calling me Lowenna," she chuckled, feeling how he was touching her hand. It felt good. Looking down at their hands under the water she smiled to herself. "It's funny ... My whole life has been so confusing and nothing made sense," she confessed, "I felt like I was constantly being tossed back and forth, never really fitting in anywhere." Opening up like this wasn't something she did often. She liked having her walls up to protect herself, but he was just starting to mean a lot to her.
"That was until I got here; I finally had somewhere to fit in, something to do ... I get to be someone for myself and not try and suppress parts of myself that I've hated all my life," it was truly how she felt about this place. As much as she missed Amos and her family, this freedom was worth so much more. "I know you spoke about leaving ... Going back to find your sister and I get that, but I would lie if I didn't say I would miss you," she confessed.

He touched her cheek, and she would've before shied away, but she actually leaned in to it. His touch was just comforting, making her feel like balance was the best way to describe it. "No I know you haven't left yet, but I tend to worry ahead of time," she chuckled. She came a little closer to him, feeling attracted to that balanced feeling he gave her. Strangely it wasn't even something she thought about too much, she just felt it was so natural to wanting to be close to him. She hadn't felt like this unless you counted the bonds, but those were almost driving her mad back then. At least looking in hindsight.
"You just compliment this place ... Like I feel at home, but you being here makes it better," she confessed, chuckling as it felt so different. It was sweet and innocent even. "And you don't treat me like a child," she added with a small grin.

"Oh yes, the best furniture," she giggled, but they both knew she didn't mean it that way. She could feel his fingers on her skin and as his fingers moved down to her collarbone her eyes fluttered a bit. It felt good. It felt right. And most importantly she trusted him. Was it bad that she wanted him to look at her? "I don't feel like a child when I talk to you," she muttered under her breath, her hand moving up to touch his hair. By the gods he was handsome, and she felt strange not noticing it before now. Or well she had, but so much else was on her mind back then. She could feel his fingers caressing her marks and for the first time she didn't mind. Like she knew he wasn't looking at them and founding them strange. He found them beautiful, because he had said so himself.
"It just feels ... Right," she whispered, holding her breath as she looked in to his eyes. Did she want to kiss him? Did he want to kiss her?

There wasn't really much left to say was there? But as he leaned in, she was compelled to do the same in return. Their lips connecting in a delicate and tender kiss, one that made her press herself closer to him. It felt peaceful. Like everything in this world was balanced, even though it wasn't, and she smiled against his lips kissing him again. Soon enough they were slowly making out against the side of the pool, her hands around his shoulder, pressing herself closer to him. In her vulnerability she moaned against his lips and that was when she heard movement followed by a scoff.
"You still know how to pick them, Aurielan," a familiar voice hissed from the shadows. And there he was, standing like the day he had disappeared. Saoirse broke the kiss, hiding her chest away by pressing herself closer to Aurel. Then her eyes seemed to focus in on the figure. His stature on point and his eyes piercing through the darkness. "Ah, this must be our next Shameeria," he said, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the librarian who had been caught red handed with a girl that he definitely shouldn't be with. At least not according to the old rules.

She had felt so safe a moment ago, not that she was scared, but just being with Aurel like this was new and different. Now it felt like it was ruined, only she felt happy as he wrapped his arms closer around her. As he disclosed the strangers name her eyes widened, looking from one man to the other.
"What book?" he asked nonchalantly, walking around the pool observing the couple in the water. The girl was beautiful, he had to hand it to Aurel for actually getting someone like that. Even more so, she was marked with wonderful swirls. "Oh," he chuckled, stopping as he turned to look at Aurel, "I think I must've lost it somewhere ... The same as the throne that you had not right to pass on to an outsider," he spat.
Saoirse watched the two men discourse, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut much longer. "I'm Saoirse-" - "I know who you are, Shameeria, and you would do better than fool around with an apprentice," Valerian interrupted, making Saoirse frown. "I told you already, my name is Saoirse, not Sha-whatever it is you're saying," this sentence seemed to amuse Valerian, clicking his tongue as he shook his head. "How is she supposed to guard this realm if you are one fooling around with her, and two not teaching her the proper terms?" he asked Aurel with a shake of his head. "If old Haarenshrill saw you, he would surely be disappointed," he shook his head.

"You know better than anyone that I never wanted that throne," he barked back, his eyes betraying him as he looked at Aurel. It had been so many years since he had seen him last, and he had hoped that they could do it without the guardian here too. He wasn't a fan of that title going to an outsider just as he despised the title of ruler passed on like that.
Saoirse grabbed her shirt as she was handed it, pulling it over her head as she swam over to grab her skirt as well. It was better than nothing, she thought, happy that Aurel was actually shielding her. She heard the stranger scoff at Aurel's questions, and her green eyes turned to look at the two men arguing back and forth. "Your sister suffered a great deal after the war; She was never the same without Deera," Valerian reminded him, or had Aurel forgotten how his sister had been an empty shell when her wyvern was slaughtered in front of her eyes? "But she did come to see me before she disappeared ... She told me all about your pity fight, how she wanted to venture outside the castle to see if anyone might've survived," he said, shaking his head. "She's been gone for many years now, but don't assume that I never care for her, or you for that matter," Saoirse found that the prince spoke very refined. His accent was a bit stronger than Aurel's, but she couldn't really pinpoint what made it so different.
"Listen, I don't know what went down between you two, but this bickering has to end; Please, Valerian, where is the book?" Saoirse asked carefully but also in rather asserting way. She was done being dismissed by this so-called prince, and Aurel and her both knew that the book was needed. Valerian's eyes were on the hybrid, narrowing his eyes as he reached his hand out to her to help her out of the pool. She took it reluctantly, and now stood dripping in front of him. "I'm afraid I gave it to Astrainea before she disappeared," he said rather seriously. He gave a short glare to Aurel before looking back at the hybrid. "But I did make a transcription of the original, just in case," tossing a black key to Aurel if he was still in the water. "You know what room you can find it in," he said coldly.

Valerian was no fool, he had tried to help where he could, but the way Aurel treated him right now he didn't know if he would ever be forgiven for his past mistakes. Not that it mattered. He knew what people had called him, he knew how they had defaced images of him and ridiculed his name.
Watching as Aurel got out of the pool he scoffed at the notion of him coming with his cousin. There was no doubt that he would, but he found it silly. "Afraid I'll disappear? Or scared that I'd be scheming to hurt you?" He had to ask. The hybrid didn't seem to move as Valerian passed her and led the way.

Valerian had stopped, waiting for Aurel to catch up as he grabbed a torch from the wall. He was silently taking him deeper in to the pathways beneath the castle until they reached a rather sacred area. He could feel his eyes sting, but he told himself it was just the torch smoke and not the feeling in his chest.
They reached a gate, Valerian asked for the key and unlocked it before going through, holding the gate for his cousin. "You know where we are heading, don't you?" He asked, his voice felt strange, as if he was trying to numb himself up for what met them. A long line of statues on each side appeared. Valerian passed along them, not looking at the carvings of his ancestors. That was until he reached a statue at the far end. It was much lighter in color than the rest, suggesting it was newer. Although it had clearly aged.
Placing the torch at a holder by the statue he looked up at his former wife. In her arms she was swaddling a baby. "Hello dear," he whispered, reaching up to touch her face. A tear escaped from his wounded eye, the small ball of water fighting with the bumpy skin on his cheek. He then touched the baby's hand carefully before he gestured for Aurel to go around the back of the statue. There he would find a small chest where the key would also fit in to. Unlocking it inside his cousin would find jewelry and a beautiful baby toy in silver, but wrapped in delicate linen were the book that he had been searching for.
"Tell me Aurel, do you still despise me for what happened to her?" He asked, meaning his wife of course.