Dinner came and went in silence, both me and Rhyd too engrossed in our own thoughts to make conversation with our aunt and uncle. Granted, they did try to make conversation and hear what we thought of our parents' announcement; however, we were too shocked about it to explain. As soon as we are dismissed, I shut myself in the library, with only the books to comfort me. I wandered towards the loft, glancing at them.

"Things shall never be the same..." I reach the little nook in the far corner of the loft and sink into the small window-seat. Surrounding me are all my favourite types of books. Fiction, Fantasy, History, and my personal favourite: the magic tomes.

After a little while, I figure that I should do some royal studies before Aunt Ingrid chewed me out, so I stand and collect a few of my family's magic books; the spines, old and worn, all bearing my family's name. Why magic books? I can thank my lineage for that. Thinking of it drew my thoughts away as I stood before the bookcase.

Many citizens of Cesarcia know of the country's secret. Some have the ability to do special things. Often, the heir to the throne is required to have this ability, though it's not always the case. My brother, much to my parents' dismay, does not hold any power inside of him, as far as anyone knows. I, on the other hand, do hold energy inside myself. My ability is simply magic, and if I ever wished to, I could learn bits and pieces of all abilities, which is far more than a majority of the abilities in the kingdom. However, it puts me in a precarious situation, for the elders wish to have me ascend to the throne instead of my brother, which I do not support.

I bump into the corner of the bookcase, breaking my train of thought. Oh, bother... I should be practicing anyways. I stand in an open area between the window and bookshelves, placing the books on a lectern in front of me.

I silently begin to practice.

*****

Dinner could not have gone any slower. Aria and I picked at our food— the cook made our favourite dish to cheer us up: Sunday Roast—, not really feeling up to conversation. I could not wait till dinner was over, so I could properly think about this situation. Home...

At long last, Aunt Ingrid grudgingly dismissed us, seeing that neither of us were planning on finishing dinner. I saw Aria head down her side of the second floor, and I knew precisely where she was headed. Her reading corner. I, on the other hand, retreated to the Royal Office— which I renamed The Lair, much to Ari's dismay—, where I could sit and stare out the window with my thoughts to console me.

I entered the room and pulled my chair over to the window. I gazed out the window and allowed my thoughts to consume me as I absentmindedly stare out the window at the gloomy clouds outside, which are threatening to burst. Home... I hardly remember what home is... Mother and Father haven't even seen us in the flesh for 3 years. I don't even see why we must return now and abandon what we worked so hard on. Being normal. We aren't some royal, prissy siblings. We're just normal, British teenagers here in London. Ari may be the one with mystical powers, but we both have all but abandoned the extreme royal customs since living here. We certainly can't return whilst being so uncivilized in our parents' eyes...  My thoughts trail off, and I find myself making my way to the small bookcase near my desk where we have royal textbooks.

To humour myself, and to also please Aunt Ingrid, I decide to study the text a bit. Rain begins to fall, lightly tapping the window. I pull my chair over to the glass, and watch every so often as I absentmindedly study, my thoughts taking over every so often. I do not seem to fit in anywhere. No magic to fit in at home, no normal lifestyle to fit in here. I'm tempted to open the window, but there's a slight breeze, and Ari would have my head if anything ended up wet inside. I'd rather not be the victim of her revenge. Quite the mischief-maker, she is...

*****

I'm totally winning this staring contest.

I stare down each of the illusions of myself that I created, never blinking, and trying to catch one of my illusions flickering. I haven't seen any flicker, but I'm sure some have while I wasn't looking. Therefore, I'm winning. I walk up to one, Staring into its gleaming eyes, knowing that at some point I will blink, but it will not. Knowing the outcome, I become a little bored of this staring contest, and touch the shimmering illusion to see if it would break. When I touched the illusion, it, along with all the other illusions, flickered and died out.

"Really?!" I sighed and ran a hand through my fringe, turning in a small circle, looking at the empty space now surrounding me, disappointed that they all disappeared. Back to the magic books, I suppose...

I stop when I have depleted most of my magical energy. Aunt Ingrid will be absolutely livid when she finds out I used this much energy in less than an hour. My energy is so far gone by this point, I determine that there should not be a difference in my stamina by conjuring a glass of water. I conjure it, and slowly sip from the cold glass. Just as I thought. No difference in energy.

"Knew it." I mumble to myself, slowly cleaning up and walking across the hall to my room— "Royal Studies" time complete. I enter my room and change into more reasonable clothes, grabbing the envelope and my phone as I head out of my room on my way to The Lair. I stop dead in my tracks just in front of the door, the air noticeably cooler around it. He did not dare... I swing the door open to find the window ajar.

"Rhydian, I dearly hope that nothing in here is wet!" I say, glancing around the room.

"I apologize..." He mumbles, trying his best to dry the few places that were covered in raindrops, "I wasn't going to open it, but it looked so nice out..."

"Leave it for now. We can retire to your room to read this." I hold up the letter. Rhydian's eyes light up, and he practically drags me across the hall to his room.