Vivian

It was ice cold inside the throne room. The magic with the walls came to life as I walked further inside without grabbing anyone's attention. The guards had taken a five minute break and that was exactly when I slipped inside, after waiting nearly thirty minutes for them to look away. It was the perfect time.

There was no light inside the room except the moonlight flooding in from the large windows. A little fire formed over my palm as I tried looking for the goblet of gold. The ceilings of the vaulted throne room were high and there were drawings, telling the stories of the kingdom's past.

I treaded carefully and as quietly as it was possible.

The room itself became aware of my presence and my attention. A light formed on one corner of the room, inside the wall where the goblet was kept.

My chest raised and dropped as I approached the wall. The glow seemed to emanate from a hidden alcove, a secret compartment within the room's architecture. As I walked closer, the light grew brighter and it appeared itself.

My fingers went against the cold glass. I couldn't have seen it with my own naked eyes. It was impossible. But there it was, the golden golden, hidden behind the enchanted glass. I traced my finger down, looking for a way to open the glass and take the goblet.

That was all I needed to do.

Nothing else.

I'd leave from here once I was in the possession of the goblet. It would take me a while to return to Elijah's home where the blood was kept. And then, it was a matter of few minutes before the curse would be broken.

My fingers continued to feel any opening, but there wasn't one which made me believe it was spelled by someone. It had to be Alexandria.

A heavy breath left my throat and I closed my eyes before trying again. My instincts guided me, feeling for any hidden latch or mechanism that would grant me access to the inside of the compartment. Suddenly, my fingers brushed against a small indentation in the glass. It was in the corner and not visible to the eye.

A smile stretched over my lips as I pressed against it gently, and to my surprise, the glass began to shift, the barrier dissolving before my very eyes.

Yes.

With glee, I quickly reached for the goblet and grabbed it, cradling it in my hands like a precious treasure. The golden surface was cool to the touch and it was quite heavy to hold, but small. I didn't believe until I had a good look at it.

This was the goblet used to form the curse and this was going to be the same goblet to break the curse.

Stephan Sven was a smart, powerful king, yet humble. When he didn't see the same the traits in his own daughter, he decided to take her magic, spread it among four men using witchcraft and leave her with nothing.

But what could she have done to piss off her own father to the point where he had completely taken her magic?

It was a thought for another day.

With determination, I lifted my dress and tore part of the stockings I wore before tying the goblet securely against my thigh. Hidden from the view and safely nestled beneath my dress, no one was going to see it. But I still needed someone to take me back to the house where the vials were being kept.

Surely not Elijah.

As I walked away from the compartment, the glass returned and the light flickered off, turning everything dark inside the throne room once again. I reached the door and pressed my ear against the cold wood, listening to the guards outside.

I could hear their footsteps as they walked back and forth in front of the door. My brows furrowed and my face turned into a frown. It was going to take a while before they were going to leave again. But what could I do? I didn't have a phone, I couldn't call anyone and I hadn't told any of them of where I was heading too.

The guards got into a conversation among themselves while I walked back into the room while biting a part of my cheek and wondering how long it was going to take before they left again. I doubted they'd be here once the ball was over. But that meant I had to wait for hours, here, completely alone.

Crap.

Letting out a suppressed groan, I raised my head and using some magic, I lit up the dark room with some fire before taking in the sight of it. It was grand, majestic, the air filled with regality.

The throne was crafted from what appeared to be a combination of dark metals, its cold and dark appearance absorbing all of the light from the fire. I hadn't ever seen it before, not with my own bare eyes. Only a few pictures, most that my mother had shown me when she taught me about this hidden kingdom.

I was merely six then.

The throne's high back was decorated with twisted vines and thorns, casting eerie shadows on the wall behind it. My hand brushed over the leather armrests and the seat where King's and Queen's had once sat, ruling over all us with grace and might.

As a chid, I had listened my mother recounting tales of battles and legendary Kings who had once called this kingdom home. Now, standing before the very throne they had fought to protect, I couldn't help but feel a connection to those stories, as if the spirits of those rules were watching me.

The guards' conversation outside the door grew louder, snapping me back to reality. I pulled my hand away from it and walked over the window.

Seeing the city of Vragas from here was a different sight, a sight that was surely never going to leave my mind wherever I went after breaking the curse.

These were my last few days here. It was just over a couple of months ago when I came here, at Alexandria's demand, and now, I was going to leave.

A thought crossed my mind and I opened the window slightly, letting some fresh air in. Looking down, I saw the garden of the castle where some people from the ball were wandering around, losing themselves in the night.

My eyes went shut and I slipped my hand out. The tips of my fingers pointed toward the garden beneath the castle and I began focusing on the spell.

"Folia Scriptura Nuntius." I repeated twice and a warm sensation surged through my fingertips.

With a deep breath, I focused on the message I wanted to send to Elijah, urging him to come to the throne room and take me out from here. As the words formed in my mind, the spell took effect, causing the trees and leaves beneath to shudder against the wind.

I closed the window and stepped back.

All I had to do now was to wait for him to come and find me.

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