Seraphel

“Is this really alright?” Seraphel Malzareth, princess of Shaerone, asked anxiously, shutting the door behind her quietly as she pulled down the hood of her cloak. “We’re really going to go through with this?”

“Do you want to go back to the Convent already?” Her brother arched a golden brow at her and grinned. “Missing your embroidery and dancing lessons?”

“I’d rather eat a toad first,” she said, rolling her eyes. “But how is this going to work? If we’re caught, Delos is going to have our heads.”

“Then let’s not be caught,” Avaris said cheerily, putting a finger over her lips. He grinned mischievously. “They will never know. Hurry, come.”

He led her in front of a tall mirror in the corner of the room, and Seraphel studied their reflections. They were twins, both just past eighteen. She and her brother had the same eyes of molten gold and the same wavy blonde hair that had come from their mother. While her hair hung loose in waves over her shoulder, her brother had his tied in a tail at the nape of his neck. He was even fairer than she was, Seraphel noted sullenly. “How are we going to do this?”

Avaris reached into the pocket of his coat and took out a small leather pouch, placing it in her hands with a smile. “A gift. Open it.”

Seraphel looked at him suspiciously for a moment before pulling open the drawstring of the pouch.
“Earrings?” she said. The pouch had held two golden earrings, each inset with a single red gem. They were of simple workmanship and plain compared to the gaudy baubles worn by most Shaeronian nobles. She looked at her brother in confusion.

“There’s magic on them,” he explained with a smile. “The gem was made from my blood.” Avaris laughed at her startled stare. “It was necessary to make the magic lasting. It’s also subtle enough that most mages won’t be able to feel it.”

“Magic?” she said, eyes wide. Mages were so rare now that even their own court only had one, and there was probably less than fifty mages in the world. “Was it Havein?”

“That old drunken bat? I’d trust him as far as I could throw him,” her brother snorted. “No, I was looking and found another mage that had been in the city. If I asked Havein, Delos would know within the day. I’d rather avoid his attention if I can.”

Seraphel paused for a moment before nodding. Their brother had always been arrogant and easily jealous, and he had only gotten worse after he became King. She examined the earrings with renewed curiosity. They really did just look like normal earrings, and the blood gem seemed just like another ruby. “What does it do?”

“It’ll disguise you,” he smiled. “Put them on and you’ll see.”

She hesitated for a moment. Magic made her uneasy, but she trusted her Avaris more than anyone else. She picked up one of the earrings and brought it to her ear, ignoring the pain when the gold pierced through the soft flesh. She looked at the mirror. Nothing had happened. She looked at her brother with a frown, wondering if he was playing a trick on her or whether the mage had cheated him.

Suddenly, she felt a current of energy and pain move through her body, sharper than anything she had felt before. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to keep from crying out. It felt as if every part of her body was burning. It felt like forever until the pain finally faded away.

“Look,” her brother said in satisfaction. “It’s perfect.”

She opened her eyes. In the mirror was a young man with her brother’s face wearing commoner’s clothing underneath a hooded cloak. Staring at the reflection in the mirror, Seraphel felt at her chest. Nothing was there. She gaped.

Her brother’s grin widened at her expression. “You see? No one will be able to tell.”

“What—” She realized even her voice had changed to match her brother’s smooth tenor. “What happened?”

“It’s transformation based magic,” he explained. “Relying on a disguise and illusion would have been too risky.”

Suddenly, she realized a more pressing issue. “Wait,” she felt at the earrings with a horrified expression. “Will I be able to change back?”

“Don’t worry, you only need to take the earrings off to return back to normal," he paused, then sighed. "Actually, you'll have to turn back periodically every month regardless."

"What do you mean? Do you mean that I have to take it off myself once a month to change back? Or do you mean the magic will automatically stop for a day?" She was relieved that she could turn back, but that she had to turn back every month... 

"Either. You can either take it off yourself once every month, or you can let the magic fail on its own. The magic can only last so long for any one time, so for one day each month you are going to have to figure something out."

Seraphel sighed. "What kind of mage did you go to?"

"Transformation magic is difficult," Avaris laughed. “Hurry and change! Your new clothes are in the bedroom.”

Seraphel changed into the new clothes somewhat awkwardly. Suddenly seeing herself with a male body and her brother’s face was disconcerting, to say the least. She had prepared herself to disguising herself as a male, but to actually be one... She had seen her brother's body enough times as a child, but this... She shook her head. She understood her brother's reasoning, but she still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at this change. 

Seraphel paused in front of the mirror in the bedroom when she finished. She saw a twin of her brother staring back at her, wearing a silk red jerkin over a white tunic with loose wide sleeves and a black coat with a rearing griffin embroidered over the breast. She reached out to touch the cool glass of the mirror. “We really can do this,” she breathed. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. This was her chance to do something different from sewing and parading around in those torturous traps they called dresses. Her brother trusted her with this, and together they could do what no one expected them to do.

When she returned to the antechamber, she saw that her brother had changed from his court clothes to a rough woolen tunic, a plain black coat, and worn leather boots. He was also wearing a black hooded cape that was lined with fur and a sword that hung at his waist, to Seraphel’s surprise; she had never known that he knew how to use a sword. His saddlebags were by his feet, and Avaris had his hands clasped behind his back and was looking out of the window with a small smile. At the sound of her footsteps, Avaris turned to face her. “You look perfect.” He said in appreciation.

“Did you give one of these earrings to Rhea?” she asked. Rhea had been her maid at the Convent and was supposed to take her place while she was gone.

Her brother nodded. “I did. I gave it to her this morning while you were still being held by the ladies of the court for breakfast.”

“I can’t believe there is another mage in the city apart from Havein,” she said, shaking her head. She had thought that she was the closest person to her brother, but he had not even told her such an important matter. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have wanted to go along…”

“Which is why I didn’t tell you,” Avaris rolled his eyes. “I could hardly take you along and avoid notice. Also, it’d be best if no one knows. You know Delos’ nature. If he finds out, he might think me a threat for knowing a mage.”

Seraphel looked at him and said quietly, “Do you think he would kill you the way he did father?”

Avaris fell silent. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “Perhaps.”

“How can no one do anything?” Seraphel protested angrily. “We all know that he killed him.”

“There is no proof. The Council cannot act without proof.” Her brother said quietly.

“Then what else makes sense? Delos was the one who was last with him before he died. Not to mention, only he would gain from father’s death.”

“Sera, it’s best not to speak of this. It’s dangerous.” Avaris sighed.

Seraphel looked at him sullenly. “I know, but—”

“Be careful sister, that’s all I ask. There are ears everywhere,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “All this precaution will go to naught if you do anything reckless.”

She sighed. He was only older by a few seconds, yet sometimes it felt like those few seconds were actually years instead. “I won’t do anything rash. I’m not foolish enough to draw attention to myself in this situation. And it’s not as if I’m always out looking for trouble.”

“I’m sure,” Avaris said with a grin. “You have always been so quiet and docile…”

Seraphel glared at him. “When will you be back?”

“Another year at the least, but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised. He swung his saddlebags over his shoulder. “I should leave now, before the servants come to take me…you… to meet the king.”

“Where will you be going?” she asked.

Avaris looked out of the window again, towards the mountains in the north. “Wherever I need to,” he said finally. He sighed. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you any more, sister. It’s best that you don’t know.”

“Secret,” Seraphel sighed. No matter how hard she had tried, she had not been able to squeeze out anything about where exactly her brother was going. She felt at the earring again. “Alright, I won’t pry, but you will be careful? Our relations with Belara and Heiden is strained now, and if you go there…”

“I’ll be fine,” he laughed. “I’m more worried about coming back to find out that I’ve changed from the sickly prince to the court brawler who punch out the nobles at court.”

“I’d never—“

“I wonder how Lord Tamenes is doing?” her brother asked, his crooked grin widening. “I heard that he’s been walking around with a broken nose after a certain lady he was wooing became tired of his hounding…”

Seraphel winced. "He deserved it. He groped my chest," she said indignantly. "And he's been following me for the past few months, even though I've rejected him more times than I can count. It's enough to try the patience of a saint."

"I'm sure," Her brother chuckled then continued. “Well, since no one really knows me all that well, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you act yourself, but no matter what anyone says do try to keep a rein on your temper. And keep quiet.” He warned. “Try not to make enemies if you can, especially with Delos or Belas.”

She threw up her hands. “Alright! I will keep as quiet as a mouse.”

Her brother laughed, shaking his head as he hugged her briefly with one arm. “Then, Sera, take care.  If I don’t leave now, it really might be too late.” He turned away and made towards the door.

“Avaris!” she called as her brother reached the door. “I’ll make sure nothing happens until you come back. You can focus on your part without worries, but you better come back in a year! Or I’ll chase after you myself!” She heard her brother’s chuckle as he closed the door behind himself.

Seraphel bit her lip and shook her head, taking a seat on the couch by the window. Ever since she and her brother had come of age, they had been separated. He had moved to the Inner Palace, and she had been sent to the Convent to serve the Goddess. She had been going crazy there, with all her lessons on etiquette and sewing, when she had received her brother’s message that he was going to go visit her. They had kept in touch with letters, and it had only been two years since they had last seen each other. But, they were already so different. He had already seemed much older when she next saw him, with a subtle calm and confidence that could have matched their father’s in his prime. 

Still, Avaris had always been sickly; it was only recently that he had become healthy again. But now he was to travel out of Shaerone during these chaotic times, when there were bandits and desperate refugees crawling everywhere.


She hoped her brother would be all right.

She was worried for him, but she knew that her brother’s stubbornness on things that he had already decided on was just like her own, as much as she hated to admit it. And when he spoke of his need to leave, he had had a spirit and determination in him she had never seen before, and she knew that the only thing that she could do was to help him the best she could.

Despite her worry, she admitted that she was excited. She had never been to the Inner Palace, yet now it was her new home for the next year. Her brother’s rooms were larger than her own rooms had been his furnishings were of plain colors and of less gilt and embroidery; her brother had never been one for finery. There were shelves of books on the wall and a long, mahogany desk along the wall in front of the window. The room was perfectly clean, with nothing out place and all books were perfectly aligned. It all made her somewhat uncomfortable for a reason she couldn’t explain.

She wondered what her brother must have felt like living here for two years, alone except for the servants and the doctors.

There was a knock on the door, and Seraphel jumped. Cursing herself for a fool, she took a deep breath. “Come in.”

“Your Highness Avaris,” a servant opened the door and swept a low bow. “His Majesty Delos calls for you to join him in the throne room.”

She sent a prayer up to the Goddess before she stood. It was finally beginning. “Take me there,” she commanded. She was no longer the princess Seraphel, but Avaris, third prince of Shaerone. “I’ll not make my brother wait.”

With her heart beating hard, she left her new rooms and went to meet the King in her brother’s stead.