We slowly (or what felt like slowly) walked all the way back to the capital. We spent the night in the village, once again doing odd jobs for food. If Maverick could just teleport food, this wouldn’t be a problem. You would think Avaline would allow him to do that much.

  At night, while everyone else was asleep, I caught glimpses of Aidan trying to use his light magic. He’d eventually get frustrated, and though I couldn’t see it, I could feel the dark magic in his palms. What had happened to him?

  The next morning was even stranger. Aidan refused to get out of bed to the point where Finn slung him over his shoulder. I knew he stayed up late, but had he stayed up that late? Occasionally, he would mumble something about how grateful he was we’d be back at the capital.

  The walk back didn’t take long at all, and we arrived back at the capital just after midday. We headed to the palace for a change of clothing before setting out again. But this time, we would be enjoying ourselves in the capital, not setting out to save the world for the what, second time?

  “I’m going to stay.” Aidan suddenly perked up as he rummaged through his suitcase for something.

  “Like Alina you’re going to stay!” Finn snapped back. “You’re coming with us—”

  “If he doesn’t want to come with, he doesn’t have to.” Maverick’s tone was filled with annoyance. It seemed he had lost patience dealing with the two of them. “It’s not like we’re going to be doing a lot of fighting.”

  “Foreshadow…?” Marge asked, her voice rising with each syllable.

  “I sincerely hope not.”

  Finn sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. “Fine.”

  The first thing I wanted to do was see the pegasi. Maverick was once again barred from entry, so the four of us continued without him.

  “…You have grown stronger.” Alysha turned to look at me as we walked.

  “Me?” I asked, gesturing to myself with a finger.

  “You are strong, yet afraid of your own strength. Perhaps that is what makes you so strong. If you are to ride a pegasus, you must put that fear behind you.”

  “Easier said than done…” I sighed.

  The pegasus immediately startled when we walked into the room. Great. If this was her reaction to me, I wondered what her reaction to Maverick would be like.

  “Calm yourself before approaching her,” Alysha instructed.

  I nodded and took a deep breath. Come on, you can do this! You don’t even need to think about magic! Right now, you’re safe. Nothing in this room can hurt you, except maybe Alysha’s stabbing glare.

  I slowly approached the pegasus and held out my hand for her to sniff. She didn’t immediately buck back, so I took that as a good sign. I gently brushed her mane with my hand, feeling how soft and luxurious it was. I wonder what shampoo she uses.

  Marge took my free hand in hers. “Want to share her?” She offered me a goofy smile.

  “Sure.” I chuckled back.

  She placed her free hand on the pegasus’ back, and I could see a faint pink light glowing from under her palm.

  There were people running about as we exited the stable. I tensed, worried that something was wrong. Had Ghula invaded the capital? No, that shouldn’t be possible, according to the mural we had seen. Wait, they were smiling. Whew, nothing to be worried about after all.

  “What’s going on?” Marge’s head turned as she followed a person, and another, and another… I was getting whiplash from watching her head spin so much…

  “There’s too many people to read their minds,” Finn replied.

  “Then let’s find out the good old-fashioned way.” Maverick beckoned us to follow him, which was very un-Maverick-like.

  The scene before me left me breathless. People danced to music played on flutes, fiddles, and instruments I had never seen before, on every layer of the capital. The instruments above harmonized with the instruments below, creating a unique and almost haunting sound.

  Couples danced as well as individuals. Despite everyone dancing in their own unique way, something about it almost looked choreographed, especially when you took into account the layers above us.

  “Shall we?” Finn extended his hand to me as he bowed dramatically, but was quickly interrupted by Maverick pushing his arm back down.

  “Actually, I was going to ask Ella for a dance.” Maverick’s expression was unreadable.

  “Okay, you can dance with her next. I asked first.” Finn’s eyebrows narrowed ever so slightly, his expression reminiscent of a scowl.

  “What does it matter who asked first? Ella, who do you want to dance with first? Me, or creepy mind reader guy?” Maverick crossed his arms.

  “Hey!”

  “What if I want to dance with Ella?” Marge chimed in from behind me. I could already picture her innocent smirk.

  “Then get in line.” Maverick rolled his eyes, unamused by Marge.

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  Zephyr yawned and checked the watch on his wrist. “This reminds me of that harem novel I read. What was it called again? Ethereal? Ephemeral? Elemental? Something like that. Ella, you really do attract the men and ladies.”

  “Stop!” I whined, heat rushing to my cheeks. If Rose were here, I’m sure all of the attention would be on her instead.

  “Well? Who is it going to be?” Finn asked.

  All three of them were staring at me, waiting for an answer. Four, if you counted Zephyr. Part of me wanted to pick Zephyr just so it wouldn’t look like I was playing favorites. “I’m going to grab a drink.” Zephyr excused himself. There goes that idea.

  The music slowed, signifying its end. I sighed. “First come, first served.” I grabbed Finn’s wrist and pulled him towards the crowd. I didn’t miss the cheeky smirk he gave the other two. Maverick rolled his eyes, and Marge shook her head, an amused smile on her face.

  We found a spot in the crowd closer towards the edge, which I was grateful for. The last thing I wanted was to be smushed by a group of strangers… The music started again, and Finn grabbed my hand in his and placed his other hand on my back by my waist. I placed my hand on his shoulder because that’s where I assumed it went.

  “Um… I’ve never done this before,” I admitted. “Prom isn’t for another year. All I really know is what I’ve seen in that fancy movie my mom watched a few years ago…”

  Finn chuckled. “It’s fine. Just follow my movements.”

  I nodded, allowing him to lead. Of course I stepped on his feet. Many times. He winced once or twice, but otherwise didn’t complain. This was decidedly very unromantic, but maybe that was a good thing! Gosh, I’m glad he can’t read my mind right now… I glanced down at his feet, watching their movements until I was confident I had them memorized.

  “You know, if you hadn’t left Meridia, you would have attended dances like this regularly,” Finn started a conversation.

  “With you?” I chuckled, remembering we were both technically nobility.

  “Definitely. Ophelia and I were betrothed and attended every dance together.”

  Right… At some very brief point in our lives, we were betrothed to each other. I wonder what that would have been like. Would we have still been friends? Would he have still left home? Would we have gone to the manor together? Would I have joined the Magus of Historia? Would we have fought? There were too many questions.

  “Sorry, did I make things awkward?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  I shook my head, or as much as I was able to while dancing. “No, I was just thinking. It’s kind of weird that you can’t read my mind right now. Um, what’s it like to grow up in nobility? Typically? You mentioned arranged marriages and something vague about expectations and honor.”

  “Well, it sure isn’t Game of Chairs.”

  I stifled a laugh, realizing what he meant.

  He sighed. “It’s a lot of pressure, like I said. Maybe I’m biased, but I’d say the children have it worst. Sure, the lords and ladies have to work hard, but that hard work pays off in the form of parties, excursions, connections, money, opportunities… eh… You get it.” He paused, seemingly annoyed. “The children… They’re trained from the moment they can walk and talk to live up to their parents’ expectations. And for what? A few fleeting moments of happiness? Even that comes with strings.” He grimaced. “Smile for the crowd, put on your best suit, come up with a speech on the spot… I’ve always envied other children. They may not have had money, but they had freedom; and freedom is priceless.”

  I had never thought of it that way before. Then again, I had no idea how Meridian nobility worked compared to, say, British nobility. But what he said absolutely made sense. I didn’t grow up well off by any means, but after what he said, I was suddenly grateful I grew up on Earth and not in Meridia.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on a tangent,” he apologized.

  “No, no, I appreciate your perspective. It… it really helps you to appreciate what you have,” I replied.

  “To be fair, your parents always seemed a lot more gentle. From what I know, they valued family above all else. Maybe things would have been different for you.”

  “In that case, it’s a shame we didn’t have each other's parents.” I chuckled. “I could’ve gone to Earth and avoided all those pesky expectations, and you could’ve had a family that loved you. …And maybe my parents wouldn’t have gone missing.” I still wondered what had happened to them. Part of me accepted that they were probably dead.

  “It would’ve been easier that way, wouldn’t it?” He chuckled back and took a bow as the dance came to an end. I could see Maverick walking over, but Marge quickly cut in front of him.

  “Hey!” Maverick shouted. “It’s not your turn yet!”

  “You don’t mind if I cut in, do you?” Marge winked at me.

  “Whatever pisses him off more.” I shrugged, smiling at her.

  The dance began, and we decided to mimic the man and woman couple next to us, who danced side by side with their arms crossing each other. It seemed less intimate than how Finn and I were dancing.

  Intimate… What was I saying.

  “You and Finn seem to be getting along quite well.” She winked at me. “What are you going to do about Maverick?”

  “Please, I’m not interested in either of them!” I replied, slightly exasperated. It was times like these that she reminded me of Rose.

  “You might mean that, but I don’t think they got the memo. I’d put a stop to them sooner rather than later. If not for your sake, then for mine. They’re kind of... cringey? Was that the word Aidan had said?”

  “Please. I’ve told them many times that I have a… boy… friend…” My words slowed as I remembered I no longer had said boyfriend. Pain clenched at my chest as memories of Matt flooded my brain. Curse you, bitter memories!

  “You were saying?” she asked, slightly smug, though there was a gentleness to her tone, like she noticed this was a sensitive topic for me.

  I bit my lip, trying to laugh away my pain. “I don’t have an excuse anymore.”

  “You kind of don’t. Which means these two… three? idiots are going to keep vying for your attention. Must be tough being attractive.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head.

  “Oh, please! Like you’re any less attractive than me.”

  “Or maybe it’s what’s in here that counts.” She stopped dancing to place her hand on my chest, before winking and running off.

  I stood there in confusion. Huh?

  Maverick sauntered over—he didn’t seem to care that the song was still going, and therefore his dance would be shorter than Finn’s. Not that it was a competition, but he’d probably think it was. “My turn now?” he asked.

  “It would seem that way.” I shrugged and allowed him to hold me the same way Finn had. While Finn’s touch felt gentle and caring, Maverick’s was stiff, as if I were a fragile porcelain doll that was in danger of falling over and breaking.

  We danced in silence for a while, his gaze digging into my soul and overall making me feel trapped, like this dance was some sort of interrogation rather than the extracurricular fun my school made it out to be. Each time he spun me around, I thought his grip would break my fingers.

  I couldn’t take the silence any longer. “What were you going to tell me the other night before Finn interrupted?”

  “Uh, it was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Sure.

  “Then tell me why you’ve been so nice lately. Holding my chair out, protecting me in battle, and now you’re dancing with me? What changed?”

  “Nothing, really. What you said to me when we fought the first Falor Ghula just made me realize you’re someone I want to keep around. Or maybe it was what you said to me that night in New York.” There was a pause. For the first time during our dance, he looked away from me. “I’ve spent the past two hundred years keeping my distance from people. But you, you’re different. You give everyone hope because it’s the reflection of the hope you feel towards them. I just hope that I don’t disappoint you when you find out the truth.”

  “Disappoint me? The truth? What is the truth?” I asked.

  “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.” With that, the song ended, and he disappeared into the crowd as I stood there stunned.

  “Did everyone leave you?” Zephyr’s voice made me jump. I placed a hand over my chest, hoping to steady my heart’s beating.

  “I think it’s time we called it a night.”