Waking up, I found myself in the Royal Infirmary. Looking around, I saw that I was alone and that the wall clock showed 8:30 pm as the time. I was unconscious for about two hours. Sitting up, I noticed a note on the bedside table.
Dear Andrew, Donny told us that you should wake up fairly quick. When you wake up, come back to the sitting room. There is someone you need to meet. – Alex. P.S. Don't forget to take the pain meds.
Getting up, I took the medicine before grabbing my crutches. Slowly, I made my way back to the sitting room. It was technically called a Solar, a quiet and comfortable room used by the Royal Family, but Aunt Maria and Uncle Bartholomew preferred the informal name. When I arrived, everyone was still there, including the green haired woman.
"Andrew, how are you feeling?" Alex asked, coming to me as I sat down beside Adam. Her eyebrows were scrunched in concern.
"Other than some pain in my ribs, I'm okay. I promise, Alex. And I took the meds as well." The last part was added since she was giving me a look that screamed 'I don't believe you.'
"Well, nothing was re-broken, but try to take it easy for a bit, okay?" She said, giving me a stern look. Alex only went back to her seat after I agreed to listen to her. I had felt a steady stare the entire time that I was talking to Alex, so I looked in the direction that it was coming from. The lady with green hair was still staring at me, so I raised an eyebrow at her.
"You must be Andrew, right?" She asked in a smooth voice. Her calm expression didn't give anything away, and at my nod, she continued talking. "My name is Esmeralda and I'm the Witch for the Blackstone Pack."
"It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Esmeralda." I said, bowing my head to her. A Pack Witch was held in high regards, so it really was an honor to meet them. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened when you entered earlier?" My history with Witches wasn't good, but I wanted an explanation.
Ah, yes. I was wondering when you would ask about that." She said with a knowing look. Sitting back in her chair, she continued. "The universe tells me things, and yesterday it was trying to do just that, but I couldn't understand what it was. Tat was, however, until you touched my arm. You were the link that was needed." Esmeralda said, as cryptic as most Witches.
"Then do you know what it means? 'A King of two born as one. A fight for life is near at hand. Destined for great or destined to fail, find your footing to stand tall. Prove your power once and for all.'" I repeated what the disembodied voice had said.
"That prophecy is about you. You are a King of two species that has been born as one. At some point, you will have to fight for your life, and you'll need more than just strength if you want to prove your right to the crowns." As Esmeralda spoke, a shiver ran down my spine.
I know a King needs more than just strength. He also needs knowledge, wisdom, charisma, and courage. The Council of Elders for the Dragons and Ayakashi were already on my side. They believed that when the rightful King was born, he would automatically be crowned when he turned 18. After all, that was tradition. Until then, the Councils would educate the heir. That way , the race's knowledge and history would be passed down.
It would often get complicated, though. If the King didn't have an heir before his passing, and the race had to wait for him to be reincarnated; then a temporary leader would be chosen. By the time the King was reincarnated, the temporary leader would have gotten used to the position, so the King would have to fight to reclaim his throne. This is what I will have to do twice.
"Andrew, would you and your brothers like to go and see the surprise now?" Uncle Bartholomew asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked at my brothers and saw the excitement in their eyes. Smiling, I turned to my Uncle and nodded. Everyone else there followed as well, out of curiosity. Our Uncle led us to a room with an LED sign that said 'Quiet, Music In Progress.' I guessed that there would be a switch inside so it could be turned on and off.
Once the door was opened and everyone entered, I was speechless. There was everything we could possibly need. Microphones, headphones, guitars, amps, drums, a sound board (Jacob was instantly in love with it), a piano, and two violins. There was also someone else that we didn't know, sitting on a chair. I looked at my Aunt and Uncle for an answer.
"This is Helena Martinez—" My Aunt began.
"You mean as in Martinez Music?! The best music label in the country?!" My voice ended up cracking a little in my excitement.
"That's me. Your Aunt and Uncle asked that I come and at least listen to a few songs. I can't make any promises, but depending on how good you boys are, you might get lucky tonight." Ms. Martinez said. Her expression was calm, but her voice held mild surprise at the fact that we were only teenagers.
My brothers and I checked the instruments before we started playing. Our first song was the acoustic version of Judgement Day by Five Finger Death Punch. It was a good warm-up song since it wasn't too heavy and it helped loosen my vocal cords during the growling parts while singing. The next song was a complete 360 called Welcome To The Circus, also by Five Finger Death Punch. I was taking a risk with this song, because of the strain on my ribs, but the reaction from Ms. Martinez said it all: the risk was worth it.
She asked if we could do a softer song so we played Times Like These and Remember Everything, both were, once again, by Five Finger Death Punch. After we were done playing, we went back to the sitting room. I had just sat down when Donny came up to me.
"Andrew, it's time to do a bandage change. Are you comfortable doing it here, or do you want to do it in the Infirmary?"
"We can do it here. My ribs are sore and need a break from walking." As I was saying this, I took my shirt off.
"I could heal you, if you'd like." Esmeralda spoke up after seeing the bandages.
"I hope you don't take offense to me asking a question. My history with Witches isn't the best, so I have to ask it. What's the price? Nothing in life is free, and that is especially true when it involves a Witch." I said, feeling apprehensive about her potential response.
Nodding her head at my words, Esmeralda spoke. "Spoken like a king. Yes, there is a price for everything. However, consider this as an apology. After all, you did get knocked unconscious because of my prophecy." Listening to her speak, I ignored Esmeralda's facial expressions. Instead, I focused on her heartbeat. People can show any expression they want on their face, but the heartbeat will give their true emotions away. And Esmeralda's heartbeat was strong and steady.
"Sure." I said this one word after watching her for a few minutes. Her intentions were pure, and I wasn't going to turn down being healed. Donny unwrapped my chest. As Esmeralda chanted the necessary spell, I focused on my breathing. It was the only way I could refrain from scratching. The spell was working, but the sensation of the spell crawling over my body felt like tiny ants crawling over my skin. It was almost time for the last part.
Before I did anything, I sent a question to my Uncle telepathically. Even if she doesn't sign us on, was Ms. Martinez sworn to secrecy? At my Uncle's slight nod, I reached down and froze the cast to a subzero temperature before stomping my foot on the wood floor. The cast shattered and I was finally free from it. Standing up, I jumped in place a few times before I walked away and did a backflip. As I landed on my feet, I smiled before going back to my seat.
"Thank you for healing me. Does that spell clear away fatigue?" I asked Esmeralda.
"No, it doesn't. The spell I used is my strongest healing spell that heals both mental and physical injuries. Since I had to control the spell, I could sense any injury in your body. There was a darkness in your mind that was removed, but it wasn't fatigue." Esmeralda was quiet for a couple minutes before she spoke again. "You said that you didn't have a good history with Witches. Have you encountered any Blood Witches before?"
"Yes, I have. They often kidnapped me when I was younger and would use my blood for their spells." The intuition of Witches was scary. Esmeralda nodded at what I just said.
"The darkness in your mind was by them. Because it was your blood that was being used, you were affected by the magic as well. It's possible that they would have tried controlling you through it as well. Don't misinterpret that, though. Just because that darkness is gone doesn't mean that the threat of it happening is gone as well. But that's enough gloom talk for tonight. I understand that you're more curious about what Ms. Martinez has to say." Esmeralda said before diverting the conversation back to Helena Martinez. I didn't know what my future had in store for me, but I wasn't going to run away from it. Instead, I was going to fight to change it for the better.