Hi loyal readers!

Thank you for all of the AMAZING reviews the previous chapter! Truly meant a lot and inspired me to write the next chapter quickly.

Special shoutout to the following reviewers:

LuckiestWitchAtHogwarts, AngelCutie ChildAtHeart, Saraaaaaaaa, ImhereforMR, Kerfluffle, You Don't Know Me150, SunshinewithHurricane, Elieza Mae Forever Winx, musaluvxx, and Guest reviewers.


Musa had never been so shocked in her life. Did she truly just feel magic jolt through her fingers? Surely not. Magic had not been seen on her planet since her mother was alive and yet, Musa could not deny the spark that she saw. Musa knew what an electric shock was. She used to feel them all the time when she she rubbed her socks against the carpet and shocked her parents and friends as a child. That was no electric shock that she felt though. There was a shine of purple and blue that followed the spark. It was a familiar sight and sensation; one she had not felt in years. Normally seeing magic coming from your hands would scare anyone but to Musa, it was like finding a long-lost friend. A friend you had lost contact with and could not reach, not matter how hard you tried. Musa felt her heart swell. She really did do magic. Why would the magic return now? Was it the emotions she projected while she sang? Her anger towards the prince? Or, as stupid as it sounded, did it come from the guitar?

Musa slowly looked down at the guitar and gently strummed her fingers down. A beautiful sound echoed throughout the room. Nothing happened. Musa tried again with the same result. Why did she not feel the same current as before? Musa started playing with the strings, playing the same chords as before, only now she watched her fingers. As she gently went through the chord changes, she started to see a very faint blue glow underneath her fingertips but no spark. She continued playing the entire song, slowly watching the blue glow underneath her fingertips darken. As the last chord finished echoing through the room, the glow underneath her fingers died down until they were back to normal. She was getting closer but still she could not recreate the spark. Musa replayed the song again, this time humming to herself. She watched as the blue glow appeared underneath her fingers again. As she hummed to herself, a flash of purple joined the blue glow, slowly darkening the louder Musa played and hummed. Upon the second chorus, Musa started singing aloud and she jolted when she felt the spark again. It was then that Musa realised what happened. It was music. Music brought out her magic and continues to bring it out. But the intensity was low. How did her mother have so much magic? Musa remembered her mother always playing music and singing but it was not enough to continuously fuel her magic. Something had to be channelling it, or there was an amplifier before.

There was only one place that Musa knew where to get the information that she needed, and that source was down in the dungeons, one of the few places in Melody that she was forbidden to access. There was, however, another person who she was able to visit, one that she knew successfully spoke to her father.

Without deciding against the idea, Musa gently placed the guitar back on its stand and raced out of the room. She checked to make sure no one was in the library, poking her head out of the walkway, before opening it fully and closing the secret door behind her. Musa ignored the shocked faces of courtiers and knights as she ran down the hallways, politely giving each person a rushed greeting. Musa could have sworn that she raced passed a hallway that had the prince speaking with two of his fellow knights, but she ignored it. She was still furious over their last encounter. How dare he say that she was safe with him. Musa was not safe as long as she remained under the control of the Valkarians. That she knew for a fact and there was nothing the prince could say or do to change her mind, no matter how good looking he was. Scratch that, how annoying he was. Musa was out of breath the moment she pushed the double doors aside to one of the spare rooms. Tecna turned around from dusting the shelves by the fireplace and looked at her friend in shock. She was surprised at the sudden intrusion, but it was not unwelcomed. Tecna quickly rushed over to her friend, gently urging her into a nearby seat, which she happily accepted. When Musa finally caught her breath, she began speaking.

"Have you spoken to your friend lately, Tecna?" Musa asked, slightly still panting.

Tecna was confused for a moment before realising what Musa meant.

"Oh, um, no not since we found out Queen Miranda's lineage," Tecna answered quietly.

"I need you to go to him, immediately," Musa said.

It was not the request that stunned Tecna it was the voice of her friend. In all the time she had known Musa, it was the first time, outside of revealing the initially plan, that she heard her sound like a true leader. A leader who was not defeated or without hope.

"O-of course, anything," Tecna answered after the shock wore off.

"But I need you to take me to him."

"What?" Tecna shouted. The pair looked around to make sure they were not interrupted before talking again.

"You need to go to him immediately but take me with you."

"Musa, of course I would but that sounds very risky. Are you even allowed into the city without a knight? Are you even allowed out at all?"

"I know that it is a risk but since the king has allowed me reign over the majority of the castle, no one has noticed by long absences. If people see me during the day, it should be fine. We cannot be gone for long though.

"What brought this on so suddenly? Is everything ok?"

"I….I do not know," Musa answered honestly. "Something happened and I need confirmation. I need answers. I need answers from my father but unfortunately I cannot get to him."

"You want the friend to visit your father for information? That or, hopefully, he has the answers already."

"I need to hear them for myself, Tecna."

Tecna thought about the request for a few minutes. She wanted to take Musa with all her heart, but it was such a gamble. It was one thing to sneak there with one person, but with two, it was a much bigger game. Tecna and Musa did have reservations about the rebel's true intentions and questioned where his loyalty truly lied. He had previously kept information from them so should they entrust with sneaking in to speak with the king again? But it was the first time Musa truly sounded like a ruler, one without fear. Who was Tecna to deny her friend that?

"Alright," Tecna relented. "But before you go, you need to make an appearance so that no one questions you while we are gone."

Musa nodded her head. "I ran throughout the palace before to got here so I will just have tea with Lady Mitzi before we go then. I will say that I rushed to her side."

"Good," Tecna said nodding her head. "I will go fetch you a cloak to hide your face while we walk. You may have privileges from the king now, but I do not want to know what he will say and do if he finds out you went to the city and pushed your luck with him."


Musa felt her heart pumping heavily in her chest that evening. She had tea with Lady Mitzi and her friends that afternoon, whom seemed completely unfazed by Darcy's interruption last time, and then dutifully ate dinner with the king. Prince Riven was once again absent with Sir Caelum saying that he was busy with tactical plans and would be eating in his private study. Good, Musa thought. That gave her more time away from the man. After bidding her knights and the king farewell, Musa met with Tecna in her chambers. After a few minutes, Tecna had Musa in a beautiful black cloak that she borrowed from one of the courtiers and a dark navy eye mask. They could not risk Musa getting exposed. It was not uncommon for people to wear masks as they walked around at night. Most of the time it was courtiers hiding their identities to prevent crime against them, or so they claimed. In Tecna's opinion, it was to hide their identities while they partook in less lady-like activities in some of the establishments in town.

Tecna managed to sneak Musa out via the servant exits relatively easily but the two stood completely still against the side wall of the main wall that surrounded the castle. They watched as the guards slowly walked around the perimeter, waiting for the shift change. They only had a few minutes then to rush out of the entrance and over the long bridge that led into town. Luckily, the night was dark and cloudy so there was little moonlight giving away their position, particularly once they crossed the bridge. Musa lent against the wall so much that she swore it would soon swallow her whole. Tecna was allowed to remain less committed since she was permitted to leave the castle between her shifts. Tecna slowly moved her hand back, waiting for Musa to grab it. Musa noticed and gently held her friend's hand. Tecna tensed, readying herself, as she watched two knights walk over to a blind spot by the wall, a new pair joined them. The change over. Without hesitation, Tecna pulled Musa away from the wall and the pair ran out of the entrance. The pair said nothing, focusing all their energy on running as fast as they could over the bridge, dodging between the small and vastly spaced lights. Musa tripped over her cloak, pulling Tecna back. She turned to find Musa trying to pull herself up from her knees. Tecna looked up and saw that the change over was finishing, noting there were little observations to report to the new pair of guards. She mentally apologised to Musa as she grabbed her other hand and pulled Musa to her feet, wasting no time as she all but dragged her over the rest of the bridge. As soon as their feet touched the town side, Tecna heard footsteps and shoved Musa against a wall of a nearby building before turning around. Musa once again held herself against the building, hiding in the shadows, as she watched her friend pretend she had just walked down the last part of the bridge alone.

"Excuse me," a deep male voice called.

Musa tensed at hearing the voice, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Tecna, without missing a beat, turned around to face the voice and gently pulled down her cloak hood.

"Good evening," Tecna said politely.

A few more steps and one of the new guards approached Tecna, clearly a little out of breath. Musa assumed that the man must have ran across the bridge to catch up to Tecna.

"Are you alone, Miss?" the guard asked, finally catching his breath.

Tecna raised an eyebrow in confusion to the guard. "Yes, Sir, I am. Why?"

"I thought I saw two of you running over the bridge."

"Running?" Tecna said feigning ignorance. "Sir, you must be mistaken. There is only me crossing the bridge tonight. I tripped over my cloak so perhaps that is what you saw for running."

The guard stared at Tecna, his face void of any emotion or hint to what he was thinking. Musa did not move an inch and was silent as a ghost, watching her friend lie to the guard.

"What is your name?"

"Tecna, Sir."

"Why are you out here late at night, Tecna?"

Tecna smiled. "To deliver a letter to the post office," she said as she pulled out a letter from her cloak.

Musa was shocked to see Tecna pull out a letter. Clearly her friend had prepared it in case they got caught but she never saw Tecna write one or remembered hearing about a Plan B.

"Letters are not permitted."

Both Tecna and Musa were shocked at the response. People were allowed to send letters. They just had to be inspected for any signs of treason or rebellion. Another sound of footsteps echoed and Tecna looked up to find Sir Lance walking over to stand next to the other knight. Despite the helmet on the man's head, she could not but help always remember his deep hazel eyes. The pair stood under the small streak of moonlight coming from the crescent moon above, almost making the hazel eyes shine gold. It was such a unique colour for a Valkarian.

"Is there a problem here?" Sir Lance asked, looking at Tecna.

Tecna's breath caught in her throat for a few seconds as she saw the man's piercing eyes stare directly at her.

"This woman here claims that she is delivering a letter," the first guard answered. "Letters are not permitted."

Sir Lance looked away from Tecna to look at the letter in the other man's hands.

"Letters are permitted," Sir Lance corrected. "They must be checked for high-risk information first, but they are permitted." He turned back to Tecna. "You are alone?"

"Yes, Sir," Tecna answered. "The post office is closed, and I would really appreciate getting there before it closes. Mr Yost needs time to check the letter."

The first guard scoffed and, before anyone could stop him, ripped open the envelope and started reading the letter. Musa's eyes widened at the audacity of the man. He opened a private letter right there in front of Tecna. How could he? Musa could not wait to kick all the Valkarians off her planet. Sir Lance turned his head to watch the guard open the letter, however, did not seem shocked or annoyed at the man's actions. After a few minutes, the guard scoffed again.

"Just a silly message to a friend," the guard said annoyed, clearly hoping to get someone in trouble.

"You are Tecna, correct?" Sir Lance asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"You are Lady Musa's handmaiden."

"I am."

"This letter was to be sent on behalf of Lady Musa."

Although Sir Lance said it as a statement, Tecna felt the need to answer just to stick it to the guard next to him.

"Yes, Sir," Tecna replied with a smile, trying to seem unfazed by the other guard. "Her ladyship requested the letter be sent as soon as possible. It is her friend's birthday soon and, well, as you can imagine, not sending a friend a birthday card can be quite inappropriate."

The guard next to Sir Lance, whipped his head around. "Lady Musa?"

Sir Lance ignored the man's shocked question. Instead, he pulled the letter from the guard's hands, folded back together, and handed it to Tecna.

"You may proceed, Miss Tecna," Sir Lance said. "We shall not keep your task waiting. There is still time to meet the post."

"Thank you," Tecna said with a small curtsey.

Without bidding a goodbye, the pair of guards turned around and started walking back over the bridge, not once turning back. Tecna watched as the pair walked over the bridge and turned around the corner of the wall on the other side, before turning back and rushing into the shadows with Musa.

"That was close," Tecna whispered in relief.

"Too close," Musa corrected. "Good thinking with the letter."

"I just had to make a Plan B in case we were caught, and they questioned why I was out here so late."

"I am sorry," Musa said. "If I had not have tripped then maybe we would have made it unseen."

"Do not be sorry," Tecna replied. "I am the one who dragged you as you ran. Tripping was inevitable. I would have turned off the lights with my magic but, well, I am rusty."

"That is what happens when you are forbidden to use yours for so many years," Musa said sadly.

"Yes, but yours was by force. I am forbidden outside of the castle, but I could never leave you alone in that castle for longer than necessary."

"You should not have stuck so long in the castle with me throughout the day and night at the cost of your magic. I know what it is like to feel helpless. I would not wish that on anyone."

"You are not anyone, Musa. Besides, what good is power over technology when you are in a backwards society? The Valkarians only give electricity and other things to people of wealth. The rest of us, particularly Melodians, are forced to use gas lamps, fires, and gas stoves. That was not what life was before. Anyway, does not matter. I really only used it when I was inventing with my father. Much easier to build that way."

"I am sorry," Musa repeated. "When this is over, I will make sure that our society meets with the modern age again. I will bring technology back the same time I bring back magic."

"Come, we must hurry," Tecna said changing the subject. "I was not kidding about getting the post office before it closes. We need Mr Yost."

Musa nodded and the pair started running down dark laneways, dodging in between lights – electrical and gas lamp alike. There were very little people out that night. The lack of moonlight and lighting gave them the advantage. After a few minutes, they arrived at the post office. Mr Yost had just turned the front sign to 'closed' when Tecna and Musa arrived at the door. Tecna immediately pulled her hood down and smiled at the old man. The man smiled back and quickly unlocked the door and ushered Tecna and her companion inside. Musa remained quiet and her hood up as she turned to look at the man.

"I am sorry I am late," Tecna said. "We had a run-in with the guards otherwise we would have been here before you closed."

"I am glad you are here," Mr Yost said with a smile. "I would have remained open for you."

Mr Yost moved his eyes over to Musa, suddenly tensing and becoming cagy over his words. Tecna looked at Musa before smiling to Mr Yost. She gently ushered the group away from the windows and towards the back of the post office, where no one could see them.

"You can trust her, Mr Yost," Tecna said.

Mr Yost was still unsure so Tecna elbowed Musa to hint her.

"Let the music play," Musa said softly.

"And the musicians sing," Mr Yost answered back.

Mr Yost nodded his head but still did not move to reveal the secret entrance. Musa knew that the cloak and mask could be intimidating so, without waiting for Tecna's approval, she gently pulled down her cloak, revealing her shiny dark blue hair, and lifted her mask a fraction to reveal her face. A loud gasp immediately escaped the old man before he placed his fist over his heart and dropped to one knee.

"My Queen," Mr Yost said in awe. "I-it is a pleasure to see you."

"Mr Yost," Musa said with a smile as she replaced her mask and cloak. "I need your help."

"Anything, My Queen," Mr Yost said as he stood back up.

Musa could not help the fluttering feeling in her chest as the old man called her Queen. It was the first time anyone had ever called her that. Musa knew as a child that she would one day take the throne from her parents and be crowned queen but since the siege that was all but a distant dream. Now, hearing someone say it, made it a bit more of a reality. It gave Musa hope, but it was also terrifying. There was an entire planet looking to her for hope and salvation. If they failed, it would fall on her shoulders. Their success also fell on her shoulders. The rebellion lived and died with her and they only had one chance at it, and that was the most terrifying thing. It also reinforced the idea that, even if the rebellion were successful in freeing her father, he would not be in any condition to rule.

"I must speak with the rebellion immediately," Musa said, putting on her most regal voice, despite her nervousness. She could not show weakness to one of her loyal subjects, not now, not ever.

"Of course," Mr Yost said.

The man walked over to the secret entrance and revealed it to Musa. Musa gasped a little at the walkway, finding it darker than the one that led to her mother's music room.

"Do not be frightened, My Queen," Mr Yost said. "The rebellion will be waiting for you inside. They will not harm you."

"How do I know that?" Musa asked.

Mr Yost smiled. "Because they are loyal to the one true queen. They are loyal to you."


Musa could not help but stare in awe at the room her and Tecna stood in. It was unlike anything Musa could imagine, particularly hiding right by a post office. It was incredible. The pair had only arrived in the room for about two minutes before the sound of feet on the stone floor caught their attention.

Tecna moved herself so that she was in front of Musa and watched as a tall older man with a cloak and mask stood before the pair under the light of the room.

"Good evening, Tecna," the man said. His eyes quickly moved over to Musa and his hand went to the hilt of the sword. "I am not your enemy," he said to Musa.

"So far, I believe you," Musa replied.

Musa pulled her hood down and completely took off her mask, revealing herself to the rebel. Her insides felt like they were going to burst but she made every effort to prevent it from showing on her face. She stood tall and proud, much like her mother did, and held her hands clasped in front of her, holding the mask. If the rebel was shocked at Musa's presence, it did not show on his face. The rebel merely smiled and dropped to one knee before Musa.

"My Queen," the rebel said, his fist over his heart. "It is an honour to serve you."

"You may rise," Musa said. "What is your name?"

"I apologise, My Queen, but I am unable to reveal that," the rebel said once he stood upright.

"Why?" Musa asked already knowing the answer. She wanted to see if he could tell the truth.

"Our leader has forbidden it," the rebel answered.

"I understand that you do not want a lot of rebels knowing each other's identities for fear or one being compromised and, if you will, blowing everyone's cover. But I am not just anyone. I am your queen, and if I am to trust you then I need to know who I am dealing with."

"You are correct, My Queen, but I am afraid I must deny your request. Although I swore an oath to you, I follow the orders of our leader."

"And who is your leader?"

The rebel smirked. "Nice try, My Queen. I cannot divulge that."

"So, you do know who it is," Musa smirked back. That was easy to get.

"I do," the rebel replied easily back. "I am his right-hand man. I am ordered to assist Miss Tecna with your plans, now that our goals are aligned."

"You do not know our whole plan though," Musa said. "You will forgive me if I do not share that freely. I trust very little people these days and you can understand why."

"Absolutely, My Queen."

"My loyalty has and always will be to the people of Melody and to my planet," Musa continued. "If your loyalty is the same, then we shall not have any problems. If you lie to me, then I will know your true colours."

"Even if some secrets are for the sake of another? For one's safety, My Queen?"

"Yes," Musa immediately answered. "If you keep things from me, or my handmaiden, then how can I trust that what you say next is the truth or a well-kept secret?"

"You trust the ones that admit that are lying to you or admit to keeping secrets from you, My Queen," the rebel said. "The rebellion admits that we have kept some information, such as Prince Riven's heritage, from you as it served no purpose."

"You were protecting me?"

"In a way, yes. However, as I admitted to Miss Tecna before, knowing the truth did not give you more answers, just more questions and more hurt."

"As your queen I am ordering you to tell me the truth to my next question."

"I will try, My Queen, but I am under orders not to reveal some things, even to you."

Musa nodded and took a deep breath before she asked what she really came to say. "The magic of this realm, of myself…..it is brought out by music, correct?"

Tecna's eyes widened in shock at Musa's question. She should have known that the information Musa needed from the rebel was so important judging from the way she barged into the room before, but Tecna never expected that. She also did not expect her friend not to tell her that information. The rebel was silent as he stared at Musa for a few minutes. Musa kept up her calm and regal demure as she returned the man's gaze, but inside she was buzzing, desperate to know if she was correct.

"Yes, My Queen, we believe that is correct."

Musa fought her whole body to prevent her from falling on her behind in shock. Her eyes widened and she breathed a sigh of relief at knowing she was correct. However, she was correct! The answer to solving her planet's magic problem lied in the very thing that was forbidden. An act that was punishable by death by the king. It explained a lot how it suddenly just died. But, if magic was what kept the planet thriving, why would the king ban it?

"Why would the king ban music if it was the very thing giving him our resources?"

"The magic from music is not as strong, as I am sure you have noticed if you are now discovering the truth," the rebel answered.

"He also may not know," Tecna added. The rebel nodded in agreement.

"But I remember our planet thriving, always having resources a plenty and we did not play music every second of every day. Surely there is something else."

"What do you think, My Queen?"

"We need an amplifier then," Musa answered. "Is that correct? Do you know what it is?"

The rebel was silent.

"Answer me! As your queen, I order you to answer me!" Musa demanded.

The rebel simply stood straight in front of Musa and Tecna, one hand behind his back and the other on his sword.

"I am afraid I cannot do that."

"Why?"

"I am under orders not to divulge that information. Revealing so could put you, My Queen, in danger. The rebellion cannot risk your safety in this war. Miss Tecna clearly kept your involvement in this rebellion a secret from us. Now that we know, we are determined to keep you safe and far from harm as much as possible."

"She was ordered not to until we were sure of your loyalty."

"Did we pass?"

"I had no other choice," Musa replied coolly. "The only other option was my father but he is trapped in the dungeons."

"I guess we will take that," the rebel said sarcastically. "What I can say, My Queen, is that now that you know the truth, what will you do with it?"

"I will practice in secret," Musa answered. "For the fight, I must be able to handle myself and free my people. I cannot go against the king and Darcy without magic."

"We agree."

"Do you know where the amplifier is then?" Musa asked.

"For the planet, it has to be a large amplifier. We have not located it yet, and I am telling the truth, My Queen."

"Perhaps there is another way to find such information," Tecna whispered in Musa's ear.

"Fine," Musa said, turning her attention back to the rebel. "Take this information back to the leader. Tell him that I need training for the final fight."

The rebel nodded. "Once we rescue you, My Queen, we will teach you self-defence as well as magic."

Musa nodded. The rebel placed his fist over his heart again.

"Let the music play, My Queen," the rebel said firmly.

Musa nodded her head in response before putting her disguise back on. It was not until the pair were back outside the post office, hiding against the wall in the shadows that they spoke freely.

"Do you believe him?" Tecna whispered.

"I do, but I also believe he is keeping a lot more than he admitted."

"Should we be worried?"

"I do not know. But I cannot wait for them to rescue me to suddenly learn self-defence. I do not know how long it will take for my powers to return, particularly without the amplifier. I need a back up plan. I will not be helpless. Not again."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to get someone to train me how to fight."


The next morning, Musa woke to find her friends had arrived back on Melody, under the guise of delivering more false information to the king. It was a strange but welcome surprise when she arrived in the throne room to find her friends fake smiling with the king. Without waiting too long, the group was dismissed to have morning tea in the secret part of the garden, under the shadow of the last remaining statue.

"Did you have much trouble getting back into Melody?" Musa asked as she took another sip of tea.

"Surprisingly no," Flora answered. "It seems the king was truthful in allowing us to visit you when we deliver information."

"There is no way for the truth to be revealed with your so-called intel?"

"No, the rebellion thought it all through," Layla answered. "It was necessary as we smuggled in a few hundred more rebellions."

"Where are you keeping them all?" Musa asked in shock. "Surely that many would be hard to hide."

"We love you, Musa," Bloom began with a smile. "But you know that we cannot answer that. The little information you know, the better. Just in case…..you know….something happens."

Something happens being if Darcy forced her way through Musa's mind and discovered the truth or if Musa was captured and tortured for information. The logical part of Musa knew that it was wise to tell her little about the rebellion, but she could not deny that it still stung a little.

"Please, Musa," Flora said gently. "We do not mean to offend. You know that we keep information like that from you to protect you too. If they had any suspicion that you knew more than you let on, they could hurt you. Keeping you in the dark also keeps you safe."

"I know," Musa said sadly. "Truly I do, I just wish it did not have to be that way."

"Well, we are sticking around for a while this time, Musa," Bloom said happily. "We managed to convince the king to let us stay and recharge after our 'last encounter with rebels'. We will be able to help smuggle soldiers on the opposite end and take them to the hide out."

"We just have to keep an eye on the prince to make sure that our presence does not rouse suspicion," Layla added.

"What I cannot believe is this gossip of you finding a secret music room that belonged to your mother and that you found your magic," Stella said happily.

"Yes, it was nice," Musa smiled. "Feels like a part of me had returned. It is still not enough though. Even if every Melodian on the planet performed music or sung every day, it still would not be enough to replenish the resources and the magic of the realm to where it once was."

"This amplifier," Bloom began. "Are you sure that you are right? That it even exists?"

"It is the only thing that makes sense," Tecna answered. "There needs to be a steady source of magic to keep this planet alive and having an amplifier is the only thing that makes sense."

"What kind of amplifier?" Stella asked.

"We are not sure," Musa answered. "Neither does the rebellion. We spoke to Tecna's contact last night."

"Could you find something in your mother's diary or her music room?" Flora asked.

"We considered that last night," Musa replied. "I have not checked but it could be possible, but my main concern is my Plan B. I need to train in self-defence so that, if I am unsuccessful in retrieving the amplifier and my magic before the fight, I can hold my own against the king and Darcy."

"Where on Melody are you going to learn that?" Stella asked. "I mean, no offence but sure you have gotten far with this secret identity thing, but the king would not allow you to learn how to fight. It is really risky."

"I know the risks, Stella, but after feeling the magic return to me, it made me realise just how helpless I was without it. I could not save the rebels who died at the king's hands or my mother, but I sure can prevent it from happening again. I refuse to be helpless again."

"Then where are you going to find teachers? We only know magic, not self-defence," Layla said. "We could try finding a secret space for that kind of training but again, that is extremely risky."

Musa knew that the moment she revealed her idea that it would backfire on her, but she hoped that her friends would understand.

"I am going to ask Prince Riven."

Musa remembered a saying her father used to say to her as a child. It was extremely relevant then. It was so quiet that you would hear a cricket sneeze. All the girls, including Tecna, stared at Musa in disbelief.

"You cannot be serious," Layla said in shock.

"I am serious."

"Why? That is even more risky than the original plan to begin with," Bloom said.

"Hear me out for a second," Musa began. "Truly, I understand exactly how it sounds and you are correct. It is very risky. It could blow the whole plan but do any of you see another way? You cannot teach me without being caught, there is no where private to even teach me, and no one else would talk to me about anything other than love lives, gossip, or the weather. Besides, this will allow me even more time to get cosey with the prince and find out more information for the rebellion."

"Yes, it could, but it all would bank on him saying yes and not running to his father," Layla pointed out.

"Yes, which is why I understand that it is a risk. It could blow my whole cover but lately, I have been noticing the prince act a little odd."

"How odd?" Flora asked.

"I….I just….he always just appears right when I do not want him to and gets under my skin."

"He is part Valkarian," Bloom joked.

"Yes but, I do not know, it seems that the more we talk, the more he seems to be less on his guard. It is proving that my plan is working so I think that he would more likely say yes. Especially if I mention how I want to protect myself against rebels."

"So, let me get this straight," Stella began. "You want to go up to the heir of a warrior nation, an heir who may or may not be falling for your act, and ask him to train you to fight and hope that he does not tell his father or Darcy."

"And that you and the prince had a big fight the other day," Tecna added.

"Oh good!" Stella said sarcastically. "That is even better."

Musa rolled her eyes at her friend's sarcasm.

"As I said, it is a risk, but it is one I am willing to make. I cannot be helpless again. I refuse. If any of you have any better ideas or know anyone who would consider training me then, please, I am all ears."

The group was silent.

"That is what I thought. Look, I appreciate you all looking out for me, but this is war. We have to make sacrifices, especially the ones that could put us in harms way. You all have done so much and stuck your necks out on more than one occasion. Seducing the prince is not all I want to contribute."

"It sounds like the most fun though," Stella smirked.

The girls giggled. "Believe me, Stella," Musa said. "If someone could trade places with me, I would."

Was that really true though? Musa immediately squashed that idea before she gave it more time. She could not afford any distractions or hesitation.

"Then I guess all that is left is for you to go to the prince and apologise," Flora said grimly.

That was something Musa would rather die than do but she would do anything to free her people.


It took most of the day for Musa to gain enough courage to leave her friends and make the dreaded walk inside the castle to the training rooms. She knew that the prince's private study and quarters were completely off limits to her, but the king never said anything about the training rooms her and Tecna stumbled upon before. It also helped to know that they were there and did, in fact, not get caught. Without sounding too much like a stalker, Musa knew from the other courtiers that the prince tended to train alone in the early afternoon while the rest of his squads had lunch.

Gossip around the castle was that some of the courtiers used the time as an opportunity to try to seduce the prince but, despite Musa not wanting to remember, their attempts were all futile since the man was completely dedicated to his training. They were also less than subtle from what Musa heard. It burned Musa's stomach to know that she was sacrificing some of her pride to confront the prince. Ever since the man returned from school, it would be the first time that she approached the prince. The thought that at any minute, the prince could turn on her and blow the whole plan up but telling his father her desire to train, terrified her. It was bad enough that Darcy was getting suspicious, but she could not lose the prince, not when she was close to getting his defences down.

The sounds of punches and objects slamming together started to echo loud as Musa walked down the final steps towards the last training room at the very end. The prince was known for wanting solitude so choosing which training room he was in was not rocket science. Musa was quiet as she slowly down the hall and subtly peaked through the crack in the doorway. What she saw would forever be imprinted in her memory. Her jaw subconsciously fell open as she stared. Standing in the centre of the room was the prince, dressed in only his long uniform pants, that clung to his muscles, white tape strapped around his fists, and his boots. That was it. The man stood in front of a large, tall boxing stand, punching as if it was his last fight, and sweat dripping down his very exposed and heavily muscular chest. Dear god, this was a bad idea, Musa thought. She could not help the flush that spread over her cheeks as she watched the man's biceps with every punch, the way his abs tightened when he landed a perfect kick, or the dark colour his eyes took as he concentrated. Musa knew that he looked every bit of the deadly handsome prince he was trained to be, but his eyes shone like a true Melodian as they went in to battle and gave it their all.

If Musa had not been alone, she would have already been given grief over how long she watched the man beat up the inanimate object. Yes, the man was her enemy, but she was a woman. She was allowed to appreciate a beautiful thing when she was alone. Beautiful? She had never called anything beautiful in her life! The man was a deadly weapon in human form. He was not beautiful. From the concentration clearly written over the prince's face, Musa knew that the only option to get his attention was to go in and interrupt his sparing. Sure, she could be punched but then again, she would have his attention then.

Musa took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door further open. She quietly stepped in and closed the door behind her. She cleared her throat, but the prince made no effort or sign that he heard her. She tried again, still the prince kept punching the object. Musa rolled her eyes. It was bad enough she was doing something she did not want to do but now it was painful to get it to happen. Like the embarrassment and annoyance was purposely being dragged out. She sighed and forced herself to walk over to the prince and tapped his shoulder.

"Your High-" a shriek forced its way out of Musa's throat when a tight grip latched onto her wrist.

In an instant, Musa was spun around till her back was shoved against something hard with one wrist caught in a vice grip against her throat, the other pinned to her side with another. She was pinned. It all happened so quickly. She did not even have time to process what has happening until she felt the back of her dress start to dampen. The grip of her wrists was tight but not enough to bruise but her body tensed when she felt a small brush of someone's breath on the side of her neck. The prince had her pinned against his chest with no way out.

"Y-Your..H-Higness…" Musa stuttered out in shock.

Musa's voice seemed to break the concentration on the prince and he immediately let go of her wrists and stood away from her. Musa released a breath she did not know she held and slowly turned around to face the man who had her pinned. Although she was out of danger, Musa could not help but notice her heart still thundering in her chest. She watched as the prince stared at her with the dark purple eyes, his chest heaving slightly after his work out. Musa felt the hairs on her arms stick up under the intensity of his gaze. It was unnerving, more so than being pinned against a hot body. No, not a hot body. Just a body without escape.

"What are you doing here?" The prince demanded.

Musa was shocked at the almost rude attitude shown by the prince. Well, she may not have expected an apology for his restraint of her, but it would have been nice.

"Ah…apologies, Sire, for interrupting," Musa said, trying to stop herself from arguing with him. She needed his help and she had to keep her mouth shut to do it. "I…I did try to get your attention a few times."

"How? By clearing your throat?" The prince replied in annoyance.

Musa chose to not answer that question truthfully. The fact that he knew what she did already had her thrown for a second. Perhaps he was joking.

"At least I did not attack someone," Musa replied, trying hard to reign in her snide comments.

"I did not attack you," the prince said, folding his arms over his chest.

Good god. Could the man at least put a shirt on!

"It would not hurt to apologise yourself, Your Highness."

"You never come up behind a soldier, not even when they are training. Do you not know that? I am trained to kill without hesitation, I could have hurt you! You never sneak up on a soldier."

So….perhaps his annoyance and slight temper had to do with the fact that he was worried about her getting hurt, Musa thought. She could work with that.

"You were worried about me."

The prince rolled his eyes but did not respond. Although he did not admit it, the prince also did not deny it either. Musa reigned in her annoyance and defences and put on her Valkarian façade and smiled at the prince.

"I apologise, Your Highness, for sneaking up on you. It was not my intention. I tried to get your attention but, you were otherwise occupied."

"Fine," the prince relented. "You still have not answered though why you are here. What is so important that you had to interrupt my session?"

"I came to apologise about the other day."

The answer stopped the prince in his tracks. He raised an eyebrow at Musa who simply smiled back.

"Hell must have frozen over."

Musa clenched her fists together at her sides so hard that she started to feel the imprint of her fingernails against her skin. Why did he always make things difficult?

"You….you were trying to be kind the other day and, I behaved poorly," Musa continued, ignoring his response.

"You did."

Musa wanted to scream at that very moment. He really was making Musa work for it today.

"Yes, and I am sorry for that. I am sure you will pardon me just this once to say that even though it is un-Valkarian. Today it is needed. I did behave poorly, and you did not deserve it."

"I will accept your apology, on one condition."

"And what is that?"

The prince dropped his arms and slowly walked up to Musa until the pair were a few inches from each other. Musa's heart rate sped up again and she fought the need to suddenly place her palms on the prince's chest. He really needed to put on a shirt.

"I need you to stop pretending."

Here we go again. The same argument all over again. Musa wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. Surely the prince was not wise to her ruse. Surely not. The one thing that caught Musa's attention though was him saying that he needed her to do that. She had never heard the prince say he needed something from her before.

"I am not pretending."

"As much as I love games, Lady Musa, I am not fond of going round like a merry-go-round. Not again."

"I do not understand what you want from me."

"I just said it. You need to stop pretending."

"I…..I am a Valkarian, Sire. You cannot change that."

"That is not what I want to hear, Lady Musa."

Musa could feel the heat radiating from the prince around her again and she felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach towards her heart. It was difficult to control her thoughts. She needed to try another tactic.

"I….I was not pretending that day in the garden," Musa whispered back, keeping her eyes down cast, away from the prince's eyes and chest. "I….I do feel I am unsafe. I know that your people will protect me, Your Highness, especially now that I am one of them, but…..the real reason why I feel unsafe is because I fear the rebels."

The prince was silent for a few moments. The silence caused Musa to worry so she slowly lifted her eyes and was struck how the colour intensified to a mixture of purple and magenta, sucking Musa in. She could not look away from the intensity.

"Why do you feel that?"

"They…..hurt others. They might try to come after me. I….I just….."

Musa knew what she wanted to say, the real truth behind what she was asking, but doing so would open old wounds again and make her vulnerable to her enemy. She knew she had to risk everything when she walked through the door but now that she was confronted with it, she struggled to truly meet that.

"I…cannot feel helpless again….." Musa whispered, her eyes starting to blur from tears.

There it was. The truth, her vulnerability. Everything put on the line to get the prince's trust. Musa prayed that it was worth it. The prince could not say now that she was pretending. The room was eerily silent as the prince started down at Musa, with the woman unable to pull herself away from the prince and away from his stare.

"Your mother, the rebels, Jet….." the prince eventually said softly. "Makes sense that you feel that way. Why you still feel unsafe."

"You….you said that I was safe with you, is that true, Your Highness?" Musa asked, a lone tear rolling down her face.

The prince did not move for a second as his eyes drifted slightly over and watched the tear roll out of Musa's eye.

"Yes," the prince replied. He waited a few more seconds before asking his next question. "Why are you here, Lady Musa?"

"I….I want to defend myself….."

The prince took another step closer to Musa, the pair now a hairs breath apart again. If either of them moved an inch, their lips would meet. Musa felt terrified when a part of her brain hoped that the prince would move and give in. It was like she had an internal war inside her as well was outside.

"Are you asking me to teach you how to fight hand-to hand?" the prince asked softly, with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"…..Yes….."

There it was. The crossroads. Down one path, the prince could agree and unwillingly help the rebellion, and down the other could see Musa inside a jail cell for eternity, best case scenario. As she stared at the prince, Musa truly had no idea what his answer would be. If he did the second option, at least Musa could die knowing that she truly did everything she could.

"Then yes, I will train you."


So what did you all think? Would love to know your thoughts!

Till next time!

~AngelAlexandra~