SUP EVERYONE! So I decided to go through some AU ideas I never finished and decided to get off my lazy ass and finish them while I have too much downtime on my hands.

The idea I had for this one: Character A is the ex-heir of a fallen kingdom and they're one of the last magic users around. They've been trying to keep their magic a secret, but Character B catches Character A using their magic to make small, metal toys sing and dance for fun.

Ever since I was a child, I knew that my family was feared.

I grew up in high castle walls and loving arms as I was the first child of the king and queen of Astherin. Within our land, even though I was a woman, this meant that I was the heir to the throne. Even after my little brother's birth, I was still told that I had a crown and country to carry with pride and grace.

I loved the land that I was given the opportunity to live within. We made it able for each of our subjects to live the way they chose. One was not forced into the lives they were born into. They had the right to choose their futures.

As long as they didn't betray the throne, that is.

But it all came to a blazing end.

The memories haunt me every moment I close my eyes. Their screams follow me in my sleep and echo after every thought. I didn't understand at the time why the siege on Astherin took place, but I followed orders by my father to take shelter in a kingdom called Arcadia that was ruled by a friend of my mother's. Queen Barbara took me in with welcoming arms and over time taught me more about what happened to my people.

"Magic is a thing that people fear. Humanity never understood the concept of magic, and due to this, it's the unknown nature that causes them to fear it. Once word spread of Astherin being where witches and warlocks were welcomed to make their homes, other kingdoms grew fearful of what might have come from them." I looked at the queen with a questionable look as the words settled within my head.

"You are stating that my land was captured and my family slaughtered due to how people feared what would happen from people having a place to welcome them?"

"I never said it was right, darling. Just that the world is fearful of what they don't understand. Yet here in Arcadia, you and all those that lived to survive the struggles of the fall of Astherin, are welcomed. I would never let my dear friend have her people wonder lost within this world. Especially not her daughter." The queen gave me a sweet smile as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "You have a lot to learn if what your mother has told me in our letters is true. You must hone your abilities here. Learn from those around you and make a solid foundation for your future."

"But I'm from a kingdom that practiced and welcomed magic. I myself am from a long lineage of witches."

"Then show the world that there is nothing to fear from your presence."

I was grateful for all that the queen was risking to give me shelter. She made it well known within the castle walls of my presence but made sure that those that were not meant to know of my survival were kept out of the secret the castle was keeping. She taught me much more about the cultures outside of the land I knew and even introduced me to the heir to her throne that she stated would be glad to show me much more than she can teach.

I heard of the lone prince of Arcadia when I was younger. My mother would joke constantly that due to her closeness to Queen Barbra that they would end up arranging for Acadia's prince and I to be wed if both kingdoms did not despise the concept. Both rulers were not given a choice in who they would spend the rest of their days with but ended up in the luckiest of situations where they ended up falling in love with those that they were promised to and due to the possibilities of how horrid it could have gone, both agreed to not condemn their children to those possible fates.

But when I met him, I knew I wouldn't have minded at all if they decided to follow tradition.

Prince James was a kind young man who wore his heart on his sleeve and was not afraid to admit to his shortcomings, yet was not going to let his downfalls be that way forever. He was determined to be the best he could be and it was obvious from the moment I laid my eyes on him. He was on the training grounds with his swordsmanship teacher who was named Blinky.

Still to this day, I don't understand if it's a cruel joke of why the one-eyed man was deemed that but I never decided to bring the question before him.

James had fallen multiple times from what I could hypothesize due to the layers of mud that caked over his clothing and face. The exhaustion was obvious due to the number of heavy breaths that seemed to not want to stay within his chest.

"Are you sure you want to continue, my prince?" All I could see was how the dark-haired and blue armor covered prince brought up his sword with a wide smile.

"I can handle it. If I give up now, I'll never succeed."

The memory makes me smile as, over the small amount of time I had within these castle walls, I had grown to know the fellow royal well. He knew of my kingdom, not much to my amusement, but enough to understand where I was from as well as some of the culture. I can still remember with amusement how he stumbled over our native tongue as he tried to make me feel at home with his first greeting towards me.

"You don't have to speak Spanish towards me, Prince James." The fellow teenager only scratched the back of his neck lightly as he proudly wore a smile through his obvious embarrassment.

"I wanted you to feel as if you can be yourself around me so I decided that if I could showcase I understood where you're from, that you would feel comfortable." He let out a small laugh before continuing to speak. "And please, call me James."

"You don't have to worry so much about me. I already feel at home within these walls. If we're going to be on such informal terms though, you can call me Claire."

"Wonderful to hear then, Claire." I could help but mimic his smile that he gave me as he gave me a small bow.

"I thought we just agreed to not be as formal with one another?" I laughed lightly as I joked towards the taller teenager.

"Does not mean I should not show you respect." He gave me a wide grin that I could not help but be joyous towards.

"If you're so determined to know more about my land, I can always teach you." The look that James gave me was like that of a young child being told that he could have dessert before dinner as he nodded with enthusiasm.

"I would enjoy that very much! In return, I can show you more of our culture. I know you're being taught personally by my mother, but I can always lend you a helping hand."

Ever since then, I taught James about the ways of my people as he taught me more about the kingdom from a much more relaxed position in comparison to his mother's teachings. We spoke about our different dialects and ideals, working systems and land developments, and even to what our people believe in as well as ourselves.

But through all of this, I remembered what Queen Barbara imprinted in my mind.

Never show your magic to anyone until I can control it with ease. Arcadia is only just getting comfortable with the customs that came from the ways of magic. Rather not get them witnessing the power behind it before it's obvious they understand it enough to no longer fear the effects.

So, I never showcased the magical side of myself to the prince. I saw sure of when I practiced my spells, I was either alone or with the young man the queen introduced me to.

"Magic is about your emotions. Keep your arms up and your mind in focus. If you dive too deep into the darker side of your emotions, you'll never return to the light." Hisirdoux, the young wizard that the queen had introduced me to that was willing to teach me to control my powers, lifted my left arm slightly as he was instructing me to create a small portal. "But, it is that darkness that fuels your abilities."

"Are you sure I should be able to possess this?" I glanced over to the taller being as he gave me a wide smile.

"You were born without magic, correct? Even though your family is a long line of witches and wizards?" I nodded my head slightly at his question. "That just makes you more powerful. You were able to find the magic within yourself through your emotions. It makes you mortal, yes, but it means you are so much stronger than any spell caster to cross your path." He put his hand on my chin, forcing me to look before me once more. "Now, focus. Do not doubt yourself, Claire." I felt a swell of determination fill my being as I projected my emotions out into the small portal I was creating.

I smiled at the memory as I sat against the stone wall next to my resting chambers door. I glanced around the room while my legs stretched out before me as my left ankle placed itself over my right. It wasn't much like what I had in Astherin, but it was home all the same. It was obvious as one would walk in that there were touches to the designs and colors that were not within the customs for Arcadia. The purple and gold fixtures were the major showcase to this since Arcadia's royal colors were blue and silver. In my hands, I had my little brother's blanket that he had given me as father informed all of us of his plan.

"Take." I looked down to Enrique, the small four-year-old boy was holding out a purple blanket with our family's insignia upon it in gold. I knelt down to Enrique, knowing that my words to him would be the last I could speak with him.

"I don't want to take your blanket from you, mi hermanito." The boy had a serious look placed on his face as he stuck the fabric out further towards me.

"I want you to."

"You don't have much time to argue with him, mi hija." I looked over to my father who had my mother by his side. I was thankful that the last time I would see their faces were of those of content smiles as I took my brother's favorite blanket from him.

"Thank you, Enrique." He gave me a wide smile as I stood up once more. Before I could start my way towards the tunnel I was supposed to exit through, he wrapped his arms around my legs.

"I love you, hermana." I smiled at the feeling as I toyed with his hair.

"I love you too, hermanito."

What brought me back to reality was the sudden darkness that appeared in splotches on the small purple cloth. I reached up and touched my cheeks, realizing that I had started crying from the memory. With a soft smile, I placed my hand back on the soft cloth before placing it against my chest.

I understand why my father was insistent of me being the one to escape, but I could never understand why I couldn't bring my brother with me. I was the last known magic wielder in the family line. Enrique was too young to see if he had inherited the family trait. Normal fleshlings were insistent on the idea that witches and warlocks turned to dust when killed. So it would make sense to those that besieged the castle to find three bodies in the royal room. They would search high and low if there were any less. Even with this being knowledge I understood, the overprotective sister within my fights against the idea. That there must have been another way out for the little one.

But what's done has been done and all I can do is live on for them.

I laid the blanket into my lap as I looked around the room once more. My eyes landed on little metal toys like that Enrique was given from our father. There were three of them all of which were different. They were all little soldier men, but one had a sword, another had a war horn, as the last had a shield.

"Do it again! Again!" I smiled at my brother as I spun a finger once more, a purple aura coming from my extended index finger as his little soldier toys seemingly come to life. They marched around in a circle as Enrique's excited giggle filled the air. They then marched in a line as they headed back to the shelf they were once sitting on, hopping onto in order as I pulled my control over the small toys to cause their movements to halt. I toyed with my brother's hair as his head leaned into my stomach. The actions pulled a yawn out of the toddler as he mumbled to me.

"Thank you, Claire."

Without a single thought, I felt myself swing my index around in a circle as I had in those moments. My magic caused all three of the small toys to stand straight up. I smiled to myself as the toyed marched from where they were sitting under a window in a straight line across from me. As I watched them march together, the slightest memory of Enrique's laugh echoed in my mind as the toys reached where my feet were. I was so entranced that I had not heard the two sets of worried knocks upon my door or the creaking of the wood as it opened.

"Claire?" The sudden sound caused me to yelp and lose my control over the few toys, causing them to fall instantly from their positions. I looked over to the door to see a wide-eyed James standing in the doorway. I brought myself to my feet as I tried my best to explain the toys' movements.

"This is not how it seems."

"Claire-"

"I have no clue how they-"

"Claire."

"You have to believe-" I stopped in the middle of my frantic explanations as two hands found their way to my shoulders. I was so worried about how the prince would react to my magic that I didn't realize the broad smile he had upon his lips and the kindness that danced in his ocean eyes.

"Calm yourself." He gave me a chuckle before speaking once more. "I won't harm you." He had a soft look on his face as he brought his hands down from my shoulders. I had not noticed until now that he was not decorated in his normal silver-plated armor, but in that of a simple white tunic and black breeches. He still had a sword in its leather scaffold tied to his waist, but he was much smaller outside of the wide armor. It made me realize how soft the war trained price truly was.

"Yet I am a witch."

"You're a witch." He chuckled once more as he gave me another smile. "Is that what caused you to panic? Were you afraid of how I would react?" I took a deep breath as I gave him a single nod. This only caused him to place his hands on my biceps. "You being a witch has nothing to do with my opinion of you."

"It does with others."

"I'm not others." I felt myself smile slightly at him as he pulled his touch away from me once more. "And if these others give you problems, I will be glad to finish them for you." He crossed his arms over his chest which caused me to laugh lightly at his actions.

"I don't need you to solve my problems."

"I never said you did." His smile deepened as he kept his arms loosely over his chest. "Just that I would lend a hand if need be. What you are is what is meant to be. If it wasn't, then you wouldn't have been gifted. All because you were born differently than others does not mean you deserve hatred." I found myself smiling towards the prince as I fiddled with my hands before me.

"Thank you, James."

"Any time, Claire." He dropped his arms as he knelt down for a second before rising back to his feet. "You seemed to have dropped this in your panic." He handed me the blanket I kept in my lap before I had toyed with my magic.

"Thank you." I folded the small blanket and watched it as I weighed the purple fabric in my hands for a moment. When I looked up to see James was giving me a soft look as there seemed to be a supporting aura swirling in his eyes.

"I won't ask of you about why you keep your magic hidden, but I can tell you do so for a reason." His voice was a lot more delicate as he spoke this time. "But know that if you ever need to speak to someone of the weight you carry on your shoulders, I will be here for you. May you enjoy it or not." He had a lot more of a joyful tone in his voice as he finished speaking. "But since it seems you're not able to sleep at this time either, would you mind joining me on a walk? It helps me calm my nerves after long days like this one."

"I would love you." I smiled towards him as he showcased a large toothy one of his own.

"Wonderful." He placed his arms behind his back as he let out a little bit of the excitement I could tell he felt within his facial features. Even though it was obvious the young heir was used to war and battles due to the faded scars that danced across his face, he seemed like that of a light-hearted child within that moment and it caused my heavy one to lighten at the sight of it. "I'll meet you outside your door. Take your time if you need to gather anything." I placed my brother's blanket on my bed as I shook my head at the prince's idea.

"There's no need to do such a thing. We can leave now if you wish."

"Are you sure? You don't want a shawl or anything of the likes?"

"To be honest, James, I think the chill of the night wind will be a welcoming friend." He smiled lightly at me as he dropped his hands to his side.

"Shall we go then?" He gestured towards the door, allowing me the right to exit before him.

"We shall."

I don't remember much more from the walk we had shared, but all I could was how the moon seemed to grace the young man beside me. It was as if the world understood the scars they must have placed on him as to how it softened when he presented himself within its gaze. The light acted as if he would shatter if it wasn't gentle towards his fair skin as he smiled towards the small gust of the midnight breeze. I knew since I had met the fellow royal that he was someone I would never forget even if I desired so.

But as our skin brushed lightly against one another as we walked silently in the moon's graceful light, I understood now why it felt as if I was bound toward him.

It was as if we were missing pieces to one another. That we were meant to find each other in some way and it made me feel as if the turmoils I had struggled with had led to me finding someone that would understand me more than anyone else within these castle walls and I would be the same for him.

We are two victims of the world and its tedious game that somehow found solace in one another, and as brown orbs had met blue ones under the full moon's gentle gaze, I knew I wouldn't have it any other way.