A/N: Sorry I've been so inactive, school has been getting to me. Honestly, I feel like the beginning, albeit being the easiest, is the most hectic. -.-;

Queen Weira did not trust Salazar, and that was being generous. He might be one of the greatest magicians of his generation and a great mentor but then again...snakes were famed for their silver tongues. The queen had already learned to express kindness but to carefully consider trust. The one thing that had made Queen Weira lighten her suspicions was the boy, Cedric. He was kind and clever, easily appeased and always happy. Even Phobos had taken a liking to him and if her ever-cautious son could come to befriend him, she could too. Surely, with such a sweet child the father could not be all that bad, right?

"You have great power, My Prince. But, it is unrefined, uncalculated. Your shots are just blind blasts that decimate everything but the intended target," Salazar stated calmly, his green eyes carefully turning away from the dark smolders left right beside the small shield hanging in midair. He had learned the hard way that training the little prince inside the castle would cause more than manageable collateral damage. Later he simply took training to the gardens although the vegetation was half scorched and the castle walls were already showing signs of damage. "Let us take a break, shall we?"

Phobos didn't reply. He was already struggling to not gasp for breath as it was, talking would only make it worse so he simply leaned against the castle wall. Sweat dripped down his face and his arms were trembling uncontrollably.

From her perch on the second floor balcony, Queen Weira spotted Cedric leaping out of what seemed to be one of the tall windows, his long green coat fluttering behind him. A smile graced her lips as she watched the boy rush towards Phobos.

"Phobos!" He called excitedly as he skidded to a stop before the prince.

"Cedric, the Prince's lessons are not yet over," hissed the cold voice of Salazar.

Cedric flinched away from his father but Phobos only glared at the man. "They are now," Snapped Phobos, shooting a steely glare at Salazar as though he were daring the elder to test him. He grabbed Cedric by the sleeve of his dark green coat and tugged him away.

He had barely walked a few feet before Cedric planted his feet to stop the prince. "No, it's fine," He protested, shaking his head. Cedric clutched a rather large book in his arms and when he held it out, the gold-plated cover shimmered brilliantly. "I- I made this. For you," He stuttered, not daring to meet the pale green eyes staring at him.

Phobos reached out and took the book in his hands, it weighed heavily on his already sore arms but he had nowhere to put it down. He ran his fingers down the intricate design on the gold cover before trying to open it. The cover wouldn't budge. "What is this?" He asked Cedric curiously.

"Your present…"

It was silent for an awkwardly long moment and Cedric feared that perhaps it was the wrong thing to give him. Phobos's voice quickly had him dropping back to reality when he murmured, "Oh…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Cedric turned quickly back in the direction of the castle and said, "Well, you'd better finish your lesson. I'll see you later!" Without waiting for a reply he ran back inside.

Phobos lay on his stomach, his chin rested in the palm of his left hand and his legs were crossed at the knees. He wore long black shirt with a crimson sash tied just above his abdomen, cinching the shirt. The hem of his black pants were stuffed in his leather boots. The weather was fairly cool so he opted to wear a shawl as well, its color matched that of the sash and the hem of his sleeves. The black and red pattern of his bed sheets seemed to complement the colors of the book a little too well. He studied the cover as if the secrets of the universe was somehow inscribed into the gold. Once more, he tried to pry open the cover but once again it did not open for him. The boy took a deep breath and glared at the book like he could will it to open with some sort of freakish telepathy. "Open, dammit!" He spat, slamming a fist on his bed. Suddenly, the cover sprung open and a page flipped open with a loud snap. Phobos jolted up into a kneeling position. "What the-" He gasped, his eyes wide. "Is...is this thing supposed to be voice activated?" He whispered, leaning in close once more and touching the page tentatively. Just then. a hollow knock sounded through his room and he slammed the book shut. "Who is it?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Your mother, silly," Said the voice from outside and Phobos let out a sigh of relief.

"Come in," He called letting himself relax although one hand still rested on the cover of the book.

The large double doors clicked open and the bright-haired queen walked in to stand just beyond the threshold.

"Come on Phobos, you've been cooped up in here long enough, let's go already!" She said cheerfully, beckoning for him to come with her hand.

"Go...where?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

Queen Weira raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Don't tell me you forgot. It's your birthday, Phobos."

"It is?" He asked unfazed. At least it explained why Cedric had given him a present out of the blue. "I guess I did forget." Phobos slid off the silk sheets and trotted over to his mother, taking her hand. Just before they exited he turned for one last look at the book. From his faraway angle he noticed a symbol on the cover: a darkened carving of a serpent with its tail in its mouth. An Ouroboros.

At the main hall, Cedric was leaning against a large marble pillar, his brown boots kicking the stone floor absentmindedly. He The clicks of footsteps reverberated through the hall and the royalty finally appeared at the foot of the stairs. Immediately, Phobos let go of his mother's hand and ran to his friend.

"Cedric!" He skidded to a stop on the treacherously smooth floor. "Thank you for the birthday gift. I love it. A little confusing, but still cool."

Cedric giggled in amusement and smiled brightly. "I'm pleased you like it. It was difficult to forge."

"You made it? But...something like that takes a lot of magic. How did you-"

"Oh, I'm sure Father will teach you in time," He said, waving his hand as a sign that he was dismissing the matter. "We should have fun! It's the Prince's birthday, everybody's celebrating."

Phobos paused for a moment and turned to Weira, his eyes silently asking for permission. She nodded simply and Phobos lit up. "Let's go then."

The two ran out of the castle and down the winding road, laughing like normal children would. Booths and hoards of people lined the road. Multicolored banners hung everywhere and music merged with the air. Everywhere, festivities were taking place and everywhere the two went people stopped to look and greet their prince on the day when he turned ten.

Twilight was upon them and the dark sky was lit by many brilliant fireworks. The two boys sat beside each other in the garden, in Phobos's specifically designated spot beside the small pond. The trees looming up above blocked most of the fireworks but the small spots allowing light to filter through created a gorgeous kaleidoscope effect.

"Today was great. Everyone seems so happy," Cedric said, sitting on the grass, his arms outstretched behind him.

"Yeah. It was nice," Phobos murmured, too proud to openly admit that he enjoyed a 'pedestrian', as he would call it, event. He laid on his back with his hands intertwined behind his head. All day people treated him like the prince he wished to be and after a morning of arduous magic lessons with Salazar it seemed just that much better.

Instead of looking at the fireworks Phobos's eyes were fixed upon the scarlet roses growing on vines that had intertwined themselves around all the trees. Against the shimmering lights from above the simple roses seemed to illuminate. Apparently, Cedric had found an interest in them as well. "Hey, hey Phobos, look at that!" Cedric said excitedly, pointing up at one of the branches. Phobos shifted his gaze to where his friend was pointing and saw a dark green snake slithering among the blood colored roses. "Do you think it's going to get cut by the thorns?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"No. Roses would never harm a kindred spirit."

A/N: Hint, hint roses and snakes are important.