[hr][hr][h1][b][i][center][color=#006400]Amarantha[/color] & [color=#1E90FF]Ahote Proudstar[/color][/center][/i][/b][/h1][hr][hr]

Only a day after the wedding, Amarantha released that she would be hosting three days of epic games for anyone who was interested in joining the Palace guard or Castle guard. She didn’t think there would be quite the turn out. Still, there was more in the crowd, placing bets on their favourites. It seemed to put everyone in the Castle in high spirits and it was needed after the announcement of the [b]ExtraOrdinary[/b] Wizard being dead. The funeral was a couple days ago and the Castle was still somber but not today. Today the clang of metal could be heard throughout the Castle, even amongst the roaring crowd. Blood spattered the stones, the crowd and the contestants. Amarantha walked through a transformed Trader’s Market. No more was the regular set up of stalls. Instead there were several areas dedicated to those who wished to show off specific skills anywhere from archery to simple knot tying, to more exciting things of determining which items were poisons. The [b]Physiks[/b] were being kept busy. In the middle of it all, where Amarantha was headed, was a giant fighting ring. Anyone could sign up and fight either one on one or against multiple combatants. The fight was to go until first blood, but some things would get out of hand and a person would often be rushed out of the ring in hopes of stopping the blood flow. 
Amarantha rose an eyebrow when there was a collective “oof” from the crowd as something happened within the fighting ring. On the first day, Amarantha opened the games with a ten on one fight. She was still nursing a few bruises and a major cut to her arm but her opponents were far worse. She could hardly resist the urge to show off and start this competition off right. However, it seemed that someone was out to make even her victory against ten of her best seem little. Titan had come tearing into the board room earlier in the day, speaking of some man taking out person after person with not much more use than his hands, although he did have an axe that he would use from time to time. It seemed this Ahote Proudstar was quite the crowd pleaser. Amarantha made her way to the front of the fighting ring in time to watch a man be launched across the ring into the surrounding crowd. On the other side of the ring stood a man, pumping his arms to get the crowd cheering louder. War paint covered his eyes in a rather dramatic way. Yes, it did seem there was another performer within the Castle. 

Ahote Proudstar grinned at the surrounding crowd as yet another contestant stepped forward. The True North native shifted his feet on the dirt that had been laid out over the cobblestones to create a somewhat soft surface for fighting and waited for the woman to charge him. Yes, Ahote was fighting men and woman with zero prejuidence. If they wanted to be part of the guard, they would face far worse than him. 
Ahote could have left the country days ago but opted not to. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he should remain. He never found Arnora and Grimspound had virtually disappeared and although that bothered him, it was only for a short time. There was something else that was holding him to this place and he was looking for it when he came across a crowd gathered around a piece of paper on an announcement board showcasing a tournament that would be held. Anyone could participate and people would be picked to join the Guard. Restless, Ahote decided to try his hand and see if he came across anyone else gifted like Arnora and Grimspound had been. So far, Ahote had fought against those with [b]Magyk[/b] and those with nothing more than their own fists. The longer Ahote fought, the bigger the crowd had gotten. 
The woman charged Ahote and he responded in kind. He rarely used his own gift, only used it against those who had an ability as well. An ability that was revealed to him when they either showed off, or he saw their aura change. This woman was just that so Ahote kept his enhanced strength reigned in and fought normally. He made it a show, they both did and within five minutes Ahote drew first blood. Another woman stepped into the ring but a strange hush seemed to fall over the crowd before there was a resounding roar of cheering again. This woman seemed to be a crowd favourite as well. 


Amarantha stepped into the ring, pulling out her daggers and nodded to Ahote with a predatory smile. She wanted to see what he could truly do though and she pulled in a couple more woman from her elite fighting squad. The women fanned out with Amarantha in the center and she took a few steps forward towards the man before she shifted and threw dagger after dagger at him. He moved quickly, side stepping each one of her daggers but her last, which he caught and threw back at her. As soon as the dagger left his hands, the other two woman moved in on Ahote, splitting his attention. After barely dodging the tossed back dagger, Amarantha circled the three people fighting, watching his style and searching for openings or weaknesses. It seemed this man had very little and was far more advanced than the average man. Already the gears were turning with who he was or rather, what he was. Eventually Amarantha made her move and Ahote was now fighting against three people and he seemed to be at ease with it. These women were far better than any he had fought today and they were giving him quite the challenge but he remained smiling the whole time. In the end, Amarantha was left to fight Ahote solo and they both absorbed blow after blow. Amarantha could feel the man holding back though and it impressed her immensely because she was fighting with everything she had. Still, she didn’t back down and a draw was eventually called. Breathing heavily, the commander beckoned for the mysterious warrior to follow her. The crowd booed but they were plicated easily when two new people finally got their chance to fight. 
The pair walked through the crowd, Amarantha drilling Ahote with questions that he answered honestly enough until they reached the Palace barracks. Amarantha brought him over to several dummies set up and told him to show his skill. He started punching and kicking but only five seconds in, Amarantha stopped him. 
[color=#006400]”You’re true skill,”[/color] she ordered. Eyeing her, Ahote nodded and refocused. With each punch the dummies split in half, the last one shattering completely. Grinning, Amarantha beckoned him to follow once more and led Ahote inside the Palace. They reached a door where Amarantha simply looked at the guard standing there. He knocked before opening the door and Amarantha stepped inside. 
[color=#006400]”Prince Myrus, I believe I have found you someone who may be able to help with your situation. Meet Ahote Proudstar, also known as Thunderbird. You two play nice now.”[/color] Amarantha patted Ahote’s shoulder as she passed him. [color=#006400]”His hands glow red and he causes explosions. You’ll be doing a lot more ducking so you’ll get an excellent squat workout.”[/color] 
Ahote looked at the woman stunned for a moment before he looked into the room at the silent boy. 


[hr][hr][h1][b][i][center][color=#1E90FF]Ahote Proudstar[/color] and [color=ff0000]Myrus Silvers[/color][/center][/i][/b][/h1][hr][hr]

	Ahote approached Prince Myrus out at the Palace Boat Launch. Most often Ahote found the Prince out here. For the most part, he left the Prince to his own devices. He was still new here, having been plucked out of the fighting ring by Amarantha, who turned out to be the commander of the Palace Guard and now his commander. She left him to his own devices as well, simply pleased that she had found someone to communicate with the gifted Prince on his own level. Ahote cleared his throat and purposely stepped on a branch in order not to startle the Prince as he approached. He stood beside the Prince and looked out at the water as well. 

	[color=#1E90FF]"I can practically hear your thoughts,"[/color] he teased the Prince. Ahote's accent was still thick but he was having an easier time understanding the language here. 

	Myrus glanced up at his tutor, smiling slightly. It was almost the same sort of smile his sister, Luna, would get when presented with a beautiful new dress - or his sister, Valda, when she spotted some sort of furry creature in the woods. The depression that had clouded him for months seemed to have finally lifted - or at least, become more manageable, allowing him to function again without crippling fear and sadness. [color=ff0000]"What am I thinking then?"[/color] Myrus challenged Ahote. 

	Ahote grinned at the Prince and furrowed his brow, going into deep thought as he tapped his chin. Of course Ahote had no ability to read minds but he did have the ability to sense auras. Every person carried a sort of cloud with them. It could be in the literal or the figurative sense but Ahote tended to see a person's skin glow a different colour and that colour would generally tell him an emotion the person was experiencing. The emotion wasn't words specifically but once you knew how someone was feeling, it was easier to tell what they could be thinking. Myrus's aura was an arrange of different things but all continued to move in the same direction, even with the faint red tinge that seemed to constantly cloud the boy. That would be due to the specific nature of his power. 

	[color=#1E90FF]"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"[/color] He joked with his companion, although his tone was oddly serious. The elders used to pose that question when he, or the other children of his age were not thinking outside the box, when they were so consumed with one task, they forgot to think of the others. Most often it was followed with a stick hitting the top of their head. Thankfully Ahote was blessed with enhanced durability or he would have developed quite a few of those goose eggs. 

	Ahote didn't think Myrus had this problem though, quite the opposite. His aura was telling Ahote that he had quite the restless spirit, a yearning to be elsewhere then where he was. He was constantly looking outside the box, seemingly to ignore what was stirring inside of him. His love of family keeps him grounded but the Prince still dreams of elsewhere. Often Ahote would tell him stories of other lands in hopes to get the Prince to focus on himself for a change. 

	There were some things that seemed to cross cultural boundaries. Myrus had heard that question be posed before, typically by one of his nurses when he was a little boy. She had been a funny woman and he didn't remember what happened to her - except that she had been rather old. Maybe she had retired or something? He didn't know. [color=ff0000]"That wasn't what I was thinking,"[/color] Myrus told Ahote, a little smirk on his face. [color=ff0000]"But... my nanny used to always say it was because she tied them together in the same question - and that's how they're alike."[/color] He never really enjoyed that answer as a little kid. [color=ff0000]"I always insisted that it was because they were like my sister, Valda... The writing desk was her as a Princess and the raven was her in the woods..."[/color]

	[color=#1E90FF]"And why did you associate those two things with your sister?"[/color] Ahote asked curiously. It wasn't that Myrus was wrong. Ahote believed that everyone could interpret that question the way they pleased. It intrigued him that Myrus knew of the saying as well but that's what made travel so fascinating. 

	Myrus shrugged a bit, looking back at the water. [color=ff0000]"...My sister was kidnapped before I was born... So I never really saw her... just the empty places where she could have been,"[/color] he mumbled. He remembered the empty bedroom that had been Valda's - there had indeed been an ornate writing desk in there. He remembered looking out his bedroom window, seeing ravens perching on the trees of the Forest, knowing that his sister was somewhere inside that vastness. 

	Ahote watched the Prince, watched his face and his stance shift as he spoke. He followed his gaze back out to the water. It really was rather soothing. [color=#1E90FF]"How did you feel about seeing those empty spaces? Knowing you had another sister but she was unable to occupy those spaces?"[/color]

	He shifted, the energy crackling around his hands. He knew that Ahote was essentially trying to do some sort of counseling, but Myrus knew that he needed help. He had been hurting himself and he almost ran away. That had been his plan - to leave the Castle and his family forever while they were at Myth and Bruce's wedding. [color=ff0000]"...Scared,"[/color] Myrus admitted, after a bit of reflection. [color=ff0000]"At least, at first... I didn't know if my sister was alive or not... I was worried for her... but... When I got a bit older, I'd go and hide in Valda's room when I was upset... I'd pretend that she was hiding underneath the bed and I would talk to her, tell her about my day, about the things that I had learned with my tutors..."[/color]

	Ahote smiled softly while Myrus opened up to him. He watched Myrus's hands and how the power shifted there. At the very least he could bring it forward now instead of it coming on randomly. [color=#1E90FF]"Scared was one of the emotions you were feeling when your power first came forth wasn't it? And Valda, along with Luna, was one of the only ones to center you. She, or perhaps your family in general has been your center for your entire life. Please correct me if I am wrong or if I am missing something."[/color] Ahote was trying to get to the center of what drove Myrus's power. If you could figure out the trigger and the calming effect, it made learning control a lot easier.

	He nodded quickly, his thoughts racing back to Valda's Coronation. Fleur and her crew had kidnapped his sister, Luna. They conjured up a dragon that may or may not have been real, followed by the arrival of a real dragon. Just thinking about it made his blood pump a little quicker and the energy around his hands intensified. [color=ff0000]"Th-they kidnapped Luna that day..."[/color] he whispered, some tears coming to his eyes. [color=ff0000]"I-I think they're going to do it again, soon... Sh-she's coming for my sisters...."[/color] he admitted, hugging his knees to his chest. 

	Ahote shifted and knelt down beside Myrus, watching him and his hands. Ahote had no issues being close to Myrus and the sooner the Prince stopped fearing his power, the better off he would be. [color=#1E90FF]"What makes you think this will happen? Because it has happened before?"[/color] Ahote knew a little of the royals and what happened with the [b]Cradlesnatching[/b]. Such a bizarre concept but a very real thing in this land. 

	[color=ff0000]"Yes and no..."[/color] Myrus said softly, taking a deep breath and trying to look out at the water. The energy was still swarming around his hands and it wasn't going away. The more he talked about this, the more intense the color became, to the point that the energy seemed to almost become a solid in its own right. [color=ff0000]"She came to the wedding - Fleur - and she took someone's powers... I-I don't know how, but she's definitely coming for my sisters. She wants Valda dead and Luna to be a witch like her... I-I wish my family wasn't royal. I'd still have my parents and no one would have been kidnapped,"[/color] Myrus sobbed. [color=ff0000]"I hate it!"[/color]

	Ahote listened, remaining ever steadfast despite Myrus's growing emotion and power around his hands. He frowned. There at been lots of talk about this Fleur person as of late. It didn't look good for the people of the Castle to have this woman around. No wonder Myrus was in a fit over it. [color=#1E90FF]"You can't change the past or the cards you have been dealt Myrus but you can live in the present and make your future what you want it. Instead of wishing you were in a different situation than what you were given, with been royal. What is it you can do to ensure the safety of your family and your people. People who aren't royal are given even worse situations sometimes,"[/color] he reminded the Prince. 

	[color=ff0000]"I can't ensure the safety of my family,"[/color] Myrus said softly. There was a [i]snap[/i] as some of the energy quite literally sparked off of his hands. [color=ff0000]"I can't protect my sisters from Fleur... I-I asked Valda if we could run, but she won't leave the Castle. And I'm scared that I'll have to bury my sister less than a year after I buried my mother."[/color] He took a shaky breath, feeling compelled to stand and he did so, his head feeling like it was spinning from emotion. [color=ff0000]"My family's cursed..."[/color]

	[color=#1E90FF]"Maybe not, but you can help them Myrus. You have such little faith in yourself but I see such strength and compassion within you. For instance, your stuttering has slowed. If you wish to leave this place, I will go with you but if you want to remain then I think it is high time you change your thinking. No more doubting but believing. Everyday is a new beginning, remember?"[/color] He gave Myrus a little smile as Ahote stood back up. [color=#1E90FF]"Your control is growing as well. Not even a few short days ago would you have been able to hang on this long."[/color]

	He nodded slightly, knowing that Ahote was right - each day was a new start, a new beginning and a chance to change one's destiny. Myrus didn't know what he wanted for himself - but he knew that he wanted happiness and safety for his sisters. Luna and Valda were the only family he really had left. Sure, they had some cousins and aunts and uncles but they all lived far away and hadn't paid much notice to the three teenagers ruling the Small Wet Country Across the Sea. [color=ff0000]"...I just don't want anyone to hurt Luna or Valda again,"[/color] he said softly, the energy leaving his hands as he slowly calmed himself down. 

	Ahote placed a hand on the Prince's shoulder as the red colour of his unique energy faded from around his hands. [color=#1E90FF]"That is beyond our control but lets work on what we can control. Your power and ensuring that your sisters will not be left alone to fight for themselves."[/color]

	[color=ff0000]"Okay..."[/color] Myrus said softly. [color=ff0000]"Thank you."[/color]