Page 66 of Enchanted Kingdom
While I stirred, he put up a barrier of magic around the room so we could freely ask each other questions. I soon knew his favorite color was the color of his magic, blue. But I also knew not everyone’s favorite color was the color of their magic. He told me the form and color of an Enchanted’s magic had to do with their personality and who they were. I also found out he liked to study sciences best, oftentimes finding the royal sages to pepper them with questions when he was younger.
“So growing up in Nerede?” he asked.
I smiled. “I never knew I lacked anything. For a while our bakery struggled, so that part I remember being stressful, but my parents both loved me and I adored them. I had a good childhood.”
Keir was quiet a moment.
“How was yours in this fortress?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged. “It was great for a while. I remember a lot of chaos Krew and I got into. Playing pranks on the servants, afternoon-long games of hide-and-seek, things like that. There was a lot of laughter in this castle when I was younger...” he paused, “before our magic set in.”
“How old were you?” I knew it was usually shortly after puberty that the Enchanted came into their powers.
“Thirteen. Krew got his a few months before me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know how you both don’t hate each other. This whole never knowing who will be the king thing.”
Keir shrugged. “We did hate each other for a while. I was not happy when he was able to use his magic before I was. We went from being inseparable to staying clear of one another.”
I thought on that for a moment. “But you are close still today?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“So what happened?”
Keir looked up at the ceiling. “He took the blame for something that I had done. It was maybe two years later. He knew I was going to get in trouble, and he took the punishment for me.”
I didn’t know what exactly the wordpunishmentmeant, and I was too afraid to ask. Too afraid to ruin an otherwise perfect evening. “Why did he do that?”
“I don’t know. I thought at first he was just trying to show how tough he was.” He paused. “But now I see that even back then, Krew just loathed him.”
Keir gave his head a shake. “And after the past ten years, that has only intensified. I guess it’s hard to hate one another or hold animosity over who will wear the crown when neither of us even knows who will to begin with, and besides, now we are too busy fighting our common enemy.”
Were the crown princes planning to kill their own father?
I set the first cookie down in front of him. “Please promise me you will be careful.”
“Worried about me, sweetheart?”
“Yes!”
Just then we heard dull-sounding voices. From around the magic weaved around the doorway, I could see Prince Krewan arrive. He flicked a finger at the barrier as he greeted Easton, and his own navy-blue colored magic joined Keir’s brighter blue. The navy parts crawled along and seemed to thicken the webbing of magic faster than I knew was possible. Then Prince Krewan simply walked through the barrier and into the kitchen with us.
My mouth fell open. “I didn’t know magic could do that.”
“Do what?” Keir asked with a smirk to his lips.
“I thought only soul bonded pairs could combine magic.” I gave my head a shake. “But didn’t your magic just combine?”
Prince Krewan looked at me carefully. “That is likely an observation you shouldn’t repeat.”
Now I was confused. “But why?” And then I added, “Plus why’d you do it in front of me then?”
The princes looked at one another for a moment, as if trying to decide what they should or shouldn’t tell me.
I was getting sick and tired of feeling kept out of the loop. “Let me guess. Related to the fact that you two may have to one day overthrow your father?”
Prince Krewan’s eyes snapped to Keir’s as he gritted his teeth.“What did you tell her?”
