Leora-

Leora ran as fast as she could. She darted down passage ways and past doors and people. She needed to make it to the corridor before anyone else could. She had to do this.

Finally, she arrived in the throne room. In the middle of the night, no on was there. Only the whispers of owls and mice were heard.

She took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she was here. Why was she here? She shouldn’t be here. This was a big mistake. She kept thinking that this was a mistake.

“Don’t tell me that you’re thinking of turning back now?” Her sister said from wherever she was in the room.

“Come out, sister.” Leora said.

Maela appeared from behind the rusty old throne. She was dressed in the outfit that a thief might wear; all black and completely undignified. The shirt was too tight and the skirt was leather. Her tights were black too and her cloak’s hood was covering her face.

“Really? This is what you wear?” She asked.

“What? You actually think I was gonna dress like a princess?” Maela said. She sneered.

“Your name literally means princess!”

“Clearly a mistake on our father’s part.”

Leora rolled her eyes, angrily. She was upset. Her sister never took anything seriously. It annoyed her.

“Come on, we don’t have time for this.” She said.

The two girls made their way to the throne. It was rusty bronze and very plain. Vines swirled around the legs. It looked like it had once been glorious and spectacular. A king had once adorned it. His guards had once swarmed him. Maybe he even had a family.

Now it was a shell of what it once was.

The girls examined it. “What are we looking for again?” Maela asked.

“A latch or a lever. Father’s notebook said that there was something on this thing that led to a tunnel.” Leora replied.

All of this was very confusing for them. They were desperate to find their father. After he disappeared, they were left orphaned. Orphanages wete not their thing. They had forced themselves into the world so that they could find him.

For Leora, this would mean having a family again. It was important to her. She missed her father and mother. Theh could be a family again, she knew they could. All it would take was a little push.

“Found it.” Maela said.

Maela-

Maela stared at her sister for a second before pushing the button on the rusty metal throne. She knew things would only get worse from here.

Part of her knew what was about to transpire. She had to do it though. She was older. She had to take care of Leora. Her father had told her to. This was his will.

She remembered the conversation clear as day. “I know what you are thinking.” Her father said.

“Well I’m sorry if I think that you’re a horrible person.” Maela had said.

“I know, but you must understand that this is our legacy. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but if I don’t find it then who will? Someone outside our family? Unacceptable. It’s our curse. We must live with it.”

Maela had thought him a jerk at the time. Their magic was a gift. They could turn light to shadow, mountains to dust, and lay waste to valleys with a flick of a hand. They were strong. They were powerful. How was that a curse?

She didn’t know. She never would, but she obeyed her father. “Fine. I’ll protect her, but she will come after you.” She warned him.

“I know this. Send her on the wrong trail. I’ve left a fake journal. This is what needs to be done. She can never know her power. If she does, it will destroy her.” Father said.

“Yes, Father. Stay safe.”

“As to you, dead child.”

Now, it was time for this to happen. Maela had pushed the button. It was too late to turn back now.

Leora-

Leora heard footsteps coming as the tunnel opened. Guards. They were coming to get them. Oh no.

“Maela!” She whispered. “Someone’s coming.”

Her sister listened and nodded. “We can’t get caught here. They will think of us as common thieves. We need to leave. We’ll come back tomorrow.” She said.

“No!” Leora said. They were too close to turn back. This was their land. That’s what Father had told them. She would defend it. “If we get caught, we tell them the truth.”

“I though we agreed we’d lie!”

“No. Isn’t this our home? Isn’t this our heritage? We are descendants of their first king. We have our rights here.”

Maela didn’t think. If she did, she’d realize this. “And who’s to say that they’ll believe us?” She asked.

“They have been waiting for us.”

“No. They’ve been waiting for their king, covered in gold. We are not that. We need to leave, Leora.”

“No! You can leave. I’m staying.”

Maela’s eyes softened. “Fine.” She said. Then she pushed Leora into the tunnel and pushed a different button. “I’m sorry, sister.”

Then the tunnel closed and and we launched into the sea.