Morning light flooded the room, bringing with it the smell of a waking kingdom, baking bread from the lower districts and the sharp, ozone scent of magical wards recharging.
Kaelen sat on the edge of his bed. He felt better.
The headache was gone, replaced by a sharp clarity.
There was a hesitant knock on the door.
"Enter," Kaelen commanded.
The door creaked open, and a young woman shuffled in, balancing a silver tray.
This was Lena. She was small, with a messy mop of chestnut hair tied back with a simple ribbon. Her uniform, a black dress with white pinafore was slightly too big for her, suggesting she was a servant of low standing.
Her face was round and dusted with freckles, dominated by a wide nervous brown eyes that darted around the room as if expecting a trap.
"Your... Your Highness,"
"I brought you tonic. And... and the porridge," she stammered , nearly tripping over the rug.
She placed the tray on the bedside table. Her hands were shaking.
"Thank you, Lena," Kaelen said.
"You... you know my name?," Lena froze. She looked at him as if he had grown a second head.
"Should I not?"
"You never... you usually just throw the bowl at the wall," she whispered, looking down at her shoes.
The previous Kaelen was a petulant child, Kaelen realized. Angry at his own weakness.
"I am trying a new method,"
"Calmness promotes health," Kaelen said, reaching for the silver spoon.
He took a sip of the porridge. It was bland, lukewarm. He ignored the taste and looked at the spoon.
He flicked it with his finger.
Ping
A high, clear note rang out.
Kaelen closed his eyes. In his mind's eye, he didn't see magic. He saw waveform. A sine wave oscillating through the air.
Frequency determined reality, he mused. If I match the frequency, I control the object.
He looked at the water pitcher on the tray. It was made of heavy crystal.
"Lena."
"Step back," Kaelen said softly.
"Sir?"
Kaelen focused. He didn't use a spell. He didn't chant. He simply hummed a low note in his throat, matching the resonant frequency of the water inside the pitcher.
Then, he pitched his internal energy-Aether-slightly higher.
Vibrate
The water inside the pitcher began to boil instantly, though there was no heat. It bubbled violently, reacting to the sonic agitation.
Lena yelped, jumping back.
Kaelen wiped a droplet of sweat from his cheek. His energy reserves were abysmal, but his control was absolute.
"Physics."
"It's all just physics," Kaelen murmured, a small, satisfied smile touching his lips.
"Lena, bring me my formal wear. The black tunic with the sliver threading. I am dining with my family," he looked back at the terrified maid.