-Victoria-
King Udel, ruler of Varezia was my father. I was the first born princess. And they weren't going to tell me. I had wanted to know my father my whole life and now that I do…I don't know what to think.
I don't even know what happened. One second I was standing there, like a deer in headlights, and all I thought was how I wanted to be anywhere else. I blinked and I'm in the grotto.
I felt everything. Sadness, anger, dread but also happiness, relief. I had a dad and he definitely wanted me. He just never knew I existed or where I was. All because of my mom. I wanted to be angry at her too but I couldn't manage it. She did what she thought was best. I only held anger for Professor Zekora who knew this whole time but kept it, not just from me, from my father.
"Are you ok?" Azax spoke behind me.
Was I ok? What a question that was. I didn't feel ok. I felt numb. My mind was racing. But finally it stopped on something painfully clear.
"Did you know?" I asked Azax, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I suspected." He cautiously admitted.
"For how long?" I turned to face him, anger taking over me.
"Since Yule." He confessed, "It made sense why the Order of Destruction would be after you. Everyone knew Kind Udel loved his servant. She went missing from the realm the night after he took the crown and made his pledge."
"And if you're not in Evania then you're in the human realm." I finished, anger fading.
"Or dead," He added, coming to sit beside me, "Most wrote her off as dead considering she was just a servant with no magical ability. She used that to her advantage. Asked Zekora to help her escape. To keep you safe."
"But then I used my magic." My head dropped.
"To save your mother," Azax said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "And if she had still feared for your safety she would have taken you with her but she didn't. She knew you'd be ok. That it was time for you to come home."
"I just wish I could see her," I laid my head on his shoulder, "To hug her. Ask for her side of things."
"You will," Azax promised, kissing the top of my head, "Once the school year is over, I will do everything I can to reunite you with your mother."
"Thank you." I snuggled a bit deeper into his arms.
We sat for a while in silence, just listening to the sounds of the grotto. A million thoughts still rattled around my head but they seemed quieter now. It felt easier to breathe for just a second.
Azax stiffened suddenly, looking far off in the distance. He let out a frustrated sigh.
"We need to go." He told me, pulling me to my feet, "Your father is frantic about your disappearance. He's getting it into his head that I kidnapped you for my father."
"What?" I looked at him like he grew a second head.
"It didn't help that my father chose that moment to appear." Azax continued to explain, "He's not helping by trying to explain our relationship. King Udel seems ready to declare war."
"Well, we better get back there." I said, standing just a bit taller.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked, taking my hand.
"No," I admitted, more to myself than to him, "But I can't hide forever. Plus, I'll have you by my side."
"Always." He placed a kiss on my hand.
With one final smile, we left the grotto appearing in the middle of a rather loud standoff. A sea of red was being separated from the ocean of blue by an invisible wall. Each side taunting and flexing, just daring the other to make the first move. Their own passions ignited by that of their King's whose voice's boomed over the rest.
King Udel, my father, that'll take some getting used to, lobbed accusations at the Avorian King. Thought the man was trying to keep the peace, I could tell he was losing his grip on his own temper.
"What is going on?" I asked no one in particular.
"This is how it has always been," Azax told me, "No matter how close to peace we get, both kingdoms are one bad day away from all out war."
He gazed at me with devotion and love, making my heart skip a beat.
"Only love can unite Evania." He said with a charming smile.
"What are we gonna do about this?" I asked, trying to ignore the blush creeping over my face.
"They're arguing over you, so make sure they include you in the conversation." He instructed me, taking a step back.
How do I make them listen? How do I get their attention? My hand started to glow purple. A fitting color in my opinion. I threw the energy into the middle of the fighting. Once it made contact, a wall of purple flames grew separating the two kingdoms. All eyes turned to Azax and I as the flames diminished.
"Victoria!" My father yelled, relief washing over his face.
King Romonar visibly deflated as he signaled his soldiers to back down. My father was next to me in an instant. He looked helpless like he didn't know what to do. His arms began reaching out as if to pull me close. I stepped slightly back and his eyes saddened while his hands dropped back to his sides.
"Care to explain where the two of you went?" Zekora asked breaking the silence.
"I'd like to know that as well." King Romonar chimed, coming to stand before us.
"Yes, where did the Aivorian Prince steal you off to?" My father sneered, glaring at Azax.
"Excuse me, I did not take her anywhere, Your Majesty." Azax sternly told my father.
"Then why do you return hand in hand with her," My father countered, "After all my best men spent two hours looking for her?"
"Two hours?" I asked, the group, "It felt like 30 minutes."
"If I hadn't gone to get her she'd still be missing," Azax snarked back, "So I think the words Your Majesty is looking for are, thank you."
"Why would I thank you?" My father got right in Azax's face, "Had it not been for that trick you played to put Victoria outside Zekora's office while we spoke, she never would have run away."
"And had you been able to control your court," Azax argued back, "Victoria would have been raised here in Evania as the Princess she is."
Tensions rose. Blue energy began crackling around Azax as my father's own magic manifested in a scarlet red color. King Romonar's own magic began to appear and the soldiers around us prepared for battle. Power bubbled up inside me.
"Enough!" I yelled, releasing the pent-up magic inside, pushing Azax and my father away from each other.
They both stared at me in shock.
"Azax did not take me anywhere, I went on my own to a place only he and I can go. He's the only one who would've ever found me." I told my father and then addressed Azax, "And it wasn't his fault I wasn't raised here. That was my mom and someday she'll answer for it."
"She just wanted you to be safe." Zekora told me.
"I understand that, really I do." I responded, "But she could've told me. By all accounts we were safe on Earth. And you could've told me, Professor, when I got here and I felt so out of place. You could've told me that I did belong."
"And what about me." My father said his eyes full of sorrow but also a glimmer of hope.
"I don't know you," I confessed, "But I want to. I've always wanted to know my father and now I can."
"So that means…" Zekora prompted me.
"After seeing what happened here today, I want to help unite Evania and destroy the hatred that has existed for what feels like forever. The best way to do that is with a crown." I told all those gathered, "So I, Victoria, first born daughter of King Udel, accept the role that fate has laid out for me. I will marry Prince Azax and together we will bring peace to this realm with love."
I grabbed Azax's hand as cheers of victory filled the air. Our fathers beamed with full smiles. I could do this. I will bring peace to Evania, no matter the cost.