Evoria, Lorenne
December 11- When a Monster is Betrayed
Delara stared at Duke Thorsen. She had been too upset the last few times they met to realize how attractive the duke actually was. Ahmund Thorsen had pale, warm-toned skin with golden blonde hair that was cut asymmetrically, one side long and slightly wavy, the other side shorter and combed back. He was tall and muscular from his time as a military leader. He had taken off his embroidered maroon jacket and rolled up his sleeves, revealing silver, swirling tattoos. She had no idea Ahmund Thorsen was a sorcerer, but he had the yana tattoos.
It had been over a week since they started working together. The case was moving slowly because Duke Thorsen had to do everything without the police. They found a match for the shoe. It was the most expensive boot in the store. Only the richest of noblemen could afford it. The duke was still trying to determine if the prince owned this type of boot.
“Why don’t you use magic in cases?” she finally asked.
Duke Thorsen glanced at his yana tattoos and back at Delara. “Magic and science should be kept separate. I use yana on the battlefield, not on a crime scene or in the laboratory. Yana is too unstable to be reliable in the scientific realm. Oh, you can call me Ahmund, Miss Shirazi.”
Delara smiled. “Then you can call Delara.” She looked at the fingerprint Ahmund had lifted from the knife. The print was under a large glass magnifier.
“So this fingerprint is pretty unique,” he said, pointing to the print. “It’s called a double loop whorl. I don’t see these as often as a plain whorl, the ones that look like big circles. Note that there are two separate and distinct loops.” He sighed. “The hard part is getting the prince’s fingerprints.”
“Prince Charlamagne is claiming he found the body, right?” she asked. “What if you asked to collect his fingerprints under the guise of ruling him out as the owner of the print?”
Ahmund nodded. “It’s a good idea, but he might be reluctant. He knows how reliable fingerprints are. I didn’t want to do it this way, but I might have to.”
“How?” Delara asked.
“Magic,” he said in a low voice. “I hate using yana, but I don’t think I have a choice. He won’t want to give his prints willingly.” He sighed. “Hand me that mirror.” He pointed at a small, ornate mirror on another table.
She gave it to him. “How is this going to work?”
He held his hand over the mirror. “The prince also has yana tattoos. I’m going to build a connection between us through this mirror. I can use the yana in his own system to make his prints appear on this yana-infused paper.” he held up a paper that had a slight silver tinge with ten boxes drawn on it. He closed his eyes. His tattoos started to move as he activated his yana. Suddenly, the mirror ripple and the prince appeared on its surface. Ahmund opened his eyes. He used the mirror like a tablet to show the prince’s hands. Ahmund looked slightly strained, and then ten red fingerprints appeared in the boxes. They looked square because the yana mimicked a rolled print, like he had shown her earlier that day. Ahmund dropped his hand. He was breathing heavily while sweat coated his entire body. He stumbled over to the couch and collapsed onto it. “Can you get me something cold to drink?” he panted.
She nodded and ran off to the kitchen. The chef saw her and asked what she was looking for.
“Ahmund is worn out from using magic. He asked for something to drink,” Delara explained.
The chef nodded. “I just made some eggnog. I’ll pour you two glasses.”
Delara brought the eggnog to Ahmund. “Here,” she said, holding out the glass. “The chef just made it.”
Ahmund took it happily. “Thank you, Delara. I know I said magic has no place with science, but unfortunately, science can’t replace everything yana does for us...yet.”
Delara sat next to him. “But you want it to.”
He nodded. “It’s too strenuous for the human body, as you can see.” He sighed. “I haven’t used magic since I left the battlefield. I’m out of practice.”
Delara started to smile. “Why don’t we take a break and decorate your manor for Christmas?” she asked. “You don’t even have a Christmas tree up!”
Ahmund chuckled. “This is my first Christmas not at battle since I became a duke. I don’t have any decorations.”
Delara leaped to her feet. “Then we need to buy some! You’re going to be home for Christmas. You should make your home festive!”
Ahmund stood up, finishing the last of his eggnog. “I was planning on spending my Christmas watching you in Farah.” he gave her a teasing smile.
Delara blushed. “That’s only Christmas eve,” she stammered. “Not Christmas day.”
Ahmund offered her his arm. “Our prima ballerina assoluta has spoken! Off to the Christmas store!” Once they were in the carriage, Ahmund got a confused look on his face. “Is there even a Christmas store?” he asked, genuinely confused.
Delara laughed. “Of course! It’s a seasonal store. It changes products every holiday season.”
They arrived at the store. People stared as they walked in, but Delara barely noticed. She was used to being stared at. Ahmund, on the other hand, looked extremely uncomfortable.
Delara smiled at him. “Don’t worry about them!” she said cheerfully. “People are always looking for things to gossip about. You were fine at the shoe store. Especially when people see someone like me in public with someone like you.”
Ahmund’s eyes grew dark. He stopped walking. “Someone like me? What is that supposed to mean?”
Delara stopped smiling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I only meant how you’re perceived. I know how you actually are. They only know the rumors.”
Ahmund whipped around to face her. “You know barely any more than everyone else. Don’t pretend you know me.” With that, he turned on his heel and left. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Delara looked dejected for a moment before walking into the store. “He’s so defensive,” she huffed. “I didn’t mean to insult him.”
“Hello!” she said to the shopkeeper. “I want to surprise a friend. He hasn’t been able to decorate his manor since childhood. Do you have any decor packages that would be suitable?”
The shopkeeper nodded and handed her a pamphlet. “We have a few different packages to choose from. Is this friend a noble?”
Delara nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“Then you would want to select from our top three packages: gold, diamond, and platinum.”
“Can I customize any of them?” she asked. “I want the decorations to be elegant. I think it would make him happier than traditional, gaudy decorations.”
“Platinum is customizable. You can select from various pre-made themes or create your own,” the shopkeeper said. “If you go with platinum, you can do a custom theme. You said elegant?” He pulled out a few example drawings. “Instead of a traditional red and green theme, we can go with an ivory, gold, and white theme with splashes of red. The overall theme will be more winter than Christmas. We have yana lights that–”
“No, no yana,” she said sternly. “Candles. Only candles. He doesn’t like yana. I do like your idea. I will go with that.”
“Of course,” the shopkeeper said pleasantly. “Where would you like it delivered? I can have employees help with the decorating.”
“Is 2 pm tomorrow a good time?” she asked. “I need to make sure my friend isn’t home so I can surprise him.”
“Any time you request will work,” the shopkeeper answered. “But I do need a residence name so my employees know where to deliver the packages.”
“Right, of course,” she said in a low voice. “Please deliver it to Duke Ahmund of Thorsen’s residence. Please keep this a secret. I want it to be a surprise.”
December 12- When a Monster is Changed
“Ahmund, I know you’re mad at me, but–” Delara said.
Ahmund cut her off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I think you’ve already figured out how impulsive I am. I swear to you that I’m working on it. I really want to talk about this, but the crown prince has asked to meet with me. You are free to wait here until I get back.”
Delara nodded. “How long will you be gone?” She wasn’t upset that Ahmund got mad at her. She knew what she said was a bit rude.
“An hour, two, I’m not sure,” Ahmund admitted. “Charlamagne has always been–what’s the word I want–inept? He needs people like me around so he doesn’t appear completely useless. Charlamagne’s only redeeming quality is his face and magic. Other than that, he’s quite stupid and useless.”
“How long have you known the prince?” Delara asked. “You seem like you know him personally.”
“When my half-brother died, and the duke took me into his home, my father sent me to the Royal Academy,” he said. “I’ve known Charlamagne since I was ten. We were in the same class. His father forced us to be friends. Charlamagne wasn’t very happy about that, but even he realized that I was useful.”
Ahmund had only been gone fifteen minutes when the carriages with the decorations arrived.
“Please get everything inside quickly!” Delara ordered. “We have a minimum of an hour.”
The butler came up to Delara. “What is happening, Miss Shirazi?”
“A surprise for Duke Thorsen,” she said. “Can you gather the staff to help? I want to have the whole manor decorated by the time Ahmund comes home.”
Delara directed the staff of the Thorsen residence and the employees from the store. It took an hour and a half, but they got the entire manor decorated. Delara beamed. “Thank you everyone! I couldn’t have done it without you! You’ll have to leave quickly, though. The duke cannot see you all here!”
The employees left, and the staff returned to work. Delara paced at the door. It had been over an hour and Ahmund had still not returned. “Does the prince suspect we’re on to him? Is Ahmund pinning it all on me?”
The door suddenly opened. “I promise you, I’m not turning you in to the prince.”
“Ahmund!” she exclaimed. “You’re back.”
He looked around at the decorations. “What is all this?”
“Well, since our outing yesterday was spoiled, I decided to make it up to you by surprising you!” Delara beamed. “Do you like it?”
Ahmund stared right at her. “It’s beautiful.”
“You aren’t even looking!” Delara protested.
Ahmund placed a hand on her waist. “You thought I was talking about the decorations?”
Delara turned bright red. “We–we should get back to work. We still can’t prove the prince is the killer.”
Ahmund dropped his hand and looked away. “Right. Of course. Thank you for decorating. We should go to my office and go over what I could figure out while you were at rehearsal.”
The two of them walked to the office in silence. Ahmund handed her a file. “I concluded my examination of the king’s body. I found skin under his nails. He tried to scratch his attacker. I called a biologist friend of mine. His method for identifying individuals from a sample of their skin or blood is not ready for use. I have other means, but I was hoping to use a more scientific method.”
“Yana?” she asked.
He nodded. “I could get a sample of Charlamagne’s blood. Don’t ask how. I don’t want to talk about it. He is a sorcerer, like me. His blood has yana flowing through it. Every sorcerer has a unique flow of yana. We’re running out of time, though. Charlamagne is going to publicize the king’s death in mere days.”
He held his hands over the two samples. Silver lines flowed out of the two samples. They twisted and turned in identical patterns. Ahmund lowered his hands. “I’ve seen this flow pattern before.”
“Charlamagne,” Delara breathed. She turned to Ahmund. “Is this it? Do we have enough evidence to prove the crown prince killed the king?”
Ahmund nodded. “Even the crown prince can’t refute this evidence. This evidence tells a straightforward story. Charlamagne stabbed the king with the knife. The print proves he held the knife. The king tried to defend himself. The skin sample proves that. I also found a paper trail that proves Charlamagne bought the type of boot that made the print at the scene.” He handed her a receipt. “Look.”
She grabbed it and read, “one pair of boots (TR567)--that’s the ID number of the type of boot we found a print of–purchased on November 28 by Charlamagne De Leon. I guess that he bought the boots for the ceremony,” she said. “He couldn’t have guessed this frivolous purchase could be used as evidence against him.”
“The former king gave me the power to carry out arrests,” Ahmund said. “Even the crown prince can’t dispute, especially since he’s hiding the fact that the king is dead. That fact in and of itself lends to his guilt.”
“Why would he do that?” she asked. “Why hide the fact that the king is dead and wait to seize the throne?”
“Because of you,” Ahmund said simply.
“Me?” she asked, visibly confused. “What can I do?”
“You alone hold the hearts of the entirety of Lorenne,” he said. “No one holds as much power socially as you.” He walked over to her, slowly.
Delara looked confused. “Power? What power? I’m an entertainer. I’m not a member of high society.”
“Aren’t you a nobleman’s daughter?” he asked, confused. “That’s what everyone thinks. My servants told me you’re the forgotten daughter of a nobleman who took on the stage name of ‘Delara Shirazi’ to protect yourself from being accused of using noble influence to get where you are. I don’t mind it, though. That’s just what nobles do. They use their money to get what they want. That’s how my father got everyone to ignore my common birth.”
Delara turned away. “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of using bribery and nepotism. You’ve completely discredited my entire career.” Tears welled in her eyes. “The Royal Ballet Company is based on merit and merit alone!” she screamed. “I thought we were getting closer.” Her voice grew softer. “I guess I was wrong. I have to go home. You have your proof. You don’t need me anymore.”
Ahmund tried to grab her hand, but she was already gone.
December 15- When the Rose is Gone
Ahmund sat with his head in his hands. The curtains were drawn, so his bedroom was dark. “How could I mess it up so badly?” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t have any proof of it outside of talk. I should have known better. I had just gotten mad at her for the same thing. How could I be such a hypocrite?”
The police took the prince into custody on the 13th. Ahmund had felt completely dejected and unmotivated after what happened with Delara, so he turned the investigation over to the police. The crown princess announced the death of the king and the crown prince’s betrayal that very day. She unofficially took the throne on the 14th. The other nobles thought he should take the throne, being a distant relative to the De Leon family through his father and the second in line for the throne. They claimed the crown princess had no right to the throne because her royal status came from marriage to a traitor, not her blood. He vehemently turned them down. He would not stand in the crown princess’s way if she wanted to be queen. Charlamagne was scheduled to be executed in five days, under the order of the new Queen of Lorenne, pending approval from the religious leader of the religion in Silverfall.
He walked over to an enormous book. After he tried and failed to talk to Delara for three days, he reached out to the Lorenne Royal Ballet Company. He wanted to clear up this misunderstanding about her admission into the Royal Ballet. Even if Delara never wanted to see him again, he at least wanted to stop people from accusing her of using noble influence to become the prima ballerina assoluta. This book held the records of every student and dancer admitted into the Royal Ballet Academy and Company. He sat back down with the book in his lap. It took a while, but he found her records.
Delara Shirazi
Status: commoner
LRBA student: age 3-16
LRBC ballerina: age 16-20
LRBC prima ballerina: 20-26
LRBC PB assoluta: 26-
Father: Bahram Shirazi (life imprisonment in Silverfall)
Status: commoner
Mother: Katayoun Shirazi (deceased)
Status: commoner
Siblings: none
Note from the Master of LRBC:
Katayoun Shirazi sent Delara Shirazi to the academy at age 3 to protect her from alleged abuse at the hands of her father. Delara became a ward of the academy at 16 when Katayoun Shirazi died by Bahram Shirazi’s hands (serving a life sentence in Silverfall Prison). Bahram Shirazi admitted to abusing his wife from their wedding day until the moment of her death and his daughter from birth until age 16.
It is not safe for Delara Shirazi’s background to be revealed. This note is strictly confidential under the order of the Master of the Lorenne Royal Ballet Company.
Ahmund slammed the book shut. “I made a huge mistake. I should never have read this. I need to talk to Delara.” He paused, slowly reopening the book. “I don’t know where she lives…”
He looked at her page again, looking for an address.
15 Renalore Road, District 1, Thorsen Dukedom
“She’s one of my people?” he muttered. “I thought she was from the capital. I guess the capital is very close to the dukedom, but still. She never told me.”
He put his jacket on and left the manor. Ahmund ignored the carriage and got on his horse. He rode until he found 15 Renalore Road. His manor was in District 1, which was just outside the capital. He came to a halt when he saw what her house looked like. It was a small, worn out colonial-style house. He wouldn’t call it dilapidated, but it was getting close.
He thought that she would have bought a nicer home after becoming a prima ballerina, but he was wrong. “This must be her childhood home,” he muttered as he walked towards the humble house. He tied his horse up and knocked on the door. “Please, Delara. I need to talk to you.”
The door slowly opened. “Duke Thorsen, what can I do for you? I heard the news of the crown prince. Who is taking the throne, you or Princess Sarai?”
“Princess Sarai,” he said, “but that’s not what I came to talk to you about. May I come inside?”
Delara stepped aside. “I’m a subject of the dukedom of Thorsen. I can’t stop you if you want to come in, Duke.”
Ahmund stepped inside. “Please, Delara. Don’t talk like that.”
“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms. “What do you want to talk about, Ahmund?” She spread her arms out. “What do you think of my noble manor? Is it all you imagined it would be?”
“I saw something I should not have,” he said. “All I meant to do was to put the rumors of nepotism to rest, but there was a note I wasn’t expecting in your records from the Academy.”
“You read my records?” she asked. She didn’t sound mad. “I thought you would have done that long before today.”
Ahmund took a knee and bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Delara. Please forgive me. I should have never spoken to you like that.”
“Stand up,” she said. “Nobles don’t kneel for commoners.”
Ahmund looked up at her, but didn’t stand. “I’m not technically a noble.”
“You’re a duke,” she said coldly. “That sounds pretty noble to me.”
He handed her an official looking certificate. “This is my own record from the Royal Academy. Just like the Royal Ballet Academy, the Royal Academy keeps records of all their students and graduates. This is the copy that is filed with the kingdom.”
Ahmund Hylen Fitzroy
Status: commoner (duke)
Heir of Thorsen Dukedom: age 10-16
Duke of Thorsen: age 16-
Father: Sigurd Thorsen (deceased)
Status: nobleman (duke)
Mother: Laura Hylen (deceased)
Status: commoner
Siblings: Sondre Thorsen (deceased)
Status: nobleman
“Fitzroy?” she asked. “I thought you took your father’s name after he legitimized you as his heir.”
“The king never legitimized me,” he said, still on his knees. “Lorenne made it illegal to legitimize bastards decades ago, once a bastard, always a bastard. All bastards must have the surname of Fitzroy under Lorenne law. The king granted my father permission to make a commoner his heir after his legitimate son died. I may be the Duke of Thorsen, but I’m still a commoner.”
Delara kneeled in front of him. “You know my dark past and I know yours. We’re even. I forgive you.” She smiled, tears in her eyes, and hugged him.
Ahmund buried his face in her shoulder. “I’m so ashamed of myself.”
“You shouldn’t be,” Delara said softly.
“A Fitzroy disrespected a woman granted prestige by the king,” he said. “I had no right to do that.”
Delara pulled him up. “Come on. I have something I need to do.”
“I only brought my horse. We’ll have to ride together.”
Delara turned red for a moment before climbing on the horse in front of him. She looked so determined that he wasn’t about to stop her.
Ahmund tried–unsuccessfully–not to blush. “Where are we going?”
“The palace.”
December 21- When One’s a Monster No More
Just yesterday, Charlamagne was executed for regicide, and Princess Sarai was crowned Queen of Lorenne.
Ahmund was still in a daze. Six days ago, Delara demanded something from Princess–now Queen–Sarai–he never would have dared to ask.
He kneeled in front of Queen Sarai. Delara stood at the bottom of the steps in the throne room, smiling. The only other ones in the throne room were the other dukes of Lorenne.
“Duke Ahmund Hylen Fitzroy of Thorsen,” Queen Sarai said, “you withdrew your right to the throne as second in line after Prince Charlamagne. As a thank you for your continued service to Lorenne, I–as Queen of Lorenne–revoke the law against the legitimization of bastards. You are hereby granted the status of noble as the only surviving member of the Thorsen family and the reigning duke of Thorsen. From this day on, you are no longer Ahmund Fitzroy. Stand, Ahmund Hylen Thorsen.” Queen Sarai turned to the other dukes. “After the betrayal of my husband, I have decided to never remarry or bear a child. It is time to end the De Leon line. Charlamagne wasn’t the first De Leon to betray the kingdom and he wouldn’t be the last. His late Majesty was a rare, good De Leon. I name Duke Ahmund Thorsen heir to the throne of Lorenne and crown prince of Lorenne.” She looked back at Ahmund. “Stand, Ahmund Hylen Thorsen, Crown Prince of Lorenne and Duke of Thorsen.”
Ahmund bowed and walked over to Delara. He smiled and wrapped her in a hug. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” he whispered in her ear. “Thank you. I’m eternally indebted to you.” He didn’t care that the other dukes, or the queen were staring at him. He wasn’t going to run from his heart anymore. He pulled away and stared into Delara’s eyes. “Delara I–”
“I love you, too,” Delara said with a smile.
Ahmund started to tear up as Delara hugged him again. He didn’t notice as the other dukes and the queen left the throne room.
December 24- When the World Stands Still
Ahmund stared in awe. Delara was radiant. He had never seen her perform before, but even he could see why she was Prima Ballerina Assoluta. When she came back onto the stage for curtain call, he stood and clapped as people threw flowers onto the stage. Delara beamed as she waved at the audience. Then she did something unexpected. She walked off the stage and right to him in the front row. She took his hand. This time, Ahmund was the one beaming. She leaned in and kissed him. His face immediately turned red, but soon he had his eyes closed and a hand on her waist.
He had never kissed her–or anyone–before. But it felt right, like he was home. It was like the rest of the world had disappeared. As they slowly pulled away and opened their eyes after what felt like an eternity, he took both her hands. “I love you, Delara Shirazi.”
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