LOGINShare
The Journey Begins
Last Updated:
2024-12-04 09:34:33
Related chapters
The One Obstacles
*Maerilee*We wait by the water’s edge, the air thick with unease. Brook seems weighted down with the reality of being banished from his kingdom. River, on the other hand, is incensed, muttering to himself about how unfair this all is.Akin is restless, eager to be moving. He tells us multiple times that he doesn’t like how exposed we are and thinks we should go back to the forest for cover until we figure out our next move. Permiton keeps telling him that our help will come soon.The vast body of water in front of us stretches endlessly, the deep blue surface unnaturally still. It reflects the gray sky above, creating an almost eerie mirror-like effect. I’m trying to stay calm, to trust in Permiton, but his cryptic reassurances aren’t doing much to ease my anxiety.“Permiton,” I finally say, unable to keep my doubts to myself any longer “are you sure about this?”He stands a little apart from the rest of us, his eyes scanning the horizon as if waiting for something only he can see. W
Last Updated : 2024-12-05The One Betrayal
*Maerilee*I can’t believe it. My heart sinks deep into my chest as the commander approaches, his soldiers swiftly surrounding us, their weapons gleaming in the faint light. I feel the sting of betrayal, sharp and cold, radiating through me like ice. Permiton stands there, so calm, so collected, while we’re about to be captured.“How could you?” I hiss under my breath, barely able to contain the fury bubbling inside me. My hands shake, clenched at my sides. Permiton doesn’t even look at me. He moves to stand behind the commander as if he’s always belonged there. His expression is infuriatingly calm, like this is all going according to some master plan. But I can’t see the plan. All I see is betrayal.And then everything happens at once.Before I can even blink, River and Brook surge forward, their hands outstretched. The air around us shivers, the tension crackling like lightning. I feel the pull of their magic immediately, the water in the air responding to their commands. In an inst
Last Updated : 2024-12-08The One Unexpected Visitors
*Maerilee*The journey on the ferry takes several hours, and they leave us bound on the deck, the bright sun beating down on us. My wrists ache from the tightness of the amethyst cuffs, and my mind feels even more constricted, trapped in a loop of disbelief and betrayal as I watch Permiton making friends with the soldiers.He’s sold us out.The thought circles over and over in my head, like a vulture picking at the remnants of a dead animal. I keep replaying the last few days in my head, remembering the moment Mother first introduced him to the court, when he cornered me and told me that we would need to connect for my power to fully be realized.I want to retch as I think of him touching me, of him inside me. Was he planning this even then? Perhaps he was even in on the plot to poison Mother. After all, he’s from Ambrosia. Surely, he knew Diereken. They’ve probably been in on this
Last Updated : 2024-12-09The One The Rebels
*Maerilee*The world comes back to me in bits and pieces. Blurred shadows shift above, and damp earth presses into my back, grounding me as I try to gather my senses. I blink, my vision sharpening gradually, until I see the dense canopy overhead. Water droplets hang from leaves, refracting the faint morning light into tiny rainbows that sway and shimmer as though they’re part of a dream. It’s quiet here, with only the soft trickle of water nearby and the gentle rustling of wind in the trees. I push myself up on an elbow, and that’s when I spot them.River, Brook, and Akin are huddled around a low fire, surrounded by a group of strangers. My heart leaps as I focus on Akin, his wrists still covered, but not with chains. They’re covered in bandages, dark with some sort of balm underneath. His face is pale, but he smiles in the firelight, laughing at something one of the strangers said. Relief floods through me, so
Last Updated : 2024-12-10The One It’s a Myth
*Akin*The moment Caelan strode into the Oceanan camp to save us, I recognized his fighting style. There was a rhythm in the way he moved, in the stance he took. It was unmistakably Altinnian, the subtle weight shift, the way his fingers hovered near the hilt of his weapon, always prepared for the unexpected. It was something only someone trained for combat in Altinna would know, and I knew that we were saved. His rescue mission was, obviously, a complete success.I watch as he talks to Maerilee now, offering her words of assurance with a calm that doesn’t waver. When he turns to me, I can’t help the grin that pulls at my mouth.“I’m glad to be fighting alongside another Altinnian,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder. “Not to speak ill of Maerilee’s other three men, but one was a traitor, and the other two are completely spoiled princes. Literally.”He
Last Updated : 2024-12-11The One Breeding Mistrust
*River*As night begins to fall, we’re given the signal to leave our makeshift camp and start our journey to the rebel base. I don’t like it. We should be heading to Bright Waters, but of course, no one would listen to me. I’m just the spoiled former crown prince, the one everyone wishes were gone. They’d probably trade me with Permiton in a heartbeat, and that’s just if I were lucky. I could have betrayed them, too. At least their disgust with me would be more warranted.We travel for hours, picking through the harsh terrain by moonlight and dim lanterns. I have to admit, this is part of my country I’ve never experienced before, and I’d certainly prefer to be doing it in a carriage. I miss the luxuries of my station. Why did I have to give it all up for Maerilee, especially when she doesn’t even like me? Not that I like her much. She thought Permiton was one of her Four, so her judgment is clearly not worth anything.I manage to keep most of my complaints along the way to myself, kno
Last Updated : 2025-01-14The One The Spare
*Brook*It’s been a long two days since our rescue, and tensions are clearly running high. Maerilee and River slipped away to have some kind of argument, and when they came back, they sat on opposite ends of the fire. Maerilee went to sit by Akin, of course, making herself small against him as he wrapped her in his arms.I feel uncomfortable watching them, but they aren’t exactly quiet about their affection for each other. Literally. I could barely sleep the other night, hearing how wild they were for one another. It’s unfair to feel jealous about it. I know she didn’t choose this life. She wouldn’t have chosen all four of us if she’d had any say in the matter.She loves Akin. She hates River. She… doesn’t much seem to notice that I’m around. Not than anyone else does. None of the rebels have spoken to me; they’ve only spoken around me. River’s, surprisingly, been my only real companion on this journey, but only when the mood suits him. Per usual, the mood rarely does, and he often p
Last Updated : 2025-01-15The One Another Perspective
*Permiton**Several Days Ago*We stand on the edge of the shoreline, and the visions attack me, sharp and violent. Each image is simply a possibility, a road that will unfurl depending on what decision we make. River and Brook stand by the water, each trying to conjure a narwhal-pulled ferry, but they’re wasting their energy. It will not come for them; they’ve been exiled. The moment the decree was made, every living organism in this country turned against them.The army wants their blood, that much is clear. When the princes stepped over the border, the army was alerted of their presence. They’re coming, no matter what we do. That is the only certainty in our future. The rest is up to us to decide.The boys, the princes, will fight. That’s what they know to do. I can see it all unfurl, the way they summon all their strength and fight off the soldiers with their water magic. They’re impressive, I can’t fault them that, but they’re arrogant. River, especially, still thinks that his tit
Last Updated : 2025-01-16
Latest chapter
The One The End of the Road
*Maerilee*My barrier hums around us, seemingly unnoticed by everyone but Permiton. His hand squeezes mine and the tension in my chest eases as I realize the barrier may not even be necessary. Permiton hasn’t led us wrong yet, and I know that he’s seen something in the future that makes him confident the rebel’s aren’t hear to harm us.I drop the barrier as a measure of good faith, my fears easing as Caelan steps forward, his sword sheathed, and drops to one knee. The other rebels follow suit, their heads bowed in reverence, their arms crossed over their chest in a sign of Altinnian allegiance. Tears spring to my eyes as I realize that Caelan didn’t come to attack us. He’s here to help us.Caelan looks up at me, his expression steady and filled with deep respect.“Princess Maerilee,” he starts, his voice carrying a weight that quiets even the rustling trees around us. “I apologize for the
The One Unwelcome Guests
*Maerilee*The morning light filters through the canopy of trees, casting soft golden rays over our little shelter. Through the leaves, I can see the waters shimmer, still and peaceful, as though they’ve forgotten the chaos of the day before. River is still sleeping soundly, his arm draped around me as his chest slowly rises and falls. There’s nothing left on his skin but a faint silver line from where his wound healed.I carefully extract myself from his arms, surprised at how reluctant I feel to leave him. His face is peaceful, an innocent smile playing on his lips as he dreams. I place a gentle, chaste kiss on his forehead before I dress.Once I’m decent, I go to stand at the edge of the river, the sound of the waterfall a soothing backdrop, but my mind is anything but calm. Something inside of me has irrevocably changed since this journey began. It isn’t just my relationships with my Four, but there’s a growi
The One Words Unspoken
*Maerilee*The world around me blurs into chaos as the guardian rises from the water, its iridescent form casting a ghostly glow over the riverbank. It advances toward our group, though it seems done with me now that River has been shot. I hear the sharp, metallic twang of arrows and the clash of magic as Akin and Brook fight it off, but my focus is solely on River.He’s sprawled on the ground, his face pale and his chest heaving as blood pours from his wounds. My hands press desperately against his chest, trying to staunch the flow, but the crimson warmth seeps through my fingers, relentless and terrifying. I can’t make it stop, and he’s fading fast.“Stay with me, River,” I demand, my voice trembling. “Please, don’t do this.”His skin is cold to the touch, his breaths shallow and ragged, raspy and labored. Panic claws at my chest, threatening to choke me, but I force myself to focus. I tear a strip of cloth from my tunic, pressing it against the wound near his heart, but it’s not en
The One The Guardian
*River*The air shifts as we cross through the remnants of the barrier, its hum of magic dissipating behind us. For a moment, I can only focus on the ache in my legs and the burn in my lungs, the physical strain of the journey catching up to me. But as the path widens, my breath catches for an entirely different reason.Past the barrier Permiton’s just broken is a large, expansive grotto. It stretches before us, a breathtaking expanse of green and blue, shimmering like something out of a dream. A massive waterfall cascades from the mountain above, its waters glowing faintly in the dim light. The air is thick with moisture, cool and refreshing, and the sound of the rushing water drowns out everything else.A sound like rumbling rocks comes from behind us, and we turn to see that the barrier we’ve just come through is back up. My heart falls, crushed by the thought that we’ll have to go through that again. Though Permiton did most of the work, he still drew a lot of power from all of us
The One All Our Strength
*Maerilee*The sun shines down brightly on us as we press forward, the air thick with the promise of something monumental just ahead. My chest feels heavy, not from the climb or the journey, but from the weight of everything riding on us reaching Bright Waters. Time feels like a noose tightening around my neck, pulling tighter with every passing moment. This journey has already taken much longer than I’d ever anticipated. If we don’t get back to Altinna soon, I fear what we’ll find when we return.Brook walks by my side, quiet but focused. Recently, I’ve come to rely on his calm, steady presence, in his new sense of confidence and authority. And now, my heart swells with the love I have for him, something I did not expect at all. It took me by surprise, knocking the wind out of me, but it makes trusting him, relying on him, that much easier.“How much further?” I ask, my voice a whisper against the rustling leaves.Brook glances at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Less than a d
The One Reality Check
*River*The path winds endlessly through the rocky terrain, the air thick with the hum of magic. I should feel some sense of triumph, I suppose. After all, we’re nearing Bright Waters, the mythical source of all of the power in Oceana. Legend has it that it is the single greatest source of power in the entire realm, maybe in all of the realms. But all I feel is frustration, a simmering anger that burns low and constant, its flames licking at the edges of my thoughts.For days now, I’ve watched Maerilee grow closer to everyone but me. Akin is always at her side, a steady rock she leans on without hesitation. He, at least, I can understand. He has been her bodyguard for so many years. There’s been a trust there that runs deeper than Bright Waters themselves. Even if I don’t exactly like Akin, I can respect their bond.But how the hell has she allowed Permiton to worm his way back into her good graces? None of us missed the way
The One Sweet Nothings
*Brook*The air at the top of the cliff is cooler, sharper, and the electric hum of magic is only getting stronger the closer we get to the Waters. My body aches from the climb, but standing here, looking out over the rugged, unforgiving terrain below and the shimmering haze ahead that marks Bright Waters, I feel an intense rush of dopamine. We’ve made it this far, and we’ll make it the rest of the way too. I also begin to understand that we’re only going to make it together. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.The rest of the group takes a moment to catch their breath, their exhaustion palpable. Maerilee has nearly collapsed against Akin, who has her in a tight grip. After her fall, he’s completely unwilling to leave her side, though he isn’t the only one who feared for her. Still, I know that he needs this more than I do right now, so I don’t let it bother me.
The One Steep Climb
*Akin*I wait for Maerilee, but she doesn’t come back that night. It turns my stomach, nearly sends me into a rage when I realize that she’s spending the night with Permiton. What does she possibly see in him? What smooth words can he possibly offer her to explain away his indiscretions? It’s not that she’s with another man. I’ve gotten used to it. It’s that she’s with him!He’s a traitor, pure and simple. I don’t care what she believes. This is one point I can’t trust her on. I’ve followed her here, and I’ve seen that she is often right, but for some reason, Permiton is a blind spot for her. I eventually slip into a fitful, restless sleep, often hoping I’ll wake up, and she’ll be beside me, but when I awake in the morning, she and Permiton are walking back to our camp, looking freshly fucked and bright as the sun.Part of me wonders what would happen to Maerilee’s powers if Permiton were to “accidentally” fall off the cliff to his death. It’s a selfish thought, of course. She clearl
The One Renewed Faith
*Maerilee*The sun beats down on us mercilessly as we trudge forward, the rocky terrain stretching endlessly in every direction. My legs ache, and every step feels heavier than the last, but I push on. We have to. There’s no room for weakness now, not with the stakes as high as they are.Brook leads the way with Akin and River close behind, their sharp gazes scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. I follow, and Permiton lingers at the rear, as silent and enigmatic as ever.The landscape changes as we go. The jagged hills grow steeper, the vegetation sparser. By the time we reach the base of a tall cliff, the sun is sinking low in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground. The cliff towers over us, a wall of stone that seems almost impossible to scale. My heart sinks at the sight of it. There doesn’t seem to be a path around it.Brook turns to face us, his usually lighthearted expression somber.“This
