MILAFinally presented with all the information I needed, I knew what I had to do to not only return to my previous life, but to save Fresonia and all the people I loved.The only problem was that I was still unsure as to whether I wanted to wake up.When I said as much to Sofia, she frowned.“What
FELIXThe end was here.For centuries, Fresonia had been a kingdom of peace, managing to avoid both worldwide and civil conflict. Now, in the few short months of my reign, we had not only narrowly avoided an all-out war between all the magical kingdoms, but now were facing riots in the streets.It w
FELIXUpon arriving back at the castle, I knew what my first stop had to be. As much as I was dreading it, it was time for the difficult conversation.Sure enough, my parents and Esmeralda were gathered in their private living space, grave expressions on their faces as they talked in hushed tones, p
MILAI stared at that stone door, feeling something tighten in my chest at the sight of it. It felt so familiar, and not just from the memories Sofia had shown me.The air around me grew still, as if the whole world was holding its breath.I knew somehow, deep in my soul, that behind that door lay t
MILAI had no idea how long I had been in the library, but time seemed to pass differently here. The lanterns flickering on the stone walls gave no indication of what time of day it was outside, and no sunlight could penetrate these thick walls.Despite the pressure to fix all magic weighing on my s
FELIXI practically sprinted out of Esmeralda’s chambers all the way to the castle courtyard, where a majority of our guards were quartered.“I need your help!” I called out to the captain of the guard as I jogged over to him.The captain, an older man who had trained me in swordfighting when I was
FELIXWe traversed the countryside for days.In every village and small town, it was the same story. Villagers were extremely wary of the royal guards, some even outright refusing to speak to our little brigade. Christopher and the other guards tried hard to be as upbeat and cheerful as possible, bu
MILAAfter leaving the library, I was pulsating with magic. It surged through my veins, sparking at my fingertips. It was as if everything inside me was finally awake and alive, and now my body was almost too small to contain all my power.I pressed my hands into the ground, shocked by the blast of
MILAOur baby boy, Samuel, was born in April, a few days after Felix’s 31st birthday. He was named for the first King of Fresonia and to commemorate the love that had brought his parents together. As the future King of Fresonia, he had an official naming ceremony in front of the entire kingdom, and
CHARLESLife in exile was surprisingly calm.Despite our conversation before being sent to this remote island, I’d had a harder time adjusting to a relationship with Isabella than I once thought. Perhaps it was the sadness I felt at being away from my home kingdom, or maybe I did not like the vulner
FELIXWhen I was growing up, I never imagined that I would enjoy being King.The whole thing looked dreadfully boring to a young boy. Although I knew I was the heir to the throne and would someday take over for my father, I always had far more interest in hanging out with Ignatius and running around
MILAThe last few weeks had been a blur. Meetings, ribbon cuttings, speeches. I spent countless hours in the countryside of Fresonia helping to relocate people who had been displaced by either the war or the dissolution with Abernathy. I cooked meals for homeless shelters and taught magic to young c
FELIXThe King of Abernathy had been placed in a highly-protected magical prison deep in the Dragon’s Teeth mountains, locked away with no hope of escape. His advisors and various family members were locked away with him, all facing sentences for their crimes against magic.The leaders from the othe
FELIXThe King was clearly shocked by my challenge. He slowly put down his wine glass, his eyes darting between me and Mila. I could tell that the idea intrigued him, as much as he wanted to seem disgusted by the offer.The curse might have been broken, but I could still feel the panic and tension s
FELIXIt was time for me and Mila to travel to Aberenathy. We could delay it no longer–although the magic across the kingdoms was safe and protected, time was still of the essence when it came to the civilians in Abernathy.We were concerned about what the King was doing to his citizens. Based on Is
At the nearest chance I would ask Mila to take me to that famed Library of Magic so that I could learn about the powers that now flowed through my veins. Although I was thrilled, I was also terrified. I had gone twenty-six years of my life without magic.What would change now?I was exhausted, ready
ISLAI had been waiting in the war council room with Joseph when the magic came surging back into the kingdom. In case anything went wrong, we were instructed to stay in the below-ground chambers and monitor any potential problems with the magic.I had no idea what to expect when the magic returned,