Crown Prince Ravven Basilius (POV Chapter)

Crown Prince Ravven Basilius had wanted to read in the corner of the library. Away from everyone. Away from his responsibilities. Away from tutors who taught him everything but what he wished to learn.

The moment his hand grabbed that small girl's wrist, his world went black.

Suddenly, hundreds of memories flooded his mind.

It was as if it thrust him into someone else's life until he realized it was his own.

He shook his head.

He recovered his mind, all the glimpses of memories tucked into his subconscious.

Ravven staggered back.

'Focus on the vitals'; his father's reminder whispered in his mind.

Ravven took in a deep breath as he sorted through the primary fresh memories.

He had seen himself grown; arrogant and untouchable.

The memories had shown him growing up beside the girl he had bumped into, but their first meeting was different from what had happened. Then there was a girl with golden locks who seemed to turn his head. She filled the other self's head with all sorts of ideas, but they were all so stupid.

Ravven's eyelids trembled.

He focused. What was odd was he only gained the Other Self's memories that had the other version of the girl before him in them. She was a voice of reason throughout them; quiet, strong, and suggesting another path when he went astray.

…

His dark eyes had opened, gazing down at the girl that was shivering below him. He needed her to look him in the eyes. Maybe she had seen the memories, too.

Her large, luminous eyes filled with tears. He didn't have time to feel guilt as he fell into another memory.

His eyes glazed over as the room faded away around him and he found himself in an unfamiliar room.

It was unlike anything he'd seen before, all silver like starlight.

Wide see-through panels lined the walls. Through the panels, he could see a city made of the same shimmering material on the walls. Strange beings he'd never seen before walked the streets. Their skin shimmered when the light fell upon them, shifting into a multitude of colors. Their many limbs almost glowed as they moved.

The memoryscape shifted.

"Has there been a world chosen?"

Ravven turned as he heard the voice.

His eyes were drawn to the center of the room.

A girl shimmered in a transparent form upon a platform. Her body's image seemed to shift back and forth between a young girl his age and a young adolescent.

"You will become Vienna Thorne on Terra Number 90124.5."

The being who answered was like those who 'walked' through the city he'd seen through the strange windows.

Ravven jumped as he heard the girl cry out.

"I can't become her! She dies!"

The being let out a trill, "I'm afraid no other dimensions or timelines are open currently."

Ravven's focus narrowed back on the girl's face.

It had grown unclear like he was seeing it through a thin piece of gauze, and yet the emotion in her eyes was evident.

"I can't go back there. I can't go back into the dark."

It felt like it dropped a large stone into his belly, and Ravven found it hard to swallow.

Darkness invaded his vision and, as he thought it'd consume him, he found himself back in the library.

He blinked and looked around him, only to find that the little girl was gone.

His whole body shook.

Ravven's head pounded as if it would burst, and when he touched his cheeks, his fingers came away wet.

His breath caught in his throat as he fell to the ground, his head resting against the nearby bookshelf.

Dark eyes filled with water once more and he gripped the wood shelf as he let out choked sobs. His fingertips dug into the shelf, scraping them. Ravven was able to gain his breath.

It wasn't until his heartbeat steadied and he began to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth, did a thought come to his mind.

Ravven stood from his position, his knees wobbled. He searched throughout the library, but the girl was nowhere in sight.

He ran out into the hall but found it silent. The small courtyard across from the library was empty of life. He could feel his heartbeat start to hammer in his ears again and his breath caught in his throat.

He'd managed to scare away the 'Starlight Soul' who had taken Vienna Thorne's place.

****

The first time he had heard of a 'Starlight Soul' was when he was two and suffering from terrible night terrors.

The helping maids in the nursery had tried everything, to no avail. Each night at midnight since his second birthday, he would wake with a wordless scream. His blankets twisted up in his limbs.

The Queen came as soon as the news reached her of the dilemma. At two, he was still a 'secret prince' until the rest of the 'bad men who'd hurt his real parents were caught and taken care of'.

She sat on his bed, but he'd flinched back before she could touch him. He would always remember the pain that flickered across her features. She brought her hand back.

"I suppose you would prefer I don't sleep beside you in your bed, then?"

His nods shook his rail-thin body.

The Queen, always so regal, nodded her head before she left his bed.

He remembered wanting to pull her back, but he was prideful even then. He bit his tongue from taking back his stalwart stand.

He didn't like to be touched for a reason. It was important. He gazed across at the queen's linear features, the gentle smile at the tip of her lips, but the seriousness in her gaze. She always treated him with respect, not like he was just a little boy.

He watched, with his pillow clutched to his chest, as she pulled a cot so it was a pace away from his bed. Just close enough that he'd feel safe with her presence nearby, but not too close. He nodded when she glanced his way.

"I once had night terrors, too."

The pale blue light of the harvest moons filtered from the courtyard window and caught the flecks of bronze in her ringlets. Her eyes sparkled like the dew that was sometimes found in the early mornings collecting on the low grasses of the Sükömi warrior's lands.

"You did?"

She looked out the arched windows. "We all did, those of us who fought in the war and those of us that suffered from it." Her golden eyes gazed back at him, a fierce look in them. "It is a mark of a true survivor."

He had pointed at himself.

She tilted her head with a smile. "Yes, Ravven. You are like us. The war might have ended, but the fight continued for many. Wolfau and I chose new names for a new beginning." Her gaze met his as she continued, "Then when we found you, we at last found the last puzzle piece we didn't think we'd ever have. We gave you a new name as well."

Later, when he woke in a silent scream, she was there.

The following nights, she stayed at his side. She would tell him stories of Terrans triumphing over past hardships and learning to move on to new beginnings.

This continued on for what felt like forever for his young self, but it was no more than a week.

One midnight, something changed.

He woke up to find the Queen sitting on the window's ledge seat. Her hand was caressing the coat of arms of Wofford, that was chiseled into the stone of the windowsill.

"It's time you hear the story of our coat of arms."

It was an outrageous story of a Queen of Elemširdis who gave her life at a time when all had lost hope during the Great War. Her sacrifice led to the end of it.

"Before The Pōrteacs were shut down across the Continent, there were Elemširdis who traveled away from their home. Their descendants, who grew up on the Continent, did not care or did not know of the rules of their parents' homeland. In their possession, they had the sacred ore handed down by their parents. Instead of treasuring the ore, they traded and sold it. The Pōrteacaleum got into the hands of the greedy and those sought to take advantage of their own kind. They took the knowledge of the Elemširdis and made new artifacts from the Pōrteacaleum, which began the Dark Age. Idril didn't become Queen until the war was already underway."

"What happened?" Ravven crawled forward as if it would get him further into the story somehow.

"She concocted a way to as she worded it 'disconnect' all the artifacts' Pōrteacaleum on the Continent from the power source. The ones who met her said she called it 'an elemental EMP blast'. Most of the words she said didn't make sense to those that remember them, but that's expected since she was a Starlight Soul."

Little Ravven Basilius was by then bouncing on the edge of his bed in excitement. His dark eyes seemed to twinkle in the light.

"What's that?"

"A Starlight Soul is a unique existence. They come from far away and choose a world to live in. How it was explained to me once…" The queen paused, her arched brows arched downwards, as her lips pursed.

"I'll understand. I promise I'm smart!"

"I know you are, my little prince."

He pouted at the 'little' comment. She usually didn't call him pet names. He supposed he didn't mind how her golden eyes turned into crescent moons to look at him with affection.

"Each Terra has a different time. For instance, tomorrow I have to pick between two Lords to be on my council. So if I were to pick Lord Nesrin…" Her bronze nose wrinkled in distaste and he giggled into his pillow. "Then one Terra would have Lord Nesrin on the council, but then here on our Terra, I'm going to pick Lord Cassian."

Little Ravven tilted his head to the side, his dark brows furrowed as he stared at the ceiling. "So there would be two of me too?"

"Something like that, yes."

****

Crown Prince Ravven was brought back to the present when a voice called out to him.

"You should be glad, Your Highness, that Duke Thorne went straight home."

Ravven looked over at the Prime Minister. Glad he'd straightened up his appearance before the other had arrived.

"Was she alright?"

Sir Roark's blue eyes narrowed. His voice held no emotion within it, not even disappointment, which was a statement alone.

"Lady Vienna wouldn't say. Despite being frightened, she didn't wish you to get in trouble, Your Highness."

Sir Tarin Roark went to leave but paused in the doorway when he heard Ravven call out to him.

"I won't scare her again."

Ravven closed his eyes as he remembered the little girl shaking before him. His hands clenched at his sides and the sudden urge to strike the column nearest to the exit rose within.

Roark's clear voice cut through his thoughts. "See that you don't."