Thread: The Burden of Magic [Silentworld x Seraphina]

It would be reasonable to believe that a Princess would be given anything she wanted on a silver platter only moments after requested it. But for Viviane it was the exact opposite. Being born with the unfortunate gift of magic, her entire life was spent under lock and key. She was never allowed to set foot into a situation that might bring forth her supposed dormant abilities. It would not do to have a royal tainted with the burden of magic. Viviane's mother had tried to lock her away from day one, terrified that her daughter was going to light something on fire or topple the castle. She didn't understand magic and because of her ignorance she was fearful. Her father was less fearful, but he was busy running a Kingdom and didn't have time to spend with his daughter. After all, her older brother was destined to take the throne and needed all the training possible. Viviane often wondered if Tristan had magic that nobody talked about, but she doubted it. She was found out almost immediately after she was born, surely her brother would have been as well. It was because of her strict upbringing that the Princess learned the art of sneaking around at a young age. The castle was suffocating most of the time and she yearned to be free of it. For years she escaped the castle walls and explored the town around her with a cloak to hide her identity. Her magic usually remained quiet within her, but when she turned twenty she found it liked to spark up and make trouble when she was paying attention. If she didn't use her magic for long periods of time it usually got worse, so she routinely snuck out of the castle to practice her magic where nobody could see her. It was a late night that Viviane slipped from the cold stone of the castle and made her way into the center of town. The Princess had ditched the overly decorated gown she was forced to wear in front of the royal family and instead wore a pair of tight riding pants and a lace tied bodice, her curves hidden beneath the heavy cloak she used to conceal her identity. Her golden curls were tucked into the hood of the black cloak, and she ducked her head to hide her face and deep blue eyes. Nobody gave her a second glance as she slipped through the dark streets and headed towards the river bank on the west part of the city. It was a little quieter on that side of the city and the guard that usually worked the area was lazy and spent most of his time sleeping. It was usually the perfect place for her to practice her magic. Or what her sad excuse for practice was. It usually just involved flinging elemental sparks around until they did something. When she arrived at the river bank she looked around and relaxed when she didn't see the guard in the area. She assumed he was sleeping as usual. Viviane dropped her hood and shook out her hair, letting the curls cascade around her shoulders freely. Ahh..much better... She hummed to herself, her eyes bright with excitement. She could feel the magic simmering under the surface, wishing to strike at whatever she gave it as a focus. It was when it was so strong in her blood that she found it difficult to control. But it was also when it was most important for her to get out of the castle. Her mother, the Queen, was trying to pressure members of the court to start researching ways to take a person's magic. Viviane shivered at the mere thought. She closed her eyes, trying to feel for the magic in her body and direct it without having it lash out. As she did her best to focus she heard something behind her, spooking her out of her concentration and causing her to spin and look for what made the noise. Her gaze landed on a wooden cart outside of a small house nearby and then the lantern flaming in front of the door. Suddenly the cart was on fire and she was gasping in terror. No no no! She cried out, scrambling for what the heck she was supposed to do. She heard the rumbling shout of the guard and her panic increased again. He was supposed to be sleeping! He would see the lantern was far from the cart and the cart on fire and he would ask questions. Even worse, as the man rounded the side of the house she saw he was wearing an amulet used to detect the use of magic. It was glowing red. No no no no... She hissed, backing up to where a few barrels were stacked on the side of the river. The guard was shouting, demanding for the owners of the house to come out for questioning. The screech of the woman when she saw her cart on fire made Vivane flinch. The guard knew they hadn't done anything and started to look around, searching for the real culprit. The Princess knew she couldn't be found and got to her hands and knees, crawling behind whatever she could and keep out of the guards eye. An alley was just a short skip away, if she could make it there she would have a better chance of getting away. When the guard turned his head she got up and made a break for it, skidding into the alley just as he turned back around to survey where she had just been. Her heart was in her throat as she stood at the opening of the alley and watched the guard as he continued to search for her.