Dear Viera,
I...I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I.
Crown Prince Colcen dissappeared 4 months before his intended corronation without a trace. There was no note, no trail to follow, no hint to where he could have possibly gone. For all intents and purposes, Colcen vanished into thin air, leaving his mother and sister to grieve the loss of his father and him alone. His loss hit the people hard and his family harder.
For months, there was no information about his dissapearance, no clarity on wether he ranaway or if he was kidnapped, no way of knowing if he were alive or dead.
And then there was this letter.
First of all, I'm ok. I'm safe, I'm happy, I'm not hurt in the slightest. There's no reason for you or mother to worry about me. I know that might not help much, but I hope its good news.
I didn't mean to leave. that sounds so stupid, but its true. I didn't mean to. I just...Let me start from the beginning, ok? Im going to explain everything to you, because I belive you deserve the truth. I can only hope you won't hate me after you read this. I hope you understand.
I have Magic.
Don't freak out! let me explain. I've... I've always had it, I think. I started really noticing it when Dad took me to my first council meeting. I could hear the nobles thoughts, whispering to me. One of them wouldn't stop thinking about his wife's stew. Another one thought that the general's military plan was stupid. Every time he looked at the map, the pieces on the table would glow, like I could see what he was thinking about and how it all connected.
It wasn't too long before things started moving on their own around me. Or maybe moving for me is a better way to put it.
I didn't know what to do. I couldn't bring it to dad, he'd freak. Imagine the Crown Prince being a magic user. I would have been cast out. Thats what happens to royals with magic, with this curse. They leave, vanish from the records. They are quite literally scrubbed from every record. I couldn't let that happen to me. I couldn't let that happen to you. I didn't want you to grow up alone.
So I lied. I hid whatever this power was and it was great. I was doing great. You'll never know how helpful being able to hear people's thoughts are and see the ojects of their desires are when dealing with politics. Invaluable, trust me. The people loved me, I was excelling, I was going to be the next great king, seamlessly stepping into Dad's shoes. Can you imagine it? I couldn't.
But then Dad died. I wasn't...I wasn't ready, I guess. I knew that one day I'd be taking over the kingdom, but I always imagined Dad would be around to help me for a little bit. That he and mother would retire to the outer wings or the country, close enough that I could ask for advice when I needed it. One day was always so far away.
The stress and grief i suppose did something to me. I felt it, whatever it was that controled the magic in side me, I felt it crack. The cracks got bigger and bigger and then--
Well. It broke completely. The night I left--vanished. I woke up covered in gold. Gold liquid poured from my mouth, my hands, my eyes. I couldn't--I couldn't see anything but gold. I rememeber being so afraid. Afraid of the future, afraid of the past, afraid of mother, of the people, for you. I just wanted to not be afraid anymore.
And then I wasn't.
I woke up on a beach. It took a while to find civilization, and no one new where or even what Apsaloosa was. I hate saying it, but for the first time i felt truely free. The people here practice magic openly. I'm learning so much about how to controle my power so what happened doesn't happen again.
I love it here.
Hope you can understand why I'm not coming back. I wanted you to know what happened to me, and to know that i'm safe and truely happy. Tell Eslev that I'm safe and that he didn't fail me. I value his loyalty and friendship more than anything, but I no loger need his protection. Tell mother I'm alive, at least, and happy. I think i'd like it if you kept the magic part between us though.
I think you are going to make a wonderful queen, Vi. I really do.
From your brother who loves you,
Col
The letter was sent by a raven with glowing eyes, directed to give the letter to Princess Viera of Apsaloosa, no matter what. The hope was that this letter would provide closure for his sister who he knew would be stepping up to fill the role of ruler.
However, the letter was intercepted. The raven was shot down 10 miles out of
Alataci, and the letter taken, read, and burned, leaving the wherabouts and fate of the prince a mystery to all who love him.
Perhaps if the letter had made it to its destination, things would be different. Perhaps the royal family coud have healed sooner. Perhaps it could have prevented so much pain.
I guess we'll never know.
Very nice, I like it.