Chapter 2
November 27, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Oaklyn looked at Opal as she awoke. He noticed that she looked more stressed than earlier. He wondered if she was okay. He looked down to the ground. Oaklyn saw Prince Thorn glaring at him from a distance the queen was directing him back to a plane.
Prince Thorne had always hated him.
They were never on good terms. Especially since the only reason Oaklyn is part of the royal family is because the queen of the Nature tribe, Queen Vine was looking for a second prince to show the current one some proper manners.
But that only turned him into a hateful and jealous person. Oaklyn had a family but the queen gave his mother 5,000 shekels and that was enough to feed Oaklyn's family for more than 5 years.
Which is something my mother needed since Oaklyn had four younger brothers, Spruce, Sprout, Root, Basil, and one little sister, Lotus.
She was only three when Oaklyn left to live in the palace.
Oaklyn tried to talk to his little sister as much as he could but there was always something in between the two of them whether it was a royal guard or the castle walls.
He always sent letters to her and she did the same.
Oaklyn looked away from Prince Thorn’s harsh glare.
Oaklyn shook his head and straightened up and cleared his throat.
He looked back at Opal. She was a pretty girl with long white hair and eyes that sparkled.
Just her presence felt warm.
Opal walked to sit next to Flare and Oaklyn.
“Okay you three now that you have your powers its time we took you to the place you three will be living in and training in for the next month or two.” the old woman rasped.
“What but-” Oaklyn started to speak but was cut off as the escorts came back and grabbed the three of them and took them to a dark tunnel.
One of the guards grabbed Oaklyn by the arm roughly and started to walk.
It was so dark in there that the only thing Oaklyn could see was his feet.
“Understand this, you three.” One of the guards spoke roughly. “You’re all going to share the same dorm so don’t think you're getting any special treatment.
You three will go to your dorms first. Then tomorrow you will meet your mentor and will start your training.” The guard explained.
“Any questions? No. Good.” The guard said before anyone could respond.
Oaklyn looked up to see the exit.
It was a bright light at the end.
As they got closer to the light Oaklyn felt an uneasy feeling run down his spine.
As he looked up again they were already through the exit.
There was a slop down to a place that looked almost magical.
There was a huge and wide grassy land with a cottage looking building.
As they approached the cottage, Oaklyn saw a tall distinguished looking man at the entrance. The man had a slim and long nose that looked like it was 5 inches long and he had a french mustache that he had probably cleaned.
The escorts threw the three to the ground.
The man that held Oaklyn kicked him and left along with the two other escorts.
“Welcome to the place you three will be living in for the next two months until you have control over your powers.” The slim man said warmly.
“Who are you?” Flare asked, annoyed.
Oaklyn hoped badly that this man was not any of their mentors.
“Oh me?” The man asked.
“Of course you, who else would I be talking to?” Flare spoke annoyed with attitude.
“Rude. Anyway my name is Sir Rodrigues. I will be the one taking care of you three throughout these next two months.” he said strictly, “Come with me to your dorm.”
Oaklyn followed behind them. As they entered the large cottage. The place was bigger than it looked on the inside, almost as big as the nature tribe castle. Well maybe like a twelfth of the castle but it did feel big.
As they walked down a long hall Oaklyn smelled a delicious smell.
“What is that smell coming from?” he asked.
“Well that delicious smell is your lunch.” Sir Rodrigues said sharply.
“Anyway, here is your dorm. Any questions?” Sir Rodrigues asked.
There was a long silence before Sir Rodrigues just nodded and left.
Flare opened the door and just walked in without holding it open for Oaklyn or Opal.
What a jerk!Oaklyn thought, annoyed. Oaklyn held the door open for Opal as she walked inside.
“Thank you.” Opal said with a small smile.
He smiled back happily.
“Y-your welcome.” he said quickly nodding at her.
“Guys… there’s only one bedroom…. but there are three different beds.” Flare said.
They walked into the bedroom, Oaklyn saw that the beds were different colors. One was a maroon with some burnt orange highlights to it. It had cotton sheets and the bed frame looked like it was flames. It was obviously made for Flare’s tribe.
Opal sat on a bed that had a gem like bed frame. It had more of a light blue color with sandy highlights.
Then Oaklyn saw his bed. It looked like a large olive tree. Small branches coming out of the rough bark on the bed frame. The sheets were a navy green. Then Oaklyn spotted a large closet. He walked towards it and opened it.
He opened it and then a tablet popped up then a robotic voice started talking.
“Hello, what tribe are you from?” it asked, pausing after each word. Oaklyn paused before he responded.
“The nature tribe,” he said, staring at the tablet.
It made a loud beep.
“Outfit found!” The robotic voice exclaimed.
Soon enough the tablet went away and inside the closet was a nice looking outfit. A green shirt fading from light green to dark green, a light brown vest and jeans with rips and plant-like decorations on them. He took the outfit and headed toward the bathroom to change clothes.
When he came out he saw that Opal and Flare both had their outfits in hand.
“What took you so long?” Flare asked, annoyed by Oaklyn.
“Well I'm sorry that I took too long.” Oaklyn retorted.
Opal went into the bathroom to change next. It felt like five minutes had passed when she finally came out of the bathroom.
Opal was wearing a ruffled shirt with long sleeves. It was a white shirt with some wave-like patterns on the sleeves and a touch of light sky blue on. With light purple baggy ish pants. They looked good on her. Oaklyn caught himself staring at her for longer than two seconds and shook his head quickly. As soon as Flare went into the bathroom to change the room got quiet and awkward. Opal opened her mouth to talk but there were no sounds that came out of her mouth. She just looked away at the floor sadly.
“What's wrong?” He asked her, looking into her eyes.
“It's just.. My grandma had died before I was chosen for this. I miss her.” Opal said clearly, holding back tears.
“Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.” Oaklyn replied his tone gentle and soft.
“It's fine, it was time for her to leave soon enough anyway. Plus it’s just life..” Opal explained, her tears looked like they were about to run down her cheeks.
“I guess you're right. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to be sad. It’s okay to cry especially when you lose a loved one or someone who you’re close to. I can’t imagine how much I'd cry if Lotus or any of my little siblings died.” He said looking down at his hands.
“What? You have other siblings other than prince thorn?” Opal asked, wiping her tears.
“Well the thing is I was not born in royalty. The queen adopted me even though my mother was still alive. My mother thought I was just another burden to take care of so she happily said yes. The queen paid my mother 5,000 shekels to buy me. So yeah, now I live in royalty. I feel bad since my younger siblings don’t get to have their oldest brother there to protect them. I feel like I did something wrong even though I didn’t do anything.” He explained to Opal sighing.
“Will you two stop talking already?” Flare asked the two, his tone harsh. He had a flared shirt with flame patterns and black pants with little sparks of orange like sparks coming from the ashes.
“How long were you listening?” Oaklyn asked.Flare needs to stop eavesdropping on people’s conversations.Oaklyn thought to himself.
“Everything. I’m good at being quiet and sneaky. And also do you two know how loud you are?” He asked, raising a brow at Oaklyn and Opal.
“And I guess…I’m sorry about your grandma Opal.” he said, not making eye contact. Oaklyn saw Opal’s face light up with surprise and gratitude.
“Anyway-” Oaklyn was cut off as a loud bell rang.
Sir Rodrigues walked in the room behind Flare holding a small bell.
How could something small like that make such a loud sound?Oaklyn thought to himself.
“Time for dinner. Everyone, follow me now.” Sir Redrigues announced to them leaving no time for chit chat as he walked out the door.
“What are we eating for dinner?” Oaklyn asked as he followed Sir Rodrigues.
“Dragon meat and fairies wings.” Sir Rodrigues replied swiftly.
“What.” Flare said in disbelief.
“Of course not. Just teasing.” Sir Rodrigues replied with a little amusement and a hint of mocking in his tone.
“Whatever.” Flare replied, annoyed.
Oaklyn looked at Sir Rodrigues; the man looked like a penguin with his white and black tuxedo and his hair that was neatly slicked back.
“You will see what there is for dinner when we get there. Now be patient." Sir Rodrigues huffed out.
As they made their way to the dining room the delicious smell hit Oaklyn like a pan.
“For dinner you will be eating truffles, caviar, and wagyu beef, along with specialty items such as artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and premium seafood like lobster and oysters. Enjoy it, this will be your only fancy dinner here.” He said as he opened the door.
The smell got even stronger.
“Let me tell you a little about each meal. Don’t eat the things that you are allergic to obviously.The basic ingredients for chocolate truffles arechocolate, heavy cream, and optional flavorings like vanilla or a liqueur, all rolled in toppings such as cocoa powder or chopped nuts. Some recipes also include butter for richness or condensed milk for a fudgier texture.Caviar fish roe, salt, and sometimes a preservative like borax. Wagyu beef from a specific Japanese breed of cattle. For artisanal cheeses the ingredients are milk, rennet, bacterial cultures, and salt. For the charcuterie board there is spicy salami, cheese from swiss cheese to blue cheese, and some nuts. premium seafood like lobster and oysters in their natural state havewater, high-quality protein, and a generous amount of vitamins and minerals. With some spices on top. Any questions?” He asked quickly after the long speech about all the food.
“Uh yes.” Oaklyn replied.
“What is it?” Sir Rodrigues asked sharply.
“Uh…so what type of meat is it?” Oaklyn asked him.
Sir Rodrigues didn’t reply for a second and just shrugged off the question and walked away leaving the three standing in the doorway awkwardly.
“Come in! Come in!” A high pitched voice exclaimed from the dining room.
Oaklyn turned around quickly to see a rather short woman in a chef's hat and chef's coat. She had fluffy pink hair and rose pink eyes. It was an odd eye color.
“Please take a seat!” She chirped.
As Oaklyn, Flare, and Opal sat down Oaklyn noticed the food was still warm.
“Oh sorry for my manners. I forgot to introduce myself. Haha, I'm so forgetful. Whew. Anyway Hello my name is Ablicala. I am the main chef here. I make most of your dinners.
The rest of the things that I don’t make are made by none other than Sir Rodrigues!” She exclaimed, stumbling over most of the things that she was talking about.
“You three must be the chosen three, right? I mean of course you would be why else would you be here other than being a maid or chef.” She laughed nervously. As the three of them sat down they got their food onto their plates and started to eat. When Oaklyn finally finished his meal he stretched his arms and legs and yawned.
“You’re tired already?” Ablicala asked with an understanding tone.
“I mean yeah I haven’t had a full sleep in like three days..” Oaklyn said sleepily.
“Oh wow!” Ablicala chirped, “Well dears, why don’t you get some sleep… Sir Rodrigues will wake you for breakfast,” she decided, standing up.
“Fine with me,” Flare muttered and he walked off, with Oaklyn and Opal following him. As Oaklyn walked down the hallway he noticed small details on the walls. On one side there were ancient writings and foxes with features of an axolotl. On the other wall he spotted a large tree with flames on one third of it. the other third of the tree had crystal shards and water for branches. The last third were beautiful autumn leaves. When they reached their room Oaklyn flopped on his bed.
Oaklyn sighed as he let himself sink into the beds soft covers.
