CHAPTER XII
"The Color of Secrets and a Chase in the Morning Light"
The morning sun rose brighter than ever, its golden rays pouring down over Crimson Cove like a promise — or maybe a warning. Today, more than ever, we felt the urgency of our journey. Time was slipping like sand through an open palm, and we needed to move.
Caelum, already dressed and alert, turned to Olivia with that familiar glint of clever mischief in his eyes.
"I heard," he began, "that Princess Carmine of Crimson Cove is also heading to meet the Mother Fairy today. So why don't we join her?"
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "But by tradition, she will travel on a single royal horse. How would we all fit into that plan?"
Caelum gave her a knowing look and smirked. "Ah, Lady Olivia… have you forgotten? I brought two of my own horses for a reason."
Aurelia's eyes lit up with excitement as she spotted the two majestic beasts standing near the enchanted stables. "Wow… horses!"
I stepped closer, my breath catching in my throat. "They're… beautiful."
And they truly were.
Both horses stood tall, their coats shining like polished onyx under the morning sun. Their manes were long and silky, flowing like shadows with the wind. But it was their color — that impossibly perfect shade of midnight black — that made them look less like horses and more like something from a legend.
"Their black coats…" I murmured, reaching out instinctively to touch one of them.
Just as my fingertips hovered close, Caelum stepped forward quickly, placing himself between me and the horse.
"Don't," he said firmly. "Please, Celeste. Don't touch them."
I blinked, startled by the sudden seriousness in his voice. "Why not?"
He hesitated, then said softly, "Their color… it's delicate. Sensitive. One wrong touch and—"
"Well," I interrupted defiantly, "now I have to touch them."
And before he could stop me, I gently laid my hand on the first horse.
At once, its skin shimmered — not dimming, not vanishing — but glowing. The black coat brightened like moonlight being poured into ink, sparkling with the soft brilliance of untouched starlight.
I gasped in awe. "They're not just black… they shine."
But as I turned to place my hand on the second horse, something strange caught my eye.
Caelum.
He was standing awkwardly behind me, one hand over his mouth, his eyes wide in mock horror — or was it real? He looked like a child who knew exactly how much trouble was about to unfold, but was powerless to stop it.
"What…?" I started.
But it was too late.
My fingers brushed against the second horse's sleek coat — and instantly, a ripple of light burst across the surface. The deep black hue scattered like ash caught in a breeze, swirling upward into the sky in tiny glittering fragments.
And then…
The horse turned completely white.
Snow-white.
Bright as dawn. Glowing like a cloud kissed by sunlight. A white so pure, it looked painted by the gods.
I stepped back, stunned. "Wait… what just happened?"
Caelum looked at me, trying his best to look innocent — and failing miserably. "Well, Princess… the thing is—"
"No," I snapped. "I don't want to hear anything from you right now!"
I could feel my temper rising — not because of the horse turning white (though that was weird enough), but because I knew Cael knew this would happen. He knew and said nothing. The mischief in his eyes gave him away.
"This is your fault!" I yelled, grabbing the nearest fallen tree branch from the ground. "Do you know how much I've already been through because of you?!"
With no more words, I raised the branch over my shoulder and charged after him.
Caelum yelped, spinning on his heel with perfect, practiced speed, and ran.
Through the grass, around the rose vines, past Olivia — who was now howling with laughter — and into the morning sun he went, the proud, sarcastic prince now fleeing for his life from a very angry future queen.
"You can control magic," I shouted, chasing him, "but you can't control your mouth!"
"I told you not to touch it!" he called over his shoulder, laughing between his words. "This one's on you, Celeste!"
"Stop running!"
"Stop chasing!"
Aurelia and Chiko were laughing so hard they had to lean against each other for support. Even Flash let out a tired chuckle from atop Rira's head.
I was fuming. I was flustered. I was furious.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
I was also having fun.
I finally caught Cael.
But I didn't hit him.
Instead, I looked at him — really looked at him — and let the anger melt away just enough for my voice to come out calm.
"Cael," I said, "let's talk."
He turned toward me, eyebrows slightly raised, still catching his breath from all the running. There was a flicker of amusement in his eyes, but also something softer — like he hadn't expected me to stop chasing him with a stick.
"The truth is," I began, my voice gentler now, "I lost my horse once. Back then, it felt like I'd lost a part of myself — something that connected me to home, to safety, to who I was."
His expression changed — the mischief fading into something more serious.
"But," I continued, "if I hadn't lost that horse… I wouldn't have met Flash. Or Chiko. Or Rira. I wouldn't have flown through storms, laughed until I cried, or found strange new friends who keep surprising me."
I paused for a breath, my eyes locking with his. "So… even if you did steal my horse, I forgive you."
He blinked, clearly surprised.
I raised a finger, firm and playful. "But don't think you can get away with something like this again. Just because I'm merciful doesn't mean I'm stupid."
He gave a small smile, head tilting in that teasing, charming way he always did. "Noted."
Then, as the moment settled between us, I finally asked the question that had been circling my mind since the color-change incident.
"But seriously… why did you do it? Why steal my horse? Why not just ask?"
Cael looked at me, and something in his gaze shifted. It wasn't sharp or sly this time — it was honest.
"I didn't steal it," he said softly. "I found it."
"What?"
He nodded. "I was in the forest, a few weeks ago. I was gathering herbs for Flash's potion when I saw something moving behind a tree. I thought it was a spirit beast or maybe a fae deer… but it was your horse. Grazing quietly, all alone near the trees."
My breath caught.
"It looked tired," he went on, "and a little lost. So, I approached it slowly. It didn't run. It just let me come close… like it was waiting for someone. So, I took it in."
I listened quietly as he continued.
"I didn't know it was yours until much later. But even then, I couldn't return it the way it was."
"Why?" I asked.
He hesitated, then explained, "Because I'm a Black Pixie, Celeste. And where I come from, if someone sees me walking with a white horse, they assume the worst. That I've harmed someone from Frosthevan. That I've taken something sacred. It doesn't matter what the truth is — only how it looks."
He looked away for a moment, the wind brushing his dark hair from his face.
"So, I used a spell to turn it black," he said quietly. "To protect myself. To protect it. I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just… didn't want trouble."
My anger, which had already cooled, now softened into something else entirely — understanding.
I stepped closer, my voice calm. "I get it, Cael. Truly. And for the record…"
I gave him a light, teasing push on the shoulder.
"…you will remember that I forgave you for this."
He chuckled, holding up both hands in surrender. "Believe me, I'll never forget. It's not every day a furious princess chases me with a tree branch and then lets me walk away."
A small smile tugged at my lips, despite everything.
"Good," I said. "Then we're even."
He smiled too.
And just like that, the tension between us faded — carried away by the wind and replaced with something far more important:
Trust.
To be continue....