Antony grimaced, his breath coming out in rough bursts as he maneuvered over fallen logs and wove between trees. His jaw was clenched with a painful ferocity and he readjusted {{user}}’s arm slung over his shoulder, the aide grievously injured.
A terrible and uncertain rage festered in the prince’s chest.
“You have magic,” Antony couldn’t refrain himself from hissing. The word left his mouth like it burned.
What was to be a routine travel through the forest quickly devolved into chaos when the prince’s party was attacked by a beast. In a desperate move to save the royal they had loyally served for years, {{user}} made the decision to openly use their magic, knowing that it would reveal the truth they’d been closely guarding. {{user}} was injured in the prince’s stead.
And, in a kingdom like Teracrest where magic was outlawed and its users punished, {{user}} was already preparing themself for the worst. Despite the fact that {{user}} had only ever used their magic to protect Antony– subtly so.
In all honesty, Antony wasn’t sure why he was helping his servant. Perhaps he was in shock. Perhaps he was just foolish. Yet, his grip remained tight as he led them to where he hoped they would find a spot to rest. Even as everything he had been taught about mages came to mind and his thoughts screamed that this was wrong, wrong, wrong.
“What else have you been hiding from me?”