Elias focused on the blazing fury directed at Arthur in Caelum's eyes, yet in that fury, he felt an even deeper love for the man he had chosen. He shifted his attention to Isolde, taking a confident step toward her. He knew the protective bracelet Caelum had given him would guard him if she chose to strike.
He placed his hand firmly on the blade that Caelum held, pushing it gently away from Isolde. "Please, allow me to hear what you have to say, Madam Isolde," he said, his voice cold and unwavering.
Caelum, though still deeply worried, respected the prince's decision. He slowly sheathed his blade and positioned himself just one protective step behind Elias.
Isolde's gaze darted nervously between Elias and Caelum, then shifted to Alexander and Matheas. "I honestly did not know Arthur was involved in this whole conspiracy until he saw me bleeding from the wound on my neck," she confessed, her voice strained.
"And did he confide in you then?" Alexander asked, stepping to stand beside his son, his posture tense.
Isolde nodded faintly. "He apologized profoundly for letting them hurt me. He did assure me that he had made sure they wouldn't actually kill me," she explained.
Alexander and Matheas exchanged withering glares directed at Arthur. Arthur, his hands still bound by the earthen restraints Caelum had conjured earlier, struggled futilely against them.
Elias, however, did not glare. He was utterly exhausted by his brother's persistent, scathing remarks about Elias's necessary liaisons, even while Arthur was deeply entangled in the assassination plot. He was tired of attempting to convince himself that his mother truly loved him, despite her constant habit of siding with Arthur, even when Arthur was clearly in the wrong.
He let out a long, weary sigh. "Did you ever know what I had truly planned to do to the people who were involved in the poisoning scheme?" he asked, looking at Arthur with an expression of profound, soul deep exhaustion.
The sheer tiredness visible in Elias's eyes caused Arthur to tremble uncontrollably with fear. Elias only ever showed his darker, more ruthless side when he was utterly depleted, and now those terrifyingly tired eyes were fixed entirely upon him.
'You deserve every single thing he has planned for you, you foolish, foolish boy,' Caelum thought to himself, a silent, grim judgment, as he remained rigidly in his position.
"My original intention was to force the same poison I ingested down the throats of everyone who participated, and then allow Aurelius to drain their entire life force," Elias stated, his voice flat. "However, I later chose to change that original idea."
Isolde looked at Elias, shaking her head slowly and pleadingly, silently begging him to spare Arthur from any serious punishment.
Elias met Isolde's gaze directly. "You genuinely want me to let him go free?" he asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. "After the nice, small assassination scheme he so meticulously planned?" He let out a short, hysterical burst of laughter, devoid of any real mirth.
Caelum immediately took Elias's hand in his own, deeply concerned about the fragile mental state of his beloved partner.
"I haven't actually gone completely insane, not yet anyway," Elias reassured him, his eyes softening momentarily as he looked at Caelum. That softness vanished instantly the moment his eyes returned to Isolde. "I am certainly not as evil as Aurelius," he declared.
Arthur took a deep, shaky breath, momentarily believing he had been saved from any serious consequences.
"But for the disgraceful stunt you so shamelessly pulled," Elias continued, his gaze piercing Arthur, "I am going to ensure that you will never, ever attend the royal academy."
"Consider that particular punishment already executed," Julias interjected smoothly. He looked pointedly at his own son. "Do you remember the rule I enacted for your third brother, dear Alexander?" he inquired.
Alexander nodded, a slow, gentle smile spreading across his face as he looked at Elias. "I will personally make absolutely certain that Arthur never sets foot in the academy for attempting to assassinate the true crown prince," he affirmed.
"You cannot do that to me," Arthur screamed in protest, managing to break one of the earth pillars confining his hands and frantically pulling the magical sealer ring off his finger.
However, that small lapse in time was all Caelum needed. He instantly unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip directly at Arthur, while simultaneously, Elias froze Arthur's legs solid with a wave of his magic.
"Did you truly believe that I have been simply wasting my time doing nothing at school?" Elias challenged him, a dangerous glint in his eye.
"Your magic?" Julias asked, his gaze fixed on Elias's hands, expecting to see the familiar magical tremors.
"I am perfectly stable as long as I am wearing this bracelet," Elias explained, lifting his hand to proudly display the finely crafted bracelet Caelum had given him.
"The bracelet was originally designed to absorb the excess magic that would ordinarily freeze his fingers when he uses his powers, and instead, it converts that energy into fire magic, keeping his hands comfortably warm," Caelum elaborated, looking at Arthur with a self satisfied smirk. "If you somehow believe that you can use your magic now, simply because you took that sealer ring off, I must be honest with you," he said, his voice dripping with condescension, "you absolutely cannot."
"That sealer ring wasn't the only one he placed on you," Elias added, mirroring the triumphant smirk on Caelum's face. "The very first sealer, the one that appeared for just a few seconds before he quickly put the ring on your finger, that seal is still fully active," he confirmed.
Alexander and Julias both looked on, genuinely surprised and impressed by Caelum's overwhelming protectiveness, while Matheas and Raphael nodded their heads with deep respect. They knew they would have shown the exact same fierce loyalty if their own kings had been in such danger.
"What exactly is that incredible spell, young Caelum?" Alexander asked, his curiosity piqued.
"It is a sealing spell, Your Majesty," Caelum replied, looking respectfully at Alexander and bowing to an appropriate level. "As long as I continue to wear this particular ring," he said, raising his hand to show the amplifier ring, "any person I simply point at and say the word 'seal' to will have their magic completely sealed away until I consciously reverse the spell."
"Is there any time limit on its duration?" Alexander pressed for details.
Caelum shook his head. "No, Your Majesty," he replied firmly. "There is no time limit whatsoever," he confirmed. "And because the amplifier ring is currently on my hand, the spell will not deplete the life force of the person I have used the spell on. It also does not harm me in any way, as long as I have magic flowing within me," he further explained.
"And would it work just as effectively for Elias to use it?" Alexander inquired.
Elias nodded, his smile widening. "The fantastic advantage is that I can actually use the spell even if I choose not to wear the ring, because our magic is intertwined and courses through each other," he explained happily. "All I have to do is take his hand and speak the incantation," he said, and with that, he took Caelum's hand in his own, pointing his free hand directly at Isolde. "Seal," he commanded, just as he noticed she was attempting to cast a spell aimed at Caelum.
"What happens if you release his hand after casting it?" Matheas asked, watching the interaction with fascination.
"The spell still remains active because it has been successfully cast, and it must be consciously reversed by either Caelum or me," Elias patiently explained.
"When did the two of you invent that remarkable rune?" Julias asked, walking over to Caelum for a closer look at the intricate ring.
"We created it during the month we had little to occupy our time while we were searching relentlessly for the hiding Ravenlofts," Elias recalled. "We desperately wanted to ensure we wouldn't be ambushed or attacked. So, we designed this rune," he said, smiling warmly at Caelum. Caelum had been the one to physically create the rune, but he had insisted adamantly that Elias share the credit because the original idea had been entirely Elias's.