The Silver Amazon of House Castellon - Chapter 4: House Hill

Two Years Later 

Kayana nervously fiddled with her dagger as she stood in the front yard of the Castellon Estate, waiting for her parents and brother to finish getting ready. 

Today, the Castellon family would be going to visit the estate of the Hill family, a Marquis noble house of high social and historical esteem, and most importantly, they were her father’s family. 

Jeremy, of course, was excited to see his family again after years apart, having not seen any of them in person since Kayana was an infant. 

It was for this reason that Kayana was so nervous, it would not only be the first time that she would be leaving her home, but Kayana had never met any of her paternal family before and wanted to make a good impression. 

This was tied to Kayana discovering the difference between herself and other children not too long ago. While her parents had sat her down and explained that just because she was different did not make her a monstrosity, it was hard for Kayana not to feel like this was not the case. 

What if they are disgusted with me? What if they tell father that they hate me and that makes him leave? If he leaves, will mother and Max blame me? Kayana thought, feeling nauseous. 

As Kayana was losing her mind, Maximilian exited the mansion, a smile on his lips as he straightened the cloak he was wearing. It did not take him long to see that something was bothering his sister when he came to stand next to his sister. “Are you okay, Yana?” 

Kayana flinched, giving her brother a strained smile, “I’m fine.” 

Maximilian narrowed his eyes, causing Kayana to sweat. He sighed when he saw this, “You don’t have to tell me, but I think you would feel better if you did.” 

“I know, Max. Thanks.” 

A few minutes later, Alexandra, Jeremy, Ivius, and Samantha exited the mansion, and the family was soon on their way to the Hill estate, a small group of knights and servants following them. 

While their parents rode on horseback at the front of the procession, Maximilian, and Kayana rode in a fancy carriage along with Samantha and Ivius. 

Kayana leaned her head against the carriage window, staring out through the glass, her nerves still racing as they traveled.

~X~

“Why is it taking them so long to arrive?” Was asked as a large group waited outside the castle of the estate. 

The one who had asked the question was an older man with graying hair, a clean shaven and wrinkled face, and thick rimmed glasses perched on his pointed nose that covered his bright green eyes. He was average height and was dressed from head to toe in expensive black and yellow silk, a deep frown appeared on his face as he impatiently tapped his foot on the ground. 

This was Renold Hill, patriarch of the Hill family and a Marquis of the Valyra Empire. 

“Oh, be quiet, Renold. You know how far the Castellon Estate is from us, they will be here soon enough.” Said the woman next to him. 

This woman was shorter than Renold, with long brown hair that was styled into an intricate bun and a few gray streaks mixed into it. She was beautiful, having a sharp jawline, skin as pale as snow, dark brown eyes and was dressed just as extravagantly as her husband. 

Madison Hill, the matriarch of the Hill family, pulled her husband’s arm back, once again having to keep him from walking towards the gates to get a better view of the road. 

Renold huffed at his wife's actions, “Well excuse me for being excited to see our son, his wife, and our grandchildren for the first time in years. Honestly, I understand that with Alexandra’s position that she may be too busy to travel anywhere besides the Capital and other regions that are in need of her, but there is nothing stopping Jeremy from coming to visit us with the children.” 

A scoffed was heard from the young man standing on Renold's other side. “Father, you know how lovesick our Jeremy is, he would never go anywhere without his precious Alexandra with him.” 

Madison sighed, “Do not mock your brother, Frederick.” 

Frederick grinned, “I wasn’t mocking him, only pointing out what is an objective fact.” 

Frederick Hill, the oldest son and child of Renold and Madison, looked remarkably similar to Jeremy, with his pale skin, black wavy hair, and lush green eyes. 

But the marquessate heir was taller, towering over both their parents, with a more muscular build, and taking their mother’s sharper facial features compared to Jeremy, who took their father’s softer ones. 

“Well, don't let our brother hear you say that when he arrives. You know Jeremy doesn’t like to hear anything too damning against his relationship.” Estella said from next to their mother. 

Estella Hill was the second oldest child and only daughter of the family, was a near perfect physical copy of Madison. From her rich brown hair, aquiline nose, strong jaw, and pale skin, the only difference in their appearance being the green eyes Estella shared with her brothers and father. 

“Regardless, I think its sweet how much Jeremy loves Alexandra, and how he isn’t afraid to show it.” Margret added, squeezing Fredrick’s arm. 

Margret Hill née Rose was shorter than her husband but taller than both Madison and Estella, and she wore a dress that was nearly identical to Madison’s. Her chestnut brown hair fell down her shoulders in intricate waves, but the most eye-catching thing about her was her bright pink eyes, a staple of her paternal house. 

Fredrick raised an eyebrow, “Are you trying to allude to something, sweetheart?” 

Margret rolled her eyes, knowing that her husband was joking and decided to squeeze his arm tighter, causing him to wince. 

It was then that the sounds of horses and the movement of carriages could be heard just as the Castellon party came into view. 

“Finally.” Renold exclaimed, “I thought the wait would never end.” 

The gates soon opened allowing Alexandra and Jeremy, both riding on horseback, to lead the procession into the estate.  

Jeremy smiled brightly when he saw his entire family waiting for their arrival, he quickly dismounted and walked up to greet them. 

“Mother, father. I have missed you both terribly, thank you for welcoming us.” Jeremy said as he hugged his parents. 

“You can thank us by not waiting years before visiting again. Honestly, Jeremy, five years? It makes me question how much you truly missed us.” Renold admonished, staring at his youngest child pointedly. 

“Leave the boy, Renold. He’s here now, isn’t he?” Madison told him before looking at Jeremy, “And he now knows not to act so foolishly again, doesn’t he?” 

Jeremy chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he looked away from his mother’s eyes, “Of course not, mother.” 

Alexandra snorted at this, finding the interaction and the glare her husband was now giving her amusing. “I believe that I am the one at fault, Lord Renold, Lady Madison.” 

“Don’t apologize for this one being a little brat, Alexandra. You’re a Duchess, you have responsibilities that can’t be ignored.” Renold argued. 

So, you have enough compassion to give her grace, but not me? Jeremy thought to himself. 

“And how many times do we have to tell you that you do not have to call us ‘lord’ or ‘lady’?” Madison admonished before a smile appeared on her face and she opened her arms. “Now, come here, dear.” 

Alexandra stood awkwardly as Madison hugged her, much to the amusement of almost everyone. Despite knowing the Hills for well over a decade, Alexandra was not used to the amount of affection they exhibited to each other and to her so casually. 

“Hey, Max. Why does mother’s face look like that?” Kayana asked her brother when they exited the carriage and saw their mother and Madison hug. Unknown to the young girl, her whispering was not as quiet as she thought, much to Alexandra’s further embarrassment. 

Maximilian, understanding what was causing their mother’s discomfort, smiled impishly before responding to his sister. “Mother doesn’t get enough hugs. So, she feels uncomfortable when she receives them.” 

Kayana frowned, “Should we hug mother more? To make her more comfortable?” 

Alexandra cleared her throat, turning around to face her children instead of her husband’s delighted family. “Maximilian, Kayana, come over here and greet your father’s family.” 

When the siblings walked towards and stood in front of their mother, Maximilan bowed to Renold and Madison. “Good morrow, grandfather, grandmother, thank you for allowing us to entry into your home.” 

“How adorable.” Madison chuckled, reaching down to pinch one of Maximilan’s cheeks, “What a perfect little lord you are becoming, Maximilan.” 

“It’s his Hill sensibilities shining through.” A few eyes were rolled at Renold’s proud statement, but Maximilian smiled, his chest puffing out at his grandfather’s praise. 

Kayana flinched when Renold’s gaze left her brother and landed on her, she shuffled forward as she introduced herself. “G-good morrow, g-grandfather, grandmother. I am Kayana Castellon, thank you for allowing us to entry into your home.” 

Renold laughed, “You don’t need to tell us your name, sweet girl, we know who you are. And we welcome you to our home.” 

Kayana relaxed as she smiled at the older man, “Thank you.” 

Jeremy smiled at the scene before he led his children to the rest of the group, wanting to introduce them, mainly Kayana, to their extended family. “The man next to your grandfather is my older brother, your uncle Fredrick and with them is his wife, Margret.” 

“So serious, little brother.” Fredrick laughed as he looked at his niece and nephew. “It is good to see you both again.” 

“We feel the same, Uncle Fredrick.” Maximilian said while Kayana nodded her head. 

Margaret smiled as she looked behind her, “Come greet your cousins.” 

As she said this, they were joined by three children, two boys and a girl. “These are your cousins; James, Oliver, and Mariella.” 

James was the oldest of the trio, looking like a copy of Fredrick; having the same pale skin, black hair, green eyes, but James was not as large as his father, having his mother’s smaller and more slender build. 

Mariella took more after Maragret, but her hair color was a black, with far less waves than her mother’s hair and was longer, stopping at Mariella’s lower back instead of her shoulders. 

Oliver, the youngest of his siblings, was smaller than both, his brown hair was ruffled mess, falling over his pink eyes, and he was not as slim, still having a bit of baby fat on his body and on the cheeks of his face. 

James grinned, “It is good to see you both again, it’s been way too long since a trip has been made. Last, I remember, you were going to show me the new spells you learned, Max.” 

Maximilian returned the grin, “I will.” 

Maximilian was happy to learn that James had not forgotten their promise to spar with each other, afraid that because James was five years older than him, that he would not want to spend much time with someone younger than him, seeing Maximilian as childish. 

“Do you have any interest in things that do not pertain to mana and spell craft?” Mariella said sarcastically, “Our cousins have not been here more than a few minutes and you are already trying to fight them.” 

James pouted, “Excuse me for knowing how to have fun. Unlike you, Mari.” 

Mariella turned to Maximilian and Kayana, “Don’t do everything he tells you too, James does not know the meaning of restraint.” 

Oliver took this time to move from Mariella’s side, rushing forward and standing in front of Kayana, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. 

“How old are you?” Oliver asked, his voice as serious as a boy his age could muster. 

Kayana gulped, “I-I’m five and a half.” 

Oliver’s expression turned into one of joy, “Yay! I’m not the youngest anymore!” 

This confused the Castellon siblings while Mariella rolled her eyes and James laughed, reaching down to ruffle his brother’s hair. “I guess you’re no longer the baby of the family, huh?” 

“No, I’m not!” Oliver said ecstatically before turning back to Kayana, “Don’t worry, Kay, I’ll teach you everything I know about being ma-mature!” 

“Ollie, you are barely six months older than her.” Mariella said teasingly. 

“Still older!” Oliver argued. 

“You know it really hurts that you guys are leaving us out like this.” 

“I know, what are we, horse dung?” 

Maximilan and Kayana turned to where the voices were coming from and saw two identical boys dressed in dark blue clothing. They looked to be ten, the same age as Mariella, with short, curly blond hair, small, pointed noses, pale skin, bright green eyes, and matching mischievous grins on their beautiful faces. 

“I’m sure your cousins have not forgotten either of you, my dears.” Estella said, looking at her sons wearily. 

“But it felt like it, mother.” The twin on the right said with a pout. 

“It felt really intentional.” The other twin said with an identical pout. 

Estella sighed, looking at her husband with a blank expression when she heard him stifling a laugh from behind her. 

Jeremy introduced them to his children, mainly Kayana, “And this is my older sister, your aunt Estella, your cousins, Roderick and Gregory, and their father, Benedict.” 

Benedict Shaltz was the second tallest man in the family, possessing the same hair color, hair style, and fine facial features of his sons, but with large sky-blue eyes. He was also dressed in dark blue, but was wearing a cape with the sigil of a blue rose on the back. 

“It’s good to see again, Maxy.” The twin on the right, now known as Roderick, said with a grin. 

“You didn’t even tell us goodbye last time.” The twin on the left, now known as Gregory, said pouting exaggeratedly. 

Maximilian frowned, “That was because last time you put peppers in my food and watched as I ran around trying to find something to drink.” 

He remembered vividly when his family came to the Castellon estate after Kayana’s birth, while he enjoyed spending time with James and Mariella, the same could not be said for the Shaltz twins. 

Roderick and Gregory loved to pull what they viewed as funny practical jokes on others, and Maximilian had found himself to be their primary target. With the incident in question, Maximilian did not notice when the two older boys mixed preppers into a piece of cake he had eaten, and one bite was all it took for him to be in a world of pain. 

Roderick and Gregory laughed as Maximilian ran around like a headless chicken, and their amusement increased when Maximilian threw himself into a nearby fountain, guzzling down the water in order to sooth his tongue. 

“It will not be like the past this time.” Maximilian said, staring the two boys down, “I am older and stronger now.” 

Gregory tilted his head, looking at the younger boy amused, “Is that so?” 

“It is.” 

“That’s enough you two.” Benedict gently scolded, “You will behave and not annoy your cousins, understood.” 

“Yes, father.” The twins said remorsefully, but when Benedict looked away, they smirked at Maximilian, causing the younger boy to bristle. 

Maximilian wondered if this time in the Hill estate would be as great as he thought it would be before. 

~X~

“You can do it, Max!” Kayana cheered as she, Mariella, Oliver, and the twins stood in the backyard of the estate, standing on the sidelines as Maximilian and James stood across from each other. 

James had been series when he said that he wanted to see the new spells that Maximilian had learned in the last five years. He had challenged his young cousin to a spar once the adults had left them to socialize. 

Now the two were standing in the middle of a sparring field that had been created by Renold for his children, and then grandchildren to use. 

Mariella stepped forward, her voice clear as she spoke, “This match will go until one person either surrenders, runs out of mana, or is knocked out of bounds. No lethal attacks will be allowed... James.” 

“Why are you only saying that to me?” James asked incredulously. 

Mariella stared at her older brother blankly, “You know why, you brat.” 

This caused Oliver, Roderick, and Gregory to snicker, not stopping even as James glared at them. 

“Are you ready, Max?” James eventually asked. 

“More than ready.” Maximilian replied. 

Mariella glanced at both boys, “Begin!” 

James attacked first, sticking his right arm out towards his cousin, “Fire Magic: Blazing Spear!” 

A pillar of brilliant red flames shot out from James’ palm, racing towards Maximilian, burning the ground as it travelled. 

“Water Magic: Geyser!” Maximilian held both hands out, sending a spray of water out that canceled out James’ fire spell, covering the field in cloak of steam. 

Maximilian kept his guard up, even though he could not see him, he knew that James would not sit back and wait for the smoke to dissipate. 

Maximilian was proven right when he heard his cousin’s voice from ahead, “Fire Magic: Fiery Fists!” 

Maximilian’s eyes widened as James jumped through the steam, landing in front of him with both of his arms covered in fire. A wild grin was on James’ face as he rushed at Maximilian, his right arm cocked back as he tried to punch Maximilian. 

Maximilian threw himself to the side, rolling away as James hit the ground, causing an indent in the dirt as his blazing fist smashed into it. 

“How is he doing that?!” Kayana exclaimed, staring at James wide-eyed. 

From what she had learned from her parents and Ivius, mages usually used their spells to fight at a distance, launching them at their opponents. It was one of the things that separated mages from auramancers . 

She had never heard of or seen someone use a spell on their body and then fighting hand to hand. 

How is he not in pain? His arm is on fire! Kayana thought. 

“James is controlling his mana, and making it bend around his arms and legs, that’s why he can do this and without hurting himself. So long as he has enough mana in his reserves.” Mariella explained. 

“But why don’t other mages do this? It seems like what auramancers do.” Kayana asked. 

“That’s because this kind of technique requires you to use too much mana and have fine control over your mana, so it would be difficult to learn, especially because it would require a mage to also learn how to fight.” Mariella said, “He was inspired by auramancers but-” 

“But James has no talent in auramancy.” Gregory said, cutting Mariella off. 

Mariella put her hands on her hips and glared at Gregory, “Why did you have to say that?” 

Gregory shrugged flippantly, “It’s the truth; James is unable to summon his aura and has no skill in weaponry. He would have been the worst auramancer in history if he didn’t change his mind.” 

James had wanted to become an auramancer when he was younger, inspired by his father, grandfather, and Alexandra, wanting to be just like them. But his dreams had been shattered when it was discovered that James could not generate an aura, and it did not help that James had no prowess for any type of weapon or secondary conduit. 

But for what he lacked in this avenue, James prospered in magecraft, being born with an exaptational reserve of mana that came with an amount of fine control not seen in many people, especially not those his age. 

Maximilian jumped to his feet, “Wind Magic: Sky Cutter!” 

Air circulated around Maximilian’s hands in a crescent moon shape at James, but the older boy blocked the attacking with his hands, the wind making his flames largen, but James was not fazed, maintaining his control over his fire. 

James ran towards Maximilian again, this time, his punch connecting and sending Maximilian flying backwards. 

Damn it! Maximilian landed a few inches from the boundary line, rolling onto his back as he felt nothing but excruciating pain coming from his abdomen. James did not give Maximilian time to catch his breath, rushing towards him with his fists raised. 

“Wind Magic: Hurricane!” A large spiraling tornado crashed into James’ body. He tried to use his hands to defend, digging his feet into the dirt as he was pushed back. 

When the tornado dissipated, James canceled his fire spell, instead he held his right hand out with his left hand holding onto his right wrist, stabilizing it. “Lightning Magic: Javelin.” 

A powerful bolt of blue lightning burst forth from James’ palm, faster than any other spell that had been used in the fight. 

Maximilian tried to use his mana to defend but was too slow and the lightning bolt slammed into his chest. A painful, tingling sensation consumed Maximilian’s body, followed by a blinding and intense heat as he was knocked off his feet and sent flying backwards. Maximilian did not stop until his body crashed into a nearby tree, landing on the ground with a thud. 

“Oops.” James winced as they all watched Maximilian slump, face down, and laying deathly still. 

“Max!” Kayana yelled, running to her brother’s fallen form. 

“James! I said no lethal spell!” Mariella exclaimed as they followed Kayana. 

“It wasn’t lethal!” James argued sheepishly, “And I thought he would be strong and fast enough to block it.” 

“He’s eight! Mariella seethed. 

“Max! Max!” Kayan cried as she reached Maximilian, shaking his body as tears fell from her face. 

“Is he dead?” Oliver whispered, quickly quieting when Mariella heard and glared at him. 

To everyone’s relief, Maximilian let out a loud groan, painfully and slowly turning onto his back. The center of his doublet was singed, smoke wafting from the area where James’ spell landed. 

“Max!” Kayana yelled, moving closer and wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. 

“Kayana?” Maximilian said hoarsely, he slowly lifted his hand when he felt her tears land on his neck, patting the back of Kayana’s head. “I’m okay, I’m okay. Don’t cry, Yana, it’s just a little bit of pain, I’m fine.” 

Kayana sniffled, “Are-are y-you sure?” 

“Of course, I’m sure.” Maximilian said reassuringly. 

James let out a sigh of relief, “See? Everything’s fine. Now, let’s get you inside so you can change your clothes. If you’re still wearing them, then we will all get in trouble.” 

James tried to step closer and help Maximilian off the ground, but he and everyone else was surprised when Kayana let go of Maximilian and used all her strength to shove James away, pushing the older boy to the ground. 

“Don’t touch him!” Kayana yelled, glaring at James as she stood protectively in front of her older brother. 

James, Mariella, and Oliver’s eyes grew large, not expecting such an action from their quiet and shy cousin. Even Roderick and Gregory were surprised, both being shocked into silence, wondering how a girl as small as Kayana could knock down James, even if the older boy was not paying attention. 

Maximilian ignored the pain in his body as he sat up, grabbing his sister’s arm and pulling her back a step. “Kayana, don’t be mad at James, I want to spar with him. It’s no one’s fault I got hurt.” 

“But Mariella said no lethal attacks.” Kayana asserted, “And you... you looked...” 

“It wasn’t lethal, I’m here, I’m right here. And next time, James will know not to do something like this again.” 

Kayana frowned, “You’re going to fight again?” 

“When I get better.” Maximilian quickly said, “And not a moment before.” 

Kayana looked at her brother for a moment before reluctantly crossing her arms, “Okay.” 

“Wow, Kay.” Oliver said, a grin appearing on his face once everything settled, “I’ve never seen James get pushed down like that, you must be really strong!” 

James playfully scoffed, quickly jumping to his feet, “It wasn’t that impressive, I was distracted and didn’t have time to brace myself.” 

“You’re just saying that because a little girl knocked you over.” Mariella teased, “And now you’re too embarrassed to admit it.” 

“I’m not! I really just wasn’t expecting that!” James argued, but no one believed him. 

Maximilian tried to stand up, but found himself falling again, but Kayana caught him before he could hit the ground again. 

“Lay him down, Kayana.” Mariella said. 

Kayana did as she was told, watching attentively as Mariella kneeled next to Maximilian and held her two hands over his chest. 

“Light Magic: Healing Ray.” A soft golden light emitted from Mariella’s hands, surrounding Maximilian’s chest as beads of light fell onto it. 

After a few moments, Mariella ended her spell and Maximilian felt far better than before, not only did the burn disappear from his body, but he no longer felt fatigued. It was as if his body went back to its state before his and James’ spar began. 

“Wow.” Maximilian said as he stood up, “I didn’t know that you knew light magic spells.” 

Mariella grinned, “It’s only this one, but I learned it last year.” 

“And she has never let anyone forget about it since.” Roderick drawled, unfazed by the glare Mariella gave him in response. 

Although no one could deny that Mariella had every right to be proud, light magic was one of the hardest magical attributes for humans to learn, let alone master. 

Some theorized that light magic was harder to use because unlike other attributes, it lacked a physical manifestation for one to focus on trying to create, and there were a few of the religious inclination that believed that light magic was so hard to use because it held divine properties, that not everyone had the purity or righteousness to use it. 

But most agreed that light magic must consume more mana and physical energy which makes it impossible to use unless you were either born with high mana reserves or content with wasting all your mana to use a single. And this belief was strengthened by the knowledge that Elves, the most magically attuned species in the world, were very adept at using light magic. 

I wonder if I can get her to teach me? Maximilian thought, always hungering for more things to learn. 

A bit of sweat gathered on Mariella’s forehead as she stood, “Now, James was not wrong when he said you need to change your clothes.” 

“Won’t that be hard to explain to my parents why I’m wearing a different shirt?” Maximilian asked. 

“Harder than showing her your burnt one?” Gregory sarcastically asked. 

Maximilian nodded his head, he did not think his mother would care and could imagine her clapping him on the back with a smirk as she told him that he would beat James next time. But he could also imagine how distraught his father would be, and how Jeremy would smother him afterwards. 

The children snuck back into the castle, trying not to seem suspicious as they made their way to the room that Maximilian would be staying in.