Eyes as bright and magical as peridot and hair as black as raven feathers pulled back into a bun atop her head with the crown nestled around it, she looked more like a queen than his master. She was well laced together and there was a fading light and depth in her eyes that Adam didn’t recognize, but he knew that forever pale and youthful face well. She dared to walk in the light, standing tall and youthful and was a version of the vampire Queen Roese Adam didn’t know and was almost enough to make him doubt she was a monster.
“I don’t lurk.” Frederick scoffed as he approached her, breaking the spell cast over them. He bowed at the waist and took her hand and placed a kiss upon it.
“You do lurk.” She chuckled and her mouth turned upwards in a smile. Not one with condescension and scorn, but a genuine smile that held a hint of love in it as she looked at Frederick. “Where were you this morning?” Her voice dropped in a hushed whisper as the two of them quickly got lost within themselves. “The peasants were positively dreadful this morning, specifically the grounds keepers as they’re overwhelmed with all the livestock the merchants have brought.”
“I was sent out on a mission,” Frederick huffed as if going to the mountains to find Adam was a chore.
Her smooth brow pinched, and her smile quickly disappeared. “Whatever for?”
“The Mirror overheard a particular conversation you had with the princess.” Frederick brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. “And I was all to eager to make things easier on you.”
Adam rolled his eyes and had he not wanted to be seen by the queen he would have scoffed. However, safely cast in Frederick’s shadow he remained silent as one and watched the strange scene before him. He’d never once seen Roese soft, and the display was almost enough to convince him there was a chance to save her.
“Oh.” She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Alita had a strange request. She wants to attend all five days of the festival this year.”
“I can’t say I blame her.” Frederick shrugged and turned his hand over so he could caress her cheek. “They’re quite fun.”
“I don’t care how fun it is, it isn’t safe.” All the softness was sucked away by her harsh hiss and her demeanor changed into a familiar territory Adam was familiar with. He caught the hint of annoyance in her tone that usually led to an episode and mentally prepared himself for an outburst.
“Keeping her in the tower will lead her to misdoings.” Frederick chided and reached for her hand. “If this is to be her last year, its best you let her go and have her happy memories.”
“I don’t see why.” Roese scoffed. “She won’t be here for much longer.”
There was something in the way she said that that bothered Adam. It sounded far too close to her future self and didn’t bode well.
“Wasn’t you who always said to live life to the fullest?” Frederick challenged in a teasing tone as he guided her face to look at him.
“That was before,” she gently removed her chin from his hold and took a step back. “And this is now. If I could afford to let her have such things, I wouldn’t keep her here.”
“Roese.” Frederick spoke more seriously as he stood straighter. “Life is too short to remain in a tower. Just let her attend the festival like your own mother would have let you.”
A more familiar frown that Adam recognized crossed her face as a dark look reared itself in her shadows at his challenge to her authority. Adam held his breath, half anticipating her to strangle Frederick or bite him and drink him dry, however Frederick held his stance, and she did not move. The tension between the two was as thick as the dark magic surrounding this castle until in an instance it disappeared and Roese let out a huff of air.
“Fine.” She said sourly and crossed her arms, “then she’s going to need a guard.”
“Already done.”
“What?” There was an edge in her voice that caused the hairs to rise on the back of Adam’s neck. “How have you already found someone?”
“I told you;” Frederick spoke in a lower tone, as if the matter were a secret between them, and Adam caught the ring of suspicion in her eye. “The Mirror sent me out on a mission.”
“I see.” She clipped and those poisonous green eyes turned on him. “And can he uphold to my standard?”
Any hint of softness that was previously there was gone, and the icy aura of the vampiric queen remained as she looked upon Adam. He stood tall and straight, praying that it showed more confidence than he had as his tail squeezed his leg. He held his breath and did his best not to sweat under the pressure of that gaze as he felt his poisonous musk rising. He thought he saw her nostrils flare when Frederick cleared his throat and went to stand beside him, slightly diverting her icy attention away for a moment.
“This is Adam. Out of all the men under my ranks, I have personally selected him to act as the princess’s personal guard for the remainder of her stay in Apfel.”
A look passed between them and the tension from earlier returned as Adam caught on to the strange sense that this princess wasn’t leaving the country so much as she was going to leave this realm entirely. Adam kept his thoughts and opinions tucked tightly away in the recesses of his mind as Roese passed her judgement over him.
“I trust your judgement, Frederick.” She inhaled sharply and released a short breath, as if it was enough to diffuse her agitation, though in Adam’s experience it wasn’t. She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, the agitation almost disappeared as a smile replaced itself on her face as the padding of footsteps sounded farther up the hall.
A knight wearing armor with an apple tree embossed on his chest plate, the crest of Apfel, entered the tense space and called out, “Commander Frederick, the men have gathered in preparation for sword fighting.”
A cross look appeared on Frederick’s face like he wanted to curse but needed to refrain from doing so in front of Queen Roese. “Have them warm up; I’ll be there shortly.”
The knight’s brows drew together in a perplexed expression but nodded all the same, however, as the knight turned to go, Roese held her hand up, freezing him in place.
“That won’t be necessary,” she spoke in a sweet tone that masked her hidden intentions. “The commander can go.” Her green eyes crinkled at the corners as Frederick’s mouth drew into a tight line. “I’ve no problem taking him to the princess myself.”
Frederick’s hands clenched into tight fists and his jaw clenched at the unspoken order by his queen, and much to Adam’s dismay, bowed at the waist and left with the knight without so much as a warning glance back to Adam.
Both Adam and Roese watched the pair leave before she swiftly approached him and tilted her head at an odd angle like a snake as she examined him. Her green eyes were too vibrant as they examined him like a predator watching its prey. “I don’t’ recall your face, Adam, was it?”
“Yes ma’am.” His voice was stronger than he felt, and his leg was going numb from how tightly his tail clenched it.
She hummed thoughtfully as she straightened and her more demure nature surfaced as she tried to mask her plotting and scheming. “You look rather young for this job. Pray tell, what has the commander told you?”
His mouth felt terribly dry, but his tongue moved without apprehension. “That the princess wishes to attend the Spring Festival in its entirety this year as it is to be her last in Apfel.”
“And did he say why?”
Her eyes narrowed and her smile was too sharp as if waiting for him to slip up. Used to this sort of scrutiny from her, Adam’s face remained a mask of calm despite how fast his heart raced.
“No ma’am, he was leading up to it when you met us here in the hall,” he spoke quickly and carefully as he dared to pick a common idea from thin air, all while keeping eye contact with her. “However, if rumor in town is correct, I’d imagine it has something to do with a potential prince coming for her hand as she’s well of the age for marrying.”
Suspicion flickered in her eyes, as if she suspected him of lying, but blinked it away faster than he could dissect and smiled. “I can’t believe the word has already spread, though given how small this kingdom is, I shouldn’t be surprised.” Her shoulders relaxed marginally as she sighed and the tense air dissipated. “Very well, it seems that the commander has informed you enough of the situation, and with how little time there is left, I suppose I don’t have any better options.”
Not wanting to tip the scales of life in either direction, Adam held his tongue and loosened his tail just enough so he could wiggle his toes. Though she was still sane, he didn’t want to test how quickly she could descend into madness.
“This goes without saying,” she spoke, and a cloud covered the sun, and the hallway was void of light, “however, it is imperative that the princess is protected at all times. All hopes I have for the future rely on her remaining alive and happy. She is my valued daughter, and I will not stand for any harm to come to her.” Her peridot green eyes scanned him once more, searching for ill intent before gaining a familiar maddening ring just around her pupils. “Should I learn of any perverse actions influencing her before her betrothed has come, not only will you lose your rank amongst my knights, but you will also lose whatever haven you have in Apfel, and I will have you hunted like a pig.”
While she projected herself as a mother protecting her daughter, she hinged more like an angry dragon trying to protect its treasure, and Adam knew better than to poke at an angry dragon. Curling his hand into a fist, he pressed it over his chest for a pledge of honor as he held her gaze as unfamiliar words spewed from his mouth.
“I am a man of honor and integrity and shall not lay a hand on the princess in any other way other than to protect her. Should you find anything other than truth from my words, then send me out to be hunted.”
Even if Adam had perverse thoughts, he could not lay a hand on the princess without causing instant damage to the girl thanks to the toxins that lay in his touch, and he would not wish that pain upon anyone other than his maker.
Her eyes widened in some sense of shock; however, it seemed his words were enough for light quickly returned to the hallway and the dangerous aura around her disappeared. “It seems the commander was wise to choose you.” She hummed thoughtfully, but there was still a hint of suspicion in her expression. “I hope you do not fail me.” Gathering her skirts in her hands, she turned, “Come let’s not keep Alita waiting any longer.”
Adam scarcely had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief before he was scrambling with a half-asleep leg after the queen. Roese wasted no breath in idle conversation nor her time with her steps as she speedily she led him down the winding and twisting hallways that led to the library. Her steps slowed and softened as they entered the library and heard hushed voices.
“Now let’s see if you can perform your healing potion on your own.” A wizened woman spoke.
“Light the candle and heat the water,” a voice like a dove spoke and something moved within Adam to move quicker as he listened. “Add ginger root coins to the bottom of the cup.”
“Good,” her instructor nodded approvingly. “Go on.”
“A – Add honey and lemon juice,” the dove like voice spoke unsurely, “then the hot water.”
“Yes.” There was a small splashing sound of water pouring into a cup and the not-so-gentle clatter of a teapot being unevenly placed down. “It’s all right, no harm done. Just a little extra for the body. Now, take a seat, breathe, and focus your intent and recite the spell.”
As they rounded the shelves, Queen Roese held her hand up to halt him and he nearly ran into her as whatever stirred in his chest compelled him to seek out the dove-like speaker. A warning look from the queen firmly planted his feet where he stood, btu she couldn’t stop him from looking at her. She sat at a small round table for two with a tea tray between she and her teacher, and while he only saw her profile, her beauty blew him away. Swathed in a pink gown of silk, she was a true depiction of a princess that painters couldn’t dare imitate with color alone. Black hair as glossy as swan feathers, apple dusted cheeks with dimples, delicately painted red lips, and though her eyes were closed she was the loveliest woman he’d ever seen.
“I invoke the healing energy of this drink.” Her dainty fingers gently touched the edges of the teacup, and with a careful and practiced hand, she blew on the tea before taking the tiniest of sips.
“Visualize the water separately from the tea as it enters your body.” Her instructor spoke softly and encouragingly. “It detects any type of negativity both in the physical sense of your body and your mind.”
The princess nodded her head before saying, “I take care of my body, my mind, and my emotions. Today I am safe, relaxed, and life flows joyfully, and my health is perfect.”
It was unlike any spell Adam had heard before. His master only used dark magic, and to hear one both with healing and simplicity was a marvel to him.
Touching the cup to her lips, she slowly and surely drank the tea. When it was empty, she set it down and both her instructor and Queen Roese applauded her, “Utterly spectacular!”
The princess jumped with a gasp as she turned in her chair and spotted the Queen. Whatever praises Queen Roese bestowed upon her, Adam hadn’t heard as he was captivated by her beautiful doe brown eyes and dimpled smile. He’d never beheld such breathtaking beauty before, and as he committed her features to memory, Frederick’s warning from earlier echoed in his head, “Roese might have taken things a little too literally in the ingredients and has raised a fawn for slaughter.”
Still taken aback by her beauty, the words didn’t quite register in his mind as the queen suddenly gestured to him and the princess was looking at him. “This, Alita, is Adam.” The mention of his name brought him back to earth for him to take a step forward. “He’s to be your personal guard so that you may attend the festival this year.”
“Really?” Her hands flew to cover her gasp before she quickly recovered and smoothed them down to the front of her skirt. “Oh, thank you stepmother!”
It was strange for the princess to be so excited that he was her new guard, but even stranger still was how innocently and without fear she threw her arms around the queen’s neck into a loving embrace. The spectacle was so strange he had to blink hard to put his face into a more neutral expression by the time they released one another.
“Think nothing of it dear.” Roese hummed happily and booped the tip of her nose with a smile. “Your happiness is all the thanks I need.”
While her smile appeared friendly, he recognized that ravenous look anywhere. He’d seen it a thousand times before she snatched a poor maiden off the streets and devoured her. Adam felt terribly cold as the realization of Frederick’s words and the queen’s earlier possessive demeanor made itself known to him. Whatever kindness the queen displayed for the princess was just an act and she planned to kill her own daughter.
Stepping away from her stepmother, she approached him. “It’s an honor to have you, Sir Adam.”
Her dimpled smile, though breathtakingly wonderful, filled him with guilt and unsteady with how to respond.
“The honor is mine, princess.” He spoke gravely and took his chance to kneel and hide his face and the pain he felt in his chest from her.
“Well, I’m afraid I can’t stay long, too many things need my attention,” Queen Roese spoke with a strained smile and suddenly appeared tired with the faintest of dark circles under her eyes. “I shall leave Adam here to sit in on the remainder of your lessons and get better acquainted. See you at dinner darling.”
With a kiss to her cheek, Queen Roese left, and Adam felt as though he were trapped in a much harsher cell than ever before.
Author's Note:
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Her potion lesson was a success, however as Alita’s lessons continued, she had difficulty focusing, much to her tutor’s chagrin. Between the owl pigeon’s warning and her stepmother unceremoniously depositing her guard off in the middle of her lecture in the library, Alita was easily distracted. Her new guard quietly shuffled through the library and while he did his best to remain quiet, Alita kept stealing glances his way until her tutor politely asked him to linger within the stacks rather than interrupting her lesson. Alita’s face burned at the backhanded admonishment and put all her efforts into paying attention to her lesson, however her mind kept wandering. It was hard not since she didn’t anticipate her stepmother actually giving into her request for a guard.
When her lesson finished, she quietly tiptoed down the aisles in search of her new guard. Tucked away in the corner next to one of the smaller windows, Alita found him furiously scribbling in a tiny black book. With his head down and not having noticed her yet, she took the chance to study him. He had a strong angular jaw and long lashes that rested against high cheek bones. His ears were slightly pointed like an Elf and hair that was surprisingly blacker than her own, cut close to his scalp with his fringe nearly covering his onyx eyes as he stared intently at the page he scribbled on. He was as handsome and mysterious as Fae, and she was sure that if she blinked, he would disappear.
“A monster is coming.” The owl pigeon’s words repeated in her mind, and she blinked curiously at him. He was certainly too handsome to be from Apfel, but that didn’t mean he was a monster. However, she could tell that whatever he was, he wasn’t entirely human.
“Do you need something, princess?” His deep voice made her jump with a squeak. His onyx eyes lifted in her direction, and she burned in embarrassment for getting caught staring. There was the tiniest hint of a smile before he tamped it down to look at her more clearly.
“I – I’m so sorry.” She stammered out and knotted her fingers together nervously. “Y – You were writing, and I didn’t want to disturb you, but – um.” She took a deep breath and tried to recompose herself. “My lessons have finished.”
“It appears so.” He hummed and quickly closed his quill inside his book and tucked it inside his coat. His boots hardly made a sound as he approached her while her poor heart was loud enough to be heard in the next room. He was much taller than she realized, as tall as Frederick perhaps, and he completely dwarfed her as she barely came to the top of his shoulder. His onyx eyes studied her, and she held her breath as she tried to think of something to say.
“T – Thank you.” She blurted and instantly wished she could take it back.
He gave her a wry smile and tilted his head curiously. “For what?”
“For accepting this job.” She cleared her throat and wrung her hands together. “I know guarding me will be both tedious and boring, but I promise to do my best not to be a nuisance for you.”
His brows furrowed and he frowned as he looked her over. “There’s no need to thank me, princess, and I doubt you’ll be a nuisance.”
“Still, thank you, nonetheless.” Her heart skipped bit and she scratched her cheek nervously. “And you say that now, but we’ve only just met. If you ask Reia, she’ll definitely tell you I talk too much.”
“Who is Reia?” He cocked a brow and his eyes lifted in search of her lady-in-waiting.
“She’s my lady-in-waiting,” Alita smiled with pride and pressed a hand over her chest.
“Sounds like you two are close.” he said slowly, and his onyx eyes returned to her.
“Yes.” she smiled with unabashed pride. “She’s the closest thing I have to a sister and tells me of all the goings on in the town.”
“I look forward to meeting her.” His mouth quirked up into a half-smile. “Is there many comings and goings to be informed of?”
“N – No, but since I’m not allowed to leave the castle, it’s just nice to be informed of what is going on with my people.” Her smile faltered and she looked down at her hands. “It’s just nice to feel like I’m a part of something. . .”
While she could see most of the town through the narrow windows of her tower, she greatly wished to be a part of Apfel rather than staring from the surface. She’d tried both escaping and asking for permission to interact with her people, both of which were to no avail and two weeks of punishment.
“Why aren’t you allowed to leave the castle?” His brows furrowed and his mouth formed into a tight line. She glanced up to see him looking at her with a worried expression, and her fingers twisted together nervously.
“It’s a long story. . .” she avoided his gaze, “A – Anyways, would it trouble you to escort me to the garden, Sir Adam? I could use a bit of fresh air.”
He frowned at the change of subject but nodded his head. “It’s not a trouble, princess. Lead the way.”
She smiled appreciatively that he let the topic go and led the way to the gardens with her heart fluttering like a hummingbird the entire way. Past the fountain and apple trees was a small area behind a door of ivy where her secret hideaway with a wishing well lay. The apple trees were in bloom with their blossoms and provided ample shade and privacy from any who could see from the windows. She took her seat on her bench and gestured for him to join her, however, he stood rather than sit. Only she and Reia, now Adam, knew of this location and she always came here when she needed to escape the castle, but couldn’t.
“Thank you, Sir Adam.” She breathed a true sigh of relief and slipped her shoes off under her dress.
“Just Adam is fine, princess.” His brows pinched in displeasure. “I don’t like being referred to as ‘sir’. It makes me somehow older than I am.”
“If I’m to call you by your name, then please call me by mine.” she urged with a smile. “I know you are to be my protector while that I’m still here, but I would still like for us to become friends in the small time we have together.”
He pensively rocked on his backfoot and said, “I doubt the queen would be pleased if I called you by your name, princess. She already didn’t seem particularly pleased to see me when Frederick suggested me for the job.”
“Try not to take it too personally.” Alita winced fully understanding how difficult her stepmother was. “She’s very protective of me and doesn’t trust strangers very easily.”
It was a miracle that she was allowed to have a guard when her stepmother used her usual ‘high standard’ method to tell her no. She tried to deter her determination several times, but Alita was so glad she remained vigilant. Alita could be just as stubborn as her stepmother, though she tried to use it tactfully.
“I would think not.” Adam’s gaze shifted to her, contemplation painted on his face before he asked, “Why is your time here to be short?”
Whatever relief she felt was quickly squashed as the ticking reality of her time at home was coming to an end. Her smile became strained as she forced herself to say the words out loud. “Because my betrothed is coming to take me to his country so we may wed.”
Saying them allowed made her stomach weigh as heavily as a stone and she pressed her hand to her stomach to alleviate some of that building pressure.
“You don’t seem too pleased by this.” His onyx eyes scanned her as tilted his head curiously at her. “Do you not want to marry him?”
“I – I can’t say. I’ve never met him, so I don’t know if he is or isn’t a good man to marry.” She shrugged and dug her toes in the grass to ground herself. “But it’s already been arranged and for the peace and safety of Apfel, I’ll do it.”
“Have you at least written to him?” His brows furrowed and she grinned sheepishly.
She dragged her hand across the back of her neck and stared at the grass. “I wanted to, but stepmother said it was better to know him in person, so I didn’t meet him under false pretenses or expectations.”
“Sounds rather foolish to me.” He huffed and crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t it be better to have at least some sort of idea of what you’re getting into?”
“One would think.” She sighed with a grimace and drew her feet up onto the bench under her skirt and hugged her knees. “But stepmother said no, and the few times my lady-in-waiting tried to get a letter out to him, it was promptly returned, and I was in quite a bit of trouble.”
“Do you get a say in anything in your life then?” he prompted, and a knot of discomfort locked in her chest and made the stone in her stomach heavier. Alita wanted to deny it so she didn’t appear so pitiful, but she couldn’t bring it within herself to lie.
“Not as much as I would like.” Her cheeks burned in embarrassment to admit it. “Stepmother has been terribly strict with me ever since the incident, though I know it is a place of love.”
“Incident?” He frowned and the knot in her chest tightened at his prodding question. “What incident?”
“N – Nothing,” she shook her head and tried to wave the worry away, “it was years ago and doesn’t matter now.”
“So, you say, but sometimes the past comes back to haunt us when we least expect it.” He gave her an imploring look that slowly untangled some of the knots in her chest. “It would also give me a better understanding of what threats are against you, princess.”
She bit her lip and regretted speaking without thinking. It was strange how easy it was to speak with him, but she hadn’t wanted to reveal that part of her past just yet. “Forgive my hesitance to reveal such details of my life when we’ve only just met, Adam. I’m not prepared to speak of it just yet.”
Alita dared to glance at those onyx eyes and found both understanding and frustration within them. His mouth opened, more than likely an argument of sorts, however, he quickly closed it and sighed. “Very well princess, I can’t blame you for wanting to keep some things to yourself.”
“Thank you.” Her shoulders sagged in relief and the weight in her stomach lifted so she could sit more comfortably.
“However, if and when you’re prepared to discuss it,” he fisted his hand over his chest as if he were making and oath, and his onyx eyes sparkled with determination, “I will be here.”
All the knots twisted themselves from her chest so that her heart could flutter at his kind words. “You’re very kind.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” He laughed self-depreciatingly and barely met her gaze. “I merely understand that tragedies that befall us are difficult to discuss.”
Hard onyx softened with a silent understanding that touched her soul as she held his gaze. The prat of her that knew hurt and that things could never be reversed wanted to reach out and take his hand and listen to whatever tragedy he suffered though, but alas that was too forward for a stranger she’d only just met. Alita opened her mouth to thank him when the shrill sound of her name made her freeze.
“Alita!” It was Reia looking for her to join her stepmother for afternoon tea. “Alita where are you?”
“Who’s that?” Adam turned in the direction of Reia’s voice and Alita slipped on her shoes.
“That would be Reia,” she wiggled her foot so that the back of the shoe would catch her heel. “And if we don’t hurry, she’ll have the whole guard looking for us and I’ll lose my hiding spot.”
“Then let’s not keep her waiting.” He chuckled wryly and waited long enough for her to adjust her shoes before rushing through the garden with her. Reia had stopped just short of the fountain and had her hands on her hips and impatience and worry painted on her face as she raised her hands to her mouth to holler.
“A-li-ta!” Reia enunciated each consonant and turned just in time to see her climbing out of the bushes. “Ah, there you are!”
“Yes, Reia, please don’t call the guard.” Alita laughed lightly and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
The smile on Reia’s face fell into a tight line as looked over her shoulder. “I don’t mean to alarm you, Alita, but you have a man in your shadow.”
“That man, Reia, is Sir Adam.”
“And what exactly is Sir Adam doing alone with you princess?” If Reia were a cat she would have been hissing through her teeth.
“He’s to be my guard until my betrothed comes.” Alita smiled and gestured to him.
“What?” She blinked in shock and her head snapped back at Adam. “She’s agreed to let you have a guard?”
“Sir Adam, this is my lady-in-waiting, Reia.”
“It’s a pleasure, I think.” He nodded his head curtly in her direction.
“Oh goodness, this is wonderful Alita!” Reia said breathlessly and looked from Alita to Adam and her broad smile shrank and her forehead wrinkled. “Can’t say I’ve seen you here before.”
“I’m not exactly from here.” Adam responded tightly and looked as stiff as Reia. “Frederick brought me to Apfel specifically for this job.”
“Really?” Reia’s nose turned up as she looked him over, “Well, if the commander recommended you for the job, then you surely must be something.” Circling him like a vulture, Reia stopped in front of him with a dark look and poked a finger into his chest. “If I catch you doing anything untoward the princess, I personally will make sure you go to the dungeons!’
“Reia!” Alita gasped horrified and grabbed her shoulder. “Please, Sir Adam, pay her no mind, she doesn’t mean that –”
“I most certainly do!” Reia turned with a pointed look aimed at Alita with her hands clapped to her hips.
“All is well princess.” Adam said reassuringly, then cocked a brow at Reia. “It’s good to see you’ve got such a devoted friend.”
“I’ve got my eye on you, Sir Adam.” Reia said his name with such seething sarcasm she was like an angry cat.
“Reia that is enough.” Alita pressed more firmly and offered an apologetic smile. “I thank you for escorting me to the garden, Sir Adam, however you’re dismissed for the day since I will be well preoccupied with my stepmother for the rest of the day.”
His brow pinched with hesitation, “If you’re certain. . .”
“I am. Nothing bad will happen so long as I’m with my stepmother.” She tried to make her smile reassuring, but his hesitation made her waver. He gave a small nod and a curt bow and took his chance to leave.
Alita couldn’t help but watch him leave and felt something stirring inside of her. A sort of longing for him to turn around and wave, just to acknowledge her grew inside her. It was almost as if a part of her worried that this was all some sort of dream and he wasn’t real. She rubbed her hand over chest where the strange sensation happened.
Whatever Adam had anticipated upon entering this world, he certainly hadn’t anticipated the princess. She was a beaming innocent light that shone through the dark magic that swamped the castle and the most beautiful being he’d ever laid eyes upon. He’d seen many a maiden, streetwalker, and witch in Pluvia, but they weren’t memorable, and none stirred strange sensations within his chest as the princess Alita. Her voice was soft like a dove with a lilt of a song in every word and her doe brown eyes pierced his soul so fiercely that he almost hesitated to leave when she dismissed him.
With how quickly he was thrusted into the position as her bodyguard, he doubted he’d have very many chances to escape back to Pluvia. Mr. V had expected him to return for dinner with a full report of his experiences and some part of him knew that if he didn’t take this chance to leave now, he might not get to leave again. He didn’t dare stop or glance over his shoulder as he left, for if he did, wouldn’t return to Pluvia. Shaking the hesitant and creeping thoughts from his mind, he pushed forward and made his ascent up the mountain.
Each step putting distance between Adam and the castle, he couldn’t help but reflect on how different Queen Roese, especially with the princess. He’d never once known her to possess a hint of kindness, and yet the relationship she had with the princess almost seemed real. If he didn’t have the knowledge of the Queen’s intentions with Alita, he’d almost believe her feelings and kindness genuine; but it was too good to be true. The worst thing was that Alita truly believed her stepmother cared for her.
Standing before the green apple tree that would take him back to Pluvia, Adam hesitated. He wanted to warn the sweet princess of her stepmother’s true nature and save her the heartache of the betrayal but some part of him knew it would not be that easy. The princess would either assume him a liar with how deep her kinship ran with the queen or worse, inform her stepmother of his thoughts and opinions and she’d kill him. Either way he couldn’t see a happy ending for either of them that way. He would just have to win her trust.
Heaving a sigh, he passed through the portal and stepped out into the expanse of darkness before the stained-glass floor glowed and guided his way towards the exit. The familiar sound of rain dampened his spirits as he exited the Wardrobe and returned to Pluvia. The Wardrobe closed behind him with a click as he stepped out, and he felt the chill in the air instantly. After walking around in a realm that had a sun, the cold air sent chills up his spine. Rolling his shoulders and releasing his tail from the confines of his trousers, Adam looked up and noticed a black long-haired cat draped over one of the benches against the wall with a notebook opened beside it.
The cat lazily blinked at him, glanced at the clock on the wall, and, dipping the tip of its tail into an inkwell, wrote something down in the notebook before stretching out on the bench. Adam’s brow furrowed at the cat but nodded in acknowledgement as he left the Wardrobe room and took the familiar path to his own room. The Keeper’s castle had plenty of magically strange things within its stone walls – gossiping ghosts, estranged shadows, talking armor – and a cat that was intelligent enough to tell time and write was the least of his concerns, especially when he now had a princess to save.
His tail flicked thoughtfully behind him as he walked to his room and tried to come up with the best way to inform the princess of how dangerous her stepmother was. With how fierce her lady-in-waiting was, she would more than likely adhere any warnings he would have before the princess would. Queen Roese was clever to manipulate her mind at such a young age, however he wouldn’t allow her plans to come to fruition. He had already suffered enough for them both, he wouldn’t allow Queen Roese to harm the princess for her own selfish gain.
Entering his room, he shucked his coat from his shoulders and sighed in relief as the chill in the air washed over him. After spending a day in the sun, the rainy eternal night was a balm to his senses. He hung his coat on the coatrack just at the corner of the small entryway of his room and made sure to pull the quill and journal from the inside pocket so he could record his findings today. Perhaps as he wrote he could formulate a plan to tell Alita the truth without deterring her from him. His mind was already set on the tracks of thought to do so when the air in the room changed. The unpleasantly familiar tingle of magic caused the hairs on his tail to stand on end. There was only one being that made his hair stand on end like that. Daring a glance over his shoulder, he scowled as the dreaded green ornamental mask floated in a now smokey mirror.
After years of tormenting him, encouraging his master to perform tests on him, and disappearing from his master’s presence, only aiding her in her insanity, the Magic Mirror was far from a pleasant face to behold after such a long time. The fact the Mirror was gracing Adam with his presence was far from a good sign. His jaw began to ache from how tightly he inadvertently clenched his teeth and his hands clenched so tightly he was bending the quill in his hand.
“Careful, chimera,” the Mirror chuckled darkly like shadows and sin as his eye sockets turned down to his hand. “You’ll break the quill and inkwell. Wouldn’t want to stain Valentino’s nice wood floors, now, would we?”
His tail flicked irritably behind him, and Adam had to swallow down his growl, taking slow deep breaths to keep from removing his gloves and touching the bare silver to make it melt. He knew better than to provide the Mirror with a reaction, but seeing the vile thing brought back painfully unwanted memories.
“What do you want?” His throat was tight, almost as tight as Mr. V’s seal of secrecy, and physically hurt him to speak. The Mirror grinned sardonically at him and tilted his mask to the side.
“Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?”
“You are no friend of mine.” Adam spoke with such vehemence it rumbled in his chest. “State what you want and begone. I want nothing more to do with you.”
“Rather rude way to repay me after getting Frederick to pick you up from the portal and take you exactly where you need to be.” The Mirror scoffed and his grin turned more pointed. “After all the things I did to help you, this is how you repay me?”
“You have a skewed idea of what help is.” Adam hissed and his tail lashed angrily behind him. “After everything you’ve done, you think I’ll simply smile like a kitten at your request?”
“Look, the trauma was character building.” He shrugged half-heartedly. “It’s made you a better person, and even got you a spot here in the Keeper’s castle. Surely you can’t complain all that much.”
“Says the man who wanted to cut off my tail.” Adam glowered and the pin pricks from terrible needles that now looked like freckles and the scars riddling his body from his extreme punishment he’d receive when his master was particularly furious disagreed with him.
“It was a joke, a mere jest.” The Mirror laughed fondly, then nervously as he glanced back at Adam. When Adam still didn’t laugh and continued to glower at him, the Mirror rolled his eye sockets and heaved a heavy sigh. “Normally trauma helps add a little humor to things, but I can see that tragically skipped you.”
“Your sense of humor doesn’t appeal to me.” Adam gruffed and managed to marginally relax his hold on the inkwell and quill. “If you have nothing to say to me then leave because I have no further interest in listening to anything else to say.”
“You might, actually.” The Mirror cocked his brow at him, and Adam’s brows dipped low in challenge. “A friendly chat is all I ask.” Adam’s eyes narrowed instantly, and the Mirror chuckled. “It’ll help solve your little problem with the princess.”
“And what do you gain from this?” Adam jutted his chin at him, and his tail slowed despite the agitation roiling through him.
“Less blood on my hands and a body of my own.” The Mirror answered somberly. “I do not wish for the princess’s death, and now that you’re involved, you can prevent both their deaths.”
While he disliked feeling like a tool for the Mirror’s uses, curiosity nibbled at the back of his mind at who ‘both’ was. His brow furrowed and his tail stilled as he asked, “Both?”
“The princess and her lady-in-waiting.” The Mirror responded swiftly, and Adam’s brows shot up in surprise. While he understood the need to keep the princess alive, he didn’t understand the need to keep Reia alive. Not that he wanted the lady-in-waiting to die, however, it was most unclear to him as to what her importance was in this. Adam studied the Mirror, searching for any traces that this was some ploy for something else and found a strange sense of seriousness within his depths.
“You’ve piqued my interest.” Adam begrudgingly admitted and stepped forward towards the table which the mirror hung above.
“Roese needs a ‘Pure Heart of a Lover’ and she’s foolishly chosen Alita as her source for her heart.” The Mirror’s nose wrinkled with a grimace as he explained. “She’s raised Alita like the daughter she always wanted, doting on her, and earning her affection, all the while keeping her strictly sheltered so that nothing would tarnish her purity. However, through trial by fire and having the foresight I do now, I can assure you that taking Alita’s heart isn’t what she needs.”
Adam nodded as he listened and tried not to think of how many lives were taken in the many failed attempts his master made to create his body. However, if she didn’t need Alita’s heart, then who’s heart did she need?
“So, if not her heart, then who’s?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Adam wanted to argue that it was his concern if he was going to foil Queen Roese plans, however, a knowing look of futures untold crossed the Mirror’s face, and Adam held his tongue.
“What you need to worry about is keeping both the princess and her lady-in-waiting alive.”
He couldn’t help but note how the Mirror kept urging for Reia’s safety in addition to Alita’s and no matter how he reasoned it in his mind, it was very strange for the Mirror. He wanted to demand a proper explanation of the situation, but something about the pensive gaze in his eye sockets made him withhold his demands.
“Is Miss Reia’s heart in the same danger as the princess’s heart?” Adam prodded as he tried to make sense of it. He couldn’t fathom what the Mirror gained from keeping Reia safe.
“No, thankfully her heart is safe enough from Roese’s plight,” the Mirror’s mouth formed a tight line and visions unseen seemed to swirl in his eye sockets as he stared past Adam. “However, a different danger lurks in her shadow.”
Adam didn’t like the sound of that at all. Protecting the princess from her stepmother was difficult enough without throwing in the dangers of things that lurked in the shadows. Adam was determined to refuse when the Mirror wet his lower lip and stared Adam in the eye.
“Should you keep Reia safe, I would owe you a life’s debt.”
Adam made no attempt to hide his shock as his eyes widened and his mouth gaped. It was almost unfathomable for the Magic Mirror to be indebted to anyone, especially Adam. However, if he was willing to go to such lengths to keep Reia safe, then her situation was as dire as the princess’s. Curiosity gnawed on his ear for answers and details, however, the Mirror’s scowl told him he would receive none.
Taking a moment to school his expression into a calmer one, Adam took a deep breath as he weighed his options. While the thought of threats looming in the shadows was far from ideal, Reia was always at Alita’s side which meant she was equally exposed to this unknown threat. Even without the temptation of the Mirror being indebted to him, he would have protected Reia just as closely as Alita.
“Once I learned about Queen Roese’s plans for the princess, I planned on protecting her, and since Reia is her lady-in-waiting and always at her side, it would only make sense if I were to protect her as well. . .” Exhaling through his nose, Adam looked him head on. “However, I must warn you Mirror that if comes to making a choice to protect one over the other, I can’t make promises I can’t keep.”
The Mirror scoffed and his sardonic grin returned. “You won’t have to make such a promise to me. When the time comes, I shall protect her myself and will only need you to push her through the portal towards me.”
His brows furrowed at his cryptic words and didn’t have the chance to ask any further questions when the smoke dissipated and the Mirror’s mask disappeared, leaving Adam alone with his new heavy burden.
Author's Note:
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Three days had passed since Sir Adam came into her life, and Alita still wasn’t sure what to make of her new bodyguard. He was as tall as Frederick and as silent as a monk under an oath of silence whenever she asked questions to know him better. His jaw would clamp shut and he’d grimace as if she asked something too personal and would offer an apologetic look as he gave her a half-hearted answer. From what little she was able to gather, he had a peculiar acquaintanceship with Frederick to be handpicked as her guard, he hadn’t been a knight in Apfel for very long though he had a long-standing history as a guard, and that he wasn’t from Apfel at all; and that was all Reia needed to not like him.
Reia made no effort to hide her distrust and dislike for him despite the kindness he showed her in turn. She absolutely refused to allow them to stand alone in a room together and insisted on acting as a chaperone, to the point she neglected some of her duties. Reia was and acted more like a distrustful feral cat towards Adam and was determined to protect Alita from the absent danger she made Adam out to be. No amount of scolding was enough to deter Reia from her mission to keep as much distance between she and Adam as possible.
They hadn’t been alone together since their first initial meeting and had even less chances to speak to one another thanks to Reia, but she was determined to get to know him even if their time together was to be short. The few times Alita was able to have a few sparing moments of freedom were during her magic lessons.
Per her tutor’s strict requirements and Reia’s past attempts at intervention with the magic, Reia was unable to accompany her, and she was wroth with hostility to know that Adam could accompany her during her lessons. It was only under the queen’s orders that allowed Adam to linger in the library during her lessons, but unlike Reia he watched from the side and never intervened with her lessons.
Distracted with questions to know him better, her eyes searched between the stacks until she found him sitting in a chair tucked in the shadow of a window with his ankle crossed over his knee and his head propped in his hand and his onyx eyes skimming the book he was reading. His forehead was smooth, completely relaxed as he read, seemingly enjoying whatever book he was reading, and she was curious as to what he was reading. The book was tilted at such an angle that she couldn’t read the title no matter how she twisted her head. Suddenly those onyx black eyes flicked to hers and an unholy heat flooded her with embarrassment for staring.
“Now princess,” Alita’s head snapped forward and her face burned even more under the scrutinizing frown on her tutor’s face. “Please pay attention here this is very important for casting this spell.”
She sat straighter in her chair and her tutor pulled out a slender long flat box from the table. “Her Majesty has very generously lent this out to us to use for your lesson today.”
Her tutor opened the box and inside was a silver princess necklace with blue lace agate stones braided around white opals. It was an exquisite piece that caused Alita to gasp. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s quite lovely indeed.” Her tutor agreed with a small smile. “And if all goes well today, and your spell is a success, Her Majesty will bestow this to you as a wedding present.”
The reminder that her days in Apfel were numbered caused Alita’s throat to tighten and her smile stiffen. This was to be a glorious mark for Apfel, and yet it felt like a mark against her somehow. Not noticing her discomfort, her tutor held the box out for her to take. Wanting to get past this moment as quickly as possible, Alita rose from her seat and accepted the box with shaky fingers and gently placed it on her table.
“To start, let’s light the candle and the incense to represent air and fire.” Her tutor took her long skinny candle over to the fire and allowed the flames to lick the end to light it. Using her hand as a shield to keep the flame from going out, she handed her candle off to Alita who in turn used it to light her white pillar candle and incense. Sage and lavender burned her nose and nearly made her sneeze as her tutor retrieved the jar of salt.
“Now meditate on warding off any chances of rain to come to the festival.” Her tutor instructed, “Close your eyes, and focus on warding off rain.”
With a small nod, Alita did as she instructed and took three deep breaths. While she tried to focus on warding off rain from ruining the festival, some part of her hesitated. If it rained the festival would be postponed a day or two and would allow her solace in Apfel for a little longer before her wedding; but she couldn’t allow herself to be that selfish.
“Now,” her tutor continued and snapped her unfocused thoughts, “place the necklace into the water, and sprinkle a handful of the salt over it, and recite the spell.”
Alita nodded but felt no confidence as she scooped up a handful of salt. It was dry and coarse and felt as uncomfortable in her hand as the idea of her wedding was on her chest. Taking a final breath, she sprinkled the coarse salt over the necklace and said, “This is a sacred space, only those that are invited are welcome. I call on the energies of the elements – earth, air, fire, and water, and I, Alita of Apfel, ask that you be with me and shield me from the rain that should fall from the sky.”
“Good, good.” Her teacher praised on bated breath, “now step back.”
Doing so, Alita’s eyes lingered on necklace in anticipation of a white light that was the completion of the spell, however, instead the moon water boiled wrathfully and spoke rose into the air. Before she or her tutor could react, Adam snatched the smoking bowl from the table and flung it into the fireplace. The flames hissed angrily as they went out and the necklace almost seemed to scream as the smoke died away.
“Was that supposed to happen?” Adam demanded as he rounded on her tutor.
“No. Not at all.” Her tutor’s mouth formed a tight line as she walked around Adam and stood before the fireplace. Using the fire poker to overturn the bowl, the once beautiful necklace was scorched black, shrunken like a snakeskin, and the beautiful stones were cracked and broken. Alita’s heart shrank and she wrang her hands together.
“D – Did I do something?” She stammered as guilt pricked her heart. “I – I recited the spell, a – and –”
“Fret now, princess, this wasn’t your doing.” Her tutor sighed as she scooped the necklace up with the poker and placed it back into the bowl. As her tutor turned to face her, Alita was met with a grim expression. “I’m afraid this was tainted before it was given to Her Majesty.”
“Tainted?” Alita’s brows pinched and she shook her head in disbelief. “You mean cursed?”
“Yes.” Her tutor nodded and scowled down at the necklace. “I doubt Her Majesty knew that. She stated she’d received it as a gift from someone years ago and had never worn it. Perhaps that was a good thing.”
A long silence stretched among the three of them as the gravity of the situation washed over them. Her tutor heaved a heavy sigh and managed to put a wry smile on for Alita. “I think this concludes today’s lesson, princess. Given the circumstances, I think we will circle back to this lesson anon. I need to take this to Her Majesty and inform her what’s happened.”
Alita nodded and both she and Adam watched the tutor leave and there was a heavy pause between them as she still reeled from the whole situation. She just couldn’t believe that someone would actually try to harm her stepmother. Yes, she was the most powerful witch in all Apfel, but she’d only ever shown kindness and had never raised a hand against another.
“Are you all right, princess?” Adam’s deep voice brought her out of her thoughts with a small jump, but she quickly recovered with a smile.
“Y – Yes.” She nodded briskly, “Thank you, had you not stepped in there’s no telling what would have happened. . .”
Her eyes went back to the fireplace where he’d thrown the bowl and felt a seed of unease plant itself in her chest.
“I was hired to make sure things like this don’t happen.” His brows drew low as his mouth turned down into a frown.
“O – Of course.” She laughed nervously and pinched the space between her pinky and ring finger nervously. “This has just never happened before, and I must admit, I’m a little shaken by it. . .”
Adam pursed his lip, glanced at the window then back to her. “Would you like to go to the gardens for some air?”
“Yes please.” She nodded vigorously and much to her surprise he held his elbow out to her. She took it and nearly tripped with the first step with how unsteady she felt. Adam made no mention of her faulter and kept his eyes forward as he steered them outside. No one spared them a second glance and she truly hoped that no one would alert Reia that she finished her lessons early. She was still very much shaken and wasn’t quite ready to be around her overprotective lady-in-waiting just yet.
The sun was warm, and the fresh air instantly rejuvenated her, though the seed of unease sat like a weed in her sternum as Adam led her through the hedges, past the fountain, and under the apple blossoms. With careful footsteps he took her to her small, secluded area close to her wishing well and helped her sit on the bench. Much to her surprise Adam went and closed the ivy door so that no one would intrude on her privacy.
“You’ve quite the memory to have brought me here after one visit.” She gently teased as she tried to lighten her own spirits. “You’ll have to promise me not to tell anyone else about it.”
“Your secret is safe with me, princess.” The left side of his mouth twitched into the hint of a smile as he peered down at her. He reached into the outer breast pocket of his coat and further surprised her by pulling out a handkerchief that was wrapped securely around two cookies.
“It’s not much in the way of comfort after what you’ve just experienced, “but I find that in some troubling situations, something sweet relieves a bit of the stress.” Adam spoke slowly as he held the cookies [SM1] out to her, “I purchased them this morning from the baker so they’re still fresh.”
“Oh, you’re so kind.” She smiled quickly and hesitantly took one. The woody scent of cinnamon and cloves filled her with memories, and she took the tiniest of bites from the cookie. It was soft, sweet, and instantly filled her senses with cravings she had long missed. A locked away memory of her birth mother making cookies with her came to her mind’s eye and she smiled. Her eyes fluttered shut and she hummed in pleasure as she savored it.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’d never had a cookie before.” Adam chuckled as he watched her and did not partake of the second cookie.
“It’s just been a very long time.” She admitted and took another bite.
“I take it that it has something to do with the incident?” He hedged carefully, needling for information. The cookie went dry in her mouth as she realized he hadn’t forgotten that little tidbit of information she’d tried to gloss over.
“Yes.” She nodded guiltily and rested her hand holding the cookie in her lap. “When I was twelve, my first lady-in-waiting brought me a slice of cake that was poisoned. We were at the festival so it could have been anyone or anything since there were so many visitors. Stepmother got rid of my first lady-in-waiting and forbade me from having sweets ever since.”
“Well, that explains quite a bit.” Though his face remained stoic, something in his onyx eyes wavered as he looked down at the second cookie. “I assume its for the same reason why you’re only allowed to go to the last day of the festival as well?”
Yes.” Alita nodded solemnly as she looked down at the cookie in her hand. “She does it for my own protection, but I can’t say I’ve enjoyed all of her restrictions . . .”
If she thought too long and hard on it, Alita would have scrolls up scrolls of the strange restrictions her stepmother put on her. From her lady-in-waiting to her magic lessons, her stepmother had some sort of stipulation set in place that kept her isolated and with limited knowledge. Reia was the only person she socialized with, her magic tutor only taught her self-benefiting white magic and nothing that she could use to protect Apfel. The life her stepmother laid out for her was one of luxury and shelter, but it was also suffocating with the lack of control she had over anything. The rare bursts of courage she could muster she tried to convey her frustrations and her to desire to grow, but her stepmother would fall back on her usual sayings:
“It’s for your own good.”
“You’re still so young, enjoy your youth while you can.”
“I do all this for you because I love you.”
Alita never doubted her mother’s love nor her loyalty to Alita, she only wished she could grow and have equal footing as a witch, a monarch, and a woman with her stepmother. She wanted to prove to her stepmother that she was capable of being and doing so much more for Apfel; somehow it just seemed unattainable. Now that the arranged marriage was finalized and quickly approaching, she doubted she’d ever find that ground of equal footing.
“Here,” Adam touched the second cookie to her cheek. “Take it.”
“But what about you?” He hadn’t touched his cookie.
“I can always get more.” He half shrugged as he held it over her lap, nearly ready to place it in her own hand. “Two cookies after eight years won’t harm you any, I won’t tell Her Majesty if that’s what you’re worried about. Besides, you look like you need this more.”
Warmth filled her as she accepted the second cookie, and tears burned the backs of her eyes from his kindness. Once she’d taken the cookie, Adam took a step back into the shade with his hands behind his back, examining the area. She couldn’t understand why Reia disliked him so when he’d shown them nothing but kindness, and him giving up his cookies just to make her feel better did strange things to her heart. Not wanting to take up anymore time before Reia discovered they weren’t in the castle, Alita took a bite out of her first cookie, and it somehow tasted sweeter and better than before.
“Thank you.”
“If it would please you princess, I can always sneak something else for you.” He offered with a small smile. “Though I have a feeling Miss Reia wouldn’t like it.”
A laugh that uprooted the seed of unease in her chest bubbled out of her, and she nearly choked on the cookie. “No, she surely wouldn’t. She would be most cross with me.”
“If she’ll be cross with you, she’ll be utterly furious with me.” Adam huffed with a slight shake of his head. “Given how today went, I don’t blame her for being overly cautious, even with me.”
“Oh, don’t say that.” She shook her head as she wiped the crumbs from the first cookie from her mouth. “I wish she was nicer with you. You’re only doing your job.”
“And she’s only doing hers, princess. Adam said reassuringly with understanding brimming in his onyx eyes. “I do not fault her for it.”
“You should.” Alita huffed as she bit into the second cookie. “Her judgment towards you is harsh because you’ve not answered any of her prying questions.”
His mouth clamped shut, almost instantly, and his gaze dipped down to the grass. The light air between them darkened as an awkward silence developed between them. Her own smile fell as she looked at him, and his pointed ear flicked as the wind blew the trees.
“If I could freely tell you, I would princess, but powers higher than mine and Queen Roese forbid me from doing so.” His voice was rough and gravelly, as if he were truly forcing the words from his mouth and he offered her an apologetic look. “I swear to you princess, despite the secrets I must keep, I am no threat to you nor Miss Reia and only want to protect you.”
The severe sincerity in his onyx gaze stirred something within her that compelled Alita to believe him. She’d always heard that the Fae have their own set of laws they were bound to, and if his laws forbade him from saying such things, then this plea only confirmed his otherworldliness, and she couldn’t fault him for it, though it made her even more curious about him.
“I believe you, Sir Adam.” She spoke softly as if they were exchanging secrets and smiled. The severity in his gaze softened and he visibly relaxed with a soft sigh. Eyes of onyx locked onto her, he returned her smile, the small lift of the corners of his mouth and her heart nearly stopped at the sight. Adam was already handsome, but the softness of his smile and the warmth in his gaze cast a spell on her.
“Alita!” Reia screeched loudly to the point birds in the trees fled into the air.
The spell was instantly broken as they turned to the door of ivy. Adam chuckled softly to himself and held his arm out to her. “Come let’s not keep her waiting, else we’ll both suffer her ire.”
Twice now he’d managed to get alone with her and twice now Adam was unable to warn her of the danger that was her stepmother. Alita truly believed in the false kindness her mother displayed and it tangled Adam’s heart with indecision of how to tell her. If she would only open her eyes, she could sense the darkness that lurked over her and her kingdom. While she was practicing and had full potential to grow in the art of magic, her stepmother refused to allow her to advance past anything that a child could do.
Reia promptly scolded the princess for being alone with him and sent terrible scowls his ways that completely wrinkled her face. He kept his face neutral despite his amusement at the strange face she made when Frederick stepped out into the garden. All frivolity seemed to disappear as both women curtsied to him. His bottle green eyes were pointed at Adam, a storm of questions in his eyes, but it disappeared in a blink.
“Commander.” Reia smiled and it was almost comical how different her face was now.
“Lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” Frederick smiled at the princess, but it didn’t quite meet his green eyes. “Hope my favorite knight here isn’t causing trouble for you.”
Reia’s face twisted with a retort, however, Alita quickly stood in front of her and smiled brightly up at him. “Of course not. Sir Adam has been an excellent guard and even protected me during my lessons today.”
“What?” Reia’s expression completely changed as she suddenly looked from Adam to Frederick.
“So, I heard.” Frederick nodded tightly and his green eyes turned back to Adam. “Now that the princess is in Lady Reia’s capable hands, I’d like further details of what happened.”
Adam nodded and stole a glance at Alita and noticed how tensely she stood. While it wasn’t her fault, she blamed herself for the adverse events of her spell. Once they were far enough out of earshot, Frederick stopped and pulled him into an alcove. Adam opened his mouth to speak, but Frederick quickly shushed him, green eyes intently watching the princess and Reia until they both departed.
“You don’t have to retell the story.” Frederick finally spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Her tutor explained it to Roese, and she’s been in quite a panic.”
“I don’t see why when she’s planning on killing her anyways.” Adam scoffed with a shake of his head. Frederick’s mouth curled into a snarl, his canines more pointed and a gold ring rested in his green eyes.
“Hold your tongue.” He growled out.
“Don’t growl at me for speaking the truth.” Adam growled back and his tail tightened against his leg. “If you haven’t brought me here to discuss the mishap with her spell, then what do you want?”
“Watch your tone, boy.” Frederick growled with a huff and his face fell serious. “I’ve news.”
His tone indicated that Adam wasn’t going to like this news. “Go on then.”
“I’ve received word today that Prince Florian of Gaul has left his country and will arrive in two weeks.”
“Just in time for the festival.” Adam grimaced and felt a strange ache in his chest that quickly burned with a jealous fire.
“Which means you’ll need to get Alita out of Apfel before the last day of the festival.” Frederick hissed in a whisper and quickly looked over his shoulder.
“How do you expect me to do that?” Adam shook his head incredulously. “Knights will be everywhere!”
“You’re her personal guard which means you’ll be the closest one to her and the only one that can get her out of here.”
“Again, how do you expect me to do that?” Adam growled low and Frederick frowned at him.
“Dwarves.” Frederick spoke in an even more hushed tone that if Adam didn’t have heightened hearing, he wouldn’t have heard him.
Making sure he hadn’t misheard, he repeated, “Dwarves?”
“Yes.” Frederick nodded and held Adam’s gaze. “The veil between our worlds will be thinner and you’ll be able to slip her into the mountains in the Dwarven territory.”
Adam’s mind nearly reeled. He thought there was only jumping between realms, but now each realm had an additional world with a veil dividing it somehow. His brain ached as he tried to comprehend it. He questioned heavily, but Frederick seemed to truly believe this was their best option.
“What makes you think they’ll help us?”
Even if they were to travel past the veil into the mountains to wherever it was Frederick thought they could go, Adam lived long enough to know that no one, no matter what race or realm, did anything freely.
“Because one of the Dwarves owes Alita’s mother a favor,” there was an excited glint in Frederick’s eyes as he spoke quickly, “since her mother is deceased, this favor is bestowed to Alita. The Fae are all about equivalent exchange, you should know this.”
Unsure of whether he should be offended or not, Adam frowned. “Even if I’m able to pass through the veil, and we’re able to have safe passage with the Dwarves, what’s to prevent the queen from coming after us?”
All the excitement dissipated as Frederick frowned. “The Mirror has a plan.”
“You don’t seem too pleased about it.” Adam noted as he assessed the growing anger from the other man.
“I’m not.” Frederick shook his head with a grunt and dragged his hand down his face. “I don’t like anything that puts Roese at risk, but it appears that we’re out of options.”
Before Adam could ask what this severe plan was, something skittered past and Frederick stiffened. His mouth clamped shut and as he stepped out, fully prepared to reprimand someone and instantly deflated as a squirrel stood, tail flicking and tail twitching, with an acorn in its tiny paws. Adam would have laughed had the situation not felt so dire.
“Gods, I’m getting too old for this.” Frederick heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go on, you best get to the mountains and see if you can’t get on good terms with the Dwarves before the festival.”
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it.
Please remember to leave comments, feedback, and reblog for more content. ^_^
Thanks for coming along the journey with me!
Want to read more? Please consider checking out my Patreon
If you're interested in a cookie recipe, here's the recipe for the cookies~
[SM1]Eat Like a Medieval Saint With Her Recipe for 'Cookies of Joy' - Gastro Obscura (atlasobscura.com)
Upon returning to Pluvia, Adam immediately returned to his room and quickly discovered that the Mirror had told Frederick he was a Fae so that he didn’t have to bother explaining how he was born from an alchemical experiment gone wrong. While Adam understood his reasoning, he was far from pleased with it as he was informed that both the queen and princess also thought he was a Fae because of his pointed ears. He could only imagine what they’d think of him if they saw his tail. The Mirror laughed at his displeasure and Adam stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for him to finish.
Regardless of his irritation of being misidentified as a Fae when he was clearly a Chimera, if acting and claiming as a Fae got him on better grounds with the Dwarves Frederick spoke of, then so be it, if the Dwarves even existed. Adam had spent his entire afternoon rolling into the evening in search of the Dwarves and nearly fell off the face of the mountain in his search. Rather than risk his life in search of something that possibly didn’t exist, he resorted to asking the Mirror for insight.
“Are you serious?” The Mirror scoffed in laughter, causing the mirror to rattle against his bedroom wall. “You’ve been searching for Dwarves when the veil is at its thickest?”
Adam growled low in his throat and his tail flicking agitatedly behind him. “How am I supposed to know? The way Frederick explained it, I should just be able to walk through!”
“Yes, if you really were Fae or you found a tear in the veil,” the Mirror scoffed and grinned widely at him. “Knowing the Dwarves that live in the area, that’s not likely. Especially since you’ve been passing it every day.”
Adam’s brows furrowed and his jaw clenched as he frowned at the Mirror. “What do you mean?”
“If you’ve failed to notice it then it’s a good thing I never had your body.” The Mirror snorted and shook his head. “I’d hate to think of whatever else you lack in.”
“Insulting my attention to detail to something I never knew existed won’t help me,” Adam’s hands clenched into fists. “I’ve been walking past it every day?”
“I can’t just simply tell you either,” the Mirror rolled his eyes and his face sobered into a strangely serious one. “It’s against the rules.”
“Rules?” Adam cocked a brow of disbelief at the Mirror. Rules had never once applied to the Mirror, why would they suddenly matter?
“Yes, very delicate ones that I especially can’t break.” The Mirror sighed when his expression changed with a flicker of thought. He looked Adam over thoughtfully and tilted his head. “Though I suppose I could bend them. . .”
Whatever argument Adam had quickly disappeared as he snapped his mouth shut and tried to hide his consternation about the whole situation. Minutes passed with the ticking of a clock, dragging on for what felt like an hour before the Mirror righted himself and frowned at Adam with a speculative gaze. “Upon your return to Apfel, pay close attention to the tree from which you travel and see if what’s there is truly there.”
Adam wanted to demand further explanation of what he meant when a bolt of lightning struck the roof and caused the entire castle to shake. The electricity wavered, causing the lights to flicker and those within the castle to scream at the sudden darkness. It was a most peculiar thing, and as Adam turned to the Mirror for answers, he saw the Mirror’s painted face, pale in admonition at the lightning.
“That is all I can say, anything else will jeopardize everything.” the Mirror spoke in a softer voice, eye sockets searching for some unforeseeable force. “I can’t lose Reia again; not now.”
Another bolt of lightning, angrier and threatening than before and the Mirror disappeared into the glass. He’d never known the Mirror to fear anything let alone lightning, but his sudden disappearance showed how delicately he danced the line of his alleged rules and how obsessed he seemed with Reia, and Adam still didn’t understand why. From his own inquiries he’d made with the tightly lipped lady-in-waiting, her sole interest was keeping the princess safe from everyone including him.
The storm outside raged louder and harder against the castle, much like his growing frustration, and Adam banged his fist against the wall with a growl. He still wasn’t any closer to the answers he needed, and his time was running out. The Gaulian prince would arrive in two weeks and the pressure to get the princess to safety to some imaginary place weighed heavily on his shoulders. Raking a hand through his hair and tugging hard on the ends, Adam visualized the black mountains, the tree from which he always arrived, and the area walked through, desperately trying to see what he hadn’t seen before to no avail.
Frederick came knocking at his door to drag him off to dinner, but Adam couldn’t eat, not when the answer he needed was nearly there. With a growl in his throat and determination in his footsteps, Adam excused himself from dinner all together, ignoring Frederick’s prying questions, and marched all the way to the Wardrobe with his tail whipping wildly behind him. Across the stained-glass floor to his portal, Adam stepped through without even bothering to hide his tail.
Adam stepped out of the green apple tree and immediately searched around his surroundings like a predator searching for prey and was surprised by the darkness around him. Only ever roaming this realm during the day, the night was very different. The moon was high, stars he could never imagine sparkled in the sky, and the nocturnal beasts moved through the night with their evening songs. It was both eerie and magical and Adam could only hope that he could find the answer to his riddles through the dark. Staying close to the green apple tree, he felt the strong presence of magic in the air.
“Pay attention to the tree from which you travel,” Adam muttered to himself, turning in a circle looking for a ripple in space, and his tufted tail flicked curiously behind him. “And see if what’s there is truly there. . .”
Drawing his sword from the hilt, he cautiously poked at the air in search of a gap, or hole, or something that showed a tear in the veil only to find nothing. After upsetting an owl, cutting several lower branches, and slicing leaves, Adam sighed in frustration and sheathed his sword. Angering nature would do him no good and if he wasn’t careful, it would make things even more difficult.
“See if what’s there is truly there.” He repeated to himself, searching in vain for anything and still came up with nothing. “What does that mean?” He raked one hand through his hair and rested the other on a knot of the tree. “See if what’s there is truly there. . .” Squinting through the darkness as he looked up, he gritted his teeth in frustration. “Everything is truly here!”
He banged his fist against the bark of the tree and caught the faintest whiff of oil. His eyes darted to his hand in search of a mechanism that would have opened the veil but found nothing but his own hand. Tail flicking irritably behind him, he slammed his hand much harder in the same spot, caught a deeper scent of oil and caught the faintest flicker of something moving. It was faint and if he blinked, he knew it would vanish. A ripple through the night sky, like humid waves rising from the desert sands, waved nearly invisible in the pale moonlight. Not wasting the opportunity, he raised his tail and carefully moved towards the invisible ripple. The very tip of his tail had only just entered the small space when a bright green eye peeked through the hole. Frozen in place, they stared at one another before the green eye gasped and snatched the veil shut, nearly catching Adam’s tail in the process.
The scent of oil disappeared and only the brisk spring evening air graced his nose, but Adam had found it. He found the veil. He could have laughed in pride at this small accomplishment, and it was enough to put a strange warm feeling within his chest. It was unlike anything he’d felt before. Though he was warm, his poisonous musk wasn’t leaking from his pores and felt as though there was a light at the end of his dark tunnel. Now it was a matter of getting the princess through it without them both losing their heads.
Full of energy from his discovery, Adam couldn’t bring himself to return to Pluvia and instead decided to descend the mountain as the sun ascended into the sky. The warmth remained in his chest and his steps were lighter as he crossed the bridge leading into Apfel. The entire town was sleeping, but with each house he passed they slowly came to life with the break of dawn. All was perhaps too well for him, by the time Adam reached the castle, the air within it was different. While dark magic laced the air, it wasn’t suffocating or as restricting as in Pluvia, but Queen Roese was brewing something.
That warmth that followed him through the night frosted over in an instant as the magic tutor walked past him, departing from the castle. Her shawl was wrapped tightly around her head, as if she were trying to avoid being seen, and a large basket of ingredients was draped over her arm. Brows furrowed, but not wanting to seem rude, Adam nodded at her in acknowledgement for seeing her, and she took that as the invitation to stop.
“Good morning, Sir Adam.” She stopped presently before him. “It’s a good thing I ran into you, it’s best I prepare you before you hear it from anyone else.”
Brows pinching tightly together, Adam glanced around the area before stepping closer and whispering, “Is something wrong?”
“Not. . . exactly.” She spoke in the same low whisper, and her eyes shifted pensively. “Due to the accident with the necklace yesterday, Her Majesty has decidedly stopped the princess’s progress in magic and has dismissed me.”
“For one mishap of a spell that wasn’t within her control?” He cocked a suspicious brow at her, and she shied away from his gaze.
“It is most odd, and while I did defend the princess’s magical ability, Queen Roese would hear none of it. Tried to excuse it all with this prince that’s coming from Gaul to marry her. The timing of all this is just too strange, and the princess needs her health spells now more than ever.”
While health spells were good for boosting one’s immunity to illnesses, Adam couldn’t see the necessity for it now more than ever. The princess was strong in health, footsteps, and mind – what health did she have to worry about?
The tutor spared a worried glance over her shoulder. “Whatever you do, Sir Adam, please keep the princess safe, even from Queen Roese if you must.”
“Dismissed?” Alita repeated dryly, hardly comprehending the difference between reality and dreaming as she stood, and Reia dressed her.
“Yes.” Reia answered softly. “I ran into your magic tutor this morning as she was walking out the door and she begged me to tell you before Her Majesty does.”
There were many things Alita had anticipated with her magic tutor’s dismissal. Pressing a hand to her mouth to hide her shock, guilt pricked heavy sharp thorns in her chest. “This is because I failed the spell?”
“I can’t say, though I doubt that’s likely. You’ve failed plenty of spells before now, Her Majesty wouldn’t just dismiss her for that. Though. . .” Reia chewed the inside of her cheek as she trailed off and shook her head.
“Though what?” Alita demanded as she turned to face her lady-in-waiting. Reia’s sapphire blue eyes stared forlornly at her as she took her hands into her own and tried to rub some heat into her now icy palms.
“I really shouldn’t say.” Reia sighed to herself, and squeezed her eyes shut. “Your tutor told me that Her Majesty plans to use the failed spell as the reason, though she truly believes it has to do with your prince coming.”
“No.” Alita shook her head in horror and pulled her hands free. “No, surely not. My stepmother wouldn’t do such a thing when she knows I need the preventives for poison for the festival.” Even as she spoke the words, it was very much something her stepmother would do to keep her indoors. Hot angry tears stung her eyes and blurred her vision as she tried to make sense of it. “She promised. . . That’s why she got Sir Adam in the first place.”
“Alita – ”
Reia tried to reach out to comfort her, but Alita took a step backward, hands completely withdrawing and curling against her chest as she tried not to think of her stepmother’s betrayal.
“No, no, she can’t do this.” Alita held her elbows, nails digging into them with the growing need to break free from her tower. She played her part, always did as she asked, and only asked this once to be allowed to attend the full five days of the festival.
“Alita.” Reia’s small warm and strong hands firmly gripped her hands and unraveled them from her elbow. “You need to stop, or you’ll hurt yourself.”
Alita allowed her to pry her hands free, but she felt terribly cold as the unshed tears still burned her eyes. Closing them so the tears would return to their ducts, she inhaled deeply through her nose and let the breath go through her mouth.
“If my tutor has been dismissed, then what am I supposed to do instead of my regularly scheduled lessons?” Reia grimaced and Alita’s heart sank. “I don’t think I like that look.”
“You’re to have fittings for your wedding dress and for a few in the Gaulian style.” Reia squeezed her hands encouragingly. “It won’t be all bad, I’ll be there with you, a-and Sir Adam will be close at hand should you need to escape.”
“Oh, now you’ll let me escape?” Alita scoffed and Reia frowned.
“With me as chaperone, of course.” Reia pinched her cheek and sighed. “I’ll not have all the other maids gossiping about some sort of frivolous forbidden romance between the princess and her bodyguard.”
Alita’s eyes widened, her cheeks burned hot, and her heart quickened like the beating of hummingbird wings. “Surely you jest. They wouldn’t say such things.”
“They most certainly would!” Reia snorted indignantly. “The way you two keep sneaking off to the gardens it puts all sorts of thoughts in people’s heads!”
“They can think what they like,” Alita pouted at Reia’s back as she moved to the wardrobe and pulled out her pale blue dress with the puffed mutton sleeves and silver lace trimmings. “We’ve done nothing inappropriate, and nothing more than talking.”
“If you say so.” Reia’s prudish tone prickled the hairs on Alita’s neck.
“What?” Alita frowned at the accusatory look on Reia’s face as she turned to finish dressing her.
“You are engaged, Alita.” Reia reminded her in a patronizing tone and crossed her arms over her chest.
Alita’s mouth clamped into a tight line as the prickling agitation only grew worse and felt the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. “I am well aware, Reia.”
“Are you?” Reia cocked her brow at her as though she was a petulant adolescent speaking with more knowledge than what they truly had. “Because if you were, you would do well to remember that it is the servants that are the eyes and ears of the castle that shares information in the same class. What are you going to do when your betrothed prince finds out you’ve been sneaking out to the garden alone with your bodyguard?”
“I would tell him the truth that there is nothing between us and nothing has happened!” Alita’s voice rose with her ire and the hot tears threatened to fall at her friend’s insinuation. “Must I take myself to the physician and prove my innocence and purity of my body?”
Reia paled at her admonishment and the hardness melted away and was replaced with guilt. “Alita, I never meant –”
“Oh, but you did.” Alita held her gaze with a hard look. “Why else would you say it?”
“To warn you.” Reia sighed and shook her head. “While I know you speak the truth when you say you’ve only talked with him, I also know that talking it all it takes for you to get attached.” Reia quickly draped the dress over the chair and reached for Alita’s hands once more. “I don’t want to see you get hurt and having to tear yourself away from something you truly desire for the sake of your duties.”
Alita scoffed and laughed self-deprecatingly as her tears dried up, but her eyes still burned hot. Taking another sobering breath, she looked Reia in the eye and saw the surprise therein. “I only appear attached because I have so few in my life that I’m allowed to speak with. I’m not so naïve as to freely fall in love with Sir Adam while I have a duty to my kingdom.”
Her chest restricted as she said the words and felt the lie on her tongue. She was not naïve enough to freely fall for him, though she couldn’t and wouldn’t deny her attraction to her handsome bodyguard. She also couldn’t deny that some part of her hoped he was Fae and would whisk her away from this place if only to keep her from marrying a dreaded stranger.
Throwing on her best smile, she shook the frivolous and childish thoughts from her mind. “I should finish dressing or else I’ll be late for breakfast and stepmother will wonder where I am.”
Reia’s mouth opened, an argument or apology quickly coming to her tongue, but quickly closed and silently finished dressing her. Turning to her window while Reia collected combs and jewels to adorn her hair, her little owl pigeon returned to windowsill.
“Hello sweet one.” She cooed softly and smoothed a finger down the top of its head. “It’s good to see you again.”
It cooed happily in greeting, feathers fluffing as it craned its long neck at her. “The monster is here.”
Curious, Alita looked out the window and instantly spotted Adam speaking with someone with a cloak over their head. While he was devilishly handsome, she’d never consider him a monster, however as he finished speaking with the person, she noticed something long protruding from his backside. At first, she thought it was a sword, but the longer she looked at it, it looked like a long tail. Rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, Alita blinked hard and watched a tufted tail trailing behind Adam as he entered the castle.
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it.
Please remember to leave comments, feedback, and reblog for more content. ^_^
Thanks for coming along the journey with me!
Want to read more? Please consider checking out my Patreon.
Good morning, if you haven't already I'm going to try to publish a book this year! I'm leaving a teaser of the prologue for my Black Apple Poison, which will be different from the original fanfiction I wrote. If anyone might be interested, please check out the link below. I will be uploading a copy of the prologue in Spanish as well.
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