Chapter 03

A Trip to the Garden

True to his word, Maven was to escort Alix for the remainder of the day.

They walked arm-in-arm, constantly followed by a long line of Sentinels behind them. Alix brought her own Sentinels. In Piedmont, they called them the Royal Guard, sworn to serve and protect the members of House Caralis. Often they dressed in golden plated armor and white capes. Unlike the Nortan Sentinels, they wore no black masks, but rather helmets that only revealed their eyes.

"Do we have to do this?" she asked him, itching to snatch her arm from his.

"Apparently." His eyes were focused on the road, and his grip on her arm was not too tight. Odd.

"What are we supposed to do? Do we spend the rest of the afternoon making small talk, trying not to rip each other?"

Maven stopped and looked down to her. Even in her heels, Alix was still a good few inches shorter than he was. Ice-colored eyes were on hers, staring down quite intently. "Well, what do you suggest we do?"

She was surprised that he asked for her opinion. Since when did her opinion matter to the prince anyway? "We could wander around… Anything to pass the time."

He thought for a while, as if contemplating his choices. In the Hall of the Sun, there was nothing in particular that was pleasant. Gardens were all around the place, though he knew his mother and the other ladies for the Queenstrial would be there, chittering and chattering until the end of the day. After what happened in luncheon, he didn't want to spend his day crowded with so many women who talked about nothing but stupid clothes, and weather, and whatnot. It was exhausting.

"We could go to the Grand Garden," he murmured.

"The marketplace?" she asked, the excitement unmasked in her voice.

"Yes." He raked his fingers through his black hair. "Somewhere away from all these distractions."

"So be it." She welcomed the idea of leaving the palace for a while. Of all the times she had been in both Archeon and Summerton, she never had the chance to leave the palaces. She could almost bounce with excitement, until she remembered her Guards behind her. "Do they have to come?"

He gave her a bewildered look. "They're called Sentinels for a reason, and that reason is to guard us."

"Wouldn't be nice if they are not around for a change?" She gave him no time to reply. She faced her Guards, who were all silent and composed. "Prince Maven and I would be heading to the Grand Garden. All of you are allowed to return to our apartments."

Her Guards saluted to her and marched away, moving in perfect rhythm. She turned back to the prince with a smug look. Your turn.

"Sentinels." He cleared his throat. "I'll take it from here. You're free to go."

"But Your Highness," one of the guards begged to differ. "It is strictly forbidden for a prince and princess to be left without the supervision of the Sentinels."

Beside him, Alix chortled.

He tried to keep his composure. "This is an order, Sentinel Marinos. Or do I have to take this to the queen?"

The guard's dark blue eyes were hard and cold. "My orders come from the King of Norta himself. Once the king has issued his orders, only then would I follow."

"You forget, Sentinel," Maven interjected, his voice calculated, "that I am the son of your king. My orders are his orders. Once you refuse me, it means you refuse the king. You would not want that. None of you would want that. Do you?"

Finally, Marinos relented. "No, Your Highness."

"The princess and I will not be long," he said, once again taking Alix's arm in his. "We will return before dusk, if that's any respite for any of you."

With that, the prince whisked his companion away from the corridor, as the Sentinels reluctantly left to the other side.

"Is it always so hard to ask for permission here?" Alix asked.

"I was not asking for permission," he retorted. "It was an order."

"If it had been an order, they would have agreed at once. No questions asked."

He huffed. "I suppose you were ordering your Sentinels, Guards, or whatever you call them in Piedmont. They follow whatever you tell them to, despite knowing that there could be danger in the Grand Garden?"

"It's not like that." She laughed softly at his ignorance. "In Piedmont, once the prince decides on something, it usually gets done the same afternoon. If the king so wishes to have a masquerade, then by evening we are all dancing. It is not a matter of danger. It is simply trust that we exercise back home. If I wanted to elevate all my ladies-in-waiting to become duchesses in their own right, then everyone would trust my decision, for decisions are deemed worthy of trust."

"Unfortunately, trust doesn't work that way here." He led her down the staircase as two Sentinels opened the double doors for them. Outside, the world was bright, the fresh air seizing their lungs. "My brother and I have to work tenfold to earn even our parents' trust."

"Shame." She clicked her tongue. Her golden eyes drank in the sight of the looming marketplace to their right. "You and Cal seem to have great potentials."

The Grand Garden was a bustling marketplace arrayed with potted plants, glass sculptures, and polished fountains. Shops stretched as far as the eyes could see, and ranged from cafes, bakeries, bars to jewelry stores. The Silver elites were craning their necks at each store, hoping to find something to purchase. Children from the High Houses played here as well, running around and pulling each other's hair. Once upon a time, Alix and Maven had done those, too—albeit to greater extent. Across the field, other elite children gathered around a small menagerie, with caged rare white lion with blue eyes.

Maven chuckled at her expression. "Quite dumbfounded, aren't you?"

She stopped gaping and nudged him with her elbow. "Try amazed instead."

"Well, the Grand Garden is the center of trade and business; not only in Summerton, but also in the nearby cities." He guided her through the thick crowd, the Silvers not giving them attention. No one cared about a dark-haired boy and a girl in a golden gown. "It is the one of the few places where Reds are allowed to have this much business of their own, allowed to keep their shops and take apprentices as long as they have the means."

"I suppose not all Reds have to steal to live," she murmured.

"Some of them are lucky. I know a few Reds who have better lives than the others."

"Where do we go first?" Again, she gave him no time to answer. She yanked his hand and dashed off, dragging him with her. "Let's see the lion!"

A white lion paced back and forth in its small arena, eyeing the humans with fierce blue eyes. Creatures such as this one were considered rare, a story for children to hear at night, for hunters to pursue in the wilds. Recently, a hunter from House Viper returned from his five-year trip and secured one lion, which could die in a few months time.

"I've never seen one up-close," Alix said, stretching a finger towards the beast. It meandered towards her, its great paws making no sound.

"There's a reason they're called rare." Maven grabbed her hand before the lion could sniff at it. "Be careful. I cannot afford you to get ripped by an animal in front of all these people."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Does the word fun ever exist in your vocabulary?"

"No." He growled. "I don't speak Stupid like you."

"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?"

"Is Stupid the only language spoken in Piedmont?"

Alix crossed her arms over her chest. "Is this the part when we take each other's arms and walk again? Because people are starting to watch, and I have no intention on returning to Piedmont with a bad image here."

"In that case, we should go." Instead of intertwining their arms, he placed his hand on the small of her back and gave a gentle push, prompting her to walk away from the menagerie and away from the curious eyes.

As she walked with even steps, she could not help but be impressed of the life here. Everything was filled with so much… vibrancy. Reds scurried around, following orders, pushing carts, wiping the products they were trying to sell. Even Red children did some work, while the Silver elite did not have the luxury to smile at them, craning their necks, lifting their chin, ignoring each other. It was the same life in Piedmont: Red servants for one Silver, High Houses had dozens of Reds under their roofs. In her sixteen years, the Red world never ceased to amaze her.

"If I had known, I would have worn a more casual dress."

He blinked and assessed her appearance, from the tiara to her golden skirts. "Why? You're perfect the way you are."

Suddenly, they stopped walking, letting the words sink in to both of them. Maven immediately flushed white, embarrassed of his words.

"Did you just compliment me?" she teased.

"No," he grumbled under his breath.

She laughed. "Lighten up, Maven. You can compliment me whenever you want."

"Yeah?" He smirked. "I'd rather spin you around until you're dizzy."

"Sure you do." Her heels clicked as she dragged him towards a bakery she noticed. Pastries of different colors lined inside a glass container, while the scent of egg and batter hung heavily in the air. She inhaled and exhaled, her stomach growling at the sight of so many treats.

A baker's apprentice, perhaps around her age, approached with a grin. "See something you like, little lady?"

Alix nodded and pointed. "What is that?"

"A tart, filled with strawberry. I have more in other flavors—raspberry, blueberry, lemon, coconuts. You name it." He gave her a handsome smile, as he leaned on the counter and brought his face closer to hers.

She paid him no mind, her eyes switching from one tart to another. "How much is one tart?"

"It depends on how much you want it to be, my rose."

"Then I'll take two out of everything," she decided, beaming at the thought of eating twelve kinds of tarts.

"Of course. Wait here." The apprentice winked at her and returned to his workstation, preparing for the order.

Maven had watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. Without Sentinels in tow, no one recognized the Prince of Norta. People were free to bump into him, to touch his shoulder as if he was a mere commoner. He allowed those things to happen, which he deemed inevitable. But a baker's apprentice flirting with the Princess of Piedmont? It was unthinkable, blasphemous, and worthy of a punishment! He had seen enough when the apprentice winked at Alix, treating her like a common Red.

When the apprentice returned a few minutes later, and before he could spout some cheesy one-liner, Maven fished a few silver coins from his pocket.

"Bless my soul," the Red mused, his eyes glinting in mischief. "Who would've thought your friend is such a lordy?"

A princely eyebrow twitched. Lordy, he called me a lordy.

"Five tetrarchs," Alix remarked in surprise. "Would this be enough?"

"More than enough," the baker agreed.

"In that case," Maven growled, taking his companion by the elbow, "it's time for us to leave." He took the box of freshly baked tarts and stalked off.

Clutching her skirts, Alix ran after him. "Cheer up, Maven."

His brow rose. "That's gold coming from you."

"I mean it. Come on, let's eat all these." She approached a fountain, this one hidden behind columns of trees. It was quiet here, the sunlight barely poking through the green leaves. She was relieved that she needed not to be blinded while eating, as opposed to the luncheon at Glass Terrace before. Shadows of the leaves swayed and danced against the white marble floor.

Maven helped her set up the tarts, as one would during a picnic. His mouth watered, and Alix laughed in front of him, all the while urging him to take a bite. It was his money after all, thus he was free to take whatever he want. So, the prince took up a lemon tart and ate.

"How come you're here in Norta alone?" he asked, making small talk. "Your brothers are with you for every hour in a day." He had met them countless times before, the renowned princes of Piedmont—all tall, good-looking, and sharp. Maven almost saw them as reflections of his own brother. The perfect princes.

"Oh, they're all too engaged in diplomatic matters."

"All four of them?"

"Quite so." She nodded, munching on her strawberry tart. "Father wants them all prepared for court life if something ever happens to him. War is never an option, you know."

"Yes, you're right." He sighed. A gnawing envious feeling crept up inside him. Four sons yet their father found a way to treat them as equals, to make one feel as important and as good as the other. It never happened to Maven—not while Cal was around. Hell, even if Cal was gone, people still worshipped him. Everyone in the palace, except Queen Elara. My supportive mother.

"Had I been born male, I would be counted among them."

"Luckily, you're not." Despite himself, he chuckled. "I heard Queen Margaux had prayed many nights for a daughter. I am surprised she's not here. Does she have diplomatic reasons, too?"

"Hardly." She wrinkled her nose. "It just so happens that my mother is wary of your mother. Yours is not very known for her kindness."

"My mother has her own fierceness in her." He sighed, letting the thought pass. "So, the royals of Piedmont are too engrossed in their businesses, that they send a lone princess off into a neighboring country, to attend my brother's Queenstrial?"

"Unfortunately."

"Truly a nightmare for you."

"Especially when I have to spend the rest of the day with you," she pointed out, grinning. "You know what?"

His voice was dull. "What?"

"This is perhaps the longest normal conversation we have without wanting to kill each other."

He considered it for a while. "Who would have thought we'd get this far?"

"We should celebrate."

"How?"

In answer, a shadowy tentacle emerged from the trees, knocking the prince to his back. Then, it curled around his ankle and lifted him upside-down, dangling him above the fountain. Alix clutched her stomach to hold back her laughter, but soon ducked when a fireball was tossed her way, melting the stone floor. The shadow around Maven's ankle let loose, with him falling in such speed, yet another tentacle yanked him around the waist, saving him just in time before he could plunge into the cold waters.

Once he was back on his feet, he glared and his arms came alive with flames. "That's your idea of a celebration?"

"No, it is my idea of fun." She jumped up, hands on her hips. "Live a little, Maven. Nothing will happen if you keep on plotting and frowning, even following behind your brother's shadow."

Maven's shadow moved independently, separating itself from the prince and took a form familiar to both of them. Cal. The figure was all black, with smokes disintegrating into thin air; but it was solid and hard, like a mannequin. It took the likeness of the crown prince, molding its face into Cal's. For a moment there, Maven was horrified, and then he remembered what House Caralis was infamous for.

Wraiths, all of them, from grandfather to the only daughter. Wraiths, manipulators of shadow and darkness.

Alix placed a soft hand on his arm, calming him a little.

He brushed her off. How could she know what it felt like to be compared to the prince everyone so admired? She would never know how it felt. She had four brothers; all treated equally by their parents, and her, being the only daughter, was most likely the center of their large family. He was certain that Alix had everything she wanted in an instant; she would be the Cal in their family. What a laugh it would be if she claimed to know what he felt.

"Find a cause, Maven."

"I have nothing," he said, his voice low and almost apologetic. Compared to his brother's wisdom and expertise and to Alix's radiance in Silver courts, Maven was nothing.

Finally, Cal's shadow disappeared.

The prince straightened himself. "We should be heading back."

"Yes, we should. The Sentinels would be waiting for us." Alix put her hand on the prince's forearm and followed him in silence. In all their years of rivalry and petty arguments, she knew what never failed to set him off.

It had always been Cal.

Author's Notes: Hello, hello! Whew! It's been a while, hasn't it? I was away for a vacation so I had no time to update. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who was left encouraging reviews last chapter (Guest, Eli, GeeGee, ShinigamiReiko, Arielle, Missawesome03, Arabella, and Gabby0529). If it weren't' for your reviews, I wouldn't feel too motivated to update. Thanks a lot guys! And thank you to everyone reading this story. It means a lot to me.

If you have comments or suggestions that would spice up the story, let me know. Maven needs all the love from the fans!