Hello all my beautiful readers! I cannot say sorry enough for the big wait between chapters! Not an excuse but work has been really busy and my grandfather has been sick so I have been helping him on my weekends so it gave me little time to write.
I also had a mini writer's block as I knew where I was going with this story but was worried that the chapter would not be as good as the previous one since you all had amazing feedback. I hope though those fears were for nothing and this chapter was worth the wait and is what you all expected, and does not disappoint :)
As always, a big shout out and thank you for everyone's continued support with this story and for taking the time to read, especially those who read it in one sitting ;) In particular, thank you to these lovely people for reviewing the previous chapter:
Mitchy, Appleautumns, Whelefhie, heyitsamd, RogueJacksonators, Saraaaaaaaa, I love the Squad, YareliAMG, BeAProtonandStayPositive, LuckiestWitchAtHogwarts, AngelCutie ChildAtHeart, You Don't Know Me150, and all of the Guest reviewers.
Your continued support is why I love writing and brining these great characters new stories and depth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Winx or any of the characters, except for my OCs.
Now, the moment you have all been waiting for:
The room was silent as the two stared into each other's eyes. They were still panting after their thrilling kiss and Musa was still stunned into silence. She had just made-out with the Valkarian prince. Her old self would have thrown herself down a flight of stairs at the thought but now, she was surprisingly ok. She felt a little light-headed and her chest hurt from how fast and hard her heart was beating, but other than that she was fine. The world did not explode or completely freeze over. The prince cocked a smirk at Musa's shocked expression causing her to blush.
"Exactly as I thought," the prince said softly, his smirk remaining on his face.
"What?" Musa replied in confusion.
The hand that was on her cheek slowly slid down to the nape of her neck, causing tingles over Musa's skin.
"Strawberries."
Musa froze in the prince's arms at his response. She had never heard something so ridiculous come out of the prince's mouth. He was either quiet with quick responses or eloquent with diplomats. After making out with someone, why would you say strawberries? A deep chuckle came from the prince and his grip on her neck tightened slightly as he leaned close to whisper in Musa's ear.
"I have wondered for a while what you taste like. I guessed strawberry since you eat it every morning. Guess I was correct."
Holy crap. He is not only eloquent with the diplomats, but he was with the ladies too. It was the most random but sexy thing Musa had heard someone say to her in her life. Not only that but he watched her long enough to know what she ate every morning. Strawberries were her favourite fruit. There was a part of her though that wondered if he said that to all the ladies. No! She could not think that way. She would lose her nerve to continue this mission if she went down that rabbit hole. Whatever the prince did with other courtiers was in the past and irrelevant. The prince was in her grasp and currently only having eyes for her. Now she had to turn that to her advantage. The prince pulled back till Musa was staring in his eyes again.
"Sire….I…." Musa was speechless. She had no idea how to respond to the man in her arms.
"Riven," he stated firmly. The hand on Musa's neck started threading through her hair. "Call me Riven when we are alone."
"….Riven…." Musa whispered in reply.
Her heartbeat loudly in her chest and she felt tingles on her skin. It was the first time she had ever called the prince by his first name. As much as her brain screamed at her to deny it, she loved the way it sounded, and she liked the idea of saying it more. It was for the rebellion she kept telling herself. A deep growl sounded in Musa's ears and her body tensed. The hand in her hair gently gripped as the prince leant his forehead on Musa's.
"I like the way that sounds," the prince said lowly.
Musa felt a swell of confidence at the prince's positive response. Perhaps she could keep this up. As far as anyone in the palace was concerned, the prince never showed this much attention to a woman before. The girls were right, her plan was working, so why did Musa feel a small pit of guilt deep in her stomach? It did not matter right now. She had a good-looking guy, she will finally admit that to herself, in her arms, holding her close and growling in appreciation at saying his name. This plan might be a bit easier than she first thought. Musa smiled coyly and slowly moved her arms till they rested on the prince's chest. She fought the urge hard to not widen her eyes in shock. It was like the prince's muscles had muscles.
"Riven," Musa repeated softly. "What do we do now?"
The arm around Musa's waist tightened and he opened his eyes, staring directly into hers, as he kept his forehead on hers.
"We have two options. One: we separate now and continue our training session, pretending like this never happened."
Musa was not ok with option one. That would completely ruin her plan. She also did not know how she could forget that mind blowing kiss and remove the feeling of his muscles underneath her hands out of her mind.
"Or two: we stop fighting this."
To hear those words from the prince's mouth was still surreal. Musa wanted to pinch herself to double check that she was not dreaming. Perhaps those one too many falls during training made her hallucinate. The prince removed his forehead from Musa's and gently placed a kiss on hers instead. To Musa, it was almost a romantic gesture but a part of her knew that he only fancied her because of a lie.
"You know what my answer is. I just need to hear yours. Whatever it will be, I will honour it."
"But…your father….." Musa said fearfully, looking back down at the ground.
The hand in Musa's hair stopped and gently pulled away, swiping underneath her chin, and bringing it back so her eyes met the prince's. The bright colour was there again in his eyes, shining with an intensity Musa only saw a few times. An intensity Musa thought was familiar from somewhere else somehow. She had seen a few Melodians as a kid with the shine, but she could not remember why.
"Will never find out," the prince said firmly. "You are safe with me, Musa. Whatever your decision is, on my honour, he will not find out."
Tears started to form in Musa's eyes causing the arm around her waist to tighten. Musa could not be any closer to the prince if she had tried.
"It is treason. I…I cannot…."
"You cannot what?" Riven said gently. "Please, talk to me. You are not the Siren here."
"I…." Musa stuttered. They were words that she had longed to hear from someone and yet it was so hard to say what she truly felt. "You…."
"I am Riven, and you are Musa. That is all that matters. All that should matter. You will not be harmed, Musa."
"But what about you?" Musa managed to cry out as tears fell from her eyes.
Musa had no idea where those words and feelings came from, but she suddenly felt fear for not herself but for her people and for the prince. She felt guilty for what she was hiding from him, and pain at knowing that the beautiful words she was hearing was for a façade she was putting on. He was falling for an act and the words were not meant for her but for her alter ego: Lady Musa.
"You….if the king….I cannot…." Musa stuttered out as more tears ran down her cheeks.
The prince said nothing as he pulled his hands away and gently cupped her face, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. How could someone so deadly be so gentle?
"Caring for someone should not be treason," Riven replied sadly. "Even if it is, I do not care. I cannot keep fighting this and if I do, it will only be because you asked me to. Yes, until my father is off the throne this will have to be secret, but I am willing to take that risk. You are not asking me to take it and I am not making you either. As I said, one word from you and I will pretend this never happened."
"What happens to you if they find out?"
"Again, I do not care. I only care what happens to you, and I promise you that you will be safe. He will not find out."
"How can you be so sure?"
The prince was silent for a minute, making Musa nervous. She could not stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. She was not trying to change his mind, she just had an overwhelming rush of emotions and suddenly realised that if her plan backfired, not only would herself and the rebellion be in jeopardy, but so would the prince. She had knowingly attracted him into a trap of treason. The king was lenient with his son, but Musa was now not sure how much that would stretch.
"Because I will not allow it to happen." The prince was quiet for a moment. "Are you scared of me?"
Musa was startled by the question, by the way the prince almost looked nervous to hear the answer.
"You never need to fear me. Never."
Musa's gaze flew to his. There was no smugness in his words, no teasing in his stare. For once, since this whole plan started, Musa told the truth. "I do not fear you."
What she neglected to say was that she was scared of that. She was scared that she did not fear him. She feared his father, of Darcy, but for some reason, not the prince. Which is likely why she found it easier continuing with the plan. Musa was not sure why she did what she did next. Perhaps it was her desire to succeed with her plans, or the right direction the plan was taking, or even the power behind his words but Musa's hands on the prince's chest fisted his shirt and pulled him for another kiss. The prince's shock was evident as their lips touched but it quickly wore off as he returned it with gusto. All rational thought suddenly left Musa's mind and all she could think, feel, smell, and see was Riven. She would dwell on the repercussions later, but amongst the Riven-ness that she felt, she could have sworn that she heard a soft echo around them like a sweet melody:
'Ah ah, oh oh…..'
Flora and Layla laughed as they spoke to a few of the courtiers in the garden. Their cheeks were starting to hurt from all the fake smiling and compliments they were throwing but at least it got them away from Musa's radar. They had been sitting with the ladies, who they eventually discovered were part of Lady Mitzi's entourage, for almost an hour and were starting to find ways to excuse themselves.
"So where has Lady Musa been the last week?" One of the courtiers suddenly asked, drawing Flora and Layla's attention.
"She has been unwell, Lady Miranda," Flora replied sweetly. "The poor dear has been in bed. She did not want the other courtiers to catch it."
The other courtiers cooed at Musa's so-called thoughtfulness.
"Then please send her our regards," Lady Miranda replied. "Poor thing must be bored. We should pay her a visit."
Layla's eyes widened slightly, and she quickly stepped in. "That will defeat the purpose of her avoiding spreading her flu to others, Lady Miranda. Her handmaiden is the only one she would allow in. The king's generosity with books has kept her entertained."
The courtiers giggled.
"Yes, Lady Mitzi did mention Lady Musa's keenness with books," Lady Lovi giggled. "I cannot think of anything worse, personally."
"I have given Lady Musa some herbal remedies from my home planet that should come in handy," Flora lied with a smile. "Hopefully, she will make a full recovery soon. We shall pass on your regards though."
"Yes, please do," Lady Miranda said. "Tell her that she is dearly missed. We adore her charm."
"Her charm?" Flora asked.
The courtiers giggled again. "Oh my, yes," Lady Lovi said. "Hearing how archaic things were before the King arrived is quite amusing."
Layla's hand tightened around her teacup. Amusing? Melody was prosperous before the Valkarians arrived and now they keep Musa around for what, fun? To hear her 'peasant' lifestyle for kicks? Flora gently placed her teacup on the saucer, never missing a beat. She was used to vipers like these in courts.
"May I ask where Lady Mitzi is, ladies?" Flora asked sweetly, steering the conversation away. "Speaking of missing friends, the Winx and I have not seen her delightful presence around the palace recently."
Lady Lovi smiled coyly and winked at Flora in response. "Yes, Lady Mitzi. I heard that she has been silently steaming over the fact that Lady Musa has been dining with the royals for the last few weeks and not her. Apparently, the prince has not made any advances on her since Lady Musa has been whispering in his ear about her."
"Whispering in his ear?" Flora asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"My dear," Lady Lovi said condescendingly. "Have you not heard? Lady Mitzi has been trying to get in the prince's sight for a while and Lady Musa agreed to, as the men say, talk her up in his presence."
"Although Lady Lovi," Lady Miranda interrupted excitedly. "Rumour has it that she is setting her sights on someone else."
"Ooh! Do tell!"
"Well, the prince has brought in some very handsome young men and one in particular has caught her eye."
"Who? You have been holding out on me," Lady Lovi laughed.
"Sir Darien."
"No! But how can you tell with those atrocious helmets on?"
"Lady Mitzi told me in confidence once that she happened to walk past the training rooms when they first arrived and saw him putting his helmet on. She could only see the back of him, but he was tall, very muscular, with dark brunette hair."
"What about the eyes? She is a sucker for eyes."
"I thought Lady Mitzi telling something to you in confidence meant not breathing a word of it to others?" Layla interrupted.
Flora tensed next to her friend and subtly kicked her under the table. The two courtiers turned, and Lady Lovi glared at Layla for ruining the story. Lady Miranda simply laughed.
"Oh, Princess Layla, you are too funny! Nothing that is said to courtiers is ever kept in confidence. When one says that it means the gentlemen of the court are not to know but between courtiers it is fair game."
"Perhaps her realm sees it differently," Lady Lovi grumbled.
"A simple translation error, you ladies do understand," Flora giggled trying to rectify the situation.
"Of course," Lady Miranda smiled as she took a sip of tea.
It was then that Flora and Layla realised that Lady Mitzi could be trouble if she did not move her sights to another, particularly when Musa promised to talk her up to the prince. Then there was the whole problem of Stella trying to make nice with Sir Darien herself. They needed a distraction for the ladyship and fast.
Tecna could not believe what the girls were making her do. She was a handmaiden in the palace. No one ever talked to her, and she liked it that way. Of all the crazy plans Stella had ever concocted, and there were a lot, this one had to be the most insane. Tecna was standing on a ladder in the hallway that led to Musa's chambers as she dusted one of the light fixtures. Very few people utilised that hallway since it only led to the Siren's room so Tecna knew she could relax and be herself while she did her mundane tasks.
"I am a handmaiden," Tecna grumbled to herself. "How am I supposed to come up with a reason for being near a knight? 'You work in the palace, no one will suspect you,'" Tecna mimicked. As she grumbled to herself, Tecna thrashed the duster in her hand in annoyance, not noticing the ladder slightly moving away from the wall.
"Of all the people to. Sir Lance? One of the prince's new knights that stick to him like glue? No, there is no way I want to speak with a Valkarian. I cannot walk up to one and be like 'so, how are you? I am the handmaiden, yes. Do you like chess?' No! They like swords and other pointy things. This is why I love technology. There is no right way to act!"
Tecna lost of her balance and leant away from the wall, bringing the ladder away from it too. Tecna dropped the duster as she pinwheeled her arms to move herself back towards the wall. The weight of her body was unfortunately heavier than her pinwheeling and the ladder started falling. 'This is going to hurt,' Tecna thought.
Holding her breath and tensing her body in preparation for when she hit the hard surface, Tecna waited. She felt the wind of her fall brush over her skin and through her hair, and she closed her eyes. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her, and she heard the loud 'clang' of the ladder hitting the floor, but no pain. In fact, she felt softness wrapped around her, not hard wooden floors or scraping of carpet.
A laugh sounded above her, causing Tecna to burst open her eyes and she suddenly wished she had not. There staring back at her was none other than Sir Lance. His eyes staring down at her with a glint in them from his smirking face. Even at close range, the helmet on his head hid everything but his eyes, nose, and lips. Tecna was in shock for a moment before she looked down and noticed the man kneeling on the ground and holding her in his arms. Oh, how cruel fate could be. She literally landed right in his lap like fate agreed with Stella's crazy idea.
"Nice of you to drop in," Sir Lance laughed.
The knight was laughing and making jokes. No Valkarian knight ever did that and particularly not to a servant. The shock quickly wore off Tecna and she immediately started to panic. She could get in serious trouble for being in a position like that with a knight.
"I am so sorry," she blurted out and quickly stood on her own two feet. "I-I did not mean for that to happen."
The knight laughed again. "Well of course not. No one means to cause themselves to fall."
Tecna felt heat on her cheeks in embarrassment. He was completely right. No one plans on hurting themselves or doing stupid things. Why would she say that? See, Tecna had little to no people skills, particularly with Valkarians. How in the world Stella thought this was a good idea was beyond her.
"Right, yes, you are correct," Tecna said with embarrassment.
"Some know me to be rarely incorrect, Miss Tecna," Sir Lance replied, his smile never faltering.
Tecna was taken aback by the knight's behaviour. The last time she saw him when he caught her trying to get Musa to the post office, he was serious and all about business. Here, he was teasing her. It threw her. That is not even addressing the fact he remembered her name either.
"I am sorry for inconveniencing you, Sir Lance. I appreciate the assistance."
"You are welcome. Now, what, may I ask, were you doing that made a competent handmaiden fall from a ladder? I assume you have dusted lights before."
There it was. Teasing turning into digs. That was what she was used to with other Valkarian knights.
"I have dusted lights before."
The knight's fell at Tecna's grumble. She could not help it. There were no witnesses around so no one to back up his claim that she was not the perfect and obedient handmaiden that she was supposed to be.
"I meant no offence, Miss Tecna," Sir Lance said. "I was joking."
"Since when do Valkarian knights joke?"
Sir Lance did not respond for a moment before looking down each end of the hallway. "The good kind."
Tecna raised an eyebrow at the response. There was no such thing as a good Valkarian knight in her book. The knight seemed to notice the slight hostility and decided to give her a break and ignored it. Tecna should feel lucky. She could have gotten punished for it, but she really did not want to be close to a knight like she was. She liked being a handmaiden. It kept her out of sight and most Valkarians paid her no mind. It was rude but she was content with it.
"Thank you for the assistance, Sir Lance, but I must return to my duties. Is there a reason for you to be down here?"
The knight cleared his throat. "There is actually. I was looking for Lady Musa."
Tecna's heart skipped a beat. She knew where she was, and the girls had agreed to say that she was sick to the court, but they did not plan on a knight looking for her. She was permitted to roam parts of the castle unsupervised now. Why was he looking for her? Tecna started to get nervous.
"She is indisposed at the moment," Tecna vaguely answered. "Is there anything I can assist you with?"
"The king wants Lady Musa reminded that although she is not as heavily protected now, she still must dine with His Highness tonight."
Tecna wanted to sigh with relief. "Very well I will ensure she gets the message, but I can assure you, and His Highness, that Lady Musa has not forgotten her duties."
"She still will be escorted to the dining room as ordered by the king. Someone will be by tonight to ensure that."
Tecna nodded as the knight turned and left the hallway. Tecna remained where she was, watching the knight leave, before sighing and leaning back against the wall once he was out of sight. That was harder than she thought.
That evening, as promised, Musa sat in front of her mirror as Tecna curled her long hair. Sticking to the plan, Tecna pulled out one of the Valkarian dresses Lady Mitzi helped Musa acquire from the dress store. If Musa did not know that it was a Valkarian design, she would have thought it was stunning. The dress was a pale blue, almost white, chiffon halter neck long-sleeved dress. There were holes at the shoulders, exposing her shoulders to the world, with bell sleeves, cuffed at her wrist with blue and white gem cuffs. The same blue and white gems decorated the halter neck, covered her chest and went down between her breasts till it stopped at her sternum. The dress had the same jewelled belt around the waist, showing off Musa's figure. Unfortunately, Musa knew that Lady Mitzi had ordered the gems to be made of glass to follow the rules. Although she was no longer supervised, she was not allowed crystals. What they did not know was that the crystal Musa took from the prince's dagger was now hanging on a necklace around her neck, hidden underneath the dress.
"Is it wrong to say that you look beautiful?" Tecna asked.
Musa smiled at her friend. "It is definitely less sexy than the other Valkarian dresses I have worn, which I appreciate. But yes, you can say it."
"Good, because you do. Your first dinner with the king after kissing the prince. How do you feel?"
Of course, Musa immediately caught up with the Winx before dinner to discuss her run in with the prince. Stella practically squealed and demanded all the details. She got it and the blonde was left fanning herself with her hands claiming that the prince's actions were hot. Musa was shocked that Bloom and Flora agreed. Layla simply smirked and said she did well to hook him in. Musa was thrilled that the plan was working but she had not seen the prince since he had to run to a meeting after their training. She had no idea how to keep up the charade with him, or if he was going to act normal around his father.
"I am nervous," Musa said. "How am I to act with both the prince and king in the same room now? We will be caught."
"You will not," Tecna said. "The prince said he would not allow that to happen. For some reason, I half believe it."
"What makes you say that? I am shocked to hear it."
Tecna laughed. "Me too. I guess hearing that he made the first move and not you showed that he is sweet on you and the plan worked. That he does see you as an ally not the prisoner. If he was willing to expose his intent to you then I think he is willing to hide things from his father. Just follow the prince's lead tonight. I am sure he will have thought of how to act in front of his father."
"That is a good idea," Musa agreed.
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting their conversation. Musa stood and walked into the other room as Tecna opened the door. The pair tensed in shock as they saw Prince Riven standing there. His face was neutral as he nodded his head at Tecna.
"Good evening," he said, void of any emotion. "Is Lady Musa ready for dinner? The king should not be kept waiting."
Tecna quickly curtseyed before opening the door wider, revealing Musa standing in the middle of the room. She immediately dropped into a low curtsey, pinching herself in reminder to put on the Lady Musa persona. It seemed from the greeting he gave Tecna that his behaviour was back to normal. Guess it had to be that way.
"Your Highness," Musa said softly as she stood back upright.
The prince nodded his head in response. Musa smiled at Tecna as she left, indicating that she would be fine. Tecna nodded and closed the door behind them. As soon as they were alone, a small smirk appeared on the prince's face, confusing Musa. Before she could say anything, the prince wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her towards him. In shock at the move, Musa placed her hands on his chest, feeling his breath on her right cheek as he leaned into her ear.
"You look beautiful," the prince whispered in her ear.
Musa's face heated with a blush, and she jumped when she felt his lips kiss her cheek before pulling away.
'Ah ah, oh oh…'
The echo from before sounded again. Musa's eyes widened at the noise, and she quickly looked around but saw nothing. The prince smirked at Musa's response, making it clear that he had not heard it. How could he not hear it?
"Nervous?" he asked, bringing back Musa's attention.
Musa quickly pulled herself together and pulled out her façade. "No."
The prince's smirk grew. "Liar."
Before Musa got deny it, the hold on her waist tightened and the prince leant his forehead on hers.
"Just act as you did before," Riven whispered. "I will have to as well but know that what I do and say in those moments is not real. What I do and say to you now, is."
Musa's heart was pounding in her chest but hearing those words suddenly pushed away the nervousness she felt before. Follow his lead. That was all she had to do.
'Ah ah, oh oh…..'
That noise! Twice in the same conversation? That was not normal. Where was it coming from? Music was forbidden but how could no one else hear it? Musa wanted to investigate further but she knew that the king could punish her for being late. Musa nodded her head in reply and fought the urge to move her hands into his hair. The prince did not pull away.
"Someone will see us, Your Highness," Musa whispered.
"Riven."
Musa playfully rolled her eyes. "You said to act as we did before."
"Not yet. As soon as we leave, we do, but not right now."
"My point still stands…Riven."
The prince smirked at Musa's compliance. "Just preparing myself for tonight and knowing that I cannot treat you like I am now."
If any other man had said that to Musa, she would have melted, but hearing Prince Riven say it, she knew it was a lie. He was saying it to the wrong person. He was saying it to Lady Musa, not her. No matter what he said, she would know that he was liking a lie and would not like the real version. Despite what he said, she can never be her true self as long as her realm was not her own.
"Riven, we must go. The king is waiting."
The prince sighed and slowly pulled himself away, Musa suddenly felt cold at the loss of his warmth. He gave her another smirk, almost reassuring her, before holding out his arm for her. Musa gently wrapped her arm around his, hearing the echo one last time. It was starting to get a little annoying. The moment her arm touched the prince's, his face went back to neutral, hiding all emotions he was feeling, and started leading them towards the dining hall.
Musa noticed the way the prince's body tensed to his normal 'I do not care' attitude. The members of the court they passed on their walk did not batter an eye as they headed for dinner. Most of the palace knew the pair had to dine with the king daily and the prince's hold on Musa was nothing but a gentleman doing what he was taught.
Soon, the familiar double doors appeared in front of them and was immediately opened. A knight in the room announced their presence. Upon seeing the king standing by one of the large windows, Musa immediately let go of the prince's arm and dropped into her usual curtsey. The prince followed suit and gave a quick bow.
"Evening, Father," Riven said with little emotion.
The king turned and gave his usual cruel looking smile to the pair.
"Evening," the king greeted to his son before casting his eyes to Musa. "Ah, Siren, always a pleasure. I see your trip with Lady Mitzi was worth it."
Musa swallowed her response. She wanted to rip the dress off and run at the king's comments. Musa kept her eyes on the floor but noticed Riven did not respond to his father's comment as she did.
"You are late though," the king said firmly, clearly displeased.
Musa's eyes widened as she stared at the ground. She knew they would be late. She had not gotten on the king's bad side in so long, now on her first day with the prince in her pocket, she was going to be punished.
"I am surprised, Siren," the king continued as he walked closer to the pair. "I thought for sure you had learnt your lesson and left your unappealing behaviour when you started your studies. Valkarians are not late."
Musa's heart raced in her chest and the loose dress suddenly felt tight, restricting her ability to breathe. The king stopped in front of the pair, Musa suddenly seeing his shoes in her vision. Luckily for her, she was used to curtseying for long periods over the years otherwise she would have fallen face first at his shoes. She was convinced he would have loved that.
"Perhaps you need a reminder of what happens when you neglect your obligations."
Musa could not help but release a small gasp at the comment. She could not go back and face her people with another punishment. She could not risk the prince seeing her like that. Since his return, he had not witnessed her embarrassment and punishments. Musa was convinced that if he did, then he would be reminded that she was the Siren and not Lady Musa. All hope of succeeding would be lost then and there.
"Father," Riven jumped in rather quickly.
The king's gaze tore away from Musa's curtseying form and stared at his son with suspicion. The prince, his face remaining neutral and his tone void of concern, rolled his eyes at his father.
"What do you mean Valkarians are never late? I am late all the time."
The king glared at his son. "Yes, unfortunately you are. My statement remains true."
"Our tardiness was my doing, Father. I forgot to escort her to dinner."
'Ah ah, oh oh…'
The echo! There it was again. Musa was starting to get desperate at knowing where it was coming from and why it only appeared at certain times. In fact, why only appearing today? Musa was shocked to hear the prince defend her. Defending her would break his façade. He never defended her in public before unless it was in his own interests. They were doomed.
"Are you defending the Siren?"
'Ah ah, oh oh…'
Yep…..doomed. Musa closed her eyes and prayed that they would make out of dinner unscathed. What was clear to her though was the fact that she was the only one hearing the echo. She suddenly felt a slight heat over her chest, right where the crystal around her neck laid. Musa's eyes moved from the floor to her chest and was relieved to find the crystal not glowing. So why did she feel heat? Perhaps it was her nerves. The prince was silent for a few seconds as he stared at his father with a bored facial expression.
"I am protecting our interests," the prince eventually replied. "How do you think it would look to punish her when the prince does the same?"
It did not go unnoticed by Musa right then and there that he had yet to address her as the Siren in his father's presence. What was he doing? He practically volunteered to be punished with her! Their cover was so blown.
"The Melodians would not appreciate that from their king. There has been no reason for a fight. Let us not create one."
The two royals were silent as they stared at each other with a terrified Melodian at their feet. Musa started to shake in one of her legs from the lack of blood flow. She needed to stand or sit as soon as possible.
"But," the prince said, tearing his gaze and moving to take a seat at the table. "I am not the king, Father. Do so as you wish."
The king turned and watched as Riven sat down and draped his arm over the back of his chair with disinterest. After a few more seconds of silence, the king finally spoke.
"Siren," he said, causing Musa to jump, his back still towards her. "Sit down at the table."
Musa wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and throttle the prince all at once. He almost blew their cover. It was clear that the king's actions towards Musa may prove to be the prince's weakness unless he fixed it quick. Musa did not plan for that. The warmth on her chest soon disappeared as Musa quickly rose to her feet with grace.
"Yes, Your Highness," Musa immediately replied as she walked over to the table and elegantly sat down in her seat, opposite the prince.
Musa kept her gaze down at the table as she normally did and waited for the king to sit in his chair. The room was silent as the king walked over to his seat and sat down. Within seconds, waiters appeared from the back of the room and placed dishes before them.
"Do not be late again. Either of you," the king warned before he started his meal.
Musa dared not look in the prince's direction and instead obediently replied and quietly enjoyed her meal. It took a few minutes for the tension in the air to disappear before the king and prince started talking. Luckily, like with other dinners, Musa spent the evening quietly eating and only answering the king's questions when directed while he spoke to his son about politics or training. The pair got off lucky, but Musa felt dread in the pit of her stomach that told her it would not last much longer. Whether the prince wanted it to or not, the king was going to find out. Musa just hoped that it was on her terms, not anyone else's.
Two hours later, the king excused himself to take a glass of scotch in his study. Musa and Riven stood from their seats and bowed or curtseyed as he left the dining room with the knight right behind him. The doors slammed shut behind them, leaving the pair in silence. Musa, afraid to look at Riven, continued to stare at the doors with worry. She was pulled from her thoughts when footsteps sounded near her, and a body stood before her. The prince's face remained neutral as he took her hand and gently threaded it through his arm, never once taking his eyes off her. Musa nodded her head in thanks at the distraction and allowed Riven to escort her back to her room. The pair were silent as they made their way back to her suite, knowing there would be one of few places they could really talk alone without fear of being caught.
Musa was caught up in her thoughts as she replayed the evening over in her head. They were so close to being discovered. So close to the plan blowing up completely and it had Musa terrified. Perhaps this whole thing was a bad idea. She should have gotten her information a different way. The prince was unpredictable. Her and Tecna did not factor that in with their plan. How could they pull off hiding the relationship when they could barely make it through dinner?
Suddenly, the pair stopped walking, bringing Musa out of her train of thought. She realised that they had already made it to her suite. Riven turned to face Musa, her arm falling away from his, and finally released his neutral façade. He gave her a small smile and placed his hands on her arms, gently pulling her against him again. On reflex, Musa placed her hands on his chest but dared not look at him.
"Are you alright?" Riven asked quietly.
Musa did not know how to respond. She was scared, confused, relieved all at once. She did not even have the strength to put on her Lady Musa façade. She was so tired. It did not help that she was hearing voices, and she was hearing it again now. It happened whether the pair were alone or not so why was it happening?
"Hey," Riven said, taking her chin in his hand and lifting her eyes to his. "Talk to me."
Oh, how Musa wished that were true. Lady Musa cannot talk to anyone outside of her friends. Musa cannot be herself in this palace. The prince wanted to hear Lady Musa talk, not her.
"I….I am fine," Musa eventually replied, putting on a small smile.
"You and I both know that is a lie."
Musa was silent in response. What could she say? She was scared to death that his father was going to punish her in front of him and her own people? He is a Valkarian. He could not and would not understand.
"I am sorry he said what he did when we arrived."
Musa's eyes widened as she stared at the prince. Since when does a Valkarian apologise?! Is that not what he had been telling her for weeks? Was she in the twilight zone? Or being pranked? There was something up. The prince smirked at Musa's response.
"To quote you: even though it is un-Valkarian, today it is needed."
Musa could not help the small laugh that escaped her mouth at the prince's response. The look that suddenly appeared on the prince's face was one that Musa had not seen before. It was not shock for there was a small smile to it. It was something that Musa could not pinpoint.
'Ah ah, oh oh…'
"You will not be harmed, Musa," the prince whispered, breaking the silence. "I promised you that."
"I guess you did."
"I am strong enough to admit that dinner was challenging, particularly watching him threaten you with…..punishment." The hands on her arms moved to wrap around her waist, tightening slightly."
"I…..I hope you never have to see it," Musa said honestly.
"It will not happen again," Riven said firmly.
"You cannot say that, Riven," Musa began before she could stop herself. "You could be shipped off for another mission and then what? You cannot promise me that. You should not promise me that."
"I can and will. If that happens, if I am sent away, you will be protected. It will not happen again."
"But it did!" Musa burst out, struggling to keep her mouth shut. "You left for school. As children I had it less, but it got worse as I grew up. Riven, I appreciate your words, but you cannot promise that. I must obey the king and will endeavour to do so-"
Musa was cut short by the prince's lips crashing on hers. The arms around her waist tightened as one hand trailed up her back, sending shivers down her spine. The kiss took her breath away, making her forget what she was about to say next.
"I am aware what my family has put you through," the prince panted out as his forehead leant against hers.
Musa was panting too after parting from the prince. Did he really know what his family put her through? He cannot know what it is like to kiss the son of her enemy. He cannot know what it is like to know his father ordered her mother's death. He cannot know how her people have suffered by his family. He may be nice to her, but it was because she was Lady Musa, not Princess Musa of Melody. If he truly meant those words, he would have fought his father, stopping what he was doing to Melody.
"You will be protected. Things will change."
"You mean when you are king."
The prince did not respond to Musa for they both knew she was right. He would only change things when he was king, if his feelings remained the same. If the rebellion failed. But he still meant that he would claim her kingdom as his own, and that left ice in Musa's veins. That is why she cannot indulge in her fantasies, why she cannot let her mixed feelings compromise her mission, for at the end of the day Riven still thought that he would become king of Melody and Valkaris.
"You should get to bed," Riven whispered before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I will see you for our training session."
Even though Musa knew it was not a question, she still nodded her head in response. The prince did not remove himself from her though.
"After tonight, I need to ask this again. Do you still want to take this risk?"
For the rebellion, Musa would do anything.
"Yes."
The prince gave another kiss to Musa's lips before removing himself entirely. He bid Musa goodnight and watched as she returned the sentiment and closed her suite door behind her. For the second time that day, Musa was telling the truth. She would do anything for the rebellion and was willing to take the risk.
So what did you all think? Worth the wait? I hope so!
Let me know what you think :)
~AngelAlexandra~
