Naetalia moved quickly down the hall. If only she could make it to her
room. It seemed the only place of solitude left. She wished that she were
still able to make it down to the stables and outdoors without the servants
almost hunting her down.
"What was that in there?"
The woman turned to the deep, annoyed voice behind her.
"Pardon me?"
"You know what I am talking about, at the dinner table. Going on about the servants."
"It was a simple question because I was concerned by the news I had heard. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"When it concerns you questioning the happenings in this castle and decisions such as mine, yes! And consorting with servants, it's an outrage. I will not have my future wife involved with such people."
His voice was raised slightly, but controlled with ease, as he seemed to glare down at her. The anger behind his eyes terrified the woman, but she vowed not to show him.
"You are not the king yet," she glared back, keeping her voice low. "And if I notice things going on that seem harmful, I will make sure that the Queen and King are both aware of the issues. If they choose not to do anything about it, then fine, that is not my place to make decisions in that, but I will not stay silent!"
He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall, causing her to cry out quietly from the pain. His hands clamped around them even harder.
"I assure you, it will not be long before I am King. And in that time you will watch that mouth of yours, or I will see that it is shut permanently. You are nothing, no one, you have no one who will come to rescue you. You have your money, yes, but I could make that all disappear in an instant if I so chose."
He pushed a little harder then finally released her, angry tears forming in her eyes.
"You'd love to see me dead and out of your way, I'm sure. But a dead woman you wouldn't be able to get money from, not yet anyway. For all your talk, you can't touch it until we're married. And you've seen to it I have no option but that. Just know I'd rather be dead than to give myself to you on that night, and until then, I won't stop trying to find a way out."
"You'll never find it!" he cried out as she quickly moved down the hall, entering her room and closing the heavy door behind her.
"All of damnation," he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. "And what do you want?"
Caytaline stood gracefully behind him, her eyes firmly set.
"We need to talk," she motioned to an empty, open room to the side. "In private."
...........
The elder woman turned quickly to the Prince as soon as the door was closed behind him.
"What do you think you are doing?" Caytaline hissed under her breath. "You think that we have come this far, gotten so close to have you blow it because you can't handle the wench?!"
The 'Prince' sneered down at her, his eyes holding an air of superiority.
"I assure you, she will learn not to question me."
He turned to the closed door and sighed absently as he moved towards an intricately carved wooden case. Opening it, he pulled a small bottle and started to pour himself some liqueur into a crystal glass.
"Though she certainly is spirited. As much fun as that could be, I know fully what trouble that could make," He turned to the woman, taking a sip. His mind seemed to drift off. "If needed, how long would it take you to deal with her like you did Kayell?"
"Ha! Is that what you'd want to have done?" she almost laughed out before moving closer. Her eyes narrowed. "Of course, pass it off to your mother again. Do you really think that first conspiracy was simple? Why do you think it took me so long? Finding the spells was time enough, but it took months to prepare him, to wait for the perfect timing, the sky alignments. I don't have time to deal with all those on her. The wedding is only a month away, the king is dying, and soon, my sister will fall as well. We must continue to prepare for that."
The young man scowled back.
"Do you forget that I play a large part in this and in helping 'prepare' as you say, mother? How long did I spend studying my cousin and his routines, his lifestyle? No, you're not the only one who's put time into this switch. This wedding will go accordingly, I will see to that. And then there's that damned frog, with all my frustrations lately, I don't want some slime ridden creature around everywhere I turn."
Caytaline's coal-gray eyes widened in shock and something that might have been fear.
"A frog?! What kind of frog? How big?"
He shot her a questioning look.
"A little one, green. She found him 'out in the cold' she said, but won't tell anyone where. The woman is starting to carry him around like a furry pet or something now. She brought it to the dinner table, if you can believe it. Disgusting."
The dignified woman turned away from her son and began laughing quietly to herself.
"You fool," she said quietly as the laughter died down. "You've let him right back into his palace."
"What are you talking about?"
"You wanted him changed so that he would be unrecognizable as the prince. It would be easy to dispose of him in a weakened state from the change, but I took it even a step further."
The man's eyes lit up with realization. He almost dropped the glass out of his hand, but quickly caught himself and uneasily put it on the case's counter.
"You changed him into a frog?!"
"Victor, it was the perfect situation, and one of the least time consuming changes, taking place under the third quarter moon in the month of cooling. Changing him into a harmless, easy to kill creature. No one would ever think twice about it."
"Except for a certain bride-to-be of course," he scoffed. He turned worriedly to her. "Would he remember anything in that form?"
"No, no I don't think so," she commented thoughtfully. "I've never tried something of this degree before. I've had some time to change a creature to another, but they never really had the ability to tell me if they understood anything to begin with, let alone after."
"But it could be possible that he'll start remembering? Even if he doesn't yet?"
"Well, yes, it could be possible, but the chances."
"The chances that he would be saved by my fiancée of all people is proof enough that chances could work against us."
"So don't take them then," the woman spit out harshly. "Confine the girl to her quarters and find that frog! I need to go study that spell some more to see if there's anything I missed, anything that could reverse it. We can't have him messing things up."
"Maybe if you had gotten it right to begin with, we wouldn't have this problem," Victor remarked with an angry glare.
"This is easily solved, you just do your part and no one will know the better."
Lady Caytaline twirled away from her son and opened the door to the hall, disappearing behind it.
"What was that in there?"
The woman turned to the deep, annoyed voice behind her.
"Pardon me?"
"You know what I am talking about, at the dinner table. Going on about the servants."
"It was a simple question because I was concerned by the news I had heard. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"When it concerns you questioning the happenings in this castle and decisions such as mine, yes! And consorting with servants, it's an outrage. I will not have my future wife involved with such people."
His voice was raised slightly, but controlled with ease, as he seemed to glare down at her. The anger behind his eyes terrified the woman, but she vowed not to show him.
"You are not the king yet," she glared back, keeping her voice low. "And if I notice things going on that seem harmful, I will make sure that the Queen and King are both aware of the issues. If they choose not to do anything about it, then fine, that is not my place to make decisions in that, but I will not stay silent!"
He grabbed her wrists and pushed her against the wall, causing her to cry out quietly from the pain. His hands clamped around them even harder.
"I assure you, it will not be long before I am King. And in that time you will watch that mouth of yours, or I will see that it is shut permanently. You are nothing, no one, you have no one who will come to rescue you. You have your money, yes, but I could make that all disappear in an instant if I so chose."
He pushed a little harder then finally released her, angry tears forming in her eyes.
"You'd love to see me dead and out of your way, I'm sure. But a dead woman you wouldn't be able to get money from, not yet anyway. For all your talk, you can't touch it until we're married. And you've seen to it I have no option but that. Just know I'd rather be dead than to give myself to you on that night, and until then, I won't stop trying to find a way out."
"You'll never find it!" he cried out as she quickly moved down the hall, entering her room and closing the heavy door behind her.
"All of damnation," he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes. "And what do you want?"
Caytaline stood gracefully behind him, her eyes firmly set.
"We need to talk," she motioned to an empty, open room to the side. "In private."
...........
The elder woman turned quickly to the Prince as soon as the door was closed behind him.
"What do you think you are doing?" Caytaline hissed under her breath. "You think that we have come this far, gotten so close to have you blow it because you can't handle the wench?!"
The 'Prince' sneered down at her, his eyes holding an air of superiority.
"I assure you, she will learn not to question me."
He turned to the closed door and sighed absently as he moved towards an intricately carved wooden case. Opening it, he pulled a small bottle and started to pour himself some liqueur into a crystal glass.
"Though she certainly is spirited. As much fun as that could be, I know fully what trouble that could make," He turned to the woman, taking a sip. His mind seemed to drift off. "If needed, how long would it take you to deal with her like you did Kayell?"
"Ha! Is that what you'd want to have done?" she almost laughed out before moving closer. Her eyes narrowed. "Of course, pass it off to your mother again. Do you really think that first conspiracy was simple? Why do you think it took me so long? Finding the spells was time enough, but it took months to prepare him, to wait for the perfect timing, the sky alignments. I don't have time to deal with all those on her. The wedding is only a month away, the king is dying, and soon, my sister will fall as well. We must continue to prepare for that."
The young man scowled back.
"Do you forget that I play a large part in this and in helping 'prepare' as you say, mother? How long did I spend studying my cousin and his routines, his lifestyle? No, you're not the only one who's put time into this switch. This wedding will go accordingly, I will see to that. And then there's that damned frog, with all my frustrations lately, I don't want some slime ridden creature around everywhere I turn."
Caytaline's coal-gray eyes widened in shock and something that might have been fear.
"A frog?! What kind of frog? How big?"
He shot her a questioning look.
"A little one, green. She found him 'out in the cold' she said, but won't tell anyone where. The woman is starting to carry him around like a furry pet or something now. She brought it to the dinner table, if you can believe it. Disgusting."
The dignified woman turned away from her son and began laughing quietly to herself.
"You fool," she said quietly as the laughter died down. "You've let him right back into his palace."
"What are you talking about?"
"You wanted him changed so that he would be unrecognizable as the prince. It would be easy to dispose of him in a weakened state from the change, but I took it even a step further."
The man's eyes lit up with realization. He almost dropped the glass out of his hand, but quickly caught himself and uneasily put it on the case's counter.
"You changed him into a frog?!"
"Victor, it was the perfect situation, and one of the least time consuming changes, taking place under the third quarter moon in the month of cooling. Changing him into a harmless, easy to kill creature. No one would ever think twice about it."
"Except for a certain bride-to-be of course," he scoffed. He turned worriedly to her. "Would he remember anything in that form?"
"No, no I don't think so," she commented thoughtfully. "I've never tried something of this degree before. I've had some time to change a creature to another, but they never really had the ability to tell me if they understood anything to begin with, let alone after."
"But it could be possible that he'll start remembering? Even if he doesn't yet?"
"Well, yes, it could be possible, but the chances."
"The chances that he would be saved by my fiancée of all people is proof enough that chances could work against us."
"So don't take them then," the woman spit out harshly. "Confine the girl to her quarters and find that frog! I need to go study that spell some more to see if there's anything I missed, anything that could reverse it. We can't have him messing things up."
"Maybe if you had gotten it right to begin with, we wouldn't have this problem," Victor remarked with an angry glare.
"This is easily solved, you just do your part and no one will know the better."
Lady Caytaline twirled away from her son and opened the door to the hall, disappearing behind it.