Author's Note: Many thanks and hugs to Rynne, who really helped fixing up this chapter, even though I must have confused her so much.
Chapter 4 - Hidden Enemies
Lucius was in love with Narcissa Black. He has been in love with Narcissa ever since he first met her eight years ago, when he was just thirteen years old.
It had been a short, diplomatic visit to the Gryffindor Kingdom with his father, but Lucius could never forget it.
Slytherin, back then, was always in disagreement with the other two kingdoms, Hufflepuff in the West and Ravenclaw in the East, and they were constantly bickering with one another. Slytherins were known for their deceits and bribery, and because of that, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff hated them. It didn't help the matter at all when the Eastern kingdoms found out that there were Slytherin spies within their territories. The truth came pouring out then.
For about five years, Slytherins had received much politically important information that was vital to the survival of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. It was unacceptable for Slytherin to break a sacred truce, formed long ago, and invade their privacy. For that very reason, the two kingdoms joined forces to fight Slytherin off for good.
Outnumbered, the Slytherin king looked to Gryffindor for help, and that was how fate led Lucius to his soul mate.
Narcissa was beautiful, even at the age of twelve, with hair as dark as ebony and eyes as gray as the smoke of war. Her smile was of a wicked and sensuous, her red lips curving coyly. She carried the air of a royal maiden, full of pride and superiority. She spoke like a queen, and when she looked at him, he knew there was no other woman in this world that could make him feel the way she did.
He had intended to make her his wife once she came of age, and he still wanted her, but she did not want him.
Green fire blazed in his eyes as he remembered how she had rejected him, remembered the way she had looked at Sirius Black, with desire, and longing, and... love.
It drove Lucius mad, thinking about it. What was there about Sirius that he, Lucius Malfoy, did not have? Was it Sirius' recklessness? His indifference? His cold exterior, his dark eyes that showed an even darker heart? How could she even think that a man like that could ever love her the way Lucius would? Lucius was passionate about her; he worshipped her like a goddess, he dreamed about her every night and thought of her every day, he went against his father's words and refused to get married, waiting for her, and yet, she still did not want him.
It was different now. Lucius was no longer a boy. He was now King of Slytherin, and he would have her.
But first, Sirius Black must be eliminated from this world, and he planned to do just that.
-
James was watching Sirius.
James had been sitting there, in Sirius' room for a long time, watching Sirius munching on his food while staring off into space. James found this very amusing, since Sirius was rarely seen so out of it. It was time like this that James remembered Sirius was still just a teenage boy, young and wild and still had a lot to learn. He chuckled slightly and shook his head.
The sound brought Sirius back to the present, and he frowned suspiciously at James. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Nothing, my prince," James snickered. He took a look at Sirius's confused face and started laughing in earnest. Sirius looked like his dignity was hurt.
James shook his head, taking a deep breath to compose himself. "Forgive me, I was hit with an unstoppable impulse to laugh," he said, his voice mocking, just like it did every time he spoke to Sirius as if he was a prince and not his best friend. Speaking like that proved quite dangerous when there were people around them, but James didn't care. He didn't care much except when it came to Sirius and his well-being. Like all the lords and ladies raised in the palace, he was taught superiority and indifference at a young age. James sometimes realized that he spoke like a spoiled, rotten person and he felt bad for doing so. He felt disgusted at himself when he saw the servants looking at him with fearful eyes. Servants were humans, and there was no need for them to feel threatened by the people they served. Not many shared the same thoughts as he, though.
"James."
James looked up, and saw Sirius' blank expression. It shouldn't have unsettled him, since Sirius looked like that most of the time, but there was something strange present in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" James asked.
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. James raised an eyebrow. Sirius looked as if he didn't know how to express what he wanted to say into words. Another very rare thing that didn't usually happen. "You know you can tell me anything," James said encouragingly.
Sirius ran a hand through his black hair, frustrated. He paused in his movement, as if thinking, and then breathed in deeply. "Have you ever felt... close to someone you've just met?" Sirius said, the words sounding lame to his ears.
"Not that I can think of," James answered, eyeing Sirius. "Why?"
"Nothing," Sirius said automatically.
"Sirius," James said, standing up from his seat and went over to sit down next to Sirius on the floor. "You can't lie to me even if you wanted to, and you don't, so why even try?"
Sirius didn't look at him, instead, he settling his eyes on the painting of himself, riding the stallion like a fearsome fighter. "I'm not trying to lie to you," he said softly.
"Sirius," James let out an irritated sigh. "I hate it when you refuse to tell me things that trouble you. Do you think that I cannot help to ease your pain?"
Sirius turned his angry eyes to James. "You know not of what I'm thinking, so don't assume..."
"Then tell me what you're thinking!" James cut him off, glaring right back. "I thought I was your best friend. Why do you insist on hiding your thoughts from me?" Sirius looked surprised at James' outburst. It was not often that James got mad.
"I'm not trying to hide things from you," Sirius told him. "You know who I am, what I am raised up to be like, do you not?"
James' eyes softened, and he regretted his words. It really wasn't Sirius' fault. If it weren't because of his accursed family, Sirius would never have become the person he was now - a miserable boy with too many black stains blotting his innocent heart.
And the bitterest thing was that Sirius didn't even know how wretched and unhappy he was.
James put his hand on Sirius' shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said such a thing."
"Forget it," Sirius said. "It doesn't matter, anyway."
And yet, James knew it really did.
-
"Really, I can do this by myself," Remus said for the fifth time, smiling politely at the woman who was holding his clothes.
The woman shook her head. "Lord James said to treat you with the utmost respect and make you feel as comfortable as I can," she said matter-of-factly.
"But you don't have to do this," Remus assured her, holding out his hands for the garments. "It'd make me more comfortable dressing myself, honest."
She didn't look convinced at his words. "I can't. If Lord James finds out, I'll be in trouble. Now, why don't you stand up so I can dress you and be on my way?"
"No, I can..." But Remus' words were cut off because the woman pulled the blanket away from his naked form and dragged him out of bed. Remus turned red. "Really, I..."
"Hush now," she said gently, hiding a smile as she put the silk tunic on him. "You are very shy," she commented.
Remus tried hard not to blush, but his effort proved to be in vain when he felt his cheeks burned as if they were on fire. "No one had seen me... unclothed in a long time..." he said, and bit his lower lip, remembering exactly who had seen him naked just two days ago.
The woman chuckled. "You'd best get used to it now, as you're the prince's special guest and would be treated with much luxury as long as you're in the palace."
Remus felt his heart jumped a beat at that. The prince's special guest? he thought. What's that supposed to mean? "Um..." he turned around, so she could tie the sash around his waist. "Do you know what the prince is planning to do with me?"
She smiled brightly. "It's not my place to speak about such things, but from what I've seen, the prince has taken a liking to you." She smiled softly at him then, gesturing for Remus to sit down. She began to brush his hair gently. "I've never seen the prince being so nice to anyone, especially toward someone he doesn't know too well."
"I..." Remus was wordless. From what he'd seen, the prince seemed very unfriendly. He always had this fierce look in his eyes, like a fire that was ready to burn anything in its path into soot.
But there was one time that Sirius looked at him differently, and Remus could never forget it. Sirius' eyes were soft, like melted ice, cold, yes, but not derived of the warmth nestling in his heart. Remus couldn't remember seeing sadder eyes, beautiful, sad, and passionate with a kind of wildness in them. Sirius' gaze burned in his mind, and Remus felt a tingle whenever he thought of it.
Absorbed in his thoughts as he was, Remus missed the question the woman asked. "Pardon me?"
Her smile was kind when he turned around to look at her. "What do you think of the prince?" she repeated.
"I..." Remus began, but he didn't know what to say to her. What did he think of Sirius, really? He was violent, most certainly, hostile, definitely, and inexplicably sad. "I saw him behead someone," Remus said quietly.
"The prince is not a bad person at heart," she told him, fixing the collar of his shirt. "He was raised that way, and kindness is still a foreign word to him, so don't judge him just yet."
"You seem to know a lot about him," Remus said, looking up at her.
She smiled, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Of course," she said fondly. "He was the one who saved my life." Remus' head perked up in interest.
"I was fifteen, and the prince was just ten years old," she began, her eyes becoming misty with her own memories. "My family sold me to the palace for money, and back then, I was the servant of the Longbottoms. They were very kind to me, especially the cousin of Lord Frank Longbottom, Jonathan. He was always looking out for me, even teaching me how to read. I always came to him for help, but he proved to be just like every other lord in the palace, salacious and greedy.
"I remember that year's harvest was very successful, and we had a celebration that night. I was helping with the food, but then Jonathan came. He looked a bit drunk, and asked me to escort him back to his room." She let out a wan smile. "Everything happened in a blur. All I knew was that he was on me in an instant, and then in another moment, I had killed him."
Remus gasped, but she did not hear him and carried on with her story. "He screamed, and I saw blood everywhere - on my hands, my face, and yet he kept on bleeding. I was so afraid. I didn't know what to do, and so I covered him with the bed sheets and fled the room. A guard saw me, and raised the alarm. I was captured that night.
"It would have been the end for me, but the prince came, and listened to my story. He was young, and yet very disciplined, and his punishment for me was to bury the body. After that, he forbade anyone to touch me. It was because of him that I did not lose my job, and became a servant here at the Potter household," she turned to Remus and smiled then. "I'm sorry. It must be quite dreary for you to listen to such a tedious story."
Remus shook his head quickly. "No, it wasn't," he answered. "I understand." And he really did.
"The prince is not bad, you see. He's very cute, too, at times," she said, her voice carrying an adoring note to it. "I'm sure you'll find that out in time." She winked at Remus, much to his confusion. "I must go now, it's getting late. I'll come back later with your dinner, Remus."
She hastened to the door, but Remus' quiet voice stopped her. "I still don't know your name."
"It's Molly," she said.
Remus allowed himself a smile. "Thank you... Molly."
"You're welcome," she replied, her kind eyes twinkling. Quietly she exited the room, leaving Remus alone in his thoughts.
-
Sirius was on his way to the king's chamber. It was after dark, and Sirius was not in the best mood, like he never was when it concerned his father. The king had requested his presence, and his order could not go unheeded, so here he was, walking down the corridor with a short, plump man guiding him.
Sirius wondered what there was to talk about with his father, whom he had not spoken to in a long time - not that he wanted to talk to him. The king irritated him. He constantly spoke of women and conquests and power. Sirius was bored at the very ideas. Now, as he watched the flaming torch casting eerie shadows across the hall, Sirius fiddled with the golden bands on his wrists and thought of Remus.
A strange passion rose in him, whispering of dark desire and lust. It was not unfamiliar for Sirius to feel like this, for he had had his share of both women and men ever since he knew what it felt like to be physically pleasured. What was foreign, however, was the fact that Sirius didn't just want to take Remus, but to get to know him as well. It bothered Sirius very much. This was truly unknown territory. It was discombobulating, confusing, awkward, and Sirius hated those things.
The servant in front of him paused in front of a grand double door that was intricately designed with roses and phoenixes. Opening the door, the man stepped inside and announced, "Prince Sirius."
Sirius didn't even wait for the servant to tell him to go in; he just went inside.
The chamber was large and dimly lit, with a few scattered candles burning low around it. In the middle of the spacious room was the king's bed, a deep red color embroidered with golden lines that wound through each other like spider's webs. Two servants stood on each side of the bed, kneeling down as he came into view. Sirius saw that the curtains were drawn down, hiding the person lying inside. "Father," he said stiffly.
There was a moment of silent, in which absolutely nothing happened. And then, a rough, cracked voice spoke up, "Sirius."
The servants stood and parted the blood red curtains, revealing a man half lying underneath matching blankets. There was a woman lying next to him.
"You called for me," Sirius said, his eyes narrowing at the sight on the bed.
The king turned his gray, tired eyes to him. "There is something I must tell you. It is of utmost importance." To the woman, he said, "Go, you are no longer needed."
She stepped down the bed, her exposed flesh glistening in the glowing light. Sirius watched as she curtsied and left through another door, no doubt leading to the servant's hall.
The king waved his wrinkled hand, and immediately a chair was brought beside his bed. "Sit down, and we'll converse."
Sirius didn't move for a short moment, then stepped forward and situated himself on the cushioned chair. The servants bowed and exited the room.
Sirius stared ahead, not looking at his father as he spoke, "You are aware that my time is drawing nearer." Sirius didn't say anything. "It is your duty then, as the oldest son, to take over the throne."
He tensed at the words the king spoke, and yet remained silent. "I am certain you know of your importance to the kingdom, and will surely do the Blacks great honor once you're king."
Silent Sirius stayed, until his father felt his patience withering. "Sirius, speak! Are you listening to me? I am a king, as well as your father, whom you are disrespecting greatly by remaining silent."
"What do you want me to say, Father?" Sirius turned to him, his eyes cold. "I know who I am, and I've accepted my fate. If I am to rule the Gryffindor Kingdom, then so be it. There is nothing left to say, so I bid you good-night, Father." With that being said, Sirius stood and made to leave, but the king sat up and grabbed his shirt.
"Sirius," he said, "your birthday is in two weeks. Once you turn eighteen, you will take my place on the throne." Sirius stiffened, feeling his father's eyes on him. "You know what to do, then."
For a long time the only sound that could be heard was the howling wind, then Sirius answered tightly, "I do." A fleeting, painful feeling touched his heart, but Sirius ignored it and left.
The king looked as Sirius walked out of the door, then he let himself fall onto his back and closed his eyes. "He is too soft at heart still, after all that I have done," he said to himself.
Alone at last, the king prayed.
-
Despite Molly's words, Remus couldn't help but leave his room and explore the place. Unfortunately, because he didn't know the outline of the palace, he left the Potter's household as well.
The palace was a place that included all of the highest officials' homes, and since James' father was the chief advisor of the king, it made sense for his dwelling to be in it. So as Remus walked the garden of the palace and enjoyed the beauty of nature without a thought of whom the large garden belonged to, he realized that he had no idea what time it was or how long he'd been away. Remus didn't exactly care at the moment, for he was too busy gazing in awe at the stunning flowers he'd never seen before.
Absorbed in examining the blue plants on the flowerbed, Remus didn't notice a group of young girls walking his way. Well, not until one of them squealed loudly and pointed at him, "Hey! What are you doing?"
Remus jumped, his fingers, which were gently caressing the plant, retreating hastily. Clumsily Remus stood up, just as the girls reached him.
"What are you doing here?" one of them demanded, her poise and voice both arrogant and obnoxious.
"I was looking at the flowers..." Remus said slowly, wondering if he'd gotten himself into trouble.
"Do you not know whose garden you are standing in? Whose flowers you were looking and touching?" she glared at him, bending down to check on the flowers.
While she was doing so, another spoke up, "If anything happens to the flowers, I'll make sure you..."
"Enough, Jasmine," a stern voice broke through the air. "You are frightening the poor boy."
Remus looked at the speaker, and gazed on in wonder. She was breathtakingly beautiful, dressed in white and gold. Her long, ebony hair fell down her shoulders like a dark veil covering porcelain arms, swaying in the breeze as she moved closer, her red lips smiling. Remus had never seen a more beautiful woman.
"What are you staring at?" the girl called Jasmine said haughtily, hands on her hips. "Lady Narcissa is not for your unworthy eyes to look upon."
Remus immediately dropped his eyes. "I-I'm sorry."
"Too right," the other girl stood up. "Be grateful that the flowers are alright, otherwise..."
"Now now Valerie, be nice," Narcissa said sweetly. To Remus she asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here in my garden?"
"My name is Remus," he said shyly, feeling small under her scrutiny. "I was just walking around when I passed into your garden. The flowers are just so lovely I couldn't help but stop and look."
A strange look crossed Narcissa's face, and then it was gone, replaced by a brilliant smile. "Not many men I've seen are interested in my garden. Come along and we'll look at some more of my favorite flowers."
Remus smiled back at her and nodded. She's so nice, he thought and walked alongside with Narcissa, listening to her lilting voice telling him about the flowers and their uses.
A male servant was watching them from a distance, his eyes troubled as he saw Remus walking with Narcissa. Worried, he fled into another direction to tell his master about what he'd just witnessed.
-
To Be Continued...