Elyon was pacing in her room like a caged tiger. A week. That's how long she has been locked away, without the knowledge of the outside world. After a few days of sulking and thinking of the fundamental unfairness of this world, her brother being an ass, and worrying about Cedric, she got bored. There was no internet, TV, or mobile phones, so after a while, crazy boredom set it. Elyon tried to read, but most of the books lacked sophistication or a deeper understanding of the culture required, so she stopped trying to find a good romance novel. One book caught her attention, about local legends and beliefs. According to it, the Meridian royal line was gifted magic by the Guardian of Metamoor. Once she asked Cedric about how her magic came to be. He told the tale of a battle with unimaginable evil, where the planet's Guardian was injured beyond belief and was too weak to continue his duties. He won the battle with the help of a sorceress. For the aid received, the Guardian gifted part of his magic, as a substitute replacement for himself, and asked to be laid to sleep. Never to be seen again. And the sorcerer became the first Queen of Metamoor. It was a fascinating tale. The legend of the Guardian remained a certain point in religion, and they even made theater plays about it and had festivals in his honor.
Another thing, like clockwork, her lessons continued. Elyon would have been grateful for the distraction. However, if she sees another embroidery needle, she's going to start screaming in frustration. The etiquette lessons were driving her mad. How to sit, how to stand, how to eat, how to dance. The examples of proper activities required of the lady of the respectable lineage. It was stifling and archaic to her modern sensibilities. The head matron was a strict teacher. She ran the castle like a well-oiled machine, from the cooks to the maids, even down to the stable hands. Everybody had their place in society. Also, there were history, law, and economics. Everything was so different from what she knew that her head spun with information crammed inside. It would not be that bad if the magic lesions with Cedric continued. He always explained additional questions she asked, but... He was unavailable. That's what her guards said after the first time of trying to sneak out and politely escorted her back inside the room. It felt like living in history, only it included magic. If she grew up in Meridian, it would be easier to adapt to this life, yet it was hard. Overall, she could finally think clearly in weeks, as all the anger had just suddenly disappeared. Sometimes her chest hurt, and Elyon wondered if something was wrong with her heart, but there was nobody to ask for guidance.
Her only other interaction was with a maid who brought her food and cleaned the room. She chatted with her but was still a bit unaccustomed to the general use of the status of every person. The deference they excluded quickly got old because she was above them all. A Princess. A future Queen. Even if they did not know about it, yet. She still could not fathom all the responsibilities the titles required of her. It just felt like an enormous burden. Elyon wondered if, someday, she could change the world into a better modern version of Earth. This world was old-fashioned and too bloody. She still had nightmares, hearing the flesh being torn apart by the whip.
There was a knock on the door. And a young woman entered wearing a dark gray uniform. It was a long, puffy skirt with a tunic-like shirt that acted as an apron, being elongated in the front, and hairs were pulled under a small embroidered hat.
'My lady.' She curtsied in greeting, placing a covered tray on the table. 'I brought you supper.' The woman smiled, setting down a basket of bread, butter, jam, meats, and fruits on the table. Elyon missed good old-fashioned pizza, but this was a healthy meal, and she could not complain about the simply delicious food when her skin became brighter by the day, getting rid of the artificial chemicals from inside.
'Thank you, Flora,' Elyon smiled at the maid. 'Any news from outside?'
'Maybe, my lady,' the girl whispered and listened intently to what was happening outside the door.
'What?' Elyon looked confused but stopped when the maid motioned to remain silent. Soon she heard two quiet thuds from outside.
'Apologies, my lady. I was waiting for a sign. The guards should be asleep. I offered them some fruit cakes laced with sleeping syrup. We have an hour at most to get out and come back in,' Flora politely explained, withdrawing another servant's uniform from the bottom of the basket.
'Quickly, miss, dress up! Lord Cedric awaits.' She promptly handed her well-worn clothes and motioned to undress. Elyon felt blood instantly rushing into her head. Finally, something was happening. Hastily putting on the offered clothes, she felt elated. And soon they ran through the shadowed corners of the castle to the secret meeting place.
Phobos was relaxed. No annoying nobles required his immediate attention. For once, he finished work in the early evening and had free time to roam to his heart's content. Undecided what to do, the Prince went to the stables. The building was large and stood at the edge of the castle, housing the horses and war rhinos. The big hunkering beasts were bred for battle. Every stall was clean and full of hay, and he could smell the leather and sweat of the horses. Underneath it, all was a heady odor of manure. His Guardian side rejoiced, feeling closer to the animals. He could not understand their language anymore, but feel every living being in the vicinity and interpret their moods. From the noble's horses, down to the cat and her kittens in the corner of the hay bay. She was happily purring, feeling all warm and content. The life she created was so innocent, small, and warm. The kittens felt like small balls of fur, satisfied with their little piece of home. Going down to the hall, Phobos stood before a magnificent silver steed, greeted by the loud snort and a hoof digging the ground. He caressed the muzzle and strong neck, marveling at the pure strength of the animal. It was his horse. He grew him from the small foal, and now the steed wanted to run. Phobos could feel the impatient request to hurry up and ride out to the freedom of the open fields and forests.
'Soon, Arian, my friend...' He scratched the pale horse mane and was awarded with a satisfied neigh that shook the stall walls. Other horses responded to the steed's joy with jealous and encouraging sounds. As soon as he decided to open the stall, the proximity wards reacted to someone coming, and Phobos closed his eyes in annoyance. He hid, melting into the shadows at the corner of the stall. Sharing the space with a cat who hissed at the intruder in her space. He patted her head in a comforted manner, calming the animal. Two maids entered the stables, or it appeared that way. Looking closer, he noticed the distinct pale hair falling out of one woman's hat. Phobos almost growled, recognizing her magic. What was Elyon doing here? This was a violation of her grounding and how did she get out of the rooms? He examined the maid, retaining her appearance in his mind. How dare they defy his orders?
He almost stepped out of the shadows when a third figure appeared. Cedric. Well, that explained a lot. Nobody else could have gone against his wishes, and Cedric was recently released from the hospital. Deciding against causing a scene, Phobos observed, wanting to know why they were meeting behind his back. For one, it was a plus in Cedric's planning. Elyon will definitely trust him now. It was very infuriating to be uninformed about those plans. Cedric once again blurred the lines of his orders. He will have to do something about it because feeling like an eavesdropper was not on his agenda of the day.
Elyon's hands sweated. She was nervous. Being outside was freeing, but at the same time, she was afraid of someone seeing her. What capital punishment would her brother decide to appoint to her for defying his orders again? She did not want to test his patience. Especially not after seeing the display in the throne hall. He was ruthless and commanding, and Elyon had a healthy dose of fear over him. At the same time, she wanted to test her boundaries, and the excitement of doing something forbidden caused her heart to beat faster. She refused to be an obedient little lady. It was not in her blood.
'My lady, come here.' Flora opened the double wood door, motioning her inside the brightly lit, spacious hall. The first thing she noted, was the distinct smell of hay combined with a bitter mix of other odors. Then observed the animals and saddles and other things lined along the walls. She had already seen how a war rhino looked, but the vast rooms they housed in were something else. Elyon never went into the stables. Actually, she did not have the opportunity to explore the castle grounds.
'Miss, if you excuse me, I will wait by the door. Lord Cedric should arrive any minute now.' The maid nodded to her and hurriedly rushed away.
When Cedric entered, Elyon felt relief hit her like a ton of bricks. He looked great, way better than the last image of him all bloody and hurting. His long hair was braided, and he wore a simple ensemble of a stiff white shirt with a high collar and gray pants. Elyon did not even realize she was stepping closer to his approaching form.
'Cedric…' she greeted in a breathless whisper. 'I'm glad you are okay.'
'Elyon,' he nodded. 'Apologies for the abrupt breakout, but I thought you would like some freedom after being cooped up in your suite for a week.'
'Well, this certainly beats my room. I was going stir crazy, even with all the lessons. 'How are you? The last time we met… I am sorry you were hurt because of me…' Elyon bit into her lip, conveying how conflicted everything was. In a way, she was responsible for his punishment. Yet, it has been hard to think about the situation objectively because of the exposure to the cutthroat and bloodthirsty reality of the Court.
'Somebody had to take the fall for the incident. I have represented a better example. You must not blame your brother. It is not the first time he has had to assume a particular stand in unexpected affairs.' Cedric carefully hid a grimace, recalling the pain inflicted on his person. The political games they engaged in were not something Elyon would understand, and the Prince's decisions were a mystery to everyone other than himself. Even this meeting was more for his benefit than anyone else. Elyon had to trust them. Getting her out of imprisonment even for a while would gather some points in their favor. He still could not believe Phobos offered his sister a silver platter. His calculating mind saw advantages and many more disadvantages. For now, he wanted to remain her friend, confidant, and teacher. Any unnecessary feelings would complicate matters, as she was prone to impulsive behavior.
'Can you honestly tell me you are feeling all right? I still have nightmares about this whole thing…' Elyon frowned thoughtfully, trying to inspect Cedric's body language for any apparent anomalies.
'I am currently fine. The healers undoubtedly did an excellent job. Elyon, you can relax. There was no lasting damage.' He tried reassuring her, feeling the searching gaze.
'Prove it!' Elyon demanded, steadfastly looking into his eyes.
'I beg your pardon?' Cedric asked, astonished at this girl's boldness. At the same time, his mind worked in overdrive, trying to see the benefits of the action.
'Show me there is no injury, or I will stay in this spot until somebody finds us and we both get in trouble.' Elyon pressed, wanting to make sure everything was fine. Yet, she couldn't believe she said it, feeling mortified and giddy at the same time.
'As your Princess, I command you.' Elyon held Cedric's contemplative gaze, trying to appear aloof and not eager. This was one chance in a million to see a perfect male body up close. Later in her room, she will die from embarrassment.
'Fine, but… After this, your maid will escort you back to the castle' Cedric gritted his teeth, annoyed by the unforeseen power play. It was going against basic etiquette and would be regarded as inappropriate behavior, yet the orders were clear. Do everything in his power to keep Elyon on their side. And possibly, he recognized some benefits in that. It was always good to have options in case of emergency and the Princess represented one wild string in this convoluted web.
Slowly unbuttoning his shirt Cedric smirked. Two can play this game. Little by little, the pale unblemished skin was unveiled, and then the lean athletic muscles of the stomach. He opened up the immaculate shirt and slowly slid it down from his shoulders, then chuckled and turned around, showing a perfectly healed back. After a few breathless seconds of suspension, he neatly dressed up again.
Elyon realized she was in deep trouble after seeing the long fingers painfully slowly unfastening the buttons. With every step, increasingly more skin was exposed, and her mouth dried out following each move. Her heart speeded in her chest with anticipation and shyness. When all alluring canvas was revealed, Elyon blushed, trailing her gaze on naked skin. Her fingers trembled with a want to caress it, but as she involuntarily stepped closer, the display was over.
'Everything to your satisfaction?' Cedric inquired, looking very smug.
'Ahh… Yes, you look good… Thanks for the show… I mean, thank you for meeting me…' Elyon stammered out, looking at his shoes. Her cheeks were on fire. 'I think I will go now… Bye.' She mumbled and quickly ran away. Seeing the flustered girl, Cedric chuckled. The sound of his laughter accompanied her out of the stables.
Then, out of the blue, silent claps echoed in the hall as Phobos emerged from the shadows. 'My, my, Cedric, what an unexpected and marvelous performance.' He praised the general.
'My Lord?' Cedric asked, startled out of his mind.
'I cannot decide if I should feel angered by your disregard of communication between us or commend you in your actions towards Elyon.' Phobos stood beside him and tilted his head in contemplation.
'My apologies, Prince' He put his hand on the heart and bowed in deference.
'Cedric, for whatever reason, you always try to vex me?' Phobos lifted an eyebrow in arrogance.
'I did not intend to keep this meeting secret, my Lord. I had to act swiftly and would have reported to you after everything…' the general explained, trying to appear unembarrassed by the circumstances he was found in.
'I believe you...' his chin was lifted and icy blue eyes bore into his face. 'There will be no next time. I want to know about each move you make, and every step Elyon takes. No more secrets or you will regret it. Sometimes the lesson has to stick. Remember it well, Cedric.' Cold fingers released their hold.
'Definitely, my Lord!' Cedric bowed even lower.
'Get up! I wanted to have a joy ride. However, plans change. Vathek requested an inspection of the building site for the new barracks, and I want to meet the troops. Saddle your horse. We have work to undertake.' Phobos commanded, promptly preparing for a venture out.
Cedric arose and nodded, going to prepare the horse. After carefully putting on the required harness with the saddle, he double-checked the steed and brought it to the yard. Placing a foot into the stirrup, Cedric mounted the horse and slowly trotted to the already waiting figure of Prince Phobos. Before long, the two experienced riders were sprinting through the city streets, going to their new destination.