His arms wrapped around me as he gently moved my head into a better position and lifted my arm slightly. "Your left foot needs to go back a little still," he said, his breath tickling my ear, though I knew he wasn't doing that on purpose.
I shifted, bringing us even closer together.
"Alright, now fire your spell. Use a marking spell. That way, we’ll see where you hit." He stepped back, giving me the space I needed to cast my spell without hurting him.
I took a deep breath and focused on the center of the target, letting the magic fly out of my wand. Unlike before, the spell hit exactly where it was supposed to, leaving a shower of sparks in its wake.
"I did it?" Even to myself, I sounded surprised. I turned to Topher, who was grinning broadly.
"You did. But the question is, can you do it again? Without me positioning you."
"I can try," I said eagerly. I wanted to impress him. He was a wonderful teacher, and I needed to make sure he knew that.
I got myself back into position, feeling confident as I shot off a spell. It didn't quite hit the center of the target, but it came close enough that I was going to call it a win.
"Excellent, now we just need to practice more," he said, pulling out his own wand.
The more we practiced, the more confident I felt, no doubt, because Topher didn't once make me feel like I was the weird princess the world saw.
Exhausted but exhilarated from training with Topher, I trudged back into the palace. The stairs almost seemed too much for me, but there was no other way of getting around. With one foot in front of the other, I made my way back to my room.
I was about to turn into the corridor where the royal chambers were situated when I heard voices. Intrigued, I changed my direction and crept towards the source.
It was coming from one of the hallways the servants used to get around without being seen.
The voices were louder in here, and the cobwebs were thicker. This part must not be used anymore.
"Please, Michael, don't do that," one of the voices said.
I froze in my spot. I recognized the voice. Lyss. And someone called Michael? I didn’t know any Michaels.
I peeked around the corner, my eyes widening as I took in what was in front of me.
Lyss pushed her jacket sleeve so it covered her shoulder once more, then leaned up and kissed Michael deeply. I vaguely recognized him, but couldn't place from where. Perhaps he was the son of one of the minor lords or knights. Most of their children spent time at court. When I was younger, I suspect they hoped I'd build a special friendship with some of them that could then be used to gain the monarchy's favor. I wasn't so easily swayed, and they'd stopped after a while.
"We could get caught," she whispered after ending their kiss.
"Isn't that part of the fun?" Michael responded. "Life here was so dull before you came along. That princess they have..."
I stumbled backwards. I'd seen enough, and had no desire to find out what a nobody thought of me. I exited the passage as swiftly as possible and half-ran back to my room, slamming the door shut behind me as I did.
"You shouldn't run; a red face makes you blotchy," the mirror said as soon as it noticed me.
I scowled but ignored it. I wasn't in the mood to enter into a verbal sparring match with it right now.
What should I do about Lyss? I couldn't just ignore what I'd seen. Jake had introduced her as his girlfriend. Surely, she wouldn't want to pass up someone as amazing as Jake for some random lordling?
Jake.
Should I tell him? Let him make his own mind up about what to do with Lyss? But no. There was a chance he wouldn't believe me, or worse, that he'd think I was trying to break them up and being extra weird in the process.
I took a deep breath. This wasn't something I should rush. I'd keep Lyss' secret for now, and only tell anyone if it became relevant.
With that decided, I headed over to my dressing room to get into something different to wear for dinner. Not for Jake’s benefit, I reminded myself, but he might be single soon...
A small bottle caught my eye, and I walked over to find a note from Father next to it. He'd sent the sleeping draught up for me, just like he said he would. I closed my hand around the tiny bottle. Around the only chance I had at getting a decent night's sleep. I hoped it worked because otherwise, I was going to end up dropping dead from exhaustion.
12th October
I rubbed my hand over my face, chasing away the veil of sleep. There'd been no dream. I'd slept through the night without anything disturbing it. Relief flooded through me, Father's sleep syrup had worked.
I had planned morning tea with Rhi, and then I had some work to do before I spent more time with Adam and his friends. I found Rhi in the sitting room already waiting for me.
One of the maids brought a pot of freshly brewed tea and poured a cup for each of us.
"Thank you, Delilah."
"You're welcome, Your Highness." She dipped into a curtsy.
"You can leave now," I said. "We can see to ourselves."
"Yes, Your Highness." She curtsied again and left the room.
Rhi slumped back in her seat and sighed loudly. "I don't know how you do it."
"Do what?" I racked my brains for what she could be referring to and came up blank.
"Have the servants around all the time. I've only been here a few days, and it's driving me crazy already," she admitted.
"Oh, that." I let out a good-natured laugh. "You get used to them. But if you don't want them to do certain things, you just have to tell them."
"It's that easy?" Her eyes widened.
I picked up my teacup and blew across the top of it. "The staff is here to make everyone's lives easier, that means doing what you want them to, even if it's leaving you alone."
"Thanks." She picked up her own cup and took a drink before setting it back down. "And for inviting me here this morning. It's nice to just sit."
"The boys don't give you much time for that?" It tracked with everything I knew about them. Adam had been bringing Jake with him to the palace for years, and they were always all go, all the time. It was one of the reasons I hadn't spent that much time with them until this visit. I just didn't have the time to join them when I had all of my work to focus on. The crush I had on Jake hadn't been enough to tear me away from my duties.
"They never stop. I know Lyss is with them this time and while we were at university, but..."
"But?" I prompted. My heart pounded faster at the mention of the other girl. Should I tell Rhi about what I saw last night? From what she'd said, I didn't get the impression the two of them were close, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be dangerous to tell Rhi secrets like that.
"I don't know. She's changed. We used to be best friends before we went to university, but she's become someone different in that time."
"Different how?" I picked up a finger cake and took a bite to stop myself from asking more. I was intrigued to learn more about Lyss.
"I can't explain it. She stopped caring about her academic work and our friendship. All her attention switched to boys and how she looked. Just watch, within a week, she'll be the most fashionable girl in the palace." She grimaced, even thinking about it. "None of it will be anything like what you wear. You always look so good."
"Oh, erm, thanks." I glanced down at my plate, suddenly interested in the crumbs there. I wasn't used to people complimenting my clothing choices if they mentioned it at all.
"I wish I had the confidence to wear something black, It stands out so much. And I'm sure it looks more slimming than this." She gestured down at the lacy white dress she was wearing. Admittedly, it wasn't the most fashionable piece as far as I could tell,
"Why don't you?" If I could do it, then there was no reason she couldn't. I could lend her something of mine. Maybe a costume for the Fright Festival.
"I don't know. I think maybe I'm just too worried about what Lyss will say..." she trailed off. "Wait, why am I caring?"
&nbs
p; "I'm not sure," I admitted. "I know you said she used to be your best friend, but I don't see it."
She grimaced. "I know."
"You can't tell anyone this, but I'm certain she's only dating Jake because of how close he is to the throne. A lot of girls at university are like that. They forget that you're the heir to the throne, and yet, they cozy up to Jake because he's best friends with Adam." Rhi's eyes widened. "But that's not why I'm interested in Adam, I swear, I couldn't care less that he's technically royalty. I promise."
"Don't worry; I know you're not." I wasn't sure why I was certain she was telling the truth, but I was confident about that. "Are you saying she doesn't really love Jake?"
"Love?" She raised an eyebrow. "I don't think she's capable."
"I may have seen some proof of that," I said quietly.
"You did?" She leaned forward, looking at me expectantly.
"I saw her kissing someone last night," I admitted, whispering the words.
"That doesn't surprise me." Rhi leaned back in her seat, an oddly satisfied look on her face. "They're as bad as one another," she added, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What do you mean?" She couldn't be suggesting that Jake was also going around kissing other people.
"Just that they're a good match. Both of them care more about what things look like than how they feel about one another. Lyss might be dating Jake to get close to royalty, but he's dating her because she's the hottest girl in our class. I'm not sure why Adam hangs out with them," Rhi continued. "Topher either. Though, I they wanted Topher to be their friend rather than the other way around. He just went along with it."
I perked up. Was this a chance to find out more about Topher. Despite all the time I'd spent with him yesterday, I still knew next to nothing about him. "What makes you say that?"
"He's the best at magic at the university. Jake wants to rule the school, so to speak, and Adam always goes along with him. I never understood why Jake was the ringleader...”
I could. There was something about Jake that attracted attention more than Adam did. It was one of the things I liked about him.
"Topher was one of those people who didn't seem to care about friends, but then Jake decided he wanted someone with power by his side. That's where Topher came in."
I nodded. A standard power play. If you made sure the people who were well known for something were seen around you, then other people who respected that thing would also respect you.
"That makes sense," I said aloud.
"But I think he's fed up with them." The expression on her face said she was almost as fed up with them herself.
Perhaps, Father was right, and I would be able to form a bond with Rhi that could make her one of my ladies-in-waiting.
She took another sip of tea. "We're heading down to the Cider Festival in town this afternoon. Do you want to come with us?" she asked.
I nodded. "I'd like that, thank you. I wasn't aware there was a Cider Festival, though."
"Oh, I don't think it's very big, but Adam found out about it and wanted to go."
"It sounds fun." I smiled at her. I wanted to spend more time with her, as well as talking to Topher about doing more magic lessons. I should have done that yesterday before we were done, but I hadn't thought about it.
"We're meeting at two in the entrance hall."
We chatted about all kinds of things, but the conversation didn't come around to Jake again, much to my disappointment. I knew there was a lot more for me to learn about him, and Rhi seemed like a good source of that information. But I couldn't force it, especially not if I wanted to make her a true friend of mine.
The atmosphere was electric. I'd never heard of this Cider Festival, and from the size of it, I wasn't surprised. Festival was probably a generous term for it. There were several different stalls in a courtyard at the center of the city, but nothing more than that. Everyone had a drink in their hand, and all of it was cider.
I blew across the top of my spiced cider. The warmth coming from the mug seeped into me and was welcome in the slight fall chill.
"Have you tried the honeycomb yet?" Topher asked.
I shook my head. "I haven't tried much of anything yet."
"Want to come get some?"
I glanced at Jake and Adam, trying to work out what they were going to do. I didn't want to say yes and lose a chance to hang out with them, but I also didn't want to say no when Topher had knowledge that I needed. Plus, he was fun to hang out with too.
"Sure," I said. "Should we ask the others if they want to?"
Topher shrugged, though his expression soured a little. Perhaps Rhi was right when she'd talked about how he felt.
I turned to the others. "We're going to go get some honeycomb, want to come?"
"I love honeycomb, count me in," Rhi answered, bouncing over to the two of us.
Lyss pulled a face. "You don't want to eat too much sugar; it'll cause breakouts."
I rolled my eyes. "I find sugar is worth it. You coming, Jake?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.
A smirk crossed his face. "Why don't you bring me some back?" he responded.
"Of course." I gave him a smile then turned to Topher and Rhi "Shall we?"
They nodded, and the three of us set off towards the stand Topher had pointed out.
The scent of sticky sweet honey filled the air as we got closer. I held my mug tighter, not wanting to spill any of it. The cider smelled delicious, and I was looking forward to tasting it once it cooled to the right temperature.
The selection of honeycomb was bigger than I'd imagined, though I failed to see what it had to do with cider. Then again, I supposed if a farm grew apples, then the chances were that they had honey bees.
"This one looks nice," Rhi said, pointing towards the one at the far end.
"They all do," I responded, wondering which of them Jake would like. I didn't want to take him the wrong thing.
"Why don't we get a bit of all of them, and then, we can try them all?" Topher suggested.
Rhi let out a small laugh. "Perhaps that works for you and Kelis, but I don't have the money for that kind of purchase."
"Sorry," Topher muttered, glancing away with reddening cheeks.
I looked on with confusion. Rhi didn't have a lot of money? I supposed that made sense. If she was studying at the university, then that was where most of it was probably going. But why did Topher have a lot of money? I didn't recognize him as the son of any of the noble families around
"I can get them." I dug into my pocket and pulled out some gold coins. "For everyone." I flashed a smile at Rhi, who visibly relaxed after my announcement.
That made me even more sure that I should offer her a position as one of my ladies-in-waiting. The position came with a hefty allowance and a lot of prestige. Once she was finished with university, she could come back to the palace and be my confidante. After this morning, I was certain I could trust her.
I handed the coins to the merchant, instructing him on what I wanted. He quickly bagged up the honeycomb and handed the bag to me.
"Keep the change." I flashed him a smile. It was almost certain that he didn't know who I was. Without an entourage, there was no way of telling I was a princess. But on the off chance, it was important that I be generous. Plus, it meant less time fumbling with coins and more time chatting with Jake about the different kinds of honeycomb we'd purchased.
We made our way back over to the others, though I didn't miss the sour look on Rhi's face at the idea. I was starting to see just how far her friendship with Lyss had deteriorated.
"We got one of each so we could all try them," I announced as we rejoined them.
Adam grinned easily. Jake did the same and slipped an arm around Lyss' shoulders. It didn't escape my notice that neither of them looked as if they felt anything towards the other except mild friendship.
I had a chance. I held out the bag, and everyone grabbed some of the honeycomb. I took a bite of my own piece, letting it bu
bble on my tongue.
I deflated the moment I realized the courtyard was empty. I'd hoped that Topher would be here and that we could do some more practice. Never mind. I could do things on my own. The better I got, the more likely it would be that Jake would take notice. We needed to have more in common, It was no wonder that I hadn't managed to make it work with him so far, we had nothing in common at all.
I shuffled my feet into position, lifting my arm so that my wand was held out in line with the target, just like Topher had shown me. I shot off a couple of spells, each of them hitting the target, but not quite the center.
I scowled at it, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong and how I could fix it without instruction.
"Kelis, you're early," Topher said.
I jumped and turned around to face him. He was leaning against one of the columns watching me.
"How long have you been there?" I asked.
"About a minute," he answered honestly. "I was held up talking with Jake." Distaste dripped from his words even as my heart jumped at the sound of Jake's name.
"Sorry, I should have waited."
"Why? This is your home, you're a princess, we're your guests. You're entitled to do whatever you want."
I scrunched up my nose. "I don't like that word. I'm not entitled to anything. That's not how being royal works. If anything, we have a duty sacrifice for the good of our country not an entitlement to get our way."
His eyes bored into me, as if trying to work out how much of what I was saying was the truth.
"You really believe that?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. It's something I've been working towards my whole life. My parents have done everything they can in order to prepare me for the life of a queen and its not anything to do with fancy dresses or looking good. We do far more than any of our people ever know. And more importantly, they don't need to know."
Queen of Reflections: A Snow White retelling (Kingdom of Fairytales Snow White Book 1) Page 6