by A. Kingsley
“I see.”
“Do you go to sleep late?”
“Yes a bit, but I won’t keep you up. You should turn off the light.”
She reached over and turned off the lights, she thought about talking to him, but her eyes were heavy. “Goodnight Cassius.”
“Goodnight Clare.”
The morning came quickly. Clare was up before Cassius. She was an early riser and she assumed that he was not by how snugly he was wrapped up in the covers. While she got up at sunset and the sound of birds chirping, she imagined him rising five hours, tired and groggy. She rolled her shoulders back to stretch out her body and ran a hand through her hair to feel how messy it was. Not terrible, he had put it in a makeshift bun after all and that was better than nothing. Sliding out of bed, she let her warm feet soak up the chill of the wooden floors. Summer was soon going to turn into fall in a day. She took a peak out of her window to look at the pine trees, standing tall and still. The sunrise had painted the sky a few warm colors. ‘When she saw the yellow and pink sky would she forever have to think of Cassius?’
There was bound to be a royal breakfast, but not even her mother or Sage rose this early. If Cassius was sound asleep, it was safe to say that his mother and father who had danced the night away, were also sleeping. She’d be okay to go downstairs. Of course the staff would be preparing breakfast and there was a chance that Julius was up, but she didn’t mind him. She’d take the risk. She pulled her hair out of the bun and pulled a shawl over her nightgown incase of unexpected company. She didn’t bother to put on shoes, the ground was cool enough and shoes were restricting. She quietly moved past Cassius. Her hand touched the door knob. She debated on waiting for him to wake up, but she decided against it. ‘I don’t owe him anything,’ she told herself before sliding out the door and gently closing it behind her.
Just as she suspected, the halls were quiet. The sound of a few doors quietly closing echoed throughout the palace. The sound of plates and silverware clanking as they were laid out, overpowered the birds chirping. She caught the eye of Esmeralda, Sage’s maid, carrying a large basket of laundry. Since she didn’t wish to disturb the workers of the castle, she took the secluded staircase that led down to the kitchens. She’d be able to exit the dining room and go out to the porch from there. Normally she’d sit in the sitting room and read a book with a cup of hot cider, but she didn’t want to risk one of the guests finding her. It was too early to deal with those she had to hide from. As she entered the kitchen, the chef greeted her and passed her her favorite cream mug filled with hot cider. She thanked him and asked him how last night was before walking to the porch where the two glass doors were opened for her. She was expecting to sit down in one of the many rocking chairs and think to herself, but someone had beat her to it. Antoine.
He was sitting in the farthest rocking chair to the left, a cup of coffee in his hand. He hadn’t noticed her, his eyes were blankly gazing out into the distance, studying the forestry and the deer who were coming out to graze in the grass. Clare cleared her throat and watched his head turn towards her.
His eyes bulged and his coffee almost slipped out of his hands, but he caught it before it could fall and set it on the table beside him. “Princess, I didn’t think anyone would be up this early in the morning.”
“Me neither,” she mused as she sat down a few chairs away from him. She set her drink down and smoothed out her nightgown. Unlike her, he was already dressed and ready for the day. She assumed he would be loading up the luggages and taking care of the horses. “You don’t have to leave Antoine, you can stay.”
“I’ll have to leave soon, but just not yet,” he responded, taking another large gulp of the coffee that he had almost dropped. She could smell it, the chef always made good coffee, but it was too bitter for her liking. “Did you sleep well last night?” he asked her, his eyes questioning.
“Yes and no. I didn’t do anything you might have thought I did,” Clare blushed.
“I didn’t assume that, you don’t strike me as the type,” Antoine grinned.
“Did you sleep alright?” she asked him.
“Not well, but I’m away from home. It’s expected.”
“They taught you how to read didn’t they? You speak well.”
“Oh I already knew how. My mum aught me. I’m sure that you already know this Princess, but every family has a destiny and an animal to represent them. My family's destiny was to serve, the animal that represents us is a dog and our colors are brown and white. I was lucky enough to serve the royals. They educated me more when I arrived, but my mum had already prepared me.”
“Where is your mother?”
“She serves a rich family in my kingdom and so does my father. I get to see them both whenever I please. Maximus is kind when he’s not angry.”
“I’m happy my sister marries into his family.”
“Are you happy with your destiny?”
She went quiet.
Antoine became stiff. He may have regretted what he said, but this issue was not new, he often said what was on his mind when given the chance. Julius didn’t mind it, but he wasn’t sure how Clare would feel if a servant spoke out of line. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.
“It’s fine. Don’t be sorry. You didn’t make this decision for me,” Clare whispered to him as she lifted the finally cool cider to her lips and drank.
“Well I must go feed the horses,” he told her, standing up and holding his coffee to his chest. She stood up. “I’ll go with you.”
“You will?”
“Well sure, I don’t have much else to do.”
He thought this over, she had a fiancé, but what was the harm? This wasn’t romantic. “Follow me then. Actually never mind, I’ll follow you, you know your way around here better than I do,” he laughed.
She curtsied and gave him a shy smile. She then led him out to the front of the palace, sipping her cider as she walked. The carriages were lined up to leave, but the horses were put away in the stables. The guards raised an eyebrow at her, but they were rather fond of Antoine. Despite his rank, he was a gentleman, so they let her go without supervision. Walking with him in the grassy fields, she looked down to his feet. “Take off your shoes. Feel the grass on your feet. Just for a moment.”
He gazed at her as if she were mad, but then he noticed her feet were bare. “Well if the princess insists.” He took his boots off along with his socks and placed them in the grass. He noticed her set her drink down, so he did the same. Then she took off in a run and he was chasing after her through the tall fields all the way to the stables where they were both out of breath. “Oh Oralee,” he breathed out, doubling over.
“Wasn’t it nice to feel the wind in your hair and the grass in between your toes?” she laughed as she poked him in the side so he’d stand up.
He was smiling wide. “It was. “Princess I haven’t ran like that in such a long time.” He told her as they entered the stables.
She brought him all the way to the end of the area where his four horses were located. “Me neither, I don’t run or exercise often, but Sage is another story. What are their names?” she asked, as he opened the stable and grabbed the brush on the wall. He started with the horse in the corner running the brush through the animal’s mane. “These are the royal horses. Maximus and Julius have their own horses at home, Julius’s is a gray spotted horse named Procella and Maximus’s is a large chestnut horse named Brunius. But these horses here pull the royal carriage. Their names are ivory, pearl, ice and crystal,” he explained as he began to brush Ivory’s tail.
“They’re quite pretty. I’ll have to show you my horse when you’re finished,” she said.
“I’ll look forward to it,” he replied.
Clare sat down on a bale of hay and watched him brush the horses manes and fasten the gear to their bodies. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she had been gleeful the entire time. He told her stories about each of the horses and explained how much he’
d love to have one of his own. In return she told him her own stories about their horses and helped him guide the Deus’s horses out of the stable. They each had one horse on each side, holding onto the reins as they walked them out into the grass. On their way out of the stables, Clare showed him her horse. A creamy brown horse with darker brown spots and a gray mane. “I named her Panthera when I was younger, but now I’m regretting that name,” she laughed as they walked out onto the field.
“I like Panthera, it suits her. We named one of ours ice, it can’t get much worse,” Antoine assured.
The sun was high in the sky as they crossed the field. Clare knew she’d have a sunburn from being out without protection for just a few minutes. They stopped to let the horses graze while Antoine put on his boots. Once they picked up their drinks from the grass, they stopped at the carriages. Clare helped him attach the horses and was going to help him grab the luggages when she heard Sage’s voice. Her sister had peaked her head out through the door. It must have been late if she was up and dressed. Clare gazed up at the sky and then down in horror at her nightgown.
“Mothers waiting and she’s not happy. I’ll cover for you, but it’ll only work if you hurry,” Sage hollered.
Clare gazed sadly at Antoine. In her mind she was hoping for something romantic to happen, but instead he gestured to the door.
“Go on princess, I’m sure we will meet again.”
Something inside of her was sad to leave him. She pushed that feeling down, resisted the urge to hug him and held out her hand. His hand was thin, tough and bruised, but recently moisturized. “Till we meet again, Antoine,” she said without looking away from his eyes. She let go of his hand after he shook it and then she ran inside and up the stairs so that way she could change into something decent.
Discovery
Julius had slept on one side of the bed and Sage on the other. While Julius was a fan of cuddles, she wasn’t a fan of physical affection, so they typically compromised. In the morning, Sage had given in and snuggled up close to him while he read her a book. She hated reading, but when he spoke the stories out loud, she did not mind it, he made every story that he read come to life. Eventually the two of them decided to get out of bed. Julius dressed himself in a pair of navy blue slacks, a white button up shirt and a navy blue coat decorated with silver swirls. Sage was dressed far more casual than she had been yesterday. She wore an olive green day dress that cut across her shoulders and stopped at her knees. If it was up to her she’d wear shorts and a knitted shirt, but she would never hear the end of it from her mother if she showed up to breakfast in front of the Demetrias’s and Antias’s in an outfit that casual.
Julius had placed his luggage outside for Antoine to grab. Sage followed after him and took his hand, they headed down the stairs together. “I’m surprised that Antoine isn’t here yet,” he murmured to Sage. When the two of them reached the hall, almost everyone was gathered. Cassius and his parents looked quite upset. ‘Surely they hadn’t found out that she had punched him. Well, wait how was his bruise gone?’ Sage thought. She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things and it was too early to confuse her mind anymore than it already was. She shifted her eyes to the empty seat, ‘Clare was gone.’
“Where is your sister?” Gracielle tried to say calmly.
Julius sat down next to Maximus, leaving Sage alone in the middle of the room. They always lied for one another, so she’d have to think of something good. “She probably went out to plant seeds in the garden. She mentioned it to me last night. Let me go get her.” Before her mother could object, she ran out of the hall. She heard noises in the front of the palace and swung open the entrance door. Clare was there and she was with Antoine. Sage smirked, “mum is waiting for you and she’s not happy. I’ll cover for you, but it’ll only work if you hurry.” Clare ran straight past her and up the stairs without a word. Sage was left staring at Antoine. He had turned his face around, but she could tell he was blushing. “Safe travels!” she shouted before slamming the door. She had to wait for Clare, she couldn’t let her sister walk into that room full of mad adults alone.
Normally Clare took a while to get ready, they’d spend hours waiting on her. Sage always wondered what she did in there, but this time it only took five minutes for her to come running down the stairs. She was wearing a blush pink dress that rolled down to her ankles and had puffy sleeves. Her cheeks were pink from the sun and matched her natural blush.
“You owe me a conversation later,” Sage said demandingly as they walked into the dining room.
“I know,” Clare whispered. She met her mother’s glaring eyes. “Sorry I lost track of time. There is no clock in the gardens.”
Cassius’s father scoffed, “and you didn’t care to invite my son?”
“Father please,” Cassius pleaded.
“He was sleeping, so no. I didn’t want to wake him.” She sat down next to Cassius and looked over to Maximus, who was smirking. ‘Did he know about her and Antoine?’
“It’s fine Clare, I was sleeping well,” Cassius said with a slightly bitter tone.
Sage raised her eyebrows because she wasn’t buying Cassius’s words, but she stayed silent and dug into her food. “Did you pray?” Her mother asked.
“Gee mum to which one? There are eight goddesses.” Her mother looked upset at her daughter's lack of care, but gestured for everyone else to dig in, since they had done a group prayer while Sage and Clare were away. Clare murmured what seemed to be a prayer under her breath and then took a bite of her potatoes. “So you’re going home after this right?” Sage asked as she pointed her fork at the king of Excidium. Her mother looked appalled. “What I’m just asking? I have plans.”
King Maximus laughed, answering for the other family. “Well yes. Everyone’s leaving today, but my kingdom is hosting a large sporting event in two weeks and I’d like you all to come. Gathering together might further our peace, keep things civil.”
“We will be there,” Gracielle said delighted.
Cassius’s parents debated, then the king spoke. “We will come. Only so you don’t think to attack us.”
“You attacked us,” Julius said, his face puzzled.
”Have you heard of revenge?” The king said as he rolled his eyes.
“We would’ve already gotten revenge if that’s what we wanted,” Maximus said.
“Right,” Queen Adria said, hoping to end the conversation.
“You’d be stupid to start a war,” Clare chimed in, her voice loud.
Sage pointed her fork in the direction of her sister, “what she said.”
Breakfast dragged on and Sage had managed to sneak in a few more snide remarks. It was the Antias family who declared their departure from the castle first. King Erebus had a meeting to catch, so they needed to depart. Sage stood up from her seat and reluctantly shook hands with the king and queen. She watched as her sister also had to force herself to be kind and reluctantly hug Cassius. It was forced and quick, barely a hug, more so just their sides brushing together. However, it seemed to please the king as he gave her a soft, yet cunning smile and snapped for his son to get out of the hall and head towards the carriages. “We will discuss Clare’s arrangement and living situation through letter Gracielle,” he said as he kissed the woman’s hands.
She gave him a pained smile, pulling away before kissing Quen Adria’s cheeks. “I look forward to it.”
The Demetrias’s stuck around two hours after breakfast. Sage wasn’t sure why, but she was happy to have Julius by her side just a tad bit longer. The two of them went out into the yard to shoot arrows while Maximus stayed behind with Gracielle. Sage assumed that they were going to talk politics. They were the leaders of their kingdoms after all and Maximus was very young. Only nineteen, he’d need all the mentoring that he could get in order to succeed. As Sage and Julius walked towards the back of the palace, she nodded at the guard and he left them alone. There was a large clearing of forest behind the hospital before the palace gate. Far o
ut in the distance were three targets and by Sage and Julius’s feet were two sets of arrows. “I brought them out here yesterday, but we didn’t get the time. I’m glad I get to shoot with you before you go,” Sage said as she picked up the bow. She quickly shot her first arrow and it hit near the center of the target, she then she drew another and another. As she shot the arrows, the tension in her shoulders dropped. “Julius, are you going to pick up your bow?” she asked him as she shot another arrow without care, this one hit the center of the target. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him pick up the bow and arrow.
“You know I’m not great at this, my weapon of choice is a dagger, but I guess I’ll give it a go.”
Sage wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so self conscious, they had shot together plenty of times and though Sage was the better shot, he had never cared before. “I know that and you know my weapon of choice is a sword, this is just a hobby. I know it isn’t your hobby, but you’ve never cared about how much you miss, why start caring now?”
“Oh I don’t know, I want to impress you I guess.” He steadied his arrow and drew back with the muscle that he had managed to keep after his injury. He almost missed the target, but the arrow stuck out at the very edge.
Sage snorted, not at his shot, but at his comment. “Impress me? I’m not hard to impress and you impress me everyday with your growing confidence, well except right now,” she took another shot, this time at his target and landed her arrow purposely next to his. “See even the arrow knows that we are meant to be, there’s no need to impress me.”
Julius wasn’t sure that this was true. Growing up no guy had impressed Sage, but with some luck Julius had. Ever since they were little, guys would run after her, especially before she cut her hair short. They would bring her flowers and ask her to dance, but she would always say no. Maximus and him had come up with a theory that she was a lesbian, but this was not a bad thing, as both the Demetrias’s and the Goddesses were accepting of all sexualities and identities. After years of feeling like he had to compete with those who crushed on her, Sage had been impressed by him. At his fifteenth birthday party, he was sitting alone, eating a grilled turkey leg outside their castle temple. She was walking by and he invited her to join him and they shared the turkey leg. Apparently, that had been enough. Things had picked up from there and now, here they were shooting arrows. He believed that it was a coincidence that he was the one to catch her eye, not fate.