by A. Kingsley
(The cottage that lyes on East Pulcherrimus road under Deus rule)
Love, Clare
After reading her letter, Antoine had packed up the rest of his belongings as quick as he could, vowing to leave the next morning. The letter was stuffed into the pocket of his leather brown satchel, he would need the address in order to find them. On his way out of the castle that had sheltered him from the unknown, he stuffed three apples, two loaves of bread, a container of water and a chunk of cheese in his bag. Julius met him at the door.
“You are allowed to take one of our spare guard horses. The fawn colored horse with chestnut hair will be yours. Her name is Vita. I saddled her for you. I’m going to miss you when you are gone, no one serves me as well as you do,” he smiled sadly.
Antoine returned the gesture, his eyes widening when Julius placed an arm on his shoulder.
“It is my job sir, but I will miss your companionship. You’ve treated me like a good mate.” Antoine gently removed himself from Julius’s grasp. “Also thank you for lending me a horse,” he grinned.
Julius walked him to the horses and helped Antoine up onto the saddle. He helped strap his bags down to the horse. When he finished, he looked up at Antoine and did not break his gaze. “Be careful with Clare, I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. The kingdom's citizens are well aware of the arranged engagement, you don’t want to be caught up in the middle of their relationship especially when it’s unintentional.”
Antoine nodded in agreement, but his heart throbbed, it was intentional. “Well, I’ll be off then. Make sure Princess Sage is doing alright for Clare’s sake and as always, keep yourself safe, I want to come back home to two Demetrias boys.”
Julius smiled. “I want you alive as well Antoine. Be safe. Thanks for pissing off Cassius for me.”
Antoine kicked the horses side and the animal began to trot away. “Anytime!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Antoine traveled through dirt pathways, through villages, he crossed a river and continued his journey through the forest. Instead of five days, it took him three to reach the small cottage in the middle of the woods. It had a grey exterior built of stones, two windows made of pink and yellow stained glass and the roof was painted a pastel yellow. The cabin was flanked by two massive gardens that were filled with flowers of all colors and an assortment of vegetables. There was a dirt pathway leading up to the cottage that was lit up by lanterns. The sound of people chatting inside could be heard and Antoine thought he heard the sweet softness of Clare’s voice. He noticed behind the home, a few horses were hanging out in a fenced area. He led Vita over to the area and once he got a good look at the two horses already occupying the space, he knew he was in the right place. He recognized Clare’s horse from the stables and any strong pitch black horse was a good indicator that Cassius was also here. There was another silver horse he assumed belonged to the lady named Fran. He led Vita inside of the enclosure and removed the saddle and load from her back. Once he closed the fence, he carried his things up to the blush pink door and knocked.
The door swung open to reveal an old woman in her late fifties. She had a heap of long black and gray hair thrown up in a bun at the top of her head. She wore a pair of pinstripe trousers and a bright purple blouse. She was wearing no shoes, there were wrinkles along her face, prominent when she smiled at him. There was a fluffy cat by her feet, snow white with bright blue eyes. “You must be Antoine, the librarian, they told me all about you.”
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded in agreement. He peered past her to see Clare and Cassius sitting down at an oak table, two mugs of coffee in front of them. Fran moved aside to let him in and took his bags, he thanked her and smiled as Clare rose from the table, her eyes mesmerized as if he was the most magnificent person she had ever laid her eyes upon. They could not hug now. He waved to her and then waved to Cassius, pushing down that hurt feeling he felt when he saw the sadness flash across Clare’s face. He sat down next to Cassius, who moved his chair further away from him.
“I’d ask why you are here, but Clare gave in and told me that you are here because you are intelligent apparently and can connect clues. Seems like something I could do, but apparently you do it better and apparently you are emotionally supportive, though I’m not sure how she would know that,” Cassius said.
Antoine shrugged and decided to stay silent.
Fran took the empty seat at the table and brought over another cup of coffee, she placed it in front of Antoine. “The conversation was just getting good dear,” she told him. She brought her cat up on top of her lap and gave the furry creature a few good strokes.
“Well what did I miss?” he asked.
Clare answered, “I was asking Fran if she knew anything about magic since we had read her name somewhere in a magic book. She does not have magic herself, but her sister does. Her sister lives up in the mountains and she gave us her address. She was just about to tell us what else she knew about magic and then you came inside. We had been too busy with the garden to ask her beforehand, but it is no trouble,” she added, “we enjoy the work,” she lied. The look on Cassius’s face was a clear indicator that he would rather have done anything else. The image of him pulling up weeds made Antoine want to burst out into laughter, but he kept it to himself.
“I’ll be sure to help while I am here, but you should continue your story. Though tired, I can listen well.”
The woman took a sip of her coffee. “Terrible kids, interested in learning about magic,” she waved her finger in disappointment. “Magic gets you killed. Knowing about magic and disclosing that information is a crime in itself. Why do you think I live in the middle of nowhere? I was interrogated once, I will not go through that torture again. Be careful with what I tell you. I am only helping you because your friend is a princess, she’s not just any girl.” She pointed to Clare. “My sister was once young and scared. Magic is something created and used by our Goddesses and given to individuals who they deem worthy enough to use it. The only Goddess who openly enjoys creating chaos is Mallory, so oftentimes her magic falls into the wrong hands. Magic users will feel a strong connection to the Goddess who chose them, this Goddess does not have to be their continental Goddess. For my sister, she felt a connection to Evangeline of Australia. It is not known for sure, but we believe that this Goddess chose my sister. Clare, do you feel a strange pull to a certain Goddess?”
“This might not be related, but I feel a strange pull to Prince Julius and his family, one I can not describe, but I have always prayed most to Oralee. I can not put my finger on why his family feels so close to me.”
“Maybe Oralee has granted one of them magic or magic lyes within one of them. Magic is always inside of the user, but they have an awakening when they truly need it. I will leave my sister’s story for her to tell, but Clare, when did you have your awakening?”
Clare tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Just last year. I’m not sure if that’s quite normal. Apparently the signs have always been there, but it hit me then. I was walking down the stairs when I realized there was a large piece of glass in my shoulder. I had pain for such a short time, that I thought it might have been a headache. I took the glass out like I was invincible. I remember feeling another sharp pain when I withdrew the glass, but it quickly went away. I told no one about that day. Then after that discovery it was as if my powers awakened. I could sense when someone was hurt, something drew me in. I couldn’t stand blood because I just wanted to fix it,” she gulped. Antoine stared at her with pity in his eyes. He wanted to fix her pain. If he had a power, it would be to protect those he loved from emotional pain.
The woman reached across to take her hands. “The Goddesses decide when your powers are ready to be awoken. They chose this time for you because they had a feeling you’d need them. Can you think of why?”
The princess darted her eyes between the two boys sitting next to her. They were from two different kingdoms and seeing their contrasting faces brought on
e reason to mind. ‘War.’ She felt her heart skip a beat at the sudden realization. Cassius peered over at her in concern. “What is it?” he questioned.
“Well,” her eyes flickered to Fran. “War was the first thing that came to my mind.”
“Oh don’t be silly. My mum would never start a war so quickly,” Cassius said.
Antoine managed to speak up, he was not a servant in this home, “but your father would and he’s a manipulative man who happened to look pretty upset when he left the castle. Clare is right. The Goddesses must have thought a war was surfacing. I’m not sure how one girl's powers could help, but Clare, she is special.”
“There is not much else I can tell you, I’ll send you off to my sister in the morning if you are ready,” the woman said, ignoring Cassius’s attitude. “But I know that magic is a dangerous thing. Something that the evil people in this world want to acquire for themselves. They wish to extract the magic from its users and use it for evil. For revival and for war and destruction. You must not get caught using magic around anyone you don’t trust. Though I assume it’s not something you can control, you must try. I am sending you to my sister as soon as possible. My sister is wise, she will be able to help you control what you feel. Go rest up. I’ll have breakfast ready for you three in the morning.” She gave them a kind smile and gave her cat a few more pets.
Antoine turned to her, “where should I stay?”
“With them of course, there are two beds. No need to be shy.”
“Obviously Clare and I will share a bed,” Cassius said as he stood up from his chair at the table. “Thank you for the coffee,” he told the woman. Clare stood up and gave him a glare. She could defy him all she wanted, there was no one here to be furious with her.
“Yes thank you for the coffee. We will make sure that everything is cleaned up before we leave,” she told Fran.
The three of them headed off to the spare bedroom in the back of the cottage. There were two full sized beds. One was done up neatly and the other was messily thrown together. There was an array of bags on the floor and a few items discarded throughout the room. There was one window on the back wall covered by cream curtains. The covers on the bed were quilted.
“Clare and I will take the bed closest to the window, you can take the one by the door.”
There was an innocent smile on Antoine’s face. He set down his satchel by his nightstand. “Alright, I’ll make sure to protect you both,” he winked.
Clare giggled and his smile only grew brighter. “Well I’ll bathe and join you shortly. Don’t wait up, get some sleep.”
By the time Antoine had grabbed his bags from Fran and finished cleaning up, Cassius was sound asleep.
Clare on the other hand had the curtains open, using the moonlight as her guide to scribble in the pages of what appeared to be a sketchbook. At the sight of Antoine, she carefully set down her book and rushed towards him.
He put a finger to his lips in an attempt to quiet her, but she ignored him.
Her hands wrapped around his waist and he lowered his finger to return her hug. She was warm from the heater vent above their bed, her skin soft from the rose moisturizer she had been using.
“I forgot to pack some of my toiletries, I might have used your soap,” he whispered, his smile spreading from ear to ear. He rubbed his hand against her back. “I didn’t expect you to miss me so much. Should we talk in the garden? I don’t want to wake him.”
Clare pulled away from the hug and took his hand.
The two of them moved silently out of the room and outside into the cool night air. The stars were so far away, but they appeared to be dancing just above their heads. The large pine trees rustled gently. Every so often, a pine cone fell to the ground.
Antoine had brought a blanket from the sofa outside. He sat down on the cement leading up to the doorway.
She sat next to him and he wrapped the blanket around the two of them.
“We absolutely should not be doing this,” he said nervously.
Clare shrugged. “It’ll be fine. Cassius sleeps like a rock. If he notices us, I will just say that we were discussing tomorrow’s plan. Don’t get too worried okay?” She relaxed her shoulders and leaned against him. “How was your journey? Was it boring? Did you eat enough? Should I go get you something to eat?”
“Clare, I’m fine. I can wait until the morning to eat. My journey was well. No injuries and surprisingly a decent amount of sleep. I’m here now like you asked me to be, I’m still a bit nervous, but I’m here. How was your journey with Cassius? Was he good to you?” he asked.
She adjusted her position to lean further against him, surprisingly, he did not move away. “It was long. We got lost like my letter said. After a few screaming matches in the woods, we eventually ended up here. Cassius is fine, he isn’t my favorite person, but he is fine. I feel like I have my sister's temper these days, but without the violence. I miss Sage already. I hope she’s doing well. Are things escalating between the kingdoms? I can’t get the post out here.”
Antoine was scratching his chin which was free of facial hair, aside from a tiny amount of stubble peaking through. “I haven’t heard anything that seems out of the ordinary. King Maximus is a tad bit more stressed. He’s preparing for the worst. Which I understand, I wouldn’t put it past Erebus to convince Adria that war is the best option. Maximus is still seeing the same bloke. Usually he switches them out every few days, but this one has stuck around. He needs someone stable in his life anyways. They’re happy together and I’m very happy for them. I was also happy, but nervous to see you. You and the royal family mean a lot to me. You treat me so normally, I know in some places that is frowned upon. I come from a serving family and we don’t get much respect. You’re so kind to me, too kind to me and we have a lot in common.”
“We do have a lot in common, I’m glad things don’t seem bad back at home. I can't imagine how stressed my sister is. I wish I could feel her pain like I feel magic presence, but I can not. I am nervous to go see Natalia. I’m afraid my magic will hurt someone.”
“It will not. Your magic is defensive and it heals, anything dangerous I’m sure she will be able to tame. That is why we are visiting her after all.”
“You’re right.” Clare let silence fill the air for a few moments. “I wish I could fall asleep out here with you”
“Yes me too, but we should get to bed. We have a long day of traveling ahead of us tomorrow. Especially you, I’m sure all of this new information is draining to hear.”
“You’re right. Antoine, may I have one more hug?”
“Anything for the princess, but more specifically, anything for Clare.”
She embraced him so tightly that he thought he was going to vanish in her arms.
The death note
It had been a little over a week since Sage had last seen Clare. King Maximus had been sending letters to the Pax palace everyday. Queen Gracielle would sit by Sage in the war room and guide her through writing a response. Her mother was training her to speak eloquently when it came to political matters. One wrong word or a snotty phrased sentence and a war could start. King Maximus was rational enough not to do such a thing, but this was practice for if she ever needed to communicate with King Erebus as well. In the letters they discussed what the kingdom’s response plan would be if the Antias family declared war. Queen Gracielle, who usually preferred to stay neutral in times of crisis, knew she could not use this act much longer. ‘If he attacks your kingdom. We will fight on your side. I am not opposed to a united Europe, but I will not let that unity be under his rule,’ she had Sage write. Sage had just finished filing away the letters and the prepared battle plans when her mother burst into the room with another letter. They had been coming in nonstop. She was too anxious not to read it, the envelope had already been discarded, the parchment was crumpled, she slammed it on the cherry wood desk in front of Sage.
“Read this. It is not good.”
To the Pax family,
/> Have you ever heard of spies? I fear if you have then you are not good at detecting them and neither are the Demetrias’s. I would like to gladly inform you that there was a spy at both Sage’s birthday celebration and the Demetrias’s sporting event. I will not tell you what they look like. That sadly takes all the fun away. This little spy reported to me some very useful information about your daughter, Clare. It seems that she has a little crush on a servant named Antoine. Unfortunate, especially for my son. I invite you to attend Antoine’s public execution. It will take place whenever I catch him. I am so nice to spare Clare. I hope to see you in attendance.
King Erebus
Sage set down the letter, her face frozen. Gracielle moved over towards her and sat by her side. The two of them had gotten a lot closer. Instead of spending time with Clare, Sage spent time with her mother. It wasn’t ideal because she couldn’t gossip with her or tell her anything that crossed her mind, but she was good company. They did have a few things in common, their urge to be lazy at the end of the day, their sweet tooth, their love for food and their love one another and Clare. Clare was in danger because she was with Antoine and if anyone harmed him, then Clare would crumble into a million pieces. “Is that even legal? Can he do that?” she asked her mother.
“Unfortunately because he is a servant, if he is not on Demetrias property then he is not doing his job and he can be executed for that alone. That hardly happens because no one usually minds, but we know Erebus does. If he manages to catch Antoine outside of Demetrias territory, he’s a goner,” she said solemnly.