Chapter 6: Auristela

“Your highness, stop running!” Maggie pleaded as she and Alan rushed to keep up with the princess. However, they were ignored as she made her way toward the gardens of the central palace, doing her best to avoid being seen by too many people along the way. She had to know what was going on with the council of lords and hoped that maybe a few of them still lingered around. If so, perhaps she would be able to listen in on their discussions.

Also, if the opening ceremony was to be held in a few hours, she had to figure out what Queen Mother was planning beforehand.

Auri ducked behind a pillar to avoid being seen by a palace guard.

Although she knew it was fundamentally wrong and “unbecoming” of her station to spy, she had no other options. She didn’t have anyone but Maggie and Alan that she could trust and she couldn’t just rely on them for everything. It was bad enough that they had to serve such a weak and useless lord, but if there was ever trouble, she didn’t even have the power to protect them.

There was also a lot that she needed to know. So, she couldn’t afford to be caught here.

“Princess, why are we still doing this? If we are caught it won’t be pretty.” Alan sighed.

Alan was an imperial knight skilled with near genius level ability in both the sword and wind magic, and was well respected among his peers. He was only two years older than her, but he somehow always seemed more like an old man rather than a boy who had just barely reached the cusp of adulthood.

He never took any risks and always played things by the book. It was something that she had always disliked about him. However, she had to admit that she wouldn’t have wanted anyone else charged with her protection. Except when it was necessary to be less conspicuous. Alan didn’t seem to know what the word meant, and it had gotten them into a heap of trouble many times over in the past.

Auri didn’t bother to hide her annoyed glare when his voice got a bit too loud and had drawn the eyes of a few servants in their direction. It wasn’t like he had to come with them in the first place. They had only run into him by chance, and he had insisted on being their escort.

If you’re going to escort, just do so quietly from a distance or something. Shouldn’t a knight know how to be stealthy? She scoffed mentally.

He grimaced at the princess’s silent reprimand as Maggie glanced around the hall nervously.

“Sorry!” He whispered as he and his mother moved further into the pillar’s shadow.

“I swear you children are going to make me grey even faster. Let’s just stop this nonsense! We have less than two hours before the ceremony and we still have to do the purification,” she grumbled.

Auri shook her head in disagreement, but instantly felt bad upon seeing how pale Maggie had gotten. She often forgot that Maggie wasn’t as spirited as she had once been in their childhood. The three of them had been roaming palace halls and dodging from shadow to shadow for the past hour, gathering information, and it was already starting to wear on the old woman.

“Maggie, you don’t have to come with me. You should rest. You have enough to deal with as it is,” said Auri. The old woman’s brow furrowed as the princess turned her sharp gaze back to her guardian knight. “And you didn’t have to come either.”

Alan’s expression remained stony, as he spoke.

“Well, I am your knight. It’s my duty to follow you. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble you’d get into!”

“If it’s so much trouble, as I said before, you are free to leave. This is the central palace. Even if I am caught, they can’t afford to treat me recklessly with all of the visitors here or with the ceremony so close. It’ll be fine.” Alan stared at the princess in disbelief as annoyance at her stubbornness prickled his heart.

“You’ve said that before, and things didn’t turn out so well, for you or me!”

“Well, that was before. This is now,” she said stubbornly.

When it was obvious they were now alone again, they all moved and ducked behind a statue of the goddess that marked the entrance into the maze-like gardens. At that moment, a group of noblemen walked out of the garden maze. No doubt more of the queen’s sympathizers.

Auri could faintly hear them whisper something about marriage which caused all of the warmth to leave her body. Swallowing hard, she stood to her full height, untangling the white robes around her ankles after they had made it out of sight. She turned to see Maggie slightly shaken and growing more ghostly by the minute.

Alan gently supported his mother’s arm.

“Maggie, you should return.” The princess placed a gentle hand on the old woman’s shoulders with a smile, then turned to Alan.

“Take her back.” Alan’s eyes narrowed and his free hand moved to the hilt of his sword as he stood straighter.

“I can’t just leave you here accompanied. It’s dangerous!”

“Well, I have to know what happened after that meeting. Otherwise, I’ll be the foolish one when that witch finally makes her move.” Auri huffed and Alan groaned, palming his face in irritation.

“I already told you what happened. I was there, remember? She arranged your marriage to the Second Prince of Helianthus, and your brother’s marriage was also discussed briefly. They also spoke of security for the festival. I don’t think she is still planning to marry you to Romain,” She eyed him skeptically.

“It’s hard to believe that she’d just change her mind all of a sudden. What else happened?”

“Uh...” Alan cleared his throat as his voice trailed off. He was hesitant to speak as he didn’t want to earn her ire. She waited expectantly.

“Yes?”

“Well, She didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Out voted.”

“What do you mean?” Alan scratched the nape of his neck.

“There was a plague outbreak in the southern territories, and apparently the Helianthians have the means to cure it. That’s why her majesty didn’t have a choice but to arrange your marriage to Prince Leorhydian. They only agreed to offer assistance under those terms.”

“A plague?”

“It is all under control at the moment, but it looks like things are going to only get worse. A lot of refugees have been making their way northward, toward the capital, to escape it but it seems to be following them. So, the council decided our only option was to ally with the Helianthus.”

“And you didn't care to mention this earlier, why?” Concern and anger marred the princess’s delicate face. It seemed she had gotten out of one fire only to be thrust right into another. Alan cringed in response.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I just thought it was for the best. You already have so much on your plate, and I didn’t want to increase the burden,” He huffed.

Auri grew even more livid at his reasoning as Maggie smacked his head.

“You idiot boy!” Maggie chided and smacked him again.

Alan had always been very over protective of the princess. They had grown up together, almost as close as real siblings, and he would always try to keep her sheltered from what harsh realities of the world he could. This often led to him making choices for her or completely keeping important things from her altogether. It exasperated the princess to no end. She hated being treated as if she were weak.

‘I don’t need constant saving!’ At least that was what she wanted to believe. However, she was well aware of her limits. Though that didn’t stop her from getting angry every time someone treated her like she was some ‘damsel-in-distress.

Auri threw a punch at his chest. She knew it wouldn’t physically hurt him as her body was fairly weak after years of abuse and neglect, but he still seemed to shift uncomfortably at her touch.

“That was not your decision to make!” She snapped at him as her bright blue orbs sparkled with the gold energy of her light magic.

It had been a while since she was last angry enough to lose control of her power, and she could feel the thrum of the mana beneath her skin, itching to be used. But she couldn’t. Not. Right. Now. There were still too many unknown variables and not many knew of the [Abandoned Princess's] full capabilities. And she planned to keep it that way. It wasn’t as if she had full control of her magic yet either, and it was better for everyone’s safety.

Alan seemed to realize that he had overstepped again and knelt before Auri with his right fist across his heart. Yes, they had grown up together and were as close as siblings. But she was also the princess and his lord. He knew that she would be upset if withheld information like that, but he was more concerned for her safety as she was notorious for running right into dangerous situations when upset.

“I’m sorry, your highness.”

“Is that all you can say?” Auri hissed as she ran her fingers through her hair and paced before him. She purposely avoided his apologetic gaze.

No. She had a right to be upset. The princess allowed herself to stew in her anger for a few moments before pausing in silent contemplation. Then, she sighed. She felt bad for going off on Alan, but with the pressure on, and him being another person, seemingly trying to control her life, It was suffocating. Without looking at him, she waved a hand gesturing for Alan, who still knelt before her to stand. When she turned back to face him, he stood stiffly with Maggie at his back. Auristela narrowed her eyes.

“Tell me exactly what happened at the meeting and this time, do not leave anything out.” Alan let out a quiet breath before starting.

“I don’t really know all the details. They had a court mage cast a sound-sealing barrier around the dias, the four dukes, Marquis Laywin, and the envoys to prevent anyone else from hearing,” he said.

Auri cursed mentally. Of course they did.

“The queen looked pretty heated when they were talking though, as did Count Romain. By the end of it, it seemed like the council had come to an agreement with the envoys and announced your engagement to the 2nd Prince of Helianthus. The edict was issued this morning.”

“And here I thought the worst thing I would have to deal with was a forced marriage to the count.” The princess shuddered involuntarily. She was also beginning to regret punching Alan earlier as she was becoming more aware of the grown pain in her knuckles. She was positive they were severely bruised now, thanks to the lack of muscle she had to protect them.

“Did anything else happen after that?” She asked. Alan shook his head.

“No, They ended the council almost immediately after. So, I am sure there is no need to worry.”

“No need to worry, eh?” Auri spun away from them and shook her head in frustration as she lifted her gaze to the gardens beyond.

It had been about two years since she had last seen this place and she was glad to see it seemed to have still been regularly tended to. The roses her mother had planted in honor of her birth were in full bloom, and an array of colors painted the neatly trimmed labyrinth’s walls from top to bottom. She took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet, familiar scent of the flowers to calm her nerves once more. A gentle breeze rustled through strands of ebony as she spoke.

“That information leaves a lot to be worried about,” The Princess also couldn’t help shake the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. There was something more to this, and her intuition had never led her wrong before. Shaking it off, she glanced back at Alan, who was now supporting Maggie again. Thankfully, the old woman seemed to have regained a bit of color in her cheeks.

“You said earlier that Count Romain and the queen were still in the chambers for a private audience after everyone was dismissed, right?”

Alan nodded in confusion.

“Sure. I tried to use my wind magic to listen in, but wasn’t able to thanks to that damn Urixen. He found me when I was leaving and kept trying to have a go at me,” Alan grunted in annoyance.

“I had to leave sooner than I would have liked, but I lingered as close by as I could without getting caught. The count’s audience with the Queen only lasted maybe fifteen minutes, after everyone was dismissed.” He sighed and placed a strong hand on her shoulder when he noticed her obvious distress.

“I’m not sure what happened after that, but you shouldn’t let it get to you. There are much more pressing concerns at the moment. Let’s handle one thing at a time.” He said. She figured he was referring to the ceremony that would happen tonight. Auri pondered over his words, but there was still a nagging feeling in her gut that they were still missing something.

Something big.

“Come on, It’s not like we’ll be able to find out anything more if you go there now anyway.” Alan chided.

Deciding that her guardian knight had a point, the princess sighed once more.

“Fine.” It would probably be better to do more digging after the ceremony, once most everyone was inebriated and distracted by the celebrations.

Taking a deep breath, Auristela turned to Maggie and took the old woman’s hands in her own with a furrowed brow. Maggie looked a lot better now that she’d had a chance to calm down.

“Are you well enough to get back?” The princess asked. The old woman nodded in confusion.

“Yes, but what about you?” Auri shook her head, glancing at the gardens behind her.

“Since I’m already here, I might as well enjoy the reprieve, right?” She chuckled half-heartedly. “Besides, this might be the last time, so…”

Her voice trailed off but they both seemed to understand.

The princess didn’t have much to remember her parents by and this garden was one of the few mementos that the queen hadn’t ordered destroyed upon the death of the emperor and empress prior. Thankfully, her elder brother also took a liking to the gardens and had managed to convince his mother to keep it mostly intact. Auri wasn’t close with her half-brother, so it certainly wasn’t for her benefit. But she was still grateful he had done so, even if it was just for his own enjoyment.

Her only other mementos were a simple, delicate, gold locket that always hung on her neck, and their royal portraits that hung in the [Hall of Crowns], where the other prior emperors and empresses were laid to rest. Unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed in the [Hall of Crowns] per the queen’s order. So, she had to make do with what she could whenever she felt a strong longing or urge to be near them. She had only been in the central gardens a handful of times since their passing, so she was determined to make the most of this trip.

‘Perhaps that will make what is to come a little easier to... digest.’ She thought to herself.

“I understand, I will leave you both to it.” Maggie’s gaze passed between the princess and her son a few times. “Don’t get into any trouble and hurry back. You haven’t got long before the ceremony and it’s almost sunset.”

Then the old woman settled her weary eyes on Alan. There was an unspoken agreement between the two that he would stay to protect the princess. Although the imperial palace was heavily guarded, it was quite possibly a place more dangerous that anywhere else in the empire. One wrong step could mean death here, and there were always conspirators.

“Get back safely, Mother.” Alan leaned forward and kissed Maggie’s cheek before the old woman turned, with all the grace of an experienced court lady, then sauntered out of the central courtyard and disappeared from sight. After his mother was gone, Alan then turned to the princess with a raised brow and a slight grin.

“Shall we get to it then?” Auri managed a small smile back before leading the way.