Chapter 10 - Trial

The Moretti Castle - The Castle Library: Princess Eva

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For the weeks following my meeting with Karina in regards to our guests and the eventful encounter I had with King Alexander, I had spent my days confined to the dusty shelves of the library. My nose buried on ancient lore and mythology regarding the two Kings. Many of the books I stumbled upon accounted violent tendencies within these creatures and I couldn't help but compare these scribed words with my brief encounters with Alexander.

He did not seem like a brute to me. Yes, his overall disposition was somewhat fiendish, but he spoke gently. And carried himself with assurity and caution. Perhaps his kind were just misunderstood like many others. I would not make any final judgments concerning Alexander just yet. His much more enigmatic brother Kade was another matter though, the darkly enticing and albeit terrifying nightwalker displayed a character that upheld itself in the history books.

Lore depicted a natural rift between the two races of brothers. They were somewhat destined to be enemies. Biologically they remained family. Ties between family were hard to ignore even if nature required it. And for weeks I had invested my time to learning more about these vague but detrimental differences between the shape-shifters and the nightwalkers. Origins and abilities. I was sure that my utter exhaustion was displayed unabashedly on my face when I finally emerged from the library after hours. Sonja met me with a meal and wine. I took it gratefully, my head ached and my shoulders were tense with the weight of new knowledge.

"I am concerned, but I know you must have your own particularly strange reasons for all this obsessive behavior." Sonja remarked as she sat down beside me on my bed.

Her motherly smile put me at ease.

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When I arrived back at the library just the following day, I found that my usual seat on the upper level beside the historical books occupied.

The culprit was King Alexander. His ebony hair was preened and neat atop his head. His expression was neutral as he stared into the covers of a classical folktale—something I imagined he would not usually read. He looked more of the kind to enjoy risqué escapades and sharp battle tales. But it was not my place to ascribe these things to him. His soul may have well been more gentle than his exterior.

"Wonderful to see you again Princess." His sonorous voice startled me from my thoughts.

I grappled to recover my senses but moved closer to him silently.

Lifting my chin, I busied myself with trailing the tips of my fingers over the old spines of the books above his head.

"Good to see you as well your highness." I murmured softly.

A mirthful sound left him and the rustle of pages turning in his fingers made me shuffle in my spot senselessly.

I heard him rise from my seat and take a new position beside me. He towered over me by two heads and his hand brushed mine as he raised an arm to grab a book above me.

"Why so serious?" He asked teasingly.

I had no reply, my nerves were inexplicably on end due to the proximity between us. My face must have contorted to expose how I was feeling because he stepped away from me and cleared his throat.

He returned to my seat and I hurriedly grabbed a random book that my fingers had trailed over in preparation to flee.

My escape was unsuccessful.

He called out to me, "Come sit with me Princess, we do not need to speak if you prefer silence. All I ask is for your company."

It would be considered impolite to refuse a polite request so I returned to him and sat adjacent to him on another seat. Without any further dialogue, we fell into a perfectly companionable silence. Paging gradually as we read. Time lapsed and I had nearly reached the end of my book on 'Ancient Geographical Wonders'. I glanced up and found Alexanders eyes shut, his body slumped. A face of peace and innocence stared back at me.

Daringly, I stood up and approached him. My hands calmly took his book and shut it, placing it down beside him on the marble floor. For moments after, I watched him sleep. Wondering just how a beautiful creature such as he could be what I had been warned against in all the tales I had read. I placed my book back in its rightful place before I left.

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More days passed as I continued my pursuit for answers that would help my father protect our kingdom from the unknown danger it faced. Whether the danger were the Kings or the darkness that Karina spoke of.

Alexander met me in the library every afternoon, he said nothing and neither did I. We simply sat in silence and read to ourselves. I enjoyed the monotony of this 'ritual' began, and my enjoyment was blown out of proportion by Sonja and my father.

Sonja gushed about Alexanders looks and his charisma, she was convinced I was smitten.

Father stood on equal footing with her, he gave me glances whenever supper was held in the grand hall. He made sure to place me beside Alexander.

I certainly wasn't the only one who noticed the subtle nudges we got from everyone, to become closer.

One afternoon, Alexander murmured to me through our silence, "Your father is eager to see you married."

I detested the way he said it and spoke back snidely, "He is eager to see me find interest in something other than research and politics."

Instead of being offended Alexander breathed out what sounded like a laugh, "That must be so. You do know him better than I do after all."

Our silence returned for a few moments and then he interrupted it once again.

"Would you like me to formally court you Princess?"

I waved him off, "If it pleases you to do so. Try your best your highness."

Alexander smiled at me, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "Then I suppose my trial starts now?"

A hum left my lips, "I suppose it does."