A Stroll With The Princess
Athena successfully made it back into the palace. Under the cover of the shadows, she made her way back to Hemlock Mansion. Just as she was about to climb through the window, a shiver ran down her spine.
She could feel a presence behind her.
"Returning from a stroll, princess?"
She recognized Nikolai's voice in an instant. Athena stopped what she was doing and turned back. Her bodyguard was standing there with a grin on his face, arms folded.
Athena dusted off her dress, lightly chuckling before replying, "I just… well. It's a beautiful night, is it not?"
Nikolai walked up to her, his face was lit by the lamp light above. That was when she noticed that he wasn't dressed in his usual armor either. In fact, both of them were dressed similarly, in common clothes.
"You followed me, didn't you?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes, shooting her own question back.
She closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, catching Nikolai off guard. He knew he should have taken a step back, but his feet were rooted to the ground. He liked the closeness between them.
"I did. For your protection," he said without skipping a beat, "Princess, do you realize you could have been in grave danger?"
Athena bit her lip, she didn't like to be treated like a child. She was capable of taking care of herself.
"I know how to protect myself, besides, you were there to protect me, were you not?"
"But if you slip out again without informing anyone, how would I be able to protect you if I'm not there?" Nikolai replied without hesitation.
Athena widened her eyes in surprise. She did not expect his reply. Nikolai realized he had spoken out of line too. He quickly took a few steps back and hung his head low.
"My apologies, your Highness, I've overstepped-"
"No, you haven't," she replied instantly, "You're right, Nikolai. I should not be so reckless."
Looking up at the moon in the sky, Athena let out a sigh as she lamented, "All I wanted was a bit of freedom."
Nikolai read between the lines of the princess' words. He felt guilty for what he said, unsure about what to say next.
Just then, his ears picked up on something. Athena heard it too, both of them froze where they stood, looking deep into each other's eyes.
Nikolai glanced to the side, noticing shadows coming in their direction.
"Someone's coming," he said in a soft whisper before leaping into action.
Without thinking, he grabbed hold of Athena's hand and hurriedly hid them both. Both of their hearts were pounding in their ears, making their breathing uneven. They did their best to regulate their breathing as the shadows grew closer.
Athena gripped onto Nikolai's hand tightly as she watched from their hiding spot. If anyone saw them now, they would be toast!
Lucky for them, the patrolling guards did not sense anything was amiss. Eventually they rounded the corner and disappeared.
"We're in the clear," Nikolai said in a soft whisper.
"That was close… too close," Athena whispered back.
When she realized they were both still holding hands, she quickly wriggled her hand out of his.
"My apologies, your Highness, I didn't mean to," he stumbled while trying to explain his actions. Athena cut him off.
"It's alright. I think it's time I get some sleep," she said, hoping they could put the matter behind them.
"I'll escort you," he said as they left their hiding spot.
Nikolai and Athena successfully made it into her bed chamber through the window. Once she was safely in her room, Nikolai bid her farewell.
"See you in the morning," she whispered to him with a smile.
"See you," he replied before taking his leave.
It took Nikolai quite some time, while he was resting for the night, that the last exchange between him and the princess had been casual. It was almost like two friends promising to see each other the next day.
~
Athena was invited to breakfast one morning with her father at his mansion. She had originally expected others to be present, but soon realized only she was invited.
She thought to herself before taking a seat.
"What tea would you like, your Highness?" One of the servants asked.
"Lavender Earl Grey, please. Thank you."
"I hear that the new leader of your guards is a charming young man, is that true?"
Athena almost spat out the sip of tea she just drank. King Orion chuckled as she recovered from nearly choking.
"It is true, he's quite talented," she replied when she finally found her words.
There was no smile on Athena's face as she spoke of this. Since the incident, Nikolai seemed to be avoiding her like the plague. He gave the excuse that he was training the new guards in her household, so he left personal guard duties to Sir Daric instead.
"Oh? Is that so? How did he fare in the previous tourney?" Her father continued to ask.
"Tourney? Hmm, I'm not sure," she turned to Daric, who was her bodyguard for the day, to ask, "Sir Daric, do you know if Nikolai had participated in a tourney before?
Daric took a step forward before giving his reply, "From what I know, no. Sir Nikolai had not participated in any tourney yet. He is unranked. But, his swordsmanship is well known amongst the palace guards. During sparring sessions, he had won many and lost few."
"Seems like he has a bright future ahead. It has been a while since our last tourney, perhaps it is time to have another. Your birthday would be a great opportunity to host one," King Orion reasoned.
Athena chuckled a little, "Are you certain it's a great opportunity or it's because you're eager to host another tourney?"
Deep down, a tourney sounded like an exciting event. She wondered if foreign guests would be invited to attend. Could this be where she would meet Zicheng again? Another thought crossed Athena's mind.
What would it be like to participate in the tourney?
So it was settled, a tourney would be held in three month's time.
"Would that be enough time to train?" Athena muttered out loud.
"Are you worried Sir Nikolai would not have enough time to train?" King Orion teased. He overheard her muttering!