“Alaric?” Alaric struggled to return to the waking world as he blinked his eyes against the bright light that now enveloped the room. He yawned before the voice called out his name again.
“Alaric…” The voice was soft and hoarse as it cried out his name. Alaric’s eyes widened as he turned and found Calira sitting up in her bed, looking at him. Leopold was curled up next to her and dipped his head underneath her hand to garner her soft strokes along his snout. Calira tilted her head to the side before a cough clawed its way out from inside her chest. Alaric was by her side, almost instantaneously. His hand rubbed soothing circles along her shoulder blade as he waited for the coughing and the wheezing to pass. Alaric tensed when Calira leaned her forehead against his shoulder for support as she struggled to regain control of her breathing.
“It hurts,” Calira whispered. Alaric relaxed he tilted his head so his cheek rested gently against her tangled curls.
“I know. Wesley will be back soon and we will get you some more medicine,” Alaric offered as he tried to soothe the blonde.
“The last time I was ill,” Calira paused to suck in a breath of air and painfully let it out, “the Queen cared for me. She was so kind,” Alaric listened with a sad heart. His mother was a beautiful soul inside and out and he missed her almost every day. He knew he wasn’t the only one. He was sure the entire kingdom still mourned the loss of their queen even after almost eleven years after her passing.
“She told me stories about you,” Calira continued before another painful cough rendered her mute. Alaric remained silent as he continued to rub her back gently. It made sense the queen would tell stories of her son especially since while she was alive, Calira and he had been friends.
“You skipped lessons to play with me,” Calira said after she regained a little control over her breathing. Alaric fought the chuckle that built in his chest. He had skipped lessons as many times as humanly possible.
“Mother didn’t mind so much if I skipped to spend time with you. I understand why now,” he mumbled in reply as Calira’s body shook a little with small giggles.
“Because we were engaged.”
***
“I need you to keep your ears open, Valerius,” Wesley stood with the boy in the middle of a servant’s hall. They were alone and speaking in whispers.
“You think someone poisoned the princess?” Valerius’ eyes were wide as he frowned. He had grown to like the Princess and her bodyguard.
“I’m not sure. That is why I need you to listen to everything you possibly can. The doctor believes she’ll recover but I don’t need anyone trying anything while she can’t defend herself,” Wesley responded as he glanced around warily for the twentieth time since he had cornered the boy into the shadows.
“And don’t get caught, do you understand me? If they are willing to murder the future Queen, they will not blink about murdering the son of a maid,” Wesley warned as he watched Valerius swallow hard before nodding.
“Yes, sir. But why are you…letting me do this?”
“Your father was a knight and I know you looked up to him. You are a brave boy; you are loyal to the King. I knew I could trust with this and you wouldn’t betray me,” Wesley explained as he put his large hand on the boy’s shoulder and smiled softly. Valerius stared at him before smiling.
“You honor me with your trust, sir. I will not fail,” he vowed before he slipped up the stairs. Wesley watched him until he disappeared before he turned to head back to Calira’s room. He had left Leopold with his mistress while Alaric had slept next to her bedside. He wondered if either the Princess or the King had awoken yet. He paused when he heard soft voices from the other side of the door.
YOU ARE READING
The Assassin Princess
RomanceCalira is a government-sanctioned assassin. Trained her entire life to live in the shadows, she is but a name to most everyone but a select few: the King of Venta and the Crown Prince. However when the aging king is bedridden with an illness, he rev...