The Darkness Beyond the Stars

Chapter Four: The Library, or how I tried parkour

I took the red book from the shelf, and opened it.

Voices. I jumped, and my head smacked the wall behind me. I bit my lip and rubbed it, then cocked my head.

"...seemed to go well." I didn't recognize the voice. "The princess is all a princess of the High Elves should be."

"I suppose." This one was the prince.

"Why the hesitation?"

"She's odd."

I yelped indignantly and my head thumped the ceiling. I glared as if I could pierce through the curtain and skewer that prince. How could he say I was odd? I wasn't odd. He was odd. Horrid elf.

"What was that?"

"My prince?"

"Someone made a noise."

I froze.

"It came from this corner."

I lifted a tiny corner of the curtain and looked through. The prince and another elf with dark hair were standing in front of the shelf directly underneath me. I dropped the curtain and shrunk back. I heard steps, then the prince spoke.

"We should talk tonight."

"In the usual place?"

"No. The one we spoke of earlier."

"Very well, your highness."

I heard the steps leave, and the library doors opened and shut. I let out a long breath, and opened my book again, pushing away the comments on my oddness.

"I can hear you."

My eyes widened, but even if he heard me, he didn't know my hiding place.

"Someone..."

I heard shuffling.

"has been messing with..."

The shelf creaked.

"these shelves."

My heart jumped into my throat. I scooted towards the little window, and stuck my head through as the shelves creaked more. It was a one-story drop, to a balcony below, then a long drop to the ground. The window was big enough for me to fit through. A deep breath, and I turned and stuck my legs through, wriggled until my waist was at the sill, and scrambled for a foothold. My bare toes caught on a rough rock. I got my shoulders out, my dress snagging, and just as I pushed off to drop, the curtain moved.

My ankle twisted as I landed, and I thumped to the stony floor. The glass balcony doors in front of me were open, so I crawled through, not daring to look back up. I looked around. This was the floor with guest rooms that were hardly used. The room was bright, with hardwood floors and paintings of flowers hanging on the wall. The huge bed was covered in pillows.

I crawled to the bed and pulled myself onto it. The guest rooms always had the boring paintings. I sat up and looked around the room, pulling the scarf off from around my neck and wiping my face with it. I blinked, and stared. Clothes were thrown on a chair near the bed. I blinked again, and panic rose in my chest. 

Those were the clothes the prince had worn yesterday.

I closed my eyes, and shook my head. This was bad. 

Not to mention inappropriate. YOU ARENT MARRIED YET SHEESH.

I'm sorry. Don't you ever get annoyed at your younger self? I try to view it as Not Me. Makes it easier.