Royally F**cked

IX: Novem

He bumped her lightly with his elbow in order to get his attention. Finally, she gave in, looking at him. Tobias was dressed head to toe in the customary silver armour. How he wasn't freezing, she'd never know.

"What is it?" Lavinia grumbled.

"Have you ever been in a carriage before?" Tobias questioned innocently, tilting his head towards the two Royal carriages they were to ride in. The two carriages were large, white and decorated with ornate gold designs. What a way to stand out, she thought.

"No," She simply responded, snuggling into the grey fur lining her coat, embracing its warmth Working for royalty had its perks afterall.

"Then how'd you get to the city? I heard you lived on the outskirts." Tobias commented. Lavinia gave him an odd look. Was it really that unheard off? Or was he just insanely privileged alike the Prince he served.

"I walked..." She trailed off, catching sight of the Prince himself. He was wearing all black this time, royal uniform covered by a large obsidian trench coat, trimmed with silver thread. He was tall, imposing and even his aides were giving him a wide berth. Lavinia walked right up to him, absently picking off a stray silver thread from his coat.

"Are you ready?" Lavinia said, tilting her head, ignoring the servants that were staring at them. Delvin nodded, straightening himself up a bit.

"You'll be in the first carriage with myself and Tobias," The Prince informed her, as he began to walk over to them. She trailed after him. They would be travelling this way, as magic was not permitted to be used outside of the Vespertine Kingdom. Incredibly annoying, Lavinia thought, it would save them so much time if they could just teleport between the two places. But no, of course not.

Delvin got in the carriage first, turning around to offer a hand to her, to help her up the steps. Lavinia dutifully ignored it, shuffling around him to sit down on one of the plush benches. It was toasty inside, probably hidden magic used to keep them warm. Despite the fact that it was strictly forbidden outside of their premises, Lavinia couldn't help but enjoy it.

Tobias, clunking in his large armour, got inside with great difficulty. "Aren't you going to offer me your hand?" The Knight taunted, as he sat besides Delvin. The Prince tutted, rolling his eyes and folding his arms across his chest, not deigning him a response.

Instead, he turned his focus on her, once again. "I hope you're prepared for a long journey, Lavinia. It will take three days to get there." Lavinia nodded, it was probably going to be boring and mind numbing but it was nothing she couldn't put up with.

How wrong she was.

---

"Tobias. Shut up."

It seemed the Knight had no 'off button'. They were two days into their journey, with only a few small breaks, the Royal Guard had not shut up. She'd underestimated his penchant for chatter and small talk. It was a wonder how he got to his position in the first place.

"Lavi, tell him to stop being mean to me." Tobias moaned, sending her a pleading look. Instead of answering, she looked out the window. She could see in the reflection Delvin's glare towards the other man.

"Oh now you're both being mean. Okay I get it." The Knight huffed, shifting the sword attached to his side to sit better. Before the man could speak anymore, the carriage jolted to a sudden stop. This hadn't been a prepreaped stop, one where they would get up, stretch and get something to eat. No, this was something different.

The reaction of the two men was immediate, Tobias stood up, hand clutching the hilt of his long sword. Delvin, didn't move, but his whole body tensed as he looked outside. She followed his gaze to see a group of hooded people, with small golden swan brooches holding their cloaks closed.

Delvin's eyes widened a fraction, as he stood up, sharing a look with his personal knight. They both nodded to the other, and it seemed like a decision had been made between them.
"Lavinia, no matter what, stay in the carriage. Do not step out." The Prince ordered. Lavinia could hear her heart pound, as she licked her lips, sparing another glance outside.

The people in hooded cloaks drew closer.

"Okay." For once, they both agreed with each other. Tobias came out of the carriage first. Followed closely by the Prince. Though she couldn't hear them, the two groups seemed to be talking to each other. Delvin gestured something, and then, one of the cloaked members shook their head.

They advanced.

There was a flash of magic. Something, wide bright and blue, and for a heartbreaking pause, she thought Delvin had been hit. But, after the blinding light dissipated, Delvin remained completely unphased, as though he had been expecting it from them.

He smirked. Rose his hands. And within two seconds, the five cloaked people had fallen to the floor, grasping at their throats as they were choked to death by something invisible. Static filled the air, making her ears humm like a thousand birds chirping. The hair on the backs of her arm rose, giving her goosebumps.

Something so inevitably powerful. She watched, morbidly transfixed, as the group slowly died. One by one, growing still. They stopped their struggles. And, just like that, it was over. Delvin stood, a singular man amongst many. At that moment, she understood the rumours surrounding him.

The Ice Prince, a murderer, a killer.

He got back into the carriage as though nothing had happened, sending her a small smile. Her heartbeat quickened, and she tried to convince herself that she was just scared. But, deep inside, she knew it was something, far, far darker than that.

Because, for all that he so carelessly took the lives of those people, some part of Lavinia, still thought him to be handsome.

---

Authors Note:  

Hey guys! Im sorry for the lack of updates, honestly, ive really been struggling with writing lately. Im not sure if its just writers block, or a lack of motivation. I don't know. I will be trying to get back to regular updates, and if that's not the case, i will definitely let you guys know. 

That being said, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would love to hear your feedback! This series isn't as popular as my other ones, so i would like to know if there's something i could improve on, or if you enjoyed it. 

Thank you so much for reading, and for you patience. It really means a lot to me <3 

Lots of love, 

Sam.E