Grounded- A sparxshipping story

Chapter one: Valtor

How do I find myself in these situations? First those Witches and now this. I'm already exhausted, and the day has only just begun.
"...and once I have Radius under control, I can get rid of Princess Stella and reinforce my control over the royal court. Then I can..." Cassandra. Dear Dragon, does she suffer from plain regular stupidity, alongside brain damage? Who in their right mind discusses overthrowing a planet openly, let alone in the royal castle itself? No one, at least not anyone I'd typically associate with. Sadly, I have little choice in the matter. It's just one of the consequences of breaking out of prison. Or, I suppose, committing a war crime or two in the first place.

If she keeps blabbering about her plans out here, I might reconsider my promise and refuse her my help after all. I may be a man of my word, but even I have limits. "Yeah! And I'll be the new crown princess! It's going to be great!" Oh god. I'm working with a child! Cassandra is not the only problem; that dimwitted girl of hers is even worse! She's going to get us caught. I'm almost certain of it. She's going to get caught, and she'll spill the beans about my involvement. Damnnit! I do not want my name known yet. I've worked way too hard to stay unknown; I'm not about to let all the trouble I went through on Andros be for nought. It's probably best to keep an eye on them tonight. I almost groan out loud; I suppose I'll have to go to a Solarian party. Once more, I'll have to mingle with the upper class. I suppose it'll be just like old times. Yet, I wasn't a criminal on the run then. Honestly, I have better ways to spend my time, like taking over the Magix dimension, seeking revenge on the company of light, or just about anything else except babysitting a grown woman.

A female voice, not Cassandra's or her little whelp's, pulls me out of my thoughts. "Stella, your directions suck! Honestly, where did you learn how to write? Now, where is—" We slow down before stopping completely when a young woman becomes visible at the top of the stairs. A fleeting look is all I give her. My eyes linger on her hair for but a moment. It had been a long time since I had seen hair in that particular shade of red.
I continue to ponder the temporary distraction Cassandra just forced on me and how to make it at least a bit bearable. "Oh! Hello Countess, my apologies; I thought I heard Stella." The voice slithers through my mind again, and once more, I focus my eyes on the woman in front of me. Cassandra bristles with indignation at the woman's mistake. "Well, I'm not, and as you can see, I'm very busy; excuse me." Cassandra's tone is biting; her arrogance is evident in the way she looks down her nose at the girl who straightens up out of what I think might have been a curtsy. A quick study shows me that she doesn't look anything like the girls one normally sees in a palace; no gown to show status and no uniform to indicate that she might work here. We start moving again, leaving no space for the girl to pass us. I see the girl doesn't move; she stands her ground and studies us. Maybe she does have a spine? She's not paying any particular notice to my person. I move to the side slightly, which catches her attention. Leaving just enough room for her to pass, I see the grateful look she sends me, yet she does not seem inclined to meet my eyes. Strange, what is a commoner doing in the palace? As she passes me, with barely enough room between our bodies to move, I feel a sudden shock to my system and slow down. What was that? She too slows down for a fraction of a second, apparently having felt the same thing; cyan-blue orbs meet my eyes for the first time, and then she's gone. I narrow my eyes, and they follow the red ribbon of hair flowing behind her as she runs lightly down the stairs and across the room to turn the corner. She's out of my sight in seconds. I continue walking, suppressing the tiny spark of intrigue and forcing the strange encounter out of my mind. I get the feeling that asking Cassandra for information would not endear me to her in the slightest. I don't particularly care for Cassandra's opinion of me of course, But so long as I am not in possession of Solaria's sun it's best to stay on her good side. Besides, I don't have the time for any more distractions, not with the disaster that is Cassandra's current plan.