Element Sense

Chapter Eight- Close Call

In the end, Sadon never managed to duplicate her shot, although Alyss was able to have some “beginner’s luck” twice more; she felt more and more nauseous as their session wore on. Not even Sadon's looks of utter bafflement did much to lift her spirits. Finally giving up, Sadon called it a day and Alyss breathed out a sigh of relief. He nodded his head towards her and headed back to the castle, his demeanor betraying his frustration at not having won the competition.

When Sadon was completely out of view, Alyss relaxed. Now that the ordeal was over, she succumbed to her overwhelming feelings and sank to the ground, allowing the silence to wash over her. She lay there for another hour perhaps, before rising to her feet. She reigned in her emotions, berating herself for acting so helplessly.

Alyss directed her thoughts now to what her selection should be in relation to Tybalt and the prince. She looked about her. Though her breathing was now stabilizing, she couldn't stand being here any longer. She had to leave before her head imploded; Alyss began walking before she could start to contemplate whether or not that would be so bad. Especially for her seemingly doomed kingdom.

Once she made the decision, it became easy to follow through with it. Alyss quickly changed into the peasant dress and followed the path that Sadon had taken not so long ago, raising her hood. She didn't make her usual left toward her rooms, however, but she turned right toward where the guests of high standing were housed for the duration of their stay at the Castle of Anselm.

Alyss was thankful that the lodgings were apart from the rest of the castle as she saw two unfamiliar guards posted in front of the building. They most likely wouldn't be able to identify her as the Crown Princess seeing as she was rarely at the castle aside from dinner. The cloak she was wearing concealed enough of her face for it to be difficult to tell her apart from any of the other servant girls as well. Though she knew this, she couldn't help but clutch the clothes in her hand tightly as she neared the guards.

Alyss felt the guards give her a once-over as she stopped in between them. She cleared her throat, "The princess wishes to convey a message to Prince Merek. It is urgent." The guard on her left grunted and turned to open the door. She inclined her head toward him as she walked on, relieved.

In that second, the guard to her right pulled back her hood and grabbed her arm gruffly through the cloak. The angle at which he held it made the breeches and shirt she was still holding stay unseen as the guard inspected her face. Alyss froze. He would recognize her, she knew it. She began assessing the best possible escape routes and the best detour to take to them in her mind's eye. While outwardly, she remained unsuspicious, with a hint of fake confusion and anger thrown into the mix.

"What are you doing?! Unhand me!" Alyss demanded, not quite yelling but getting very close. At that moment, the door burst open, and a loud boink was heard as the other guard, who had undone the hatch, had an unfortunate meeting involving the door and his skull. In the entryway stood Prince Merek, looking extremely irritated. "How is anyone expected to get any sleep around here with the load of you-" 

The Prince noticed the unconscious guard on the floor for the first time. He squatted down to get a closer look at the poor fellow, eying him for a couple seconds before standing up and gingerly prodding him with his foot. "What happened to him?" He asked, lifting his gaze from his victim to Alyss. He looked startled for a moment and then shook it off imperceptibly.

"Actually, forget that last question. Who is this woman?" The Prince enquired. Alyss once more noticed that his voice was much louder than it had been when they were alone. The guard, who had been preparing to answer his first question, was caught, no pun intended, off guard.