Royal Academy Diaries I

The Orphan Princess ⚜ Ch. 7

"You almost died?!"

Sririta couldn't help but grin as her friends burst into her dorm room, their hair in braids and already in nightgowns. The dorms were open later on nights around the weekend, and everyone was eager to make full use of the time.

"Don't flip your wig," she waved dismissively. "My horse just spooked, is all."

Meridani and Vasara sat on her bed, and were joined a moment later by Sririta's roommates.

"That was you?" one of them asked incredulously.

"Yes, Sanjiya. But it was nothing-"

"Wait," Meridani looked between the three roommates, "Sanjiya? Now why would someone put a Subira, Sririta, and Sanjiya in the same dorm?"

Sririta shook her head, starting to braid her own hair for the night. "It gets confusing, yes."

"I heard a prince saved you," Subira smirked.

"Oh go on Ri," Vasara rushed in anticipation, "spill already!"

Sririta rolled her eyes, but couldn't entirely hide her smile. "There was a strange wind coming from the forest, my horse spooked, and Lord Pirath saved me. That's all."

"No it isn't," Meridani grinned.

After a moment, she finally confessed, "And he took me back to the courtyard on his horse. And... he showed me the form to use for archery."

"The way they do in films?" Subira questioned eagerly.

"Well... I suppose..." Sririta replied, blushing. "Although I haven't actually seen it happen like that in any films."

"You need to watch more, Princess," Vasara said. "The Adventures of Robin Hood is being released next month."

"Oh, the one with Errol Flynn?" Subira asked.

Meridani sighed dreamily. "Yes!"

"Ooh, maybe we can all try to get dates to take us," Sanjiya suggested, grinning.

Vasara playfully poked at Sririta. "Did Pirath ask you out after saving your life?"

"No, he didn't," she shrugged, although she couldn't help but wonder why not.

"Wait, Ri, you said something about a strange wind coming from the forest," Subira suddenly commented. "Did anyone else's horse spook?"

The mood in the room quickly changed. "Well, no..."

Subira lowered her voice. "There are rumours of things happening around here. Thieves, werewolves, vampires. I heard that a maid was attacked at the Knight's school just a few nights ago."

"That might be true," Meridani added. "Zhang said there are strange things happening at the Magic Academy. There are whispers of a revolution. Although no one seems to know what that means."

Sririta fell silent for a moment. "Why would something target me that way?"

"Maybe your blood smells particularly sweet," Vasara grinned evilly.

"Ugh, don't say something like that! I'm going to have nightmares now!" Sririta hit her with a small pillow, which of course instigated a full on war.

Within a minute, everyone was armed, and feathers floated around the room from the first pillow casualty. Shrieks and laughter filled the room, until a tiny sound caught their attention.

"What was that?" Sanjiya asked, looking towards the open balcony.

Sririta grunted as Meridani struck her with one more blow. Down drifted slowly around them as they watched another pebble hit the window of the French door. It was followed immediately after by a paper airplane.

"I'll get it!" Meridani shouted, lunging towards it.

"No, it's our room, we should get it!" Subira countered, half heartedly pushing her out of the way.

Sanjiya snatched it off the floor and held it over her head. "I've got it! Everyone hush!" She quickly unfolded it as the girls swarmed around her.

"Roses are red,
violets are blue,
I'm writing to ask for one afternoon,

with the Princess fair,
in the clear fresh air,
on the hill overlooking the town's art faire.

With phad thai and tea,
spend some time with me,
to calm the nerves of my rescuee."

"Ri, it has to be Pirath!" Meridani squeed. "You're the only Princess here, and you're his rescuee!"

Sririta stared at the paper in surprise, a smile growing on her lips. "Is it really for me? What if it went in the wrong window?"

"How many other princesses have been rescued in the last few days? It has to be you!" Vasara grinned.

"You're going, right?" Subira urged. "Come on, you have to go!"

With a grin, Sririta took the paper over to her desk and wrote a reply under the poem. "'Roses are red, violets are blue, you have proved a hero true. Horses of white, sky of blue, I would love to go with you.' How's that?"

"Oh Ri that's perfect!" Sanjiya gushed.

The other girls giggled in excitement as she refolded the page into an airplane. They all joined her on the balcony as she looked for Pirath to return his message. Upon seeing a few moving shadows in the garden below, she threw the paper airplane towards them.

The noblemen saw it, and one snatched it out of the air. After a few moments of unfolding and reading, they burst into cheers.

The girls laughed at their enthusiastic response, but Sririta's smile faded a bit as she realized the shadow she had seen a while back was exactly like theirs.

✧❈✧

The following day, Sririta donned a sunny blue dress and hat for her date. It was a bright Saturday afternoon, but a cool breeze swept over the four hilltop castles, making it perfect weather.

After inquiring around, she learned where to find the hilltop was that best overlooked the village. As she made her way across the grassy meadows, she couldn't help but picture an ambush waiting for her. All the talk of vampires and strange happenings were starting to get to her head. Winds no one else can hear, being followed off the castle grounds by someone who looks like he could be Siamese, redhead wizards taking four leaf clovers without a word...

She forced herself to banish these thoughts when she caught sight of Pirath waiting for her. As she got closer, she could hear he was playing the mandolin, and couldn't help but smile.

"I hope you've not been waiting too long, Pirath," she called.

He jumped up, smiling as she approached. "Sririta, you look lovely. And no, it hasn't been long at all." He stepped over the picnic basket to kiss her cheek, taking her hand to guide her over. "I had a few Siamese dishes made for you."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "It smells wonderful. Oh and look at this view! I love the spring," she sighed.

They sat down and he poured her a cup of tea. "Here you go." Pirath watched her take a sip and asked, "Are you really alright? I feel so bad for what happened."

"Don't feel badly. I'm alright, really. A sore ankle for the evening, but I've already forgotten about it," she assured him.

He started getting into the basket and preparing plates. "Good. So, how have your classes been? Anyone catch your eye?" he grinned. "What about that Takeo character? I've heard he's been carrying a bit of a torch for you."

"Oh, I... I'm not entirely sure what to think about him," she replied glancing down.

"He's a bit of a flat tire, if you ask me," he shrugged. "Why aren't you sure?"

"It's nothing, I'm sure," she said dismissively.

His dark brown eyes didn't leave hers. "Sririta, tell me the truth."

"I just- well, it's little things. For instance, you call me by my name, but he only ever calls me Princess." She sighed. "Before I left, there were rumors of a shapeshifter in Siam. Who knows what they want or what they would do... What if they're targeting me in order to get the throne?" She toyed with the hem of her dress. "The other day, Takeo followed me out of the garden... And he won't tell me where he's from. You, you're warm and engaging, but with him there's a strange distance somehow. I don't know, there's no real reason to suspect such a thing of him. Maybe I'm just paranoid..."

Pirath's brow furrowed and she could tell his mind was racing. "You've noticed it too? The noblemen all say there's something... odd about him."

"Really? Maybe I'm not over cautious after all," she said quietly.

He leaned closer and tucked a loose strand of her black hair behind her ear. "I will keep you safe, Sririta. You mean a great deal to your kingdom, and I must confess, you do to me as well. I couldn't live with myself is something happened to you. Stay away from him, alright? Just in case."

"I will," she nodded. "Thank you Pirath. I... am coming to like you as well."

He smiled and took her hand, holding it up to his lips. "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that, Princess. Now, let's eat before the food gets cold."

Sririta took another sip of her tea to hide her beaming smile. For the first time in a while, she felt safe, wanted, and that the future was promising.