Royal Academy Diaries I

Steel & Gold ⚜ Ch. 2

Darius slipped through the halls of the Knight's Academy, heading towards a small hallway that no one ever went down. There was a small, shadowy alcove behind a pillar where he planned to hide the statue head until he and his friends were ready to use it.

Once there, he quickly hid the head and grinned. No one would be going that way until the war games started, which wouldn't be for another few months. The hall was close to the dorms, and he knew the perfect shadowed route to take to get there at night. Although the Knight's school was more open and exposed than the others, two years of experience had made him very familiar.

With the item hidden, he went back through main halls, heading towards the practice arena to work on his swordsmanship. He has just made it past the Headmaster's office when he heard a girl call out his name.

"Darius? Where were you?"

The prince cringed, stopping in his tracks as the familiar voice called out to him. "Mariem." He put on a charming smile as he turned around. "What did I miss? The Environmental Protection Club wasn't having another hallway rally, were they?"

The princess was not amused. "You shouldn't mock them, Darius," she scolded gently.

He shrugged innocently. "I enjoy their rallies, I do. Their concerns are very valid. I want to save the tigers as much as anyone."

Mariem sighed, annoyed. "You forgot, didn't you."

"Forgot wha-" The hurt and upset look in her brown eyes made his stomach drop. "Oh no..."

She didn't have to raise her voice to make him feel terrible. "This is the second time you've stood me up. I was left alone with all the other betrothed couples looking like a fool!"

"That was today... Mariem, I'm so sorry." He reached out to put his hands on her shoulders, but she brushed him off.

"Darius, I like you, I really do. But if we're going to make this work, especially for the long run, we both have to put in the effort." Her eyes searched his, as though looking for answers to questions she wouldn't ask.

"I'm so sorry, I really am." He raked a hand through his hair. "Mariem, I hate seeing you like this-"

"Like what? Annoyed at you?" asked another voice. "I can think of a few simple solutions to that."

They both turned to see Headmaster Negro leaning in the doorway of his office, with Headmistress Smith coming down the hall.

Seeing the Headmistress - and knowing she was the one that led the betrothed support group - made Darius more nervous. He looked back to the Knight's Headmaster. "Sir-"

"There are other options, Princess Meena," the man interrupted, although his eyes stayed on Darius. "What about Haraz of Kuwait? His family has considerable assets, and he's a handsome fellow. Wouldn't you say, Prince Pahlavi?"

"Oh stop it, Enzo," the Headmistress chided. "Prince Darius, all I will say is this: It takes more than gold and skill with steel to win a princess's heart."

He nodded, humiliated. "Yes, m'lady."

Her blue eyes stayed on him for another brief moment before turning to Mariem. "Thank you for coming, Princess. I hope you found something useful from our meeting today."

"I did Headmistress, thank you," she replied, with a nod.

"Good. Now, you two had best be off to supper before it gets dark."

"We will," Darius replied. "Good evening, Headmasters." He offered his arm to Mariem, and turned to go.

"Oh, and Pahlavi," Negro called before they reached the end of the hall. "Stay out of trouble."

Darius nodded, looking over his shoulder. "I have no intentions of getting in trouble, sir."