Royal Academy Diaries I

Viking Blood ⚜ Ch. 5

On an unusually warm and sunny autumn day, Eirik was feeling stifled indoors, and went out to the stables. He started with his own horses first.

He went to stroke Heimdall's nose, and chuckled as Fenrir got a bit restless in the next stall over. "Calm down, you're next."

Fenrir was next, then Valka. Loki waited patiently, knowing he was the favourite. When the prince got to him, he stuck his head out into the aisle.

"Hello there," he murmured as he stroked the velvety nose. "We'll go riding tonight, okay?"

When he was done saying hello, he went to the end to watch the stable hands exercise the horses. Staying in the shade right next to the building, Master Franzisca came to join him.

"Good afternoon, highness," he said, stopping at the edge of the stable. "Are you ready for your big race tomorrow?"

"Afternoon," he nodded. "Just about. I'm going to run Loki a little tonight to warm him up. Then we'll be ready."

"Excellent." His eye followed the prince's gaze to a small training ring across from them. "Master Kadin certainly has a way with them, doesn't he? Even the more skittish ones calm right down with him."

Eirik chuckled. "And they don't with you?"

Franzisca scoffed and shook his head. "I can help cure them of just about anything. Except stubbornness. Now Lippizaners, those I understand. But Arabians and Fresians? Oh, speaking of..."

They both turned to watch someone leading out a beautiful leopard Appaloosa Arabian.

The prince whistled. "I've never seen that mix before."

"Quite the showy animal, isn't he?" the man smiled. "Would you believe me when I said that there's an Fresian with the same colouring at the Royal Academy?"

Eirik raised a brow. "A Fresian? Now that would be a sight. How do people come up with these cross-breeds?"

"People with beautiful, unique imaginations," Franzisca suggested with a smile.

The circling horse in the training pen held him mesmerized. "And deep enough pockets to make it reality."

"True," the stable master chuckled.

"Hey, Eirik!" someone shouted.

"We know you're here, come out!"

That voice he recognized well, and he inclined his head. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then. Six o'clock should give us enough time to get there. I'll pay you for your time, of course."

Franzisca waved him off. "Six it is. Now go see your friends."

With that, Eirik left the safety of the shade and ran out to meet them. "Hey guys."

Negasi smirked and looked to Fariz. "Told you he'd be here."

The latter rolled his eyes. "I could have guessed that. Anyway, we're going to Vanera."

"And you're coming," Negasi insisted. "At least for lunch, okay?"

Eirik shrugged. "Sure. Let's go." He walked with them to the entrance of the school where they approached a waiting car.

And it was missing its roof.

"Um... What is this?" he asked.

Fariz smiled. "It's called a convertible. Pretty cool, huh?"

Pretty weird, the prince thought. "Right..."

"Come on, let's go before the others start without us!" Negasi said, jumping into the back seat.

The driver started off on the beautiful ride to the town, through the forest and over a river. But the forest was the only comfortable part of the ride for Eirik as the sun beat down on them.

While it was a beautiful day, it was a painfully bright one. And he finally had to say, "Could we put the top up? The sun is intense and I don't have enough melanin."

Negasi, who knew full well about his Achromasia - and whose own complexion was chocolate dark - looked at him with a straight face and just said, "Sorry."

After a moment of silence, they both burst out laughing.

Fariz and the cab driver exchanged a confused look as they pulled over to put the top back on.

The rest of the ride was much more comfortable, and they pulled up to a popular bakery, right next to a shop. As they stopped, he saw some students go into the shop.

"Hey, isn't that Rannva?" he said.

Negasi only saw the girl's back as she walked in. "Maybe...? Want to go check? She's welcome to join us."

Eirik smiled and nodded. "Sure." He got out of the car ahead of the others and walked into the shop. It was new to him, and he took a moment to look around the place, piled high with knick knacks, antiques, and trinkets.

Through an old chair, he saw the familiar long hair. It looked like she was talking to the shopkeeper.

"Rannva?" As he stepped around the antiques, he realized a few things very quickly. Firstly, the boy must have been the shopkeeper's son - about seventeen. Secondly, he and his girlfriend were definitely not just talking.

"Eirik! What are you going here?" she asked, glancing to her best friend, who was off to the side.

The prince's mind raced. "Is this man bothering you?" he asked, his eyes flicking to his hand on her waist.

Rannva shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "No."

"What's happening?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

As though she didn't know what to say, she burst out, "You don't really care about me Eirik! You only think of yourself, never me. Not really."

His heart dropped. "Wha-"

Tears slipped down her cheeks, which she angrily wiped away. "I'm a chore to you! You take me for granted! We have nothing in common, and... I just can't keep doing this, Eirik." Her voice was filled with resolve. "I'm done."

His mind repeated her words that cut like knives, over and over. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Rannva started to really cry, and her new beau wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe I should have. Then we would have realized faster that we don't work well together. I'm sorry..."

Her friend then came between them, crossing her arms. In her thick Czech accent, she said cuttingly, "Please leave her alone, highness. You've ignored her well enough to not truly know her, I'm sure you'll do fine ignoring her entirely."

"Kalina..."

The girl didn't back down, and Eirik stepped back. Feeling sick, he glared at the young man. "If you hurt her, I'll make you pay."

With that, he looked sadly to his first love, turned, and left.