"Pardon?"
The sky had changed its color from a midnight black to a very deep blue. The sun was scheduled to rise in an hour, but for the time being, stars glimmered up high. And underneath them echoed the ringing of a sword striking against another sword.
"You heard me. I will go after that man and end this for once and for all."
Hadrian blocked Madalin's upcoming attack. When her sword had stilled against his own, he used his free hand to pinch the edge of her weapon. He slowly lowered it down while his eyes bore holes into her face.
"You're being serious?"
"So you think I'm joking? By all means, go ahead. Mock me all you want." Madalin snipped with irritation, and the prince shook his head. He let go of her sword and stepped closer. His gaze fell upon the stray strand lying on her cheek, and he gently pushed it away.
"I helped you in your escape plan, Madalin. You think I'd mock another outrageous plan of yours?" He murmured, appearing to be quite distracted. The princess's heart picked up on its speed all of a sudden. She could hear the blood pump wildly in her body, and her head was tilted up to return his eye contact. A voice in her head told her to be ashamed of her reaction since she was married, and another voice encouraged her to carry on.
Hadrian took a stride backwards in an instant, as if snapping out of his daze. He held his sword up again to beckon Madalin, and she took her stance as well. Her mind was still jumbled, but she blinked a few times to focus on her training.
"Outrageous, eh?" She grinned humorously, in an attempt to brush off the moment that took place a second ago.
"Outrageous." He smirked as a confirmation. Hadrian began with his offensive strategy that always seemed to work against Madalin. He swung his sword at her mercilessly. It was as if his speed somehow increased with every strike, and when Madalin left him an opening, Hadrian pressed his sword against her neck and caught her off guard.
The victorious prince raised an eyebrow in all of his cocky glory, whereas Madalin pursed her lips to appear unimpressed. But really, she was trying to suppress a smile. It seemed that not only was she getting better with her fighting skills, but Hadrian was too.
"May I join you both?"
He pulled his sword away, and Madalin spun around almost immediately after being given the opportunity. A sleepy Edmund came into their view. His eyes were darting between his cousin and his wife that were standing before him.
For some odd reason, guilt flooded the princess. She felt as if she had gotten caught whilst she was committing a crime of some sorts. The fact that Hadrian was shirtless as usual wasn't helping her case either, and her only hope right now was that her cheeks weren't reflecting her emotions somehow.
"You're late, actually. Training was just over, and I have had more victories today." She stated with the aim to lighten the atmosphere. Madalin held out the sword's handle in Hadrian's direction to hand it to him, and when it was taken from her grip, she walked towards Edmund. She studied his drowsy features, and upon noticing his messed up hair, her lips pressed together to stifle a laugh. In order to hide her face, she turned her head around to bid her trainer a farewell.
"Bye."
"Goodbye." He replied with a nod, and Madalin straightened her neck to continue her venture past Edmund. Hadrian's gaze was trained on her back as he watched her form grow smaller and smaller, and he absentmindedly switched his grasp on the weapons from one palm to another. He could feel his cousin's glare on himself, but he chose not to say anything. Not until Edmund did first.
"She's not yours."
Hadrian huffed a small chuckle at his cousin's declaration. He still didn't look at Edmund, he only responded with a smile of indifference.
"I know."
♟♛♟
Madalin's mind raced endlessly. With each step she took in the vast corridor, a new concern would fly into her head. She was worried about the impression Edmund received upon walking in on her and Hadrian. She didn't want him to think she was meddling with another man behind his back. His own cousin, least of all.
At that thought, a new one arose. What was up with Hadrian? Madalin didn't know what to think, and what to make of the mixed signals he sent her way. Was he hinting at something, or was that his usual charm and friendliness in action? She didn't know.
The princess lost the idea of her surroundings because of her overpowering pondering. So much so, that she didn't sense the presence of someone else when she rounded the corner of the hallway. Her body collided with that of the other person's, and although the impact wasn't enough to send her towards the floor, it managed to break her trance.
"Flora?"
The name left her mouth the very minute she saw her younger sister in front of her. Flora looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Her outfit wasn't like Madalin's, it was not a casual outfit. Far from it, in fact. A white dress covered her figure, and a cloak with the royal insignia rested upon her shoulders. Madalin furrowed her eyebrows together almost immediately. She was more curious about Flora's attire, than her careful body language.
"Where have you been?" The younger princess asked her sister, in an attempt to cut the silence. She gulped, and Madalin was quick to catch that small act of unease.
"I was out, practicing my sword skills as you know. But where have you been? You missed out on our fun with the orphans. They even asked me about you."
"Ah, yes. Like I said, I was busy."
"Doing what?" Madalin fired back instantly. She couldn't help herself. The scenario called for an interrogation, because Flora was acting different than usual. Her being dressed up in the dead of the night, and her odd behavior wasn't exactly calming Madalin's curiosity.
Flora sighed. She knew she couldn't get out of this easily, and it wasn't like she did not trust her own sister.
"I was also out. In the secret passage. I was- I was meeting someone."
Madalin blinked a few times as Flora's words settled in. And when they did, a coy grin formed on her face. Excitement brewed in her chest, and her sister's nervous mannerisms fueled the honesty of her admission.
"You have a l-"
"God, keep it down." Flora hissed in annoyance, and Madalin did exactly as she was told. But that still didn't stop her from voicing out her thoughts, albeit in a hushed voice.
"You have a lover?"
"...Yes."
The elder sibling dragged her in for a sudden but brief embrace. She squeezed the life out of Flora, and pulled away abruptly to look at her again. Her hands clutched her sister's shoulders tightly. Truly, she couldn't contain her happiness. Madalin had never seen Flora talk about romance or engage in anything related to it. Heck, she hadn't even spoken of another man in a way besides platonic, so to see her do so now was certainly a moment of proudness.
But after noticing her uncertainty, Madalin's smile faltered by a little, and concern took over in its stead. She observed her features for a while before she spoke up.
"You've fallen in love, Flora. I don't see the issue here. It's not like you have broken a rule."
"But I have. I have, Madalin, and that's a problem. Mum and Dad will order for my death if they find out."
Madalin squinted her eyes. Her confusion was as clear as day, and it silently urged the antsy Flora to continue with her explanation.
"It's who I've fallen in love with. The man's identity worries me."
At this, Madalin was even more perplexed. She racked her brain for every worst case scenario that could exist. A guard, a servant, the butler- every resident of the palace flew to her mind. She even thought about outsiders. A commoner didn't sound too bad since Madalin herself considered marrying one, and the most extremity that she could come up with was a criminal.
It was none of those options, and that was confirmed when Flora said her next phrase. Suddenly, her anxiousness made sense, and a stone of dread dropped in Madalin's stomach.
"He's a part of the rebels."