I strolled hand in hand with Casimir, happily pulling him towards the Keep. As we walked, the occasional servant would stop and bow when they saw me, but quickly returned to their task without asking where I was heading. The castle was currently a hive of activity due to the fact that there was to be a royal ball in only one day's time. I knew now was the perfect time to sneak off and show Casimir my newest discovery. No one paid us much attention, since everyone was focused on preparations for the party. I would just have to throw on another frilly gown and greet all of my father's guests, so my part was easy. My only big worry was that I was expected to dance with my fiance in front of all the visiting dignitaries. To ease my fears my groom-to-be, Alpheus, agreed to practice with me all this last week. Dancing was not one of my favorite activities, but Alpheus was good at it, so I just followed his lead. Despite our hard work, I was still stepping on his feet and nearly stumbling over my own. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never be good at dancing and decided to have fun instead. I knew this event was a test for me, my father announcing his decision to name me as his heir over my older sister. Although I was not yet an adult and thus not expected to take over any responsibilities, I was still expected to participate in all castle events. I decided to push those worries and thoughts away and focus on my excitement in the moment. Spending time with Casimir was always my favorite part of the week.
Casimir and I stopped before the large hedge wall, debating which direction to go. The garden we needed to be in was located just past the hedge maze, which blocked the most direct route. Most people would take the winding path around the maze unless they wanted to see my grandmother's roses which were hidden in the center of the maze.
"Is there seriously a secret tunnel leading out of the castle?" Casimir asked, his voice incredulous.
"Why do you say it like that?!" I scolded, stopping so I could turn to look at him. He shrugged slightly, his hand moving to adjust the glasses he no longer wore. They were once a memento he wore to remember his mother but he gave them up when he became a knight in training. He was dressed in his practice gear, a simple tunic with our royal family crest painted on it, along with some plain pants and boots. On his waist was a leather belt with a small dagger, a gift from Captain Enki when he passed the test to become a squire. For this adventure, I had thrown on my favorite dress, which was a pale lavender with dark purple piping surrounding the edges. The skirt was high in the front and low in the back, so I would wear my pants below it, allowing me to ride horses, run and do other un-princess-like activities. The older I got the less I like the formal dresses I was forced to wear, but despite my complaints, nothing seemed to change.
"Aurora showed it to me, you'll see!" I exclaimed. When my elder sister came to me a week ago with her discovery I was hesitant. She did like to tease me, so I was prepared for this secret tunnel to be one giant ruse. When I asked her how she found such a place, Aurora claimed to have overheard our uncle and father discussing its possible existence long ago. After that, she was determined to find the truth so she started her research. In the library, she discovered journals from our former relatives and ancient maps of the castle blueprints detailing the tunnel's construction. The entrance was hidden under the statue of Baris in the northernmost gardens. Magic protected it so it could only be opened by people of royal lineage. I only got to step inside the entrance for a short while before we had to return to our lessons, but I was elated to learn of its existence. I was also very excited to go deeper, perhaps even all the way out to the forest. Aurora had warned me to follow only one path down in the tunnels below, making me memorize it forwards and backward before giving me her blessing.
"Come on, let's take a shortcut!" I said, pushing through a hole in the hedge so we could pass through the hedge maze in the courtyard, all in hopes of getting to the statue faster.
"Careful!" Casimir said, reaching over me to push the branches out of my way. I jumped through, jerking to a stop when I realized my long hair had gotten tangled in the hedge.
"Ouch, hey," I groaned as I attempted to pull my purple locks free from the branches. Casimir slipped through the hole and quickly set out to help me. I watched him work, a rosy blush coming over my face as I realized how close he was to me.
"Stay still," he ordered and I complied. Casimir ended up snapping the final twig, letting me pull away from the hedge so he could pick out the dirt and branches. He stopped to survey the damage. "You should be good now."
"Thank you," I responded with a smile.
Casimir blushed and glanced down at his feet. "Of course Princess."
"Call me Taya!" I insisted, pouting my lip.
He grimaced, his face turning even redder. "Princess Taya."
"Fine," I grumbled, brushing off the last bits of leaves on my dress. "I should have tied up my hair anyway. I wish I could just cut it all off, I hate it."
Casimir was quiet for a moment before his face lit up and he reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a small leather hair tie. "You may borrow one of mine if you like Princess Taya."
"Thanks!" I cried out, grabbing the tie from him. I pulled forward my long wavy hair, which fell all the way down to my knees tying it into a braid as quickly as possible. I grinned when I was done, pushing the heavy braid back behind me with a flourish. Casimir nodded in response to my gratitude, scratching the back of his head nervously. Overcome with emotion I leaned forward giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. The young boy stiffened his hand rising up to touch where I had just kissed him.
"P-princess," he stammered. I could feel his joy and embarrassment.
I found him so cute that I jumped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. He froze as I pressed against him, kissing him softly on the lips.
"Call me Taya please," I whispered, my face inches from his. Casimir was at a loss for words but a wave of happiness flowed off of him and filled my heart completely. We kissed a few more times and I could feel his growing desire. I pulled back to smile at him before our faces inched closer once again. Suddenly a voice shouted loudly, and I tensed immediately knowing I had been caught.
"Hey! Get away from her!"
We both turned in surprise and I gasped quietly because I hadn't realized that anyone else was in the garden. I released Casimir, jumping backward. Alpheus stalked up towards us, dressed in a blue satin tunic top, embroidered with golden thread along the edges and cuffs. His dark grey hair was parted in the middle, falling down to his ears before being cut short around his neck. His usual smug expression was now full of rage and the closer he got the more I could feel him. This wasn't surprising seeing as he just caught me kissing a boy, yet I was supposed to be his betrothed.
Casimir started to bow, as he did for any member of the royal family, but he was shoved harshly before he could even rise up. He stumbled backward into the hedge, landing on the ground with a small grunt. I cried out in protest, not enjoying the sight of my friend being bullied.
"Don't you ever touch her like that again, you peasant," Alpheus threatened, kicking Casimir sharply in the leg.
"Alpheus stop!" I shouted, reaching out to pull him back. My involvement just angered the young prince further so he kicked Casimir harder this time. Casimir glanced up at Alpheus for just a moment, and I saw a flash of red in his eyes. I could tell he was upset. The resentment I felt gave me chills.
"What are you looking at, slug?" Alpheus snapped, his hand moving towards the small dagger on his belt.
I tugged on Alpheus' arm, attempting to stop him. "What are you doing? Leave him alone!" I was so focused on the scene in front of me that I didn't notice my Uncle had approached us from behind.
"What is going on here?" Ratimir asked sternly, startling us all. Alpheus glanced up at his father, stepping away, his hands now placed behind his back.
I looked up at my Uncle, a tall, thin man with long sharp features. His thick, wavy, deep-purple hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail, a few strands escaping to frame parts of his face. His expression was dour and he was glaring at each of us. People always told me Uncle Ratimir used to be happy. This was in the time before, when his wife was still alive. I always wished I could have seen it but Aunt Melaine died during the plague, long before I was born. Now Uncle seemed to be in permanent mourning, dressing only in dark colors and rarely going out to social events. I was surprised to see him outside since he spent most of his time in his lab, researching all sorts of magical spells. He looked so different from my father that it was hard to believe they were brothers; although I was told he took after my grandmother much like me. There were times when we spoke that I could make him chuckle, but I could always sense a hint of sadness behind his smile.
"Father, I was just..." Alpheus trailed off.
Uncle Ratimir pressed forward, staring down at his son. "Alpheus, why would you attack this boy? Explain yourself."
Alpheus was silent as he contemplated his answer, glaring over at Casimir with a cold expression. Ratimir's eyes narrowed the longer he waited.
"Do not lie to me."
"I was angry that he was taking advantage of the princess, kissing her," Alpheus blurted out, seemingly ashamed.
"Casimir didn't kiss me, I kissed him!" I insisted. I reached down to help Casimir up into a standing position. Uncle Ratimir's eyebrows raised in disbelief and I glared at him.
He seemed stunned by my comment if only momentarily. "Princess that-"
"It was just a thank-you kiss," I explained, lying slightly. "Casimir is my friend." I knew my Uncle wouldn't believe me, because I wasn't a very good liar and somehow he could always tell when you were dishonest. I glanced over at Alpheus who was beginning to look angry again.
"You shouldn't be kissing anyone," Alpheus snapped. "Especially not a commoner like him. You are betrothed to me!" The young prince looked up at his father for support. A silence fell over the group as my Uncle surveyed us, deciding his next actions.
"Alpheus, return to your studies, we will talk later, but first," Ratimir began, "apologize to this young man for pushing him. You must learn to control your anger better."
Alpheus looked like he would rather do anything else but that. Eventually, he bit his lip and mumbled an apology before he ran off, heading back towards the castle. Casimir watched him go in a daze, my friend had wisely kept quiet through this whole ordeal. Uncle Ratimir walked closer to us, his sights locked on Casimir.
"Let me see your eyes boy."
"Y-yes sir," Casimir stuttered. He looked up hesitantly at my uncle, his gaze flicking toward me before he did. I wanted to reach out and squeeze his hand for support but thought better of it.
"I think you better come with me," Ratimir said, his tone serious.
I panicked, stepping in front of Casimir protectively. "Please, it wasn't his fault."
"Taya-"
"No, don't punish him, punish me!" I pressed, reaching out to grab his sleeve. My hand touched his and I jerked backward, tears rushing down my face. I was overcome with emotions but I wasn't sure if they were mine or his. My uncle looked down at me with his deep grey eyes and a crushing sadness overtook me.
The next day I had woken up, tears hiding in the corners of my eyes. Once again I could tell I had been dreaming about something important, but the memories rushed from my head as soon as I left my dream world. I groaned, sitting up in my bed, listening for the sounds of my Grandfather or Casimir in the rooms nearby. I rolled back in between my pillows, depressed, as I thought about what had transpired the other day. I couldn't believe I was suspended from school. I decided today was going to be a low-key day, fantasizing about lurking in my room so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I had made plans earlier in the week to hang out with Zola but another night of fitful sleeping had made me cranky. This lack of sleep along with the memories of my fight, the suspension, and also the idea of Casimir going on a date with Elizabeth made it an excellent day to just stay in bed.
A dinging on my phone made me look down.
Zola: Diana, you still coming over? We need a girl's night.
Me: Not sure, I'm suspended so I'm supposed to stay at home.
Zola: No moping today, get your butt down here. We can get Thai food and watch dumb movies. You also need to help me pick out an outfit for my date.
Me: Since when do you need my style advice, lol.
Zola: No flaking Massey. <3
I sighed and put down my phone, willing myself to stand up and get ready. An hour later I had my hair pulled back in a ponytail and managed to put on minimal makeup. I was dressed in my slightly nicer printed leggings with a large t-shirt and cardigan combination. I was adjusting my necklace when there was a knock at my door.
"Yes, come in."
The door cracked open and my grandfather stuck his head inside. "Oh, you're up, are you going somewhere?" He eyed the bag on my bed, stuffed with some of my daily essentials.
"To visit with Zola at the dorms, I might spend the night."
"Hmm."
"Is that okay?" I asked with a sigh. I had finally worked up some excitement to go and now I was wondering if that was even allowed. Is he going to make me follow the rules of the suspension?
"No, it's fine, just fine. Do you need a ride?"
"I can just take the train," I replied, grabbing at my phone charger to put it in the side pocket of my small duffel bag. My grandfather stood there, watching as I packed a few belongings. I could tell he was anxious, I wondered if he was still curious about what Zachary had said to me or if he was just worried about me traveling to the dorms alone. I shrugged my bag onto my shoulder and stared at my guardian, still lurking in my doorway. "Anything else?"
"You have your necklace?"
"Yes."
"Do you need any money?" he asked, already reaching for his wallet.
I raised my arm in a motion to stop him. "No I'm fine Grandpa, are you okay?"
"Yes, yes. Azar and Maayan will be at the dorms if anything strange happens," he commented.
I laughed. "Strange like creepy wraith-possessed people trying to drink my blood?"
"Or possible kidnappers, you must be careful Diana," he pleaded, his green eyes flashing with worry.
"I promise I'll be careful," I responded, sobered by his serious tone. There was a long silence and my grandfather hadn't yet moved from my doorway, I could tell he wanted to say more. "You want Casimir to go with me to the dorms, don't you?"
"Yes," he said, sounding relieved.
I let out a long sigh, "I'll be fine."
My grandfather looked unconvinced and I eventually relented, nodding my head as I spoke. "Okay, I'll ask Casimir."