Prince Nicholas
I tilted my head, observing Julie as I munched on an apple, leaning against the refreshment tables. Truth be told, I was beginning to notice a pattern in her rather suspicious behaviour throughout this evening.
She would stare at the tray of Marzipan in front of us on the table for a few minutes, and then her gaze would move on to each of her Captains standing on guard around the hall, scrutinising them closely.
Her hazelnut brown eyes would then sweep the whole room once, as if there could be men hiding in every crook and corner, and then she would return to staring down at her timepiece, discreetly keeping an eye on me.
And the whole routine would begin again. She had hardly even touched the Marzipan she had heaped up on her plate, and she had not even noticed the fact that I had stolen a few of them from her.
My mind returned to the conversation I had overheard this evening, and I wondered if that was what was bothering her. The idea of my life being in danger currently.
Mayhap unbeknownst to her, my life had been in danger for as long as I could remember, ever since James had committed suicide, and Richard had run away. I was Papa's only heir left to ascend the throne of Monrique, and there were some individuals in the Power Triangle – Monrique, Osterlund and Vantauge – who did not want me to do so in the future.
There had been many attempts on my life in the ten years I had spent in Osterlund that have been hushed up by Charlie and Papa- so many, in fact, that the idea of danger did not scare me to desperation as it used to in the past.
Danger, death and I had become good friends over the years.
However, surely she would have been aware of how precarious my current position was? I was certain she knew that there were no more heirs of Monrique after me, and that until I had a son of my own to secure the succession, my life would always be in danger.
That was the whole point of the Potential Quest, was it not?
However, I preferred to think that she was worrying herself sick in silence now because she cared for me, at least a little, and because I had come to mean something to her in her life in these three months after all - not because she had realised the fact that my life was in danger for the first time.
A man could imagine if he wanted, yes?
"Nick?" a quiet voice broke me out of my reverie.
I glanced at Julie beside me, whose eyes were now veiled from portraying all emotion. Her eyes travelled back and forth from the timepiece to me, as she plastered an artificial smile onto her face.
"Yes?"
Her expression remained maddeningly neutral. "Will you come somewhere with me if I asked you to?"
I stared at her, mystified. "Where?"
"Somewhere."
I rolled my eyes. "Very informative, Julie."
Her eyes flitted to her timepiece again. "In truth, though, will you come now if you are willing?"
"Now?" I frowned, "but Tori might mind – "
She cut me off. "I have spoken to her. She has agreed to excuse us," she assured me, "and I have also informed the Anchorvale family that we are leaving the baby shower early. And that we would return to the Manor on our own."
I continued to stare at her, more and more puzzled by the minute. "All right – "
She began to drag me even before I could finish my reply, towards the cradle once more, where Tori was speaking animatedly to a couple of womenfolk. Julie tapped her feet impatiently, waiting for them all to finish conversing.
Her gaze was permanently fixed on her timepiece now.
The moment those women moved away, Julie hauled me forward towards Tori before anyone else could come up to her to chat.
"It is time we left, Tori," Julie sighed, smiling for the first time in a few hours.
A secret signal seemed to pass between the women's eyes, and Tori grinned gleefully as if she knew something consequential that I did not.
"Indeed, it is time you did," Tori's lips twitched, glancing at her own timepiece, "I am certain Gabriel would have wanted to say goodbye, but he is asleep now." She held the blue bundle in which Gabriel rested slightly towards us.
Before I could move, Julie had stepped towards Tori, and beamed as she touched the baby's forehead gently, gazing down at him with such undisguised adoration that left me almost breathless from simply looking at her.
"Hopefully, I will see you soon when I visit your Mama again in a few months' time," she whispered softly, "until then, all the best, Gabe. I have to go now." She bent down to press a kiss to his temple, before she withdrew and gave Tori a brief side hug.
"Take care of yourself and your boy," she smiled at her, "when I come next, it will be with good news from the Court of the Lady Justice."
I frowned, bewildered. What good news? Since when did anyone leaving the Justice Court ever leave happily?
However, Tori seemed to understand, for her brown eyes began to glow. "You too, Jules."
Shaking my head, I walked towards her, and briefly brushed my lips across the sleeping child's forehead, taking in Lucien's features in that tiny face one more time.
"Farewell, Tori. Do come to Court whenever you have the time. I should like to see the lad more often," I smiled fondly.
She grinned. "Of course, Nick."
"By any chance, are you aware of where Julie is dragging me to? The suspense is too much for me," I jested, pretending to look faint.
Tori laughed in amusement, as Julie rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I am aware, but I am not telling you," Tori chuckled, as she pushed the both me and Julie away from her, "now leave. It is time."
Julie nodded, shooting her a smile that bordered on anxiety, before she began to walk towards the exit of the Manor, weaving her way through the guests easily. On the other hand, it was not so easy for me, as I struggled to keep my eyes on the tiny woman in her army attire.
When we reached outside, slapped well and hard by the cold, night air, Julie turned to me with a slightly sincerer smile, teetering on mischievous, but I could still see her anxiety clearly.
"Ready to go?"
I tilted my head at her. "Do I have a choice?"
"Nay, you do not. And I am afraid I am going to have to blindfold you now."
******
"Is this truly necessary, Julie?"
From what I could hear, sense and feel, we had travelled on a carriage for a long time, to the extent that I had fallen asleep once or twice. We had then dismounted somewhere extremely quiet, and we had been walking aimlessly since.
The darkness that surrounded me as a result of being blindfolded was beginning to wear me out. The only assurance that I had that Julie was walking next to me was her tiny hand that rested on my back, pushing me forward in a direction I knew not.
A loud sigh. "Yes, it is necessary," she chuckled in exasperation, "how many times will you ask me the same question? My answer is not going to change."
"Are we nearly at our destination?" I tried.
I could imagine her rolling her eyes. "Yes, child, we have almost arrived," she assured me, and for the first time that night, excitement laced through her tone.
I crossed my arms and allowed her to push me forward. "Whatever you say, Mother."
She said nothing for a while, as we continued walking in silence. Truth be told, it was only her hand on my back that was preventing me from breaking into a cold sweat, preventing me from shivering with terror.
I hated the dark with a passion, and with this damned blindfold covering my eyes, I could see nothing but the dark. I swear, if I could -
"Nick, careful!"
Julie's hand flew to my upper arm, pulling me back before I could fall face first to the ground. My heart hammered in my chest loudly from the shock, and I could feel all colour drain from my face, as I righted myself with her help.
"What was that?" my voice shook despite my will.
"You merely tripped on a buttress root. My apologies, I was not paying attention to the ground," Julie answered quietly, continuing to trudge on with me, "I should have warned you sooner."
I cleared my throat. "That is quite all right."
There was silence for a brief moment, and I could feel her eyes on me, studying, scrutinising, as they had done all evening today.
Eventually, she let out a soft curse. "By God, I always seem to be forgetting about the dark," she muttered, and her hand slipped into one of mine, "do you feel better now?"
The warmth of her small, yet slightly callused hand dispelled the chill in my own, and fit perfectly in mine. I revelled in the feeling for a moment before I nodded subtly in reply.
She began to lead me forward by the hand instead, once more enveloped in the peaceful silence of our surroundings. Before I knew it, she had drawn me to a gentle halt.
"We have arrived, Nick," the excitement in her voice was contagious, "bend down for a moment."
I obeyed, sinking slightly so that she could remove my blindfold. I blinked for a moment, becoming accustomed to seeing again, before my vision cleared and focused.
And what I saw took my breath away.
I was standing on top of a gently sloped hill, one that had the highest relief among the other hills that surrounded us, most of which were covered by thick, dark woods. Its mainland curved in an arc, with a headland on my right facing the sea, and a sheltered bay below where I was standing.
Rhythmic, gentle waves lapped against the shores, their energy considerably reduced by the small, barrier island that guarded the mainland from a distance against the wrath of the sea. Thus, a water body of the size of a lake was fringed by the mainland and the barrier island as a region of calm, shallow waters.
It was a lagoon. However, it was not simply any lagoon. It was the lagoon.
I glanced at Julie, shocked.
How had she known? I had made sure to destroy the sketch I had made of this beautiful place the instant she had set her eyes on it a decade ago. Even then, I could not believe that she had remembered at all, let alone well enough to find out where it was located and bring me here.
However, she was not looking at me. She had turned around to look at something behind me, gesturing wildly and grinning from ear to ear.
Bewildered, I turned around, and stopped short in shock yet again when I noticed a group of people gathered in a semi-circle a few steps in front of the woods, holding bright lanterns.
"Surprise!" they cheered loudly, applauding and whistling, effectively shattering the silence that reigned over the area.
My eyes travelled over each of their faces. Charlie. Lady Katherine. Lady Alyssa. Ned. Evoric.
Most importantly, my eyes fell on the huge block of sugar-coated marzipan that sat upon on a boulder in their midst.
I turned to Julie, nonplussed. She was smiling widely now, pulling me by the hand towards the hyperactive group, who were almost jumping up and down with excitement.
"What is all of this?" I found myself asking in awe.
"Surely you cannot have thought that we would forget your birthday?" Charlie rolled her eyes and stepped towards me, reaching up to pinch my cheeks, "Lord, I cannot believe that my baby brother is turning three and twenty today! How time has flown indeed." She pretended to wipe away her non-existent tears.
Everyone laughed in amusement, as I cracked a wry smile. "Indeed, sister-mine," I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment, "it is 9 December already?"
"In truth, 'tis still 23 53 hours on 8 December," Julie shrugged, flashing me her timepiece.
"There is still seven minutes to midnight," Lady Alyssa smiled.
"Therefore, I suggest you enjoy your last minutes being two and twenty, old chap," Ned teased.
"Who knows what new horrors your next year would bring?" Evoric added, grinning.
"In addition to the fact that you are one year closer to becoming a grandfather?" Lady Katherine piped up impishly, wrapping her shawl tighter around herself.
"He needs to be married first before he can become a grandfather, Kat dear," Charlie winked at me, "so, may I know when I am to meet my new sister-in-law?"
Was it merely my imagination, or did everyone else gathered apart from Charlie grew as acutely uncomfortable as I did by that question? Julie would not even meet my gaze when I glanced at her to help me.
"Mayhap sometime in the future, Charlie," Lady Katherine spoke up instead, sounding strained, "the Potential Quest is still ongoing, is it not?"
My sister did not seem to feel the tension that was building up in the atmosphere, and continued to babble on. "Yes, indeed," she grinned, "has any special Lady caught your eye yet, Nick?"
I remained silent, and looked away. However, Charlie was not to be deterred.
"Or Jules may know better," she focused her attention and her excited smile on Julie, "you are his advisor, are you not? Mayhap you will be able to tell me. Has he taken a liking to your cousin Tess?"
Julie jerked, startled, and swiftly averted Charlie's strangely probing gaze. In that very instant, she began to fiddle with her thumbs. A habit. She always did that when she was afraid, or when she was about to lie.
"Aye, I am," she stammered, clearing her throat, "but I am afraid I am not certain if he wishes to marry Tess. Your brother is quite the enigma regarding these matters."
She shot Charlie a quick, wry smile, but ensured to keep her eyes firmly averted from me.
I sighed quietly under my breath, frustrated. Did she not know? Did she truly not know that I could not think of, or see any other woman apart from her?
Of course not. How would she? She fled from me every time I gathered my courage to tell her how I truly felt about her.
I would not deny that it vexed me, as much as it hurt me.
Charlie looked at me. "Truly? I - " she began, but was thankfully cut off by Lady Alyssa.
"Charlie, 'tis five minutes to midnight," she intervened softly, "do you not think we should gather around now?"
Her attention was diverted at once. "Of course," she smiled easily, as she dragged me behind the boulder where the marzipan block was precariously balanced, alight with twenty-three candles whose flames were swaying due to the gentle breeze.
Everyone surrounded me in a small, loose circle, grinning. Ned then handed me a blunt dagger to cut the marzipan block, which had a piece of bright pink lace tied to its hilt.
"Pink?" I raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged nonchalantly, as the rest of them laughed. "The colour suits you."
"All right," Charlie clapped her hands for attention, "on the count of three, we will sing him the birthday song. One...two..."
"Hold!" Julie cried, interrupting Charlie, "not yet."
Charlie frowned in confusion. "Why not?"
Julie crossed her arms, and I saw anxiety flash in her tired eyes once more, as she smiled faintly. "I have invited another guest who shares his birthday with Nick. 'Tis has been deepest desire for a long time to reacquaint himself with all of you, and the opportunity has arrived today at long last. Thus, he would like to celebrate his birthday with Nick, as well." Her eyes shone with excitement.
She had invited a guest who was a him? And shared a birthday with me? And, judging by Julie's joyful expression, clearly high in her favour?
I decided that I did not like the sound of him at all.
However, everyone else had other concerns. "Reacquaint?" Charlie pressed, intrigued, "do we know him?"
Now, Julie looked at me, and a true, glowing smile lit up her features, completely taking my breath away. "Aye. Aye, you do. Do I have everyone's consent to ask him to join us?"
There was a murmur of consent that arose, but none left my lips. She noticed that at once and simply smiled, nevertheless proceeding to pop two fingers through her lips and release three ear-piercing whistles in quick succession.
In such a quiet place, where there were no life forms except for us, soft sounds could be clearly heard, and it was easy to spot even the slightest movement.
Thus, I could hear the quiet rustle of the leaves, as I noticed a man emerge from the foliage behind us in my peripheral vision, pushing the branches of the shrubs aside to walk through. He was followed closely by a petite woman in black, who seemed to almost hunch into herself.
However, my eyes were fixed on the man. At about six-foot, two inches, he was as tall as I was. His dark brown hair was flattened neatly, and combed to one side without a strand out of place. A painful scar travelled down his left eyebrow, and his face had a number of healing burns that resembled Julie's.
But those eyes - those tired, grey eyes - were an exact copy of my own. The rest of his features, save for his haggard appearance, were exactly my own. I could be looking into a looking glass for all I knew.
The gasps of disbelief, the cries of shock and horror around me began to fade away, as I entered a state of denial.
This was impossible. This was completely, maddeningly impossible.
I had to be dreaming. I had to. How cruel could Fate become when playing tricks on my eyes?
"Richard?"
***
The Lady Knight
"Richard?" Nick stammered, sounding pained, as his twin came to a hesitant halt in front of him and his equally stunned sister.
The whole area fell deadly silent, yet the silence felt almost deafening, as each tried to come to terms with what they were seeing. In this gathering of statues, I subtly gestured for Jackie to come and stand beside me, giving the Seymour siblings some privacy.
Charlie waddled unsteadily towards Richard, her cheeks pale, and her eyes welling up with tears. She raised both her trembling hands to his face, feeling his forehead, his cheeks, his eyes, as if she were unable to believe that he was truly here, in front of her.
Richard clutched her hands to his face, smiling weakly as he gazed down at her.
"You...." She was speechless.
"'Tis indeed me," he assured her desperately, "Richard."
She squeezed her eyes shut, starting to tremble violently. "You sound exactly like him too," she choked out.
"Sister-mine, please - please believe me," he was shaking, "I have missed you so."
At the sound of the endearment, the tears in her eyes overflowed. "Why do you do this to me?" her voice wavered, "we are no longer children, and we no longer play hide and seek as a pastime! You simply cannot flee and hide whenever you wish to, and return and expect me to - " She shook him hard by his collar, dissolving into painful sobs before she collapsed into his chest.
Richard held her tightly against him, his own eyes glassy with tears he was attempting hard not to shed.
"The years I spent crying for you!" she sobbed, clinging to him, "the weeks I spent wondering what I could have done to protect you! The decade I spent trying to convince myself that you were truly gone, never to return!"
"I am sorry, Sister-mine," he mumbled, burying his head in her hair, "I am sorry for all the grief I have caused you."
The two of them stayed like that for a moment, and looking at them, I was reminded of my own brother at home.
In that one moment, I thanked the Lord countless times that I was not separated from Max in such a manner, that he was very safe and very much alive in Bordeux.
"I do not think Nick believes it still," Jackie breathed beside me.
Frowning, I glanced at Nick, who was still frozen in shock, his grey eyes wide with astonishment and conflict. I felt the urge to do something, anything to help him, but I knew well that he had to handle this on his own.
Charlie pulled back from Richard at that moment, and planted a soppy kiss on his forehead, her face still streaked with tears. She then turned to Nick, and beckoned him weakly over to them.
"He is real," she whispered to him.
Slowly, but hesitantly, Nick dragged himself towards the pair, with a lost look hanging on his face. "You cannot be alive," he released a shaky breath, "you simply cannot."
Richard stared at his brother, stoically in control. "I was kidnapped, not murdered," he answered quietly, "I was held in live captivity, not buried six feet under."
"You disappeared," Nick struggled, "no one could find you. No one knew where you were. It was almost as if you were playing hide and seek with the whole country."
His twin burst into mirthless laughter. "I was forced into playing," was his soft, sardonic answer, "and life is not very fair with its games, is it?"
Nick put a hand on his shoulder, nodding as he took in his words, and simply like that, he pulled both his sister and his twin towards him in a hug, overcome with emotion.
Jackie and Lisa were openly, and silently, sobbing at the reunion, while Kat struggled her hardest to keep her countenance neutral. Ned and Evoric's jaws merely hung open in astonishment.
Even I felt my own vision blur for a brief moment.
"Why were you taken from us? And how...how did you escape from your kidnappers?" Nick pulled back to ask, assessing the damage to his brother's face, "your burns are an awful lot like Julie's..."
I froze. Quite suddenly, all eight pairs of eyes turned to me and my beastly face.
"I still know not why I was taken," Richard shook his head, "but Jules rescued me a month ago from captivity. And Jackie has kept me safe in her house since then." He grinned at Jackie and me widely.
Charlie shot me a tearfully grateful beam, and a curious look at her former sister-in-law, but Nick's eyes had narrowed, as he began to put the pieces of my secret together.
My hasty departure from Cavarriere. My week-long absence. My return from my mission, burnt, weak and sickly. My constant travelling once every week. I could almost hear the wheels in the others' minds turning as they realised the reason for my burns for themselves.
I began to shuffle uncomfortably under the weight of their stares.
"You risked your life in exchange for my brother's?" Nick eventually spoke, his glassy eyes wide, "your dangerous, secret mission was to rescue Richard? How did you find out where he was? And how did you know where Jackie was hiding?"
He threw the widow a suspicious look, and that was when I remembered that he had never liked her for some reason, even in our childhood.
Jackie flinched, clearly discomfited.
"We will save that tale for later," I hastily spoke up before anyone could ask me anything else, "besides, I believe there are only thirty seconds to midnight. 'Tis time to celebrate."
I took Richard's right hand and clasped it over Nick's hand that was holding the knife, pulling the both of them towards the marzipan block.
Everyone's attention was diverted almost at once. "All right, on the count of three," Charlie released a watery chuckle, wiping away her tears, "one...two...three." On that, we burst into the tuneless, age-old song.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to Nick and Richard
Happy birthday to you!
"Make a wish!" Lisa called out, smiling through her tears as she leaned against Evoric's shoulder.
Nick and Richard simultaneously looked at each other for a brief moment, grinning before they closed their eyes and thought of their respective wishes. Then, they plunged their dagger into the marzipan block together, garnering a loud round of applause.
The needles on my timepiece struck midnight exactly.
Nick broke off a piece of marzipan, as did Richard, and they popped it into their mouths at the same time, taking their time to munch on it carefully and blissfully.
"I have not had marzipan in so long," Richard mumbled, closing his eyes in bliss.
"Who made this?" Nick groaned, astounded, "'tis...so...good..."
"I did," Charlie chuckled in amusement at her younger brothers, "with a little help from Jules, Kat and Lisa, of course."
"And by little she means buying the necessary ingredients to make it," Kat put in wryly.
"And peeling the almonds for her," Lisa laughed.
"And cleaning up the kitchens afterwards," I wrinkled my nose.
Richard and Nick rolled their eyes, and continued to savour every bite, every munch as slowly as they could.
Simply watching them eat like that made me hungry. I had hardly eaten anything for dinner today in my anxiety to ensure everything was perfect for this celebration, from the time and place it was held, to the position of the Captains on guard in the woods behind us.
I was not the only one. "Will you hurry up and finish eating?" Ned scowled, crossing his arms comically.
"The rest of us are hungry too!" Evoric whined.
We all burst out laughing, as the twins cut another two large pieces of marzipan and trading impish grins, sprinted straight towards the other two, only to shove it in their faces and smear it hard.
Ned and Evoric's arms flailed as they tried to fling out at their attackers, but the latter were too tall for them to truly strike them.
Lisa let out a squeal as she stepped away from the now struggling, sugar-syrup coated Evoric. "Ouch! You hit me!"
"I am so sorry, love!" he huffed, "but I cannot see a thing!"
"Then cease trying to hit the Princes!" she stomped over to Kat's side, annoyed.
"And there goes my masterpiece," Charlie threw her hands up in exasperation, "please remind this old woman once more on how old are you boys?"
Kat, Jackie and I collapsed into peals and peals of laughter, clutching our sides, as the victims tried to lick the marzipan crumbs off their faces, backing away from their attackers.
"This is truly delicious," Ned conceded thoughtfully, "you should consider cooking for all of us more often, Charlie."
"I know not if I should be flattered or insulted," Charlie eyed him distastefully, her hand resting on her stomach.
"Certainly flattered," Evoric mumbled happily, completely missing her glare.
"Our work here is done, brother," Nick smirked, and with that, they ceased their siege, as they turned away to wash their hands in the foliage with the small flask of water Nick always carried with him.
When they finished, they cut out smaller pieces of marzipan like civilised men at last, heading towards us.
"Nay," Lisa backed away, "I am...not hungry. You both can enjoy the marzipan."
I was staring at the Marzipan in their hands, too hungry to care even if they did decide to smash it into our faces. It looked so sumptuous.
I should know. I had eaten some portions of it earlier when Charlie was not looking.
"I am still full from dinner earlier," Charlie hastily put in, huddling closer to me.
"Calm down, sister-mine," Richard rolled his eyes, walking towards her, "that was only for Ned and Evoric. They would have smeared the marzipan on each other's faces soon enough, even if we had not done so."
He chuckled, as he handed her the piece of marzipan. She smiled in relief, and gobbled it whole in one go, much to my astonishment. He then offered another piece to Lisa, who took it gladly.
As they conversed, I reached behind them for a piece of Marzipan from Nick's outstretched hand. However, he shook his head as he walked towards me, hiding it behind his back.
"Nicholas," I glared at him, "I am tired, and I am hungry. Please do not force me to kill you on your birthday."
He began to laugh. "Easy, Julie. I have a riddle for you," his grey eyes twinkled, "if you can answer it, then I will give you some Marzipan."
I huffed, disgruntled. "The things I have to do to eat my favourite food," I muttered, "go ahead, Nick."
"What do you call an ant that eats too much sugar-coated Marzipan?" he sounded excited.
"Is this another one of Captain Everard's jests?" I queried wryly.
"Nay, 'tis my own," he admitted, "go on, answer it."
Then it was bound to be just as unamusing.
"Hmm," I tried to think like Captain Everard would, "extravagant?" Sugar-coated Marzipan was very expensive in Monrique, after all.
Surprise flitted through his eyes, as he began to laugh. "That is actually not bad an answer," he conceded, "the correct answer is decadant, but I will accept yours as well. Good job, Julie." He handed me the piece of Marzipan.
I beamed at once, almost snatching it off his hands. As I munched, my eyes wandered to Richard, who was approaching Kat and Jackie next.
He nodded at Jackie, before he shot Kat an easy, shy smile. "Hello, Kat."
Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment at the familiar nickname, before the sardonic grin was back in place. "Do you still remember how to throw a punch?" she asked him gruffly, taking a piece of Marzipan from him, and held up her fist, "or do I have to remind you?"
He laughed, as he lifted her upright fist to press a small kiss to her knuckles. "I can hardly forget when my brother's nose is still slightly crooked from the last time I threw a punch," his eyes danced, "by the Lord, it is good to see you again, woman." To my surprise, she turned slightly red at that.
I suppressed a chuckle, shaking my head in amusement. Life was full of surprises indeed.