Chapter 8
Adeline
My bare feet peeked past the hem of my dress and dangled off the edge of my velvet chair. I started to swing them back and forth deeply immersed in my book. My legs were swung over the armrest of my chair and my back was rested against the opposite armrest.
There was a chair placed next to me. Josh sat behind me, his head leaning on mine. He was reading too but I knew that he wasn’t paying attention to the words on his book.
“Addy,” he said quietly turning his head slightly but enough to disrupt my concentration on my book.
“Josh,” I whispered back, annoyed, trying to find out where I just left off in my reading. I ran my fingertip on the page trying to find the sentence I just read.
“Why does your father never talk to you?” He asked. I read then re-read the same sentence before giving up and lifting my eyes off my book. I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably, “After my mother died my father didn’t take it well. He distanced himself from my sister’s and me. Penny always told me he especially ignored me because I looked so much like my mother.”
I started crying, at first I didn’t notice the light tears pooling in my eyes. But once they started falling from my eye staining the pages of my book with tears. I never said that out loud before now. The words tasted like metal in my mouth.
My shoulders shook slightly which I guess was what made him look at me.
I turned to him wiping the tears from my eyes with my fingertips. I took a deep breath through my nose to clear any other tears than may be forming.
Josh wiped the tears from my cheek with a calloused finger and surprising gentleness. I leaned my elbows on an armrest, cradling my chin in my hands, looking at his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“Don’t be sorry, now it’s your turn, where is your mother?” I asked him. Fair was fair.
“My mother is probably somewhere in Trebeth with a cabbage farmer,” Josh told me.
I looked at him waiting for him to elaborate.
“My father fell in love with her in a diplomatic event, married her had me and Miles then she left him. Never saw her after that, can’t help but wonder if she ever loved my father or married him for his money,” he said looking confused but he laughed without humor.
I took his hand holding it in mine. I decided to change the topic.
“Do you know how to get to your chambers from here?” I asked him smiling faintly.
“No,” he said squeezing my hand lightly sensing an adventure.
I dragged him out of my library, instead of bringing him to his chambers I brought him to a staircase.
“What are we doing in a staircase,” Josh asked haltingly.
I ran my hand over the brick wall of the wooden staircase. I finally found the portion of the wall that I was looking for. I pressed a brick, it fell into the wall.
Suddenly the stair case started to turn away from the room. I’ve done this before so I was able to keep my balance.
Josh on the other hand crashed into me the moment the staircase started to move. I started laughing at his startled and somewhat scared expression.
The staircase stopped moving, I shoved him off of me.
This staircase was the back entrance from the castle that I always used to go hunting. It was the only exit that also exited out of the castle walls as well.
I skipped out of the castle perimeter.
“What don’t you know about this castle?” Josh asked.
“Not a lot,” I told him honestly, “being trapped basically calls for exploration.” I reached into the bundle that I held putting on a velvet cloak over my plain linen dress. I slipped off my tiara pushing it into a large pocket inside my cloak.
I looked at Josh reaching my hand out to him looking at his crown. He handed it over to me. I put that in the cloak as well.
Reaching up, I pulled my cloak over my head so that the hood rested above my eyebrows.
“We’re going to the Market Place,” I told him smiling brightly.
Joshua
Addy told me we were going to the Market I looked at her like she was going crazy.
“Come on,” she said grabbing my hand again. I liked that she was able to hold my hand and not scowl. I followed her to the many bazaars that held freshly ripe fruit, colorful fabrics and shiny weaponry.
“Isn’t this great?” she asked me.
I was waiting for someone to notice us. One lady walked by Addy looking into her eyes, something registered but she shook it off.
It was true Addy was almost unrecognizable. Her hair was straighter today, no crown on, finery, or a scowl. She was walking in Market Day, holding my hand, smiling so brightly.
I looked up at the sky, the clouds were covering the sky like a gray blanket. There were so many clouds you couldn’t see a speck of blue in their midst. The sky started to dim as the sun was blocked.
The people started closing up their stands. Addy turned to me pouting, “Wrong day to go out.”
We walked over to the entrance of the castle. Rain started pouring in buckets. I expected the princess to run screaming for cover.
From my limited knowledge of women, the majority of girls hated rain or any form of water for that point.
Instead, she ran towards the field exposing herself completely herself to the pouring rain. She twirled around her velvet cloak billowing around her.
“Come on Josh,” she said turning towards me extending her arms. She was grinning, her smile brightening the dull environment.
I walked over to her taking her arm and waist. We started slow dancing to the beat of the pounding rain and the thunder. We revolved around together in the middle of the field.
I looked down at her rain splattered face slightly marred by a bright smile. She looked up at me, something registering in her eyes like the woman in the market.
Addy slowly slid her arms up around my neck looking at me with serious blue eyes.
She stood on her toes to bring her face closer to mine and parted her lips. “Is this rain to much for you?” she asked in a whisper heightening my anxiety. Her eyes twinkled at my bemused expression. I pressed her closer to me feeling her heart beat slowly at first then start to accelerate. I felt a sense of pride that I made her heart beat faster.
I inclined my neck down closer to her face staring into her eyes as I did it.
“Rain doesn’t bother me,” I whispered in the same way she did. I straightened my neck away from her face.
Addy laughed then pursed her lips in mock frustration. She raised her eyebrows at me. I watched as a drop of rain landed on her cheek streaking down to her chin.
She tightened her hold on my neck. I tried to calm my heart as I inclined my head towards her. She stood on her toes closing the space between us.
I brushed my lips on hers, hesitantly at first to see how she would react. She stiffened in surprised then responded fully. I lifted her off from the cold, wet grass. She lifted her lips from mine resting her forehands on my shoulders. She kicked her feet that were a couple inches off the ground back and forth.
Addy raised her face to the sky her eyes closed. She had a faint, serene smile on her face.
She opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering slightly protecting her eyes from the drops of rain.
Addy smiled up at me lifting her face so it was level with mine. She kissed me this time and I could feel her heart racing to the exact tempo of my own heartbeat.
At the last moment she leapt away from our embrace. She twirled around with her arms outstretched. I looked at her in amazement.
“What?” she asked in angry confusion, “It never rains in Air Kingdom, I need to enjoy it before it’s over.”
I laughed scooping her up holding her in my arms. I felt the backs of her legs and shoulder blades resting on my arms. I watched the drops of rain land onto her cheeks.
Suddenly, the rain stopped.
Adeline
All of a sudden, the rain just stopped. There was a wavering boom then the rain ceased to pour. I was above the grass staring up at the sky. The gray clouds were cast away from the sky the sun peaking through the gaps.
The light shined on my face, I blocked the light with my hand. I pressed my face into Josh’s chest. I felt him stroke my hair. He started walking, I knew he was going back to the castle.
I looked up at him studying his sharp profile. I wasn’t the least bit surprised that he could carry me, secret military training must be good for a man.
And that kiss he gave me. It was everything any book wrote about
I jumped out of his arms wobbling slightly on my landing. Josh steadied me before I came crashing down onto the damp grass.
My toes were cold from the rain, I should have worn shoes.
I grabbed his hand, he laced his fingers around mine. I leaned onto his arm resting my head on his shoulder. I knew I was tall for a girl but he was taller, I only came up to his shoulder.
He put his head on mine as we walked to the exit staircase.
We walked through the staircase, ignoring the looks we got from servants and one occasional death glance from Estelle who was passing through, as we made our way to my chambers.
We stood outside my double doors. I was holding his hand and he wouldn’t let go. I tried to shake him off but he persisted in holding my hands.
“Are you going to let go?” I asked smiling playfully.
“I don’t want to,” he told me looking at me seriously. He tightened his grip on my hands. He leaned down giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“You’ll always see me tomorrow,” I told him raising my eyebrow at him. Josh was looking down at me with his brows knitted. I stood on my toes kissing him on his cheek.
I slightly shook my hands away from his grasp.
I pushed the door leading to my bedchambers looking over my shoulder at him. Josh waved at me looking both ways trying to find out where his chambers were. I laughed quietly walking into my room.
Irene was there standing next to my bed with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. I stood there staring wide-eyed and soaking wet.
“Where have you been?” Irene asked me. She didn’t look mad at me, she looked amused.
I rolled my eyes at Irene taking off my cloak. Two crowns came out of the pocket of my cloak falling onto an embroidered rug. I picked up my tiara giving it to Irene.
I fingered Josh’s crown, it sparkled in the few rays of sunshine that radiated from my window. One of the tips of the crown was bent. A smile flittered on my face. I liked the rugged quality that Josh possessed.
I held up the crown to Irene, “I’m going to give this back to Josh.” She nodded and I walked out of my chambers and made my way to Josh’s.
On my way I bumped into King Felix.
“Hello, Princess,” he told me bowing, smiling like a cold crocodile.
I shuddered slightly, “Hello, King Felix.” I bowed to him in return.
“So you have been seeing my Joshua,” he started. I rolled my eyes, “In the beginning it wasn’t my choice.”
“How about now?” he asked me. He raised his eyebrow at me crossing his arms.
“Now it’s my choice,” I responded. I shrugged my shoulders playing with the sapphire on my necklace using my free hand, the one that was not holding Josh’s crown. I pushed my shoulders back standing tall and confident.
“What is the Speak?” King Felix asked me abruptly. I was taken aback, but only slightly, King Felix wanted to know about the Speak?
“The Speak is handed down from ruler to ruler. The magic is imprisoned in a jewel that the king always wears. He uses it to get the subjects to listen to his every whim,” I told him through my teeth. This was a lie of course. I had made it sound like the Speak was imprisoned in one specific jewel, especially the sapphire cloak holder. The Speak was a free magic that chose the rightful ruler it couldn’t be controlled by force.
When it came to the next ruler in Air Kingdom, I didn’t know which one of my sisters was going to inherit the Speak. It couldn’t be me because I was going to rule the Fire Kingdom with Josh.
The Speak could only be inherited by a person of the Air Kingdom and could only control citizens of the Air Kingdom.
“Thank you Princess Adeline,” King Felix said, “I am going to meet your father for a drink at the tavern.”
I laughed without humor, “Does he still use that silver chalice?”
The king laughed with me, “Yes, of course.” I smiled up at the king.
“Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, I wanted you to know something,” I said, he responded by this with a wide eyed stare, “Only a ruler or citizen of Air Kingdom, who is the rightful heir to the throne, can be able to posses the Speak.” I said this with the utmost seriousness. I didn’t want the King of Fire Kingdom thinking he can hijack my father’s Speak.
King Felix nodded. I noticed there was a light in his eyes that dimmed slightly. I narrowed my eyes at the king.
He waved to me starting his way to the exit of the castle. I stared at his retreating back. I curled my hands into fists then relaxed them.
“Thank you for caring so much about our kingdom’s history,” I called at the king, just to be a little annoying. All I got was a half-hearted wave without turning around.
I straightened my back walking to Josh’s chambers. Every so often I would look behind me to see if King Felix was coming back to find out more about the Speak.
I pushed open the doors to the guest chambers distracted by a movement at the end of the hallway. I shook it off playing with the crown in my hand. I walked into the chamber looking around for Josh.
“Josh?” I called looking at two perfectly made beds courtesy of the many maids that the Air castle had to offer. I walked over to one of the beds fingering the duvet. I was contemplating which of my sisters embroidered the scene on the cloth. I placed the crown on the long wooden table before I started to back out of the chamber.
“Addy?” I heard a male voice ask from the bathroom.
“Josh,” I called again stopping before I left the chambers. I walked back in looking around the room.
Josh entered the chambers towel drying his light brown hair. He was wearing breeches but his chest was bare. I looked at the warrior trained layer of muscle on his chest and arms. I was momentarily distracted by the six pack worked onto his abdomen from hard labor. But then my eyes traveled to a crescent moon shaped scar in the middle of his chest.
I blinked a couple of times. “Your, here is your crown,” I stuttered. I blinked more trying to look at his face but my eyes kept wandering to his chest.
“Thank you,” he said smiling at my obvious discomfort. He cast aside his towel picking up the crown I had placed on the table. His chest passed across my line of vision. I gasped then trying to disguise that with a couple of coughs.
Josh was not fooled however. He looked down and smiled at me.
I looked up at him keeping my eyes trained to his face. He waited for me to lose my concentration. He bent his head down so he was a couple inches from mine.
“Is that all,” he whispered. I felt his hot breath on my face tickling my nose slightly with each breath she took.
“Yes,” I breathed out biting my lip. I batted my eyes slowly. I stood on my toes giving him a kiss. My heart stuttered a beat then continued on in a lively tempo.
I hit him playfully on the arm then skipped out of his room.
“Bye,” I called over my shoulder. I heard him respond with a see you tomorrow.