Princess Axelia
Is he insane?
"Of course I'd use it to kill you," I almost scoff.
We're dates, but that doesn't mean he is any less of a threat. I'm only being friendly because I can't allow anyone to know we've been at each other's throats. My father would be punished for my transgressions.
He gives a half roll of his eyes before twirling me again only to pull me back and dip me so quick, I am short of breath as his arms keep me from hitting the floor.
Even after we have performed a near perfect waltz being this close to him is dizzying.
Perhaps it is his cologne which carries a fig tree aroma, making me think of the masculinity of war, yet is gentle to my senses leaving a calming peace, enchanting like the allure of romance.
"Convince me," he challenges, and I struggle not to stare at his raspberry pink lips or get lost in his glowing, amber brown eyes.
A corner of his mouth tugs his lips into a quaint smirk, making me think he is aware of my inner battle. That is, until he lifts me back up, and I break from his grasp to settle my hands at my hips.
"Convince you that I would?" I question, confused and trying to remember what we were even talking about to begin with.
"No." He slides his hands into his pockets. "Convince me that it's you who wants to--" he trails off, gesturing a stab to his heart, "me and not just your father."
I nibble on my lower lip as I glance down at our feet.
"I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family and my Kingdom," I declare as I meet his eyes again. "Your citizens raid my village and kill innocent people; children," I remind him. "I want to kill you because it will bring back peace to my father and people of Cadomia."
"Axelia, look around you," he gestures an arm to guide my eyes through the sea of people and vampires from each Kingdom who are smiling, dancing, talking, and laughing. "I see peace, now."
Some things can't be forgotten let alone forgiven.
"A monster killed my mother before my eyes and I can't even remember the sound of her voice," I seethe, a pinch of agony stinging my heart. "My father can't breathe every minute I am standing in your presence. He's only a human trying to do what he can to protect against an immortal force with powers and abilities beyond imagination," I explain, giving my best effort not to scream these words in his face. "Is that convincing enough for you?"
He just stares at me for a while but there is no anger or frustration in his eyes. Instead, only sorrow.
No.
Compassion?
His lips part as though he will say something, but then his eyebrows dip, and he swallows his words. Hurt now vibrant in his mositening eyes.
I take a small step towards him although I'm not sure what to say as a feeling of guilt swells in my chest.
Why does he look as though he might cry?
"Leonidas," I begin, but before I'm able to continue he stumbles backwards a few steps before completely vanishing.
For half an hour, I search for the Prince, but there is no sign of him. I do; however, catch sight of his mother as she heads towards the stairwell to leave. Although we lack any kind of a relationship, I find the courage to approach her.
"Queen Ida?" I ask as I run up beside her.
She turns with a look of surprise as she slows her steps.
"Yes?"
Locking my hands together, I begin twiddling my fingers. "Um-- I'm looking for Prince Leonidas. I'm not sure where he went and was wondering--"
"He left a while ago," she interrupts, and I can't resist expressing my disappointment with the release of a deep sigh as my shoulders slump. "Words are capable of cutting deeper than a knife, Princess."
She gives a small curtsy and swiftly makes her exit.
My father comes to find me just minutes later to tell me we are leaving. The carriage ride home all I can think about is how kind Leonidas had been only for me to end our evening together basically calling his father a monster and reminding him of the tragic history between our families.
Perhaps tonight, I am the monster.
******
Miss Elysse has my bath water going before my return, so as soon as she helps me from my gown I rush to the bathroom and shut the door. Candles light the room with an overwhelming brightness, so I briskly blow out all but one before slipping into the steaming water.
I close my eyes but quite vividly see the pain of his expression again.
I never thought seeing him hurt like that would bring me pain, too. It's how I imagine it would be if I had offended a close friend.
At the same time, Leonidas knows we are enemies. Nothing I shared was news to him. It couldn't have been.
"Axelia?" Miss Elysse asks as she peeks her head into the room. Opening the door brings a cool breeze into the room, so I sink down into the water until it reaches my chin.
"Why weren't you afraid of him? Prince Leonidas?"
I'm not sure where the question comes from, but for some reason I need to know her answer. Most Cadomians hate Rerimans and they are especially hostile in their words about the Prince.
The other night Miss Elysse wasn't only speaking with him alone but was defensive and almost protective of him when I threatened to fight him.
"I've always been a pretty good judge of character," she shrugs. "He made his presence known as soon as I saw him and was very kind."
"He's dangerous. I've told you the stories of our fights; about what he is capable of."
Sighing, she comes into the room and leaves the door slightly ajar.
"He didn't seem so dangerous when he calmed you down and let you hold a dagger to his chest knowing full well you could have seriously hurt him."
Fair.
"Elysse, he's still our enemy," I continue to push as though her surrender will ease my guilt.
She shakes her head.
"No, Princess, he is your father's enemy."
I sit up causing the water to splash over the edges of the tub.
"Enemy to the throne, ruler of Cadomia; our King," I snap.
"And yet here you are," she says, "unscathed despite your many encounters, only bearing the marks on your back from--"
"Do not dishonor my father with the rest of that sentence."
"My apologies," she offers a bow of her head. "I'll be off. Good night."
After I'm dry and slip into a long, thick nightgown, it only takes minutes after I blow out the last candle before I doze off until I hear a light tapping on the windows of my double-doors that stirs me into consciousness. Goosebumps tickle the skin of my arms as I begin to imagine a variety of nightmarish scenarios.
Perhaps it's a tree branch.
The thought calms me enough that I start to drift back to sleep. Then, it happens a little louder than the first time.
Alright, if it's a branch it's getting trimmed tonight.
A dagger I keep tucked at the side of my bed accompanies me as I tiptoe to the doors.
My curtains are a creamy white, but made of a thick cotton allowing me to only see misshapen shadows from the other side.
"Axelia, open the door," a soft voice whispers making me jump so high I'm quite convinced my hair hits the ceiling of the room, but I manage to suppress a scream as I land on the heels of my feet with a thud.
Narrowing my eyes, I unlock one of the doors and give it a firm tug.
Leonidas stands before me with his arms folded across the chest of a white collared shirt. It looks as though it should button down the front, but his chest is slightly exposed to the brisk air telling me it's probably something he intends to sleep in. A pair of black trousers and long boots are probably the only things keeping him warm.
How did he get past the guards?!
Did he kill them?
He had to.
My feet tingle against the icy stone as I advance towards him with my dagger ready to make a strike. Swiftly, he steps out of my path causing me to slip into the handrail. But before he can distance himself, I lean and deliver a kick that he catches mid-air.
"You have small feet," he observes as his fingers encompass my ankle and eyes assess the bottom of my foot.
I attempt to tug loose but don't budge even an inch.
"Let go!" I shout.
To my surprise, he releases me but only to move like a blur as he grasps my shoulders and pushes my back against the cold stone wall beside my doors.
"What are you--?"
"Shh!" he presses a finger to his lips and glances off to our left.
I hear the clanking armor of my tower knights. There is another balcony alongside us that serves as a post for them to stand guard only a few yards directly left of where we stand.
A shallow wall protrudes between the two balconies for my privacy, so as the clanking crescendos, Leonidas hastily conceals us behind it by attempting to close the gap between our bodies.
Motion hasty, he comes to an abrupt halt as he winces and lets out a soft grunt. A small gust of his warm breath visible in the brisk air. Confusion runs through me until I feel a pressure in my wrist. Glancing between us, I realize he's forced his lower right abdomen directly into the four-inch blade of my dagger.
My jaw slightly drops as we both stare down at it, but instead of withdrawing like a sane person, he bites his lower lip and continues to allow the length of the blade to impale his side until the handle is the only part of the dagger left visible.
I try, and fail, not to stare into his chest even though it is being shoved in my face.
It's definitely not a bad view. There is no chest hair, but well-defined and toned pectorals peeking through the fabric of his shirt.
"It sounded like the Princess," one of the knights explains to another.
"She got back from the ball hours ago. She's asleep. You probably heard the wind," the other grumbles.
"Wind carries voices," the first knight argues.
They're on the other side of the wall. If I were to push Leonidas even a single step backwards they would see him and shoot him down with arrows.
Warm fluid pools into the palm of my hand and is now dripping to the stone floor. I'm oddly grateful that this isn't the first time I've stabbed him, let alone drawn his blood. Although I do find his proximity flustering. Every time his muscles contract, I can feel it through the dagger, and the aroma of his cologne from earlier is still intoxicatingly potent.
"Mmh," he groans softly, his hot breath in my ear and tickling my neck. Muscles in his abdomen are tightening surely causing him pain and yet, his low breathy sounds heat my cheeks and make my stomach flutter.
I could kill him now. He's vulnerable, already wounded by my blade. Close enough.
"See? Her doors are shut. You didn't hear anything," the other knight announces. "I'm going inside for my break."
"Wait for me!"
I could push him and draw their attention. He would attack them instantly, but I could use his distraction to finally pierce his heart.
"If you remove this dagger," he suddenly whispers, causing my breath to catch, "I will make my presence known by leaving a trail of bodies in my retreat."
Shocked, I meet his dark yet daring eyes. The way he quirks an eyebrow tells me his threat is more of a challenge.
"How did you--"
"Your grip on the dagger tightened when you glanced at where my heart is."
He noticed? It was a quick glance!
Turning in the direction of the guards, he leans back just enough to watch them leave.
For some reason, I find myself staring at his neck. It's long, but his Adam's apple doesn't seem to stick out as far as other men's which is something I didn't know I would appreciate until now.
Huh.
Once the sound of a door signifies the knights have gone inside, he steps back and I quickly release my hold on the dagger's handle.
His white shirt is nearly dripping a bright red in the place the dagger protrudes. Holding his breath, he steadily eases the blade from his body, careful not to wiggle or turn it. I don't want to watch but can't seem to look away as he drags the staggering edges through his skin. Eyebrows flat, pain reflects in the his gaze as his breathing falters.
If he let me pull it out I could've prevented this. A single stab to his heart would easily cure the physical agony.
Once it's out, he holds a hand over the wound and sets the dagger on the handrail.
"A-are you insane? What are you even doing here?" I whisper angrily, shivering and roughly crossing my arms over my skimpy wardrobe.
Under a new moon, his eye color is a dark chestnut brown as opposed to the glowing amber from inside the ballroom. He stares at me a moment, but then drops his eyes to his wound, wincing.
Lifting the thin fabric a few inches over his hip, he exposes the puncture oozing blood and bruising a dark blue. His expression twists into a grimace but after a few seconds, the blue bruising fades as the injury gradually shrinks shut leaving only a smear of blood in its place.
"I want to apologize," he answers my question as the shirt falls from his fingers. A cloud of his breath is visible as he sighs and turns to the handrail using the snow to clean his hands. "I'm sorry I left you there at the ball tonight without saying goodbye."
Frowning, my guilt from earlier deepens.
Is he really this thoughtful?
This is Leonidas, Prince of Rerimas, vampire and slaughterer of thousands. Not only has he stollen innocent lives of my people under my nose, in our villages and beyond our walls, but he is known for massacres performed on his own lands. Rumors and news come of him taking prisoners from their cells and unleashing his vampiric wrath on their souls.
Yet, here I stand before him alive and well and being apologized to for a simple discourtesy. Plus, he had the audacity to threaten the life of a Cadomian on a hunch that they upset me.
Why is it he seems to care?
He shouldn't.
However, Miss Elysse insisted after his previous unannounced visit that I was the one in the wrong.
Is there something about him I am misperceiving?
"I'm sorry, too," I nearly whisper the words, lowering my eyes to the ground. "I shouldn't have called your father a monster, o-or brought any of that up. I-I'm also sorry for s-stabbing you just now."
I really do have a stuttering issue in his presence.
Neither of us says anything more. Our silence giving the sky time to brighten. It isn't until I notice the sun beginning to peek over mountains of tree-lines that I have the courage to glance over at him again.
His chin is resting on one of his hands as he leans on the handrail facing the view of Cadomia and his eyes shimmer as they scan over the landscape or courtyards, gardens, village homes, and stables.
It's been at least a decade since my father and the Royal Court banned him from our Kingdom. I actually don't know if he's ever been here at all before. If he has, I don't remember.
I wonder if being here makes him think about his father. Part of me wants to ask but another part refuses. His father slaughtered my mother. Any talk of the fallen King make me sick to my stomach.
"A-are you okay?" I ask, taking a small step forward but pausing when I realize my toes have gone numb.
He rises, but doesn't say anything as he approaches me and reaches his right hand out to take my left hand captive. Confused by his actions, I freeze watching as he tucks his fingers into my palm and lifts my knuckles to his mouth.
My heart begins to beat as hard as a drum as his breath tickles my skin and he gently presses his lips to my middle and ring fingers. Heat consumes my cheeks; especially when his alluring gaze catches my eyes, before he slowly withdraws his lips.
I swallow so slow its almost painful.
A faint tint of pink dashes along his upper cheeks and he struggles to suppress a small smile. "This is how I should have left you," he says and guides my hand down to my side before letting it go. "Good night, Princess."
Leonidas just kissed me.
Words.
Sentences.
Stuttering.
For some reason, I can't produce any of the above but it doesn't seem to matter as he sudden moves like a blur perching himself on the handrail. It appears as though he intends to jump, but his motion falters and he pauses as the sun breaks the tree-line flooding light over the castle grounds.
I feel its warmth blanket my skin, and although I welcome its embrace, I find myself frowning when steam rises in clouds off Leonidas' skin.
His eyebrows furrow as he lifts a forearm and confusion blatantly paints itself in his expression before contorting into a grimace at the harsh sound of a hissing.
Burning.
He's burning?!
I rush into action, opening one of my doors before quickly grasping the back of his shirt and yanking him into my bedroom completely ignoring his flailing limbs when I can almost hear his skin sizzle.
Once he's inside, I secure the curtains over the windows before returning to drag him until he's in front of my couch in the center of the dark room.
Breathless, I rest my hands on my knees as I stare at down him. There aren't any visible marks but steam continues to seep from his skin a minute longer before vanishing.
~~~~~~~
Image of: Prince Leonidas
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