***Sequel to The Choice, Can't be Read as a Standalone***
The competition is over and Amancio has shown his true colours. The Dark Lords have taken over Aridia and half of the nobles- including Princess Barbara have been kidnapped. Along with the fa...
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A few hours after Amancio's speech, I found myself in one of the lodgings near the edge of Colgate. I'd never stayed in one before, and I never expected I would- due to my mother's incessant cheapskate habits. Besides, as long as we had the manor- I doubt she'd have wanted us sleeping anywhere else in Colgate.
It was deep into the evening, the night sky a hue of dark blues and purples. The crescent moon was centred at the top, minuscule stars surrounding it, like they were worshipping it. Just like Amancio and his Dark Lords.
I stood on the balcony, the cold night breeze eating away at my skin. I pulled my robe tighter, letting out a breath. A single tear ran down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my wrist. I had promised myself there would be no more tears. I let out another shaky breath, watching as lights went on and off in the homes below.
"I thought I'd find you here," A voice I recognised as Amancio's startled me.
I tried not to make it obvious that he'd frightened me. My grip on the polished iron rails of the balcony tightened. "What do you want, Amancio?"
He leans against the balcony, a few metres away from me. "I just want you to know, I didn't plan for things to happen like this."
I scoffed, "How else was this supposed to happen, Amancio?"
"If you'd just complied Madeline-," He started, but I was quick to interrupt him.
"You keep on trying to pin all this on me," I shook my head. "Did you really expect me to drop everything and take over Aridia with you?"
I searched his eyes for some form of emotion but they remained blank.
"I thought we were a team, Madeline," Amancio shook his head.
"You know what, Amancio? I thought so too. Until you took over Aridia and killed Carlos," I snarled.
"I-," Amancio started, but shook his head, as if thinking against it.
"Or what? Are you blaming me for Carlos' death as well?" I folded my arms across my chest. I was awfully cold but the raging inferno of hate I had for Amancio kept me far from hypothermia.
"No," Amancio said, after a beat of silence.
"I don't know what else you want from me, Amancio. My heart will always belong to Carlos- dead or alive," I said, quietly, blinking away the tears that raced to my eyes.
Deciding I can't take any more, I walked past Amancio, back into the warmth of my dark bedroom.
That was the nature of most of our interactions. Short and sharp.
***
The next few tours are a blur. I'd hardly been anywhere apart from Colgate, though I didn't appreciate being forced on a tour- as the present Aridia wasn't exactly a commendable sight. In every viscounty or town we'd been in, there were remnants of violence- memories of the happenings of a few weeks ago.
