Keditha's Beloved

Chapter Two

"I don't understand why I have to even learn all of this!" I complain in front of my teacher, Mr. Fenway.

He shakes his head in disappointment. "That's not proper behavior for a princess." He tells me.

I scowl. "Yes, I understand. May I go study in the library now?" I ask, rather shortly.

Mr. Fenway frowns. I half expected him to take off his glasses and rub his temples. Something my father always did when he was tired. "Yes Athena, you may go. As long you promise you'll be studying." He says.

"Of course I'll be studying. It's improper to lie, remember?" I curtsy before darting out of the room.

Mr. Fenway was always stuck up about manners and appearance and ugh. I was so tired of it all.

I quietly make my way into the library, the only noise being the swishing of my dress behind me and the soft clack of my heels. The scent of old books and dust instantly hit me when I stepped across the threshold.

"I thought you were supposed to be  doing your lessons this time of day." A familiar warm voice says.

"Papa!" I turn to see my father sitting in a chair, glasses on and a book opened on his lap. "They ended early, I came here to study. You know how Mr. Fenway is." I move to take the seat next to him.

My father's face holds no emotion. "Your mother and I are worried about you. You seem to not care about your duties."

"Of course I care papa, I just want to have time to also care about things I enjoy," I tell him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

He doesn't reply. Instead, he watches me, a small smile forming at his lips. I continue. "Plus mother already discussed this with me. I promised I wouldn't skip any more lessons."

"Well, as long as you promised." He says. He seemed tired and I'm sure he was, considering everything he's been doing the past few weeks.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask.

He glances at the fireplace that was lit in front of us, emitting a small glow on his face. "I'm fine dear, just tired."

I open my mouth, wanting to ask him something but hesitate.

"If you have something to ask, dear, just ask. No need to be hesitant." Father says, catching my nervousness.

"Papa, what do you think of King Cyril's sons?"

He freezes when I say Cyril's name. Sighing deeply, he glances at me. "They're very dangerous Athena, I don't want you anywhere near them." He says, his voice raising slightly.

"But why are they dangerous? What did they do?" I question.

"They're ruthless warriors Athena, trained since they were born. They are known to be hot-headed, cruel, and merciless. The youngest, Julian, once threw a knife at a poor cook."

I frown. I didn't get that impression from Julian when I first met him. Though I guess it was only for a couple of minutes.

Father raises an eyebrow, his beard twitching slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, I guess. I've seen only glimpses of them and they don't seem so vicious." I tell him. "Anyway, I should go." I stand up, kissing my father on the forehead.

"I thought you were here to study?" He questions, giving me a knowing smile. Yes, maybe I did use the study excuse to get out of my lessons early.

I grab a random book on the end table next to papa. "I'll take this, and read it okay?" I smile back at him.

Papa tilts his head at me. "I'm sure you will. Enjoy your day, darling."

"Thank you, papa, I'll see you at dinner," I say before taking my leave.

                 _________________

It was extremely hot today, I almost regret going for a walk. But I felt like I needed to get out and away from people. Especially Fenway, who I noticed was looking for me a couple of minutes after I left his classroom.

I'm thankful that I can somewhat easily escape castle walls and head into the forest.

Sighing deeply, I take a seat on the ground, my back up against the tree. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I wasn't born a princess.

I don't know if my life would be simpler. All lifestyles had pros and cons. And I guess no matter what the grass was always greener on the other side.

I just had to trust that God had a plan for me and this is where He wanted me.

I glance at the book in my hand. Why did I bring this? I hate reading. The only reason I love the library is because of the atmosphere and the smell of old dusty books. It was a great place to daydream.

"The Canterbury Tales? Interesting choice." A voice says from behind me.

I glance up at the face of Julian Kleinhaus. "Ju- I mean Your Highness." I stutter.

Julian shakes his head. "Julian is fine." He says casually, taking a seat next to me. "I didn't know handmaidens enjoyed poetry." He nods towards my book.

"Oh! I love poetry." I lie. I'm not sure why I always wanted to lie about what I read. Maybe I wanted to feel smarter or I'm just being a brat.

I notice Julian's horse peeking out from behind the tree. "What's its name?" I ask, peering at the beautiful animal.

"Her name is Feltar," Julian says, glancing lovingly at the horse. Obviously, he had a soft spot for animals, which I admired.

I move to my feet so I can pet Feltar. "She's really pretty. I never really had the chance to ride horses." I turn around, jumping when I realize Julian was standing right behind me. "Goodness! You scared me!"

Julian laughs awkwardly. "Sorry, I tend to move quietly."

I find myself smiling at him again. "Clearly."

Julian moves over to the side of his horse, patting the saddle lightly. "Did you want to ride her? You can if you want." He says.

I shake my head, feeling embarrassed. "Oh no, it's fine. I was just making small talk, I guess." I move my hair over my shoulder, causing some of it to cover my right eye. Something I occasionally did whenever I felt uncomfortable.

Julian studies me for a moment. "You know, most people I've met always were terrified when they talked to me. Not you though." He looks at his feet then back at me. "You joked with me the first time we've met."

"Well, don't forget you scared me so bad, I fell into a puddle of mud."

He smirks. "Oh yeah, sorry about that again. I hope I didn't ruin your dress." He says.

Why was he being so polite? Where was this savage I heard so much about? To him, I was just a lowly servant but he treated me as though I was a princess.

I mean I was but... Never mind.

"Don't worry, it wasn't my favorite dress anyway," I say, quoting my handmaiden Emilié, whose been lending me her dresses.

Julian sighs out of relief. "Good, I was a little nervous about that, to say the least." He pats his horse's saddle a couple more times before gazing at me. "I should go, do you need a ride?" He asks.

"No thank you, I don't mind the walk. I guess we'll talk soon?" I ask him.

He grins. "Yeah, talk soon." He pulls himself unto Feltar's saddle and rides towards the border between Keditha and Astoan.