Once Upon A Princess

25: Candidate

Being summoned by the king was something to worry about, but being summoned by your brother was an entirely different matter. Theo preferred to take his time when called to Castiel's office, if only to annoy him more than anything else.

Castiel's office was more a luxury than actually functional, since Castiel didn't have many private meetings or documents to sign. He liked to pretend it was important, though. He even hung his sword up behind his chair, and paintings of past kings lined the walls too. It didn't even have a fireplace, like his dad's office. Theo would rather be anywhere else than in a stuffy office all day, but it was where Castiel spent most of his time.

He knocked twice on the closed door, feeling the pain in his knuckles. The door was solid wood; heavy and thick. Castiel told him once it was to keep people from listening in. Who his brother would be having conversations with that needed to be kept private, he didn't know.

"Come in," Castiel said from inside. He turned the handle and pushed the door inward, almost needing to use his full body weight to lean on it.

"Geez, Cas, your door is a little heavy, don't you think?"

"I can manage it fine. Close it behind you."

With a roll of his eyes Theo pushed the door closed, hearing the loud thud of its contact with the wall. He came up to the desk, watching as Castiel wrote in a small leather journal.

"You can sit down," he said without looking up.

Theo blew out a breath and sat in the plain wooden chair. He folded his arms, waiting patiently for Castiel to start. He noticed that his brother had been freshly shaven and had a haircut this morning, which only furthered his youthful look. His shirt was a cream color with silver buttons down the front. He looked serene, like an angel. Like a prince.

"Did you need me for something, or were you just in need of my company?" Theo finally asked. "There are easier ways to ask for that, you know."

Castiel grunted and pushed his journal away from him, closing it shut. He looked up at his younger brother and sighed.

"I wanted to talk about Amelia."

Theo's eyes widened. That was the last thing he expected they'd be talking about. "What? Why?"

Castiel scooted forward, leaning his elbows on the table and resting his head on his interlaced fingers. "What do you think about her?"

Theo had no clue why he was being asked this question. He leaned back, almost to physically avoid it. But Castiel's dark eyes were on him, refusing to back down.

"Ah, well, she's fine if you're looking for someone to bother you."

Castiel snorted. "You don't like her then?"

Theo shrugged. Like seemed such a strong word, even though he couldn't place a different label on her. He didn't hate her, but that didn't sound good either. This is what he'd been wrestling with for too long, and he still had no answer.

"I don't know," he finally admitted. "I don't really know her."

Castiel raised his brows. "She's been here nearly two weeks. You haven't gotten to know her at least some?"

The almost-accusatory tone of his brother's voice made him bristle.

"In between the time when I met her in Avenor and now, I've learned that she's stubborn, boring, and juvenile."

"So if I go by that, I'd say she's driven, down-to-earth, and mature," he replied, a strange tilt to his smile.

Theo glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"