Arising Blaze

1 I Around and Around I

Solace Bonnard

Cold iron moving against my upper leg, with each step I could feel the metal scrape my flesh just enough to leave a scratch. The feeling was something to keep focused on as my veins burned and burned and burned with each step I took closer to the venue.

The castle looks much smaller now that I am close enough to enter the establishment. From afar, when it would tower over the buildings in my town, it looked so intimidating and horrid. A dark gloom has covered the whole kingdom since our king and queen have been murdered. Leaving room for thieves and tricksters to rise.

The power that was currently radiating through my body was just as hidden as my identity, my body being swallowed by a blue gown and hair dyed into an ashy brown. I even covered the scars on my cheekbone and jaw with a mask hiding most of my eyes, all so that he had no chance of recognizing me.

All so they would not be able to recognize the killer amongst them.

I could barely keep a smile from creeping up on my face once I strutted through the doors without any trouble. It only took a deviant look to let me walk past the guard, a smile and a wink. A deep breath filling my lungs as I kept the fire burning in my veins in check, focussing on the dagger strapped to my thigh. The aching my anker to reality.

And as expected, no one reacted to my presence as I waltzed into the ballroom. No one looked, no one talked, no one noticed that there was a murderer in their midst. A little smile that I couldn't resist as I laid my eyes on him. In the middle of the room, sat in his silver throne that matched his overall appearance. The king of Tallis surely made his families colour work for him. The silver theme was all around and perfectly made him the centre of attention, even if he was simply sitting on his throne. Projecting nothing but authority.

For a second a thought crossed my mind, to just end it right here and right now. But that wouldn't be as fun as this could be. So I kept my head high and decided to stick to my plan, then, a young gentleman held his hand out for me. Standing not so far away from my presence. "I am not supposed to be dancing, as I am guarding the festivities. Though I couldn't let a beauty as you stand alone on the side." The guard tells me, hand lingering in the air. I smile at him and accept his proposal for a dance by laying my hand in his.

Nothing, nothing, nothing is so effective as making him jealous by having fun with another.

"My name is Titan." He says as he sways us around the room, musicians playing a light Walz. I slightly tilt my head and say; "Sol", With a smile. The blue dress resembled the ocean as our pace went up and Titan swirled me around, his hand ending up at my hips after he caught me again. "A pleasure to meet you." He says and together we spin over the white tiles of the castle when the music intensifies.

Around and around and around.

Almost sick-making.

"I've never seen you here before." I watch Titan's face and don't serve him an answer, because he knows me. He knows the person hiding under the cover-up. Like every other person in this particular room. I even have a bounty on my head and posters all over the kingdom. He smiles at me, twinkles dangling in his brown eyes. "Are you playing the mysterious woman or are you a spy for not telling me?" With a straight face, I shake my head from side to side. "Definitely not a spy, born and raised in Tallis," I say with a forced proud look on my face. "How long have you been a guard?" His answer could be helpful information when answered honestly.

"All my life, I followed my mother's footsteps." I raise a brow, "Your mother?" He nods with a smile, delaying his answer as he readjusts his grip on my torso. "Before Sejova, she had been the general. The late king's second hand and advisor." I feel his hold tighten a bit, perhaps out of anger. "What happened to her?" A dark haze covers the man's brown eyes, twinkles ripped from his irises. "She was there that night." It was almost a whisper, hatred lathered his words and his dancing slowed down just a tad. "Tell me more."

I have only heard stories about the night that he abandoned me for good. Stories that told the horrid tale of how the king and queen at the time were ruthlessly killed, the princess that had barely made it out alive and the prince that was somehow still missing.

"I wasn't there, since I had a habit of wasting my worries each night at the town's tavern." Titan's voice was soft, cockiness vanished as soon as he touched the sensitive subject. And I almost felt mournful for the man, almost.  "I still blame myself, because I should have done something about it. Protect the gates, protect the royals and I should've been protecting her." At this point, I was leading our dance whilst he was drowning in emotions.

Gods. I just wanted to hear about the details, not about his personal issues.

"Just to clarify," I cut into his story and he finally looks me in the eye. "You were, or still are, an alcoholic and you left the general alone. Assassins managed to invade the castle and killed a bunch of people." His brows scrunched together. "Basically."

Speechless.

"Yeah, I already knew that story." I want to know what he was doing, where he was. Though do not mention my interest in him to the guard. "I need a drink." I abruptly stopped our dance and left the young man alone. Titan's eyes lingering on my back, frozen to the floor. Probably astonished that I did not baby him like all the other misses my age.