The Inner Circle | A Midnight Quartet

Chapter 11 | Miles Perry

The cobblestones in the main courtyard of the palace slip underneath Miles' work boots as he spars with Prince Alastair. The light drizzle that started up the day before turned into a downpour throughout the night, causing everything to still be wet the next morning. Alastair lunges for Miles' thigh before whipping the practice sword up to his left side; but Miles easily sees it coming and blocks it, pushing back the prince. The poor, grieving brother is fighting much faster and harder because of the loss of his sister. Although Irena and him rarely ever got along with each other, losing a sibling was hard for anyone, no matter what type of relationship they had.

Miles feels his weary arm fail him and a second later, Alastair's dull blade is up against his throat. He drops it to his side just as quickly, taking off his glove and shaking Miles' outstretched hand. "Good match, Miles."

"Thank you; to you as well." They both walk over to the sidelines where a servant hands both of them a water jug and towel. Half of his water is gone before Miles speaks again. "I could tell you were being really aggressive today. Anything on your mind?"

The oldest prince is silent for a minute and Miles wonders if he has overstepped. "Do we want to go somewhere else to talk about this? Because I guess I do need someone to talk things out with right now."

Miles nods even as his eyebrow raises, shocked that Alastair is willing to open up. "Of course." They walk together to a stone planter around a tree and sit side by side, watching servants walk around out here as they tend to their various duties around the palace. Clouds hide the sun and a soft breeze floats through the air, allowing the sweaty boys to cool off after a hard session. Ever since Miles was promoted to be the Prince's right-hand man, they trained almost every morning they could, both of them wanting to improve their sword-fighting skills. They each taught the other new strategies and tips and were equally balanced when it came to strength and agility. Throughout all the time they spent with each other, their personal lives were rarely ever brought up in their conversations. Although, Alastair took the time to learn about Miles' older brother, Livingston, and also his relationship with Aspen. Even though the prince doesn't like to talk to many people, he for some reason would occasionally break out of his shell and confide in his servant.

Alastair exhales heavily, drawing Miles' attention back to him. "I don't belong in this family."

"What do you mean, your Highness?"

"Miles, drop all the titles real quick. I just want a conversation right now without feeling like I have to live up to a name that I don't even deserve." Miles nods, allowing Alastair to continue talking; though he seems to have a problem pushing the rest of the words out. "Haven't you ever noticed how different I am from the rest of my family? I don't share the icy blue eyes of my siblings or mother, and I definitely don't have the black eyes of my father. Irena is--was, I mean--" He pauses, choking up over the mention of his sister. "the spitting image of the Queen, and Ernest has the same dark hair as the King and a similar jawline to him as well. My face is round, I'm naturally tan, my hair didn't choose either one of my parent's hair colors, and plenty of other appearance things don't match up. I just feel like I'm on the outs and-"

They both look at the servant that is fast approaching and Alastair immediately stops talking, turning back into the hard-hearted heir to the throne. The young boy reaches them and rests for a few seconds to catch his breath before delivering his message. "Your Highness, the King has requested that you report to his office immediately. I shall escort you, your valet may stay here." Alastair nods and hands Miles the used towel and the flask of water. He walks off, leaving Miles to sit alone on the stones. His mind wanders to Aspen as he looks at the roots of the tree and sees some morel mushrooms and can instantly recognize the chive stalks from the rest of the grass around them. All of that random, adorable information she knows about plants is starting to get to me, He thinks as he mindlessly grabs a stick and digs in the dirt a little bit.