The Princess's Servant

63. The Chat

"What do you think you're doing?" Thomas stared down at his little brother.

Holden balked. "What am I doing? What are you doing?!" He asked. "You're tormenting my bride!"

"Princess Sybil is no longer your bride," Thomas said. "I've found her unfit to be your wife and have taken the liberty of calling off your wedding for you. You're welcome."

Holden's felt every muscle in his body tense. "You have no right!" He cried, and the feeling of complete disbelief hit him like a tidal wave against rock.

"I have every right." His brother stepped closer to him. Holden didn't budge. "We may have our differences, but we are family. I know what she did to you. How she treated you while you were in her 'care.'"

Holden felt something sink within him at his brother's words. He cast his gaze to the floor.

"You may be too weak to retaliate, but I am not," Thomas said. "Princess Sybil will pay for what she's done."

His finger tips tingled. He could not move. In all his hours in all his days, never had he heard his brother speak to him in this way. Speak in this manner, certainly. Whether it was swearing revenge on the Draconians, or just on Sebastain, Holden had seen this side of him. But to think that his brother would be angry on his behalf...

Holden took in breath. "Did you ever think, brother, that maybe I hid her crimes from you so I could handle her on my own?"

Thomas straightened his posture and tilted his nose up at his sibling. "Please. Your notion of 'handling' things is to only let her beat you on Wednesdays."

Holden felt a jolt go through him at this statement, but he exhaled and lowered his brow. "That's not what I had in mind," he said to his brother, his tone dark.

Thomas stared at him with some interest.

"A fair trial?! Are you mad?!"

"Shh! She could hear you!" Holden looked from right to left to make sure Sybil wasn't anywhere within earshot. "Listen," he said. "She never treated me fairly. In fact, I'd say she was intentionally cruel. But I don't want to be like her. I don't want to take my revenge. What I want is justice."

The prince's black lion mask bobbed in the dim light. "She deserves revenge," he said.

"She deserves a trial," Holden replied. "And on my life, she will get one."

Thomas was silent for a moment. The tambourines rattled and the dancers swayed, but he stood perfectly still. Thomas stared into his brother's eyes, and he saw... Something. Something different. A stillness, maybe. Or a firmness. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but he knew this wasn't the same princeling that had run off to Lailoy to go meet his beloved. The dark prince dipped his head.  "Very well," he told him. "She practically belongs to you anyways. If you'd like to put her on the stand, then I'll have the judge arrange a trial for her in lieu of a wedding. Would that satisfy your thirst for litigation?"

"Very much so."

"Good," Thomas replied. "Then it shall be done. But I hope you know what you're playing with, brother. The price of mercy is most often inconvenience."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Holden asked. But Thomas didn't answer. Instead, he stared blankly for a long moment as if he'd shut off.

Holden was confused until he felt a tug at his robe.

"Excuse me?" An all-too-familiar voice asked. Holden slowly turned around. "Are you the prince?"

Sybil stood there in her cloud white dress and silver crown. She stared up at him with wide hopeful eyes and an innocent smile. She looked meek. Nervous, even. And Holden felt like he had never seen this woman before in his life.

His brother kicked his heel. He snapped back to reality. "I am," he said in a fake deep voice, and he thought he heard Thomas sigh.

"Oh, excellent!" Sybil said. "I'm Princess Sybil, your betrothed. Or... I was your betrothed..." She looked at the lion masked man, though he said nothing. "Can we talk? Just you and me?" She asked. "It's urgent."

Holden raised his eyebrows. "I..."

Thomas kicked him again.

"Why of course," he said, in his phony voice. And Sybil bowed and grabbed him by the hand. Holden, unprepared, tensed and allowed himself to whisked away by the princess Sybil.

A/N: THANKS FOR READING!!

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