Kingdom of Shadows and Lies

Chapter Four

Sebastien

"Shit, Colette," Prince Xavier swears, looking down at his shoes. "You're lucky these aren't my favourite."

Although most of the slightly chunky substance had ended up on the pavement, there were, unfortunately, a few splatters on the Prince's scuffed leather boots.

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, grimacing. "Sorry."

The Prince rolls his eyes, still looking somewhat exasperated. Stepping carefully over the mess to grab his sister by her shoulders, he spins her back around. "Come on, let's go home."

I take up my place beside the Princess as they begin walking back towards the plaza. She throws an arm around her brother's shoulder, still stumbling, her head hanging low. I should have kept more of an eye on how much she was drinking.

The Prince looks over at me, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about this. She–Well, I can't say this hasn't happened before, but she is usually more careful than this."

I nod my head, unsure what to say to that.

We walk in silence for a few moments, past darkened cottages and through the small alleys of the village. The Princess groans every now and again. She seems to be on the verge of passing out.

"Are you the only guard on duty tonight?" Prince Xavier suddenly speaks into the quiet.

Trying to hide my confusion, I look over at him again, noticing that his eyes are back on me. "Yes." I had told Michel, the guard assigned to the princess tonight, that I would be taking his shift. He was more than happy to be given the extra time off. "Other than the guard at her door, that is."

The Prince nods. "I'll make sure neither of you get in any trouble, in case she can't hide the after-effects tomorrow."

"Thank you." I nod my head. I'm surprised, Prince Xavier is not the sort of person I would expect to take into consideration the needs of others, especially those of a guard. In all honesty, out of the two siblings, he is who I would have thought most likely to over do it tonight. He has a bit of a reputation as a hedonist.

The sounds of the ongoing revel become louder as the plaza comes into view. The band still plays and drunken festival goers still dance. I look around the small square, searching for any possible threats to the King's children. Most people seem to be too drunk to pay attention to anything but the music and the drinks in their hands. I stay alert anyway.

Prince Xavier heaves the Princess up and walks out from the shadows. "Come on, Marie, keep walking. I can't drag you all the way home."

The Princess looks up at the name as I fall into step again on her other side. She looks up at her brother's features. "Emile." She giggles, before dissolving into a fit of hiccups.

We continue making our way through the plaza, skirting around the edges of the celebration, until we make it to the other side. We continue walking until we get to the path that will lead us back to the palace.

We stop at the edge of town, on the threshold of the road that will lead us back. At this time of night there isn't anybody else around.

I turn to look at the Prince. There is a lantern next to him, the flame alighting his piercing blue eyes that stand out against his dark skin.

"The King will need to be notified about the...information that we received tonight." I say quietly.

The Prince nods, hoisting the Princess up again as she starts to slip. "I can tell him tomorrow."