Pen & Sword

Chapter 1: Damien

The Langston's were furious. 

Damien could hear them arguing with his parents and his older brother, Marcus, in the room next to the one where Penelope and he waited. 

Penelope had refused to be in the same room as Marcus. And honestly, he didn't blame her. 

So here he was, in the same room as Penelope, keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid... like hurt herself. Or, gods forbid, she ends up hurting Anne.

Even from across the room, Damien could feel her shimmering anger. It was barely restrained, her clenched fists the only indicator that beneath her calm exterior, her fury ran through her veins.

She sat on the couch in the small anteroom they were in, her face turned away from where he stood leaning against the wall across from her. He let his eyes wander down the side of her face, his gaze lingering on her dark brown hair that hung loosely down her back and reached till her waist, her curves clearly visible despite the modest dress she wore. 

Penelope Langston was a vision of beauty, her wit and intellect outmatching any scholar, and his brother was an idiot for letting her go.

Sure, Anne was a beauty herself, with her blonde hair and delicate features ... and yet, there was an innocence to her that would make it impossible for her to navigate through the treacherous nobles in the Court. In order to prosper in the power politics that were common in the noble circles, one needed to control their emotions, be quick with their tongue and wit, poised, graceful, and know what to say when meeting dignitaries.

Anne would stumble at her first step into the royal court politics. But Penelope would have glided through with ease.

"Did you know?" 

Penelope's voice cut through the silence in the room, interrupting his thoughts. 

He looked at her, his black eyes meeting her green. "Did I know about what?" he asked.

She frowned. "About all...this. About Marcus and Anne."

He sighed, leaving his solitary-and-somewhat-necessary vigil near the wall as he walked over to where she sat, her eyes fixed on him as he sat opposite her.

"No, Penelope. All I knew was that Marcus was being fidgety and nervous about something. I thought he was going to announce his decision to finally get engaged to you."

Her face pinched at the word 'engaged'. Despite their arranged alliance, he knew Penelope had grown to care for his idiot of a brother, maybe not as a lover but definitely as a friend. 

But he supposed it was natural for her to have feelings for his brother. They had both been betrothed to each other since they were young enough to know better, and the three of them, along with her brother of course, had grown up playing together since they were young children. Of course, they had drifted apart when they had started to learn more about their places in the world, with Marcus starting his training to be the Heir to the throne while Theodore began his Heir training as the future Lord Langston. Penelope and he had spent a couple of more years as playmates, however that changed quickly enough when her training had begun as the future Queen, and he had drifted more towards combat, swordsmanship and military training.

And they had drifted further apart when he had refused to take part in the social scenes, while she attended every ball and every gathering at Marcus's side. 

She sighed, leaning her head back against the top edge of the couch, her eyes staring fixedly at the ceiling. "I don't know what to do, Damien. Marcus and I were certainly not a love match, but all my life I've grown up hearing that one day, Marcus and I would get married and then, I would be Queen. And now, it seems like my whole life was a lie."