Legend has it, if you stand in front of a mirror, shuffling an enchanted deck of cards, you can open a doorway between dimensions.
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Prince Teodric of Springport remembers the promise he made his father: to *not* try to reenact the legend of dimen...
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I'd been unable to sleep, too conflicted with Prince Teodric's arrival, Hendry's death, Jack's disappearance into another realm. Most of the night, I lay in bed staring up at the solid stone ceiling, envisioning shadows morphing into silhouettes that I couldn't identify. Phantoms of past experiences I didn't fully remember haunted me, whispering into my ear. They filled me with insecurities that a mage of my caliber shouldn't feel.
When I grew too dizzy and drained from those shapes, I'd meandered over to my crystal, eager to see what it'd report, what it would show. I hadn't checked it in hours, and I presumed things had happened.
Overnight, everyone slept. Ysac snored soundly in his guest bed in Diamond Castle, a flicker of a smile over his lips as he mouthed in his sleep. Teodric was restless, waking often, groaning, tossing pillows around to get comfortable. Astrida paced in her luxurious room, speaking to one of her exhausted maids. I couldn't hear her completely, but I picked up on something about Teodric and how he'd captivated her, fascinated her.
I worried about that. Astrida was known for getting roped up in affection towards men, especially towards those who didn't reciprocate her emotions. She loved to crave whatever she couldn't have; and as the second oldest daughter of Hendry, there wasn't much she couldn't have to begin with. Anyone that resisted her was a target. I knew from Teodric's body language when he met her that he'd most likely resist her.
He might not mean to, but I didn't doubt he'd reject her if she came on to him. No, his feelings, his attraction leaned towards Ysac; that much was evident from the stolen glances and quickly turning away when the other was looking. I caught it all from my peeks into the crystal—their complicity, while still bubbling, was imminent. And from how Ysac responded to Teodric's timidity with winks and smirks, I deduced the jester might have been spiraling down the same hole.
That was bad. If they fell for each other during this trip...they wouldn't convince the princesses. We needed them to be firm, to concentrate on bringing the daughters home for the vote; not flirting with one another and ending up in a guest bed together. They hadn't hinted at anything of the sort yet, thankfully. But the more I stared at Ysac's lips moving in his slumber, the more I was almost positive he was saying Teodric.
And why did Teodric struggle to sleep?
Because he's thinking of Ysac.
My crystal was only able to show me those I was picturing in my mind; it wouldn't let me speak to them. I couldn't communicate with Ysac to set him straight, remind him of his priorities. Nor inform him that Teodric was a distraction, but he was supposed to be there to distract the princesses. To coerce them somehow into obedience, to confuse them.
The only one confused here...was Teodric. While Ysac was at peace with his emotions, Teodric wasn't. If he found himself sleepless, restless, it meant he was overthinking, worried, wasn't he? About...what? Being in a foreign world? Or developing unfamiliar feelings for a jester he probably shouldn't have?
