The Golden Apprentice - Tales of Death and Victory. Vol I

Year of the Apprentice - Chapter V

I

Brila is nervous, her heart beats fast and her hands are sweaty, she hides in the corridors of the palace trying to recompose herself, but she’s almost breaking down. What was that feeling? That magic, it wasn’t normal, but it was so familiar. Could it be that man? But he wasn’t supposed to be there, he never shows up unannounced, she knows when he’s coming so she’ll stay out of his way. Also, why would he be partnering with Areon of all people? Had he changed sides all of a sudden?

She remembers what her master taught her, “If that man ever becomes a threat to you again, don’t attack him without thinking, don’t go looking for him… Come to me, and I’ll tell you what to do”. The woman has to see her master, she needs guidance and needs to prepare herself before something bad happens, but how will she get in contact with Nikola in a moment like this one? The necromancer is probably somewhere in the city, looking for clues about the machine that brought her to this world, there’s no way she’ll find her between all those people. 

“Brila,” she hears a familiar voice call for her as she walks mindlessly through the corridors. “What are you doing here?”. Giara is a few steps ahead of her, looking at her with contempt as always, so her cousin ignores and tries to walk past her. “I’m speaking to you!”, the older princess shouts. 

“Well, I don’t have time to talk to you, princess!”, the thief replies. 

“You should be by your father’s side in the garden, with all the minor nobles”, Giara ignores her and continues to talk. “Can’t you perform your duties at least once?”

“And what are you doing here, huh? Don’t you have better things to do?” Brila snarls. She never had a good relationship with her cousin, nor with anyone in her family, to her they were all accomplices to her mother’s murder. Even Giara, the perfect princess, a person who lives in luxury and peace while the rest of the kingdom starves and battles to survive. She never cared for anyone but herself, just like the rest of the nobility. 

“I’m feeling ill, don’t try to push this to me, we’re talking about you!” the silver-haired princess declares. 

“No, you’re talking about me, and I have no intention of listening,” Brila smiles fakely and passes by her.

“I don’t know what he sees in you”, her cousin mumbles.

She stops and looks at her with a perched eyebrow, “What?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Giara is bitter, she looks the youngest princess up and down with disgust. “You’re nothing but an undisciplined, brutish girl, I don’t understand what’s so appealing about you”.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, but if someone finds me more appealing than you it’s probably due to how irritatingly and boring you are,” Brila says steadfastly. “At least I have a personality and morals”.

“Morals? You think you’re morally superior to me?” The other seems almost entertained by the affirmation.

“I am… You know the truth about this court, yet you stay silent and abide by their rules, you’re their adored princess” Brila growls and accuses. “You accept being just another piece in this miserable game they are playing as if blood didn't stain your pretty little shoes from walking down the corridors of this palace.”

“I do what I have to do to survive, you know that”, Giara says between gritted teeth.

“Well, princess, I’m alive and I don’t condone half the shit that happens in here,” the thief spits out. “I don’t hide behind others and expect to be saved, if something bad happens I fight for myself, whoever is the person who finds me more appealing than you, they probably see that”.