before it all

07

EMILIA sat in the bay window of Mary's chambers, arms hugged around her knees. Her sister and her ladies were busy attending to matters at Court, so the Princess was left alone.

The afternoon sun hung low, the sky blushing around it.

The past few days had been rather overwhelming, and she was enamored with curiosities of where Antony had gone.

A shuffling sound echoed, bouncing off the stone walls.

A shiver ran down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. She rested her bare feet on the tile beneath her, standing.

"Clarissa?"

There was no answer. Emilia's blue skirts brushed against the floor as she moved over to a tapestry hanging on the wall. Again, footsteps echoed from the stone. She pulled the tapestry downward, jumping back before she could reveal the door behind it. Of course, Mary must have an entrance to the passageways herself.

The Princess wondered if her sister know about it.
It creaked when she pushed on it. Again, she called out.

"Clarissa?"

A necklace lay at her feet.

Bending down to pick it up, she noticed that it had been whittled, into the shape of a stags head. After holding it for a few seconds, her skin started to burn, much like it had when she'd tried to save the servant.

Maybe the necklace was connected. After all, she'd never found out where the poison came from, or who put it in her path.

It clattered against the floor as she dropped it, the sound ringing through the passage.

Clarissa wasn't there, but she'd left her this message.

Emilia grabbed a sash from her sister's wardrobe, picking up the necklace through the silky fabric.

Nostradamus would surely know what it was.

As she made her way through the halls, a certain bastard caught her eye. He smiled at her warmly, he was dressed for the upcoming Harvest Festival.

"You're all better now, I see." She gave him a soft smile as he approached her.

"Princess," He greeted her, bringing her hand to his lips.

As he pulled it away, he noticed her palm. Bringing it closer to his vision, he shocked her with his sudden pull.

"Sebastian," She spoke concernedly.

"Emilia, where did this come from?" He sounded concerned, bringing up her hand to reveal a stag's head, burned into her ivory skin.

"A necklace," She stammered, thinking of a lie. "I found it in the garden, someone must have dropped it. It stung me, but I didn't realize it had left such a mark,"

"Where is the necklace?" His voice was calm.

She held up her other hand, revealing the bundle of silk that held the piece of jewelry. He gently took it, looking up at her gravely as he unwrapped it.

"Does anyone else know you have this?"
His tone made her nervous. She shook her head.

"Sebastian, is there anything I should be worried about?"

Blue eyes scanned her up and down, like he was searching for any other sign of injury. "No, not yet. Go, enjoy the festival. Should anything else strange happen, you must come to me."

She wasn't convinced, but she trusted him. After deciding not to press the issue, she agreed.

Francis' golden head of hair rounded the corner, he smiled, though it seemed forced. "Emilia, I was just coming to find you,"