The Heir of Promises

Chapter 6 - Odessa

Sometimes I wish I had run away from the castle, to pack my bags and just leave and go as far as possible where nobody knows me as Lukas' little sister, or the Princess of Herron, or the girl with the weird eyes. People think just because I am a princess that I have a great life, but I was learnt to be my future husband's wife, not my own person. I was taught the special ways to 'please' them and how to take care of our children. I was never taught to be my own woman, to be independent, that's why I was always with Lukas. He got out in the world and took me places I would never be allowed to go. Now that he's dead though I am not even allowed to leave the castle walls, I am trapped like Rapunzel, in a tower I can't escape. I run my hands over my face and groan as I hear a knock at the door. "Who is it?" I drag on but nobody answers, I repeat again, "who's there?" No response. I huff as I stand up from my bed and storm towards the door, I pull the door open and I expected to see Sylvanna in front of me, but no. it was Blaise, of course it was. "What do you want." I say and he leans against the door frame, pulling out a pocket watch and checking the time. "if I'm not mistaken, it is time for our stroll now." I look behind me at the clock on the wall and roll my eyes when the clock reads 10:30. "shall we be on our way, Princess?" I walk to my vanity and grab my parasol and when I walk past him I point a finger at him, "do not touch me" I look at him and pause so he can take in the words, He smiles and tilts his head down a bit, in agreement with me, I hope.

We walk through the gardens; Blaise has his hands in his pockets, and I am keeping my distance, my Parasol is over my head, but I have tilted it enough to cover the view of him. We walk in silence until Blaise spots the gazebo and he points, "let's go this way" He says and I turn to him, "do you ever speak formally?" I ask and he shrugs, "I don't see a need to." I roll my eyes as I keep walking forward, not heading to the gazebo. I hear Blaise scoff at my arrogance and then I don't hear his footsteps. I turn around to see Blaise not walking towards the gazebo, but towards a new part of the garden. The colour drains from my face as I speed walk towards him, dropping the parasol and picking up my skirt so I can go faster. By the time I reach him it's too late, he has already walked into the new part, which I haven't been able to walk through in years, for a reasonable reason. I grab his arm and turn him around, before planting a slap to his face. He stumbles back, "what the fuck?" he says holding his face and I am suddenly furious, I stare him dead in the eyes as I stand back. "why the hell did you do that?" he swears and I run my tongue along the front of my teeth. "you have absolutely no right coming into here. Get the fuck out of this area." He looks at me, his face is probably stinging but he deserves it. He goes to look around at where we are but I grab his arm and forcefully pull him along with me back out of that area. "this concludes our walk, good day to you sir." I say as forcefully as I can, as I walk back towards the castle, leaving him and my parasol behind. he had no right whatsoever to roam places he has no right being in.

"You know, you cannot blame him for going somewhere that he's never seen before" Sylvanna says as she unties my hair. I blow out a hot breath, "yes I know but still, no man should be Frolicking about in unknown places, especially when he is meant to be accompanying a lady." I stand up from my bed and walk towards the bay window, I lean in and look outside, the sun shines heavily on the castle, making the ground glow with reflections. Sylvanna joins me as she sits down on the windowsill and looks at me, "yes, but perhaps if you had just gone to the gazebo with him, that never would of happened" I roll my eyes at her and she slaps me lightly on the shoulder, "I'm serious Des." I sigh and nod, "I know, okay? Drop it, it's in the past". Just as I say that there is a knock on the door, Sylvanna gets up to see who it is and she turns to me and smiles, "are you sure it's in the past yet?" I get up and quickly walk to the door to see what she is talking about, I look past Sylvanna and Blaise stands there, leaning on the Doorframe, holding my parasol. "I shall leave you two to talk" Sylvanna says, and she slips away before I can object. Blaise stands there uncomfortably, and he twirls my parasol in his hand, "you gonna let me in, or..." He doesn't finish his sentence when he looks inside my room, his eyes grow in wonder and he pushes past me not even caring to hear what I have to say, Valas save me from this man. "Your room is so big; all this is for you?" He looks me up and down, taking in my size, I am just going to ignore the fact that we are almost the same height. "Uh, yes? I'd hope I get a big room as the princess" He nods once, like he is just remembering who I am, "well I don't think you need to own a room this big, because you know- "He moves his hand up and down, like he's trying to show me height difference, I don't see it. "you're small" he finally says, and I frown. "Small? If I'm so small what about you?" He shrugs "what about me?" Valas this guy is so blank in the mind. I walk up to him and tilt my head, "we are basically seeing eye to eye." His face flushes red as he nods, and I step back to make some room between us. I tap my foot and hold out my hand, "you want me to kiss it or something?" He asks me and I open my mouth a little in disbelief, this guy is so much dumber than I thought. "My parasol." I snatch it off him and he takes that as a goodbye. Blaise walks towards the door, "until next time, princess" He bows mockingly, and walks down the hallway. I watch him walk, him leaving was the smartest thing he had done today. I wonder if he ever got tutored, or at least vaguely taught things. What if he is unable to read? Or write? I shake my head, He shouldn't even have a big enough place in my mind that I have to wonder about him. Sylvanna strides back in elegantly and she smiles at me, that is the smile that tells me she wants to know everything. "Don't ever leave me alone with him again, I may accidentally kick him in a place no man wants to be kicked." She frowns as if she wants to know more, but I dismiss her, I never dismiss Sylvanna, but I just don't want to hear about it right now. She nods and kisses my head lightly, before laying down on my bed. she says nothing more about Blaise and that's what I have always appreciated about her, she knows her limit with people. A few minutes later I join her in my bed, and I lay my head on her chest, I let out a breath, "what am I doing with my life?" I ask nobody but Sylvanna answers me, "you are living, for Lukas, and for this kingdom." I look up at her and smile appreciatively, "have I ever told you how much I love you?" I say jokingly and she laughs, "on multiple occasions, Des." I giggle and then I drift off to sleep as Sylvanna plays with my hair.

"what are you doing Odie?" I hear a voice say and I jolt awake, I sit up and look around the room. Sylvanna isn't beside me so she must have gone back to her room, so who is talking to me? I look around my room and in one of the corners, I see Lukas standing there, one foot against the wall and his arms are crossed. He is standing in is calm position but his face tells me that he is far from calm. "L-Lukas?" I stutter. I never stutter but I seem to be lost for words right now. "Odessa, what are you doing?" He repeats and walks towards me until he is standing in front of me. "what do you mean?" I say. my lips are dry, and I don't blink in case he leaves again, he can't leave again. "You're letting him toss you and your rightful place as Queen to the side, just so a male can rule?" His eyes are wide and his eyebrows are furrowed. "I have no choice Lukas, He won't give me one." My mind flashes back to the day he said that he owned me and that I will obey him. Lukas' eyes soften and his eyebrows rise a little, like he just saw what I was thinking. He sits down next to me, and rubs circles on my back, I lay my head on his shoulder. "Odie you can't let some random man take ownership of the crown." He pauses for a moment and I don't have the heart to answer him anymore. "you have to fight. That man, with the white hair-" he says and I sit up immediately looking at him, "what about him?" I say too quickly and he smiles sadly at me. "He can protect you, he seems like the type of guy who would let you rule, even if he wins." I scoot away from him a bit and frown, "no" I shake my head, "no way, that guy has a brain the size of a peanut!" He chuckles lightly and my face twists into a scowl, "just keep your mind open, look at how they act, perhaps you can help someone that seems fit enough to let you take your rightful place as Queen after father dies." I shake my head again, more viciously now. "no, I won't do it. They can have the crown, and he is not my father anymore." Lukas takes a deep breath in and runs a hand through his hair, an old habit of his. "Odessa as much as you hate it, if someone does win, you need it to be someone worthy, so you need to keep an eye on the men." He stand up and takes my hands, I try to pull away but he has a strong grip. When I look up at Lukas, his face has changed, he is older, and with brown hair and red eyes. His grip tightens more on my wrists to the point it hurts, "Ow Lukas let go!" I say and the man infront of me smiles, this isn't Lukas anymore. "oh I am going to have fun with you." The man says and I start to panick. "who are you?" I say desperately trying to escape his deadly grasp, "you don't remember?" he says with a wolfish smile, I shake my head, I just need to keep him talking until the guards get here, "no, why don't you remind me though" I say and he starts whistling. The blood drains from my face and I freeze, oh god. "you." I say and he nods. "I have been watching you for a while princess, you are quite the treat to look at" My face twist as I smell his breath, he reeks of alcohol. "you are drunk sir, you aren't thinking straight. Just let me go." I say trying to release myself once more but he just digs his nails deeper into my skin, I hold back tears as I see blood trickling down from my wrists, he's holding on too tight. "I have been waiting for this moment for a long time" My eyes go wide and I start to scream for help but nobody comes, this is it. This is how I die, to a drunk stalker who has been whistling to me, he has now cornered me and I am going to die. I close my eyes in defeat but then someone Grabs the man and pulls him off me. I open my eyes to see Lukas, "it's alright Odie, fight." He says and I frown, "what?" He repeats himself one more time before disappearing into the dead of night. I start screaming for him and I run, suddenly realising that I am now in the garden. "Lukas wait!" I scream and I chase after him, but he is too fast, he has always been to fucking fast. I run into a wall, and I scream as I wake up, now back in my room, in my bed, with Sylvanna beside me. It was a dream, thank Valas. I wipe the tears from my eyes and that's when I notice the blood on my wrists, there are fingernail markings embedded into my skin and they were bleeding. I don't understand that dream, Lukas seemed so real, and so did the man who whistled to me, should I listen to Lukas' advice and look out for potential men? No. he was just a figment of my imagination, he wasn't real. That scenario wasn't real. And that stalker was not real. None of it was real.