Chapter 11
We did arrive that day. It had gotten much darker and the clouds hung low in the sky looking like they wished to release their burden onto the earth below. The princes rode in front with Linessa, Phyralis and I behind them. The guards followed behind us to make sure the crowd didn't get to us. There was a crowd, a very large crowd that made the small welcome party in the port look like a tea party. Emotions ran high and not all of them were good. My guard was up and I was just itching for a fight as was Linessa. Phyralis appeared about as worried as if it was just another day in the park.
That's when the arrow made its way to my prince. My feet left the ground before it even had a chance to go very far and I snatched it out of the air. Before the crowd had been noisy and loud but when I caught it, they went silent. I looked around at all of them, my wings had come out so I could get it and my body was free of my tattoos for the second. Although it didn't stop the bloody tears from running down my face and I grabbed the stained handkerchief out of my pocket. Wiping my eyes, I cleaned up and put it back. I examined the arrow for a split second before I left a single strand of my tattoos wrap around it and it shattered into a hundred small pieces. They never even made it to the ground. The wind picked up in that moment and I let them drift away into the wind.
I stared at the many different faces of the crowd and I felt a gentle hand on my ankle. My prince looked at me with a calm face and I slowly sank back to the earth. My tattoos returned to my skin but they didn't stay still, I was still furious for the attempted assassinations at both destinations and I still hadn't gotten to kill anyone for it yet.
I took a deep breath before following the continuing procession through the streets.
"I'm proud of you for holding your temper," Aiden informed me as the horses moved along at a seemingly creeping pace.
"You can be proud of me after you've gotten your standing here," I replied eyeing all the unfamiliar faces.
"Not after we reach the castle?" he murmured and I glanced over at him.
"I trust the royal family about as much as I trust Phyralis with your life. So don't do anything stupid," I ordered and he laughed. The sound seemed to startle the crowd and everyone got quiet. He immediately turned to the prince and grinned at him.
"So that's the story, huh?" he smiled and the prince nodded getting the drift of what he was doing.
"Yeah and then the head guard just went mad. I heard that he imprisoned the poor bastard for a couple of years before he moved out to the islands," he quipped and my prince laughed again. It was a good thing that he knew how to lie amazingly well. Hopefully it would be a breeze for them to get to be good friends. As I watched them, the other prince's eyes fell to mine and held them in a long stare before kicking his horse and starting to gallop to the castle. Aiden naturally followed suit as did all the guards. Linessa and I let our tattoos design our wings before following after them. From high above them, she smiled at me.
"I think you might be his next target," she yelled to me over the howling of the wind and I blinked.
"What?" I asked stupidly and she winked at me.
"The one person you can have for an ally is probably going to be if you let him," she linked to my mind and I did a small loop in the air.
"And use my body in exchange? I'm not exactly that type of woman," I retorted and she thought about that for a moment.
"It might be able to ensure your prince's standing with the Arctic royalty for at least a little while or as long as he wants you," she pointed out and I stopped in midair and flapped to how my spot.
"How long would he want me?" I regarded her and she turned around to face me.
"I don't know. With each woman it's different. It could last up to a day or even a year. I can't really tell you," she answered me honestly and I started flying again.
Seeing the castle in sight, I dived through the air. Adrenaline forced its way into my body and I let it. It was a thrill to be able to just let yourself get this close to danger. It was dancing with death in a different form. I pulled up at the last moment and landed with a soft thump on the ground. Gasping lightly for air, I looked up to see Prince Lawrence staring at me in mild astonishment. Aiden was more concerned with defenses on the castle than anything else.
"Naomi!" He called to me and I flashed the prince a smile before going to my prince's side.
"Yes?" I responded and he glanced over at me.
"How many people do you think could get in here without the guards knowing?" he asked and I patted him reassuringly.
"Not enough to get past me," I answered and he studied me for a moment.
"If you say so," he muttered but looked much more assured than I could ever give myself credit for.
The castle loomed in front of us like a giant roaring tiger. It seemed to convulse with energy that was directed in different ways towards my prince and me. I despised it the moment I laid eyes on it. Even for that I wasn't able to say that it wasn't beautiful. The walls were made of a glassy white stone that seemed to be cleaned daily while the windows were made of a much darker glass than usual and hid the activities inside. The grounds surrounding the palace were immense and colorful. The shrubs were different colors depending on their location and I was pretty sure that if I flew up at the moment, I would see a design.
"It's the family crest," Linessa informed me when she saw me inspecting the foliage.
"Seems a bit dramatic," I mumbled and she shoved her hands in her pockets.
"This royal family is like that. You get used to it after awhile," she remarked and I ran a hand through my hair.
"It seems like I'll have to get used to it pretty fast," I said more to myself than her and she shrugged.
"What can you tell me about the servants and slaves?" I started and she held up a hand.
"Stay away from the lower floors with at all costs. That's where the princess has her slaves. You can run around on the middle floors without much care because of the system we have. You do what you want and no one can ask you too much about it. The upper floors are where you have to have some major insurance to even be up there. The diplomats and lower royalty live there. The highest floors and towers have all the highest royalty. The east tower holds my master and me while the west tower holds the princess and her personal play toy of the year. They never last longer than that. The middle tower holds the king and queen. That's all there really is to tell," she shrugged and I sighed.
"Then its time for some fun," I uttered and made my way over to my prince.
Author's note: Thanks for all the support! Don't forget to vote and comment.
