Pure Blue Blood

Chapter two

The group that went back to Mistcrowd was silent. Julie spent the trip looking outside the window, she made sure to looked innocent and fragile. But in her head she was thinking of the different weaknesses she saw in the guards and how to disarm them. It was her way of avoiding. She avoided thinking of what was happening, and she avoided talking to Stephan. When he tried to start a conversation with her she pretended to be asleep, even though they both knew each other well enough to see what was really going on. What she couldn't face, the fact that even after four years she was still afraid, that thinking about that moment made it hard to breath, or that the nightmares still hunted her at night, sometimes making her vomit her dinner. Specially when it rained.

When they arrived to the castle Julie could feel Stephan's worried look, like she was going to break there, in front of everyone. Not a chance. 'Never let them see you cry' her mother had said over and over again. At a young age she understood how important it was to live by it. To show no weaknesses.

"I'm not made of crystal, I can handle this" She said while he took his time to open the door.

"I know you can, but this is difficult not only for you, but for everyone" If it was difficult for everyone it should've been impossible for her. Yet there she was, politically trained smile on her face, stepping out of the carriage like she was back from a picnic at the lake. Not back after four years. Julie was a little rusty in court issues, but she was still the master of faking and manipulation.

"Where now?" she asked to her former friend.

"Your room" He wasn't looking at her "It's the same one, but we have re decorated. As you know, if you don't like something you can change it" That meant they had taken out the blood stained that belonged to her sisters, and replaced all the furniture that was broken during the attack.

"Thank you" He nodded. They kept walking in an awkward silence towards the castle's main stairs. They crossed a few people in their way to her room, they all backed up when they saw Stephan. 'That's weird'. Stephan used to be pretty loved by everyone in the castle. 'that was four years ago' she remembered herself. It was like no one recognized her, then it hit her. She was wearing a headscarf. Stephan wasn't interested in people knowing she was there. "Can we pass through the kitchens in our way?"

"I'll tell a servant to take you something to eat, let's try to end this trip as quickly as possible"

"It's not my fault if you're grumpy" She mocked him. Julie wasn't comfortable around this new Stephan. 'I have changed myself too' she reflected and wondered how he saw her . And started to wonder how he saw her now, compared to her younger self.