The High Lord of Summer

2. Secret Passages

Marin entered my chambers the next morning as I was putting the finishing touches on my outfit of the day. He stood beside me as I fussed with my gown.
I chuckled. I always did at the sight of the two of us. Although we were twins, we looked completely different at first glance. But if you knew us, you knew the similarities.
Marin was the incarnate of our father, tall, broad, mahogany skin with platinum hair.
Our father, a lord of the summer court, was mated to our mother, a golden high fae of the day court. I looked like my mother, golden tan skin that shimmered in the sun, and golden hair. I looked like I had walked straight out of a treasure cave. It did make it difficult to wear certain colours, I had never once in my long life worn yellow.
The two of us beside each other looked completely different, but we were two peas in a fae sized pod.
"So vain." He quipped.
I smirked at Marin, "and did you enjoy the solstice, brother?"
He matched my smirk, unnervingly similar to my own, but made no answer on the subject.
"What are you so dressed up for?" He toyed with a ribbon on the shoulder of my flowing, emerald green gown.
"I'm going to the palace today." I tried to keep the excitement from my voice. I was finally getting my friend back.
A sly smile spread across Marin's lips, "ahhh yes, I saw you with our High Lord last night. You were gone for quite a time." He winked.
"It wasn't that long. Stop making something out of nothing, we are just friends. Nothing more." I smoothed the front of my gown, a nervous habit.
"Ah, if it was but a friendship, you would not make such an effort." Marin pinched my cheek and swaggered out of my chambers. His boots clicked on the marble as he strutted down the hallway.
A time later, I was escorted by white clad guards into the palace library. Tarquin stood at a desk in the centre, surrounded by billowing scrolls. He faced the floor to ceiling windows, so did not see me arrive. I took advantage of these moments to take in my surroundings. I had not been in the library for several decades, and never had I seen it without a single tome.
The library was a cavernous dome, seeming to be hewn from mother of pearl. Shelves lined the round walls, from floor to ceiling in all directions, with the exception of the windows that faced out to the glittering bay below. Sconces with tall candles lined the walls, but the gleaming light of day that spilled in from the windows was enough to lighten the entire library. I let out a small gasp, which was enough to alert Tarquin to my presence.
He turned around, his face slowly making the transition from deep concentration to a luminous smile. A very nice smile, I noted.
He shuffled the scrolls on the desk before waving me into the library. As I entered the room fully, the large oak doors behind me closed with a soft thud. A quick scan of the scrolls as I approached told me all I needed to know. The scrolls bore the titles of books, and by the look of it, thousands of them.
"Aria, I was just reading through these lists. Those scrolls there," he pointed to the scrolls on the left, "bare the titles of all of the books the library had..... before."
He grimaced.
"And the rest are lists of books which the palace scholar and other members of the court have requested. I'm wondering which titles I should make apart of the new library."
I scanned my eyes over the titles. Many were classics that I recognised, there were a myriad of history books, some on religion, and some listed that I had hoped to digest the moment I had a chance. I could feel myself lighting up from within.
"Now, I am not much of a reader. But I know that you are. And I thought that you might help me decide what to stock."
I looked at him curiously. "Are.... funds an object?"
He scoffed, "have you seen our treasure troves?"
"And what about space?" I quirked an eyebrow and gestured to the cavern, "this library is enormous, and it's not like you're a stranger to storing things in between."
A laugh escaped from his lips as he remembered that memory from when we were younglings.
"I say, get them all."
"All of them it is, you're very persuasive, Aria."
I eyed him suspiciously, "You were already planning to get them all, weren't you?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Yes, to be honest. I just wanted your opinion, I know that books are your passion. And I wanted an excuse to spend some time with you, out of the prying eyes of the court."
I could feel my blush blossoming from my toes to my cheeks, I was sure I resembled a tomato.
"Well," I quipped, deflecting. "That took exactly two minutes, what do you have planned for the rest of the morning?"
His eyes twinkled as he gestured to follow him. A snap of his fingers had the scrolls rolled up and vanishing, I assumed off to the bookseller.
He walked in a straight line, directly into... a wall. I quirked an eyebrow in question.
He winked. "Have you forgotten how many secret passageways there are in the palace?" His eyes were dancing with mischief.
My mind was flooded with memories of our childhood, doors hidden behind ancient tapestries, behind paintings and shelves, under loose tiles. Running through tunnels and popping out and unsuspecting patrons of the court.
"I could never forget!" I exclaimed, "you would be ashamed to call someone with a sieve for a memory a friend of yours, I'm sure, High Lord."
"I could never be ashamed of you, and don't call me High Lord, please. It feels weird, coming from you." He grimaced and I nodded my response.
He ran his hand over the wall of mother of pearl. It began to glow softly. Where the wall once stood, was now an archway and a set of smooth stone stairs.
"I may have spent years running through these halls with you, Tarquin, but I can't dredge up even one memory of a passage in the library."
"Ah, that's because it is only for High Lords. One of the perks of the job. Would you care for a stroll on the beach?" He held out a hand to me.
I grinned as I took it.
Tarquin broke into a run, tugging me along with him as we descended the steps. The scent of salt and sand tickled my senses as we got closer to the bottom of the passage way.
The passageway was narrow, lit by the occasional sconce of faelight. The walls were rough beneath my palms, sandstone mixed with old shards of shell.
The sunlight was shockingly bright as we broke out of the passage, I shielded my eyes with my arm, letting go of Tarquin's hand.
The passage lead straight onto the white sand, it looked and felt like what I imagined of stardust.
Tarquin sealed the passage, and walked towards the soft, glimmering waves of the ocean. He paused to remove his boots, and with a flourish of his hands they were stored in between. I removed my own sandals, and copied his movement, they too being stored in the infinite cupboard that lived within the folds of our realm.
Tarquin stood for a moment, hands on hips, staring out into the bay.
Diamond dusted waves rolled in to the shore, the crashing of water on sand a soothing melody. Tarquin seemed deep in thought, and since the day was hot and I didn't want to bother him, I bunched up my skirts in my left hand and strolled towards the water. The day was humid, the rays of the sun beat down harshly on us.
The first moments of my feet in the water were pure bliss. The water rippled around my ankles as I waded in, smooth, velvety waves washing away any anxiety I had about being alone with Tarquin.
I chanced a glance back toward the shore, expecting to see him still gazing out to sea in ponderous silence. When my eyes met the spot where he had stood, however, he was nowhere to be seen. Startled, I searched for him from my place in the shallows. As I turned back to face the sea, Tarquin was right in front of me, a wicked grin plastered on his face.
A sudden memory of when we were young struck me. One flick of Tarquin's hand had an army of birds made of water flittering about our heads. A flick of mine, and they were joined by a serpent of water, slithering between the birds, dancing and twisting through the air surrounding us. He was smiling, he looked easy. Like he hadn't in a long time.
Tarquin flicked his fingers again, and a wall of water came crashing down on top of us.
Now drenched, my gown clinging to me in a rather unflattering way, I looked up at Tarquin. He looked aghast.
"Aria! I am so sorry!" He rushed to me and took my face in his hands, then he ran his hands up and down my arms, making sure I was still in one piece. "When I became High Lord, my powers were... amplified. Immensely. I'm still getting used to it." He scratched the back of his head and looked away sheepishly.
I focused my power in my core and in a breath, we were both as dry as we were before.
"You know what, Tarquin?" I coaxed.
He looked at me questioningly.
"You're an idiot." I said, deadpan.
His face seemed to deflate, and I smiled, to show that I was only teasing.
He threw his head back and laughed a booming laugh that seemed to caress my skin and seep through to my bones.
"You know what, Aria?" He shot back at me. "When I'm with you, I feel lighter."