Gold Blood

Chapter 9

Phoenix shut the door behind himself and he smiled widely. She was beautiful and she was smart. He sighed looking around his room. His walls were black and the floors were dark brown. His bed wasn't made and the black covers lay in a tangle at the end of the bed. Clothes covered his floor as well as a couple swords and a bow. He shuffled over to his desk where a bunch of papers lay. His father was trying to give him more work to do so he could get used to doing the King's duties. He scanned the paper with his eyes and picked up a black pen. Phoenix scratched out words and added words to different sentences to make it sound better. If he got his work done now then he could spend more time with Acelynn tomorrow. He wanted to show her around the palace and its grounds. He rubbed his eyes and looked away from the paper. A knock came from his door.

    "Come in," he called out hoping it was Acelynn. He liked talking to her and seeing her, even though he had only known her for less than a day. The door opened and Nixon sauntered into the room.

    "Want some help?" Nixon asked walking towards Phoenix's desk.

    "That would be amazing!" Phoenix exclaimed handing his younger brother a stack of papers and a pen. They worked quickly and quietly. Phoenix brought his stack of papers over to his bed and he laid on his stomach. Nixon had moved to laying on the floor and he yawned loudly. They worked late into the night and soon Phoenix's eyes closed and he fell asleep a pen in his hand and papers all over. Nixon fell asleep moments later his brown hair resting on a stack of papers.

Acelynn

    "Miss, it's time to wake up," a soft voice said opening the curtains. Bright sunlight flooded the room and shone on Acelynn's face. She groaned loudly but she opened her eyes. She had the best sleep ever. It took her a little while to fall asleep but the bed was so comfy that she had slept amazingly. A young maid handed Acelynn a tray with strawberries and toast on it. The toast was covered in strawberry jam.

"Thank you," Acelynn said her voice hoarse from sleep. She cleared her throat quickly. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Jana," she answered quickly. Jana had blond hair that was wrapped up in a braid on the top of her head. Her eyes were a bright blue and they were wide. She was much shorter than Acelynn and she was much skinner.

"Nice to meet you," Acelynn replied taking a large bite out of her toast. Jana giggled softly and smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you as well Miss," Jana giggled. She pulled out a pair of black pants and a black long sleeve from the closet. "Do you mind if I do your hair while you eat?" Acelynn nodded her head and slid off the bed. She sat on the floor in front of the bed and Jana moved behind her sitting gently on the edge of the bed. Jana's hands moved quickly and she pulled Acelynn's hair into a tight braid. Acelynn finished her toast and she waited for Jana to secure the braid with a piece of fabric. Jana used a piece of black cloth and she tied a tight knot at the end of the braid. Jana smiled and moved away from the bed allowing Acelynn to stand up. She took the clothes from Jana's hands and walked over to the bathroom. Acelynn stripped out of her pajamas and pulled the tight black pants on as well as the black long sleeve. She smiled at her image in the mirror and readjusted her shirt until it fit like she wanted to. Acelynn sauntered out of the bathroom and walked over to the bed and helped Jana make it. They pulled the sheets up and then the quilt. They placed the pillows on top and smiled at each other.

"Thank you!" Acelynn said to her. Jana opened her mouth about to say something when they heard a knock at the door. Jana shut her mouth and walked quickly to the door. She pulled it open and smiled and stepped out of the way. Phoenix walked into the room and smiled when he saw Acelynn standing at the foot of the bed.

"I'm here to take you to your first training session," Phoenix said with a smile. He was dressed in similar attire to Acelynn and he looked regal in it. Acelynn noticed that the black made his sandy blonde hair look lighter and his pale skin to look whiter.

"Thanks, let's go then," Acelynn answered grabbing the last strawberry off her plate and popping it into her mouth. She walked over to Phoenix and he offered her his arm. She accepted and they made their way out the door. "Thanks Jana!" Acelynn exclaimed just outside the door. Jana nodded her head and shut the door behind them.

"That was very nice of you," Phoenix commented. Acelynn's cheeks flushed and she looked down at her boots. "I'm serious, most people here don't bother to learn the servants names, let alone thank them." Acelynn looked up at Phoenix and gave him a soft smile. Her cheeks were still red but she didn't feel embarrassed.

"You look worried," Acelynn commented looking at Phoenix's face. He looked away quickly and cleared his throat. "What's wrong?" She questioned.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he responded cooly, Phoenix avoided her gaze and looked at the floor as they walked.

"If we're going to be friends you have to tell me things," Acelynn pushed. She continued to watch him and he grimaced before looking at her. Worry was evident in his eyes and she felt herself soften towards him. He was just a scared boy in a princes shoes.

"I don't exactly get along with the General that is incharge of training. Last time I trained some things happened that I'm not proud of and would rather not talk about," Phoenix muttered. Acelynn nodded her head and stayed silent. Phoenix seemed pretty laid back so if he was that worried about it then it made her worry. What if she didn't like him? Acelynn got lost in her thoughts and didn't notice when they arrived at the training center until Phoenix cleared his throat.

"Sorry," Acelynn whispered letting go of his arm. He gave her a soft smile and moved a little ways away from her.

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay. He's not going to do anything to you."