Lion Heart

Chapter 12

After my meeting with the prince, I let Odessa drag me out of my room. She honestly was a nice girl. She was just a bit delusional. Well, very delusional. And after stuffing me into another gown, she walked me down another narrow hallway.

"So what did you think of him?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"His majesty of course!"

"How did you even know that I talked to him?"  I quirked my eyebrow at her.

"Well, His Majesty always takes a nightly walk with Cosimo and when I came in to ask if you wanted something to eat since you were asleep during dinner time, I saw your little contraption and thought his majesty will just deal with you."

"For as crazy as you are, you sure are smart."

"I'll have you know I'm going to take that  as a compliment."

I huffed and shot her another sour look, which she paid no mind to. Sadly after days of my death stare while delivering my meals, she had become immune to my disposition.

"So where are you taking me?" Odessa tossed her golden hair as she turned her head toward me.

"Oh, thank you. I almost forgot to tell you." She snapped her fingers triumphantly and took a sharp turn to her right. "I'm going to take you to your first training session."

"Training?"

"Yup! All initiates have training like sparring, medicine, you know." She took another abrupt shift in direction, this time to be left. Barely missing the wall, I swore to myself that this girl was going to be the death of me. "But you have something very special in store for you."

"Well, that isn't vague at all."

"Isn't it great?" As soon as Odessa quipped back at me, she shoved me through another  gigantic door and with a loud clack slammed it shut.

"Oh, it's you." A soft voice called out.

Hearing the voice, I turned my head and laid my eyes on a stocky man. He had soft hazel eyes and wavy auburn hair tied neatly back in a small ponytail. His pudgy fingers held a fountain pen daintily above a long scroll of parchment spread across a small writing desk fixed next to one of the many windows in the six-sided room I had entered. Although, the room was huge the absurd amount of books made it seem cramped. Bookshelves covered every speck of wall space and nearly poured onto the ceiling.  Stacks of books were piled high on every available table and few miscellaneous novels were laid strewn on the cushioned benches built into the bay windows on five of the exterior sides.

"Here, take a seat and we'll start with some introductions." The man gestured to the bench by window nearest to his desk. After pacing slowly to the allotted seat, I sunk into the cushion, tracing its embroidered floral design as I felt my host studying me.

"My name is Gaetano. I am the Aline's archivist and librarian. And I have been tasked with helping you with you're speaking and writing skills."

"For what?" Gaetano chucked warmly.

"You're talent of course. You have a good amount of charisma in you, but it's still important to hone and refine your ideas and  words. And of course reading and writing will help as well. By the way, if you don't mind me inquiring, are you literate?"

"What?"

"Can you read?" I paused.

" I can't." For a split second, Gaetano looked like he was taken a back, but he quickly returned to his normal demeanor and said,

"Well, it seems we have our work cut out for us."