Building an Empire [M/M]

Chapter Four

Alexander’s POV

The rain was pouring down outside my “window” - there was no glass in it. It was basically just a hole in the wall, and if I wanted to keep the wind and weather out, I could fasten a leather skin over it. Oh goodie. But the rain seemed fitting for today, since that the possibility of me getting killed was unnervingly high.

The day after we had arrived here, I had thought I was as good as dead, but apparently the goddess of procrastination had decided to bless me. The scholars/wisemen/whatever geeks had been busy with something. I never bothered to find out what.

Now, 3 days later, they were apparently ready.

I cast a nervous glance towards the door where I knew Siobhan would be standing outside, he had barely left my side - or more like the door - in the time we’d been here. Drawing a big breath of air, I tried to think of all the lady-like princess things I could do to convince them that I was a noble lady. Or simply that I was of the female gender.

Should I walk around with a book on my head? Bite and apple and faint? Lose my shoe on some random staircase?

“What do real royals do?” I muttered in despair. Siobhan wouldn’t be able to hear me through the door unless I yelled - I had already tested that. Okay, a straight back was probably something all royals had. Should I courtesy when I saw them?

A knock on my door threw me out of my speculations. Quickly I bent down and took of the translator bangle. Chances were they were going to want me to speak, and I didn’t want to risk them understanding me when I did. Even if it meant I wouldn’t know what they were talking about. Siobhan opened the door just as I straightened after hiding the bangle under the mattress.

“The advisors are ready now,” he said. It was weird not understanding him. It was also weird how much a bath had helped. His black hair lay smoothly on his shoulders, reflecting the light, and he was wearing loose pants and a shirt without sleeves, showcasing his bronzy, sleek muscled arms. Focus, Alexander. I forced my eyes away from those criminal arms and exited the room with all the noble grace I could muster.

We went down long hallways and turned so many times that I would without a doubt get lost if I tried to find my way back alone. Even though we were deep inside the castle, there was no need for torches. The place was basically made up by 7 wings connected by a ridicules amount of paths, suspension bridges, and smaller buildings. I imagined that if you saw it from a bird perspective it would look like a star. Siobhan had given me a tour around some of the gardens, which was how I had learnt. I had hoped that I would find some escape paths, but, alas, no such luck.

Siobhan finally stopped and knocked on a white painted door. The door was immediately opened by a little wrinkled old man. He barely looked the size of a seven year old. With a tight-lipped expression he looked me over before beckoning me to enter.

I followed slowly, trying to keep an eye on the man and on Siobhan at the same time. The room we had entered was full of floor-to-ceiling bookcases, which were full of old and new books. But there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of them. In the middle a round table could be seen under a labyrinth of books.