Wanderess

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Adrian paced anxiously. What was he to do.

A hundred and one thoughts raced in and around his head. Flying rambunctiously across his mind.

For as long as he could remember Adrian was sure minded. He knew what he needed to do, whether he liked it or not. He knew who he needed to hurt. What he needed to burn. The Prince knew who he was. Whether he knew who he wanted to be or liked who he was, was another question entirely.

He was a killer. He was ruthless. He killed without question and thought of the consequences later. He murdered whoever he was told to and he didn't question the pure wickedness of his grandfather. He had tortured so many. Killed even more.

He was a hundred percent, undoubtedly a monster; but he wasn't so sure he wanted to be that person anymore.

He closed his eyes, if only for a minute of reprieve. The only thing he could see behind his closed lids was the shape of her delicate eyes, the striking colour of them; teal blue, bright and vibrant. He could see her pale skin, her light hair with its slight untameable manner. He could see her crooked smile, the gleam in her eyes as she observed him, sizing him up; deciding whether he was a true threat or not.

He guessed she decided he wasn't that much of a threat... or she wouldn't have asked him to do what she did.

****

"Fayre are you there?" A light knocking ceased the Princess' packing. She was quickly shoving clothes, shoes, daggers and any other necessities into a small bag.

Iris slowly peeled open the door, popping her head in through the small crack. "Hey, hey." A small smile.

Fayre quickly shoved her bag closed, pushing it to the corner of her large bed, hopefully hiding it within the copious amounts of pillows. Her cousin steps into the room fully.

"Iris, what are you doing here? I thought you were out with Aunt for the next week." Iris and her mother had left the Palace last week, the day after her Becoming, after she had attempted to ready Fayre for her first day of her Ascension. They left promptly after Iris had failed in her attempts to prepare the Queen-to-be. They weren't due to arrive back for another few days at the least.

She wasn't quite sure what their business was outside of the castle. Not much was clear to her when it came to Iris and her mother. Iris' mother was a stone-cold bitch. Priscilla Ayer was the younger sister of the King. Younger by ten or so years, no one really kept track anymore if she was being honest. There was never something quite right about Priscilla. Always lurking and leering around the King and his daughter. Neither trusted enough to be included in Court or away from it.

"Mother wanted an early departure. I'm not sure why if I'm honest. She wouldn't say anything other than us arriving back played a bigger part." Iris shook her head, as if trying to understand her psychotic mother.

She nodded towards the half packed back shoved aside, "Are you going somewhere?"

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Caught out. Fayre tried not to let her nervousness shine through or the fact that her sword, Celestia now lay on her bed at the other end, visibly in sight. "Just some cleaning out. Picking what I don't really want anymore for Hilda to dispose of." A quick lie. And easy lie. Her gut twisted. This was the closest person she had to a sister after Isa, and here she was, deceiving her.

She might never see her again.

This could be the last time Fayre would set eyes on her cousin. Bratty as she may sometimes be, she was family.

Iris nodded slowly, unsure of whether or not to believe the Crown Princess. "Anyway," she dragged out the word, desperate clearly to change the subject from her odd behaviour, "I'd love to catch up and tell you about my trip; I met the most delicious specimen. Tall, handsome and the son of a Lord, one of the out-skirting cities but I mean, Kattia is a beautiful seaside city. One of the wealthier in Sola-"

"Iris, you're rambling." I held up a hand to steady her breaths, which were coming out in short rasps, as she was about to burst with her information. I took a step closer to her, placing my outstretched hand atop her shoulder. Letting her know to calm down, to breathe.

She took a deep breath, "Anyway, as I was saying, I'd love to stay and tell you about my excursion, but the King sent me," her face fell, as if the news she carried weighed a hundred pounds and was suddenly pressing down on her chest like an anvil, "He requested you meet him immediately. He says it's urgent, although he wouldn't tell me what it was about... Fayre, it looks really bad. Everyone in the room just looked as if their prize hound had been shot and strung up before their eyes."

Malvat. It had to be.

It had to be the Darkness that was slowly growing and threatening to swallow her entire kingdom.

Iris began sweating, judging by the look of despair her face now held, her earlier words and the slight gleam in her eyes- she looked to be holding back tears- the news had to be terrible, the atmosphere in the air hung heavy with anticipation.

She knew where her father was, she knew she needed to brace herself for what news she was to receive.

But... but she couldn't make her feet move. Her kingdom was rife with terror and she was just standing here idly. She needed to move.

Move.... Move... Move!

Her feet obeyed, so did her hands. Stepping backward, she darted for Celestia, wrapped her hand around the scabbard and secured the weight to her waist. Lunging for her discarded bag also, she pulled her beloved daggers, already secured in their belt, she strapped that to her chest also. It was better to be prepared than taken by surprise.

She gave Iris one final look before bolting out of the door. Politics and manners be damned, she ran like a bat out of Hell from her chambers, towards the small room she had met her father in- what seemed like years ago but was only less than a day.

Pushing past courtiers and diplomats, servants and Guards, she ran like her life depended on it.

Perhaps it did. Perhaps all their lives did.

She reached her destination, sweat collecting itself at her brow, face red. She took a breath to compose herself, straightened her posture and pushed open the door, ignoring the Guards posted outside.