Royalty at Sea

The Little Eavesdropping Bird

Adella Vanderbilt's bare feet touched the cold ground as she walked to the forbidden room of men. Her short blonde hair–that she cut in the middle of the night with a stolen kitchen knife–fell to her chin, her corset tightened her breasts, her stomach, and her waist. Her large rose skirt weighed her down ever so slightly. Lace patterns surrounded her top, as well as the bottom of her dress, accompanied by petite bows.

The tall arched wooden door loomed over her, surrounded by washed-out stone. Black markings decorated its frame, a door-knocker in the shape of a panther by the keyhole, its fangs open, threatening as a large ring hung from its mouth.

Adella leaned nearer, her skirt rolling around her like an ocean surrounding an island, as she knelt. The cold seeped through her skin, her hair rose on her legs, her arms, and her neck. She pressed her ear against the polished wood. Her corset dug into her ribs and she resisted the urge to rip it off. Still, she forced herself to merely kneel and listen.

"The revolution draws closer, my King," a man muttered. "The rebel force grows stronger each day."

"Why is this rebel force still a threat?" the King asked, his words flat and tired. "Why has this situation not been taken care of already? Is that not what I pay you for?"

A slight pause. Adella's own breathing rang through the empty halls, she waited for an answer, one that came barely a whisper.

"Apologies, my King, we have been publicly hanging them, but as you already know, the rebels continue to burn our crops, kill our livestock, and attack our citizens. We have tried threatening them, killing them, and negotiating with them, and nothing has worked. What other method would–"

"My commands are simple," the King's voice cut the other, as an edged sword cutting through soft skin. "If another rebellion occurs, I trust you will lead my men efficiently enough to subdue the occasion as soon as it rises, using whatever means necessary, or I will find someone else who will. Do I make myself clear?"

"As you wish, my King."

"Leave us," the King said.

Adella lunged into a sprint as soon as she heard an armor's movements, metal pieces clacking against each other, a living tin man. The door creaked open and two men stepped out, one dressed in a black robe, the other in silver armor. Both were powerful enough to discuss the country's matters, and yet the sword obeyed the unarmed man.

"Princess Vanderbilt," the man in the robe said.

And she was to obey them both.

Adella turned to them, taking a deep breath as if she was not mid-run. "Lord Lennox," she curtsied, knowing full-well what he could do within his position as head of the King's Guards, what he could tell her father. "My father sent for me."

Zachary Lennox's thin lips curled into a smile as he extended a hand towards her. "I am sure he did." The edges of his eyes crinkled, his eyes bouncing all over her face, similar to a canine eyeing a stray kitten.

"I believe I know his whereabouts," she said, glancing at the door behind him. "I trust you have more urgent matters to attend to than lead me to a room a few strides away from you." She curtsied once more and walked away from them, barefoot and all, without looking back once, but then Zachary's hand locked on her shoulder. His fingers pressed into her skin and he slowed her stride to match his. Adella grinded her teeth, about to tear herself away from him when she was suddenly standing before the Royal Council and her father.

"Your little bird was caught eavesdropping outside again, my King."

"I am no 'little bird'," she replied, attempting to sound as powerful as the knight, but her small voice barely made a sound. Her cheeks grew hot as her lips tightened to a straight line.