Reign of love and war

IV. Strangers

There was no answer, he just stared deeply into her eyes. It made her mad, how he dared to defy her power, his expression didn't change, and she became irritated as she couldn't decipher what was hidden behind his cold and inexpressive face.

"I'm Prince Thorne, brother of Prince Caspian."

Her sudden wave of rage was gone as shame and regret invaded her mind. He was not an intruder, and now the dagger she had put beneath his chin was long gone and hidden in her pockets where it belonged. She was smarter than that, she should have known who was staying in her palace so she could avoid these embarrassing interactions.

Not knowing everything about your enemy makes you vulnerable, even though they were supposed to be allies, right now her enemy was Prince Caspian, and knowing every little detail about him could make a great difference. Him having a brother could either help or trouble all of her plans.

"Apologies for frightening you, Your Majesty," Prince Thorne said as he bowed, "I was just exploring the palace, I thought you were in a meeting with my brother."

"I was. I just came outside to clear my mind," She knew she was being too cold towards the prince but being calculating everything she said was something she learned to protect herself.

"Why? Is my brother that much of an asshole?"

"No, definitely not, it's just... a complicated situation." Yes, definitely yes. That was what her mind was telling her to say but breaking a newly made engagement was not part of her plans and causing international problems wasn't the best idea at the moment. She didn't know anything about her betrothed but she couldn't trust anyone that easily, not when they are in the middle of a war.

She was surprised at how casually he talked to her, it made her smile and feel at ease with him. People usually addressed her with such formality that it became tedious. But he, he talked to her like a normal person, and not like the political object her uncle uses to make alliances in his favor.

"I'm glad he's not causing trouble at the moment, but if he ever does bother you just tell me and I'll teach him a lesson," He said as a smile appeared on his face.

He liked the little game he was playing but what he liked even more was the way he had made the Queen smile. Before Elaine had noticed the prince's arrival, Thorne had seen the way she seemed like she was about to cry and he was glad of being the reason for her happiness even if it was just for a small moment. The Queen appeared to be someone who doesn't smile a lot but when she does it usually shows her true feelings.

Prince Thorne was a good-looking man. He was not like his brother, he had a story to tell, he had a face worth remembering, the one that you just can't stop looking at because you want to learn more about every single detail and every single line that marks his face.

She had not realized how close she was to him until now, but she couldn't help but keep looking into his brown eyes. From this distance, his eyes seemed like the sun that hides behind the clouds that just released a powerful storm, they were hiding something behind, something she couldn't quite grasp just yet, but maybe one day the storm in his eyes would be released and the sun will shine again. His

She took a step back, but she stepped on her gown and tripped almost falling, almost, because just before she was going to hit the ground Prince Thorne's steady arms were wrapped around her waist. She didn't know what to do, she had already embarrassed herself once in front of him by thinking he was an intruder, and now she was falling directly into his arms.

"You should be careful, not everyone will be there to catch you if you fall," he said with the shadow of a smile on his face before leaving her.

There she stood alone in the garden she once came to clear her mind but now was left with more questions left unsolved.

☆~☆~☆

Walking back to her meetings was a misery. She wanted to rest, she wanted to ignore every responsibility and run away to live a new life where she wouldn't have to worry about wars, crowns, and stupid princes that couldn't care less about her. But inside her mind, she knew that following what her father wanted to accomplish and becoming the queen he expected her to be was even more important to her than her sanity, and continuing his legacy was her only goal.

While walking to the conference chamber she found the person she was trying too hard to avoid, she knew that this encounter will have to happen eventually, but whether it was this evening or next week she knew this will not bring a pleasant ending.

Her uncle approached her, his bold steps were enough of a warning of his current state of utter anger and disappointment, but as always, his eyes were the greatest statement of his emotions. He was mad, more than mad, he was furious at how she had previously acted.

Leaving their guest was the most informal and disrespectful act, she knew what she was doing, and she understood the consequences of the way she reacted. It was childish to run away from such an important reunion and running away from her problems would not solve anything.

Lord Hales knew all of these, the reaction that this caused the king of Edivia had threatened the respect that he had towards their Kingdom and Elaine

When her eyes finally met with Lord Hales's her entire body froze, she couldn't react and everything around her started moving, her head started spinning, but she was standing still and everything surrounding her was still untouched.

It was as if the whole world had collapsed around her and the only things that were left standing were herself, her fear, Lord Hales, and his unforgiving stare.

The stress she always felt when she met her uncle was not something she could easily describe but If she had to use one word to explain it would be consuming. It consumed every thought in her mind and she felt so small around him, her power as a queen is never enough when it comes to her uncle. Her power would never be respected, she would never be respected.

It was hard, and not enough blame on herself would make her understand why he hated her with such passion.

"I just want to ask, what were you thinking? No, wait, don't tell me, I know exactly why." Lord Hales said as he took a step closer to her.

"Well then tell me, Lord Hales." She was defying him, it was crossing the line and she realized that she had to calm down before she would say something she will regret.

"You love to put on a good show, don't you? Sweet Elaine, always wanting to be the center of attention, the main character in the stupid play that you call life.

"Your walls are bound to break, Elaine, all of your fake acts will crumble and you won't be able to pick up all of your well-designed lies."

It hurt, it broke her insides as she finally heard the truth behind his words, he was right and that was what hurt the most. She was an expert with words, lying to everyone, even to herself, she knew how to alter words to her favor with such ease that now it was something natural for her, something that she didn't know how to stop.

~☆~☆~

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