4 Princes

XIV

"The witch fell into a passion, let him fall again into the well, and went away."
(Brothers Grimm: The Blue Light)

ROOK
WE WERE IN THE library, all of us silent. The sun had not risen yet but you could still see the light coming from behind the horizon.

The large window that covered the entire wall let in enough light from the barely existing sun that we didn't need to light any candles.

The smell of books was wafting into my nose and it reminded me of mom. I closed my eyes and let the scent engulf me, let it carry me back.

It was ruined when someone, probably Adam, cleared their throat. I slowly opened my eyes again.

Adam was the head of the table. I was to his left, Jack to his right. Hera was next to Jack, her eyes glued to the window. She was uninterested at meetings like this and rarely talked. She was always anxious to get outside and battle it out.

But maybe it wasn't just that. You could see the stars outside, even though there was the threat of the sun coming at any moment. It was odd. I liked the oddness if it, though. And Hera, whether she admitted it or not, was the same way. She liked the oddities of simple life.

Adam took a deep breath before he began talking. "We understand the plan today, yes?"

Hera smirked at us as she turned her head away from the window. Her blonde hair caught a little bit of the light from the sky, and I realized that it was getting longer than she usually kept it.

I looked at Jack and immediately the world turned in my stomach. He looked scared. He looked like up was down and everything he knew was lost. His eyes were focused on the middle of the table, his bow had not left his grip. His quiver was full to the point of ripping.

Adam and Hera didn't seem to notice.

"This isn't going to work," I stated.

I didn't have any idea as to why it wouldn't work. It was a full proof plan.

Kessie, Jack's first Knight, has control over half of the archers. She would take them with Duke Babar and half of the dames to the West.

Peter, Jack's second Knight, would control the other half of the archers. Adam's one and only Knight, Philipp, would take the other half of the army. The archers and the army would come from the South, from the gates of the kingdom.

Adam and I would come from the East, accompanied by Seth and my last Knight— Tiana. We would head from the East in a diagonal line straight to the back of the war.

Tiana and Seth would hang back to draw fire and catch any stragglers.

This was all assuming we lived.

Jack and Hera were to move to the witch they found and inform her of her part— the protection of the Princesses. They were going to be a part of this magical tower she had. Belle and Red.

After last night's threat on Belle— father ordered Jack and Hera to escort the girls themselves for the protection of the witch. After they dropped the girls off, Hera would join in on the battle in the South, and Jack would try and come to the back of the war from the West.

And I agreed— the plan was full proof. It was a solid idea.

But Jack did not agree. He hadn't voiced it, but I knew that look on his face. I always agreed with Jack when it came to these types of things. Jack and I had a weird relationship. We argued and fought, physically most of the time, but when it came to things like this— things that required your head and not just your fists— Jack and I came to the same conclusions.