Sundown

heir of Elliot

"How was your time with the prince?"Saoirse asked Pauline as soon as the princess drew the thick curtains of her chamber and resigned to lie in her bed.

Pauline buried her face in the pillow, and Saoirse couldnt help but tickle the sole of her foot to get her to sit up and talk. The princess was blushing scarlet and smiling wider than Saoirse had seen her do in the past few months.

"I dont think I deserve him." Pauline declared.

"Correct. You deserve infinitely better."Saoirse spoke in a flat tone.

"Why is it that ones closest friend always secretly or overtly hates ones love interest?" The princess giggled.

"I detest hunting, not only because it is a sport but also because it is cruel. Animals have a right to life just as much as any of us do. He turned the entire troop around to visit another lake because I voiced this very opinion." She explained.

"My heartiest gratitude to him for doing the bare minimum by respecting his almost fiancées opinions."

"Saoirse! Why cant you appreciate him for once?" Pauline chastised.

"Not until he does something worthwhile, milady. He has you to woo, and I wont let you fall for someone who gets away with it by making the most basic efforts."

Pauline stared at her best friend with eyes filled to the brim with love and admiration. She had never been good at estimating as to exactly how she came about to have the best of everything- a noble family, fiancé, and confidante. It was beyond her comprehension, at least at the moment.

"Talk about your day, I know I wont keep it brief about the prince in this lifetime." She ordered more than asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary to interest you, my lady," Saoirse replied and looked away, as she always did unconsciously when she was concealing the whole or part of the truth. Unfortunately for her, Pauline was an observant woman and instantly told Saoirse to decide between getting beheaded or letting her in on the true story.

Saoirse took in a deep breath, not sure if it was a monumental decision to be talking about this with Pauline.

"I... I had a fencing lesson today." Saoirse breathed out.

"And?" Pauline interjected when her best friend had not spoken for a while after that.

"With your brother. He had offered to teach me a few things earlier, and I gladly accepted, even though I know I shouldnt have."

"Knowing Timothee, I know it was a command and not an offer. Why is he suddenly interested in giving fencing lessons to my waiting-maid?" Pauline said, her sculpted lips formed into a pout.

"The day the castle was under attack, I saved the prince by stupidly just barging into the scene and fending off enemies as best as I could, but if I didnt, the prince could have been dead. He didnt believe me when I said that I had I learned what I displayed in the battle scene that day by mere observation and the next thing I know, I am getting a concealed letter from him to meet him in the arena to practice fencing." Saoirse recounted.

"And when were you going to tell me all of that?" Pauline asked, and if it was possible, her pout became more intense.

"Forgive me... I didnt think it was appropriate for me to talk to you about it. I already broke a rule by telling you about this affair. He asked me not to." Saoirse replied, mentally making a note to never mention Timothee and herself to Pauline in the same context again.

"All secrets that nobody should know, do not include the dearest friend in the contract, sweet one, and please, no more of your propriety with me. You know full well that I do not care two grains about it. Id use filthier words if I were a man." Pauline said and giggled.

"Like you do not give two fucks about propriety?" Saoirse asked, smirking.

"I hate you sometimes for reading my mind like that."

The two young women laughed and joked back and forth for most of the night after that. Before, leaving for her bed-chamber, Saoirse heard a sleepy Pauline mutter something like, "Timothee must give a fuck about you to personally train you like that" and before she could hear more things to give wings to a futile fantasy of hers, she left the chamber and resigned to her own quarter in the dungeon.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Send for His Highness! Send for Highness!"

Saoirse woke up to servants screaming from outside her little room. She hastily put on a gown and splashing some cold water on her face, before taming her hair, she broke into a run as soon as she got out into the corridor.

When she reached the upper levels of the castle, keeping close to the walls, her hand close to her dagger, in case they were under attack again, she saw the royal family and some guests huddled around a wall.

What Saoirse saw next, made her want to puke her intestines out- a mans head was fixed on one of the castles spikes, fresh blood running down its length, the body of a beheaded soldier lay lifeless on the ground and what was presumably his blood, scarlet words were painted on the wall across.

'The heir of Elliot, the queen of the isles, shall be crowned and not the son of a usurper on our holy isles. The choice between a war that destroys all or giving the throne to the rightful queen is yours. The King knows and he shall obey or die.'

Her heart filled with dread.

She had known that royals had many foes who wanted a claim over their wealth and women, but never had she heard such a direct, demanding threat. Who this queen, heir of Elliot was, Saoirse had no clue but what she knew was, that the King and his family were in more danger than ever since this odd messenger had got inside the castle, kill a soldier and write a warning in blood on a castle wall and escaped.

Next thing she knew, the enemy could breathe down the Kings neck and nobody would know. Probably the hands behind the attack and this message were the same and if so, the foe had intruded upon the castle lands, unharmed, twice.

Her eyes landed in a corner and she saw Timothee, running his hand through his curls, studiously examining the wall and the message. The sunlight caught in his locks and made him glow almost divinely, and Saoirse hated herself for thinking about his beauty in a time like this.

Before she could look away, a pair of intense green eyes stared back into hers, the expression in them unreadable, but she knew she ought to look away.

She didnt, more like she couldnt. It was almost as if she was providing him with some silent validation she was unaware of, but he seemed to relax visibly before walking away from his spot and joining the king and other ministers in their discussion by the spike.

Her senses seemed to return, and Saoirse looked around for Pauline.

She stood with the Queen a little way off, but before she could walk to her, she watched the other maids and the Queen leave her side as Prince Ansel approached her. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he spoke something to her which made Pauline visibly shiver before a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

The Prince wiped them away and pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair and cooing comforting words into her ear.

Maybe he was not that bad after all, Saoirse thought, and left to make Paulines room presentable.