Royal Academy Diaries II

The Missing Crown ⚜ Ch. 5

Teyrn could almost see the girl. He found a faint offshoot path that led towards the stream, and finally found her.

The girl was sitting on a low tree swing while she sang. The light filtered through the tree's branches to create a soft glow around her. The stream rolled by in a soft, earthy complement to her singing.

He leaned against a nearby tree and just listened for a while. She was pretty, with short dark hair and lovely profile. It wasn't until she was nearly finished with the song that she finally noticed him.

"Oh! You frightened me..." she gasped, suddenly noticing the dark cloaked figure.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you. You have a lovely voice, my lady."

She stood, holding on to the rope of the swing. "How long have you been listening?" she asked embarrassedly.

"A little while." He stepped away from the tree to go over to her. "This is such a beautiful spot. How did you find it?"

She shrugged. "Like anyone else finds it, I suppose. Wandering."

"Looking for something," he said. "In your case, perhaps privacy?"

The shy girl nodded. "Yes. Although I suppose even this isn't far enough away to not be noticed."

"Maybe not. Although I have to say I'm rather glad." He held out a hand. "What is your name?"

"Countess Faline," she replied, taking it.

He kissed her hand and smiled. "What a lovely name. It suits you."

Even in the branching shadows, he could see her blush. "Thank you. And you are?"

"Teyrn." His green eyes searched her hazel-gold and he smirked. "You're a witch."

Faline nodded. "More of a witch than a musician. I'm so sorry, I um, I should be getting back. I didn't mean to be gone for long."

He looked back to the path and held out an arm. "Allow me to accompany you back."

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Alright."

As they walked back to the castle, he asked about her family, her home. Though he didn't realize it, it was the first time in a while that he didn't have to push aside thoughts of dungeons and crowns and spells.