by Stock, L. J.
“Cassandra, perhaps we can come to an agreement of our own.”
“In what way?”
“You and I, we take the time to get to know one another without the aim of marriage. We could start with riding lessons – just an excuse to be in each other’s company, and see where we go from there.”
I stopped walking and looked up at him. In this light, there was something in his features that looked familiar, but I brushed it aside and examined his face.
“You'd be willing to do that?”
Laughing with a shrug, he moved us forward again. The only sounds were the dying of his laughter and the gravel underfoot. It stayed that way for a while, the echo of our footsteps followed by those of Rasmus, who was staying more than a dozen steps behind. I let the baron think on his answer as the evening breeze shimmered around us. The nights were growing colder by the day but the flowers in the garden were still letting off a sweet bouquet that hung in the air. It was nice just to have a moment to walk without thinking or having to fill a silence.
I was almost certain that the man walking with me was weighing up the benefits of gaining my favor in his head. I was under no illusion that he was in this for anything other than title and power, which gave me some sway of my own. I couldn't get past feeling like this was a business transaction, and that clinical presentation took all semblance of romance out of it.
“I think it could be advantageous for both of us.”
I turned my head to look up at him and had a sense of déja vu. I blinked it off and smiled. “Then we both agree to try and become friends?”
“Yes, though I have to admit, you're much more beautiful than your father's advisors explained.”
“Is that supposed to be flattering?” I asked, my tone a little harsher than I'd intended. I couldn't help but be affronted by the odd compliment. The fact that the advisors had been the ones to bring him only made this feel more awkward and wrong.
“I spoke out of turn. I apologize.”
Gritting my teeth, I forced a smile on my lips and turned to look at him. “Not your fault. It's another custom I'm not familiar with.”
“Advisors arranging the union?”
I nodded and kicked some stones out of my way, watching them skitter onto the grass. “It's all so impersonal. How do they expect the two of us to connect when it's dealt with like any other business transaction?”
“I must be immune to it. I don't think much on it at all.”
“Lucky you.”
The baron smiled sadly and came to a stop near the giant front doors of the palace. He turned to face me, both of his hands holding mine. I could see that he was trying and I found myself feeling guilty yet again for my lack of enthusiasm.
“We will try again on our own terms, Cassandra. I know this is all very new for you. I am not giving up hope, however.”
“I look forward to it, Baron. Thank you.”
Kissing the palms of my hands, he released them from his grip and nodded to the guard at the doors to open them for me. With one last nod to him in thanks, I stepped inside and relaxed my shoulders as Rasmus followed me in and the doors closed behind us. This wasn't going to be easy, and looking at the complete bemusement in Rasmus' features, I knew he could see it, too.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” Ras asked, speeding up to match his steps with mine. He’d been keeping the appropriate distance as he’d followed us around the king’s gardens.
“Whatever you're thinking.”
“That's not my place. I won't say anything that will sway your decisions.”
I rolled my eyes before turning them on him, my eyebrows high as we passed some of the staff descending on the Great Hall to prepare it for the morning.
“So you don't like him either?” I asked, fishing.
“You didn't like him?” Ras laughed, the teasing obvious. Apparently I hadn't been quite as subtle as I'd thought.
“Who marries for station and is okay with it?” I blew out the air I'd just sucked in and shook my head. “Ugh. I still have to give him a chance, though. Do you know anything about him?”
“Cass, I–”
“You're going to keep quiet, aren't you?” I sighed dramatically and picked up my skirts as I approached the stairs. “Let me make up my own mind, blah, blah, blah.”
I mumbled under my breath as I took two stairs at a time and only seemed to amuse Rasmus more with my sudden determination to grumble. My brain was a myriad of pros and cons as I walked, and I knew there would be no feeling good about all of this in my head. I also knew that I had to spend time with the baron and make up my own mind from our interactions.
Marching around the corner to the small corridor that led to my door, I skidded to a halt as I saw Damon standing outside of my room. He was leaning against the wall, talking to one of the chambermaids. I watched for a second as she giggled in all the right places and flicked her hair. My irritation only seemed to make my thoughts malevolent. I couldn't help but wonder why a staff member that should have blended into the scenery was now front and center. It wasn't a thought I'd had before, and if I’d been in my right mind, it wouldn’t have even mattered. I knew the interaction between the two of them was perfectly innocent, but in that moment, I was not in the frame of mind to deal with my petty jealousy. Shaking my head in disgust, I stormed forward again, not even stopping to talk to either of them as I pushed inside and slammed the door closed behind me.
Off The Rails
The next morning, I wasn’t in a very forgiving mood. I felt irrationally jilted by Damon’s behavior. It was something I realized much later, in a time of reflection that was brought about by my own guilt and feeling like I was betraying him in the worst kind of way. We’d made no promises, and he’d understood more than I had what was expected of me, but I was the one who hadn’t accepted it. That meant I was keeping this big secret from him – a secret that I knew would hurt him, and it was all under the pretense of saving him from pain. The truth was, I was protecting myself from losing him to reassignment. I knew I couldn’t survive my future without him by my side. As irrational as it sounded, all of my anger about the situation was now aimed at him.
That irrational anger was the very reason I showed up in the palace the next morning, early enough to beat Damon, but late enough that Rasmus would already be there. I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself, and I wasn’t interested in another interrogation because Damon was worried about me. I wanted to let my hair down, to go out and have some fun for once.
Taking Rasmus was a preemptive strike against any complaints anyone had about my going out. He was a guard who would ensure my safety, but he was also fun, which meant I wouldn’t be worried about what he was thinking the whole time. Between Rasmus and Alexa – Zander had left for the day – I would be safe. No need for reprimand. I was covering all of my bases.
“Morning, boys,” I sang, sticking my head out of my suite doors. Not even my ladies had arrived yet; I’d beaten them to it.
Anker and Rasmus both smiled at me. Rasmus’ always came easier because he dealt with me more. It was one of the reasons I considered him family these days.
“You’re early this morning, Your Highness.”
“I’m always early when I have a favor to ask, Ras.”
Rasmus looked at Anker and shook his head in disbelief. “I told you she was up to something.”
“I’m not up to anything. I’m simply taking a day off and I need a guard, as I’m short one. I would be much obliged if one of you would accompany me, while the other very sweet, kind gentleman would need to alert Alec to the change in my schedule.”
“Where are we going?” Rasmus asked, smirking at his buddy in triumph. I didn’t think either of them wanted to tell Alec anything. The commander was a bit of a control freak.
“I’m going to attempt to do something I’ve never done before.”
The eagerness slowly bled from Rasmus’ face. The possibilities, especially in the other dimension, were end
less.
“I’m going to cook.”
“Cook?”
“Yes, cook. Chinese food to be precise.”
“What is Chinese food?”
I still often forgot how little they knew about my dimension. The fact that they didn’t know what China was, let alone the cuisine, was actually quite entertaining. “Well, if I do it right, you’ll see. I’ll bring some back for you, Anker.”
“I look forward to it, Milady.” He didn’t look at all convinced, but I appreciated his attempt to placate me.
“You’ll enjoy it, I promise,” I shouted over my shoulder as I pulled Rasmus into my room and toward the cooling water in the bath.
Rasmus’ element was water, the same as mine, which meant it was convenient. It also meant if something happened, he and I could move quickly together and end up in the same destination.
Alexa and the dogs were in my room when we got there. Alexa was there by request, but the dogs always managed to show up when someone new came along. It was like a sixth sense to them. Once you knew what you were looking for, visitors turning up never surprised you.
“Holy shit, who's the beefcake?” Alexa asked as she shamelessly fluttered her eyelashes.
I snorted, unable to help myself. I knew Alexa had been expecting Damon, which would have had me landing in this room alone. When I’d left for the palace, I hadn’t told her I was avoiding him, and figured it was better left that way. Rasmus was a surprise for her, but something in her reaction told me that she didn’t mind it so much. It wasn’t as though she and Damon did anything other than antagonize one another anyway.
“Alexa, this is Rasmus. Rasmus, this is Alexa.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Cass.” Rasmus beamed, offering her his hand.
“It’s all truth, thrown in with a handful of lies and sinfully embellished,” she replied with a smile of her own. “You’re the handsome, tall funny guard, I presume?”
“I just love how we have no secrets,” I grumbled, pointing at Rasmus to tell him to keep his opinion to himself and shaking my head at Alexa.
“He didn’t know he was the hot one?” she asked, rubbing one of the dogs behind the ear.
I studiously ignored both her and the smirk Rasmus was wearing. Being consistently around the same people in the farmhouse, I’d managed to forget that there was no such thing as discretion with Alexa. She was amazing with secrets, but mention something to her in passing and it was fair game to tell the rest of the world. I would have said I’d learned my lesson, but this wasn’t the most embarrassing thing she’d ever done to me.
“Okay, I’ve printed out the recipe and now all we have to do is venture to the store.”
“There’s a better way to cook Chinese food, Cass.”
“Ordering is not cooking.”
“It is to me.”
Rolling my eyes, I looped my arms through one each of theirs. Rasmus was as enamored with the large dogs, as they were with him. “Consider it an adventure, something I want to do before I’m forced into princessdom.”
We left the house quickly. Knowing Damon would be turning up to meet me at any moment, I wanted to be out of range before he got curious and translocated to check on me. Our parting hadn’t been pleasant – mostly due to my temper tantrum – and seeing as he was part of what I was trying to escape, I figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than than permission. Trying to explain to Damon that it was he I was trying to avoid didn’t seem at all appealing.
We hadn’t been in the car long when I noticed that Rasmus was watching the scenery pass as Alexa drove, his eyes wide with wonder. It occurred to me while I was watching him that he probably hadn't been here much. Even with ability to cross, the palace, and consequentially the king, kept their guard from skipping between dimensions as much as they could. I knew it was for safety reasons, but it still amazed me how little they knew about this world sometimes.
“Rasmus?” I sang, gaining his attention from the huge blow up gorilla that was crushing a dollar sign signifying cut prices over a car dealership building.
“Yes, Cass?” He dragged his eyes away from the giant figure and met my glance. I smiled and turned in my seat to face him.
“How many times have you been to this dimension?”
“Two, maybe three times on official business.”
“Where did you go?”
“I was sent to retrieve some of the nymphs saved from Grenalide. They were scattered. Four of us were sent out to bring them back to Mortisali to have a conference with the king.”
“So, you didn't see much?”
“No, it was pretty much an in and out operation. This is the first time I've been here for any real length of time, and my first time in a car.”
“It seems like it's a day of firsts then.” Alexa grinned, pinching my leg and making me jump. I knew she wasn’t going to drop this cooking thing she was completely against.
“Oh, come on, Alexa. Where's your sense of adventure?”
“Everywhere but with food,” she admitted, scrunching up her nose. “Jumping out of a plane I can do. Toasting bread, not so much.”
I found this amusing. I’d always thought Alexa was one of those fearless people. Nothing seemed to get under her skin and make her squirm. She had opinions about everything, but nothing ever seemed to faze her, until now, when she was faced with something as simple as cooking. The wok was apparently her weakness.
I rolled my eyes at her continued complaints and arguments, shaking my head as we finally pulled into the grocery store parking lot. I hopped out eagerly the moment the car came to a stop, and waited for my two guards before almost skipping toward the store. Rasmus, stunned by the fact you could get so many vegetables in one place, as well as meats, seafood, and grains, followed us around, picking up packages and cans while making faces.
The novelty for him was amusing enough to keep us occupied for a while, and when he finally tired of picking things up, we reverted to endless questions about him and his life. After much discussion, we found his childhood had lacked the games we’d had as children in this dimension. That was how we ended up teaching him Marco Polo with a supermarket twist. Having someone with as little knowledge of our world as Rasmus made the game much more fun and interesting.
I was running through the store, my shoes squeaking on the concrete as I darted down an aisle. I could hear the cart’s wheels squeaking three aisles over from where I was, and being the only customers in the store, I knew it could only be Alexa. It was childish and completely ridiculous for three adults to do, but I was enjoying an afternoon of being a complete dork and leaving my inhibitions at the door.
“MARCO?” Alexa shouted.
“Polo!” I replied, hearing Rasmus only an aisle over shouting out the same thing.
“Are you moving?” she screeched. The accusation in her tone was pronounced by the speeding up of the complaints from the cart’s wheels.
“No,” I shouted back, sprinting down toward the opening by the registers and taking an almost hundred-eighty degree turn onto the next aisle. I screamed as my feet left the ground in my haste, but two strong arms closed around my waist, steadying me on my feet. When I looked up, Rasmus put his fingers over his lips and winked at me, and I nodded in response, giving my savior a grin.
“You bastards, you're moving! You were right here,” Alexa hollered
Hand in hand, Rasmus and I made it to the frozen food section, both of us laughing as we skidded to a halt in the middle of the humming machines. The lights all came on as we headed down the aisle, which only seemed to distract Rasmus more. After three laps up and down, he took my hand and started waltzing with me to the pop track playing on the overhead radio. I’d never waltzed in my life, but he led me easily.
“Marco?”
“Polo,” I responded, breaking from his embrace and grabbing one of the ingredients. It was all part of the game, getting stuff in the cart before she could call Marco and catch us. I was having more fun than I�
��d had in a long time, and I realized it all stemmed from Rasmus' lack of experience when it came to this world.
We'd considered Marco Polo easier, skipping over tag, and hide and seek, which could have been dangerous considering how much hiding it entailed. That was our excuse at least. It wasn't as though Alexa wandering around with her eyes closed was any safer, but for now, it was entertaining us. The occasional call of Polo from one of the staff members had me almost rolling in laughter, while Alexa cussed under her breath.
“Fuckers.”
Silently, I pointed to the other the end of the aisle Rasmus and I were standing in, and he nodded in understanding. We were working together, which I knew had to be pissing off Alexa, but the woman had hearing like a hawk. With my bag of frozen water chestnuts, I slipped toward the cart on my toes, keeping in as steady a line as I could, hoping she wouldn't decide to call out. Our one rule was you had to respond, no matter where you were.
I threw the bag from about three feet away, and it landed in the cart neatly as I ran away as fast as I could. Before I could get to the end of the aisle, I hit a wall of muscle and screamed before landing hard on my butt. The polished concrete was jolting, sending a shock of pain up my spine. It was less than a second before Alexa and Rasmus were beside me, both of them poised for attack.
“You really are a horse’s ass, Damon.” Alexa sighed in relief, dropping her arms and fighting stance.
“Where the hell were you two? Why was the princess alone?” he asked arrogantly, eyes dark as he glared at them both. I was still on my ass on the ground and I was losing my temper more by the second. His question had stung my pride and I had to bite back my initial reaction.
“She wasn't alone. We happened to be in the middle of a riveting game of Marco Polo before you showed up and ruined everything, fun crusher,” Alexa snapped, her hands on her hips as she glared at him.
