by A. Kingsley
“This isn’t really where I was expecting the night to go, but I am going to spend the rest of my life with you so I guess I should open up a little more. Yes. My father never really liked either of us. He was constantly over training us in hopes that we would grow up to be like him. Though Maximus was extremely strong and I could hold a battle myself, we were not the war lords he wished us to be. Maximus gets his temper from my father. While Maximus shatters things and screams, my father would hit.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It's alright, like you said, I didn’t tell you. You’ve never really spoken a lot about your father either.”
“Well, he was only around until Clare and I were six and eight years old, so I don’t have many stories to tell, but all of the memories that I have of him are well. I tell my mum that she can remarry, that papa wouldn’t mind, but she refuses. I suppose that she doesn’t need anyone anyways.”
“No she doesn’t and neither do you or Clare.”
“You’re right we don’t, so you’re lucky I like you,” she teased.
Julius sighed, a soft smile returning to his lips. His eyes darted towards the royal blue suitcase in the back of her room. “They must have already brought my things in. Saves me a trip back out into the cold, plus I could do without any more prying eyes tonight. Yours are already enough,” he teased. He stumbled over his own foot when he stood up from the sofa and then regathered himself. “I brought a book to read while you bathe. I’m patient.”
“I was thinking that we could bathe together,” Sage suggested, her voice soft.
Julius tensed up, his mouth hung open, “are you sure, you don’t want me to just read my book?”
“You can read your book if you’d like, but I thought it might be time for us to finally move forward just a bit. Julius we’ve been together for a long time.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to Sage, it’s just that there are things I'm insecure about and—“
she came behind his shoulders and kissed his cheek. “It’s fine. I am going to draw the bath and if you’d like to join me in the large tub that has room for almost five people, then I will be waiting for you.”
Julius watched her disappear, his eyes wide. He placed a hand on his chest and drew in a deep breath before racing to his suitcase. He dished out his sleep wear and hesitantly made his way after Sage. The smell of bath water slightly eased his nerves. “Do you put herbs in your water?” he questioned as he peered into the stone room. He placed most of his night clothes on the counter, but left his robe on the floor by the tub.
“I typically don’t, but Esmeralda says that I should. Why do you know a way?” Sage responded.
“Do I know a way? Of course I do.” He walked over to the shelves that hung over her vanity and grabbed a few jars off of the shelf. “The perfect relaxing bath includes lavender, rose petals and a splash of milk.”
“A splash of milk do we even have any milk in my room?”
He pulled open a cabinet to reveal a few equally portioned jars of milk. “Esmeralda is smart just like Antoine, the two of them should meet. He is here tonight.”
“Antoine is the one who serves you is that right?” Sage asked as she dipped her hand into the water to make sure that the temperature was alright.
“He is. He came with us.”
Once the tub was filled, Julius poured one of the glasses of milk into the tub. He then sprinkled in the lavender salts and a handful of rose petals. He placed all of the ingredients back on the counter and took a deep breath. He could feel the steam coming from the bath, she must have liked to bathe warm and that didn’t surprise him. “Should I turn away?”
“No,” Sage said as she gestured to her large dress. “I’m going to need your help with this thing. Esmeralda normally helps me get out of these dresses. Julius nodded. His hands went towards the zipper on the back of her dress and he carefully lowered it. He helped her slip the sleeves off of her shoulders. She slipped off her shoes and lowered the dress to reveal a hoop skirt, a petticoat, a corset and her thigh highs.
“They really don’t let you girls breathe. Is Clare’s dress this complicated?” he asked as he helped her step out of the dress.
Sage laughed, “no, her dress today doesn’t require any layers. We both prefer shorter dresses. Well I prefer pants and a cotton t shirt, but during special occasions, I have to wear the hoop skirt and if it was her birthday, she would have to as well.”
“I see,” Julius responded, his voice intrigued. She guided him through how to remove the hoop skirt and then he untied her corset. She doubled over in relief. “Finally,” she breathed out. “I have it from here.” What was left was a tank top, her pantyhose and her undergarments. She quickly stripped. He noticed a few fresh scratches on her shoulder and before he could ask, she informed him that they were from her training. It was good that she had spoken because he had found her body just as gorgeous as her heart and her mind, that he was left speechless. She stood facing him, her hands clutching his. “Let me help you.” She helped undo his bow tie and set it on the gray quartz counter, when she was done she slid the suit jacket off of his shoulders. “Sage, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, not that I have ever seen another woman naked.” He hadn’t.
A blush spread across her cheeks, “thank you Julius.” As she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, he stopped her.
“I have to warn you about something.”
She shook her head, “I’m sure that you're handsome.”
He couldn’t find the words to warn her, so he let her unbutton his shirt until it fell to the floor and she stood speechless. Across his stomach was a large scar, a deep cut from a sword. A wound that could have been fatal.
“Julius,” her cold fingers pressed against his stomach and he felt tears fill his eyes. He was a horrible liar.
“I almost died the night I lost my parents.” There was a tight strain in his voice. “Maximus would have lost me too.”
She pulled him down in a hug and it wouldn’t have been so awkward if her naked body wasn’t pushed up against his chest.
He gulped and pulled away. “Would you mind just,” she could tell that he was freezing up, so she sunk herself into the hot bath water, her eyes were still on him as he finished undressing, his clothes now on the floor. As he walked towards the bath and settled himself inside, she reached a hand out to him.
“How come you didn’t tell me? You must be scarred,” she said.
“I don’t remember most of that day actually,” he started to say something else but then stopped.
Sensing how uncomfortable he was, Sage changed the subject. “Well you are the most handsome man I have ever laid my eyes on. I have to admit that I’ve seen a few men naked, but don’t worry, nothing came of it and no man compares to you. You are perfect to me.”
He seemed to ignore the last bit, his heart pounding in his chest. “You think so?” He couldn’t really understand why. Unlike most princes, he didn’t have abs or toned muscles. Though he was in good shape, he had a pouch on his stomach and a massive scar across the area.
“I know so.”
“Sage you are going to kill me with your kindness someday.”
“Kindness? That's a special thing reserved for you and my sister,” she said with a raise of her eyebrows. “Julius?” She questioned.
“Yes?”
“I’m really glad that I get to spend the rest of my life with you and not some stuck up dick.”
“Sage, I am really glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you too. You are the kind of woman that any sensible chap dreams of marrying.”
The servant
She didn’t want to have a romantic evening with Cassius, what she wanted to do was save Sage’s reputation. “You can head up to my quarters and I will meet you there,” she told him, not bothering to look into his eyes. “I have something to do,” that wasn’t necessarily true, but she needed some time away from him. If she didn’t distanc
e herself from him now, then she would end up doing something that she might regret. She let him get a head start and once he was out of sight and ten minutes had passed, she followed one of the guards back into the building. “I’m going back to the ballroom for a minute,” Clare told the guards once she was back inside of her home. He nodded and she slowly made her way to the grand ballroom and began to think of what she was going to tell her mother or his parents if they asked where Cassius was. When they had the chance to be together they were now expected to be joined at the hip.
Clare took a deep breath and headed inside of the ballroom. A good majority of the guests were still dancing and she figured that they would do this until the sun came up. A few guests sat in the chairs scattered around the room. Knowing there would be refreshments somewhere, Clare made her way to the back of the room. She wasn’t really concentrating, her mind still spinning, until someone smacked straight into her and she hit her head against their chest. The boy was a year older than her, but did not look it. He quickly stepped away from her and his mouth dropped open in horror when he saw who he had just bumped into. “
Princess Clare,” he quickly bowed before standing up straight to face her. “I am so sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you.”
She recognized him as Antoine, Julius’s servant. She had spent enough days with the Demetrias’s to know their most trusted staff. He was a handsome fellow, tall and skinny, a bit clumsy with awkward young features and messy, wavy blonde hair that was almost white in color, only the tiniest hint of yellow present. He wore small silver framed spectacles over his amber eyes.
“May I get you anything princess? Where is your fiancé?”
“He is using the loo. The food made him quite queasy I'm afraid. Would you care to share a drink with me?”
“With you?”
“Yes with me.”
Antoine opened his mouth either to agree or object, but he didn’t get the chance to respond before Gracielle inserted herself into the situation.
“Antoine is a lovely man, but so is Cassius, so I suggest you get back to him before anyone else notices alright?” the queen said. Clare frowned, “alright.”
Her mother was quick to depart, her long dress dragging behind her. Antoine disappeared for a moment and as Clare was about to walk away, he tapped her on the shoulder and placed a glass of champagne in her hands.
“For your troubles,” he explained, bowing his head.
“For my troubles,” she echoed quietly. She gave him a kind smile and then made her way out of the ballroom and up the stairs where Cassius would be expecting her.
She took her time up the stairs. Phoebe must have already left because Cassius was standing at the doors alone and the room was vacant. “You took quite a bit of time.”
“I needed time away from you.” She pushed her way past him and went into her room, where she slipped off her white heels. She then went straight to the white canopy bed which was decorated with blush pink pillows and sat down while she waited for him to walk inside of the silent room. “I would just have you go home. I don’t want to spend the night with you. But I’m sure your parents would be disappointed in that decision and we need to talk about your situation.”
She pointed to his bruised face. He waited for her okay and then sat next to her on the bed.
“I’m sure you don’t want to have to explain to your parents that you got your arse kicked by the person that they seem to hate so much. I can fix that. I believe I can make your wounds go away, but you must promise to never threaten me again and to never to speak of my magic to anyone else. It stays with you until the information is made public, or until you die. Do you understand?”
Cassius thought his decision over before speaking. “I understand. Will you tell Sage?”
“Eventually she will know, but I’m planning for it to only be the two of you. I’m going to start my own journey, so I can figure out how I have this magic.”
“Was your father magical?”
Clare winced, taken back by the comment about her father, “not that we knew of. My mother knew him far longer than us and she never mentioned anything. He never showed any signs. He was just a military general, if he had magic I’m sure he would have taken a different path.”
Changing the subject, Clare gestured for him to remove his shoes and lay down. He did as he was told and she crouched over him. “I’m going to place my hands on your face now.”
She placed her fingers around his eye. She didn’t have to think or murmur a spell, her fingers instinctively began to twitch. A green magic began to flow out from the tips of her fingers and onto his face. The magic seeped into his skin. Her hands trembled as the magic grew stronger. She felt him groan beneath her as his skin became less inflamed.
After about a minute of green essence, the left side of his face was brand new. She was powerful. She didn’t waver or collapse, she went to his next eye and started the process over again. Slowly but surely his face went back to normal.
Finally, she pressed a finger against his nose and the last of the bruises faded away, his nose straightened to its normal position.
Clare took her hands away from his face and the green glow came to a stop. She took a deep breath and told him that he could sit up. “
Did it work?” He questioned, touching his face with his own fingers to try and feel the bumps and bruises. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed the flowery compact mirror. She held it open for him and he gasped. His face looked good as new. “How did you learn this?”
“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “It just happened one day. I don’t even know how I do it. I probably should figure that out, but I don’t know where to begin. It’s honestly a little frightening.” She wasn’t going to let him see her crack again, so she held herself together.
“I bet,” he whispered. “Most witches don’t have a great reputation.”
“Don’t call me that,” she murmured.
“Right, I won’t,” he whispered. “I figure you don’t want to share a bed tonight and I figure my parents are going to leave tonight and send a carriage for me tomorrow. Maybe they’ll stay, but I know that they’ll want me to spend more time with you.”
Clare thought this over. “They won’t leave, i'm sure at this point the alcohol has kicked in and they’re just as giddy as everyone else in attendance.” She gestured to the blush pink sofa across the room, “it’s a pull out sofa, let me make it up for you.” She wasn’t purposely trying to push him away and she knew eventually that they’d have to sleep in the same bed, but it was the first night that they were engaged and there were no set rules. Plus he had already crossed a line today and she would have been a fool to reward bad behavior. Sliding off of the bed, she pulled the sofa outwards until a full size mattress popped out. She fished into her closet and took out a sheet, a spare white blanket and two pillows. Cassius helped her make the bed and when it was ready, she gave it a pat with her hand. “I’ve had many sleepovers here. I assure you it’s comfortable. I hope you don’t snore,” she said somewhat jokingly. “Was your luggage brought up?”
“I’m not sure if I snore,” he admitted as he scratched the back of his head. “Thank you for making up the sofa bed. My luggage was brought up.” He moved over to the black suitcase in the corner of the room. “I normally just sleep in my boxers, but if that makes you uncomfortable, I won’t.”
“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable because you’ll be away from me and under the covers. Just be comfortable. I don’t plan on bathing tonight. I’m too exhausted and I’ll do it in the morning, but my tub is across the room and beyond those sliding doors if you’d like a bath.” She could tell that he was thinking it over. A part of her wanted to draw him one anyways, but she didn’t.
When he said no, she didn’t push and instead went behind closed doors to change. She slipped into a white nightgown and had taken off her makeup with a cloth, her face now a bit red and puffy. She ran a hand through her curls and stood staring i
n the mirror. “Cassius, can you braid hair?”
“Can I?”
“Would you braid my hair please? Sage usually does it for me.”
“Am I allowed to come in?”
“Yes.”
Cassius slid open the sliding door and took a deep breath. She was always gorgeous, but when she was relaxed and natural, she looked like a goddess. His mother had never taught him how to braid hair, there hadn’t been a need for him to do it. He didn’t have any siblings and his mum always braided Cisily’s hair. He moved behind Clare, gently gathering some of her hair in his fingertips. When she handed him the hair tie he froze. “I can’t braid, but I can do a thing.” She laughed at his words, a genuine and bright laugh. He lifted her hair up with his hands and tied her hair into a loose ponytail, he then went around a second time and pulled the hair halfway through so it was hanging in a comfortable half bun. “This is the thing,” he said as he gestured to the mirror.
Clare spun and puffed the makeshift bun with the back of her hand. “I appreciate it. Though you’ll need to learn how to braid,” she teased. “Thank you.”
Clare folded up her clothes and set them aside, she then followed Cassius out to the main room. “What’s the time?” She asked him as she closed the sliding doors behind her and tiredly slid into her bed.
He sat on top of the pull out sofa and checked the clock above them. “It appears to be midnight. Are you normally asleep by now?” He asked her. He took off his shirt and set it aside, tugging off his pants, he placed them on top of the shirt and then crawled underneath the covers so that he wouldn’t disturb her.
Clare pulled her own covers over herself and nodded. “I sleep pretty early. Sage goes to bed late. We are opposites.”
