Princess of Darkness

by Adrianna J Tetnowski

  Dominicus and Nynae found their feet before the Princess had even reached them and they clasped their hands together with glee, smiling at the blushing young woman. Remembering her manners as a guest, Adelaide gave them both a polished curtsey and then turned her attention to Nicademius as he too rose to greet her.

  “Adelaide. To what do we owe this pleasure?” the Prince asked. His taking responsibility of welcoming their guest took both King and Queen by surprise. Yet they simply stepped back and allowed their son to take Adelaide’s hand in his and kiss it gently,

  Adelaide managed a smile. “Forgive me for this intrusion.” she began.

  “Oh, it’s no intrusion at all. You are always a welcome sight in our castle.” Dominicus cut in. He almost felt embarrassed by it, his over eagerness to speak to the Princess.

  Adelaide gave him a small bow of her head, in thanks. When she turned her attention back to the Prince, she found him staring back at the three hooded figures behind her.

  “So few men, Adelaide? I trust you had a safe journey here still, with only three men to accompany you?” Nicademius asked.

  “May I introduce my Guardians? Jasper, Berethos and Myron. I assure you, they mean no harm to anyone here. I come with urgent business between you and me, Nicademius.” Adelaide replied.

  This took the Prince by surprise. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks at the notion that he was important enough to be dealing with private business between himself and the Princess of Iradas. He gave her a bow of his head. “Of course. First, you must be tired. I assume you have been riding hard for a while and you and your companions would surely appreciate some time to rest and an opportunity to eat.”

  Adelaide shifted her weight from one heel to another. “Yes, thank you. I apologise, I’m covered in saddle sores and don’t have the strength to stand for long.”

  Nicademius looked around the hall with great urgency. “Enough has been said, Princess Adelaide. Will someone please attend to her majesty and her companions?” he looked back at Adelaide before adding in, “And we may speak when you find you have your strength about you again. Please, I urge you to take leave to your chambers.”

  The King and Queen watched with pride at the exchange of words between their son and Hathor’s daughter. Bidding her farewell, they did not stop Adelaide or her guardians as they were escorted to their chambers to rest after their tiring journey. Yet, one look in their son’s direction had the young Prince rolling his eyes and walking away with a shake of his head.

  Nicademius was not going to be pressured into doing anything during Adelaide’s stay. Not if he could help it. Whatever she had arrived in Bordennia for, it clearly did not require the attention of either of his parents and Nick was going to keep it that way for as long as he possibly could.

  Serendipity

  Since her arrival to Valkenn, Valerius and Serendipity had grown inseparable; she to him because he thought of her in a way her fiancé never would – he appreciated her wildness and respected where she had come from. Valerius had been too afraid to admit to Serendipity before that he had never come across a person so broken and beautiful, and that he thought her perfect because of it. During those months he had feared that the one thing he wanted most, the one thing his father disapproved of - his desire to be loved deeply – would be rejected by the one woman he wanted it from the most.

  On the other hand, Valerius was the closest thing to freedom Serendipity had. She did not take the private lessons, the horse riding and the gifts for granted. In truth, she cared very little about the actual gifts themselves. It was the notions behind such luxuries; the thought of Valerius not wanting her to go without anything which made Serendipity wonder every day what she had done to deserve such love and kindness. From the son of her captor, no less. Was it all just Valerius’ way of displaying his pity? It did not seem like it.

  “I haven’t stopped thinking about that door you had shown me a while back. In the secret garden.” Serendipity whispered as she lay beside Valerius on his balcony, her head pressed against his chest. The blanket he had stretched out for them crinkled a little beneath their bodies but, it was otherwise not uncomfortable. She ran her dainty fingers over the buttons of the Lord’s tunic, before taking hold of the material as she lifted herself up onto her elbow. “I’ve had dreams about escaping through it and riding off as far away from this castle – and your father – as possible,” she paused to laugh. “How far do you reckon I’d get before I fell off my horse?”

  Valerius choked on a laugh of his own. His hand was pressed against the Princesses back and he pulled her down to him, smiling when she swung her leg up over his hips. “If I were to go with you, I’d make sure to catch you before you even got the chance to fall off.”

  “And why don’t you? You don’t have to stay here, I know you find no pleasure or comfort in this place. With a father like Marcus I don’t blame you.” Serendipity almost begged him.

  Valerius kept his gaze fixed at the cloudless sky. He had lost track of the time, completely fallen off his schedule and now did not know what it was he was supposed to have done had he not been lounging around on his balcony with Serendipity. He felt selfish for having neglected his duties as a Lord of Valkenn like that. Yet, his father seemed to have things under control; at least with everything Valerius was aware of. The Emperor of Iradas’ death was a surprise which Valerius was still trying to overcome and he was not ready to dig too deep into his fathers business, should another nasty surprise occur to scar him again. He was surprised Serendipity felt nothing about Hathor’s death. Then again, she hardly knew the man, and he had given her away as a baby, so why would she care?

  “What are you thinking about?” Serendipity asked him when he fell so quiet and still all of a sudden.

  Valerius said nothing. He rolled away, found his feet and dusted himself off as he walked back inside. He heard the Princess follow after him.

  Serendipity could tell something was troubling him. Finding a seat on the sofa Valerius kept tucked away neatly in the corner of his room, she leaned against the arm of the chair and braced her chin against her hand. “Valerius, what’s the matter?” her voice was soft, and she did not sound ready to judge him for whatever it was he was going to say.

  The young Lord looked to Serendipity solemnly. By his sides, his hands clenched and unclenched as though he had a cramp in them. “I love you, Serendipity.” despite the words coming out faster than he had anticipated, he meant what he said. “And I hope you love me enough too.”

  Serendipity waited until Valerius approached her and dropped to one knee before her. Then she asked, “Of course I do but, love you enough to do what?”

  Valerius hung his head low for a second. He felt sorely unprepared for this moment. “I don’t give a damn about this whole feud between our families. I don’t give a damn about your engagement to my cousin, a man who doesn’t even appreciate you or care to acknowledge your existence. We both deserve to be happy.”

  Serendipity clamped a hand over her mouth.

  “Marry me. In secret, if we have to. I understand we’ve only known each other for near enough a year now but,”

  The Princess drew back at the reminder. She had been held hostage by Marcus, in this damned castle, for nearly a year now. Three seasons had passed, and she had hardly been able to tell the difference between any of them. To make matters worse, Serendipity felt heartbroken to realise she would be turning seventeen amongst rebel Lords and a Sadist, rather than her own family. Maybe marrying Valerius and starting a family of her own was what she needed at the moment.

  “Yes.” she eventually replied, with tears in her eyes. Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugged Valerius tightly and pressed a few kisses against his lips. “Yes!”

  Valerius kissed his new fiancée on the neck once and then twice. He moved his lips to her throat and then down to her chest, working around her with such care it made Serendipity beg in the privacy of her own thoughts for him not to stop. They had on many
occasions gone so far as to strip each other down to their undergarments but, no further. They were both waiting on the right time; a special occasion even, to go that little bit further. It appeared now was such a moment.

  “This proposal has made you bold.” Serendipity said. She pressed herself against the sofa a little harder, as Valerius disappeared beneath her skirts.

  “Has it?” he called out to her from his hiding place, making the Princess laugh.

  Serendipity jolted all of a sudden. She clutched the arm of the sofa until her knuckles turned white and she could not help but lean forward once having realised what Valerius was doing. “If sex is what you’re after, I’m half tempted to make you wait a little longer for it.” she breathed.

  Valerius was out from under skirts before she could even finish her sentence. “And what makes you so sure I wasn’t just giving you a taste of what to expect in the future?” he replied.

  Serendipity grinned at him, all whilst she sat clenching her thighs together beneath her gown. She wanted him to finish what he had started but, to beg him to do so would only seem improper. She leaned forward to press the tip of her nose against Valerius’. “Then for both our sakes I hope we get married soon.” she found her feet, still trembling with ecstasy, and allowed Valerius to take her hand in his and kiss it. “I look forward to the ceremony. Really, I do.” then she was off. Giving her new fiancé a final glance, she left the room before anyone could notice her (especially Marcus himself, who had grown suspicious of his son’s continuous disappearances with the Princess).

  She had promised the Grand Lord that she would tear his family apart and as it turned out, she had surprised herself instead. Serendipity had allowed herself to fall in love with her enemy’s son, not hate him, and she actually thought this would have a far better effect than her previous scheme. Better for her at least and far, far worse for Marcus.

  Nicademius

  The young Prince of Bordennia made sure to knock at least three times on Adelaide’s door, before taking a step back as it swung open. He was greeted by a freckle-faced maid, with a smile on her face and bright big eyes.

  “Your Majesty! Are you here to see the Princess?” the maid asked by way of greeting. She stepped aside to allow the Prince to enter.

  Nicademius kept his hands tucked behind him as he entered and when he looked around, he found the Princess sitting on a padded stool by a fire which had been neatly built up. A second servant was with Adelaide and she tended to the saddle sores which the Princess had earned from a day of hard riding.

  “Nicademius!” Adelaide called out to him. She wore a splendid robe of black silk, which she kept sloped off one shoulder, to allow the servant to tend to a sore she had earned as a result of her satchel rubbing her clothing against her skin. The poor thing, she looked to be in quite a bit of pain but, at least she was being well taken care of. Adelaide rose to greet her gracious host, and she even went so far as to embrace him in her arms.

  The Prince returned her kind gesture and when he drew away, he gave her a warm smile. “I trust you’re being well taken care of? If you would care for something to eat, I can have the kitchen bring you something fresh.”

  Adelaide could not help but smile at his thoughtfulness. “It really is a pleasure to see you again, Nick. If you wouldn’t mind, I would prefer to join you and your companions for a meal. If you haven’t already eaten.” she replied.

  The Prince tucked his hands behind him again and nodded once. He felt his nerves building up again, and it almost embarrassed him to know the Princess had such an effect on him; whether she intended to or not. He looked away a moment as Adelaide disappeared behind a dressing screen with one of the servants following after her, a dress in hand.

  “You’re very quiet, Nicademius. Is there something bothering you?” Adelaide called out to him from her hiding space. She peered past the screen to look at the Prince.

  “I, no.” he began. His gaze rested on Adelaide’s bed and he could not help but approach it with care, as he stood staring at a tiny face poking out from a bundle of blankets.

  “I see you’ve noticed Daegar.” Adelaide laughed as she appeared by Nicademius’ side. She fixed up the sleeves of her simple red gown as she spoke.

  Nicademius spoke quietly to her, for fear of the creature waking up in time to hear him ask questions. “What is it? What is he, or she? I don’t know.”

  The Princess sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned forward to press a tender kiss on the creature’s dark cheek. He stirred at that moment but, Adelaide only secured his blanket around him better and looked to Nicademius again. “It’s a strange story but, one which will come into the conversation I must inevitably have with you.”

  Nicademius turned to face the serving women as they cleared away the water and cloths around them. He gave them a small bow of his head. “Ladies, thank you. If you’d be so kind as to give us the room.” he said.

  Adelaide felt guilty admitting this to herself but, she was surprised by how gently he spoke to those who served him. She was not too sure what she had expected from him. Having heard the rumours about the young Prince of Bordennia resembling nothing of his stubborn and over ambitious father, Adelaide tried hard not to make assumptions too early on. “I admit I was hesitant about coming here.” Adelaide said after some time. Her dainty fingers ran down Daegar’s face and she smiled at the dear creature.

  “Why?” the Prince asked from where he still stood. He made no move to draw closer, should he offend Adelaide’s sense of space.

  The Princess finally looked at Nicademius. She found her feet and straightened her gown out as she began to pace the room. Something was making her uneasy and Adelaide did not bother to hide her discontent. “I’m not too sure whether it was more to do with the fact that I have some rather disturbing news to share or because,”

  Nicademius’ eyes narrowed as he looked the young Princess over. “Because what?” he urged her to go on. Not wanting to appear too eager, Nicademius remained within good distance.

  It was Adelaide who approached him instead. She stopped before him, hesitated, and then turned for the desk at the far end of her room. She retrieved a satchel from the chair and opened the thing with care. “I have something to show you.” she said. In her hands the Princess held a heavy book, the cover thick and wrinkled. She held it out to her host.

  Nicademius took it and looked at Adelaide. After a moment he opened it and began flipping through the pages. “What's this?” he asked.

  “It's a book I found in the library in Faradwyn Castle. Well not really in the library, I found a secret room behind one of the bookcases and I found it there; along with Daegar.” Adelaide said and pointed at the sleeping imp.

  The Prince nodded and carried on looking through the pages. He stopped at one particular page and cleared his throat. “Alas, we humans all perish as immortality has not been bestowed upon us. We shall wither like plants during the days of winter and once dead, we cannot blossom again. But amongst the people of Iradas, bound in blood, the cure for death is held. The only blood that will satisfy the dead and so it would begin - The Awakening. The Land of the Unliving shelters the corpses of the fallen. Only there can the dead be revived.” he read aloud. Nicademius shook his head and laughed, looking up at the Princess, he spoke again. “Adelaide, what does this mean? Why are you showing me this?” he asked.

  The Princess took hold of his hand and went to drag him out of the room. “Where is the castle library?” she asked.

  Nicademius stopped her from going any further. He shook his head and begged her to stay put. “Adelaide, please. You’ve only just arrived, and you look exhausted. Not to make you feel as though you can’t do as you please but,”

  One of the serving women from earlier on returned, and she gave both nobles a curtsey. “Begging your pardon, Majesties. The King and Queen have asked for the honour of dining with them.” she said.

  Both of the young nobles looked to each other and Adelaide laughed li
ghtly as Nicademius offered her his hand and said, “I apologise, from here on now it’ll be nothing but talk of our engagement and how we will both be both be beneficial to our families. Beyond our own desires, I might add in.”

  Adelaide gave him a half smile and lifted her chin a little higher. “Well then, I suppose we just try to make the most of it my Love.”

  Nicademius snorted at the term of endearment. “By all means. After you, my dear.” he replied and escorted the Princess to the grand hall without delay, to avoid the wrath of his parents for his tardiness.

  Serendipity

  After another boring lesson with Cytus, Serendipity had offered to return the books used for the lesson herself. It had only been an excuse to leave sooner. As she returned from the library, humming quietly to herself, she tried to remember what she had learned from her lesson. If it meant avoiding a lecture from Cytus about how she was not trying hard enough, then Serendipity decided she would re-read her notebooks every night before bed if she had to.

  “Your majesty?” an unfamiliar voice said to her from ahead.

  Serendipity stopped walking in time to avoid running into a soldier standing before her. She retreated a step at the sight of at least another dozen guards behind the man himself. “What have I done now?” she asked, her nostrils flaring.

  The man laughed. “It’s nothing like that, Princess. We’re your new personal guards.” he explained. “Allow me to introduce myself, I’m Dagdus Beth.”

  Serendipity took a moment to look the guard over. His skin was dark, his hair black and cropped up to his ears and he stared back at her with large brown eyes.

  Dagdus rubbed at his slightly hooked nose. “I know what you must be thinking,”

  “I don’t need any guards following after me, leave me alone. Please.” Serendipity said before he even had the chance to finish. She brushed past the guards as they stepped aside, only to stop at an unexpected sight. “Arann?” she cried out and threw her arms around the young soldier’s neck in greeting. She had not expected this at all.