Princess of Darkness

by Adrianna J Tetnowski

  “You what?” Adelaide managed to ask.

  Nicademius bit his bottom lip nervously and shifted his gaze back to the Princess. “I...I’d cleaned you up and put you in bed. Forgive me, I didn't want to leave you in your bloodstained clothes. I didn't see anything I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t want to get the serving girls involved, should they have gotten suspicious.” he replied, feeling timid and rather embarrassed.

  Adelaide laughed and threw her cover back, biting down on her tongue as her shoulder began to sting again. “It's alright, thank you.” she replied.

  Nicademius rose from his chair with her. “If you're wondering, it's evening now and dinner is being served. I’m sure you’ll appreciate a proper meal after the bone broth I’d only managed to feed you over the last two days. I'll leave you to get dressed.” he bowed down low and went to leave.

  “I'll be quick.” Adelaide replied.

  Nicademius, being the gentleman he was, averted his gaze when the Princess slipped out of her night gown and pulled a simple dress on over her undergarments, in preparation for dinner.

  Adelaide pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and before following Nicademius to the dining hall, she could not help but ask,

  “You’d fed me bone broth whilst I was unconscious? I must have lost a lot of blood to not remember. But now that I know, thank you for that.”

  Guards and serving girls alike whispered to each other as the Mouridieus Prince and Redbane Princess walked together, close but in silence. There was no need to give the castle inhabitants anymore reason to gossip by making it seem like they had both grown fond of each other already. They had only just become friends. As Nicademius opened the door to the dining room for Adelaide, the King and Queen were on their feet by the table before anyone had even entered.

  It was not just the Prince and Princess as a couple which people were talking about. Adelaide looked stunning even in a simple gown like the one she wore now, made of golden velvet and laces which tied together at her chest. Her wild curls swung gently in the band she had tied around them. Some guards whispered words of approval, whilst a few serving girls still too young to understand the meaning of respect dared to speak jealous words to each other; quietly so that the Princess herself did not hear. The foolish girls.

  Adelaide had just finished rolling her eyes as their thoughts ran through her own mind, before entering the dining room. Her gift of foresight was useful in telling who was pleased to have her around and who was not. She blamed her gift on her lack of extensive friends.

  “Oh, Adelaide! Goodness, are you ill? We haven’t seen you around for the last day or two.” Nynae said as a way of greeting. It was meant to be a simple display of concern but, judging by the way she looked at her son with Hathor Redbane’s daughter by his side, her real attention was on just how close they seemed to have gotten since she had arrived at the castle.

  Adelaide gave the King and Queen a small curtsey. “Yes, it was just a headache. They tend to last a few days for me.” she replied.

  Nicademius encouraged the Princess to take a seat at the table and after warning his parents not to make her uncomfortable with too many questions, he found a seat beside her in time for a pair of servants to enter with dinner.

  Adelaide, to her own surprise, did not eat that much that evening. She was asked about her shoulder by the King and Queen but, Nicademius managed to save her from having to explain. She was not too sure what worried her more – the both of them finding out about the strange creature lurking beneath their castle or the fact that she had been so dependent on Nicademius these last two days. She already knew which news the King and Queen would be worried about more at this very moment.

  Nicademius launched into the history about the castle before his parents could ask anymore questions and he found Adelaide listened with genuine interest throughout the entire thing. All the while, neither the King nor Queen noticed that Daegar had slipped under Adelaide’s dress whilst she entered the room and the Princess took food from her plate to give to the imp. Nicademius seemed to have noticed. But he only laughed quietly to himself and watched her from the corner of his eye. His gaze did not linger too long, should his parents start making eager assumptions that he was intrigued by the Princess. Even if it were true.

  Viktor

  The Emperor didn’t see how such a plan was logical. He understood why Saff of all people would think it a good idea, he had too gentle a heart and always wanted to find a way to ease any restless minds – especially his own siblings.

  “I understand the importance of it but, we can’t just sneak our way into Valkenn Castle and retrieve Father’s body like its nothing.” Viktor argued back.

  Saff rolled his eyes. “I know that. What I‘m suggesting isn’t a case of just waltzing into Valkenn Castle and asking Marcus politely if we could have Father’s body back. This rescue mission would be carried out in secret – we send a handful of men, who are quick and silent and can go in unnoticed, and get them to locate and retrieve the body.” he replied from the sofa he sat on within Viktor’s office.

  The room was cloudy with smoke as both men puffed on a pipe each. Neither of them were pleased to have started smoking again, after having sworn to give it up years ago. Then again, they had decided it was a better option for steadying their nerves than drinking was.

  Viktor stood staring at the painting of their parents hanging above the fireplace. He listened to the light crackling of the fire beneath it and then let out a sigh of defeat. If there was one thing he could not do at this very moment, it was exactly what his brother was asking of him. It sounded far too risky to send in men like that, especially when the numbers under the Redbane banner were so precious. He did not want to admit it to his brother either but, Viktor did not doubt that Marcus had likely done something to their father’s body to defile it in someway. That man had far too much hate towards Hathor to not let his own soldiers at least piss or spit on his corpse. Finally, Viktor turned to look at his brother.

  Saff couldn’t help but noticed that it seemed like it had pained him to do so. Was he right and his dear brother, the Emperor, did not want to admit it? That was not the case.

  “We can’t go through with such a plan. I won’t have such a risky mission fail so early on in my reign, imagine how that will make me look as Emperor? A boy trying to play superior. I’m sorry, Saff.” Viktor replied.

  Saff leapt to his feet and pointed his pipe at him. “How hard-hearted you’ve become, Brother! To think you’ll let our father’s body remain in the hands of the very man who killed him. Would you not expect your body to be retrieved by your own family if you had suffered such a fate yourself?” his words were quick and sharp as a whip.

  Viktor shot him a warning glance. “Careful now.” he began but, was then unsure of what to say next.

  The young Prince knew he was being reckless around the Emperor, even if he was his own brother. Right now Saff did not care if he wounded Viktor’s feelings; if it dug at his pride a little too, then he considered it worth the trouble. “Maybe if we were to send in a team of men to retrieve Father’s body, it wouldn’t hurt to go and look for our supposed sister too. Serendipity, I believe people have mentioned that name.” Saff was bold enough to suggest.

  Viktor coughed on the smoke from his pipe. The suggestion had not all been terrible in his brother’s eyes (not just because he had been the one to give it) but, it seemed the Emperor was in the mood to be dramatic.

  “I’ve already told you, this girl is not worth our time or effort. It would be suicide to send our men in for a body, let alone a valued hostage.”

  Saff raised a brow at him. “So you admit that she’s of some value?” he asked.

  Viktor turned his nose up at what he was certain was a jab at him. It was his mistake to have even practically admitted that he had his suspicions about Serendipity’s parentage. He emptied his pipe out into a solid gold ashtray and left it resting just next to it.

  It was Saff’s turn t
o get annoyed now. He understood perfectly well that this was a risky business but, it did not change the fact that Hathor had died venturing to Valkenn in an attempt to save Serendipity. It could not have meant anything other than he too believed that the young girl was in fact his daughter and a Redbane princess. As expected, no family ever takes well to one of their own being held hostage by their worst enemy. Viktor was apparently just a very rare exception.

  The heat from the fire seemed to have intensified, at least that was the young Emperor liked to think was the reason why he was beginning to sweat. He did not dare to go so far as to wipe his brow, the last thing he wanted was for his younger brother who looked up to him to start questioning his bravery. It was hard making decisions for more than one land – even attempting to keep two cities was proving hard enough. He said nothing for a moment. Viktor had to keep his response cool and calculated because there was no time for two brothers to be bickering between each other. “Boros is dead, as are a good number of his rangers. The rangers we have now, half of them are still in training within the barracks.”

  Saff nodded his head. At least there was one thing they could both agree on.

  “Don’t you understand? We need our men where we can see them for now, or at least keep track of them. Axel’s betrayal was a low blow, and it’s left us vulnerable. If Marcus can send spies to Anderaith and Aarengoth without us knowing, then we should damn well be able to do the same thing.” he paused. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he already knew that Dominika is pregnant somehow, as much as it pains me to say it.”

  Saff rose from the sofa and emptied his own pipe. Once it was empty, he tapped it against his palm in thought. His lips twitched a little as he felt his nerves begin to slowly creep up on him. “You’re the Emperor. The call is yours to make. Just, promise me you’ll at least think about it; even if it’s only for a moment. We have no idea how much Serendipity might be suffering in Valkenn and for all we know, she might just be hoping – praying – that someone will come and help her escape. I know I wouldn’t be able to survive being Marcus’ prisoner for even a month, let alone an entire year.” with that thought in mind, Saff left his brother to brood in private. He had nothing else left to say to him.

  Valerius

  The room in which Valerius stood was dimly lit but, warm enough to give him no reason to complain. He felt nervous; he had been for the entire day now. Evening had crept up on everyone so quickly, it made him wonder what else he had managed to do that day apart from constantly looking over his shoulder, keeping an eye out for his father.

  A man entering the room had the young Lord turning his gaze quickly towards him. It was just the priest Valerius had asked for earlier that day. He was an old but pleasant man and more importantly, he was trustworthy. The priest stood by the door for a moment and smiled at Valerius. When he stepped aside, Valerius felt his heart flutter. Serendipity entered the hidden room. She looked beautiful as always, only the sight of her in a dress of silver silk, spattered with tiny flecks of white – she looked like a goddess! Her dark curls had been pulled back into a bun and left undecorated; the work was notably Alena’s. It had been a shame for them both to agree upon a less extravagant style for something as special as a wedding ceremony but, neither Serendipity nor Valerius could risk making it obvious what they were doing.

  The priest took Serendipity’s hand in his and he led the young bride to where her fiancé stood. No one else was allowed to witness the ceremony, it was to stay strictly between the three of them. Even so, Alena had sworn not to utter a word about it after preparing the blushing bride for such a joyous occasion.

  Valerius himself looked splendid, having opted for a navy tunic lined with golden lace and golden buttons on his collar. Whilst it was a simple look, it was enough to send Serendipity blushing at how handsome her fiancé looked.

  The location of the ceremony had to be chosen wisely, some place where Valerius knew his father would never bother looking. For that reason, Valerius and the priest had agreed the best place to carry out the ceremony would be the librarian’s office at the far end of the library. Marcus himself hardly ever set foot into the library itself, let alone talked to the librarian, and the poor old man himself was bed ridden with fever. Not to mention there was a sturdy desk where the marriage contract could be signed, sealed and hidden away in a leather folder which would not look suspicious in the priest’s arms as he carried it back to the safety of the small church just outside Valkenn Castle.

  Valerius took Serendipity’s hand in his and they knelt down before the desk within the office. They watched together as the priest removed a white sash from the sleeve of his robe and he wrapped it around their entwined hands loosely. “In the sight of the gods, I come to do their bidding in uniting a couple in holy matrimony. Do you, Valerius Valenti, Lord of Valkenn, swear to love and to cherish, to protect and honour Serendipity?” the priest spoke quickly but, made a good attempt to make it seem like he was not trying to rush by adding in a few breaks here and there. It was not that he was being rude but, they had no time to prolong the ceremony.

  Valerius looked to his fiancée and smiled. His cheeks turned pink as he felt the heat rush to his face. “I do.” he replied.

  The priest looked to Serendipity next. “And do you, Serendipity Redbane, Princess of Iradas, swear to love and to cherish, to honour and obey Valerius?” he asked.

  Serendipity kept her gaze on Valerius and she returned a shy smile of her own. “I do.” her voice was soft and sweet. She could feel the warmth of Valerius’ hand pressing against hers and it reassured her that none of this was wrong.

  The priest retrieved a small chalice of bittersweet wine and both husband and wife took a quick sip each. “Then with the gods as my witnesses, I pronounce you husband and wife.” he announced with a smile. “And I extend my sincere happiness towards the two of you.” he added in almost without even realising. It was not often he went against the wishes of the Grand Lord of Valkenn but, seeing the young Lord and Princess of Iradas happy together – it could change everything and he knew it. The war. The personal feud between both Redbanes and Valentis.

  Valerius and Serendipity signed the contract quickly and as the priest dried the ink and hid the paper away, they shared a tender kiss and whispered loving words to each other. It was done. They were married. Now all they had to do was ensure that Marcus did not find out somehow. With a spare copy of the contract signed – should they be unlucky enough for Marcus to find the original – the priest carried both copies away with the small folder tucked underneath his arm.

  This was the worst part of it all. Despite the happiness of a completed wedding ceremony, with a final long kiss, both Valerius and Serendipity promised to find some time alone again and then left the library separately. Their consummation would have to wait. Last they both recalled, Marcus liked to double the men on duty whenever he felt like it and a single warning from the priest to be careful was enough to tell them that Marcus’ suspicions were only going to heighten with each moment; especially with Aderico still nowhere to be seen.

  Marcus

  Even though Marcus’ suspicions towards his own son and the Princess were growing stronger with each passing day, he himself had a secret business to attend to that night. He worked best in the shadows but, every once in a while he liked to put on a spectacle just to prove a point. Tonight’s matter, however, needed to be done with the uttermost secrecy. No guard on duty questioned the Grand Lord as he left the castle (as though such a thought would even cross their minds) and Marcus could not help but smile at that. He loved the power he had – power and respect which he had demanded from the start and maintained through brutal tactics.

  The commotion of the village earlier that day had died down and only a few people dared to venture out into the dark, no doubt they were either drunks returning home from a trip to the pub or guards off duty looking for a pretty whore to warm their beds for the night. Marcus was not interested in what everyone else around him
was doing. As long as they did not advance on him with a weapon drawn or looked at him funny, he only had his mind on the business which he had planned out down to each and every painful detail. Tonight was important. Tonight could change everything, not only for him but, for the wretched young Emperor now sitting on the throne of Iradas. Marcus laughed at the thought of the young Viktor Redbane demanding respect from Kings and Lords far older than him and then actually expecting to receive it. It appeared being a Redbane was slowly beginning to mean nothing – unless you were a Redbane woman, whom men could see as an opportunity to force themselves upon and put a child in. The best way to end a family that refused to be killed was to breed them out.

  A man stood by the castle gates, concealed in the shadows. He waited patiently for Marcus to approach and he greeted the Lord with an appropriate bow at the waist. However, he did not speak and instead listened intently as Marcus addressed him instead.

  “Don’t fail. Your payment will be waiting for you upon your return.” he slipped his hand into the inside of the leather jacket he wore and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. So Marcus had indeed heard that Dominika Urveed was pregnant, and he intended to kill the woman and her child before she had time to give birth to that eastern monstrosity.

  The man took the vial with great subtlety, despite knowing that no one was likely to be watching from the shadows. He nodded his head once and then swung himself up onto a great black horse, which had been hiding alongside him in impressive silence. The man clicked his tongue and just like that, he was off to do his Lord’s bidding.

  Marcus did not stay to watch him go. He made his way back into the castle and retired to his room, where he could get some much needed rest. Already he felt like he was going to get a good nights sleep, with the reassurance that someone was on their way to handle the Empress of Iradas on his behalf. The village outside the castle was silent, as though the people living within in knew their Lord was walking through it. Some people watched Marcus go behind the safety of their rickety glass windows; not even daring to leave their houses as he passed.