“You're going to escape and I'm going to help you. I'm going to give you a horse and you're going to ride away; away from Valkenn and from my father. I won't allow Aderico to marry you, nor will I allow you to be a prisoner in my home.” Valerius paused and let out a heavy sigh. “Will you let me help you? Are you ready to be set free?” he asked her.
Serendipity looked away for a moment, a tear rolled down her cheek but, Valerius quickly washed it away. She turned to look at him again. “What about you?” she asked quietly.
Valerius smiled. “I’ll find you again when the time is right. For now, you’re no longer safe here; not with my Father growing too suspicious about the two of us.” he replied, leaning in closer; he kissed her.
Serendipity jolted at his touch. His lips were soft against hers and she couldn't help but move her hands up to his neck. Then she was pulling away. “But how am I going to escape?” Serendipity asked him in disbelief.
Valerius bit his bottom lip in thought. He drummed his fingers against the bath. Eventually he said, “I think I have an idea.”
Tourri
The desk in Tourri’s room was a mess but, seeing as she was the one who had made it she had no else to blame but herself. What Tourri needed to do most at this very moment was finally decide who would make a valuable contribution to the King’s small council.
“A head of finance, a Law Keeper and an Ambassador.” Tourri said to herself as she started writing what she knew would be a hefty list of names. She herself had already filled the position of King’s Advisor and Seb his Captain. Vestus was not a religious man, none of them were, so Tourri did not bother making a note to seek out priests for the King’s council.
“I thought you’d be hungry, so I brought you some food.” Seb’s voice came from the door of the room. It had Tourri looking over her shoulder, having not noticed him enter in the first place. Seb closed the door behind him and in one hand he held a small tray carrying a basket of bread, some cheese and cured hams. In the other he held a clear bottle which swayed with a brown liquid. “I brought some rum too, since you hate wine with a passion.”
Tourri dropped her pen and began stacking papers away, making space for the tray of food. “And yet you still try to get me drunk on it, you cheeky little bastard.” she laughed.
Seb but the tray down and sent a playful slap against Tourri’s buttocks. Pulling the cork of the bottle off with his teeth, he dropped it onto the table and took a swig of rum. When he handed it over to Tourri, he smiled when she took it and downed some of the drink herself.
“What are you doing?” Seb asked her. He took it upon himself to build them each a sandwich whilst Tourri spoke.
“I have no idea who we can call upon to fill these places in Vestus’ small council. Who do we trust enough – and I mean really trust enough – to invite into important meetings with the King himself?” Tourri paused to accept a sandwich from Seb and she took a large bite, chewing at it as she looked over her list again. She spoke, even with a bit of food left in her mouth as she knew Seb would not care, “Where’s Vestus?” she asked.
Seb swallowed a mouthful of his own sandwich and replied, “Resting. I’d sent him to bed after he’d exhausted himself during our training session. I keep on telling him to go easy with himself, to pace his progress but, he just too eager to learn to fight. I gave him some work to look at whilst he was going to be stuck in bed, just so he wouldn’t complain too much about being useless. I wonder if he’ll ever realise that it’s not his fault he’s sick?”
“So what are you going to do about his training?” Tourri continued to ask.
Seb shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re the advisor, so advise me on what I should do. Go on, I’ll pretend to listen.” he said.
Tourri gave him a shove and she would have stuck her tongue out at him had she not had her mouth full of food again. She took the bottle of rum which Seb held out to her and washed her food down with two gulps. “Ah, you’re definitely trying to get me drunk. This drink is strong.” she laughed.
Seb helped himself to more rum as well. “Hey, you don’t have to drink anymore if you don’t want to.” he said and went to take a few more gulps.
“And where’s the fun in that?” Tourri questioned him. Looking down at her papers, she finished the last of her sandwich and clapped some breadcrumbs off her hands. “I think getting drunk is what I need right now. All this paperwork, stuff with the council, I might lose my mind going through it all.” she sighed. Tourri did not want to sound like she was complaining but, it was true, all this work was exhausting.
Seb seemed to agree with her too as he said, “You work too hard, too long as well, Tourri. When was the last time you sat back and put your feet up? Did nothing for the day?”
Tourri looked to the young Captain with a raised brow. Pulling her red hair across one shoulder, she folded her arms over and shrugged. “I could ask you the same thing.” she replied, the freckles on her face darkening all of a sudden.
Seb raised the bottle of rum in her direction and gave her a broad smile. “You’re right. Tonight – we get drunk and forget we have an island to maintain.”
And they did just that. An hour later and both Tourri and Seb were so giddy from the rum, they were dancing around the room, laughing and whooping as they did drunken cartwheels or jumped on and off Tourri’s bed. They felt like children again and it was wonderful!
Tourri jumped off her bed and landed on two wonky feet. She felt Seb grab hold of her as her face nearly met the floor and she let out a loud snort of laughter. “I don’t even remember what we were doing before all this? Is there any rum left?” she asked.
Seb sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, sticking his hand under the bed to retrieve the now empty bottle of rum. He held it up for both of them to see and flapped his lips dramatically. Seb leaned over and placed the bottle on Tourri’s bedside table, before struggling to straighten himself up. Running a hand through his dark hair, Seb looked Tourri over and sighed. “There’s no rum left. No, no, no – none at all. It’s all gone, because you drank it all.” he sang and clapped his hands together to his own song.
Tourri approached the Captain, her dear friend, on unsteady legs; trembling from all the alcohol running through her. She dropped herself into his lap and ran her hands up to his shoulders, resting them there. “I’m sorry.” she sang back.
Seb moved his hands to her back and then lower down, until he was able to tuck them beneath her buttocks, and pull her closer to him. He could feel her warm breath mingling with his and they stayed like that a moment, staring at each other. The room was spinning around them both. Then they moved so quickly, neither of them seemed to have fully comprehended what was going on.
Tourri swooned at the full force of Seb’s lips against hers and she felt him squeeze her from behind. She did not object to his fingers working quickly to unlace her tunic and within seconds he had undone it completely and was pulling it off. Tourri shrugged out of it and let it drop to the floor. She pulled Seb’s own tunic off and before she could do anymore, she found herself being flipped onto the bed; her naked back pressing against the cover.
“Seb.” she breathed. Her breath was sweet from the rum.
The young Captain pulled Tourri’s breeches and boots off with a few swift tugs and when he freed himself of the rest of his own clothes, Tourri was already pulling him back down to join her on the bed. Even though he was drunk, Seb could feel the excitement building up inside of him. The whole thing felt like a mess of ecstasy and clumsy movements; perhaps they should not have drunk the entire bottle between them.
Tourri held Seb by the back of his neck as she kissed him, jolting when she felt him harden before entering her. She pulled away and pressed herself against the mattress, her body trembling as Seb moved against her; with her. She let out a moan as Seb ran his hand up her stomach, all whilst his hands stroked her thighs and her hips. Tourri nudged Seb away and stared at him from where she remained laying dow
n.
“Do you want me to stop?” Seb asked, hoping the answer would be no.
Tourri sat up and pulled him close to her again. Leaning him back against the bedframe, she did not even have to say it for him to know she wanted more. She pressed a kiss against Seb’s chest, trailing further down him until she came to what she was looking for.
This time it was Seb’s turn to jolt at her next move and he could not restrain himself as he held her on the back of the head as she worked. And just like that, the piles of paperwork and the entire existence of Skull Island ceased to matter, as they both melted into each other and let their minds go blank whilst the rum really started to take control.
Adelaide
Having never delved too deep into the Bordennian castle before, Adelaide wanted to explore her new surroundings with hopes of gaining a better bearing of it all. It was crowded with servants and other inhabitants; yet she weaved her way through with ease, soon enough finding herself in the grand hall. However, Nicademius was nowhere to be seen and nor was Fandrelle, making the place feel so empty all of a sudden.
Adelaide sighed, not knowing what to do now. She was not too sure what would interest her enough to spend hours looking at it; she had already been to the gardens, when the weather had been kinder, and Nicademius had managed to show her the little village outside before being summoned by his father. Another meeting, or something along the lines of it. Adelaide didn’t want to appear rude but, it seemed Dominicus liked to host meetings upon meetings and yet nothing ever really came out of them. The Princess eventually settled on the idea of finding the library again instead. “If I'm to get lost, why not let it be in a good book?” She asked herself aloud.
“Nicademius is with Fandrelle, they’re in the meeting room.” a voice said from behind Adelaide and when she turned around, she found Nynae as she beamed at her brightly. Her golden hair had been pulled back into a bun, still gleaming in the candle light and she wore a light blue dress that was tight at her breasts and waist, yet revealed nothing. Fastened on her neck was a small silver chain with a diamond that resembled a tear drop. Her sleeves swung gently at her palms as she walked, with her delicate slippers moving silently across the floor, and when she appeared by Adelaide’s side, she weaved her arm around hers. “You look lost.” Nynae said. Her cheeks went rosy as she smiled, for a moment her cool blue eyes watched the Princess with a steady gaze. She eventually laughed. “There's no need to be shy, Adelaide, you're a Mouridieus now. You can tell me anything.”
Adelaide laughed awkwardly and shuffled her arm around Nynae’s. “Forgive me but, I'm still a Redbane.” she replied and turned her attention away from her abruptly, allowing it to rest on what was ahead. They were drawing close to the meeting room without her having even realised.
Nynae continued talking as they walked. Her tone was more serious now. “Oh, I know it's just, we wouldn't want Valerius Valenti to get his hands on you. Not when you can have Nicademius.”
Adelaide could not help but look at the Queen again. “Pardon?” she asked, keeping her flaring temper in check. She had no idea what the woman was talking about.
Nynae frowned at the Princess. “Is that something you are not aware of?” she asked, in a manner that suggested she was scolding her.
Adelaide could only shake her head. She felt sick at what Nynae was suggesting, even if her father had touched upon such a subject before his death. But that was the problem, such a marriage had never actually been agreed upon; not as far as Adelaide was aware of, at least.
The Queen let out an irritated sigh through her nose, her nostrils flaring. “Well then, you will of course marry Nicademius as your father had ordered.” she continued.
“My father didn't order anything, he had only suggested the idea to me – thank you very much. As far as my concerns are for Valerius Valenti, this Lost Princess of Iradas whom Marcus had found in Anderaith seems to be putting his interest in me to a halt. I’m very grateful to the girl for it but, you will not order to me to do anything.” Adelaide interrupted angrily, before tearing herself away from the Queen and entering the meeting hall alone. The heavy wooden doors collided with the stone wall and Adelaide jumped forward, dodging them as they flew back towards her from the impact.
Nicademius stood leaning over a table, his finger poised on a piece of paper and both he and Fandrelle shot up at the sound of the Princess entering. As soon as the young Prince smiled at Adelaide, she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands.
“I can't marry you, Nicademius. I don't want to, not now. I'm not ready to be your wife,” Adelaide sobbed.
The Prince beckoned her to come closer, when she did, he spoke with such a gentle tone it was obvious that he was not angry with her. What reason would he have to be angry, they both weren’t ready to accept the responsibilities of marriage. Right now, neither of them wanted this. It was simply expected of them. “Adelaide, it's not my choice whether I marry you or not. The most we can do is an attempt to postpone the wedding for as long as possible, especially with so many things to handle first – Marcus, this Lost Princess of Iradas we’ve been hearing gossip about. I still haven’t even met your brothers yet. There’s no need for my parents to rush us into the idea of a wedding.”
Despite the strangely wonderful news, Adelaide could not find herself smiling at it. She was angry with Nynae, angry at her for making it seem like she had no choice, and that marrying Nicademius was her duty. The only person she felt she could not be angry with was him. They were both in this together.
The Prince stood before Adelaide silently, waiting to see if there was anything else she was in desperate need of confessing. After a moment he reached his hand out until his fingers brushed the tips of Adelaide’s. “I think you would benefit from some fresh air, perhaps we should go for a walk.” he suggested. When Adelaide only smiled weakly and nodded, Nicademius took her by the hand and led her from the hall. They walked in silence for the time being but, their hands remained clasped around each other’s. The Prince led the way, and they ventured out onto the balcony, stopping before a view of the entire Bordennian village.
A gasp escaped Adelaide as she took in the picturesque scenery and by her side she heard Nicademius chuckle. It was different to the usual view Adelaide had of a city, of all the lights from countless lanterns and the smell of smoke and roasted meat, mixed with coal and burning metal. It was so quiet too, Adelaide almost felt deafened by the silence.
“Forgive me for having to spoil your mood but, I have some rather disturbing news.” Nicademius announced.
Adelaide turned to look at him and she raised a brow at him. “Try me.” she simply replied.
“Dedric Vale isn't dead.” Nicademius’ response was so short it made Adelaide question if he had perhaps left something out.
Adelaide choked, she stared at the Prince with wide eyes. “What do you mean he's not dead? Nick, he was murdered by assassins in Bordennia-”
Nicademius shook his head and pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her before she could leave him no time to explain. “But that's not all.”
“You mean my father isn't dead either?” Adelaide interrupted excitedly.
Nicademius shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get your hopes up, I can only give you happy news about Dedric. I believe he might be working with the Brotherhood but, I just can’t think of any ideas as to what they might be doing together. After all, the assassins were the ones who’d murdered him in the first place? Unless it was all fake, and they hadn’t actually killed him but, planned for him to go into hiding for one reason or another? I don’t know, ignore me I’m just rambling now.” he replied with words that flew.
Adelaide laughed out loud and took a step back, only to run into the balcony ledge. She rested her hands onto it to steady herself and her nerves. “That’s not possible?” she asked.
“I couldn’t believe it myself but, I know what I saw. Dedric Vale was well known here, although it was safe to say that he
and my father did not get along. I’ll have to explain later, I know it’s hard to believe.”
For a moment Adelaide could only stare at Nick, the new information she had been given failed to sink into her mind. She remained silent.
The Prince only stared back at her, his brown eyes were steady and by his sides his fingers twitched uncomfortably. “Adelaide, please talk to me.” Nicademius begged her. He was beginning to worry that he had told her something he shouldn’t have.
Adelaide could not speak. She had nothing to say, she did not know what she was to say. She drew a deep breath. “Then perhaps he should be found and brought back to Anderaith, or even better yet, Aarengoth. I’m sure Viktor will be pleased to see him alive and well.” Adelaide eventually said.
Nicademius sighed and ran a hand through his curls. “He could be anywhere now, whether he had stayed in Bordennia or not, I don’t know. I’m sorry I have nothing else useful to add.”
“Of course, I suppose he has his own matters to handle. There’s a chance he might not even intend to return to Aarengoth. Even if it’s not a surprise, we’re in need of a new Chief of Staff.” Adelaide muttered and folded her arms over.
The Prince smiled and looked down at her. “Running out of people you can trust?” he asked her.
Adelaide only replied with a playful shove. “Am I interrupting something?” a friendly voice asked.
Adelaide and Nicademius both pulled away, having not realised how close they had gotten, and turned to find Fandrelle standing by the door of the balcony. “Forgive me but, I think I am.” he added in and went to leave, yet he stopped and looked over his shoulder at them. “Perhaps when you’re both available, we have much to discuss about this matter concerning Dedric Vale.” he added in. The sneaky old Captain had been listening in; it only made both Adelaide and Nicademius laugh for they could not get angry with him; no one ever could,
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