Heart of Silver, Soul of Glass
by Stormlight
Chapter Nine
"I’m getting worried about Serena," Miaka confided to Rei as they made their
way toward the kitchens for a quick afternoon snack before dinner. "She’s
been gone for nearly two days now. Do you have any idea where Endymion
spirited her off to? He just told me he was borrowing her for awhile and that
they’d be back soon, and that was at barely the crack of dawn. I really hope
they aren’t caught out in that awful storm out there."
Rei shrugged as she ran her fingers through her long, black hair. "I’m sure
they’re both fine," she replied calmly. Then, with a slight grin, she added,
"Maybe they eloped, or something."
Miaka choked on a laugh. "Those two?! Not bloody likely!" she spluttered.
The princess grinned wickedly. "I don’t see why not. It’s so obvious they’re
smitten with each other," she insisted.
"To everyone but themselves," Miaka replied with a smirk.
"And they are both well past the legal age to wed," Rei continued. She paused
and cast Miaka a sly glance. "Rather like you and Hotohori are, now that I
think about it."
Again, Miaka sputtered, turning suspiciously pink. "I...I have no idea what
you’re talking about!" she sniffed. "Hotohori and I...OW!" She stared at Rei
accusingly as she rubbed the back of her head, where the princess had
abruptly smacked her.
"Miaka, I wasn’t born yesterday, you know," Rei sniffed, ignoring her
friend’s insulted glare. "Any idiot can see that something is going on
between the two of you..."
Miaka gulped. "Well...I...um..." she began.
"Don’t even try to deny it! Hotohori has been acting like his feet grew wings
overnight, and Tamahome has been skulking around here acting as though his
best friend had died or something. The servants have been acting awfully
flighty lately, and I overheard more than one of them whispering about
something that happened in the gardens yesterday...something involving
yourself and my brother."
"I didn’t think Your Highness would deign to listen to the gossip of mere
servants," Miaka muttered, scowling at the floor.
Rei giggled. "I may be a princess, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to a good
scandal," she teased. Her face was suddenly inches from Miaka’s own, dark
eyes sparkling devilishly. "So..." she drawled. "Do you care to supply the
missing pieces?"
Miaka gulped and felt a cloak of Doom settle about her shoulders.
"Well...I...that is...no."
Rei pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, you’re no fun! Hmmph. Just you wait,
though, until Serena gets home. There is no way you’ll be able to refuse the
both of us!"
"Heh. Lucky me," Miaka replied, deadpan.
Rei giggled as they turned down another hallway to head toward one of the
smaller dining rooms, planning to take a shortcut to reach the kitchens. As
they drew closer to the gilded doors, however, they heard a loud commotion
from beyond. Casting surprised glances at each other, both girls broke into a
run to reach the end of the hallway, cautiously opening the doors to peek
inside.
There they found a large group of young men milling about, some carrying
plates of food, some lounging against the walls, and all of them yelling at
the top of their lungs to each other. Miaka blinked as she took in the scene,
wondering who they were and where on earth they’d come from.
"Hmmph. New recruits for Father’s elite guard, no doubt," Rei sniffed. "They
were probably driven in from the practice grounds by the rain. Honestly,
where Father finds these barbarians is a mystery to me! Look at those poor
table manners!" She gave a delicate shudder while Miaka tittered into her
hand. "Well, no sense standing here. Let’s go," the princess added, preparing
to step into the room.
"What?!" Miaka yelped. "You’re going to go right through them?!"
Rei sniffed. "Why not? This is my home, after all," she pointed out. "I
should be free to go wherever I please."
Miaka tilted her head to one side and pursed her lips as she regarded her
friend. Suddenly, her eyes took on an impish gleam, and she grinned
mischievously at her. "I get it. You just want an excuse to look at all those
handsome faces," she teased, to which Rei replied with an outraged squeal and
a lunge that sent both of them into the dining hall. In all the noise and
clamor, nobody noticed the arrival of the girls, and they made their way
hastily...although not too hastily...across the room. They had just made it
to the other side, and were about to head through the doorway leading to the
kitchens, when a long, low whistle stopped them both in their tracks.
Rei froze, looking around until her eyes fell upon a young man sitting cross-
legged on a table, a plate of food propped on one knee and a mug of ale
beside him. She was almost offended at the way the man stared at her; not
like a man stares at an exceedingly beautiful woman, but rather the way one
might stare at a pet monkey, with nothing more than amusement. Haughtily, she
lifted her chin and boldly met the gaze of the most unusual pair of eyes
she’d ever seen in her life. They were bright amber in color; they would have
seemed almost feral-looking except that they were dancing with mischief. A
mop of unkempt, fire-colored hair flopped down over the man’s forehead,
partially obscuring his handsome features, but when he suddenly fixed her
with a sharp-toothed...though charming...grin, her heart nearly stopped. She
noticed that she didn’t seem to have the same heart-stopping effect on him,
however. She decided that she disliked him on sight.
"Where’re you goin’ in such a hurry?" the soldier called out, not seeming to
notice Rei’s sour expression. "If you’re lookin’ for food, here’s the place
to get it."
Rei’s chin went up even further, if that was possible. "Me? Eat with common
soldiers?" she huffed. "Don’t insult me!"
"Ooooohhhh! Looks like somebody’s too big for her girdle," the soldier
replied with a shout of laughter, his eyes sparking devilishly. "Forgive me,
your High-and Mightiness, for insultin’ your delicate sensibilities..."
"You dare..." Rei began furiously, but Miaka clapped her hand over the
princess’s mouth.
"He probably doesn’t know who you are," she hissed in Rei’s ear. "He probably
didn’t expect to see the princess of Davinshire running around the soldier’s
mess hall, after all!"
Rei paused, and a wicked gleam suddenly came to her eye that both amused and
frightened Miaka. She calmly removed her friend’s hand and smiled sweetly at
the soldier, who blinked and for the first time looked a little uneasy. "What
is your name, Sir?" she inquired politely, and the soldier regarded her
suspiciously for a moment before replying.
"Name’s Tasuki," he grunted.
"And I am Rei," she replied politely, reaching out a slender hand toward him.
He blinked at it as though it was a foreign object or some rare, exotic
creature. Then, upon witnessing the tiny smirk on the girl’s lips and the
delicate lift of one eyebrow, he wiped one hand on his trousers and accepted
it, shaking it firmly. Rei looked faintly disgusted. "What?" he questioned
defensively.
"Perhaps you are not from around here," the princess purred, "but in this
kingdom, when a lady offers a gentleman her hand, he is expected to kiss it.
Not..." She paused and tried to keep the displeasure from her face, "...shake
it."
Tasuki blinked at her, clearly stunned, before the confusion ebbed to be
replaced with sly satisfaction. "So who said I was any kinda gentleman?" he
replied through a wicked grin, and now it was Rei’s turn to gape.
Miaka was nearly in hysterics, torn between pity for poor Tasuki and
admiration for his ability to stand up for himself against Rei. She loved the
princess like her own sister, but she’d be the first to admit that Rei was
something of a shrew when it came to dealing with men. Only King Ayurhu had
never been subjected to the princess’s sharp-witted tongue, and that was
probably because King Reagan would kill his daughter if she managed to insult
their guest. Deciding to leave the two of them alone, against the chance that
they’d come to blows, Miaka managed to choke out something about sneaking
some food from the kitchens and fairly ran from the room before she lost
control of her laughter completely.
Meanwhile, Tasuki and Rei were busily sizing each other up, seemingly
oblivious to a growing crowd of onlookers as the other soldiers began to
notice the upcoming battle. Always ready for a good brawl, they nudged each
other with suggestive winks and jokes, already placing bets on the outcome of
this little confrontation. Tasuki was well-known for his feelings about all
women in general; namely, he didn’t like them, and this one was obviously no
exception. Rei, in the meantime, was glaring daggers at the fire-haired
soldier, who didn’t seem to care in the least as he continued to eat his
meal, all the while keeping his eyes on the little spit-fire before him. He’d
just met the girl, and already he’d managed to get her feathers ruffled; a
new personal record for him. He made a mental note to mark another notch in
the stick he carried for just such an occurrence, and continued to eat, using
as few manners as possible just to irk the arrogant little wildcat even more.
When he was done eating, he finished off the rest of the ale in one gulp,
then leaned back and let loose with the loudest, wettest belch ever heard of
in the history of mankind.
There was immediate, uproarious laughter among the soldiers, along with a few
dozen cheers of encouragement, as Tasuki sat back and wiped his mouth on his
sleeve, grinning cheekily at the fuming girl. Her cheeks were suspiciously
red...from embarrassment, he assumed...and her narrowed eyes were flashing
dark fire. Leaning forward, he looked her straight in the eye and said, in
the daintiest voice he could manage, "Oh, excuse me!"
He expected her to explode, and was therefore exceedingly surprised when one
corner of her lips merely inched upward in what looked like the beginning of
a smile. He blinked, certain he had to be mistaken. No, there it was. The
girl was definitely attempting to hold in a grin. "If you think, Sir, that
you mean to insult me by belching like an inebriated goat in my face, you may
think again," she stated clearly, still struggling to maintain a serious
expression. "I have two elder brothers, you see, along with several friends
of the opposite gender, who have in the past made quite the game of seeing
who can belch the loudest. I was often...albeit unwillingly...referee to such
contests, and let me assure you that you have, by far, surpassed them all."
Tasuki merely looked at her, suddenly at a loss for words. Then, remembering
that he had an audience and that his reputation as a male was on the line, he
stated snidely, "Oh, is that so? Two of ‘em, huh? Sound like my kinda guys.
Think maybe I could meet ‘em?"
"Oh, I’m certain you know of them, already," Rei replied, not quite hi
ding the small smile on her lips. "They are quite well-known around here."
"What’re their names?" he asked suspiciously.
The grin was definitely there now. Or was it a smirk?
"Why, Prince Hotohori and Crown Prince Endymion, of course," the girl replied
with mock surprise, her eyes growing very wide and innocent. "Who did you
think I meant?"
It is truly amazing how fast a crowded area could clear with the mention of
two simple names.
"Why, Tasuki, whatever is the matter? You’re looking so pale suddenly! Do you
need a healer?"
"No," he croaked around the lump in his chest. "I-I’m fine...Your Highness."
Rei’s smile was simply evil, and Tasuki mentally thanked her for reminding
him of exactly why he disliked women so much. "Oh, no need for formality,"
she purred. "We’ve already introduced ourselves, after all. But would you
still be interested in meeting my brothers? I’m sure they’d be glad to meet a
man who can belch so...eloquently as you can. Perhaps you can give them some
tips?"
If possible, he paled even more. "Er...that’s okay," he muttered. "I’m sure
they do fine on their own." With those words, he slid off the table, dropped
a hasty bow, and retreated to the other side of the hall, where his
companions immediately set to give him the ribbing of a lifetime.
Quite satisfied with herself, Rei brushed her hands together, picked up her
skirts, and went in search of Miaka.
Ah, yes. Life did not get much better than this.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Awhile later, after having eaten and taken her leave of Rei (who was now
currently seeking out her precious King Ayurhu), Miaka paced down the
hallway, her brow furrowed in worry. As she passed a window, brilliant
lightning flared in the unnaturally-green sky, followed by a roar of thunder
that sounded like a huge, enraged lion was ready to pounce. Miaka jumped and
shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. There was something very strange
about this storm. It wasn’t blowing itself out, and it didn’t seem to be
moving on, hovering over the kingdom like a dark plague. The rivers were all
flooded over in just a few short hours, and that sky! What was wrong with it?
"Unnatural," she whispered to herself, frowning as she gazed worriedly out
the window. Or perhaps, a little voice replied in her mind, unnatural isn’t
the word for it. Perhaps supernatural would better describe this storm...
She blinked, then shook her head. Supernatural, indeed! Everyone knew that
magic didn’t really exist anywhere outside of storybooks. No, this storm was
strange, yes, but there wasn’t anything supernatural about it. She smiled
wryly to herself. Perhaps what she needed to do was to find something else to
read aside from all those silly fairy tales she so enjoyed. The sky roared
again, and she grimaced and moved away from the window, absently worrying her
lower lip with her teeth. She was really becoming concerned for Serena. She
knew how much her little sister hated storms, and right now she was out there
in the middle of one of the biggest to ever grace Davinshire. But she’s got
Prince Endymion with her, so she should be fine, she assured herself, yet
again. They probably found an inn or something to wait it out.
So why did she feel so...apprehensive? As though something horrible was about
to happen?
Miaka had little enough time to ponder this when a pair of hands suddenly
reached out of nowhere and gripped her arms. She barely had time to release a
yelp of surprise before she found herself being pulled back into a room and
into a strong embrace. Warm lips pressed soft, compelling kisses along her
throat, and her heart began to race as her eyes closed in pleasure. "H-
Hotohori?" she squeaked, turning her head to meet his gaze. "What are
you...?" Her question was left unfinished as soft lips covered her own in an
achingly tender kiss. Clever fingers trailed a sensual caress along the low,
square-cut collar of her gown, leaving trails of fire across her flesh, and
with a blissful sigh she melted against his lean body. Maybe not all magic
was pretend, she decided as he released her lips and met her gaze, his
golden-brown eyes filled with adoration. Some types of magic were quite real!
"What was that for?" she whispered when she could catch her breath, willing
the flush to leave her cheeks.
He smiled softly. "Need I a reason to kiss my beloved?" he murmured, his
voice washing over her in a soft caress. "But if you must know, I called your
name several times as you came toward me, but you didn’t even seem to see nor
hear me. I don’t think you realized I was there. You seem worried, beloved."
His smile and eyes turned impish. "I just thought I’d try to help you forget
your troubles for a little while."
She blushed all over again and smiled sheepishly. "I-I’m kind of worried
about Serena," she admitted. "I know she’s with your brother and all...but I
just have this feeling that something is wrong...and I don’t like this storm.
It doesn’t feel right to me." She moved out of his arms to stare out another
window, barely able to see anything through the sheet of rain that poured
down the glass.
His gaze softened. "I understand your worry," he told her gently. "I’m
worried about Endymion, as well. But we must believe that the both of them
are capable of taking care of themselves. They will be perfectly fine, I’m
sure."
Miaka nodded absently, once more chewing at her lip as she continued to gaze
sightlessly into the pouring rain. Hotohori sighed and moved to join her,
wrapping both arms around her shoulders. Tilting his head to one side, he
reached out to touch her lip, running his thumb softly over the sensitive
flesh. She blushed faintly. "I-it’s kind of a nervous habit," she explained.
"I’m trying to stop, actually, because it isn’t very ladylike according to
Rei, but I don’t realize I’m doing it most times..."
Hotohori smiled and turned a mischievous gaze to her own. "I understand." His
voice was a low, husky murmur as he entwined their fingers together.
"However, it would be much more pleasurable if you let someone else do the
nibbling," he added wickedly, before lowering his head once more and using
his lips and teeth and tongue to do exactly that.
Neither of them noticed a silent figure who...after standing in shock for a
few moments to witness the prince passionately kissing the breath out of a
servant girl...quickly turned to run to Her Majesty’s private chambers.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
The water was still rising, and the old, wooden door holding back the torrent
was creaking and groaning, rivulets running through the cracks and around the
seams. It was not going to hold out much longer under the pressure, and when
it gave...well...it was better not to think about it.
"What do we do?" Serena cried, tugging at Endymion’s sleeve. "Drowning is not
the most pleasant way to die, you know!"
"Nobody is going to die!" he roared back, although the fear in her eyes tore
at him. In utter frustration, he snatched up the broom Serena had found
earlier as it floated past and used it to pound against the trap door. The
water was inching past their knees now, and Serena struggled to keep her pack
and the heavy saddle bags from getting wet. It was no easy task, and even the
fine, oiled leather wouldn’t hold out against this much moisture. Endymion
kept pounding on the door, attempting to jar something loose. But the
broomstick was beginning to splinter from the force of his blows, and he
cursed softly to himself. If it broke...
He cast a hopeless gaze at Serena, who reached out to wrap a hand about one
of his own as she met his gaze. There was utter trust in her eyes; a tender
look that seemed to say, "I believe in you", and his breath caught for a
moment. Then, with renewed determination, he gripped the broom to pound once
more.
"Wait one moment," Nuriko stated as he undid the bright sash from around his
waist. "Tie this around it." He wrapped the silky fabric tightly around the
pole and knotted it. "There," he said, stepping back again with his own
bundle of supplies. "That should give extra support. You ought to get a few
more blows out of it, now." His eyes met Endymion’s seriously. "Make them
count."
The crown prince nodded grimly before turning back to his task.
Once...twice...thrice he rammed the end of the broomstick to the door as hard
as he could. On the third blow, something suddenly clicked, and the door was
released to swing downward suddenly. So suddenly, in fact, that Endymion had
no time to duck. The heavy, wood-and-stone door struck him in the side of the
head with a meaty thwack, and the prince dropped like a stone into the
swirling, murky water.
Serena screamed.
To be continued...
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