by Nocte Luna » Mon Dec 05, 2016 2:12 pm
Another sleepless night passed, clouded with nightmares that left Geneva with tear tracks dripping down her face when she woke herself up in a panic. After the sixth nightmare, Geneva stopped altogether and wandered her way down the hall to her study in an attempt to focus on something.
Her candle that had she had brought with her was just beginning to fade when the light of the sun began to gleam through the window. The young woman left her study, heading back down the hall to her room to change for the day. Perhaps the early start was a good thing, some light reading and early breakfast never hurt anyone.
It was the kind of day that required a favorite dress. Geneva’s favorite was not pink, but her favorite dress, which made her dark skin glow, was a pink rose color, and the skirt looked it was made of rose petals. It was a fitting dress for a morning spent walking through the gardens.
Somehow, the princess managed to slip into her corset and skirts before a maid came along to clean the upper floor and help Geneva with the corset. It was an awful process, and one Geneva dreaded every day, but it had to be done.
Geneva picked a calcite bracelet from her jewelry box, fastening the bracelet. Each bead was made of a thin layer of the pink calcite, which her mother had always warned her about every time she saw the beautiful bracelet. It was delicate enough to shatter if dropped, which made Geneva a little anxious. Luckily, she was not especially clumsy.
The princess’ breakfast was a silent affair, with only her sitting in the large dining hall, enjoying her warmed bread and fruit in peace.
Wrapping the white cloak she had brought around her, Geneva headed outside onto the walkway, intending to start in the gardens closest to the mountains. She headed around the corner, making her way to one of the many staircases that led to the elevated path. This particular stairway was for when the king or queen returned home from long journeys and wished for a formal entrance without being too formal. As she began to draw closer to the staircase, she heard voices behind her. In particular, she heard Captain Blakely, loudest of all.
Geneva sighed, preparing for another ‘discussion’ with the captain, but the sound of rushing feet stopped her in her tracks.
“My lady, duck!” “Princess!” “Get down!” The cries of the guards warned Geneva, and she tucked her head closer to her chest. Something whizzed over her head, and Geneva scurried away, closer to the wall. She looked up once again to see a man wearing a black cloak and mask racing by, down the very staircase Geneva intended to use, pursued by a multitude of guards including the captain.
Geneva raced over to the balcony, watching as Captain Blakely took a long stride, reaching for the intruder’s cloak, grabbing it, and pulling the man to the ground. The guards surrounded the man, quickly confiscating his weapons and tying his hands together.
“Take him back to headquarters. He’ll sit in prison there.” Blakely commanded, sending off three of the men. Turning back to the castle, he bowed. “My lady.” The other guards remaining followed suit, murmuring the same words and looking back up at the princess.
For a second, Geneva hesitated, then sunk into a curtsy. She made her way down the steps, tipping her chin up. About twenty feet away from the group of guards, she stopped.
“Thank you for your service. What you have done today will be noted and reflected upon you positively. For helping preserve the life of the royal family, I thank you. I was in danger, and you all did what you could to help keep me safe. If there is to meeting about such an incident, I will speak highly of you. Now, if you will excuse me, I was going to take a walk.”
“Princess Geneva, if I may..”
Geneva calmly turned. “Yes, Captain?”
“I believe a guard should accompany you, just for safety. Until your father deems it unnecessary, I think your safety is more important than some alone time.”
“That is alright with me. I’ll take Gley with me.” Geneva turned back to the gardens, heading off with a guard trailing behind her.
After a few minutes of walking through the roses, the princess posed her question. “What happened, exactly?”
Gley, a familiar companion of Geneva’s, responded honestly. “I was waiting at the Grand Staircase for someone to come so I could change positions. All of a sudden I heard running footsteps. I figured it was a messenger, but when I turned the corner, it was the cloaked man. He tried to go around me and get to the stairs, but the guard who I was with kept him away from the staircase. Whoever he was, he had some nice knives, he tried to cut both my partner and I. When he realized he couldn’t get through, he took off, and all the guards by the throne room and dining hall started after him. My partner stayed in case he returned, but I followed after him. Captain Blakely was patrolling the perimeter of the castle, and he came up the formal entrance as fast as he could when he saw that man. That’s when we all turned the corner and saw you. He threw a knife without pausing, it was terrifying. We tried to warn you, and obviously it worked. You had the right idea getting out of the way, because he kept heading towards you then tried to get down the stairs. I think you saw the rest.”
Geneva nodded. Her brain was able to process the events, but everything leading up to what could have meant her death were unsure in her mind.
She continued through the gardens, taking her time and stopping to see her favorite flowers. Gley was quiet as usual. He had never been very talkative, which Geneva appreciated, especially when she wanted time to herself to think.
The dark haired girl passed by the graveyard quickly, not wanting to stay nearby the haunting lands. She was almost back to the castle when Gley stopped her.
“My lady, if I may..”
“Go on.” Geneva was getting a little tired of ‘suggestions’ by all her guards, but allowed it anyways.
“Please be careful. Please be safe. I would hate to see you hurt. As your companion through many journeys, I wish the best for you, but I ask that you safety is priority.” The worried look the guard gave her made her stop for half a second before she watched him jog off to get back to the barracks and rest.
She followed the winding path back to the castle, pale Sir Cartain rushing halfway down the royalty’s entrance steps to greet her and fill her in on her father’s schedule for the day.
“Of course, the incident that occurred this morning is priority, my dear. I will accompany you to the throne room.”
As the two approached, the doors swung open to reveal the king and Captain Blakely in an argument. Geneva sighed. It was going to be a long morning.
There is no such thing as random, there is always a probability of something, no matter how small or unlikely, happening.