Shouts and the clanking of armor coming from the outer courtyards drew me from my sleep early the next morning. Glancing out the small window in the room, I first noticed the sun had not fully risen, a faint red hue tinting the skyline, but then I saw a sight that I had never seen before in my life. A few hundred armor-clad soldiers were cantering in on horses. Panic rose in my chest as I wondered what was happening. I hurriedly threw on the first pair of training leathers and shirt I could find, braiding my wavy hair to give it some sort of styled appearance before rushing out of my room toward the courtyard. Freezing halfway down the corridor, I whipped around, racing back toward my room. My hands grasping for the dagger I kept under my pillow at night. Once my trustworthy blade was secured around my leg, I headed back out the door in a blur. I did not stop running until I reached the courtyard, scanning through the sea of men for either Sébastien or Dravyn, hoping one of them could inform me of what was happening.
Dravyn saw me standing by the edge of the courtyard. The look of discontent and fury was clear in his eyes, even from across the courtyard. Stalking over in my direction, he demanded to know why I was by the courtyard.
“Well. It’s not like a few hundred men moving around is exactly silent, now, is it? All the shouting and metal clashing together woke me up, so I figured I would come find out what’s going on. Glad to see neither you nor Sébastien gave any thought to filling me in,” I deadpanned, frustrated at his reaction.
“Follow me,” Dravyn responded. “Now!” He grabbed my arm with a firm grip, leading me away from the courtyard whilst I protested. “If Sébastien catches you out here right now, he will be pissed.”
Once we were a good distance from the organized chaos flooding across the courtyard, Dravyn stopped as we stood in a darkened hallway, the shadows hiding our forms. “It would be best for you to learn not to wander into a courtyard whenever you hear shouts. I swear, you will be the death of me,” he said in a disgruntled voice as I laughed.
“Have you not met Emalyee?” I teased. “She’s just as unruly as I am. Looks like you might as well prepare for an early death.”
Dravyn shook his head, glaring at me as he turned his back and stomped off down the hallway. I contemplated leaving. However, I also wished to know what was happening.
A shiver began to creep across my bare arms as the chill from the dampened hallway sunk in, and I debated getting the hell out of this walkway before I saw the flame of a torch. Sébastien approached me, looking displeased to have been pulled away from his tasks. His black leathers hugged his muscles, and his hair was disheveled, a few strands hanging over his eye and resting on pronounced cheekbones, causing my heart rate to increase.
“Cassandra,” his gravelly voice began, frustration ebbing from him. “Imagine my absolute enjoyment that I had to have the Captain of my Guard inform me that you are wandering around the courtyard in the middle of battle preparations. Still no learning curve?”
“I was correct then in my assumptions that the shouts from the courtyard were due to an upcoming battle,” I retorted, ignoring his insult in an attempt to stop him from berating me further.
A sigh fell from his lips, yet he responded, “Yes. You were correct. The Nordak have launched new attacks on surrounding villages. They are growing anxious the longer that pendant is in our possession.” He gestured to the heavy weight hanging from my neck. “My father has sent a few hundred soldiers to fight alongside us. It seems that a warning message during the last ambush was not enough.” His eyes darkened, a glint of fire surfacing, and a shiver coursed through my body from the fury swarming in his eyes rather than the cold this time.
“What’s the plan, then?”
Low chuckles echoed through the corridor. “The plan, princesse, is for you to make it back to Ny Palais and shatter the damn necklace open.”
I opened my mouth to respond, yet Sébastien stopped me. “This is not up for discussion, Cassandra.” My name rolled off his tongue like a curse, and I knew he was pissed. “You may have been training with Dravyn the past week and have some skills with a blade, but you will not be riding into the center of the battle with us with that around your neck. Shattering the magic within the pendant will give us a few days’ time head start on the Nordak before they set their Seefers onto our borders in search of the power.”
“Fine,” I replied in annoyance. “It would still be nice if you thought I could handle myself in a fight.”
Stepping closer, Sébastien's eyes captured mine. “There’s no doubt you could handle yourself in a fight, princesse,” he said as his muscular body drew closer to mine. “But I won’t be bringing you into a fight with an additional target on your back.”
“Additional?” I questioned.
Sighing deeply, he replied, “Oui. The pendant around your neck is the glaring target.” His fingers grabbed my arm with ease, pulling my wrist up to eye level as his thumb traced around the ink under my skin. “This would be the additional target. A bond to a prince is leverage for any who capture you.”
He bent his head down, hardly giving me time to process his words before his lips met mine again in a sweet clash. Time felt as though it had stopped. The scent of pine and spice flooded over me while his arms wrapped around my body, holding me close as he deepened the kiss. His lips danced across mine, his tongue sought entrance. A soft whimper escaped me as his teeth caught my bottom lip, toying with it as he pinned me against the stone wall, a damp chill coursing through me in contrast to the inferno rising inside. At that moment, my life felt complete, as though, for the first time since ending up in Verastarr, everything would be okay.
He broke the kiss, leaving me breathless as I gazed deeply into his ice-blue eyes. Sébastien remained silent for a moment before clearing his husky voice and saying, “As much as I would prefer to continue drawing sounds like that from you, I must return and oversee the final battle preparations. Geoffroi will ensure you return safely back to my father’s Palais in Nytestarr.”
A somber sigh fell from my lips as I realized what returning to Ny Palais meant. I whispered, still entranced by the feel of his lips on mine and the proximity of our bodies. “What’s the likelihood that the Nordak anticipate us splitting to travel back to Ny Palais?”
“Possible, but not probable. You will be traveling with a small group of men. The Nordak would be expecting us to either keep you here or send a large force with you. They won’t be expecting a few soldiers on a journey home,” he replied before walking away to finalize battle plans with his men.
* * *
Rosalie was in my room when I returned, anxiously awaiting my arrival to assist me in gathering my belongings for the journey. Since we returned to Château Comptal de Capetian, Sébastien had ensured I was provided with any clothing I desired. I had taken great joy in conversing with Rosalie during my stay and it saddened me that I had to leave her behind. She had become a friend to me in the short time I had stayed at the château, yet she reminded me that should the battle go well, I would hopefully be returning to the château. I continued packing the necessary items, ensuring a few daggers were included as a feeling of unease spread over me, flashbacks to our previous journey a reminder to be prepared.
A knock resounded on my door just as we gathered the last of my belongings. “Cassandra?” a voice sounded from behind the door, and I immediately knew who it belonged to as the door opened.
“So much for giving a girl time to get ready,” I sassed, turning to Sébastien, my heart rate rising as I took in the man before me, clad in lightweight armor.
“Geoffroi and the other six men are ready to go. You will be traveling off the main path. If anything happens and the group is separated, ride hard to the north. I know you want to see Kateya again but, Cassandra,” Sébastien said with authority, “if you're caught, they won’t play nice this time around. Be smart, princesse.”
I followed behind him as we left the room and made our way to the back entrance of the château. I wondered what lay ahead, praying that I made it back to Ny Palais safely to at least be able to say goodbye to my sister one last time.
I had been so deep in thought while following Sébastien to the courtyard that I failed to notice he had stopped until I walked directly into him, nearly falling from the shock. Glancing up quickly, an embarrassed blush spread across my cheeks as Sébastien’s mouth formed into an amused grin. “Lost in thought?” he teased. “Might I be so lucky as to believe it was I who distracted your thoughts?” His smirk led me to believe he was confident in his suggestion.
“Only in your dreams would I be lost in thought over you,” I replied, smirking back as I taunted him.
“You wound me,” he threw back, pretending to be stabbed by my words.
Stopping by the back gates, where the seven men were waiting to escort me to my uncertain future, Sébastien tenderly wrapped a lightweight cloak over my shoulders, fastening the clasp under my neck. His fingers tilted my chin up as our eyes collided.
“Be smart, princesse,” he said again, the words rolled off his tongue most endearingly as his gaze held mine. “Stay hidden when you can and if anyone ambushes you, give them hell. Don’t go down without a fight.”
I nod in understanding as he backed away. “Give them hell, too, Your Highness,” I tossed back, my smirk growing as I continued, even as I battled a growing sense of sadness welling within me. “If you can, that is.”
His dark chuckle filled the air as he walked away, readying for a battle of his own. My stomach clenched as nerves jittered inside of me while I mounted my horse, kicking his side into action, leaving the safety of the château behind.