Chasing Daisy

Crown Prince Nikhil had been born on a night when the stars shot from the east to the west a prophet called it a blessing from the heavens themselves. Following the course of that blessing, he had grown within the walls of the inner palace, his every need attended his every desire sated before he ever had to voice it. To call him spoiled would be an understatement.     As a young man, he knew no bounds, women practically flung themselves at him and he was nothing if not economical. It was why he was, on an early Tuesday morning, still sleeping beneath two soft bodies his room a mess.     “Prince Nikhil it's time to get up now.” His aide's booming voice threatened to break through his sweet reverie which can only be accomplished after consumption of copious amounts of alcohol and a night with a pretty woman by your side.     Light suddenly barreled into the once dark room and he hissed covering his eyes as a sick throbbing began in his skull. The two women beside him shifted with groans and he turned his unfocused gaze to his long-time friend standing by the window kicking away what looked to be an empty bottle of gin.     “What is a little fun?” Nik offered a watery grin as hands began to flutter across his waist. His companions were waking and he felt eager to continue their lengthy discussion from the previous night.     “When it’s the third night in a row the people might begin talking.”     “The people love me.”     “And yet their serfs and lords are busy trying to maintain their daughters' chastity.” Kris crossed his arms across his chest a stern look of disappointment on his face. “We need to talk.”     Nikhil scoffed he couldn’t be blamed for the wanton need of all the women who happened to cross his path. His gaze sliding to the pretty lady beside him, she smiled softly at him as the space between his legs tightened. “I’m busy.”     “You’re fiancé has gone missing.” Kris’ tone was deadpan. “Will that be enough for you to come to the study?”     Nikhil paused with a heavy groan. Pushing away the hands of his companions he climbed out of bed his mind sobering. “The young lady of the Samson house is missing? Was she kidnapped?”     Even as he asked he felt the answer was obvious. Most children of nobility were targeted as children, if one went missing at an older age it had less to do with kidnappers and more to do with the child's own intent. Specifically, he thought to himself, no one would be fool enough to enter the Samson estate and steal the Duke's precious daughter. Not only was that family known for their military power but their estate was as big as a maze and had been known to strand stragglers in the past.     “We don’t know. Duke Samson has closed the borders of Saint Lesly and they’re waiting for our decision.” Kris watched his prince begin to dress hastily. Maids scurried into the room silently to begin cleaning away the previous night’s debauchery, and the two ladies fell back into bed. He recognized them as two servants from the kitchens he made a mental note to let the head maid know of their current location so that she might deal with them.     “How long has she been gone?” Nikhils brow furrowed as he tried to imagine his fiancée he had to admit he hadn’t much thought of her since her portrait was presented as his future bride. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like, the color of her hair, or even her eyes.     “Since yesterday evening.”     Nikhil had been surveying the streets of the capital around that time, his bride-to-be’s brother Asher Samson had been with him at the time.     Nikhil led the way out of his room and around them windows were being pulled open sunlight seeping into the barely waking palace. Glittering windows illuminated their path to his office at the administrative part of the palace. Around them, servants bowed as he walked with purpose to his destination.     “Apparently there was no sign of a struggle and no evidence that she had been planning this beforehand. No one saw her leave and the gates to the Samson estate were shut tightly.”     “Perhaps a faulty fence? Or maybe some cracking?” Nikhil asked as the doors to his office were pushed open by the knight standing guard.     “None. Even her bedroom door was sealed from the outside.”     Nikhil paused as he rounded his desk. “Locked? From the outside?”     His aide leveled him a ‘you’re-kidding-me’ stare. “She picked a fight last week with Lady Arietta? You were the one that suggested she be punished at home?”     Maybe Nikhil had done that, but it seemed farfetched.     “Still locking her in is a bit much,” Nikhil felt himself saying. “isn’t she almost an adult.”     “Aren’t you? Sometimes I want to lock you up too.” His aide grumbled and if Nikhil didn’t value his opinion so much he might have had him punished.     “So now what? It's not like she just up and vanished.”     “Her imperial highness has ordered for you to go to Saint Lesly and retrieve your future bride. Or at the very least figure out what's happened to her.” Kris pulled a diamond teardrop earring and placed it over Nikhils desk who cursed at the familiar piece of jewelry. “If she has been taken then this is a slight against the imperial lineage. It is your duty as the first prince to bring to justice the perpetrators—or at the very least bring her home.”     Nikhil picked up his mother's earing watching the light reflect over it. It's not like he held any real feelings of animosity towards the young Lady Samson, but she did represent a terrible future he had never wanted to imagine—monogamy. He was young and in the prime of his life he had no intentions of getting married any time soon especially when doing that would mean having to give up all the best life had to offer. This is probably why his mother had decided to force the engagement upon them and not as though he could very easily go against the wishes of the Empress herself.     Still, this by no means warranted an official visit. All evidence pointed to her disappearance being a premeditated escape, he could very well leave it to her family to find her. Though he hoped she had gotten far far away. He could milk off her disappearance for years if he played his cards right, and hey maybe when he was ready for it he would find someone else to be his queen.     “I think I’ll talk to mother myself.” Nikhil decided. “Go let them know I’m on my way.”     Kris fought the urge to shake his head bowing before swiftly exiting.     Nikhil took a seat at his desk pulling out his go-to hangover medicine and drinking the horrible concoction. A conversation with his mother was bound to make his headache worse but he could only try to prevent it.   # “Look at you, actually awake at a normal hour. It must be raining in Pravisa.” She was in her room reading through some documents when Nikhil found her. Her ladies in waiting were littered about the room doing various chores, and their regal appearance was nothing compared to her.     Empress Anastasia was an ageless beauty whose many suitors had once waged wars under her name. Long pitch-black hair trailed almost to the floor, almond-shaped eyes sat beneath perfectly sculpted brows which drew a path to a straight and narrow nose below which sat perfectly round lips. Nikhil looked most like his mother with his pitch-black hair and soft brown eyes.     “What brings you here Nikhil?” She asked without looking away from her documents.     “I’m sure you’ve heard the young lady of the Samson Duchy has disappeared last night.”     She hummed the soft sound eliciting movement from her ladies who one by one stood and exited the room. She waited until the door closed eyes scanning her son, the empress said, “You look tired, take a seat.”     Nikhil knew better than to argue with her and sat across from her making no effort to clear away any of the documents.     “You should probably take a bath before leaving,” her imperial nose scrunched in disgust. “I can smell you from here.”     If Nikhil felt any sort of shame his ears might have gone bright red but he simply shrugged. “I’m not planning on leaving.”     “Goo—” She froze her gaze turning up to him as sharp as a knife. “What.”     “I’m not planning on going.” Nikhil shrugged again a leisure smile on his lips. “Her father is the Duke Samson he has enough forces to scour the entire empire three times over if he so wished.”     Anastasia dropped her head in her hands her shoulders shaking.     “Mother?” Nikhil asked in concern when after a few minutes she had yet to look at him.     In a moment quick enough to get around Nkhils many years of training with the imperial guards Anastasia had Nikhils ears between her fingers and she was pinching—hard.     “Now you listen to me you self-centered, arrogant, stupid boy—“ her grip was crushing and Nikhil winced “—what do you mean you aren’t going!?”     “Well, Duke Samson is capable of finding her on his own!” Nikhil rushed feeling his ear would tear at any moment. “A-and it's not like she just up and vanished! She definitely escaped.”     Anastasia released her grip on him sitting back in her chair smoothing out her dress still breathing heavily in anger. “So, you still have some sense in that thick head of yours. Do you think it matters whether she chose to run away or not? Do you remember nothing of the discussion which was had when Victoria was chosen to be your lifelong companion!?”     Nikhils brow furrowed and he rubbed his ears. He could hardly remember what his fiancée looked like let alone whatever conversation his mother was talking about.     Anastasia groaned pinching the bridge of her nose, “Good lord above Nikhil Aleksander Sashenka Romanov—” she used his full name snapping him even more to attention “—why must you be so thickheaded! Duke Samson had one condition when we asked his daughter to be your fiancée. How can you not remember it?”     Nikhil racked his brain trying to remember coming up short. He could vaguely remember that meeting but all that had really stuck with him of that day was his deep desire to be anywhere else.     “Your entire future as the Emperor of Acrasia is contingent on you marrying that girl.” Anastasia looks half-ready to smack him.     Nikhil froze, “Pardon? Contingent?”     “Yes, Nikhil contingent.” She narrowed her gaze at him. “Duke Samson gave that ultimatum. And we accepted it because his political power would be enough to protect you against the House of the White Lion who has been pushing to have you removed. Do you remember that at least?”     Nikhils life was destined for greatness but not everyone was so inclined to believe so. Duke Clarence, an ancient figure of the empire was one such person. He believed that Nikhils actions were ‘immature’ and that ‘he had done nothing to prove himself worthy to sit on the throne. His faction was leading the lower nobility to promote the younger princess (Nikhils only sibling) as the future Emperess.     “Well, that’s ridiculous and I refuse.”     “It's too late for that you idiot.” She snapped. “Now go do everything necessary to bring her back here. Your entire future depends on it!”