Rebirth Of The Fallen Princess

Chapter 7

My father came to a full stop. I couldn't judge his thoughts, as his face had no tells regarding his emotions. Was he furious that I would pose such a question? It did bring into question our oath, a dangerous topic to speak of within the walls of the Crystal Palace. If the wrong person overheard, just that one statement could be enough to imprison me. I gambled my freedom on this plan. Now, it lay with my father on whether or not the seeds of doubt I planted would become anything more.

"Avyanna," he began, his voice low as he trained his red eyes on me, "do not ever question me about our oath ever again. This engagement has been blessed by His Majesty, and that is all you must know."

I bowed my head, "Yes, Father."

We continued in silence until we came to a stop at the throne room. Standing outside were two more knights and an older man. The knights stood straight as they watched us appear. Despite the reputation of our house, many knights respected my father as a general. He had ended countless battles with his affinity for the sword. They had no choice but to be in awe of such raw power. The older gentleman bowed his head at us and cleared his throat before knocking on the large wooden door.

"Presenting His Grace, Duke Caelum and Lady Avyanna of House Rhosyn," he announced, pushing the doors open.

Father led me through the doorway, and I felt a heavy weight on my chest as panic rushed back into me. My hand curled into a fist and my nails dug into my palm. I began breathing the moment my brain refocused on the pain. This was not the time to second guess anything. His Majesty was hardly the biggest obstacle I would have. We came to a stop a few feet away from King Caesar and Queen Mireille. My father bowed in greeting.

I lowered myself into a curtsy and said, "Greetings, Your Majesties. My name is Avyanna. It is a pleasure to be given an opportunity to meet with you."

"Ah, Caelum! So, this is your daughter. You never told me she was this lovely. Such a young girl, yet your manners are perfect. At this rate, you will be considered the belle of Etherea once you debut!" King Caesar praised, smiling at me.

"You are too generous," my father replied, his head still bowed.

"Caelum, I have told you time and time again to stop being so formal when speaking with me. It is only us here. Do not forget that we graduated from the Academy together. And do not be so harsh on your daughter. She is still young," the king chastised, turning his attention back to me. "Lady Avyanna, you truly are a jewel amongst stones."

"Your words flatter me, Your Majesty," I acknowledged, "I do believe I could never hold a candle to Her Majesty. Her grace is widely known, I still have much to learn."

King Caesar chuckled and the corners of his eyes wrinkled. Good, this was going well so far. I glanced to Queen Mireille. Her eyes followed my every movement. As a former princess of the Démencian Empire, she most likely always kept her guard up. Especially around my father. Our countries had fought hundreds of times since our founding, and our families had history together. It appeared that even generations later, there was still a sense of distrust and hate. I could tell from the icy gaze behind her soft smile.

"Yes, well I will not have you waste your youth away in our presence," King Caesar began, chuckling. "My son is awaiting you in the Lapis Room. I do hope you are patient with him. He is a bit unrefined, but with the guidance of someone as elegant as you, I have no doubt he will become a stellar prince."

The corner of Queen Mireille's lip twitched and the icy gaze she hid hardened. I didn't dare comment. Instead, I bowed deeply and backed out of the room. Once the doors closed behind me, I let out the breath I was holding. Years had passed since our initial meeting, but I still felt like I was suffocating under the eyes of the queen.

Jerome appeared at my side, ready to escort me to my meeting with Prince Cade. I nodded to the knights standing guard outside the throne room and turned to follow the young butler. The Lapis Room was one of the many tea rooms within the palace, used strictly by Prince Cade. I had been there countless times before, especially since it became my primary location for tea once we had been married.

My hands started shaking as we walked through the halls. I could hear the roar of my heartbeat the closer we got. In the weeks that passed since I woke up here, I'd been dreading this moment. The thought of seeing the prince was enough to bring on a panic attack such as this. Just as I had before, I dug my nails into my palms as a distraction. These days, it seems to be the only thing effective in calming me.

My heels clicked against the stone tiles underfoot. They would have been silent had I been paying attention. But as I neared the Lapis Room, my palms began to sweat. If I went to the meeting, nothing would change. My engagement with Prince Cade would go through as it had before, and my best chance at altering the future would be lost. Yet, if I didn’t go to the meeting, my family could be punished for offending the royal family. It was an impossible decision.

"Jerome, please tell His Highness I will be arriving in a moment. I need to.. freshen up."

The excuse was lacking, but Jerome nodded, nonetheless. I watched him turn the corner and waited a few seconds before glancing around. There were no quick escapes. This was the second floor of the palace without any quick access to the outside. If I were to linger within the halls, people would notice me. If I was going to make this escape, I needed to figure out a way off this floor. My gaze swept past the windows. Then, I stopped and turned back.

Outside one of the large windows was a massive tree. Its branches reached high and far. One such branch nearly extended all the way to the palace. It loomed just shy of a balcony. If I had to, I could probably make the jump and either drop or climb down. It was a gamble. But so was everything I was already trying. It gave me a way out. The only issue came in reaching it.

I glanced down the hall. No one. Crossing the hall, I pressed a hand to the glass panes of the window and looked down to the garden below. Again, no one. If I was going to do this, it had to be now. Without a second thought, I shot down the hall. The only sound came from the near silent clicks of my heels on the stone. I slipped through a door and found myself in an empty salon. Rushing out to the balcony, I once again swept my eyes through the garden before focusing on the branch in front of me.

From my new angle, the branch looked much closer. Still, it would take quite a jump to make it. Thankfully, that wouldn't be an issue. I stepped back until I stood at the doors. Taking a slow breath, I stared forward and began to sprint. My feet left the ground, landing for just a second on the railing before launching me again into the air. Fate smiled upon me and I didn't drop to the ground. My fingers curled around the branch. However, the rest of me still hung suspended in space.

Breathe, I thought to myself, lift your body onto the branch. It will support you.

Drawing in a breath, I looped one arm around the branch. Unfortunately for me, there was one small factor I forgot to take into account. My arm strained as I tried to lift myself up. Since I was ten years younger, I didn't have the luxury of the ten years of training from my previous life. Which meant I didn't have the strength either. Instead, I hung awkwardly from the tree, my legs swinging in open air.

This is not good, I thought, panic flooding through me. I cannot pull myself up, and if I were to fall, I am not entirely sure I can escape injury. What do I do?

"Are you alright up there, dear lady?"

I froze. My heart leapt into my throat, hammering. How did someone manage to approach me without my knowledge? I had been occupied, yes, but that wasn't an excuse. Father trained me to point someone out in the busiest of streets and I could do that blindfolded. This was different. The only distraction here was maintaining my hold on the branch. No one should have been able to approach me, not even my father. Women had lighter footsteps, so if someone who was trained specifically for stealth had approached me, perhaps they could have succeeded. But, from the sound of the voice, they were male. So, who?

Suddenly, my hand slipped. My weight concentrated in one spot caused the branch to lurch down, sending my heart careening even higher into my throat. With my other hand clinging for life, I struggled to get the second back on the branch. I had no control over my body. If I were to fall, I would certainly break something. I needed to gain back some control. Then, maybe I would be able to escape this situation with little more than wounded pride.

"Let go."

I laughed, despite myself, "Let go? You must be mad. Surely, I would break my legs if I were to drop from this height. I will stay right here, thank you, sir."

A resounding c***k drew my attention. From the strain of holding me up, the branch began to bow. A c***k snaked its way along the surface of the bark. I could only imagine the internal damage. The bark was the weakest part of the tree, especially in one as old as this, so it made sense that it would be the first to break. But I knew the branch wouldn't last much longer.

"My lady, that branch is bowing far too much to be safe for much longer. Should you hold on for any longer, you will break something much more important than a leg. Just trust me. Let go."

Trust him? Not likely. A Rhosyn's trust was earned, not given without cause. That was how we had thrived for so long. We placed our trust in no one, save for each other, and the oath we had with the royal family. Or so it had been drilled into my head. With my current situation looking bleaker by the second, I didn't have much of a choice. I knew he was right. If I was still holding onto this branch and it broke, I would have no control over my fall. Likely, I would break an arm or even c***k my skull on the stone walkway below.

I called down to the boy addressing me, "Know that I am making this decision based purely on necessity, not because I trust you."

The boy laughed and shouted something at me, but I ignored him. I stared at the c***k, watching as it grew wider. Taking a deep breath, I uncurled my fingers. I dropped like a rock and the branch snapped back as the excess weight was relieved. Despite all my training stating otherwise, I squeezed my eyes shut. If I was going to fall to the ground, I didn't want to see it coming. But the ground never came. Instead, my fall was short-lived as something else caught me. It didn't hurt.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. It appeared the reason my fall resulted in little than maybe a bruise was because of the boy who now held me in his arms. I stared up at him, my heart still hammering in my chest from the adrenalin. My gaze caught two azure eyes, sparkling with silent laughter.

"Now, was that so hard?" he asked, grinning.

The smug smile on his face made my blood boil. My composure faltered as I glared at the boy. He may have caught me, but that changed nothing about the fact that he was infuriating. I didn't have any patience left to hold back my emotions. He lowered me to the ground and as soon as my feet were beneath me again, I turned on him.

"You must be mad!" I exclaimed, patting down the wrinkled fabric of my dress. "Telling me to let go like that, absurd! If I were anyone else, we both could have been injured!"

His grin growing wider, the boy sang, "I believe what you meant to say is 'thank you for saving me'. To which I say: it was my pleasure, dear lady."

I huffed. He was obviously a member of the royal army from his white tunic and the crest of the Etherean family painted over his heart. But I couldn't remember a knight like him. None of them would take this kind of attitude with a lady who so obviously came from a noble family.

"No matter," the boy said, straightening as he now looked me over, "since it appears you are uninjured, who are you? What are you doing in the palace gardens?"

Panic shot through me. Of course, he would be asking that.

"I am the daughter of d-" I cut myself off, deciding instead to say, "I am a guest of His Majesty, King Caesar. I was in the Emerald Salon and fell from the balcony."

The knight raised an eyebrow and looked up to the balcony. It was a stretch. No one in their right mind would believe that I had fallen from the balcony. However, I prayed that since I mentioned I was the king's guest, he would let it go.

"If I were to believe you, I still have one question. You are obviously a lady of noble standing, yet you seemed almost comfortable clinging to that tree," the knight began. "It was almost as if you had done it many times before. Please, excuse me if I am incorrect, but I was unaware that tree climbing was part of a lady's education these days."

His lip shook, giving away the smile he so desperately tried to hide. My eyes narrowed. Forget etiquette. I was a duke's daughter with higher social standing than nearly everyone in the kingdom. If this boy wanted to poke the beast, he would get exactly what he wished for. Perfect etiquette had gotten me nowhere in my previous life. Why should I adhere to it now? Yet, as I opened my mouth to retort, I was cut off.

"Allow me to escort you back to His Majesty. I am sure he is beside himself wondering where you have gone. The last I heard, he just finished speaking with Duke Rhosyn. He must be looking for you now."

A sharp look from the knight told me that I should not push my luck. I closed my mouth and simply nodded. My goal in this life was to make more allies, not enemies. If I allowed myself to disregard all etiquette, I surely would have unleashed the worst of my temper on this boy. Neither one of us would benefit from that. With a deep breath, I followed the boy as he led the way out of the gardens. All I needed to do was endure the five to ten-minute walk back to the throne room. Then we would go our separate ways, and if I was lucky, never see each other again.

Thankfully, the boy seemed to have exhausted his topics of conversation. We walked in complete silence. It gave me ample time to think. First and foremost, I needed to come up with a genuine excuse for why I didn't meet with Prince Cade. King Caesar was understanding, but only to an extent. Even he wouldn't accept that I wanted to avoid this meeting more than anything without a proper explanation. And that was something I didn't have.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice as we approached the throne room once again. Nor did I notice the deep bows each of the knights gave us as we passed. My mind was too preoccupied coming up with a viable reason for having to depart from the palace much sooner than planned. Yet, I was interrupted as the knight cleared his throat. I looked at him in surprise.

"We have arrived, dear lady. While our time together was brief, I have come to enjoy your company. I hope we meet again sometime soon. And allow me to offer a piece of advice." He grinned and lowered his voice to a whisper, "I would avoid balconies for the time being. You never know when you might fall from one."

My hands clenched into fists, my arms tight against my side. I opened my mouth again to retort, but just stood there, unable to form words. With a laugh, the boy walked away, waving over his shoulder. Before my pent-up frustration could expel itself, I took several deep breaths and thought about the consequences of my actions should I decide to vent my anger. Likely, imprisonment. That thought was enough to cool me down a bit, but I still glared in the direction the knight had disappeared. He hoped to meet again soon. Ha! Not likely. I would do everything within my power to make sure that didn't happen.

Little did I know that meeting set forth a series of events that I would come to regret.