Terrin woke to Elurra nudging him with a knife in her hand. Her eyebrows were drawn together in an irritable expression, and she was demanding he roll over. He screamed and fell off the bed. Her eyes weren’t golden, but he figured he was safer on the floor than near her with a knife.
“Terrin, what—oh,” she said, looking down at the knife with a sheepish grin.
“What on Incari are you doing with that?” he demanded, his voice cracking despite his best intentions. He ran his fingers through his hair, and his eyes widened incredulously. He scrambled to his feet and charged toward the looking glass on the far wall.
“Not yet! Wait until I am done!”
He spun around, completely astonished. “You were cutting my hair while I was sleeping?”
“That was not the original plan, but I could not bear to wake you. You looked so peaceful,” she said innocently.
Terrin glared at her for a few seconds, but then he slumped his shoulders and plopped down on the bed.
“Princess Elurra, you’re going to be the death of me. Don’t make me look like a ruffian this time.” Terrin grimaced as he watched chunks of black hair fall to the floor.
A few minutes later, she announced, “All done. Now you may look.”
He rushed to see his reflection. Compared to the last time, there was a marked improvement. In fact, he looked almost presentable.
“I’m actually impressed,” he admitted.
As he turned back to her, he was momentarily blinded by the setting sun through the window. The walls were a yellowish-orange, and the setting sun made everything glow.
“Would you like to accompany me to the library?” Elurra asked abruptly.
“That depends on how dangerous this endeavor is going to be. Do we have to crawl through any windows? If that’s the case, I think we might need your entire guard to assist us.” She lightly punched his arm and pouted.
“We can use the front door this time.”
“Glad to hear it. What are we looking for?”
“Two things,” she said as they left his room. “First, information on Tipet. Royal history, the castle, the land, and anything else that might be useful. I would rather know what we will be dealing with.”
Elurra stopped for a moment at a fork in the hallway, peered both ways, sniffed the air, shrugged, and picked a direction. Terrin hoped she knew where they were going, although he had his doubts.
“The second thing I hope to find but doubt I will. I want a spell book, but I have no idea how the king feels about that sort of thing. It really does depend on the monarch, you know.”
Terrin nodded. They were both used to gathering data from books, although Terrin had a suspicion that they would find it difficult to find information on magic and Demons. She aimlessly turned another corner with a shrug. Terrin wished he’d paid more attention to their wandering because he had no idea how to get back to his room. She closed her eyes and spun around in a circle, then randomly pointed and opened her eyes again. She charged down the corridor she selected, confirming Terrin’s growing misgivings.
“Snow, do you have any idea where the library is?”
“Nope. My assumption is we have to get there sometime,” she said brightly. Terrin sighed.
“Do you even know if it’s on this floor?”
“It could be,” she answered, swerving down a different passage. He trudged after her. She took two more rights and a left haphazardly.
“If we keep going, we might never be found again. We’ll waste away, and no one will ever find our bodies.”
“Aha! Told you I would find it!” she called triumphantly as she turned another corner.
To Terrin’s absolute shock, two intricately carved wooden doors stood in front of them. A plaque labeling the library was set into the wall to the left. Snow reached forward and gently touched the worn images painstakingly etched into the surface. They stood in awe for a few moments before Terrin braced himself against the doors and pushed. They swung open silently, and a huge room stretched before them. Walking inside was like stepping into another world. Light glimmered down from the skylight, which spanned the length of the room. The number of books residing inside could fill the Flor Sea.
“Can I help you?” a voice asked. They turned and saw an old man with curly white hair and gray eyes. He was very short and walked with a slight limp, but his eyes were kind and bright.
“We are looking for a few things,” Elurra told him before rattling off her list.
The old man smiled and nodded, then led them through the maze of towering bookshelves. Terrin was astounded anyone could navigate the huge room with such efficiency and ease. Within minutes, the man found all the books they needed.
“Enjoy!” he said cheerfully as he left them at a small reading table. They exchanged awestruck glances and sat down. Terrin couldn’t even see over the stack of books.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“This place is breathtaking,” Elurra gasped happily.
Terrin nodded and cracked open a historical book on Tipet while she picked out a book on simple, everyday spells. She blew on the dusty cover and burst into a fit of coughing.
“These are really old. I wonder if they have books on Demons and Guardians,” she asked.
“Of course we do, mi’lady.”
Terrin jumped and turned around with a jolt. He hadn’t heard anyone walk up, but a youth around their physical age was standing behind them, his eyes focused on Elurra.
“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” he added.
“We only arrived today. I am Elurra, and this is Terrin,” she said formally. He didn’t even glance at Terrin.
“Nice to meet you. I am Tran. I work here as an apprentice,” he said as he bowed at the waist. “If you follow me, I will show you where the books on ancient mythical creatures are.” He extended his arm, and Elurra accepted it.
“That sounds wonderful. Terrin, stay here and find out as much as you can about Tipet.” Terrin glared as they vanished into the forest of books.
I’m not your pet. You can’t tell me to stay, he thought angrily. He quietly pushed back his chair and followed behind them. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the sound of Elurra’s laugh made him even grumpier. He didn’t like Tran’s aura, and as the princess’s guard, it was his duty to protect her from any kind of threat. He watched them stop and chat about something. She nodded and gave Tran a smile.
“Why yes, random guy I just met, I would love to marry you. Let’s have seven kids and name our first son Brighettine,” Terrin murmured in a high mimic of Elurra’s voice.
“That sounds marvelous, attractive girl I decided to court one minute ago. Why don’t I get a suit and meet you in the ballroom? We can have one of the grubby pirates you brought along be our priest,” he mouthed for Tran in a deeper voice as the library assistant responded to Elurra with a smile on his face.
“That sounds lovely! By the way, I am only eleven. Does that age difference matter to you?”
“Why of course not, as long as you don’t mind that I’m about as intelligent as a dung beetle,” Terrin muttered mockingly. Tran picked that moment to lean against a bookshelf and flip his hair. Despite his mood, Terrin couldn’t help but grin. Elurra giggled again and walked past the assistant, who quickly took the lead and escorted her around a bookcase. Terrin debated whether to follow for a moment, then shrugged and tiptoed after them. He peeked around the corner and saw Tran reaching for a book right over Elurra’s head.
“This is it,” he said, his eyes never leaving her face, even though he should have been looking at whatever he was reaching for. Terrin couldn’t take it anymore. Tran was only two inches away from her, and his intentions were obvious.
Can’t she tell he’s flirting with her? he wondered, completely aghast. Tran had obviously misjudged her station, considering Elurra’s hair was still in a plain traveler’s braid, and she was wearing an Amorian peasant’s dress.
“Having any trouble reaching it? I might be able to help since I’m taller,” Terrin said smoothly as he stepped forward. Tran spun around and glared at him.
“I got it,” he said, a challenge in his voice.
Terrin took a few steps forward until he was nose to nose with the other boy. Tran took a step back and grabbed the book from the shelf. He shoved it in Terrin’s hands and turned his attention back to Elurra.
“Will I see you tonight?” he asked, deliberately ignoring Terrin.
“You will see her, but I believe Princess Elurra will be rather busy,” Terrin answered for her. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have things to do before we attend the ball being held in our honor.”
Tran’s eyes widened, and he looked uneasy for the first time.
“Oh, you are—oh. Do forgive my intrusion. I will leave you to your business then,” he said with a hasty bow. Snow immediately turned on Terrin and glared at him as soon as Tran was out of earshot.
“What on Incari has gotten into you? You did not have to be so rude,” she huffed, obviously displeased. Terrin looked at her in disbelief.
“Snow, I was doing you a favor.”
“What are you talking about? He was simply helping me find—”
“That right there was a lot of things, but helping you get a book wasn’t high on his list.” He tried his best to keep his temper in check, but he felt anger rising inside him. Her cheeks filled with color.
“Why do you have to assume everyone has dark intentions?” she demanded.
“Because most of them do, and he happened to be one of them!”
They glared at each other before she spoke again.
“I can take care of myself. I do not need you to protect me from everything.”
Terrin’s frustrations bubbled over. He dropped the book and clapped a hand over her mouth as he forced her against the huge bookcase. Her eyes widened in panic and alarm. With his free hand, he pinned her wrist against the wooden shelf and pressed his body against hers, restraining any attempts she made to escape. She squirmed and muffled yells of alarm and terror escaped through his fingers. Her eyes sparked with terror. He waited until her cries turned to muffled whimpers before pulling his hand away from her mouth.
“What are you doing to me? Let me go!” she squeaked, her face pale and drawn. Her protests were swallowed by the silence of the empty library. He gave her a hard stare until she quivered uneasily.
“Are you afraid?” he breathed. She nodded vigorously, her bottom lip trembling.
“Why are you doing this?”
He leaned in, until only a hair’s breadth separated them. His periwinkle eyes loomed before her.
“I have to make you understand something very important, so listen closely. The world is a dark place. There’s death and pain and lots of awful people who will do anything to get what they want, regardless of the cost. Not everyone is trustworthy, and you’ve been masquerading as a peasant for so long people have started mistaking you for one. Almost everyone thinks Elurra is dead. You have been for months, and that means you aren’t really protected by your status anymore. You need to stop being so oblivious and be more careful. I know you can read people, so do it. I can easily restrain you, and I’m not exactly an intimidating person when it comes to size and strength. What if someone was trying to hurt you? How hard do you think that would be?”
Her face hardened. “I can use magic. I can take care of myself. I could have you executed for acting this way. You have no right to treat me like this.” There was an edge to her voice. Terrin couldn’t believe she would threaten him like that.
“Would you seriously have me killed for trying to show you the obvious? You’re not the only one in Incari who can use magic, and you have practically no experience. I just want to keep you safe. You’re all grown up now. People see you differently in this body. You still look at the world through a privileged little girl’s eyes, but a lot of unsavory men can’t be trusted around the beautiful woman you’ve become. If you aren’t careful, one of them might try to take advantage of you,” Terrin said, cheeks flushing.
Elurra studied him for a long time without saying a word, a broad mix of emotions visible on her face.
“Do you think I would ever do anything to harm you?” he asked finally, his voice thick with feeling. She shook her head, her body relaxing visibly. He sighed and let her go. She immediately gave him a hug and muttered an apology. He wrapped his arms around her, startled by her sudden affection.
“I wish the world wasn’t forcing us to grow up so quickly, but that’s the way things are. I just want you to be more careful,” he whispered.
They clung to each other for a long moment before he reluctantly pulled away from her embrace, picked up the book, and left. His parting words still lingered in the air. By the time she returned to the table, he was gone. The Demon book left on the table was the only trace he’d been there.