Silvus

I found out that the man Sebastion had been arguing with was none other than the glorious Henchman. Casually perched up against the wall of the small room that led towards the dungeon. Apparently Sebastion had been trying to break into the dungeons to make sure that I was alright. He still had not been made completely aware of the situation other than that Aspin had betrayed us and I was hurt. So after explaining what had happened at the Manor, and telling Sebastion once again it was his fault, Drake offered us to go into a private room where we could discuss our possible new findings. So led us through this huge palace that, quite honestly was to big for me to remember.

The hallways and corridors all looked the same. White walls with fancy gold trimmings, elegant gold swirling patterns crawled their way up the walls and halfway through the ceiling. It was so pretty, that even I couldn't pull my eyes away from them. Every window had white curtains tied separately from the center, keeping them pulled back and exposing them to the outside Kingdom. Even the Kingdom outside was so elegant with white tall, short, and even long buildings. It truly looked like cities. A single Sky Scraper stood out the most to me. It had a fancy triangle shaped roof with a clock. The color seemed repetitive, but it was still the prettiest thing I had ever seen still.

The people below the windows would slowly walk by in their long billowing dresses with strapping young men on their arms. Fancy dressed people must be part of the castle. Nobles, Councilmen, guards, they where just so pretty. Even Guards with their polished shiny armor, their white and gold tunics. The Eastern Kingdom was always known for their elegance and tunics, so it made sense why they would hold such high standards for their high society as well. I mean high standards where not one single noblewoman could have a single blemish, scar, or any other means of wear and tear. If you did you where highly looked down on. Such standards should never exist, but they do here.

I looked towards Drake who was walking with such poise and grace that he seemed to fit in well here. Although I know for a fact that he is not without his marks. Did the Nobles here know about his scars? Did they look down upon him? They must not if Drake was such good friends with them. I wonder how they met and became such good friends? I mean after all these people here where humans and Drake was not. The relationship between the two is vastly weird yet intriguing because it would seem that Drake would have many enemies here because of how much power he actually holds.

Drake's eyes flicked to mine as we walked down the hallway and he smiled. His teeth where bright under his lips, they where enough to make my face turn slightly red. He chuckled softly before turning forward. The smile was still present on his face as he walked. It warmed me inside that I was the reason for that smile. Not that I did anything to deserve such a wonderful thing. It wasn't something I was use to, his genuine feelings. Normally I was looked down upon because I was seen as a woman, and woman where always seen as objects. But he was different. He never stared down his nose at me, more or less he treated me like an equal.

"Drake!" A shrill voice called out from behind. The smile from his face dropped and became neutral. Irritation flickered in his eyes as he gave a small short sigh and stopped walking. Argus bent towards him and whispered something to him while Drake turned on his heel and down towards the hallway. I raised an eyebrow at his reaction before turning down the hallway to see who the intruder was that made him so annoyed. It was a beautiful lady. Her hair was a light brown with dolled up curls and sad puppy dog eyes. Her eyes where slightly slanted and shone brightly like she had been recently crying. Ribbons tied upon her head kept her hair from bouncing all over the place as she ran towards our group.

She wore a pink silk dress that dragged on the floor as she ran. She was forced to pick up the skirt of the dress so she wouldn't trip over it. Her skin was so white and so delicate that even I envied her. She was in such pristine condition that she would be considered gorgeous. My arms, legs, and my entire body was marred with scars from battles won, lost, and just because I was a favorite toy. They only thing outstanding on my body, where my piercing green jade eyes that shone so brightly even under the worst of circumstances. The only thing I prided myself on.

"This is Silvus Grange. She is the youngest daughter of the King and Queen. So while she is present, please do no insult her highness." Drake whispered under his breath as she approached us, arms out to her side as she tossed her self at Drake. I could feel the blood rising in my veins, turning into a soft boil at her abrupt contact. What was she thinking, tossing her self at Drake.

"Drake you have finally come back! I have been waiting for you for such a long time!" She cooed to him as she stayed tightly embraced to him. Her arms jailing him to her as he just sat there and gently patted her head. Sebastion and I shared an annoyed look before composing out faces. She sounded so clingy and desperate that it even irritated us.

"Princess Silvus, this is really no way for a noble lady as yourself to act. Dry your tears milady." He pulled a silver hanker chief from his pants pocket and passed it to her. She accepted it with a gracious smile before daintily dabbing her eyes. Her cheeks where puffed slightly from crying as she pulled entirely away from Drake. I watched the two intently, waiting to see if there emotions would express their current relationship, but Drake was as stoic as ever.

"I've missed you so much though. You make things run so smoothly here and mother and father always seem to be in better moods when you arrive. I seriously think that you should-" Drake sighed and cut her off with a hand to her mouth. I stiffened at his abrupt behavior, waiting for her to get mad at him and call for the guards. But it never came, she just sat there looking slightly wounded.

"I am a very busy man right now. If you don't mind Princess I will take my leave. We can discuss such things later." The Princess cast her head down in as a sign of defeat and nodded, her curls bouncing left and right on her head. She then turned to each of us and realized that she had an audience. Her face flushed as she turned on her heel and silently left. I watched her with a raised eyebrow before turning to Drake. But he turned back down the hall without making a remark.

"What was that all about?" The irritation was evident in my voice and I couldn't help but curse myself silently. That didn't stop the amused smirk that appeared on Drake's lips. He was clearly entertained that I felt angry toward the situation.

"Don't worry about it, I will have it taken cared of by tonight. Right now I will show you to your rooms so you can rest." Something about the sentence unsettled me, and I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't tell me what that whole scene was about, or if he said that we both needed rooms. Did that mean I was not going to be sleeping with Drake after all? Nor was I going to be in the same room as Sebastion?

"I get my own room?" I could even hear the my own unease in my voice. I hadn't slept by myself since my parents passed away. Ever since then it was always Sebastion. Being in a new area and separated didn't settle well with me either.

"Do you not want your own room? That can be arranged." I Drake mused as he cast a wink over his shoulder. I heard Sebastion stifle a laugh and I couldn't help but punch him in response. He grunted, but still laughed under his breath. I sighed and crossed my arms across my chest with unease.

"It's not like that. After yesterday's attack and now being in a new place with new people, it's just uncomfortable to be alone. I have no doubts I could handle another ambush, but I would just feel more comfortable if someone was there with me." Best not let Drake know that I secretly got my hopes up because I really thought he and I would be sharing the same bed. Maybe my aggressive display turned him off and he was now rethinking his life choices.

"I understand your concern Aria. Sebastion's room is right across from mine so you can stay in there if you would like. And if you really get lonely," He stopped walking to turn on me, his hand gently gripping my chin. I could feel my face burning under his touch. His eyes flashed with amusement to my response. "You can always come next door." He winked at me. My heart was now pounding deafly in my ears, my legs where froze to the ground and I couldn't force myself to walk or even pull away. All I could see was him and his dark blue eyes.

Sebastion cleared his throat awkwardly, pulling away Drake's attention. Chuckling, he dropped my face and continued to once again walk down the hallway. Sebastion passed an uneasy glance towards Drake's back as he followed. I took an uneasy step behind Drake as I fell back in line behind him. His touch still burning on my face. What was this bastard doing to me? Never had I ever been so unglued around a man before, and despite my earlier resolve, I was falling back under his charming thumb. Maybe I was really just tired and needed another nap. Yeah that had to be it.

With a stroke of good luck, Drake peeled down another hallway and he gait seemed to slow down as we approached numerous doors. Each was a solid dark oak door, and just like the rest of the Palace, not a mark on it. Drake gestured to a door on the right as he came to a halt and told Sebastion and I that we would be sleeping in there. But to myself I told him that only Sebastion would be sleeping in there. I loved my brother, but Drake did things for me mentally that my brother never could. That mostly included the cuddles that I appreciated when I was with Drake.

"Before you two go off to bed, why don't we have a quick chat about what we discussed down in the dungeon." Drake waved us into his room as he opened the door and we all kind of filtered in. With a snap of Drake's fingers, the torches in the room lit up and I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. It was so beautiful. Like everything else, the walls where white with gold trim, same patterns on the wall like the rest if the palace. But what really made me in awe, was the giant bath that sat in a circle on the floor. The water was so clean that it sparkled. It steamed gently, the vapors swirling and twisting elegantly in the air. The room was so large that there was a single pillar in the middle of the room. A small green vine plant wound it's way up and around, reaching towards the ceiling.

Across from the pool and all the way to the left, was a massive king sized four poster bed. White sheets and thick blankets sat ready and made on top of what I assumed, was the fluffiest mattress I was ever about to lay on. The floor was made up of the shiniest granite that I ever laid my eyes of. It was freshly polished, all blemishes cleaned away for Drake's arrival. A single massive glass door sat next to the pool, and opened up to a large balcony. It over looked the Kingdom below, giving it such a magical look. A chair quietly squealed from my right and pulled my eyes away from the magical view.

A large oak table sat to the left, littered with documents and ink. Surrounding the table was six wooden chairs with soft plush cushions. They where so soft it looked like you would just sink into and fall through a cloud. A hand wrapped around my waist and I looked up in surprise. Drake pulled me against his chest, his chin resting upon my head. I could feel my heart flutter at his touch, the intimate feeling stirring those loving feelings in my once again.

"Are you tired my little rose?" He cooed to me quietly. I leaned my back against his chest and just melted against him. My eyes involuntarily closing against his warmth. I wasn't tired, at least not at that moment. I was content, happy that despite everything that happened, he was there with me. I just shook my head in response. He planted a gentle kiss on the top of my head before pulling away, leaving his warmth behind while he joined the others at the table. I listened to them chatter while I walked to the glass door. I couldn't help stare out over the kingdom, the lights of each building twinkling alive in the darkness. Such beauty was captivation and calming. Even I, a marred star in the night sky, felt like I could shine so brightly here. Regardless of how dim my light may be, I still could feel that glimmer of hope, that maybe everything will be alright.