Chapter 5

There's a certain sense of familiarity when Crecylla wanders around the castle walls now. She feels more calm, more at home, and less like she's out in a foreign kingdom. She's grateful that her future in laws weren't too angry at her for wanting to bake something from her homeland, and that they didn't ban her from the kitchen.

Cyrus wakes up with a migraine, and he's sure that his shifting period was coming soon. Whether that be today or tomorrow, he didn't know, and he didn't want anyone to find out. He sends a servant to let his parents know, and the castle gates are closed for the next three days. He could only hope that his fiancée wouldn't find out.

Crecylla is beyond confused when a servant calls her back inside. The weather wasn't turning bad or anything, why did she need to go back? So imagine her dismay when she wasn't allowed to visit the tower from the first day either. She sighs, and wanders to see if there was anything else she could busy herself with. When she's met with the sight of Cyrus' study, she opts to clean up a bit for him. She grabs the sticky notes, and she puts her books in piles. Each pile neatly topped off with a yellow sticky notes with the books in the stack.

Cyrus is in pain, he feels himself heat up like normal, and his body begins to get antsy. He wasn't horny no, he was shifting. His tower was safe for the time being, and he could only hope that Sirius could keep Crecylla out of the tower long enough for him to fly out. He didn't mind her seeing him shift, it was just, he feared that she could call off the wedding and cause commotion. His parents had told him that she wasn't the type of person to do that, but he could never be too cautious.

Crecylla feels the obvious heat that radiates through the castle, the sun was out, and she was under the ac, yet for some odd reason she wasn't feeling any cooler than before. She wanders around the halls, and when no one's paying attention, she heads outside. It's significantly cooler outside, and she wonders why they had to lock her back up inside. She wanders through the flower garden, and spots a bird up in the sky. She grins, and she settles down in the middle of the field for leisure.

Cyrus could spot the girl from a mile away. Her midnight hair was hard to miss in an empire of lighter haired individuals. So when he sees the girl sitting in the middle of the field, he was to resist the urge to fly down and greet her. She would have to forgive him for ignoring her.

Crecylla takes notice of the bird. It's golden, and it almost resembles a flying sun in the sky. So she guesses that it was a phoenix, perhaps a common one since it's colors were a brilliant sunset. She stops herself from cooing at the bird and having it land on her, and she settles for watching it fly around. If the royals were worried about her contacting an animal as hot as that, then they were mistaken. She had a hellsfire phoenix at home that she wasn't allowed to bring over. Heat was no big issue for her.

Cyrus feels his body temperature drop slightly, and he flies back to the tower. He would have to have his parents forgive Crecylla for sneaking out to see the commotion. He puts on his clothes once he's sure that his temperature is normal, and he wanders back to his room for the day. He would need some rest after everything today.

Crecylla sneaks into the castle once she's sure no one is left. She wanders to her room, and tries her best to not make any noise with the huge doors. She lets out a sigh of relief once she's inside and safe. She realizes that a bath had been drawn. She lets her body sink into the fragrant water, and she lets out a breathy moan. She was way more tense than she had realized. She floats in the water aimlessly, and she hums when she realizes that the feather had belonged to the bird.

Cyrus' bath is cold, it's filled to the brim with ice, and it helps lower his temperature from when he had shifted. His muscles tense in the water, and he can't help but miss the masseur they used to have in the castle. His parents had chased her out after finding out that they had fallen in love. He wasn't keen on the marriage with Crecylla, and he wasn't exactly expecting anything from it either. He would get married, and then appoint her as his mistress, simple.

Crecylla leaves the bath with dread in her heart. She knows he doesn't love her, and that this was only for the treaty. She would just be there, have a child, and then he'd be off with a handful of mistresses. That was the royal life, marriage, children, and heartbreak. Her mother had to go through all of that, and it was no surprise that she would have to as well. Her heart is heavy, and in the only coping mechanism she has, she plays her piano. Perhaps her heart would be soothed.

The first thing the castle notices about the piano tonight was the angsty feeling that came with it. There's a drowning feeling of melancholy, and a couple people let out a few tears. The queen recognizes the feeling and can only sigh. There was a lot that came with castle things, one of which was betrayal.

Cyrus is unable to focus on his book, the sound of the piano is soft, but forceful enough to cause him to be weary. He wonders if Crecylla had overheard him thinking about taking the girl back as a mistress. He shakes his head in disproval, there was no way she could read his mind.

Crecylla makes her song short today, it's to keep the castle lively, but just enough to show some emotion. Her heart is heavy with sadness, and she logs her diary for the day. She was just another pawn in the game, she could only gain power if she could reach the end of the board and upgrade. She would make it there soon, the treaty was already nearing the end of the board. Marriage was always a struggle for political power after all.