Crowns and Daggers- Completed

Seven.

I stood, looking out over the gardens, waiting for Stephen. We had Bash as an escort to make sure nothing happened, my fathers demand if I was ever to speak to a boy. Company. Even if it was just a friend. 

"Sorry it took me so long. Chris was being a royal pain." I turned and smiled at him. 

"I'm not saying a word." I laughed and he held his hand out, letting me set the pace and direction for our stroll. 

Since Christopher's cock up, I'd made sure upon my return to keep my friendship with Stephen as it had been. We only spoke when he was here now, but we always made a point to spend an hour talking about life, filling each other in and keeping our friendship alive in some bizarre sense. 

"Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to obviously." 

"Of course." I nodded as we both looked at the floor where our feet were slowly stepping. 

"What happened with you and Chris. I don't remember much but I've heard you both used to be really close and now you're slitting his throat?" 

"Oh my- it was a scratch. I barely cut him. He deserved it anyway. I told him to get his hand off me and he didn't. He's lucky I didn't scream. My father would have had a lot worse done to him." 

"Yeah he would have." He nodded quickly. "But that doesn't explain that hate you both have for each other." 

"What has he told you happened?" 

"That you went to the nunnery for a year and came back hating him." I let out a single ha. Of course he hasn't told the full story. 

"So he didn't tell you that he kissed me? Or that he then ran around court telling everyone I kissed him and I was boy mad?" Stephen's eyes went wide. "Yeah I was shipped off to the nunnery to make sure I stayed 'with god' until I get married." 

"Wait- I'm confused." 

"Yeah so was I." 

"He kissed you?" 

"He did. But he told everyone I kissed him. So I was locked in a nunnery for 18 months. Have you ever been to a nunnery?" He shook his head. "You're lucky. It's as close to prison as you can get without actually being incarcerated. Every Sunday from midnight to midnight, you're not allowed to say a single word. The clothes are itchy wool. They're poorly maintained too so leaky roofs and freezing in winter. I got really sick the winter I was there. Death bed sick with the cold. That's the only reason I came home that summer, they were worried it would happen again if I stayed any longer." 

"I didn't know." He shook his head. 

"Oh no, it's fine. I don't have an issue with you. You didn't lie and get me locked in there, he did." 

"Hence the-" 

"Always having a knife on me if he tries to get to close." 

"He said you stabbed him last year." Stephen snickered and I smiled, showing teeth. 

"I did. He deserved it then too." 

"I didn't know you had such- I mean." 

"You didn't think I'd stab someone right? Pretty princess needs a strong man to protect her?" He looked at me and I smiled. "Big brute back there is only here to protect everyone else from me, not the other way around." Bash laughed and I turned to face him, narrowing my eyes which made Stephen laugh too. I chuckled as we reached the big dome band stand. 

We stepped up the steps and I sat down, he sat opposite me, keeping enough space so people knew it was only friendship. We didn't need any rumours on this either. 

"I am a lot more individual than I look. I know most princesses are very-" 

"Prissy?" 

"I was going to say cookie cutter. But sure. Prissy works." I smiled. "I'm not. I have my secrets." 

"Oh go on." He urged, sitting a little more comfortably. 

"Nope. I'm not telling you for you to run it back to Christopher so he can blurt it to everyone and get me sent to the nunnery for life." I smiled. "How are you anyway?" 

"I'm good. Thanks for asking. Not a lot going on. Just classes still combat training, Latin, French Spanish, the list goes on." I nodded. 

"Music, reading, writing, then there's all the legal things too." 

"Right?" He exclaimed. He looked a little run down. "It's a lot." 

"I'd say it gets easier but it definitely doesn't. You just work out how to fit it all in and still have time for hobbies. Or your work becomes a hobby and you do it for 3 hours without a break." I laughed. 

"Oh yeah. Are your hands sore from that?"

"I thought I had broken my hands. They were so bad last night I could barely sleep." I nodded looking at them. "They feel better now though."  I looked at the clock at the end of the courtyard. "I should probably get back to preparations for tonight. It's been wonderful catching up with you Stephen." I stood up and dusted my dress off. 

"You also Ana. Take care." I took Bash's hand as he helped me down the stairs. I smiled back at Stephen before turning my head back and walking alongside Bash. 

It was silence until we were well out of earshot. 

"Well he's not like his brother." 

"Not one bit. He's sweet. Still a little immature though. I hope he grows up soon. His family will be wanting to get him into the world after his next birthday next month and then he'll essentially be on his own. I can't imagine him alone right now. He's like my little brother. I feel really protective of him." Bash pulled my arm, stopping me from walking into- Of course. 

"Lost in your head again princess?" He bowed. Not needing to be pushed to it now. He was staring into my eyes now. 

"No I was actually saying how I hope Stephen doesn't turn out like you. Anyway-" I turned my head, breaking his eye contact with me. "I have things to do and I don't have time to stand and listen to you waffle on about nonsense as always." I turned and walked away, keeping my head held high and shoulders back.  I hope he was watching me leave. 

I wonder if he was. 

Don't look. He'll think you want to know. 

I couldn't help it.

I looked over my shoulder. His brows were scrunched, stood in the empty hallway, hands by his side, shoulders low. I hadn't seen this look on his face before. Confusion? Weakness? Perplexed? I couldn't pin point it. It was a combination of a whole host of different things. I think he was as confused as I was with it. 

I spun back around after a second, furrowing my brow. Now I was intrigued.