Royally F**cked

XX : Vīgintī

Spring brought about summer, and it was almost unbearable to Lavinia. The heat was stifling and humid, a thin sheen of sweat clung to her at any moment of the day. The Solstice celebration was today, the Magic Tower having prepared for it almost a month in advance. She had personally never seen it before. But by the looks of it, it seemed like it would be as extravagant as the palace itself.

The streets were lined with floating lanterns, blooms of unnaturally coloured flowers lined the pathways. Fairy lights lined the market stalls, and all kinds of food stands were dotted about the place. Some of the food stalls contained produce made with magic, like tongue poppers which would fizzle in your mouth but then also give you the temporary ability to breathe fire. Thankfully the fire was more for show than anything.

Vendors lined the market with armfulls of 'forever flowers'. Lavinia gazed at them longingly as she walked past by the busy early morning preparations. They were said to last as long as the flower's recipient. Only dying when their owner too, died. Another name for them were 'The Lovers', kept alive by magic. It was rumoured that if someone gifted them to you, you would be bound together for life.

Momentarily she thought about Delvin. Shaking of the thought as soon as it came, it was thoughtless. The Queen's words rung echoed in her mind. Lavinia knew she shouldn't entertain the thought of being with him, yet her mind kept betraying her.

He had been busy, the type of busy that exhausted people to the bones yet forced them to get up again at a moment's notice. She'd barely seen the Prince, though, in passing he had promised to take her to the Solstice.

Maybe it was stupid, but secretly she had been looking forward to it ever since. Having purchased a new dress to wear on the day. It was a baby blue short dress, with long bell sleeves. It had cost her half her monthly wages. But it was worth it. Well, she hoped it would be anyways.

Lazily she walked over to the town's square, sitting down on the edge of the fountain there. She gazed at it over her shoulder, looking at the coins villagers had chucked into it.

If she tossed in a coin and wished, would her mother return?

Lavinia was interrupted from her reveries as a large hand clamped down on her shoulder. Instivtelly she jumped, swirling round in a snap to look at her attacker. A built man stood beside her, his pointer finger on his lips shushing her.

The stranger was wearing a large hood but at this angle she could see his face clearly. He had short, curly brown hair, deep obsidian eyes and a sharp angled nose. On his right ear dangled a blue tassel earring. It suited him handsomely.

He bent down closer to her, and she got the strange scent of citrus.

Was this?

"Delvin?" She accidentally shouted louder than she would have liked, in shock. He winced, shushing her more reverently. Lavinia looked around, to see most of the villagers staring right back at her. Her cheeks immediately flushed.

She gazed at the ground in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud," she apologised. Luckily most people didn't know the Prince by his name. And besides, he was clearly wearing a good disguise.

"What's with the get up? Did you dye your hair?" Lavinia questioned getting close up to his face, more intrigued with his appearance than she was to care about her earlier actions.

Gently she pulled a strand of it. Delvin hissed in response, lightly taking her hand in his own.

"It's magic, why would I dye my hair?" He accused, standing back up straight. The blue earring caught her eyes next, it was the exact same colour as the dress she was wearing. Her lips unintentionally lifted up to smirk. They matched. Letting go of his hand, she brought her own up to cradle the end of the earring.

"It suits you," She spoke barely above a whisper, but the answering smug smile told her he heard it all the same. This time, when Delvin brung her hand away from him, he clasped it tightly. Refusing to let go, he led her off through the buzzing market. People had begun to flood the streets, the bustle of noise made it hard to hear anything.

The smell of spices and sugar filled the air. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Lavinia had skipped breakfast in her excitement to see the Solstice. Delvin snorted beside her. "Hungry?" He mocked, tugging her over to one of the food stalls.

She elbowed him playfully, their hands still entangled. "Shut up," She bemoaned, not complaining when he slyly passed her a savoury pastry. Lavinia eyed it speculatively as Delvin gave the stall owner coins. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave her a look as if to say 'what?'.

"Is this going to make me breathe fire?" She questioned, it would be exactly liker Delvin to give her magical food as a prank. Delvin shook his head. "Am I going to fly?". All tension seemed to drain from the Prince's shoulders, as they shook from the weight of his laugh.

Delvin's crystal eyes softened, as he jokingly nudged her. "No, no it's not magic. It's just a savoury pastry," He explained, notioning for her to eat it. She did so, not before giving him one last cautionary look. Lavinia paused after one bite, waiting for something to happen.

It never did.

Greedily she scoffed down the rest as Delvin guided her some place else. The sun was blaring down on them, the noise of the crowds blocked out even the birds chirping. Food filled the street with warm aroma's.

And, for once, Lavinia was genuinely happy. She hadn't forgotten about her mother, nor the promise Delvin had made her. She'd planned to bring it up after the Solstice, when the man wasn't as busy as he was now. Ask if there was anything she could do to help. Take more initiative and go back to her family home to see if her mother had left any clues.

If she were honest, she'd been hiding from it. There was a small, but inevitably loud voice in the back of her brain that told her 'what if her mother had left just because' or 'maybe she really was just selfishly running from the debts she'd gotten in and shouldering it onto her daughter'.

The worst one was 'what if she left because of you'. Lavinia shook her head out of her musings.

Right now, she could enjoy the moment with Delvin. She didn't have to be anywhere but right here, right now. A small smile graced her lips as she covertly gazed at the man from the corner of her eyes.

It was a shame neither she or Delvin noticed the crowd of hooded men with embroidered swans following them. Maybe, if she had noticed nothing would have happened. No one would have died.

But, she didn't. 

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Authors Note: 

Hey guys sorry for the inconsistent updates! I've actually been pretty sick, but luckily its all being treated now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, id love to hear what you think <3 Thank you so much for your patience. 

Hope you guys are all well! 

Lots of love, 

Sam.E