Castle Thief {A Momojiro Tale}

Chapter 8

The stairs to the princesses floor in the secret passages squeaked obnoxiously, I hoped no one was listening especially carefully to the walls.

I knocked on the door, trying not to be feel threatened by the guards outside their large swords still sheathed, but no less intimidating.
     There was no response until I knocked again and called out, "Your highness?"
     The door swung open just barely avoiding slamming into my nose, "Kyouka!" the princess crowed, "come in come in!" grabbing me by the wrist and yanking me into her room, she smiled so radiantly I couldn't help but smile back.

The room I'd only cleaned that morning was cluttered with piles and piles of books. Every flat surface I could see had some form of paper ladened on top of it. What happened here?
"Um, your highness?"
"Hmm?"
She was already across the room picking up a heavy looking tome, "Do you need any help your highness?" I asked.
She flipped through it quickly before taking a look at the cover, "Agriculture..." she murmured, spinning around before spotting a towers of books similarly marked, "that goes here."
"Your highness?"
"Yes Kyouka?" She answered absentmindedly. Attempting to pull out another book from the bottom of the pile.
I rushed over to help, "Your highness!" I cried as the tower came crashing down around us despite my attempts to keep it still. She just harrumphed frustratedly and turned on her heel again to put the manual on top of what seemed to be the architecture column. "Where did all of these come from your highness?" I asked, frantically trying to stack the agriculture section back up.
"The library," she answered, "well, most of them did."
"Would you like any help?" I asked again,
"That's okay," she hummed, "I have a system."
I looked around at her "system" which seemed to be organized by topic. I picked up a stray volume and placed it as carefully as I could on the according tower, which tilted and swayed dangerously.

     By the fading light in the window I should be getting the princess ready for dinner soon. "Your highness?" I asked tentatively, "would you like me to help you get ready for dinner?"
"That's okay Kyouka, I'll have someone bring it up."
"Shall I bring it for you your highness?"
"No, I'll tell the guards outside." she murmured, clearly still lost in another book. She opened the door and quickly told the stuff looking guard outside to tell her father to eat dinner without her.

     I stood awkwardly by the window, "Do you want me to leave your highness?" I asked,
     She smiled at me, "No, come help me tidy up," she said, "I won't get anything else done today after all."
     "Of course your highness." I bowed as I'd been taught.

Minutes later we were walking down the halls, a stack of heavy volumes in our arms. She was going to bring them there herself but I couldn't have her carry them alone.
     "I know almost nothing about you than your name Kyouka," she said, "won't you tell me something about yourself? It's not a long walk to the library."
     "What would you like to know your highness?"
     "Anything you would tell me."
     I hesitated, "I'm not quite sure where to start." I mumbled,
     "Alright then, I'll tell you something about me, then you can tell me something about you."
     "Alright," I muttered, "your highness."

"I was born here in the castle." She started, "I took every lesson imaginable from the time I could speak."As we walked I tried to pay attention to her, but I was thinking about what she would ask me to tell her, what I should tell her. "I study every night," she told me, shouldering her stack of books up higher, "for a future that will never be mine." I saw her frown even as she tried to make light of her situation. She asked me, "and what about you? Do you have something you want to be?"
"I play the lute." I blurted before I could think any better of it, after all. It was the lute I had stolen, would she think any different of me if I told her it wasn't mine.
"The lute?" she asked, my cheeks warmed at her direct gaze.
"Yes your highness," I toed the carpeted ground with my foot, "the lute."
"I rather like the lute," she said, I glanced up at her; looking ahead. "I was never taught the lute," she murmured, the same sad look on her face, "it was deemed peasant entertainment."
"I could teach you how to play," the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Me teach the princess something? "I- I mean," I stammered, "I'm sorry." I bowed, "If you'd like your highness."

She laughed, apparently finding my embarrassment amusing, "Of course Kyouka, If love that!" she stopped walking, "we're here now," she said, "at the library."I looked up to see a towering open door, light filtered through large stain glass windows. Rows or book shelves ladened with every variety of knowledge spanned every wall and open space. "One of seven in the castle."