The Royal Thief

Chapter Six: the Balance of the Stars

"That's a high title for something not-so-important," I remarked, easing away from him. What did I do now? He knew I was the thief, and he didn't appear to have any intention of leaving me alone. Joshua said to be inconspicuous, but he never said what to do if the Ambassador already knew who I was. 

"Not-so-important?" He raised an eyebrow. "You are a guardian, one day to be protector and advisor to a queen."

"Well, when you say it like that..." I shrugged. He smiled, as though amused that I didn't take my role seriously.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I must say, I have always been most intrigued by stories of you guardians. It is more than I could have hoped for, getting a chance to talk to you." Was there sarcasm in his smooth polititian's voice? No one had ever spoken to me like this, as not only an equal but as someone who deserved respect. But then again, his voice was not entirely respectful after all. His words implied gratitude for the honor of meeting me, but his patronizing smile said that I was far beneath him. He was slick and slippery, hard to read. I kind of wanted to punch him in the jaw.

"I was always told that foreigners think guardians are silly, and they think only fools put their trust in the stars."

"That is the general point of view," He admitted. "But I do not share in that opinion. The history of Solangia has proved time and again that the guardians are a valuable asset. Often in the wars between our countries, just as Englescroft would be about to triumph, some guardian of yours, an archer or wizard or great warrior, would push us back." He paced along the wall, looking up at the tapestries. "Those who underestimate the guardians are fools, and those who count them as allies are beyond fortunate."

"That's... nice."

He laughed softly. "You think I am very odd, don't you?"

"If by 'odd' you mean 'the strangest noble I have ever met'... then yes."

"A thief who speaks her mind. How refreshing. I must admit I also find you odd."

I followed him to the end of the corridor, drawn by his strange comments. "Most people do." That was true. I had not truly fit in since I had come to the palace. Cara and Nick and a few others might talk to me, but ever since they had taken me away from my family I had orbited around palace life from a distance.

We stood before the last tapestry, gazing up at the silver threads woven through thick blue silk. "This is what your people call the Wheel of Constellations, is it not?"

"Yes. Or the Guardian Cycle, whichever you prefer."

"Cycle," He murmured. "Is it a cycle, then? We know so little about the guardians in Englescroft. Some say that the guardians rise and fall in a set pattern- that essentially, the stars are not needed to tell which will be chosen. Other books I have read say that there is no pattern. None can tell which guardians, or how many, will be born at a certain time."

I shook my head. "Yes and no."

"That makes no sense."

I snorted. "Of course not. It's prophecy stuff, what do you expect?"  Reaching out, I touched the shining metallic thread around the edges of the hanging. "It's random, and it's not. No one can predict which guardians will rise until the constellations appear. The number, too, and the province where they will be born- you can't tell. But there's a pattern in the way that they rotate, so  there isn't one guardian who is always there, or always not there. Like... it was no surprise that the prophecy showed an assassin for Princess Magali, because there hadn't been one for so long." I wondered why I was telling him this. There was something about him, his carefully measured silences and crafty questions, that pulled answers from me.