The King's Artist

Ch 12: The Differences to Perfection

Everything and nothing changed within the time span of five years. Now fully accustomed to their new lifestyle, Henry and Adelaide both quickly adjusted to a regular and daily pattern of events and activities.

Henry consistently woke up before the sun had risen in order to train with the Head of the Guard Felix Jones. They covered everything from long, endurance runs to hand-to-hand combat to the art of swordsmanship. If there was a field to train and conqueror that would ensure a better chance at survival in war, Henry planned to master it. When his physical training ended, usually close to midday, he would return to the castle to study under his uncle and other scholars after a hearty meal and a short break. He was taught war tactics, economics, business, and anything else that pertains to helping an individual in power. Henry was further educated in literature and history as his uncle's way of teaching him how to avoid the past's mistakes.

As a result of his busy schedule, Henry had very little free time. When spare hours did fall into his lap, though, Henry spent that time socializing with those of the exiled house of Lancaster that had gathered in the village near the castle having followed in his footsteps. They had become his people, in certain aspects, and now numbered nearly three hundred and fifty. Their sized seemed to only grow with every passing day as more and more fled King Edward.

Adelaide's days went by in a completely different fashion than Henry's. She spent most of her mornings watching Henry train from a distance and drawing him as he worked. When Henry was in his studies, Adelaide usually spent her afternoons studying as well. She had long since learned how to properly and fluently read and spent most of her time searching the library for a new book. Reading and practicing different techniques or art craft consumed most of her time. Unlike Henry, Adelaide kept mainly to herself and avoided most people if she could. It had been half a decade already and she was still playing the part of Arthur incredibly well. Nobody had yet figured out the truth. Despite her solitude, though, Adelaide still regularly painted portraits and other pieces of artwork upon request from the villagers, guards, and guests of the Duke.

Even though nothing ever majorly exciting occurred as Chateau de Suscinio, there was still plenty to gossip about. Most, if not all, gossip, though, unfortunately, centered around Henry and Adelaide. By now, many were well aware of the close bond between the two "boys." Henry regularly regarded Adelaide as his most dear brother and vice versa. However, many found it almost comical how different the two were in appearance and personality.

Henry had grown and developed into a man of towering stature that was now regularly covered in cuts and bruises from the long and arduous training hours. The prettiness he had possessed as a boy had gradually receded with age and now at nineteen, Henry embodied what an ideal strong and handsome young man should look like. He still kept his dark hair shoulder length, but the style did nothing to compliment his aggressive dark eyes, flat-bridged nose, or sharp square jaw. He was constantly badgered to cut it but refused each time.

In contrast, Adelaide's prettiness had only increased with the passing years. The color from her hair had bleached away due to the long hours in the sun and was now nearly white in its appearance. It had also developed a natural curl to it that framed her delicate face and doe eyes giving her both a youthful and innocent look. She had continued to cut her hair regularly, but it did nothing to hide the blatant femininity to her features. By per luck, though, it seemed no one had the energy to look past Adelaide's girly resemblance and think deeper about what it could possibly entail about who she really was. People just regarded her as a petite, frail, and very pretty boy.

The differences between the two only seemed to grow upon further examination. Where Henry was wild and aggressive in his tone of voice, Adelaide was tame and quaint. Where Adelaide was quiet and shy in behavior, Henry was loud and sociable. When one of them was tired, the other was rejuvenating. When one was angry, the other was calming. Every aspect of who they each was differed and yet they were perfectly complementary to one another.

They made up what the other lacked. If the two went to long being apart from one another, it looked off to others. Nobody understood it and no one could describe how exactly it worked, but Henry and Adelaide were ideally and perfectly different.