The Tower of Nearness

Chapter 8: Another Favour Asked

Seren sat at her little desk, writing out next week's shopping list. She hoped to be rid of the prince by today, but he'd proven himself almost as stubborn as herself. Almost.

She had to admit to herself, she was having good fun with him. Was that mean of her? Probably. Yet, she couldn't help it. He was reluctant to do some of her tasks, but he did them. The majority of other visitors to the Tower of Nearness usually gave up or made some excuse as too why they couldn't possibly do them or, on the other side of the spectrum, they acted as if her tasks were mere child's play and then whined when they found them too laborious. The world was filled with all sorts of people.

However, the fact remained that he had to leave and do so soon. She didn't like being unable to leave the Tower. She was getting tired of being cooped up all day. She wanted to go to the meadow and sketch. Not to mention, her errands were piling up.

She sighed and contemplated her list. The rains would soon start to show themselves; she needed to get raincoats for herself and tarps for her gardens. She'd have to check that her repair in the thatching was still holding. The Tower of Nearness was magical, not weatherproof.

There was still so much to do, that she couldn't start until Lucian left. She glanced out the window. The sky was starting to turn; the vibrant blue seemed pale and almost gray. A chilly breeze teased the scent of clear rain from far away. Although the sun brightly shone down, in the distance she could see black and dark grey clouds swirling together and beginning to take form. She wondered how many days it would take for the stormy weather to reach them.

She stretched out. Putting down her quill, she stood up and pushed her chair in. She smiled at her schoolroom behaviour. Some lessons never leave us. She ambled to the window and leaned against it. Her elbows rested on the cold stone sill as she observed the outside.

The Tower of Nearness was huge. It stood as a guardian over a massive area of forest and woods. All that lived under its watch thrived.

Seren had often wondered about the person who built the tower. Why did they build it? What was its purpose? Why enchant it?

Even after all the years since she'd taken residence, she still had found no evidence of anything that could provide a satisfactory answer. She liked to think that whoever built it wanted a place where they could get away to. A secret place where everything was good and beautiful; where none of the world's chaos and damage could interfere. A place of perfect solitude.

Seren was also appreciative of the village and its inhabitants that bustled and hustled on the outskirts of the Tower's forest. She had a few friends there, no one close enough to know her secret, but enough that they provided some companionship. Her true friends were probably her books. She frowned, she'd always thought that was enough, but recently there had been a stirring in her heart. It was an ache that she couldn't name or place; one that chewed at her and made her question her choice. She had been young at the time...

Stop being silly! She reprimanded herself. She knew that she would have to make sacrifices, so there was no use in complaining or wishing for things to be different now...

But they could be...

No. No. She had made her mind up and she was not wont to change it. Besides, it would hardly-

"SEREN!"

That was Lucian's voice! Her eyes tracked him down and spotted him running from the woods. Her jaw dropped. Were those flowers in his hand?

Goodness! She thought in awe, What the heck had happened to him? His clothes were stained with ruddy browns and black marks. His hair stuck out in mad tufts at like he'd gone riding through a gale. As he got closer, she noted that he also had some abrasions. Guilt pooled in her stomach. She sent him to the cave, she hadn't thought it would bring him any harm, but perhaps she'd been too ignorant. She couldn't and shouldn't have expected him to know the layout of the land as well as she did. She worried her bottom lip as he came to a stop under her window.