She felt blessed, like the Stars themselves had granted her this. There was no limit, no rules or constraints. She was boundless; she was home, safe and secure in his unbreakable embrace.
~
Shackled in an abrupt and demanding upbringing, Althera is...
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For Althera, the morning was pleasant. And cold.
She snuggled further into the fur coat she had brought with her outside, peering timidly over her shoulder at the guard who was ordered to follow her. Althera gained her freedom quickly in the castle, and it might have had something to do with the apparently unexpected arrival of Rhaye. Soon enough, she was allowed to roam the palace and spend time out of her rooms, though she still had to be under the constant surveillance of a minimum of one royal guard, much to her distress. It was difficult to move around comfortably with observant eyes bearing threateningly into the back of her head.
They passed a row of blossom trees that looked to have bloomed only days ago. Wiry branches billowed in the breeze, caressing the light pink petals of the flowers which name was unknown to Althera. Involuntarily, her arm lifted from inside her cloak and her fingertips glided across the rough twigs. Somehow, it felt like the first time she had seen anything so transfixing.
It was then in the span of half a second that three things happened at once. A gust of wind raked through Althera's long hair and she shuddered, the hood of her cloak dropping back. Her hands pulled back to tug it back over her head. But then the guard was on her in a blink of an eye, sword unsheathed, the blade glistening gruesomely under the light of the sun. His eyes were as hard as steel.
She let out a strangled cry of alarm.
~
Dasher knew he shouldn't have acted as he did, but something had told him she was not as innocent and harmless as she had led him to believe for the past half an hour.
Her throat was just centimeters away from the end of his word as she turned, eyes widening in fear. With one jab of the wrist, her blood would be spilling out onto his gloved hands. Dasher had felt a rush of adrenaline when she reached back for her hood, afraid she was secretly taking out a weapon that would be the end of them all.
The king had spoken to him last night, warning him of what this girl might be capable of. She was lethal, he had said. Dasher had been alerted the whole morning, wondering the entire time if she was going to make her move on him. And when she did, he would be ready and waiting.
Her fright and questioning look was all there to deceive him - to make him put down his sword and let her go.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Lower your sword, Captain." He recognized the drawling voice.
But he didn't move, each and every muscle in his body impenetrably stiff. The girl's eyes held an impatient that confused him deeply, though he composed himself, never letting his gaze travel elsewhere.
She was dangerous, and it was his duty to watch over her in case she did anything that would make him thoroughly regret not keeping an even closer eye on her.
