Unknown person

Perched on a bare branch precariously, hidden among the shadows provided by the dark, dark night, he fixed his gaze firmly on the scene behind the window of the Prince's bedchamber in Louvre.

He watched silently, as the Lady Knight demonstrated how to prepare the disgusting concoction that was the Prince's antidote, to an insipid-looking woman beside her, who seemed to be struggling to catch all her speedy instructions.

A slow, malicious grin spread across his lips.

So this is Lady Theodora, he noted in amusement. If she had not seemed as if she was about to throw up, the way she was currently viewing the vile antidote, she could have been a pretty little thing. She certainly had her womanly attributes.

She was the kind of woman his Master would love to amuse himself with.

Smirking, he made a mental note, there and then, to inform him about her. The Lord knew how much stress his Master had been under for the last few months. He deserved a respite from it all.

With that thought, his gaze reverted to the Lady Knight.

Dark circles surrounded her hazelnut brown eyes, indicating that she had not had a moment of peace in a very long time. Her plump, pink lips were turned down in a permanent frown, and her deathly pale skin was tightly stretched over her cheekbones.

Haggard, would be the simplest word to describe her.

Every few moments, her eyes snapped to the unconscious Prince in fear and anxiety, even as her lips moved rapidly to spew out instructions to Lady Theodora. It seemed as if she was expecting him to spasm and perish any moment.

Good, he thought with satisfaction. He had achieved his purpose, his Master's purpose.

After all, she had seen what he could do. Despite all the obstacles she had set in his path, he had managed to murder Lord Lucien within a heavily protected dungeon, and he had escaped unnoticed and alive. In addition, despite all the protection the Manor and the Lady Knight had provided, he had almost killed the Crown Prince.

Now, at least, the Lady Knight would be more wary, more afraid of him.

And mayhap, she would learn to connect the dots, take these warnings more seriously and stay out of his Master's affairs once and for all.

It did not matter that the servant whom he had bribed into poisoning the Crown Prince's dinner - who was currently being held in the Louvre Manor's guest chambers by the Captains - might blurt out the truth.

It did not matter at all.

That greedy pig had hardly seen his face when he had paid him a sack of gold coins at the tavern for his job. He had, with much foresight, taken care to wear a hood to cover his face to prevent recognition by the servant.

In any case, the servant had been so intoxicated then, that he had doubted that he would recognize him even if he had not worn a hood. There was no way his identity could be discovered now.

Indeed, he would never be caught in this lifetime. In all truth, the servant would most likely be the one to suffer the punishment intended for him, and be forever silenced by his grave.

It was an unfortunate turn of events, but a necessary one. The servant was merely a pawn to be sacrificed in his Master's chessboard of a greater, more significant game.

Lives must be lost, people must suffer, and his Master's most loyal followers must sacrifice.

All for the greater good of Monrique.

Unless he had underestimated the Lady Knight, he was safe at the moment. He would continue to carry out his Master's orders while he was able to successfully remain out of Bordeux Dungeons, and until his breath left his body.

He was certain. He was certain he could achieve his Master's goal.

However, he had to admit, very grudgingly, that the Lady Knight was proving to be quite the challenge, more so than all the Captains before her.

Another slow, smug smile spread across his lips.

How he loved a challenge. It always culminated in sweet, sweet victory.

I am watching, my dear Lady Knight, he thought silently, every move you make, every thought you think, I will know. And so will my Master.

With that, he soundlessly leaped onto the soft blanket of snow below and disappeared into the dark, dark night as mysteriously as he had come.

***

Prince Nicholas

"I have had enough!" I huffed, exasperated, "why do you both insist on remaining indoors to play poker, when we could be duelling outside?" I set down my cards on the bed.

It had been three days since I had regained consciousness. From the time I had opened my eyes, everyone had been treating me as if I were a fragile, invalid man who was bedridden for life.

Granted, my insides had hurt as if a horde of people had trampled all over me when I had first woken up. It had been an agony merely to sit up on my bed for the initial few hours, and it had taken me a day before I could speak or eat properly.

However, I was feeling much better at the moment. Not only had Evoric and Ned helped me learn to move my arms and limbs once more, but Lady Theodora had also prepared efficient antidotes for my speedy recovery.

Indeed, I was well aware that I owed her my very life. Even my Physician never failed to praise her for her wide knowledge on medicinal herbs, and her quick thinking in saving my life, every time he came to the Manor to monitor my progress.

One would think that she would simply glow with the amount of praise everyone had been showering her with for the last few days. Any other woman would have.

However, she was always miserable and fearful in my presence. She would stare at me, incessantly fidget with her fingers and worry her lower lip when she thought was I was not aware of her gaze. More often than not, she would open her mouth to say something to me, seem to think the better of it, and remain worryingly silent.

I could not understand what was bothering her, but I decided not to pester her about it. Indeed, I was very grateful to her as it was, and did not want to trouble her further than I already had.

Ned chuckled in wry amusement now, breaking me out of my thoughts. "It is snowing outside, Nick."

"In any case," Evoric's eyes danced impishly, "you do not wish to play poker only because you are losing. Quite miserably, might I add."

My forehead creased. "Nay, I am not!"

"Yes, you are. This is the fifth game that you have lost," Ned smirked, "admit it, old chap, you are absolutely no good at poker."

Before I could argue, someone knocked on the door. "Your Royal Highness, this is Matron, with your luncheon. May I come in, Sire?"

My stomach grumbled very loudly in response. "Yes, you may."

Evoric and Ned laughed at me, setting their cards down, as the door opened to reveal the plump, motherly Matron of Louvre Manor, who was holding a tray filled with food.

"That is enough playing, milords. It is time to leave. The Prince needs his rest," she smiled fondly at us, "and his luncheon."

Ned and Evoric groaned in unison. "Oh, Matron - "

"- we have nothing else to attend to - "

"- and watching Nick lose every card game is such good sport - "

"I am sorry, milords, but I am afraid these are milady Louvre's orders," she cut them off, chuckling, "and as to having nothing else to do, I heard milord Louvre saying that he needed help with the accounts - "

"Nay, Ma'am, we will leave," Evoric hurriedly stood up, and clapped my shoulder, "I am sorry, Nick, but I cannot spend such a good day doing accounts."

Ned shuddered, standing up. "Neither can I," he shook his head vehemently, "we will see you tomorrow, old chap. Rest well." He ruffled my hair.

I slapped his hand away, annoyed.

Ned merely snickered at that, his baby blue eyes twinkling as he watched me try to brush my hair out of my eyes for a brief moment. Before long, he and Evoric walked out of my chambers and closed the door behind them.

In the meanwhile, the Matron had set the tray of food on my lap, shaking her head in amusement. I promptly dug into my meal like a man who had not eaten for days.

She laughed softly at me. "The three of you remind me of my own boys, Your Royal Highness," she smiled sadly, watching me, "though I can hardly call them boys no more. They have become men, with their own lives to lead." She paused, long lost in her thoughts.

"They no longer need this old lady to nag after them anymore." She seemed to be talking more to herself than she was to me.

My forehead creased slightly in concern for her, as I gently returned her smile. "What do your children do for a living?"

She blinked, startled out of her thoughts, before she broke into a larger beam. "They all serve in the Monriquan Army," she answered proudly, "my eldest son, Roger, was promoted to the position of Captain little over a year ago."

"Truly? That is wonderful to hear. How do they find the Army?"

"They are happy to serve their King and their country, as they should be," she answered carefully, before she grew excited, "but not a day passes without Roger praising his Commander General. According to him, there is no one who can beat her in duelling, in archery, in shooting, in physical combat, and in her knowledge on herbs."

"Indeed, I am so honoured to have her here, Your Royal Highness - and it is your great fortune as well that she is with you. Truly, it is all because of her that you are even alive today, Your Royal Highness - " she chattered on animatedly.

Her last line caught my attention. "Pardon me, Ma'am, but did you say that it was because of the Lady Knight that I am even alive today?"

"Why, yes, Your Royal Highness," she sounded surprised, "did you not know? I was away visiting my sister during dinner that night you were poisoned. However, I returned to the Manor in time to see milady Knight and milord Evoric return to the Manor with the herbs to prepare your antidote. I was told that they had spent hours searching for them in the Louvrian Woods, and milady Knight was almost in tears with worry, the poor child - "

I listened to her, stunned. She continued to speak, but none of them fell on my ears. Her earlier words simply played over and over again in my mind like a broken gramophone, growing louder and louder with each repeat.

Julie had saved my life?

Impossible.

But what of Lady Theodora?

Had she not been the one to administer the antidote to me when I had first opened my eyes? Had she not been the one to painstakingly prepare it for me after every meal for the last three days?

Bewildered and conflicted within, I gazed straight into the Matron's clear, honest brown eyes, and I knew, as well as I knew my own name, that she was not lying.

Had I been lied to, then?

"Forgive me for pestering you about this, Ma'am," I attempted to remain calm, "but I am afraid I was under the impression Lady Theodora had prepared the antidote."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Nonsense!" she exclaimed, "who told Your Royal Highness such lies? In truth, milady Theodora prepares the antidote on milady Knight's instructions. Milady Knight is the best healer in the army and her knowledge on herbs is unrivalled, my son tells me. It took her ten hours to save you from death's clutches, Your Royal Highness. Had all of us worried sick." She looked grim.

I frowned heavily. Looking back, Julie had been the one who had caught me before I had lost consciousness that night. How had I not remembered this earlier?

When I had first woken up, I had been forced by Lady Theodora to drink the antidote. Even my Physician had praised her endlessly. Naturally, I had assumed she had saved my life.

Evoric, Ned, Lady Alyssa, Lady Josephine, Lady Gabrielle, Lord and Lady Louvre - they had all visited me.

All except Julie. I should have suspected something was amiss then.

Indeed, none of them had bothered to correct my misconception. Not even Lady Theodora.

Why?

My mind was in a painful turmoil. Had I been truly so horrible to her that she could not even take credit for what she had done for me?

Granted, she was responsible for Lucien's murder, and I was still very furious with her.

However, she had done something right this time, and I had wronged her by not recognising her efforts. She could have easily killed me when I had been poisoned and at my most vulnerable, considering the amount of hatred we both held for each other.

But she had not. It seemed I owed her more than gratitude.

"Ma'am, could you request the Lady Knight to meet me in the evening? I wish to speak with her urgently regarding this."

"Of course," she smiled gently, "but Your Royal Highness, you need your strength for such a meeting. And for that, you must finish your luncheon, yes?"

"With pleasure." I beamed.

***

The Lady Knight

"I beg your pardon?"

My heart almost stopped. I stared at the Matron in front of me, furious and anxious at the same time, unable to believe what I had heard mere moments ago.

She frowned at me, fear entering her eyes. "You are every bit as frightening as they say, milady Knight."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and slowly counted to ten. Keep calm, Jules, I repeated to myself, control is essential in every Knight.

"I apologise," I inhaled sharply, "mayhap I have misheard you, Ma'am, but did you say that the Prince wishes to see me in person to thank me for saving his life?"

"Aye, indeed I did, milady Knight."

I closed my eyes again and counted to twenty this time to calm the hot blood that pounded through my veins. "So I assume that the truth is out in the open now? That he is still alive?"

"Of course, milady," she gazed at me in disbelief, "why would he not be alive? Why would he be angry? He seemed pleased enough to me."

Whew. A small comfort that was. Why in the world had she told him everything?

Mayhap she had not been present that night when I had instructed them all about keeping this incident a secret. Mayhap she had not seen how serious I had been regarding my commands.

Aye, that must be the reason. I was rarely disobeyed.

"Thank you. I shall prepare to meet him now, then," I sighed tiredly, "it is almost sundown," I gazed through the kitchen window at the fast darkening skies.

Lord, please let the Prince survive this evening.

I held the bridge of my nose for a moment and huffed, turning to her. "Do you happen to have a basket, twelve blocks of Marzipan, a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink?" I queried hopefully, feeling jittery for the first time in years.

***

My hands were cold, as I stood before the very pair of double doors I had taken great pains to avoid these past few days. Indeed, I was gripping the basket handle so tightly, that I was surprised it had not snapped yet.

Cease this foolishness, Jules! I berated myself, 'tis only the Prince.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand to tap on the door thrice in quick succession. "Your Royal Highness, this is the Lady Knight. May I come in?"

"You may."

Hmm. He did not sound too angry.

I opened the door and entered his chambers, feeling much warmer at once. A comfortable fire blazed in the corner of the room, across which there was a huge, king-sized bed. The Prince was seated upon it, leaning back against the pillows, seeming much calmer than I had expected him to be.

Upon seeing me, he smiled uncertainly, bordering on a grimace.

Astonished, I turned around to see if there were anyone else behind me.

He chuckled at my reaction. A rarity.

"Sit, Julie," he gestured to a wooden chair across the bed, "and please do close the door. It is so chilly outside."

Mystified, I nodded and did as I was told, slightly fearful. Truth be told, I would rather he yelled at me as he usually did, than being so strangely cordial and nice.

On second thought, I rather he did not. The exertion from that kind of anger would kill him.

Truly.

"Thank you. This is for you, " I handed him the basket of Marzipan blocks and the get well soon parchment, shuffling my feet uncomfortably.

Mama had taught me to always bring along a gift with a nice message on a small piece of parchment, and a big bright smile when visiting someone ill.

All I could manage now, however, was an awkward grimace.

He took the basket from my outstretched hand, raising an eyebrow, but he broke into a genuine smile when he saw what was inside.

His grey eyes light up like those of a small child on Christmas Eve. "Marzipan! They are my favourite," he exclaimed softly, "I have not had one in so long. How did you know?"

I shrugged. "I remember. From our childhood."

Indeed, because of his obsession with Marzipan, I did not eat Marzipan within Bordeux Castle on principle. His tenth birthday served me that lesson very well.

"Yay! Marzipan! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Your Majesty!" I squealed, jumping up and down in my rather over-sized dress, accepting from her a basket of Marzipan sculptures shaped like swords.

"Please do not eat them all by yourself, Jules dear," she burst out laughing, "they are for your brother Max, and your Papa, too."

"Madame, Brother-mine does not like Marzipan," I reminded her mischievously, "and neither does Papa. So, I reckon they are all for me." I beamed at her in self-satisfaction.

She slapped her hand to her forehead. "I had completely forgotten," she groaned, "darling, you will become sick if you eat them all by yourself. I am certain Nick and Richard will not want to see you ill on their account." She tried to reason with me.

I wanted to laugh. I knew Richard would not, but seeing me ill on his account would be exactly wanted Nick wanted, I had no doubt.

"I will be well, Your Majesty," I assured her confidently, "I will eat one block of Marzipan only once every alternate day. Is that all right?"

I would most likely finish it all on that day itself, but I was not about to tell her that. She would almost certainly take back the basket if I did.

"Would you truly do that, darling? You will control yourself?" she queried, looking dubious.

I nodded my head vigorously, putting on my most angelic smile to charm her.

Before she could respond, one of her Ladies-in-waiting approached us with great haste, and curtsied to her. "Your Majesty, the King requests your presence in his study at once."

"Thank you, Lady Hortense," the Queen nodded, before turning to me with an uncertain smile, "be a good girl, Jules. I must be off now." She swiftly kissed my forehead.

"I will, Your Majesty. Please do tell Nick and Richard that I wished them a happy birthday," I sounded very unconvincing.

She chuckled, nodding, before walking away.

The moment she left, I all but pulled open the linen that covered the basket, and was met by the heavenly sight of twelve chilled, sword-shaped Marzipan sculptures. I was about to devour one, when I heard a snarky voice behind me.

"If you truly wanted to wish me a happy birthday, you could have wished me in person."

Suppressing a groan, I turned around to find Nick striding towards me, accompanied by Evoric, Ned and Lucien.

"Nick, leave her alone," Evoric was insisting, but Nick paid no heed to him, as he smiled devilishly at me.

"How naive of you to think I would even want to wish you," I scoffed, rolling my eyes with a sneer, "typical, pathetic, foolish Prince Nicholas."

Ned and Nick were greatly taken aback by my comeback. Evoric and Lucien, however, fought hard to hide a smile, very much amused.

Although I always argued with Nick to defend myself, I had never pressed an attack on him with a sneer like I had a few moments ago. I usually did not dare.

No wonder they seemed so shocked.

But what could I say? It must have been the heady sense of power I felt at having twelve sword-shaped Marzipan sculptures in my hands at that very moment - coupled with the vengeful desire to make him unhappy on his birthday, as revenge for making me unhappy for the rest of the days of the year.

As I had expected, with self-satisfaction, he had no retort to that, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish's.

Lucien chuckled in amusement, sending me a conspiratorial wink, but quickly turned it into a cough as Ned shot him a deathly glare.

"What is it?" I goaded Nick on, mocking, "lost your tongue?"

It felt so, impossible good to retaliate after such a long time.

Ned nudged Nick. "Say something, old chap," he urged, "are you going to take that from Jules, of all people?"

"Watch it," I warned sharply.

That seemed to snap Nick out of his shock. He gazed at me for a moment, appraising me. His lips pulled up in a slow, evil grin, as he eyed the basket I was holding.

"Are those my birthday Marzipan blocks, Julie?" he inched closer to me, "Mama gave them to you?" He attempted to pull back the linen, but I slapped his hand away.

"They are mine now," I glared at him, "dare not touch them, Nick."

He sniffed at the basket anyway and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Sword-shaped Marzipan sculptures, flavoured with vanilla. My favourite," he identified them correctly, his grey eyes dancing with delight.

In Bordeux Castle, it was no secret how much Nick loved Marzipan.

I kept silent, hoping he would leave me be.

"It is my birthday, Julie," he pretended to pout, widening his eyes with mock sadness, "and thus far, everyone has been enjoying my birthday Marzipan except for me. Do you not think you should share them with me?" He finished in a sickly-sweet voice.

"Ask Richard instead," I retorted.

"He would never give them to me."

Lie. Richard was generous, over-generous in fact, with his possessions.

"Go to the kitchens. Cook will spare some for you."

I was certain she would. The Castle Staff simply adored the twin Princes.

"Too far," he complained, with a glint in his eyes.

My fists clenched by my sides. He only wanted my Marzipan, so that I would not be able to eat them.

Did he think me a fool to merely hand them to him without a fight? I wanted to punch his face, and I would have without any qualms, if not for the fact that the Queen would be greatly saddened if I did.

"Leave her alone, Nick, we shall go to the kitchens instead," Lucien unexpectedly spoke up for me at that moment, catching the murderous glint in my eyes.

I shot him a fleeting, grateful smile.

"Or I could help get some for you from the kitchens," Evoric hurriedly intervened.

Nick pulled his arm before he could sprint off. "Nay, Evoric," he smiled the same evil smile at me, "I want Julie's Marzipan." He reached out for my basket, but I held it away from him.

"I am not giving them to you. They are mine!" I screamed at him.

Many heads along the corridor turned to look at us, but they did not do anything. My screams and his bullying were too common an occurrence for anyone to truly care.

"I am not offering you a choice in the matter, Julie," he snickered, stretching to grab hold of the basket.

We engaged in a tug-of-war contest with the basket, with Ned tugging along with Nick. I struggled to keep my hold on it, but I could feel it slowly slipping away from my hands.

It was hardly fair. It was two, burly boys against tiny old me.

Did I ever stand the chance against them in any physical combat?

Truth be told, I always believed I did. The only problem was that I had very sweaty hands, especially when I became nervous.

Aye, I convinced myself, all the fault lay with my sweaty hands.

As I should have known earlier, they won the tug-of-war and wrenched the basket from my hands. I lost my balance and fell forward due to the inertia, straight at their feet.

"Next time, do as I tell you," Nick's eyes twinkled with spite, "you will save yourself a lot of trouble."

He smiled triumphantly at me, bursting into laughter, as he led his friends away from where I lay sprawled on the ground.

Why did this always happen to me?

I sighed. It was a long time ago, and in any case, one of the psychological aspects of training was to learn to block emotions tied to memories. If one had traumatic flashbacks during a fight, and he or she did not know how to deal with the overwhelming emotions that came along with them, they could prove fatal.

Therefore, although such incidents of my childhood were unforgettable, they no longer affected me like they used to before.

In the meanwhile, he had accepted my explanation. "Thank you so much for the Marzipan," he smiled faintly, "Lady Theodora forbade me to eat any, though it was the first thing I had asked for when I had first woken." His smile faded upon mentioning Dora's name.

"You are most welcome, Your Royal Highness," I answered quietly, "but please, do not be angry with Dora. I had asked her to lie to you."

"Why?" his expression did not change.

I stared straight at him. "You hate me and the very sight of me makes you angry, Your Royal Highness," I stated, "and though the poison has been purged from your body, it has left you very weak. I feared that the exertion from such a rage would kill you, and that is why I made sure to keep out of your sight and mind at all times."

He nodded slowly, understanding, his face still void of all emotions.

In the meanwhile, I braced myself for the upcoming tirade. Indeed, the various remedies for the after effects of the poison were already running through my mind.

At that moment, he did something I never expected.

He broke into a small smile and slowly held out his hand.

He chose his words very carefully. "Julie, I am most grateful for what you have done for me," his voice was solemn, "and if there is anything I can do to repay your favour, you need only say the word."

I stared at him, shocked for the umpteenth time that evening. I had to be dreaming. This was nothing short of a miracle.

"Julie?" he waved a hand in front of my face, concerned.

I snapped out of my trance, blinking at him for a brief moment. It was with much hesitation that I reached out to shake his hand.

As I contemplated upon his recent words, an idea popped into my mind. Should you truly go through with this? He is only beginning to recover, a voice in my mind questioned.

This is your only chance to help Lisa, another voice argued, you have to use it.

I made up my mind. "Truth be told, Your Royal Highness, there is a way you can repay me, if you are willing."

"How?" he stared.

"There is a matter I was hoping you could help me with," I began carefully, "'tis regarding Lisa and Evoric."

Understanding dawned on his countenance. "Oh, yes," he sat upright, his eyebrows furrowing, "I know all about it - "

"You do?" I was surprised.

"I may not have been conscious for long, but I am not completely blind," he sent me a small smile, "I am aware that Lady Louvre disapproves of having Evoric as a son-in-law in the future. He has not said a word about it to me, but it is all too clear that he is most troubled about the situation - and afraid to speak with Lady Louvre about courting Lisa. Do you want me to speak to Lady Louvre about the matter on his behalf?"

I nodded, relieved that he had understood what I was trying to say so quickly. "I am of the opinion that the Duchess wishes you for a son-in-law, Your Royal Highness. If you could try and convince her how happy Evoric makes Lisa, how perfect they both are for each other, it would truly help the two of them."

I paused for a moment, before continuing.

"Lisa and the Duchess have been arguing for days now, and as the latter is quite stubborn by nature, she is refusing to even listen to Lisa's reasoning. However, I am certain that she will be willing to listen to you and will consider changing her mind, since you are the Crown Prince and that title commands a certain respect she cannot begrudge you."

He listened to me attentively, his forehead still creased. "Of course, I will do my very best," he decided, determined, "in fact, I will talk to her this very moment. If you would ask her to meet me - "

I shook my head. "I agree that the matter is urgent, but you still need your rest, Your Royal Highness," I reminded him, "your health is more important. I feel that it would be better for you to speak with her tomorrow."

He nodded in agreement, shrugging. "If you insist."

"I do. I shall be off now, and leave you to your rest. I hope you enjoy the Marzipan, and please do not tell Dora I gave them to you," I requested, "you truly should not be eating them." I smiled weakly, as I stood up to leave.

"Good evening, Julie," he inclined his head, "and do come again, only if you have more of these."

As I left his chambers, I had a strange feeling that an uneasy truce was in place between us.

Nay, we were nowhere close to being friends. Of course not.

I supposed we were merely allies for the moment, in our common quest to help our best friends, somewhat similar to the fragile truce between Monrique and Vantauge.

Only, this felt slightly sincere.