To The Palace Ch. 04

The following morning, Vorel had awoken early to complete all of her morning tasks. The Prince did not at all seem as though he were planning on waking up anytime soon, so she set about her tasks quietly. After cleaning his room, she took his dishes from last night to the kitchen where she was told that he does not normally eat breakfast. This meant that, unless she was told otherwise by the Prince, she was not required to bring him food until lunch. Upon learning this, she returned to his room, gathered his laundry, and took it down to the washmaids to be cleaned. Naturally, none of this took her very long, so all she could really do was wait for him to wake up.

She sat at the foot of his bed and looked over her shoulder at him. He looked like a little wyrmling when he slept, his fearsome features at peace while he snored softly. She grinned and faced forward again. 'He's so naive and kind-hearted... If he only knew who he let into his bed. It's not his fault that my kin were slain and my entire race is nearly extinct, but I doubt he will be willing to forgive me after I take my revenge by slaying his Father," she thought to herself as she gazed through the palace window at the midmorning sky.

Prince Seian began to stir and opened his eyes slowly to see Vorel at the foot of his bed. The sunlight coming through the window made a gorgeous silhouette of her curves and features when she turned to look at him. He wanted nothing more than to look at her forever, but quickly shook these thoughts away and stood, starting to get dressed. She stood immediately to show the proper respect, facing him with her gaze averted. "I see you've completed all of your duties for this morning. Go make yourself more familiar with the palace so that it'll be less likely for you to get lost. If anyone questions you, just show them this," he told her and handed her a note with his Seal on it that stated, "She is authorized."

'Why is he doing this? I could take this and go just about anywhere in the palace...' Vorel thought to herself, looking confused.

"The only person that has any authority to stop you while you have this my father, but if I find out that you've abused this privilege, I will have you executed on the spot. Understood?" It pained him to say that and he knew perfectly well that he would not be able to bear losing her. He was falling for her, fast and hard, and he could not understand why. He hardly knew anything about her other than how she looked and how she felt from the inside. He wanted to be the only one that got to feel her like that. More so, he wanted to her to share everything with him: her favorite things, her experiences, her feelings, her fantasies. He shuddered at the thought, feeling himself harden and get chills thinking of the possibilities...

"Thank you, your Highness," she bowed deeply, ignoring the strange look on his face when he turned to face her and the bulge forming in his pants. "I understand the consequences fully."

"Then go. Also, if someone asks for your assistance, help them, but do NOT do for them the things you would do for me," he said as he rested his hand on her cheek, gently turning her gaze to his.

"Yes, of course, your Highness," she replied softly. He let his hand drop and watched her bow again and leave. He said a silent prayer the Great Dragon and carried on with his morning, preparing to go see his tutor for his daily lessons: a task he had loathed since he had reached adolescence like most children. He got headaches just thinking about it.

*****

Vorel made her way through the halls of the Palace, wandering aimlessly. She knew very few places in the palace, but knew that, as a warrior and in order to better achieve her goal, she must get her bearings. She decided that the best place to start her search was the Archives. 'After all, they're bound to have a layout of the palace somewhere in there,' she mused.

The only issue she had now was finding the Archives. She had no idea where it was, only that it was a large building on the palace grounds that housed tomes and scrolls from all across the Dragon Empire: a wealth of knowledge unmatched by anything else in the world. She did not think that it could possibly be difficult to find, so she made her way to the throne room and out the palace doors into the courtyard. In the center of this was a beautiful garden, filled with colorful flowers the likes of which she never seen save for one: the rare Wolf Lily. She gazed at it for a time, admiring its red and purple swirls. It looked like something as common as a calla lily, but it was far more than that and held mysterious properties known only to her kind. The garden only had a few of them and they were marked as a humble memorial for the conquered Wolven race. She had to admit that it pleased her to see that her race was memorialized here out of what seemed to be a sign of respect from the old King, but she still struggled with forgiving the Dragons for what they had done.

It was not long before someone noticed her, lost in thought while she admired the Wolf Lilies. One of the soldiers placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, "I am sorry for our great loss." His voice sounded as though it were filled with sorrow and pain that could only be matched by someone who truly knew how great a loss it was. She turned to face the voice and saw before her a Wolven man, clad in Draconian armor, with dark brown fur and blue eyes filled with pain. Vorel was suddenly filled with nearly every emotion possible: rage, joy, shock, and a deep sadness and shame.

"How could-?!" she began and stopped, growling softly then sighing to compose herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told that I could either join their ranks or be killed like a common dog," he replied, lacking the courage to look her in the eye. "You don't seem to have much room to be judging me, though."

"I have bigger plans that dying would not help me accomplish. At any rate, I do not wish to argue with one of my people. I am honestly glad to see you alive." Her eyes began to fill with tears as she said this. "I had begun to think myself alone. Please... Tell me your name."

"I am Guitain of the Northern Pack, where our Alphas once called home." It was then that he looked up at her and knew immediately who she was. He froze on the spot and whispered: "Esarosa..."

Her eyes widened as she recognized her name and his, for that matter. He was her betrothed. Guitain was well known both as a warrior and a mage. He had magical talents rivaling the royal family. Once word of this had reached the Wolf King, he tested him and found him worthy of his daughter's hand. "They call me Vorel here at the palace. I was sold as a slave and concubine to the Dragon Prince," she said this and looked down in shame.

He shook with rage and grief at her words. "I- I can't believe our proud race has fallen so low... Have you- No. I'd hardly call what he does to you 'mating.' I still consider you to be mine, no matter what he has done to you." He took a step closer to her, wanting to hold her in his arms.

"Step no further, Guitain. Surely, everyone here knows that I am property of Prince Seian. I will not see you slain," her voice came out weak and shaky. She had thought him dead along with all the others.

"Esarosa, please... "

"No. I do have a couple of questions for you, though."

"Go on."

"Do you know if there is a layout of the palace? More importantly, how can I prove my identity?"

"First, such a thing does exist. You can find multiple copies in the Archives in the southeast corner of the courtyard. You'll find what you seek right up front on the desk of the First Scribe. Second, I don't think proving that you are the lost Princess Esarosa is the best thing for you to do. You could very well be executed."

"It is something I must do. If they threaten to execute me, I will make it an event that they will never forget. I doubt that will happen, though. The Prince seems quite taken with me."

Guitain closed his tight and looked away. He didn't want to think of that serpent's scaly hands all over her soft, warm fur. "I pray to the Wolf Mother that no harm comes to you. You can find your proof in the Archives as well. There's been a buck called Sanxar scouring for something in the section you seek. You won't miss him. He's quite frantic about whatever it. I take it that's your handiwork?" he grinned then, and looked back up at her.

She laughed for the first time in ages. "Yes. He seeks the same thing I do."

Guitain chuckled at this. "Well, I best be off and let you do what you need to. You'll have to bring Prince Seian's lunch to him in a couple of hours. I'd get to the Archives quickly if I were you." It was then that he lunged at her, making them both fall to the ground behind a bush where no one could see and stole a kiss from her. She was startled and her face heated, another swirl of emotions filling her heart. They stood and brushed themselves off.

"Thank goodness that wasp is gone! I'm sure the Prince would be cross if such a thing stung you." he said, calmly as though nothing had happened. He then turned on his heel and walked away from her.

She then shook off all thoughts that were clouding her mind and set off for the Archives with determination in every step. 'Now that I know I'm not alone, I WILL get my revenge on the Dragon King.'