Castles, Kings & Wondrous Things Ch. 03

When the cocks began to crow with the dawning of the sun, Seth eased away from the window where he had been looking out over his brother's land. He knew that his mother would not have risen yet but he decided to see if Zane was already in the breakfast room. Before he left his chambers, he checked to make sure that his practice gear was ready for use after the morning meal. In near silence, he passed through the common halls of the palace, nodding briefly to the servants who were already hurrying about their day. After descending to the ground level of the palace and walking across the great hall, he knocked briefly on a door before entering the chamber that had been used for family meals since he was knee-high. Although he saw and acknowledged his brother and Tamara, as soon as he entered the room his attention was captured by the dark curls that cascaded over the shoulders of the slim young woman loading a plate with food at the sideboard. The colour of her dress was a cool forest green and he wanted her to turn so he could see if her eyes were still the same colour. "Narelle," he breathed taking a step towards her. Her shoulders stiffened for an instant before she lowered her plate to the sideboard and turned to face him.

With her head bowed to the floor, she murmured, "Welcome home, Prince Seth." Stunned by her apparently submissive demeanour, Seth's gaze sought his brother's and he tried to telegraph his feelings of confusion and helplessness.

***

Leaning back in her chair, Tamara bit her lip to stifle the bubble of laughter that was rising in her throat. Although they had spent the last five years apart, she and her sister had frequently exchanged long letters full of gossip and sisterly discussion. Through those letters, Tamara had learned of Narelle's growth from a teenager into a young woman. The sisters had been close as children, with just three years separating their births they had been best of friends as well as sisters and not once, in her little sister's entire life, had Tamara seen Narelle act in such a stereotypically feminine way. Not even when their father discovered that the two of them had ridden his prized war steed against his orders when they were ten and seven respectively. She stared off into space as she reminisced for a moment and then blinked the memories away. As enjoyable as those carefree days had been, she had a feeling that the present was going to be just as entertaining, especially if her sister intended to lead Seth on as merry a chase as she suspected.

***

Narelle saw her older sister's expression of barely concealed amusement and shook her head. She knew what her sister thought -- that she, Narelle, was faking shyness in an attempt to snare Seth's attention. Gritting her teeth, the younger woman only wished it were an act -- she was truly intimidated by the knight's presence. It had been five long years since his departure and over those years, she had come to realise that no other held her fascinated admiration the way Seth did. Even when they had all played together as young teenagers, she had felt like a sunflower always turning her face to catch the rays of his approval and casual affection. When he'd argued with his father a few short weeks before his departure, she'd been the one to lend a sympathetic ear as he ranted about his parent's rigid disapproval of his plans. She had waited patiently until he had calmed down and then offered her opinion, though it had almost torn her heart in two when she convinced him to leave on his journey regardless of his father's edict against it. The day of his departure, she had been unable to stifle her impulse to wrap herself around his body and raise her face to his. When he had responded by dipping his head and pressing an ardent kiss to her untried lips, she had been shocked into letting him go and retreating behind her older sister. Caught up in her confusion, she had missed seeing him mount up and ride out the gates, coming back to herself only when her sister had grabbed her hand and led her back into the castle. Staring at the floor of the breakfast room, Narelle wondered how she was going to talk to Seth like a normal person when all she wanted to do was curl around him like an affectionate kitten.

***

Quickly deducing what was going on in the heads of his three companions, Zane broke the tension building in the room by rising to his feet and leading his love's sister to her seat. Placing her plate in front of her, he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before turning to his brother. Waving a hand at the sideboard, he told Seth, "Help yourself, Cook's skills haven't diminished since you've been gone and she somehow heard you were back."

"What do you mean?" asked his brother. Zane was pleased to note that despite his uncertain expression, and the frequent glances he kept throwing at Narelle, the knight was already piling a plate high with food.

Taking his hand as he returned to his seat, his love replied for him, "She prepared all your favourite dishes for breakfast. None of us are all that fond of steamed fish for breakfast but there's plenty in the tureen over there." Deciding that his brother and his love would do well enough chatting together, the prince turned his attention back to his love's sister who was now moving her food around her plate rather than eating it.

"Calm down, Rella," he told her in an undertone. His use of her childhood nickname made her look up and meet his eyes with a spark of her more customary spirit. "I promise not to let him hurt you," he told her solemnly.

He saw her lips twist in a wry smile before she whispered back, "But can you stop me from hurting myself?" Giving her question the consideration it truly deserved, Zane fell silent for a few moments as he ate several bites of his breakfast.

"Honestly, no," he finally replied, holding her green gaze with his own steady eyes. After a breath, he added, "But I can tell you that I believe that won't happen either." He watched a dimple appear briefly in one of her cheeks before he turned his attention to his love and his brother only to find the latter scowling at him.

***

Tamara had been ribbing him about the amount of food he'd served himself when he abruptly cut her off with a growl. His brother had made Narelle smile -- twice! The girl wouldn't even look him in the eye but seemed perfectly willing to chat with his brother who was engaged and shortly to be married to her sister. Jealousy dug its claws into his heart and he wished for something bad to befall his brother -- soon. Perhaps then Zane wouldn't have the time to distract Narelle and he might get the chance to sort out what was going on between them. In the five long years since he'd left, the memory of her limbs wrapped around his body and her untutored lips under his mouth had helped keep him sane through some very trying times. If he hadn't had the memory of her warmth on that occasion, and the hope for more of the same in the future, Seth didn't think he would have had the will to continue fighting for survival during a few of his more horrific battles. He wished he could break through the wall she had built between them while he'd been away. Knowing he didn't want to risk breaking her at the same time, he promised himself that he'd be patient and wear away her reserve rather than batter it down as his impulsive side desired. Switching his scowl to his plate, he concentrated on finishing his meal while he tried to ignore the hurt he felt when, after a slow start, a conversation grew between the other three occupants of the breakfast room.

***

Standing outside the open door to the family breakfast room, he shook with a barely controlled fury. The bitch was back, or she had never left. The evil woman who had caused his years of misery by banishing him from his home was sitting there as if she belonged and would never leave. Well, he'd just see about that. He'd make her rue the day she made a mockery of his life.