Recent Posts

The words Edmund had spoke were still hanging in the air between them, and slowly the silence was getting thick and Yassia could practically feel the sword coming down on her, the sword that would cut her life in two parts that would never be connected again. She had to make a choice, but at the same time, she knew there wasn’t even a choice. Not really. Edmund had brought up the perfect predicament, one Yassia – as she realized now – had always been afraid of. But why, why??!! WHY were the stars so intent of blocking her every path, mock her with every obstacle they threw in her way? Just as she thought things would look up finally, just as she thought she could get a few things in order, they interfered again. The panic Yassia had felt a minute earlier had subsided and been replaced by a spreading numbness. It just wasn’t fair. Had she really deserved being put through all of this? Did it feel like that when you were kicked when already down? Perhaps. She didn’t know. She didn’t know anything anymore, apart from that she had to make a decision soon, but that this decision would kill a part of her, however it would be in the end. If she at least had a real CHOICE! That was really the worst of it all! If there had been anyone else worthy to take up the throne, she might have considered it for real, might have told her heart to shut up and do what was best for her kingdom. Only that this was not the best for her kingdom. This arrangement would only benefit one person. Edmund.

And Yassia realized she didn’t like that. She didn’t want it. What kind of proposal had THAT been anyway?! He had told her what a wonderful queen she would make, like he was talking about his favourite bracelet that would go oh-so-well with his flawless haircut and pretty face! Did he even want HER?! Yassia was inclined to say no. Of course, marrying for love was a luxury the poorest peasant could more easily afford than the richest king, and Yassia had always known her duties would come first. She would have even tried to live with seeing Oliver every day, and yet knowing she could not have him. It would have killed her inside, but she could have tried. But had anyone ever demanded from her to marry against love AND reason?! That surely couldn’t be the stars’ wishes! There was just no sense behind it all, and yet she had to MAKE sense of it somehow, if she wanted to carry on with her life. She had to refuse… but if she refused, she had no doubt Edmund would be wounded enough to renounce his support for her on the spot. There just wasn’t any way to break it to him nice enough so he wouldn’t, it was impossible! Suddenly, a devastating thought came creeping up from the very lowest parts of Yassia’s mind, and it filled her with nothing but dread as she realized what her only way out of this tight spot might be. She would have to leave. Steal away like a thief in the night so no one could to convince her otherwise. She would not get the chance for any goodbyes as those she cared for would try to hold her up, talk reason into her confused brain. She would journey back to Ailantha and try on her own, because this had been the ultimate lesson that nothing ever came without a price. And just like the first, this one was just so much more than she could bear. Yassia Dyfrène de Ailantha would return to her kingdom with less than she had fled, empty handed and disillusioned. Maybe she should marry Stephane after all, as this marriage would at least give her the chance to be a shadow queen to her people rather than no queen at all. For as long as her uncle granted her to live.

Feeling her heart getting heavier and heavier, Yassia came to this decision, while Edmund was still imploring her to become his queen. She needed to buy time now. But how? Then a faint memory stirred inside her, something Oliver had said. It would be her own silent goodbye to him to heed the last advice he had given her:
“My brother is enamored by your beauty, use it to your advantage to get what you want, on your terms." His soft voice echoed in her head, almost causing her heart to break on the spot. Had he known? Had he had any idea of what Edmund had been about to do? Had he maybe even tried to warn her? Well, in the end it didn’t matter anymore. She would honor his advice. It was time she needed, time to make arrangements for her imminent leave. And so for time she would ask.
”Edmund…” she started softly, trying hard on a smile. By no means could he suspect anything now! “You surely understand that as much as I’d like to, I can’t give you an answer right away. As Princess, I was born with much responsibility. Every choice I make will affect my people as well, whether for good or bad. You have been brought up to the same burden on your shoulder, so I know you will understand me. Can you give me a little time to decide? Just to be sure?”

Sir Kay himself still didn’t quite know what to make of everything that had happened since the young duke’s arrival. Maybe he shouldn’t have sent Yassia too the front after all? Strathmore showed a little too much interest in his young niece right now for his taste, and he had followed the duke’s history enough and knew him for too long to not know what a heartbreaker he could be. He didn’t want Yassia to fall prey for that, but then he couldn’t exactly tell her what to do. He would keep out of it as long as he could, and let her make her own decisions. He just hoped it would be the right ones, as she sometimes could be horribly naïve. She had trusted her cousin far too much, and had paid a horrible price for it. Well, maybe in the end that would make her more cautious now? He could truly, only hope so. Still, whatever Sir Kay thought about Duke Oliver and his niece, it didn’t diminish what he felt for the young man in general.”Against my firm expectations, you haven’t”, he replied in his usual offish manner, but his handshake was warm and firm. “Who knows, maybe there’ll be something to make out of you after all, if you try really hard.”

Even though she had been blessed with the invaluable opportunity to drink the RAA chocolate almost every week since the start of November, it was still a neverending wonder to Yassia. It was hands down the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted anywhere, and that was saying something indeed! The recipe was top secret and no flattery and threatening would ever be able to get it out of the main school cook, that was widely known. The students knew to savor it while they could, and so Yassia could only imagine what an effect this must have on Oliver, being able to drink it again after some considerable time had passed. From under lowered eyelids and over the brim of her mug, she watched him down his chocolate in greedy gulps, and the milk froth remaining on his lips made him look like just one of those students down in the crowd, completely adorable in a way. Shaking her head, she pryed her eyes from him, just to be approached by a server, leaning over her with a very confused look.
"The Duke wanted more hot chocolate, miss. And he specifically asked for yours." Immediately, Yassia’s hand tightened around her mug and she had the childish impulse to draw it up to her chest, hugging it close and bawling: ‘minemineminemine!’. What a devil he was! Truly, you shouldn’t let him out of sight for ONCE!

Her eyes darted over to him again, where he sat, playing all the innocent, but knowing he had won. Now he had practically asked her publicly, there was no way she could refuse. That was the problem with honored guests, they just always got their way, for protocol’s sake. Then again, Yassia knew she had promised him a fight, and so he would get one. “Oh, but I already drank from mine!” she protested with a fake regretful sigh. “I’m sure we can’t present the Duke with an already used cup! I think, he’ll like a new one far better!”
Well, that was at least one way to go about it, without giving in at once, and she wondered how well he would take it. Would he be annoyed by her ability to counter him, or would he be impressed… and just why should she care for either?
But whatever direction this little fight for dominion might have taken, for now it was put aside by a rather unfortunate accident that sent the whole High Table burst into activity like a disturbed hornet’s nest. As Yassia had been motinoring the duke, she had exactly seen it coming, but hadn’t even had time to open her mouth to cry a warning, when the duke’s hand collided with Brick’s face and he dropped his mug of chocolate on the young man, sending both crying out in surprise and pain.

Yassia jumped to her feet immediately, as did the rest of the table, but Duke Oliver stopped them in their tracks, apologizing to Mr. Bricker first. The man looked rather embarrassed, being shown in front of the whole school populace again that he deserved his inofficial nickname after all and clearly not able to say a word. But while Oliver seemed more inclined to make light of it all, Yassia’s uncle was the one to think practical. “Sir, you might want a new shirt, don’t you think? We can get you something of the uniform stack. I am sure you would like that, wouldn’t you?” And Yassia, who had seen how steaming hot the chocolate had been and how the duke bravely tried to hide his pain, added: “I’ll show him to it, uncle. It’s my office after all. And I could also give you something for your skin, Sir, should you want it.”

It would have been truly something, had fate decided to let her cross paths with the incredibly helpful royal family of Mercia sooner. What had the stars been thinking anyway, keeping her away from her kingdom for almost two years now, she had been nearly given up hope! But then, in that amount of time, she had met many people who she never would have wanted to miss. It had given her the time to deepen her friendship to Caitrin, she had formed a close bond to her uncle Kaye as well, and now could fairly say Albion had become her second home. She had been born a child of two cultures, but only now had learned to appreciate the other half. Maybe that had been meant to be. What surprised her a little though, was that Edmund was constantly talking about it all in the first person. Not once he had included his father, the rest of his family or the whole of Mercia, just as if this was nothing but a personal affair between him and her. Or was she reading too much into his words again? “What’s done is done, Edmund, and maybe there was a good reason behind it all”, Yassia said softly, cocking her head. “I didn’t have only tedious times in Camelot, there were times I’d hardly like to miss. For example the time spent with Caitrin de Archer, soon-to-be Aubert. I never had such a good friend as her.”

But what would have happened for example, if not a whole year had passed since Oliver and her had parted. Would they have been so quick to accuse each other of falsehood then, with their first encounter a little fresher in mind? It seemed inevitable… once again Oliver had found a way into her imminent thoughts, and she was in peril of slipping back into the land of what-might-have-been. It could not be, it simply had to stop! Almost forcefully, she banned Oliver from her mind and focussed on what his brother had to say. Only that WHAT he said wasn’t much made to make her feel more comfortable. Once again, he only spoke of himself, what HE would do for her and that he would stop at nothing. For Yassia’s taste, that sounded far too much like a subtle declaration of love – and that was nothing she could deal with right now. Had she maybe sent out the wrong signals? But then, when had she EVER done anything to encourage Edmund? She could honestly not recall, on the contrary, she always had feared behaving too distant and formal towards him.
Giving a little awkward laugh, she couldn’t quite hide a blush that was more born out of feeling uncomfortable than flattered. “Thank you Edmund. Knowing that means a lot to me. And with your help I will certainly be able to smile more often in the future.”

His views about war she could only second. It showed that he would be one day a fine king, if he had realized such crucial things already. Maybe you needed to grow up in war or experience it first hand to know that there might be one beginning but no end to it, given half the chance. No one had ever told her the story of the difficult peace treaty in such detail, and Yassia was quite mesmerized by it. That must have been quite a tense adventure indeed! “I am glad things could be sorted out before a battle started”, she mused and smiled wearily. “Because I couldn’t agree more: If war even has one winner at all, it would be death. He’s getting a find reaping.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have pressed the matter of a Queen for Edmund on, Yassia thought uneasily, as she waited for him to say something.She should have just passed it on. The feeling of oncoming dread had intensified again during the last few moments, and suddenly it seemed like the walls of this room were closing in on her, encaging her, keeping her captive. It was an unreasonable reaction of course, but Yassia knew enough about her instincts to fear them, trust them. Something was afoot. It felt like the silence before the first crash of thunder that would start a tempest. Like the whole nature was holding their breath. Such it had felt the instant before she had seen the messenger arrive in the palace, bringing the gruesome news of her mother’s and brother’s death. Such it had felt an instant before her father had drawn his last breath, and Yassia knew what it meant. Her stars were changing. And there was nothing she could do to hold them in their place. A tiny part of her was still clinging to the furtive hope that she was overreacting, even as she numbly heard Edmund say something about that his search had come to and end.

And then it came, the deafening crash of thunder.
"Princess Yassia, will you do me the honor of becoming my queen?"
Yassia heard his words, she saw Edmund’s gleaming eyes, she saw the ring. But she could not react. It was too much. With these few words her world came crashing down. For every other woman in the world, this proposal would have meant heaven, for Yassia it meant hell. It was not that she despised Edmund even, or that it was the wrong brother asking her. No, she didn’t even think of that at that moment. All she could think of was:
’You monster… you make me choose between my kingdom and my people.’ He hadn't even asked her to become his WIFE. He wanted her to be his QUEEN. And if she accepted, she would never become Queen of Ailantha. But if she refused… he would withdraw his offer for help and she needed it. Her people needed it. But there was no one else but her who could bear the crown if it wasn’t Guifré or Stephane. There was no way out of this. Either way she chose, she could not win.
”Edmund… I…” again she gave an awkward little laugh, blinking rapidly and covering her mouth with one hand to keep her composure. “I… really didn’t expect that…”

It seemed see had made up for her initial stiffness, and Yassia was honestly glad. She liked Edmund in his own way, even though he sometimes was a little too much for comfort. Maybe that came with being a crown prince? Yassia could quite imagine that, since she remembered her brother Ramon to be the same in so many ways. He had been nineteen the year he had been killed, and as headstrong and proud as you could find a man in all Ailantha. But everything he had done, he had still tried to do for the good of his kingdom, and the people had loved him and had been deeply enraged and grieving at his sudden and unexpected loss. Even thoug Yassia thought Edmund far from humble, she wasn’t offended or irritated at his words. They were just courteous after all, phrases, and no one could blame him for using them in this society. His brother was already blunt enough for both of them anyway. And she REALLY shouldn’t be comparing them constantly, Edmund truly deserved better than that!
”I wasn’t aware I was giving so much”, Yassia replied with a little chuckle. “But I dearly hope it was enough. There’s only so much you can do to repay exuberant generosity and friendship. But believe me when I say that I couldn’t be more thankful for it all!”

His next words actually shocked her, and she didn’t even know if in a positive or a negative way. This offer was yet again so MUCH, far TOO much in her eyes, and she knew she hardly could accept it. “Edmund!” she exclaimed, a hand darting to her mouth, for a moment forgetting and foregoing all formality. “I could never ask this of you! You are the crown prince of Mercia! Your first and foremost duty should lie with your own country, not mine! I have yet to find out how much of a danger I will be facing. We could be walking straight into a throne war. How could I ever look your father and mother in the eye again, if I was taking their eldest son, the hope of their future away from them into grave danger.?! If anything would happen to you…” No, she really had not expected this, and she wonder what had made him offer it. Was that all still ‘only’ extreme chivalry and goodwill?

It was far easier there to listen to Edmund’s proud praise of his people. He was clearly not mincing matters, but again Yassia was more amused than taken aback. She had been proud of her country before, so why shouldn’t he be proud of his and its people? And judging by the few Mercians she had met, he could be only right about that. All of those had been strong and proud, sure of themselves and their abilities. Like Caitrin for example.
”Is that why you were at war with Camelot for years?” she asked, cocking her head in interest. “I’ve heard rumors of course, but I wasn’t in Albion yet when the peace treaty was agreed on, and everyone seems inclined on forgetting that war very quickly.” Who could blame them, really? War was such a sad fact in many people’s life, so when one was finally overcome you could only rejoice and hope the next wouldn’t be so quickly afoot.

Edmund was now talking about finding a queen for himself, and Yassia felt her unease slowly return. Was there a reason he was elaborating this in front of her, or was he merely trying to uphold conversation. There was a certain appraising look in his eyes while he spoke this words, and this look was directed at her. Now what should she say? What if she was overreacting again, and saw signs where there were none? She’d make a right fool off herself if she now assumed things readily! It was better to circumnavigate as best as she could!
“I am sure you will find that one soon, Prince Edmund!” she encouraged him and raised her goblet in a casual toast, before taking a sip. “A man like you? It shouldn’t be that hard!”

Yassia was very much aware of all the secret or barely hidden glances she was given from those of the school’s populace who found the current happenings more interesting than the prospect of gathering in the refectory. There would be a ton of nosy questions to evade or answer later, she knew that. Most of those asking would be girls of course, and Yassia would bet the highest stakes that Annie would be on the forefront of it all. That girl had been forming the idee fixe in her head that a girl like Yassia couldn’t possibly stay without a boyfriend for long.She had tried it with the young History teacher Blakely, the caretaker’s son, the local police officer, … the list was actually endless, bless her soul. Yassia couldn’t thank her good fortune enough that until now none of the students had found out anything about the scandal and what ugly things she had been accused of. That might be partly because she hadn’t told anyone what she had been up to before coming here, and because none of the students here would understand Catalan newspapers, but especially a picture could tell more tales than a thousand words, and she was actually living in constant fear the shadow of the scandal would follow her here.

But her uncle’s strict glances ushered the lingering students inside, and soon Yassia felt a little safer. Her uncle might come across as distant and strict, but even in the short time of being here, she had already found access to his inner, softer core and didn’t feel like she was constantly put on the spot when he was around. Maybe it was because he was family, but she could even laugh about his feign strictness and rejection of vanity. He was truly the least vain man she had ever met, and he even hated he had to dress up to keep up the appearance of Headmaster of RAA. At least that was the impression Yassia had been getting, and his lateness because he couldn’t find his tie earlier, only underlined that notion. With amusement and interest, she watched the face-off between Headmaster and former Student and realized it to be the casual and friendly banter it was. Her uncle must have more affection for this young man hidden inside him than he probably knew himself, which made Yassia suddenly look at him through different eyes.
Had he really spiked the hot chocolate with rum once?! Yassia couldn’t help the amused expression that flickered over her face. It seemed like one of those typical boarding school pranks, but one only the most daring and cheeky would pull off.

Sir Kay gave his niece a long glance when she was called to testify for the Duke’s innocence. He didn’t quite know what to make of that statement. He knew the young duke well enough to know Yassia should be wary of him at best. He had been a heartbreaker even when still attending the school, and by the looks of it, matters had only gotten worse. Yassia had been through so much already and she had been fooled by a pretty face and too much trust before, and even though he didn’t know all of what happened,he knew enough to not wanting the duke near her for long… unless she herself was sure she could handle it of course. He would never try to command her in any way. She was his niece, not his daughter.
”I’m not sure if I should trust her testimony that much”, he replied, giving Yassia another sidelong glance. “There’s a rascal hidden inside her as well. Sometimes I have to remind her that she is supposed to be holding UP authority in this school, not undermining it together with the students.” His voice had been gruff and almost angry as usual, but Yassia knew him well enough to not be offended. That was just his way, his humor could often be biting.

Yassia found herself returning that wink spontaneously, even though she inwardly chided herself for it afterwards. What sort of impression was she giving here? That she was practically eating out of his palm? Certainly not! It was a good thing her uncle now seemed very inclined to give an elaborate and true answer to Duke Oliver’s teasing request of being estimated, as they were walking up the large representative staircase towards the large refectory.
”You ask the wrong person to be nice, Strathmore”, Kay Griffiths replied rather curtly. “I will speak the truth and nothing but the blunt honest truth. You were a brilliant mind and still have a smart head on your shoulders, but you let some talents go to waste, because you liked fun more than work. It is proof of just how far you could have come that you still got your ‘summa cum laude’ even though you were found out of bed four times in a row before the final examinations. That is what this man is about, Yassia”, he finished, but his niece could detect the hint of pride behind his harsh words. Many people would have overheard it and felt he had been almost insultingly rude, but Yassua knew that was his way. He always disguised praise with reprimands. Still, Yassia was interested to see how the young man would take these words and so she stayed one step behind as her uncle now entered the already crammed and buzzing refectory, leaning closer to him for a second. "That was blunt, wasn't it?"

---

o.O That was SO long, my sincere apologies, you don't have to mirror that!

Now their planning was getting concrete, and Yassia could feel her excitement grow with the minute. Her thoughts started to focus entirely on the details of the party and now also on what dress she might have want to be made, which tuned out all other, sometimes gloomy thoughts she might have had tonight. She could only be thankful to Caitrin for that, and she knew it. Leaving every other thought aside, Yassia inwardly went through her small wardrobe, checking what designs and colors she already had, and what she would want more. Of course, she wouldn’t want too many similarly looking dresses, but then the dark green had been always the color of her dynasty, and shouldn’t she represent her country in foreign lands. Apart from that, she just didn’t know any color that suited her better than green. Maybe she should ask for Caitrin’s opinion there?
”Well, my kingdom’s color, or rather the Dyfrène color is green, as you might have noticed by my choice of clothing so far”, she began. “I wouldn’t know many other colors that suited me, since many of my gowns throughout the years have always beena shade of green. What would you think? And style-wise… what is the latest fashion of Mercia?”

So, and open invitation it would be. Yassia was fine with that, as she had never been averse to meeting new people. She wondered how many would follow this open invitation, and for Caitrin’s sake she hoped it would be many. A private feast would be nice as well, but this should be something for her friend to remember for a lifetime, almost as important as the actual wedding. Nothing should go wrong, and Caitrin should have the best crowd imaginable. “I’m sure many would want to see you after all the time you’ve been gone, right?” she commented, leaning back and folding her hands. “This will be a splendid night… but maybe we should keep the performance of the Soléa until the end, when some guests have already gone? I don’t know how some people might react to it, after all.” Yassia smiled. Courts might be different all over the world, but there were always some manners-witches about. It seemed to be something inevitable when it came to court life. There were the free spirits, those in between and the stickler to manners and customs, most of them old maids or widows.

Yassia let go a relieved chuckle at Caitrin’s comment. This was the best sign that Caitrin was getting back to normal, if she started to care about what she must appear as. Not that Yassia thought her friend vain or something similar, but it meant that more prominent worries had been succesfully soothed. She couldn’t be gladder about it, only now when the inspection was through, she realized how much Caitrin’s revellation had shocked her and how fervently she herself had clung to the thought of everything being alright, which she now knew was the case. “You’re allowed to!” she assured Caitrin, still chuckling, and taking a step back. “And I’ve seen far worse, believe me!”
Smiling, she then shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me at all, dear, I am glad I had the knowledge and skills to help you, but this is not my doing. Thank your spirits, if you must, for bringing us together and I’ll thank my mother for training me.”

Over all this talking and the intense past few minutes. Yassia had all but forgotten why she had checked on Caitrin in the first place, and she needed a minute to collect her thoughts and trying to recall. What had directed her steps here? Then she remembered. The sleeplessness, the many thoughts circling around in her head, most of them revolving around Oliver, of course, and the many times they had seem to come so close these last few days. But she had not wanted to speak of that… she just had wanted a little distraction, and it had worked out extremely well.
”I came to find some peace and distraction in your company”, she said softly, smiling. “I’ve hardly been able to take a moment for myself these days, or some time with my best friend. I’m glad I got it now.”

"Oh, I have my methods in getting exactly what I want, and right now, my eyes are set on as many hot chocolate as I can get my hands on,"
Goodness, he was excellent, there was no denying it! Yassia couldn’t help but be impressed at his quick and witty retort, and of course there was still a little hint of flirtation behind it all, or was she imagining the playful emphasize on the words ‘right now’? Clearly, the young duke knew what he wanted and there was no doubt he usually got it as well, whatever it may be. She had been like that once, Yassia realized, and maybe she would be again, once she had been restored as heir and owner to the Dyfrène Holding. She didn’t harbor much hope her setbacks would have changed her much, after all, right now she was only lacking the opportunities to get everything she wanted. She hadn’t lied about her fighting spirit though, it was the reason she was here right now, after all. Regrouping and collecting new forces, that was her plan for now, and it eventually would lead somewhere. All she needed was a good plan to counter Guifré’s and Stephane’s viciousness and lack of scruples.

"So consider yourself warned, and may the best man or woman win,"
Yassia gave a curt nod and mimicked his tone, when she said: “We have a deal, Sir!” Only a twinkling in her eyes betrayed that she was by no means being serious in her aggressive demeanor, even though an outsider might have surely guessed that. It was all part of their game, and Yassia was enjoying every second of it! There was no saying how long it would last, but she would not let that spoil her fun now.

One thing that surprised her about the young duke though was that he seemed by no means haughty. If not for his visit here, she might have bumped into him on the street and not realized at all that he was of noble birth, or used to much luxury. His words seemed genuine enough, and there was real excitement and gratitude in his eyes; he wasn’t just faking these things for courtesy’s sake. He was quite a mystery to Yassia, as she had never quite run across someone as intriguing as him. She’d like to get to know him better, maybe solve a few of those riddles that seemed to surround him like an aura – but maybe she was walking into his web with eyes wide open and would get entangled in another scandal? The reporters outside had reminded her almost brutally of her own vulnerability. Every picture told a tale, and as such every picture was money. Whether the tale it told was right, was of no consequence.
“Didn’t you feel like that when still here?” she asked, genuinely interested, even though she couldn’t refrain from teasing him for too long. “Or were you such a dutiful student.”

Yassia only gave a curt nod and a smile at their set date, since her uncle was within earshot now. She stepped back to allow the headmaster to take over from here, even though she hoped this would not be the end of their conversation. Well… there was the chocolate and then their talk later, right? So, what was she thinking, being all jealous of her uncle now getting his attention?!
Kay Griffiths gave a grumbling snort, a very significant sound for him. It wasn’t much, but it had an unbelievable variation of meanings, and Yassia couldn’t hope to ever decipher them all. Right now he seemed rather amused though.
“You always were good with words, Strathmore!” he said, letting go of all formalities now, as if the duke was still his student. “But I hope you remember they never had much effect on me. I have a mirror in my room, thank you very much. Just so you know, I will keep an eye on you now just as I did a few years back.” And with that he even waggled his index finger.

. "The honor is all mine,"
Now that didn’t sound like his usual empty phrases as well, but it was not so much the lack of fake enthusiasm that intrigued Yassia, it was the meekness in which it was said – as if not HE was the superior in this conversation, but she was. But that, of course, was ridiculous, and she ought not to read too much into everything he did or did not do. What was it to her after all? Hmm… maybe the question should better be: what SHOULD it be to her, as it clearly had a greater impact on her than was healthy. Why couldn’t it have been anyone else donation this blasted ice rink to the school? Why did it have to be him, just as she was here? Yassia didn’t much believe in fate, even though she had done a few tarot card readings for fun back when still at the hotel management school. But this, this was simply too much to be coincidence. The question now was: who was the scene writer of this play and what were his intentions?

He seemed to catch himself quickly again though, since his next remark was as lighthearted and slightly silly as you could get. They had strayed far from protocol long since, but Yassia found she enjoyed the banter they had been starting. It had been long since she last had found a willing counterpart for wit-games and she just couldn’t deny herself the fun of giving everything back to him to her best abilities. “You can try, Sir, of course, but I’ve been in fact known to hold tight to what I think is mine!” she teased, winking. “Simple prying won’t do, and you’d have to think up a LOT of good arguments to convince me to let go. So”, she made a dismissive gesture with her hand, “hate to break it to you, but your efforts might be entirely wasted and in the meantime you might have lost YOUR chocolate as well.”

Yassia couldn’t quite keep an amused chuckle down as he showed so much feign relief for not being tortured with the usual ‘greet a duke’ ceremony. “I bet you’re being put through such things a lot!” she commented sympathetically. She had been a celebrity in her own home, but not the representative kind, having to constantly show interest in the meanest of things. No, her way had be clear, even though things had come entirely different in the end, with her father’s untimely death and the shabby intrigue spun by her uncle and cousin. She would have been the puppeteer, not the puppet led into a dance. But oddly enough it was not that that irked her most, it was the shady dishonesty the ploy had been worked with, and the stain that would remain forever on her family’s name.
“Oh no, I for myself should be honestly glad”, she disagreed with him, smiling and shrugging. “It is a welcome distraction from my everyday duties, and I’m sure most of the students think the same. After all, they’re able to miss classes and homework.”

"I perfectly understand what you mean,"
She wasn’t too sure what to think of that. Did he? Did he really? Or was he just trying to appease her. Well, judging from the yellow press, he’d had a good amount of scandals himself, and maybe he wasn’t so unfazed by them as he would like people to believe. Not wanting to push this topic much further, she just gave an uneasy smile and a nod.
His request took her quite off guard, even though she immediately understood what he was getting at. So now they were finally tackling it, their big secret. Yassia couldn’t help but wonder what he would want to say about the matter. Would he explain why he had left without a word? Would he ask for forgiveness? Or would he ask her to please please not tell anything about that to the press? Would he trust her so little? “Sure!” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “We could go into my office or something.” She had wanted to say more, but in this moment the lightning storm of picture-crazy paparazzi befell them, and instinctively, Yassia hunched her shoulders and was all too glad to be pushed inside. “Voltors!” she growled. “Vultures!”

Then Kay Griffiths, headmaster of The Royal Alexandra and Albert School, finally had pushed his way towards them, and took Oliver’s hand. “Your Grace, what a pleasure to see your face again! Welcome back to your old alma mater.” Yassia was always surprised how different her uncle could act with variating groups of people. To his students he was strict, almost inapproachable, as if he just didn’t know how to best deal with them, but when they returned as grown men and women, he knew his manners quite well.

Oliver didn’t seem to have realized her momentary slip, and for that quick moment between the knock and the answering by Edmund’s servant, Yassia felt like being pulled under by a maelstrom of confusing and battling emotions. There was relief that she had been able to hide her moment of weakness from him, there was some sort of fearful excitement as the feeling of being led into her doom intensified for no apparent reason, and there was also letdown. Letdown because she wondered what would have been if Oliver had seen her true feelings for him inside this split second. Would it have changed anything? And if yes, for better or worse? But now she would never know, and she was aware that she should finally let go of these stupid sentiments that kept her captive in the world of ‘what might have been’. It was about time she resumed control over her life again, and maybe this night was the start?!

He bid her a good night and a hopefully enjoyable evening, but before she had time to react to that, Yassia’s attention was diverted by Edmund’s rather stark reaction to what she only could assume was her appearance. He literally stared open-mounded, and it made the princess more than uncomfortable. If this slightly subdued appearance already made him stare almost rudely in a way, what reaction would a more splendid gown and hairdo have provoked from him?! She could hear Oliver’s words echo in her head: ‘My brother is enamored by your beauty, use it to your advantage to get what you want, on your terms’ and only now she seemed to fully grasp their meaning. ‘Besotted’, was the term her mother often would have used in jest, when she observed some young knight fawning over that lady in court. Was Edmund truly that ‘besotted’ with her? And if yes, what would that mean? Until now, Yassia had been able to push any thoughts like that into the back of her head, but now she was starting to panic again. ‘No!’ she wanted to scream. ‘You’re the wrong brother!!!’, but of course she did nothing of that sort.

Instead, she inclined her head like it was custom and stepped over the threshold into a richly decorated antechamber. Inconspicuously, she let her gaze wander from under lowered eyelids, and found her thoughts confirmed: as different as the two brothers were in their natures, as different were their rooms. Edmund’s room was truly the chamber of a crown prince, with all pleasantries and elegance you would expect, sometimes even bordering a little on the ‘too much’ for Yassia’s taste. But then, what was it to her?
“Good evening, Prince Edmund!” she greeted him with a smile and stepped closer. “I see you really didn’t shy away from any effort for this dinner.”