Sierra was grinning from ear to ear in her heart. But she maintained her expression as best she could. She pretended to look shocked and dumbfounded.
"Did I do sothing wrong, Your Highness? I was rely concerned for your health. Speaking of which, I’m getting a little thirsty," Sierra said as she glanced over to the tea set on the table.
She took the teapot by the handle and poured herself a fresh cup of tea into one of the empty cups. Everyone in that room was stunned and silent. No one dared to stop her.
Sierra downed the tea in one gulp. When she was done, she placed the teacup back down and got up to her feet. She also rembered to ’dust’ herself off, which made the other princess shrug away from her as she did.
"I must have overstayed my welco. I’ll get going now. Wouldn’t want to pollute your air any longer than I have to, now do I?" Sierra said to them while maintaining a smile.
She made sure to get as close to Cassandra as she could before leaving the room altogether.
"Have a nice evening, Your Highnesses," Sierra said as sweetly as she could before heading back upstairs.
In the days after the riding contest, Sierra’s feat of taming the war stallion spread far across the kingdom and beyond. The King of Drakin choosing his concubine was a hot topic of discussion amongst royals and nobles all across Gaeia.
Hence it was no exception that the news traveled all the way to Cair. General Leon could not help but beam with pride when he heard of his daughter’s success. He only wished to have been there to witness it himself.
He had also learned of the events of that day through Sierra’s letter that she had sent by Greywing.
"You’ve really grown into a fine young woman, my daughter," Leon whispered to himself as he re-read the letter she had sent for a second ti.
He had kept all the letters Sierra sent in a box on his mantle, re-reading them from ti to ti. He never had children of his own and never thought he would until she entered his life. Leon rembered that day like it was only yesterday.
A skinny girl of six with no family or friends. She had survived for that long on her own, that alone was impressive. He did not hesitate to take her in and it was a decision he never regretted.
Just then, a violent coughing fit overtook the general. He could feel his airway closing, threatening to cut the oxygen supply that was going to his lungs. This has beco a more and more frequent occurrence.
A servant from the outside heard the commotion as Leon was trying to climb out of bed as the coughing plagued him. His na was Marius, a long-ti servant of the Bancroft Family.
"Master Leon! Are you alright?" Marius asked anxiously as he rushed forward to help the general.
He quickly served him a cup of water to help soothe his throat after the coughing fit subsided. This was not the first ti it had happened.
"Master Leon, I’ll call for the doctor..."
Leon shook his head and waved his hand, "No need... There’s no need for that, Marius."
"But milord, your health... you need to tell Sierra about this, she would worry..."
"That is precisely why she must not know. She," he sucked in a breath of fresh air before he continued, "She already has so much to worry about on her plate. She does not need this to plague her."
"But she’s your daughter, Master Leon. Surely she should have the right to know."
Leon clenched his jaw. He knew Marius would not speak so out of turn if not for the concern he had for him. Leon knew he was right. The father in him wanted Sierra to return to his side at once. He feared the worst. He feared the illness he suffered would take him before he could see her again.
But that was all the more reason for him to take care of himself.
"I’ll tell her when the ti is right," Leon replied.
~
Sierra felt a cold shiver down her spine. She was flying through the night sky. She had mastered the use of her wings recently and was eager to put them to good use. The more she practiced, the better she got.
"A chilly night," she muttered to herself as she landed gracefully on one of the tallest roofs of Vargos Castle.
From where she stood, she could see all of the castle grounds down below. It was late in the night, the moon hung high in the vast open sky above her. It provided just enough light for her to make sense of her surroundings.
Parts of the castle were still brightly lit, but most of it was dimd or shrouded in darkness. As she began to hum a tune to herself, Sierra walked along the roof tiles as she continued to survey the area around her.
In her mind, she was thinking of the events that had occurred recently. Everything was going smoothly and she was ever ready for anything that would co next. But on this night, she had a task at hand to accomplish.
Tonight, she was tasked with protecting Queen Roxine.
"Oh, who do we have here?" Alistair’s voice jolted Sierra where she stood.
She almost lost her footing as her heart was ready to leap out of her throat in shock. Alistair rushed forward. He wrapped one hand around her waist and held on to her free hand to help her steady herself.
Her heart was pounding in her ears when she turned to et his eyes. He was wearing the mask that hid his face from the world. The face only few had seen.
"What... what are you doing here?" She croaked, finally able to speak after calming her heart.
"This is my castle, my kingdom. I can be anywhere I want," he mused.
He leaned in close to Sierra, the tip of his nose gently touching the nape of her neck as he whispered, "I can also get whatever I want."
Sierra shivered. She grinned as she pulled herself away from him. Regret overwheld her as she felt the chill of the night replace the warmth she had felt in his embrace.
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