Astra bowed and looked up at the king sitting on the throne, his wife was sitting on her own throne, right next to him. The both of them looked pompous on the throne, looking down at her and her soldiers. It made her want to drive a sword right through their chest.
What were they even doing here? When Cato had presented his plan to Astra and Avriel, Astra had been against it. What if the palace people realized their plan? It was just too risky. She had no problem because she could easily kill a few Thurtianians. She was just concerned about the other soldiers who did not have her abilities. She was also concerned about Zori, who would be following them on their mission.
The plan was to infiltrate the kingdom as personal guards for the crown prince, and then take the kingdom by force...giving Cato his revenge.
Noelle smiled at Astra, "You are all welcome to Thurtian, the kingdom of peace and love."
More like the kingdom of murderers, Astra thought.
Soteria looked at them lazily and sighed, "Where is your head...or chief?" he asked and Astra's soldiers parted into two opposite lines, giving space for a wrinkled and hunched over Cato to walk through.
Noelle gasped while Soteria furrowed his brows, Astra just cocked a brow, at Cato, who looked the same, save for the mask covering his facial features.
"Take off your mask!" Soteria ordered and Cato smiled to himself. He knew that this would happen, so he had prepared himself for it.
He moved his other hand to clasp his gloved hand, which was on top his gold-plated cane and then bowed, "I apologize, but I can not take off my mask." "And what is your reason?" Soteria asked.
"When I was just a boy, I had leprosy, and unfortunately, it was not treated early, which left my visage deformed," he spoke and the king raised a brow,
"Well right now, you do not have the disease, so take off your mask!" "Believe me your majesty, I truly understand why you would want me to take off my mask, but I do not want to scare her majesty," Cato gestured to Noelle.
Soteria glanced at his wife and then turned his attention to Cato, "Still–" he was saying, but Noelle grabbed his hand gently, and then he looked at her. She shook her head slightly and he sighed,
"For the sake of the ladies present, I shall excuse you, but certainly, I will see what is under that mask."
Cato bowed, "But of course your majesty."
Soteria could not put his finger on it, but the man in the mask seemed iffy. Perhaps it was the way he spoke; low and slow, like he was counting the words and ensuring they enter the minds of all those who listen to him, or perhaps it was the mask itself.
Intricately patterned with wisps of gold-plated metal, which contrasted the ash ceramic which the mask was made of. The dark mask contrasted his pale skin, and it made him look eerie.
Or perhaps it was his eyes; dark green and shifty, framed with the circles of the mask, meant for the eyes. There were no hints of kindness in his eyes. To Soteria, the man in the mask was oddly familiar. Especially those unkind eyes.
Noelle smiled at the man in the mask and the soldiers behind him, "What are your names?" she asked and Cato turned to the queen, "I am Darius."
He gestured to Astra and Avriel behind him, "This is Astra and Avriel, they are my strongest soldiers."
Noelle nodded and noticed the little boy standing at the far ending of one of the lines the soldiers had made for Cato to pass through.
"You are training little boys as well?" she asked and gestured to the little boy, "Come child..."
Zori looked up at the soldiers towering over him, then he nervously walked to the throne.
Cato looked down at him, and for a minute, he panicked. What if Noelle had known him and his family? His plan would be over before it even started. He had not wanted to bring the boy along, but Astra had told him that if Zori would not be allowed to go, she would not go either. He could not risk that, because Astra was his trump card, so he had allowed the boy to come along.
He took a deep breath and calmed down. There is no way she knows him. She is the queen, and he is just a mere orphan whose family was killed at the outskirts of Leorda. No matter how good of a queen she is, she would not know all her subjects individually.
Zori bowed before the king and queen, "Your majesties." His mother had always told him about the royal family and how beautiful they all looked.
As a child, he had believed her, and he was in awe when he raised his head to look at the rulers.
"What is your name?" the queen asked and he gulped nervously, "My mother called me Zori," he squeaked. "And where is your mother?" she asked and Zori turned back to look at Cato.
Cato raised his eyes from the boy's face to the queen's, "Zori lost his family at a very tender age. I had found him by a river."
Noelle held Zori's arms, "Poor child...you have suffered quite a lot. Do not hesitate to tell me if you need something, while you will be staying in the palace."
Soteria yawned and gestured to Aslan, "My butler, Aslan, will show you to your quarters. After you have settled in, the princes will be shown to you, and your duties will be doled out to you."
Cato and the soldiers bowed, then they all followed Aslan.
When they were all alone, Noelle turned to her husband, "That girl...what was her name again? Astra, her eyes are—" "What about her eyes?" Soteria interrupted.
They are grey.
"My love, what about her eyes?" Soteria asked again.
Noelle remembered the grey-eyed lady Sorin's wounded escort talked about, and then she thought of Astraea and Cassian.
"They are the same shade of Cassian's eyes," she voiced out her concern and Soteria broke into a laugh, "So what? She is Cassian's daughter? The one he has been looking for for fifteen years?"
"I—" "I do not mean to sound insensitive, but Astraea is dead, even if she is not dead, she must have been kidnapped, and the person who kidnapped her would not be so dumb to bring her back to her roots," the king explained.
Noelle slowly nodded as she saw reason with her husband, "You are absolutely right! I feel so dumb for comparing her to Astraea, that bundle of joy is nothing compared to that hard girl."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she thought about the last time she had seen Astraea; her small, chubby fingers trying to steal her truffle.
Soteria noticed the tears and took his wife's hands in his then he kissed them, "Are you alright love?" he asked and Noelle shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, "That poor girl...Zemira must be devastated."
The king had nothing to say. Indeed he was saddened by what had happened to his friend's daughter, and he could not even imagine what Cassian was passing through.
He pushed his wife's head onto his shoulder and caressed her face, as she sobbed.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After their duties had been handed to them, Astra went to Cato's room.
"Why did you lie?" she asked as she watched him take his mask off.
"Lie? I told no lies. My other name is Darius, and I was a leper as a child, only that it was treated early, but I did get this scar..." Cato said and took off one of his black gloves and showed the ugly scar on his hand to Astra.
Astra stared at the scar then looked at the old man, "You know the king, that's why you wore a mask."
Cato remembered when Soteria had held him captive and had forced him to make an antidote for the young prince.
He begun spinning one of his tales, "I once worked in the palace. It was during the time your father had married your mother," he sat on the bed in the middle of the room and chuckled, "I had promised them a house of their own although I had no money. I felt that it was a father's duty to provide his son a home."
Astra walked to the bed and sat close to him, wanting to hear more about her father. Cato continued, "So I started working at the palace to make money. That was my first mistake. I had found out about the king's plan to wage war against neighboring nations just so he could rule them."
Cato turned to Astra and sighed, "My second mistake was that I told your father. He knew that that would cause war and war leads to bloodshed, and your mother was already pregnant with you..." he caressed her cheek and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"He tried to foil the king's plan, but the king killed him..." Cato sighed and bowed his head in pain, "You know the rest of the story."
Tears fell from Astra's eyes as she rested her head on Cato's laps.
I would have been happy, living with my parents, she sobbed.
Cato ran his fingers through her curly, a sinister smile on his face. You are the best decision I made, my dear girl.
"I shall not forgive them, grandfather. I swear, by my parents death, I will bring this palace to the ground," Astra swore angrily.
Cato almost laughed. So this was how Isander felt when he was using Nola? The feeling was exhilarating.
"I am sure your father and mother would be pleased."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"For the last time Bithia, you did not have to bring me back to the palace. I am alright!" Noelan protested for the umpteenth time.
After Astra and her riders had ridden away, Noelan had discovered that he had sprained his ankle. Bithia was so concerned and so she had decided to help the him back home.
"You say that but you're limping!" Bithia sent a glare his way. She was holding his waist and holding his arm around her shoulder. Their proximity was alarming to Noelan who was trying not to look down at her cleavage.
Noelan cleared his throat and looked away, his cheeks burning red, "If mother sees you holding me like this, she will throw a fit." Bithia scoffed, "Your mother can throw ten thousand fits and even throw me into hell, I still will not leave you in your limping state."
Noelan gulped nervously and looked at Bithia's hand around his waist, then he looked at her hand holding his arn which was around her shoulder.
He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled her perfume, her scent overwhelming him. This is not so bad. This is how things are meant to be; me and her, this close, with no older brother to ruin the mood.
Suddenly, Bithia stopped walking and that made Noelan to open his eyes.
Standing in front of them was Sorin who was carrying a box of painting materials. "Sorin..." Bithia softly called and Noelan rolled his eyes, return of the lovebirds.
Sorin was loss of words. He had not seen Bithia since they had talked about Astraea. "Bithia, how are—"
Noelan raised his hand to signal Sorin to be quiet, "Wait, brother, before the both of you start acting all emotional, allow me to leave," he said and removed his arm from Bithia's shoulder.
"Noelan..." Bithia looked at him then he shifted away from her abruptly, causing him to lose his balance.
"Noelan!" both Bithia and Sorin shouted as Noelan wobbled and almost fell, but someone caught him by the waist.
"Are you alright, your highness?" the person asked and Noelan looked at his savior. It was a slim girl with short, curly, black hair and grey eyes. Astra.
She raised him up and then looked at Bithia and Sorin. "You..." Bithia started, but Sorin was speechless.
It's her. She has gotten slimmer and taller, and her hair is now short, but it is her. Those chubby cheeks and grey eyes do not lie.
"Why can you not look after your own prince?" Avriel said as he came out from behind a pillar. Astra looked at him and rolled her eyes while he smiled and let his eyes travel around the room.
They stopped at Bithia and Avriel grinned, "The butler did not mention anything about a princess..." he said as he walked to Bithia and then he took her hand and bowed, "Your highness," he was about to press a kiss to her hand, but Astra sniggered,
"What kind of princess wears rags?" Bithia snatched her hand from Avriel and glared at Astra, "Who are you?" she asked.
Astra and Avriel looked at each other and smirked, "We are personal guards assigned to the princes. I am Avriel..." "And I am—"
"Astraea," Sorin heard himself saying.
Everyone turned to look at him with different emotions; Bithia had a mix of shock and anger on her face, Noelan was just shocked, Avriel had a questioning look, and Astra was confused.
Astra finally said, "I am Astra, and not Astraea. I am the guard assigned to you."
"How can you even compare her to Astraea?" Bithia looked at Sorin. Avriel leaned down to Bithia's height and whispered in her ear, "Pardon me, Thia, but who is Astraea?"
Bithia moved away from Avriel, "What did you just call me?" she asked, her ears turning red. Avriel noticed it and smirked, "Thia, is that not your nickname?" he moved close to her.
Noelan looked at the both of them, then at Sorin and Astra who were staring each other down. What was happening? He felt odd for some reason.
"Oh! You have all met!" came a voice and they all turned and saw the queen.
"Your majesty!" Bithia, Astra and Avriel bowed. Noelle gave a reluctant smile to Bithia, "Bithia...how are your parents and your lord and lady?" she asked.
"My father sends his greetings from the letter he wrote me recently, and my mother is well. Lord and Lady Monterey are also doing well."
"Hmm..." Noelle nodded slowly and turned to Noelan, "How was your stroll with Elysia? Did you buy her gifts?" she asked. "She and her twin bought apples for the four of us," Noelan replied as he limped to the nearest pillar to lean onto for balance.
Noelle's eyes widened in surprise, "Whatever happened to your leg?" "My ankle was sprained in the place you shooed me off to."
"Cheeky thing," she slightly glared at her younger son and turned to Avriel, who was standing close to Bithia, admiring her hair.
"Well don't just stand there! My son is hurt! I did not employ you to stand around. Help him!" she gestured and Avriel dragged his feet away from the fair maiden to help the young prince.
"Go on!" Noelle urged him and Avriel put his hands behind the prince's knees and lifted him up. "Oh!" Bithia muttered and Noelle tried to suppress a laugh. Astra smirked while Sorin, not minding the hilarious scene, kept on gazing at Astra.
"Put me down!" Noelan yelled and squirmed around as his cheeks heated up knowing Bithia was watching him. Could he get anymore pathetic?
First, he had fallen in the market.
Second, he had found out that his ankle was sprained, after assuring his childhood friend that he was alright.
Third, said childhood friend who he has been thinking and seeing in a different light, had escorted him back to his home, like he was some damsel.
And now, the straw that was breaking the camel's back; he was being carried like a bride by his personal guard, and Bithia was watching him.
The only good thing about his sprained ankle was that he could feign the severity of the pain and ensure he was bedridden until he felt better about himself.
Avriel sighed and looked at the prince in his arms, "Your highness, you might fall if you do not hold me tight," he feigned a smile and rolled his eyes inwardly.
"Put me down at once!" Noelan yelled, his legs and arms flailing about. "Go on then!" Noelle smiled and Avriel went away with the yelling and flailing prince.
Noelle turned back to Sorin, Astra and Bithia. "Oh, Sorin! You are going to paint again?" Noelle asked her son who was still lost in the grey eyes of his personal guard.
"Sorin..." his mother called. No answer.
"Sorin."
No answer.
"Sorin Solis!"
Sorin snapped out of it and turned to his mother, "Yes, mother?"
Noelle sighed. What was she going to do with her sons?
"Why are you just standing around with that heavy box? Go to your art room and paint! Is it alright if your guard goes with you? She would need to know where you are so she can protect you."
Sorin looked at Astra and nodded, "She can come." "Wonderful!" Noelle pushed the both of them in the direction of the art room, "Get going then!"
She turned to Bithia, "Wouldn't your mother be needing you now?" she asked and dropped her smile.
Bithia bowed and turned back, "I assume you know your way out," Noelle called as Bithia started walking away.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sorin set the box down on a table and looked at Astra who was touching his pencils and brushes.
It was a good thing he had not painted that day, else the room would be messy.
The chevron parquet had been scrubbed to look pristine and remove any trace of paint, but from where Sorin stood, he could see black splotches wedged in between several wooden boards.
His covered paintings had been moved to a corner of the room. Blank canvases, palettes, paint tubes, easels and other paint equipments occupied the other corner of the room.
The armchairs had been pushed to the wall to allow space for Sorin whenever he got into one of his painting moods.
"Umm..."
Astra raised her eyes from the pencils on the table and looked at him, "Yes, your highness?"
Sorin chuckled and rubbed his neck nervously, "You can drop the formalities since you shall be seeing me almost everyday. Just call me Sorin."
Sorin?
A fuzzy image of a boy with golden brown hair grinning at someone, flashed through her head.
Astra looked around, "You paint?" she asked as she moved towards his paintings. "As you can, I do," he followed her.
"Is it a talent, hobby or a skill you were forced to learn?" she asked and held the white sheet covering one of his paintings, but he grabbed her wrist.
She looked at him and he smiled, "It is a skill I had forced myself to learn since I had so much time on my hands, and I grew to love it, so it became a hobby."
She looked at his hand still on her wrist and then at him, waiting for him to get the message.
He understood and let go of her, "I apologize," he chuckled and she eyed him as she rubbed her wrist.
"Are you ashamed of your paintings?" she asked as she glanced at them. He looked at them, "My mother does not want me to show them to anyone. I also am not ready to show anyone. It's complicated." "I see..."
Astra walked away while Sorin stared at her. Those paintings must be plans to destroy other kingdoms. I have to hand it to the king, it was smart to hide them as paintings "made" by his idiot son, she thought and turned her attention back to the pencils. If I kill him here, I can find out the plans, but then we would be discovered.
She caressed the thin, sharp lead of one the pencils and smiled. It might be useful to silently kill the king.
I do not understand. It has to be her. The eyes are the same. The cheeks too. It's the same small, slightly flat nose. It's the same hair and the same lips, so why?
Sorin pondered for a while before he spoke up, "Astraea, I—" "Did you have a friend named Astraea?" Astra asked as she stole the pencil into her belt pouch.
He stilled for a moment, remembering the last time he saw his dear childhood friend; her brows had been furrowed in anger and frustration as she tried to catch him and make him eat his words for calling her stubby.
If only he had allowed her to catch him.
If only he had not hid and run away as he had heard her cry out his name.
If only...
"Not did, I do..." he spoke with the hope that Astraea was still alive.
"Uh-huh...now, do I look like your friend, Astraea?" Astra asked and the prince nodded.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, then she walked towards the hopeful prince, "Look, your highness, you must have been cooped up in this palace all your life, that is why you do not know that there are people who look a lot like other people out there. Your friend, Astraea, is somewhere, but she is not standing in front of you," she stopped right in of the prince.
Up close, Sorin found himself getting lost in her grey eyes.
She blinked and tilted her head to the side, keeping her grey eyes on him, wondering what he was thinking.
Her eyes suddenly widened as Sorin's hands went up to her face and caressed her cheeks. "Astraea..." he breathed slowly.
She immediately moved back and instinctively delivered a punch to his abdomen.
The hell?
Sorin felt the air getting knocked out of his lungs as Astra's fist met with his gut. He could swear that he heard a rib break and that he could taste bile.
God, I'm going to—
He bent forward clutching his abdomen as he hurled the tea and sweet pastries he had eaten that afternoon.
He staggered back, his hands still around himself, and then he yelled, "God damnit!"
Concern etched on Astra's face, oh no! Did I over do it? The queen could relieve us of our duties because of this.
How is she so strong? This is definitely not Astraea, Sorin thought as he glanced up at the armoured woman smirking down at him.
How is he so weak? I thought as a prince he would be skilled and strong, but from his delicate and smooth hands, I can tell that he has spent his days painting. This is just too funny.
Astra bent down to Sorin's level and her smirk widened, "Would your Astraea deliver that sort of punch?"
Sorin's brows deepened and his mouth turned down to a deep frown. He had hoped that she would be his dear childhood friend who had disappeared, but after that punch and the condescending smirk she was giving him now, he was sure that his personal guard was not his Astraea.