Celica was much faster than Axel had anticipated. What for her was a brisk walk, was a light jog for him. She cleared hallways in seconds, and turned corners with the snappy fury of a winter wind. By the time she finally came to a stop before an ornate door, Axel's breathing was weighted, and a light sweat had broken out across his forehead.
The princess turned and looked at him for a split second, her lip curling disgust, before snapping her head around and opening the door. She stepped in, and Axel followed her in.
Her bedroom was large and spacious, roughly the size of the ballroom back in the mayor's mansion. In the center of the room was a four poster bed, a canopy of silk sheets hanging over the blue and white bed clothes. A desk and chair sat at each corner of the room, each right in front of a window. There was a white fur rug on the floor, and a dresser sat against the furthermost wall.
Rather than ask any questions, Axel simply just over the threshold of the room, watching Celica. He didn't know the first thing about being a bodyguard, aside from the obvious fact that he was supposed to somehow protect the princess.
From what? He didn't know. He doubted that princesses were often in dangerous situations or battles, but at the same time, Axel knew little of princesses. Perhaps they did fight in battles, or seek out danger.
All such thoughts were cast from his head when Celica turned to look at him, her glare and sneer making her feelings apparent. Axel looked away, which was apparently the wrong move, as he heard her shoes click across the ground as she walked towards him.
As she reached him, he looked at her again. She was beautiful, in a way similar to her mother, as expected. Her figure was slim, and her skin was a similar shade to her mother's, though her hair had several streaks of black running through it. She wore a blue dress rather than a white one, and a thin glimmering circlet around her head.
"Can you not even shut a door, you stupid dog?!" She hissed, her tone acidic. Now he understood what her mother meant when she spoke of Celica's venom.
Without a verbal response, Axel turned and pushed the door shut. This did nothing to stave off her advancement, as she stopped right in front of him, standing no more than a meter from him.
"You look worse than the last one. And you're slower than he was. You're just a normal human. Tch. Worse than useless." Celica mused, grabbing Axel's face and turning it from side to side, before shoving him into the door with a flick of her wrist.
She turned from him, muttering under her breath. Axel couldn't hear her entirely, but was able to figure out that she was saying something nasty about Queen Mab. Anger boiled at Axel's core. He knew she could tell he didn't want to be here anymore than she wanted him to be here, but he didn't have a choice in the matter.
Axel took a deep breath. Then, he stood up straight as he was before. She thought little of him now, but perhaps doing everything she told him to do would change that? Most people liked it when they got what they want.
"Princess Celica, is there anything I can do for you at this time?" Axel asked, his tone level.
"As if you could do anything for me. No, there is nothing at this moment." Celica said, turning away from Axel. She crossed the room, and flopped down on her bed. Axel turned away from her, twisting the door knob.
"Where do you think you're going?" Celica asked, her tone pointed. Axel flinched and took his hand from the knob, and turned back to look at her.
"You said you didn't have anything for me to do. I was going to leave you alone, because it looks like you wanted to sleep." Axel said calmly. Celica sat up, and glared at him.
"And how am I to sleep soundly if you are not guarding me? Anything could happen while you're away, am I wrong?" Celica's tone had darkened. Axel knew he had to pick his next words carefully, as icy needles began to prick his neck. For some reason, he knew that this was more than anxiety.
"No, Princess. You are not wrong. I will stand watch." Axel said, lowering his head. The floor was polished, just like the rest of the castle. He heard what sounded like a laugh, and looked up. She was laying down again, though those cold needles still pricked the back of his neck.
And so he stood, watching the princess. He looked to the corners, and saw nothing. Nothing came from inside the closet or under the bed or desk. Nothing clawed at the window.
As Axel stood, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She really intended for him to watch her sleep all night. He looked away from her. Something about just watching someone sleep didn't sit right with him, so he took every chance he could to look elsewhere.
How long had it been? Whether minutes or hours, Axel's head began to droop. There was nothing on the floor, just as there was nothing there when he'd checked hours ago. His head snapped back up when the princess muttered something and shifted around in her bed.
Finally, the sun began to peek through the windows. Though the princess did not stir, Axel smiled. He'd done it. He'd managed to keep watch all night. Axel allowed himself a small chuckle.
"What are you laughing about, dog?" Celica's question caught Axel off guard. He jerked slightly and stared at the princess, his vision bleary.
"Ah, nothing important, Princess. You were safe. All night." Axel said, nodding as he spoke. Perhaps she'd let him sleep now? His eyes slid closed.
A sudden, cold impact struck Axel on the cheek. He stumbled, and his feet slid out from under him. Axel hit the ground and grunted. He looked up and saw Celica standing above him.
"Sleeping on the job, are you? Stupid mutt." Celica said, who turned away from Axel and walked back to her bed.
How long had he been out? He could have sworn it was just a few seconds, if that. Was she just that fast? Perhaps she was.
Axel pushed himself to his feet. His face stung from her blow, and his body protested as he forced himself upright.
"My apologies, Princess." Axel said as he stood up as straight as he could.
"Leave while I dress. Wait for me outside. I wish to walk in the garden." Celica commanded. Axel nodded and left without a word. He closed the door behind him and stood against the wall opposite to the door. He stared at it while he waited, noting the crystalline patterns that had been imprinted into the wood.
Just as it was on the door of the room he'd gotten his clothes from, the snowflake symbol on the back of his hand was right on the center of the door. With this, he concluded that it was some kind of family crest. He knew that nobles had them, though he did not know what purpose they served beyond easy identification.
Several minutes later, Celica emerged from her room, wearing an outfit that was similar to the one she wore yesterday, though it appeared to be a darker blue than before.
She turned down the left hall, and Axel followed. She walked at a slower pace this time, though Axel still struggled to keep up with her due to his fatigue. If she noticed this, she did not make any effort to slow down.
As they turned another corner, they saw a man standing in front the door at the end of the hall. He was made of ice, just like the guards Axel had seen earlier.
Celica grimaced when she saw the man, but she kept walking towards the man. She began to mutter something under her breath, but this time Axel couldn't hear enough to guess what she was saying.
"Princess Celica. By decree of Queen Mab, Axel is to attend combat training with Commander Barghest for two hours during the morning. Do not repeat your previous mistakes if you want this one to last." The ice man said, his voice the exact same as the guards, cold and emotionless.
"Understood. Stand aside." Celica growled, then reaching out and grabbing the ice man's head. She crushed it to slivers and shards with a casual flex of her fingers, the cracking sound echoing through the hall. The now headless man walked away, seemingly undisturbed.
"New plan, dog. You are to visit my mother's favorite bitch every morning at sunrise. When you are finished training, you are to come to my room and awaken me. You can find that bitch down the left hall, last door on the right. Go. And when you're done, come back to my room. I have plans for the day, but I suppose I'll have to hold off on them for now. Be quick about it, dog." Celica said, her voice tight and barbed. Her annoyance with this development was clear, and Axel nodded and turned away quickly.
He shook his head, doing his best to throw away his exhaustion. Combat training sounded exciting to say the very least, and had to be far better than standing watch in a bedroom all night.
Axel reached the last door on the right in record time, his body pulling from energy he didn't know he'd had. The royal crest was hewn into the middle of the door, just like all the rest, however, the door was roughly twice the size of the other doors he'd seen. He took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.
The door swung open before he could touch it. A large woman who was at least as tall as the queen towered above him. She looked down at Axel, her icy eyes boring right through him. Her gaze focused on his hand, specifically the crest burnt into his flesh.
"Ah. Fresh meat." A wolfish grin spread across her face, and a long tongue traced her lips. A chuckle escaped her throat as she stepped past Axel. One of her monstrous hands shot out and took him by the head, dragging him behind her. Axel yelped in surprise, but did not struggle. Something told him it would be a grave mistake to try and escape. He sighed.
All of this for a meal.