Eydis threw open the door, sunlight cascading through her dark brown hair like liquid gold. A mischievous glint danced in her amber brown eyes as she surveyed the room. "My Lady Astra," she announced, her voice laced with an unspoken challenge, "I see your face gracing these humble quarters more often than not. Perhaps my company isn't just bearable anymore, is it?"
Astra, perched on the edge of the bed, nearly dropped her leather-bound book. It was suspiciously similar to the tattered romances the ladies here devoured with guilty pleasure. Her gaze darted away from Eydis, who was adjusting the neckline of her simple camisole, the lavender scent of her bath clinging to her like a whisper.
"Eydis," Astra retorted, a playful edge to her voice that barely masked the flutter in her stomach, "if you keep testing my resolve like this, I might just have to relegate you to the 'unbearable' category."
The brunette let out another laugh. "Oh, the horror! No one would want that, now would we? Tell you what, as a token of my undying devotion and perhaps a slight bribe, how about I recommend a book for your next literary voyage?"
Astra looked up, then instantly regretted it. Eydis stood bathed in the golden glow of sunset, a flimsy silk camisole clinging to her damp skin like a painted veil. Tiny droplets of water traced mesmerising paths down her neck, glinting like diamonds in the fading light. The air crackled with something unspoken, something that made Astra's heart skip a beat. Astra involuntarily let out a growl, which she masked as annoyance.
Eydis chuckled, a tremor in her voice despite the playful facade. "Alright, not a fan, noted."
Astra sighed, frustration tingling her voice. "Fine, just nothing too…intense."
Eydis's smirk widened at the concession. "Intense? Are you sure you're okay with just a chaste kiss and a happily ever after?"
Astra raised an eyebrow, a playful challenge in her gaze. "Are you suggesting I wouldn't appreciate a well-written romance, even if it doesn't have…spice?"
"Good writing is good writing, my Lady. You don't have to be a bard to appreciate a good song, do you?" Eydis retorted, as she dried her hair, the towel a shield against the teasing glint in Astra's eyes.
"And when do you find time for such…scandalous material, Eydis? The Academy isn't exactly lax on such things." Astra stood, her gaze lingering on the brunette.
Amber eyes, now burning with a mischievous fire, met amethysts. "Here," she whispered, her voice dropping to a husky murmur. "This room is my haven." She glanced at the rumpled bed, a suggestive smile playing on her lips. "Though with you here, more often, reading them becomes…well, distracting."
Astra felt heat rising in her cheeks. "You shouldn't let my presence disrupt your…interests," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Is that a request, my Lady?" Eydis leaned in, her breath gently caressing Astra's ears, wrapping her in the intoxicating scent of lavender—a fragrance Astra now traced to the essence lingering in her shampoo.
The rasp on their oak door shattered the intimacy of their hushed whispers, both a welcome respite and an unwelcome intrusion. Eydis, eyes blazing with a fire that mirrored the setting sun, turned towards the door, but Astra's firm hand clamped onto her wrist, the silver ring on her finger digging into the soft skin. Beneath her fingertips, the pulse danced with a primal rhythm, sending shivers down Astra's spine.
But the incessant summons wouldn't be ignored. With a sigh that sounded like wind through silk, Astra swept her royal blue robe over Eydis, the movement swift and possessive.
Surprise flickered across Eydis's face, then melted into a secretive smile. Adjusting the robe, she met Astra's gaze with eyes that held molten gold and unspoken challenges. "We're just girls, in the end, aren't we?" she purred.
"Always best to be careful," Astra snapped, her voice tight with an emotion she couldn't quite pin down.
Eydis's smile remained unfazed. "Maybe you're right," she conceded, her voice a silky counterpoint to Astra's fire. But her eyes, when they met Astra's, held a deeper meaning, a secret unspoken.
The door creaked open, bathing the room in a warm golden light. A slender figure emerged, revealing a vision of golden hair and matching crystal eyes. Her gown, the colour of freshly-fallen snow, shimmered with every step. A flicker of suspicion lit in Astra's eyes as she watched Eydis greet the princess, their embrace radiating warmth that felt oddly like exclusion.
"Princess Athena," Eydis gasped, visibly surprised, "What brings you here?"
The princess's smile, practised and perfect, faltered for a moment when she met Astra's gaze. Leaning closer to Eydis, her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "I need to tell you something…something no one else can know."
Eydis nodded, she turned around to grab her cloak, with a lingering glance at a scowling Astra, she followed the princess into the corridor.
**
Dim torchlight flickered across the chessboard, casting long shadows in the princess' chamber. "Checkmate," Princess Athena breathed with excitement. Yet, her triumphant smile faltered, a sliver of concern etching itself onto her brow. Eydis, across the board, met her gaze with a flicker of something unreadable – was it annoyance at the loss, or something deeper?
Eydis tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes that belied the sharpness of her intellect. "Indeed," she conceded, her voice a silken thread. "It seems you're ready to challenge Prince Adrian for his crown."
A flicker of pride crossed Athena's face, quickly eclipsed by a shadow of doubt. "Was I? You weren't at your best tonight."
"Perhaps," Eydis replied absentmindedly, running her slender fingers through her soft brown hair, still slightly damp from her shower.
"Don't be cryptic, Eydis," Athena pressed, frustration edging her voice. "Who, or what, stole your focus?"
A playful smile flitted across Eydis's lips, but her eyes remained guarded. "Wouldn't it be rude, to ponder another when graced by Your Royal Highness?"
Athena narrowed her eyes, the playful facade failing to fool her. "That doesn't answer my question, Eydis. But since you're playing coy, I'll let it be."
Eydis leaned back, amusement replaced by a steely glint. "And I suspect you didn't trek all the way to my room for a friendly game of chess, Princess." Her voice, once silk, turned into a whip, cracking through Athena's defences. "We're both adept at deflection, aren't we?
The princess faltered, caught off guard by the directness. Eydis had grown bolder, her voice a challenge rather than a whispered secret. "Fine," Athena conceded, choosing her words carefully. "Tell me, Eydis, what do you think of Duke Theo?"
Eydis laughed. "Girl talk isn't on the agenda, Princess. Are you and the Duke announcing an engagement soon?"
Athena's eyes widened, surprise flashing across her face. Eydis had deduced it with casual ease, like solving a puzzle, leaving the princess scrambling for a response. "How did you figure it out?"
Eydis toyed with a black chess piece, gracefully rolling it between her fingers. "Is there a more fitting match for Your Highness than the Duke himself?" Her voice, akin to velvet dipped in honey, bore a subtle edge of steel. "Besides, Sir John's meddling had to be met with some consequence."
A shiver ran down Athena's spine, a strange mix of admiration and intimidation swirling within her. This girl, seemingly harmless with her youthful facade, possessed a wit that cut like a polished blade. "And does this…displease you, Eydis?" she ventured, unable to quell her curiosity.
Eydis's shoulders rose and fell in a graceful shrug, her eyes flashing like molten amber in the firelight. "A commoner like myself has no say in the games of nobles, Your Highness."
Athena felt a pang of unease, a niggling suspicion that Eydis's indifference was a carefully crafted mask. "But you're more than that, Eydis," she stammered, her heart twisting with worry. "We're…friends, aren't we?"
Eydis met her gaze, a flicker of warmth softening the cold steel in her eyes. Her hand, surprisingly soft against Athena's smooth skin, rested gently on hers. "My feelings for Duke Theomund, if that's what concerns you, are nonexistent."
Athena released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, a mix of relief and sympathy filling her. It seemed that Eydis's feelings didn't extend to the same depths as Duke Theo's, despite his infatuation.
Before announcing her departure, Eydis received a gentle reminder from Athena, "Next time, stay focused, Eydis. You promised to teach me chess."
Eydis smiled, a genuine warmth reaching her eyes before she slipped from the room. Athena, alone in the candlelit chamber, couldn't help but wonder who had truly stolen Eydis's attention. Was it Theo, or someone else entirely? And why, despite their closeness, could she never quite decipher the thoughts behind those captivating eyes?
**
Moonlight bled through the window, painting silver stripes across Eydis's silk robe, the warmth of their previous encounter still clinging to the fabric. The worn blanket, Astra's cocoon, rose and fell softly with each gentle breath. The air, thick with the bittersweet whisper of sandalwood and exotic spices, tasted of Astra's presence.
"There's always tomorrow," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. The revelation, expected though it was, choked her with its irony. Nobility, a gilded cage draped in jewels, promised power but locked them away from the true gardens of the heart. Even for Astra, even for the empire's noblest, its bars would close, smothering the laughter that filled these rooms with warmth.
Eydis stole a glance at Astra, her face sculpted in the moon's soft light, an ethereal beauty that made her heart ache. Were those same shackles of fate binding Astra too? Would she be forced to bloom in a garden she never chose, her laughter echoing in halls that felt like tombs?
The Kraken crystals, nestled in their velvet pouch, pulsed with an unsettling rhythm against Eydis's chest. Edysium, she'd called them with a sardonic smile, supposed mirrors of a magical being's power. But Astra, this girl with the glacier eyes and the immense strength, radiated a force that made the crystals whimper in fear. Duke Theomund, the war hero, the kingdom's golden boy, couldn't even hold a candle to her.
Ethereum, the once-crystal-clear landscape on the device dissolved into a swirling vortex of colours, a digital heartbeat on the verge of exploding. Even her newly crafted crystal, designed to contain vast reserves of arcane energy, throbbed with a desperate rhythm in Astra's presence.
Just who was Astra? Was this power a birthright older than the empire itself, a whisper of forgotten bloodlines echoing through generations? Eydis couldn't tear her gaze away, the secrets held within Astra's slumber drawing her in like a moth to a flame. Fear flickered in her chest – what chaos might this girl unleash? Yet, the tug of the unknown, the whisper of forbidden adventures, was an inexorable force. In the soft moonlight, Astra's peaceful face held a promise, an unspoken invitation to tear down the gilded cage, step into the shadows, and rewrite their destinies.