"I can't believe that Zagan would try to kill you, while you were sleeping. That is the way of a coward." Taemia said looking at the motionless figure of the guard.

The doors to the Cress's room were wide open, the guard sat against the wall, his head bowed down. The guard's sword lay a few feet away from him, dark red colour decorating the side opposite to the curved one.

"He is not dead, is he?" Taemia asked after a pause looking at her sister for an answer as she did so.

"I don't think so. Look at his chest, it's rising and falling. There is a good chance that he is injured though, see that blood on the sword? It's on the side. I guess that the assassin bent his arm and caused Jaymie to injure himself so it could be his. Call for a healer will you?" Cress muttered her gaze moving away from the guard to her room. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, her right hand gripping the hilt of her dagger.

Maybe she shouldn't have left Vilehelm after all.

She heard Taemia give out orders as she had asked and walked towards her room to get a better look at the assassin's attempt.

"What are you doing?" Taemia asked as she saw Cress walk past the guard and towards her room.

"I just-" Cress's reply turned into a gasp as she looked in her room.

"What is it?" Taemia asked moving towards the frozen form of her sister. The sight that had rendered Cress speechless greeted her making her freeze in her tracks. "Sweet Celeste."

The down pillows on her bed had been slashed over and over again until the feathers had escaped covering the whole bed. The slashes were ruthless and rage-filled. The assassin had been ready to kill. Ready to kill her.

Cress felt her stomach twist as she stared at the damage. She could imagine the person coming in the room, a sword in his hand, growling as he saw the empty bed before stabbing the pillows over and over again like he would have done if she would have been there.

"I am really glad that you let me crash in your room," Cress muttered with a smile that felt too fake.

Taemia pulled her into a quick but tight hug before releasing her with a calculating look on her face.

 "Me too."

Cress let out a breath she did not know she was holding. She had believed, quite foolishly, that the worst was over. That no one could hurt her anymore, that her nightmares were just dreams. Realizing that they could turn into reality was terrifying. She didn't want to face what she did two summers ago. 

"I really want to kill him." She muttered lowly, her eyes widened when Taemia turned towards her, ready to speak. Before she could, Cress opened her lips to speak hastily. "With kindness, that is allowed isn't it?"

Taemia looked at her and scoffed. "He doesn't deserve kindness after this, he is a coward and I will make sure that his punishment is one that is fit for him and besides I don't think that you are capable of killing someone with kindness."

Cress's eyes narrowed at her sister and she chuckled. "I sure am." She leaned in to whisper, her eyes twinkling as she did so. "Didn't I mention that I named my blade 'kindness'?" 

Taemia glared at her. "I swear to Celestia, if you do something that will get you killed, I'll kill you."

Cress cleared her throat. "Technically, you can't kill me if I am-" She stopped at the look on her sister's face and raised her hands in surrender. "You know what? Throw out the laws of nature and kill me again alright?" 

Taemia's response was interrupted as a young maid came up to Cress.

"Princess Diana Cameria-" The maid's eyes widened at the scene in front of her. Her eyes seemed to pop out as they stared at the unconscious figure of the guard being treated by the healer.

"What is it?" Cress asked forcing the maid to tear her eyes away from Jaymie.

"You have a letter, Princess." The maid said with a clumsy curtsy before handing her the sealed letter. 

Cress tried not to look eager as she grabbed the letter from the maid, her gaze went towards the seal and she frowned. Seals were not supposed to be as thick as her finger were they? She analyzed the design. It was a simple star drawn in a circle but to Cress, it meant more. It meant that the letter was from Vilehelm. 

"Who is it from?" Taemia asked lowering her head to stare at the letter. 

"No one," Cress said quickly putting the letter in the pocket of her kaftan. "Can I crash in your room tonight?"

Her attempt at changing the topic was hurried, graceless and by the look on Taemia's face, it hadn't worked splendidly yet she didn't question her.

With a smile that didn't work with her suspicious eyes, she said. "It's cute that you think you have a choice."

***

Cress walked ahead, her left eye twitching in annoyance. She tried her best to pretend that five fully armed soldiers didn't walk behind her but that was close to impossible since the other five walked ahead of her.

Each soldier had a loaded rifle (ordered from Vilehelm), more than ten years of training and had proven their loyalty on multiple occasions (according to Taemia) but besides that, they had something which Cress didn't think existed, the ability to not have an expression. Except for Jarnek, he had graced her with smiling eyes once.

She had tried everything to make the others crack a smile but the most she got was a blink. She almost wished that the assassin would take its shot.

She was walking in the ten-acre garden of the quattuor palace, passing green benches and beautifully designed fountains on her way. Tall trees full of ripe mangoes and other delicacies urged her towards them but she ignored her ache in favour of slumping down on one of the benches.

Had she been Cress of Vilehelm, she wouldn't have hesitated in knocking down one of the fruits with the help of her loyal bow and sharp arrows but she was Cress, the miracle princess of Celestia who wouldn't dare to pick up a weapon.

The last thing she wanted was judgemental looks from people who didn't know her. It had been much easier to be free in Vilehelm than it was here. Her fingers clenched, imagining that her bow was there, it was easy to believe that her quiver was slung on her back, she could almost feel the familiar weight of it between her shoulder blades so when she did realise that she was weaponless except for her dagger, her stomach dropped and disappointment flooded through her.

"Diana!" 

Cress blinked, her eyes focusing on the figure standing in front of her. Emerald green eyes stared into her multicoloured ones. 

"Quinn? Quinn DeSalvario?" Cress asked surprised as she stared at the dark-haired boy in front of her. "What are you doing here?" 

"Shush! Call me Magnus, you are ruining are my reputation." Quinn said settling beside her. 

"You mean your non-existent one?" Cress teased feeling her heartthrob a bit too loudly, the only thing that reminded her of her old crush. And to think that she believed it was true love. 

"I, being the wonderful friend unlike you came to visit you when I heard that you returned. Seems like I made the wrong decision didn't I?" Quinn said with a mock glare at her. 

"I am sorry my 'wonderful' friend, how is magic going on for you? Learned any new tricks yet?" Cress asked with a slight smile feeling her thoughts turn brighter and happier.

And they remained like that until Quinn asked her a question that made her smile fade away. 

"Excuse me?" Cress asked clenching her hand. 

"I asked if your sister was feeling guilty for not tying the bond with Aerith? The marriage could have been beneficial to both the kingdoms and we could have had someone to protect us." Quinn sighed. "But now, with the revolts, I don't think Celestia stands a chance." 

Fury started to gather in her thoughts turning them dark. 

"You do realise that she would be marrying a complete stranger against her will right? Why do you think she should sacrifice herself like that?" 

Quinn looked at her, startled by the tone of her voice. His facial expression turned wary as he saw the look on her face. 

"Probably because that would be the only way to make her beneficial for the kingdom."  He said cautiously. "You do know that she could have helped her kingdom and as for the sacrifice, I am sure your sister would have grown to love Prince Zeid. From what I have heard, he is the prince of every girl's dream."

Cress stared at the boy in front of her, how in the daemons she had thought of him as charming. How could she have believed that she was in love with him? 

Disgust for him found her way into her heart and anger clouded her thoughts.

"Diana? Are you listening to me?"

She blinked, her eyes focusing and her mouth opening to speak in a calm tone that didn't agree with her feelings. 

"Of course I am, it's just taking me a while to process all the stupid. But, by all means, continue. People with pea-sized brains never fail to amuse me."

The desired effect she wanted on him took place. His grin dropped and was replaced by a glare, his eyes darkened with anger and his fingers clenched to form fists. 

Cress smiled as she noted the symptoms, ego bruised successfully. 

"Do you know who you are talking to? My father owns the largest farms in the kingdom. It is because of my family that your kingdom has food. I would advise you to watch your tongue carefully." Quinn said, his voice mighty, proud and threatening. 

Cress felt ashamed of ever having feelings for him. He was narcissistic, she winced when she realised that she used to be the part of the troupe that showered him with compliments. Her thoughts fueled at his words and she scoffed, he was nothing but a spoiled child. 

He took in her expression and the lack of effect his words had on her before spitting out. "How did you survive out there Diana? You need money for everything right? Where did you get that money for two summers?"

Cress felt her anger build up and tried her best to keep a blank expression on her face. Yet her hands shook and a scowl formed on her face before she could wipe it away. 

Quinn noticed this and a cruel smile appeared on his face. "People had theories you know. I tried to defend you but I am not so sure anymore.."

"Mudscraper," Cress muttered before she could stop herself and felt a stinging pain on her cheek. The pain wasn't much but it had turned her small bonfire of rage to a fire that was ready to turn forests into aches.

He had slapped her and she hadn't seen it coming. Her hand curled into a fist as she turned back towards her. 

Her thoughts had gathered up until they formed only one message. A message that no one questioned in Vilehelm but was disapproved in Celestia. Her fingers ached to reach for her dagger, to threaten him and to see the fear in his eyes. But she stopped herself, her fists were enough for the little fool in front of her.

The guards that surrounded her rushed ahead but she held up her hand stopping them. She turned to them and said sweetly. 

"Give me a moment to handle this." 

Quinn was staring at her, slightly bewildered of his own actions. "Look, I am sorry Diana but you shouldn't have called me-"

Cress held up a finger silencing him. A cruel smile had formed over her lips and all of her rational thoughts had left her. Her fingers were still clenched and were shaking but when she spoke her voice sounded calm and steady.

"You, Quinn DeSalvario, attacked me, the princess of Celestia. You know what that means right?" When he didn't answer, her smile grew until it looked inhuman. "It means that it is my turn to hurt."

And before anyone could react, she punched him.

***

The night was approaching, the sky was bathed in golden and pink hues as the sun dipped over the horizon. Cress gave the sky a doubtfull thirty minutes before it would go dark. She was lying on a soft blue bedsheet in Taemia's room, her eyes focused on the sky, outside the window which had been placed next to the bed. Taemia sat against the edge of the bed, her right leg was restless, hitting the corner of the bed as it swung and her left leg had been folded.

"I can't believe that you would do something like that," Taemia said with a tired sigh as she dropped her face to cover it with her hands. When she spoke, her voice sounded muffled. "Why would you do something like that?"

Cress shrugged as she held the bag of ice over her bruising cheek and trying to balance the other ice pack on her right side. The movement had caused her ice pack to fall on the bed. Taemia removed her hands to look at the fallen ice pack.

"Can you keep put that back?" She asked staring pleadingly at her sister with the innocence of lion who had just murdered a gazelle.

"Use your hands." Taemia deadpanned staring at her with angry eyes. "Why would you attack him?"

"Can't, the right one is busy." She said she pressed the ice to her right cheek. "And he was talking nonsense. Gave me a headache."

"Use the left one then," Taemia said exasperated. "You thought that engaging in a fight and getting a... a cheek ache and side ache was better than a headache."

Taemia motioned to her side and cheek as she spoke.

Cress looked at her slightly perplexed. "You want me to bring my left hand all the way to my right side to pick up the ice pack and put it on my side? Do you even know how lazy my left hand is?" Her lips twisted up to form a grin. "Yes, but you should have seen how he looked like after I was done."

Her stinging cheek and aching side had bothered her, it turned out that his height and his quick hands were good at giving punches but that didn't even compare to the damage she had done to him. His eye was turning blue when she had last seen him, his finger wrist was definitely sprained and his knee had to been buckling under his weight, her kick was definitely going to leave a lasting impression on him. 

Combined with them were small bruises she had managed to leave over his arms and sides. He was going to need a lot of ice packs. 

Cress didn't really care for what would happen. If she understood ego, she knew that Quinn would not try to spread the fact that he was beaten by a girl. Aside from an occasional sneer, a few lies, she did not really expect anything else to happen. 

Taemia looked at her, disappointed that the conversation didn't sound the way she hoped. "I think you have a concussion." She muttered closing her eyes for a moment. 

With Adrian and Jesperson one week away from coming to Celestia, Zagan as the head of the council and her father weakened and unable to work anymore, all the job of running the kingdom had fallen on her. The strange revolts and attacking of villages had stopped. The council hadn't paid attention to it but she couldn't draw her thoughts away. 

It was unusual. The threat hadn't had any follow-up and she couldn't help but think of the line she had read in a book. 'The calm before the storm.' Her instincts yelled at her to prepare for it but whenever she tried to bring attention to the matter, the council would give her looks and make her feel foolish.

She had talked to the servants and had heard of people going missing from the outskirts of the Kingdom. The revolts had been for the King to organise search trips but what they didn't know was that the King was broken. 

No one could know how weak the kingdom was, the last thing they needed was a war between kingdoms. 

She needed someone to help her find the person who was causing all the troubles.

"So..." Cress trailed off making Taemia blink and realise that she had been thinking for a long time. "Is that a yes or a no on the ice pack?"

Taemia scowled and a moment later her scowl turned into a grin. 

"I have some work for you to do." 

***

Okay, so when I wrote this chapter, it was fine. Now that I have started writing the next chapter and basically changing the entire chapter. This story seems like crap.

Anyway, the next chapter is, without a doubt, going to be a rollercoaster so strap yourself to your seats and avoiding eating cotton candy. (I still regret making that decision)

Thoughts on this chapter?

I'll try to have the chapters be updated more quickly so that you guys won't get bored during the pandemic.

How are you guys dealing with it anyway? Some life hacks I should know about?

I have resorted to eating all the time, sleeping for more than what is necessary, studying (because god forbid the pandemic affect my studies, the world could perish but I shouldn't compromise my studies.) and writing (or trying to)

I am reading some of my all-time favourite books again. The list includes, The Kite Runner, A thousand splendid suns. Percy Jackson because after those two books, I need some humour to stop the tears and Cursed Prince, Wicked King and Queen Of Nothing by Holly Black. 

If you haven't read any of these, then please check it out. You will fall in love with them.

Any recommendations for books, movies or series?

Stay happy,

Sadie Kane.