She found it strangely empty, but realized it was because all the guards had been called in to drag their King Travus out of the pool.
This is my chance, she thought amusedly and turned invisible, flying around quickly to locate his office. It was predictably in the highest room of the castle, and she was pleased to see all the scrolls and spreads of Travus’s conquest plans laid out for her for the taking.
By the time the guards had managed to take Travus to his bed chambers and returned to their posts, Aria was locked away in her room, condensing everything she’d seen into a scroll.
***
“You didwhat?!”
Aria shushed him with a glare. “Keep your voice down, Arthur. We’re not supposed to be here.”
“Did he force himself on you?” he demanded.
“No, no.” she said flatly and sipped her mead. “I had to put a quick sleep spell on him so I could activate the mark spell. He will have no idea I did it. I had to act like I was being seductive to distract him.”
Arthur, unsettled, stared at her very hard. “But…but you’re–”
She looked at him curiously with only a hint of warning, and she wondered if it was perhaps best to not have revealed it at all knowing his thoughts.
“I’m not Princess Mierna,” she said with a tone of finality. “I’m not sure why you’re so upset about this. Things are going smoothly. I needed to make a connection, and I really wasn’t interested in getting close to him willingly. He’s disgusting.”
Arthur only exhaled as he attempted to relax, reaching out for his food. “I was simply worried for a friend.”
“Oh, so we’re friends?”
“My apologies.”
Aria snorted and smacked his shoulder with her fist. “You’re easy to tease. I’m honored you consider me with such regard.”
With a small nod, Arthur attempted to divert the topic back to the mission. “You were saying something about the mark.”
“Right. It’s a way for me to be aware of his presence and feelings. He’s got quite a lot of gifts for an Elf which makes him difficult to fend off in combat. Invisibility, speed, strength. He’s the whole package,” she ended witha slight shudder. “I’m surprised he didn’t put it all to use earlier. It really must’ve been frustrating for him to remain so isolated up on that mountain for years.”
“Because he had entertainment, Aria,” he said uncomfortably. “Festivals, food…women.”
“Understandable,” she grunted. “He’s quite lucky that way.”
Arthur scoffed. “For having a slew of bodies at his disposal to do as he pleases?”
“I doubt he’s forcing those women,” she said softly. “I mean…he’s in a position of power.”
He covered his face with a groan. “Had you really been Princess Mierna, I would’ve been absolutely devastated that you entertained sharing a bath with him.”
Aria rolled her eyes. She found him very dramatic and didn’t understand why he insisted on being so reserved. To her, to show her body was nothing more than anything else. “Explain your relationship with Princess Mierna to me,” she said. “How did it even happen? I am fine with Humans, but so many are not.”
Arthur’s face softened a little as he finally straightened himself out to grab his mead, taking a gulp of it before starting. “I was assigned as her footman when she wanted to travel away from the palace to visit one of her cousins,”he explained. “She took a liking to me for some reason, and we always had good conversations with each other. I was her only company on the days her cousins would leave and go to town.”
Aria smirked. “So, you two were alone a lot. She seduced you?”
“She didn’tseduceme!” he hissed quietly, but he was only met with a dismissive chuckle. “It was a natural development of events, Aria.Romance.You wouldn’t know.”
“I would not.” She grinned and downed the rest of her mead. “Right, so, you’re telling me there was no one before her? Did she not have anyone before you?”
“I was her first.”
“Arthur, how old are you two?”
“Three and twenty. She’s older by a few months.”
