Adio
Slowly, with a grace and poise Adio still could not compare it to, the sun filtered in through the cracks of the curtains adorning his windows. He was not a spoiled man in the sense that he relished in material things and adored them above all else. No, the prince was rather spoiled in a way that he got everything he wanted and was eternally grateful for never having to go without. He looked at his belongings and cherished them. He watched the servants sweat and groan into their work and appreciated their hard work. His newest butler, the one that had replaced his mentor, his father-figure, was a quiet man but had grown on Adio. He was used to be scolded with a smooth tongue and intelligent eye. This man, Leonard, was compliant, always at the ready, and practically psychic. Before Adio had even entered his room that night, half his things had been packed. He patted him on the shoulder, gave him the proper courtesies than insisted her do the rest.
Leonard had not been back since. Adio had not slept since. His mind was too full of things that needed tending to. Letters had been written throughout the night by candle, seals created with the ring about his finger, and new aliases created with official papers. There was no telling who would stop them on the roads and if it be official guards, they would have to have the papers at the ready. Telling the entire world that the heir to the Throne and his two younger brothers were out among the people was too dangerous. It seemed the people were fine with the King and his children, but there was always someone lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Even with these powerful women to help them, an assassination attempt was not something they could readily prepare for.
And so now, Adio sat, facing the balcony in his desk chair, relishing in the last few minutes of nighttime and the last few sips of lukewarm coffee. His thoughts would drift from readiness to Lenore and back again. The way she’d boldly faced the High Priest, the way she’d made him feel about confronting his own father and the King of all Kandra. Something about her made Adio feel stronger than usual. Taking a stand wasn’t so improper and expelling your thoughts and feelings was more normal than letting it slide. She was a strange companion for him, but he had a feeling like they would work out just fine in the end. He couldn’t have asked for a more capable guardian, he was sure.
Taking one last sip, the Silver Prince stood and readied himself into some civilian clothing. Dank and boringly patterned, Adio felt refreshed. It would be nice to get out and be treated like a person rather than a title. He wasn’t all optimism about the idea, for he knew things would be harder to get and not everyone would treat a stranger kindly, but that was the beauty of the situation. His worn boots took him steadily through the halls and toward the stables where he knew Sora would probably already be up and have half, if not all, the horses ready for the ride. Adio silently thanked for competent siblings who kept things mostly orderly. Now, if they could keep it that way through the journey, Adio would have nothing to worry about.
Zahra
There was a horrible pain down her neck, through her left shoulder as she slowly lifted her body up from the floor. A page of the book her head had fallen on was stuck to her cheek and she had to gently pull it from her skin, for fear of ripping it. How long had she been out? When he she fallen asleep? And how in the world had she gotten on the floor with her head smashed in the pages of a book, no less? Zahra stared down at the jibberish on the pages and a new wave of fear swept through her. Her memories of the hours just before came crashing back at her and she looked all around for the yellow haired prince, Jin. Her ward, the one she would have to protect, the most intelligent of the bunch. A bookworm. A man of words and stories. Her complete opposite in all things and he had obviously deduced that she was horribly flawed.
Zahra’s heart was racing and she just wanted to curl up into a ball and die a little bit. No one knew yet that she was totally uneducated in the way a woman her age should be. No one but Jin. Of course, neither of them had said anything. Nothing really needed to be said. She’d stared at the maps, dumbfounded. Trying to appear like she knew what was going on with the words and symbols, but knowing she had no clue what she was pointing at or what the words meant. The sapphire girl wasn’t stupid. She knew her way around a forest. She knew poison from potion. She knew when to attack and when to back down. Her instincts were keen and her wisdom of the earth was much. But she couldn’t read or write, or tell you the history of the government or its monarch. She could tell you nothing of prayers and religion or how to add and subtract for the purposes of money. Zahra was not intelligent. Zahra was a lost cause and as her two amber eyes peeked slowly over the table covered in more books, papers, and maps, she stared at the yellow haired man with fear. Running would make her weak, so she just watched him, eyes wide, hoping and praying he would say nothing about it. No, she was not hoping for that. She was hoping he had not noticed. That she could go on and prove herself through her actions rather than her lack of knowledgeable facts.