Chapter Twelve: Nikolai (Patreon)

                                                                 𝕹𝖎𝖐𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖎

Spring was becoming increasingly apparent as Nikolai watched his soon-to-be wife walking down the staircase of the castle, Antonella wore a loose white dress that showed her shoulders and back, it accentuated her curves even though it wasn't immodest or too form-fitting. He was proud of the woman that would soon be at his side, she had a smile that everyone reciprocated and she never shied from thanking the help. Even the handmaiden who walked beside her with the umbrella blocking her precise pale skin from getting too much sun seemed to admire her.

His mother had agreed on the idea of bringing Antonella to the Arena with him, Lenal would be fighting and the thought of his soon-to-be Princess there cheering with him made his lately sad disposition change. He regretted what he did but now he had the chance to change for the better. Be the man his father never was. "You look marvelous." He took her hand in his, a habit every time he saw her face, and kissed it.

"You are too kind Nikolai." Her eyes didn't stay on him long as she examined the area, though they were still in the courtyards of the Castle the doors to the outside lurked close by. "Will it just be us?"

"Unfortunately." Nikolai lied. "Mother is Queen, she has far too many duties to take care of before the wedding."

She must have sensed his wavering voice. "Are you alright my Prince?"

He didn't want to share with her how his mother made him go to the courtyard in the morning to watch the lifeless body of Colette being taken off of the poles and thrown into a wagon. As much as he wanted to share his feelings and thoughts, she was a lady. The thought of anything gruesome was probably so foreign to the Marquees that it would scar her to hear something of that nature. "Of course." He let her arm entangle in his as he began walking them down the road that went to the Arena. Their guards walked around them to keep the common folk away as he stumbled with his own thoughts. "My mother is good to you, yes?"

She answered quickly, "Of course! She is very kind."

Nikolai nodded curiously, "If I may speak freely, I realize there is not much known about you Antonella."

The girl kept her face forward but continued smiling at the crowd. Elysia knew the longer she lived with the LeVane's the more questions they would ask. She hadn't even begun figuring out the answers however, if they asked about her parents she did not think of the Maddox's. She thought about her father who drank as if his life depended on it, he rarely worked but always looked like he did and he had a man already picked out for her to marry at 14. He had bartered a keg for the hand of his daughter to a large man who spoke a language she did not understand, he was hairy and angry. Ready to pounce her on her day of first blood.

But she didn't let that happen, she ran that night and she never looked back. Antonella however was a different story that she knew nothing about. She only cleaned her clothes and took care of her. Elysia did not need to know every aspect of her life to run her bath, but now she was doing a lot more for her than taking care of the real Marquess's cleanliness.

"I do not mean to pry."

Realizing she was taking too long to answer Elysia cleared her throat. "You are doing no such thing, my Prince. My sister pretended she didn't care when I left but I know she secretly misses me. My mother cried for hours when I was to be sent here and my father..." She thought about her real send-off. He didn't care about the help they sent into the lion's den. "I think he was the most torn."

"You must have been surrounded with love." Nikolai stopped her before they could walk into the stadium. "That will not change, I promise to keep your life filled with love and safety." He took both of her hands. "I never knew my father but I heard he was always envious of the power my mother had, I do not know of the struggles she faced but I do know I will never lay a hand on you Antonella."

Elysia gulped feeling the boy come closer to her. She suspected it was to happen soon so she let him bend down and kiss her on the lips. He stayed there for a few seconds with his eyes closed and her's blinking rapidly before he pulled away with a smile. She immediately felt the difference between his and his mother's. His lips were roughed and tighter but they held the same shape as the woman who kissed her only a few hours ago.

Nikolai held his arm out again and she took it with a smile, he was obviously proud as he guided her through the stadium up to the covered seats, the people clapped for them as he helped her sit before he did. He was used to getting praise but he didn't suspect he would get so much with her beside him. The men looked her up and down and the women whispered to each other, Antonella would be an idol to the ones watching. They would spend their money to wear what she did and dye their hair with black berries hoping to get the same tone of black. No one could replicate her beauty though.

"What is this game?" Antonella asked leaning over with furrowed brows.

He examined the way her hair flew back from the fanning of her handmaiden and smiled. "It is not a game my love, they will fight and there will be blood."

She gulped. "Why would we watch that as entertainment?"

"Lenal, my friend, is the best. He never loses and he only fights criminals."

"I thought criminals were sent to StoneVale?" Elysia became increasingly nervous as Nikolai's childhood friend came out on his horse, his sword held high in the air as the crowd jumped up to cheer.

"Most are unless they want to try fighting Lord Underhill to prove their innocence." He clapped along with the crowd and cheered. Elysia struggled to find the will to be as loud as everyone else but didn't need to as the handsome boy jumped over the wooden railing with flowers in his hand. "Bloody hells," Nikolai whispered.

"To the Princess!" Lenal bent down on his knees making his metal armor clank and handed the bouquet to the nervous girl. "This win will be to the fortune of your wedding."

"For the success correct?" Nikolai whispered rubbing the back of his neck.

"For the failure, so I can swoop in and show the Princess what a real man looks like." He winked at the girl still sitting before patting Nikolai on the back. The blonde boy was seemingly annoyed at his friend's behavior but laughed along with him.

"She needs a Prince, not some sweaty puppet." Pushing him down so he would have to leave Nikolai sat back down and draped his arm around the girl still holding the flowers while Lenal only shook his head.

"Was that jealousy?" Elysia asked. The chimes of bells rang to make sure everyone was in their seats and ready for the fight to begin.

"Of course." His knee began bouncing nervously. "I do not think it selfish of me to want you as mine and no one else's."

The girl looked away from him and down to Lenal who was talked to by some men while a prisoner was brought out on the other end, his armor was less than the lord and he shook with the sword in his hand. She wondered if the prince would ever find out her multiple secrets, if he did which one would he be more mad about? Her identity or her relationship with his own mother. A tang of guilt hit her but this time she kept her cool. The flapping of the handmaiden's fan kept her from fainting once more.

Another loud bell rang and Nikolai's body tensed, as much as he joked around with his childhood friend, there was never a time when he didn't get nervous about the fights he fought in. He didn't want Lenal to lose or get hurt. Even if he was the best, there was always that possibility in the back of his head saying: "This is it. You can't be the best forever."

With an opening with a canon and a cloud of dust from the men running at each other. The crowd went wild with foul language and threw food. They enjoyed the thrill of killing like the savages they were, and Nikolai secretly enjoyed it as well. As long as it was the other man who bled.

The match was like all the others however, Lenal pushed the man back until he could go no further and swiped his sword arm with the side of his blade. The man immediately felt it and was unable to match the reflexes of the boy who finished the job. Blood splattered on his face and down his armor as he took another victory for his kingdom and the house LeVane. Nikolai jumped up in his seat and fell ill with happiness. His soon-to-be bride even joined him as she clapped. Her eyes somehow stared with an emptiness as she watched the other man die in his hands.

Would this be a regular thing for the two of them to do? Support his best friend who worked so hard by cheering him on every fight and drinking the night away. Lying with his wife instead of some whores and seeing the true beauty of Antonella. He smiled at her as the cheers went higher, the crowd watched Lenal's armor fall off as he was doused with ale as Nikolai leaned forward towards the girl. His own eyes realized the true beauty that was hidden so beautifully at the tips of her colored irises.

Elysia saw his lips coming in again and she guessed it was the adrenaline of the "game" but she closed her eyes to reciprocate. Kissing him was nothing like the woman she had showering her with love the night before, but it was the reality of her situation. To let him cover up the forbidden tracks of his own mother. But as she realized his lips never came to hers she fluttered her eyes open to hear a grunt and feel liquid splatter on her own face.

Her eyes widened to see Nikolai holding onto an arrow that had pierced through his chest. The blood falling the same as the man still in the Arena. Elysia's hands grabbed onto him hoping maybe it was just a wild joke that the two friends pulled on one another but as she saw the prince's once life-filled eyes disappear she began to shake his shoulders hoping he would awake. The white thin blouse he wore was slowly eaten up by the dangerous red liquid that ran thinner than the tears welling up in her eyes from surprise.

Lenal, who had jumped over the railing once more grabbed the girl. She knew he was saying something in her ear about how they needed to leave but she only kept staring at the body of the boy she was supposed to marry. The crowd around her ducked and ran as Lenal picked her up and carried her away to be safe. "Are you hurt?" She finally heard him say.

"No, I-." She looked down at her bloody hands and was surrounded by guards who shouted at people to get out of their way. The castle looked further than before and all Elysia could hear was the people yelling and screaming the same four words...

"The Prince is dead."

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