"Sicus pacem, para bellum"

Taking a sip of tea I looked at the doors for the hundredth time in this fifteen minutes. The temptation to go was enormous, and the twitching feeling in my stomach didn't help.

I looked at the ground and plants around me. They were beautiful. I saw a bush of red roses and next to it blue roses. I wasn't sure they existed anymore. I thought they were extinct just like black roses.

But it looks like they didn't.

Doors opened.

My look raised from a bush to a person's in front of me. My eyes recognized Amelia and Travis standing next to each other like a power couple. But behind them was standing unknown figure. I met a blue look and finally recognized the third person. Dort. What was he doing here?

"What is happening?" I said not looking at them. My eyes rested on the dark liquid in my cup. The tea was from blueberries. My favourite.

"Dianna met Dortsian," Travis said.

"We have already met," my voice got the cold tone whenever I was somewhere I didn't like it.

He said nothing.

"Good. Then you will show him around because he is new in the castle."

"I will not be a babysitter," I said sharply, looking at Travis.

He has to know just because I agreed to help them I won't play a circus figure.

"Yes, you will." He said looking at me.

Amelia came to the bench where I sat and sat on it. Travis stood next to her. Dort was standing in front of us all.

Travis and Amelia took each other's hand and Travis kissed their hands.

"That is so lovely. How long have you prepared that?" I said smiling, my smile cold in the words. Travis was one who controlled everything.

"Not long how you prepared your acting around Prince."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Everything I said or did around Prince was my real thing. I did not act. I do not even know how to lie." I clutched my teeth and looked at him.

Anger was in my head. He is not a person I met. He is nothing I knew. Nothing my father healed when he was wounded three years ago. Three years ago when he met Amelia. When they fall in love. Because he was good looking. But I was hitting blue eyes, not the black. And not mean like his.

"I do not believe you. You are a perfect actress. Every move was planned, written and looked around. Like with Danniel."

I blushed. Not from discomfort but because he made me angry. He doesn't deserve to say his name.
"Don't say his name. You don't deserve it. He is too good for your mouth." I said and stood up.

My first was down my body trying to stay calm, but he provoked me on purpose. He is one who trying to piss me off.

"Danniel. Danniel. Danniel." Mean smile appeared on his face while he repeated his name.

"Stop now," I said through my teeth. "You will get hurt."

"I would like to see that." He answered.

"Enough. Both of you." Amelia said with her cold voice.

I stopped for a second and looked at her.

What changed? She never acted like this. She was always nice and polite.

Travis shot his mouth but I couldn't resist.

"Already listening to the women? What will happen in the second year of marriage, or even third?" I smiled, but I wanted to rip his neck.

"Stop Dianna," Amelia said pushing a hand on my chests. I let her move me for a step but nothing more.

I felt someone's body behind mine.

I turned and smiled. He will be a nice victim.

"Well hello, Dort. Nice to finally link body with a name." I put my hand on his shoulder leaning on him.

He didn't move for a second.

I continued.

"Which one is an act? This, or joining to Prince's army?" I remembered his conversation from this morning.

"Dianna," Amelia warned me again.

"Okay okay." I raised my hands. "Giving up." I turned.

I sat next to her, but at the lower place from her. The silence stretched like a nudls.

"Continue," I said when no one said anything.

"As we were telling, you will show Dort around and make a friendship with him."

"Not happening," I said looking at my nails. Now they were manicured and had a layer of invisible nail polish.

Before they were all muddy and broken. I never took too much attention to them.

"Showing or friendship," I added.

"You will tell him everything you know about the Prince, what he is talking, what is he is doing, what is he eating, everything," Travis said and crossed his arms. The black shirt was tensed with muscles.

"And why would I do that?" I looked at him raising my eyebrow.

Travis looked at Amelia.

"Ouch, Travis she already took a leash, and it's too short like it seems," I said provoking him.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

"Just shut up," Dort said, and I turned to him.

"Ah, baby's first words." I smiled like a happy mother and stood up.

I wanted to cuddle him on the hair, make him feel less worthy, but he pushed my hand away.

"Don't touch me with those filthy hands." He said looking at me. His blue eyes were filled with hate.

"Ah. But I washed them this morning." I looked at my hands and they were looking the same as every day.

"God knows what you did with the Prince." He continued.

Now, this is an insult. He doesn't have the right to say this. He doesn't even know me.

I came closer to him and relived my neck.

"See this? This is a scar I got the first time I ever met him. He thought that I'm lying."

I took sleeve up. "This? I rip my infusion because I couldn't talk. And I couldn't talk because I rip my stitches after Prince killed a person on my sight. Just because I watched. So spare me what I did."

He looked at my neck and I felt his cold look on my scar. I wanted to cover it but I stayed still. His look covered me like some frost.

Then he continued down my neck to the elbow.

"Then you shouldn't look." He said his hands crossed on his chest.

He looked like some pre puffed Prince in some tales. Like a dream. Handsom but with a hidden purpose.

But he wasn't anything of that.

I smiled remembering that I humiliated him.

"I will show him around but the information will stay mine." I turned and looked at both of them.

Travis all in black and Amelia all in white. They looked like a devil and an angel, but if you scratch under, you will see that they are both devils.

"He is under less watch from you. He can go unnoticed in and out. No one will get suspicious. Just need to say." Travis said, and I looked at Amelia.

She nodded and looked around.

Could I say everything Prince tell me? Can I lie to him that nothing is happening? I'm a terrible liar. I can't hide anything from him.

"But he can read mind," I said.

"He could one single time to you. In the cell. And you are protected. Dort knows how to hide his mind."

No. He said that one never did that. He wouldn't lie.

"He didn't do that," I said quietly.
"He did," Travis added. I heard the laugh in his words; he must enjoy in this. He is someone who plays, not get played. He holds the strings.
"From all of that I can see that I'm a source of information." I ignored Travis and turned to confront with Amelia. I can't believe her. Or Dort. They are lying.

Amelia stood up.

"That will be. Dianna will tell everything to Dort and the end." She looked at me and Dort but I couldn't look back.

She became a stranger to me.

"We are leaving." She said and took Travis's hand.

As they were leaving I said.

"Amelia let collar to breathe. It's too tightened."

I smiled at his look full of hate and turned to leave but I found myself on the wall. The air escaped my lips as my back hit the cold wall.

Images from two nights ago came in my mind but I pushed them back.

He won't do that.

"I can't understand how you are still alive." I felt his hand on my throat and a little pain from where he touched my scar. Pressed, not touched. It hurt now.

"Maybe Prince loves that I can talk. Or maybe he is scared of me." I said somehow. He was already stopping my breathing. I felt less and less oxygen.

"Just stop with that act!" He pushed me against the wall and my bones and muscles tensed. It hurt.

"Let me go," I said shakily.

I just wanted to go.

"I can see why Prince loves your neck. It's really breakable." He pushed me again at the wall and turned.

My hand instantly came down my neck and I touched my scar.

I could feel pulse underneath the skin. It was so fast, and I massaged it just to calm down. I needed to be calm. I had to see the Queen.

When I opened my eyes, no one was in the room; I was all alone.

On my way to the room, I remember that I left the mug on the bench.

I hope they will remember to check that room.

****

When guard oped doors of Queen's restroom, I slowly entered in my silver dress.

Everyone turned to look at me.

I was a girl who walked with the Prince down the dinner. Someone who earned a place aside to the next ruler. My eyes met with every single one and then I turned to Queen and Marissa.

I owned her an apologize.

"Dianna! I'm so glad that you came today. We wanted to tell you something about Marissa's place. Iceleouss. It's really beautiful." Queen smiled and I could hear some voice behind me.

There is a good reason why are they behind me.

I smiled too but turned to Marissa.

"Marissa I hope you can forgive me my actions. You surprised me with a question but I had no right to act like that." I looked at her and she stood up.

"Of course. But only if you forgive me what I said. That was really not a tactic from me." She put hands on my shoulders and I felt her warmth.

She is really good.

I smiled and said.

"There is nothing to forgive you." I put my hand too, and she said.

"Then there is nothing I have to forgive you too." We sat next to the Queen, and they all started talking.

"You need to come here. For the beginning, we have an ice statue. Really big around ten feet. They are in an ice park where everything is frozen."

"Oh, yes." Queen added, "But you need to see the Light day. That is a day in February that became not too dark but also not to shine and stays like that for the next four months."

"Oh, yes. That is really good. We have a big party where we celebrate that. Some shamans like to think that is a day when Earth stopped. She stays unmoved for four months and then continues as nothing happened." Marissa is excited.

I smiled. Butterflies were dancing in my stomach. I would like to visit that but I knew that Prince would never allow me. I was a prisoner after all and the dress couldn't change that.

"I would like to visit that," I said smiling.

"Oh, that is a day when proposed me," Queen said looking at nowhere.

"What? Daria, you never told me that!" Marissa said in a high voice. I was surprised too.

"I did not?" Queen smiled with memories and looked at me.

"I will tell you one day."

"But right now we need to prepare for Vlad's leaving. He is going to Delia."

Queen said and ordered a few maids to get our coats. Queen got her little crown, and we made our way. Queen was in the middle. Marissa on the right and I on the left. The rest of the room was behind us.

The leaving can start.

We were in front of the main doors of the castle. I never saw them but it looked like massive ironed doors with some designs. They were beautiful, like everything else in here. A rose symbol stretched through the hallways we passed and I saw the same mark on the doors.

I raised my look to the sky only to see it covered in clouds. Rain stopped but the air was hit with a few drops there and then. The sun was hidden behind them.

Queen stood on the front and Marissa and me next to her.

Minutes before Prince will come King showed up.

"His Majesty, the King. Her's Majesty, the Queen." Some servant echoed through the now filled yard and we all bowed.

King came to the Queen with a quick step not looking at anyone.

"My darling." He kissed her on a cheek and said.

"You should not get out."

"I will. You can't keep me in the castle. Besides, I want to see my only son." She said and smiled.

The king kissed her again and nodded.

He wasn't satisfied, but he respected Queen's wishes.

"His Majesty, the Prince." Everyone bowed again, even I did that, just because he couldn't see me and looked up.

He was in a dark blue uniform with Dort on one side and Danniel on another. The tension of his shoulder showed how he was actually stressed about that city. A dark expression of his face told everything he hid.

Landing on the brown eyes I saw Danniel dressed in the dark blue suit that fitted him like a glove and smiled.

Dirt was ignored. I couldn't understand his intentions.

My scar ached when I met Prince's look. It was a mixture of anger and coldness. That was a look when I first met him. I instantly stepped back trying to get in Marissa's shadow. I failed. His look didn't leave mine.

He climbed up a few stairs and said something to the King. He nodded and smiled. He tapped him on the shoulder like a little son even they were the same high, and constancy. He was a real father.

He smiled at the Queen and I could see that is some fake smile. I made me think that he doesn't really love his mother.

"Act well." She said fixing his medal on left pocket.

"I always act well." He said and kissed her on the cheek. His look was on mine.

I looked down at the stairs but he greeted Marissa too.

"Marissa I hope you will enjoy this few days and I'm sorry that I can't stay but I hope you will come to the coronation." He smiled at her and she smiled too.

"Of course Vlad. " She messed his hair, and he smiled.

I thought that he will turn and go but I saw a shadow on my skirt.

"What are you doing here?" He asked angrily.

"Queen asked me to come," I answered the same and looked at him.

I saw that Marissa get a step further.

"Of course she did that." He shook his head and said.

"Act well, or I will know. And be smart do not seduce my guards." He said that serious, but I saw a smile on his face.

"Does your friend count?" I asked quickly looking at Danniel.

"He especially counts. Don't even breath near him." He said and turned.

Guess you can't respect all his rules.

He climbed on the horse.

King said. "Prince is going on the trip. Let luck and bravery always be on his way. He will come here to rule our country with powerful allies." Kind nodded and Prince took his sword putting it high over his head.

Then he bowed at King and Queen before disappearing with the best of his guards. He took no one else.

He believed them.

I hope they know who to trust.

The wet ground from morning rain smirch hoofs of his dark horse.

They disappeared, but I heard his last words.

"Don't make me kill anyone because of you."

"Sicus pacem, para bellum" If you want peace, prepare for war.

Hellloooo

I hope you enjoyed and what do you think will happen in Delia. What will happen with Danniel?

Do you want more?
Wait for the next chapter.

Kis kiss