Moonflowers

Jonathon and I walked arm in arm into my room, comfortable silence surrounding us. I sat down on my bed and he sat down next to me, moving his hand into mine. He was being awful touchy today. Not that I was complaining, but usually when Jonathon and I would see each other, we wouldn’t even exchange a kiss on the cheek. It was usually just a meaningful hug. Maybe Jonathon was finally starting to get serious about our relationship. I looked down at our hands and smiled, my smile still lingering as I looked back up at him. “So what news do you have for me?” I asked him eagerly. I was very ready to hear what news he had for me. Jonathon sighed a little.

“This war is not going to end well, I don’t think your father is in right state of mind about the whole thing.” He said looking at me sadly. I raised my eyebrows, wanting to hear more. “He’s much to confident. The enemy is a very great one this time. He has to be on his guard, but he doesn’t seem to understand that.” I looked down saddened. Oh father, please do not get yourself killed. “But the good news is, that he wants you to make your own decision about the alliance with the Eastern Kingdom.” Jonathon said, smiling down at me. I smiled as well. Really? Father trusted me with such a decision? I was amazed, but pleased. Jonathon wrapped his arm around me, wordlessly telling me he was proud of me. But what what I wasn’t expecting was for him to voice his pride. “I’m so proud of you Aleigh. Especially after what happened last night. The way you acted last night proved to everyone, that some day, you will be a magnificent ruler.” This made me grin and blush at the same time. He laughed out loud and placed another tender kiss on my cheek. I closed my eyes as I felt his soft lips on my face. I loved that feeling. I knew that was an amazing feeling, but I wondered how amazing a real kiss from him would feel. I sighed.

“Well, I best be on my way to tell Prince Brendon of my decision.” I said, reluctantly releasing his hand, I turned away from him and began to walk towards the door, but he stopped me from going anywhere by turning me around by my hand.

“I shall walk you down,” he said, “I was on my way to change out of this bulky armor anyway,“ he said with a smile. I nodded grinning at him as he took my hand and lead me out of my room and down the stairs back to the main entryway. As we exited the castle I noticed two men that were bringing in a large metal carriage. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Jon, what is in th-” but I was cut off.

“Oh, gentlemen, it’s good to see you again! We thought we had lost you in the woods,” Jonathon said as he walked down the steps to greet the men. I followed. I g ave Jonathon a hurt look. That was rude of him. He didn’t even apologize for it. Perhaps I would ask him about it later, but I really wanted to see what was inside the metal clad box. While Jonathon wasn’t looking I crept to the back of the box. There was a hole on the top of the door that let a small about of light into the cage without bars. I, unfortunately, was too short to see into it. I lifted my hands up to the bars and lifted myself up just enough to see into the box. At first, I was confused. There was nothing in this box! But as I continued to look I saw a small figure curled up in a ball in the very back of the box. The figure seemed to be looking at me as intently I had been looking at it. I wondered what it was doing in there. It sure didn’t look like a criminal. It reminded me of some sad puppy that had lost its way home. I immediately felt sympathy for this creature, but before I could talk to it, I was forcefully pulled away from the bars. I scowled up at him. I was not done looking at that thing inside the box.

“Jonathon, what’s in that box?” I demanded of him. I crossed my arms over my chest as he looked at me softly.

“Nothing you have to worry about.” He said with a sweet smile he was using just to make me forget about it, which only annoyed me. I sighed heavily. And looked at him pleadingly. He sighed himself and just shook his head. I huffed.

“Fine. But you will be telling me later,” I said turning away from him, and walked into the stables where Brendon and Spencer were. I can’t believe Jon wouldn’t tell me what was in there! Men! They think that women shouldn’t know anything! Technically I could order Jonathon to tell me what the box contained, but he would know that I wouldn’t hold him accountable for any consequences if he disobeyed. In addition, there was a regrettable part of me that wanted Jonathon to like me more than I wanted to know what, or rather, who was in the box.

I peered around the stables for awhile, but I didn’t see Brendon or Spencer at first. As I walked in farther, I found them inside Triton’s stable, mending to his wounds. My poor horse! I rushed towards Triton and rubbed my hand against his nose. He wasn’t very calm it seemed whatever beneficial things Brendon and Spencer were doing to help him were making him very uncomfortable. His eyes were anxious and his ears flicked back and forth as he drew quick breaths. I tried to calm him by rubbing his favorite spots: behind his ears, the side of his neck, and his chin. This seemed to help. I continued to pet him while I asked, “how bad is it?”

Brendon and Spencer hadn’t really noticed my entrance. Spencer was kneeling behind Triton with a rag and a bucket as Brendon held his tail to the side and rubbed his back mindlessly, watching carefully to make sure he wouldn’t kick Spencer in the face. “I think he’ll be alright!” Spencer replied as he patted a wound with the rag. Triton jerked and exhaled sharply at Spencer’s touch. Brendon let out a chorus of comforting ‘shh’s and continued to scratch his back
The three of us continued this for a little until Brendon turned to look at me. We met eyes as he said, “ I nearly forgot, have you come to a decision?” Brendon asked, trying to hide the anxiousness he was feeling. I nodded.

“Yes, I have indeed.” I paused before telling them what I had decided. “We have decided to take up your offer,” I said, with a smile. Brendon returned the smile.

“Splendid,” he said. “As soon as we’re done here, let’s get those papers signed, shall we?” Brendon suggested with a smile.

I nodded. I peeked over at Spencer. “Will you remind me to send word to my father about the details of the arrangement?”

He nodded. “Yes, M’lady,” he answered before continuing to tend to Triton’s wounds. I rubbed the stallion’s nose mindlessly as I stared blankly at his forehead.

Brendon caught my attention as he said, “you’re making the right decision.” He smiled at me reassuringly. I returned it lightly. This decision was one of the easier ones I had made in the past twenty-four hours, but I was anxious about every decision I had to make without my parents to guide me. I think I had every right to be worried. After all, I knew very little about Brendon and his kingdom. But my instinct told me they were sincere and I chose to trust it.

Spencer finished cleaning a few minutes later. He wrapped the horse’s hindquarters with clean linen to cover the bites and scratches. “That will do for now,” he announced as he dusted himself off and stood.

I smiled at him graciously. “Thank you, Spencer.” He nodded. I looked to Brendon. “Let’s attend to those papers now, yes?” He nodded in response. Giving Triton one last pat, he held out his arm for me, which I took. Spencer followed us out of the stables on our journey to the study. This was where all my father’s official things were attended to. Our seal and stationary was stored here, as well as my father’s personal library.

On our way there, we crossed paths with Jonathon and a few of his men as the entered the dungeon. I craned my neck to see the prisoner they were dragging to the cells, but Jonathon’s body unintentionally blocked my view. I could feel Brendon eyeing me curiously, wondering why we had suddenly stopped, but I waved it off before he could ask.

As we neared the doors to my father’s study, I reached into my pocket and retrieved the key to my father’s study. Turning the key in the lock, I reached for the handle, but found that Brendon had placed his hand there first. He grinned as I shot him a look. “Allow me,” he insisted. I begrudgingly relaxed and he pulled the door open for me.

We stepped through to a large round room lined from floor to ceiling with shelves full of dusty old books. Their aroma overwhelmed the room. To the left was a narrow spiral staircase that led to a second level of books through a hole in the ceiling. To the right there was an unlit fireplace, which was the only place empty of books. My father had made use of the mantel and placed several stacks of books horizontally. Directly in front of us was an untidy desk, littered with open texts, drawn maps, and feather quills. I maneuvered towards the desk and started to declutter my father’s desk. I had to laugh a little. My father was often so focused on his thoughts that he tended to ignore the messes he made. As I tidied up, I stole a glance at Brendon. He was glancing around the room with his hands behind his back as he squinted his eyes at the faded titles. I smiled at him as I folded a map of the four kingdoms.

“Do you like to read?” I asked, as I added the map to a stack of others.

He nodded. “Indeed,” he answered wearing a distracted smile. “Your father and I share similar reading tastes,” he commented as his eyes wandered. He stepped towards a shelf and reached out his arm. He looked at me then. “May I?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes, of course,” I replied as I brought a stack of books to replace them in their proper place on the shelves. He grabbed a book and started flipping through. He squinted his eyes at the text, ingrained in what he was reading. I smiled at his focused expression as I placed books back on the shelves. He reminded me of my father just then, who wore a similar expression whenever he was reading.

He had passed down his love of reading to me. If I behaved he let me sit in his study while he worked. I spent my time looking at the bestiaries and diaries of knights and past kings, all of which were filled with fascinating creatures and wild adventures. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations, but with time reading these helped me practice my reading skills. Every now and then I would ask my father what a word meant or how to pronounce it. Usually he happily obliged. Sometimes, when he wasn’t busy or taking a break from his work, he would read with me, telling the tales with animated voices and dramatic faces. And I would laugh or cower and sometimes even shriek. I caught on that he quite enjoyed scaring me and I tried to remain composed even when he lunged at me just as the monster in the story was about to attack. Some of the fondest memories I’d had of him were in this library and I smiled at the memory.

I hadn’t realized Brendon was staring at me. I jumped a little as I caught his eyes and felt the heat rise to my cheeks. He laughed, shutting the book. “You were smiling,” he observed.

I laughed and nodded as I pushed the last of the books into an open slot. “Just reminiscing,” I replied as I walked behind the now clean desk. Brendon also approached the desk.

“You’ll have to tell me about it sometime,” he suggested with a smile. I nodded and sat, pulling myself closer to the desk.

“Sometime,” I agreed. I reached for the quill as in rested in the ink well. For the first time I realized Spencer hadn’t followed us in. I replaced the quill and stood. “Just a moment,” I told Brendon as I headed towards the door. Pulling it open I craned my head to each side to look for Spencer. He was stationed on the right side of the doorframe at attention. I smiled at him as he turned to look at me. “Join us please? We need a witness.” Spencer obliged and followed me inside. He took stance beside Brendon as I once again sat behind the desk.

“Now,” I looked toward Brendon, “The papers?” He retrieved them from his pocket and handed them to me. I flattened them and reached for the quill. Once again, I peered at the Eastern King’s careful script. I paused and looked to Spencer. “Would you mind heating the wax for the seal?” With a quick nod he went to it. I once again brought my attention to the papers. I was a little hesitant simply because of my anxiousness. I worried that my father wouldn’t like the decision I’d made. Maybe I should have asked him for his opinion before agreeing to have his army join forces. I tried to shake the nerves. I was acting Queen and I had the authority to make this decision. My father would trust my judgment. Even as I reassured myself, the quill still shook lightly as I signed the papers.

The wax was still heating so I reached for a blank sheet of parchment from my father’s drawer. I scrawled a short note on the piece in my less than pristine handwriting. It was not very princess-like penmanship, but I hoped the King would be able to decipher it.

Your Highness,
It is with great pleasure and appreciation that I accept your alliance. On behalf of my kingdom, I extend my gratitude to you and your court. A messenger will be sent with the current location of the Northern army so you may join our soldiers in battle. May our combined strengths defeat the looming threat and bring peace to all kingdoms. I wish you safe travels and success in battle.
Sincerely,
Princess Aleigh, Acting ruler of the Northern Kingdom

By the time I had finished writing the message, Spencer had brought the hot wax to the desk. I thanked him and reached for the signed agreement. Pouring wax adjacent to my signature, I removed my ring from my finger and pressed it to the pool of red wax. I lifted to reveal my insignia of the sun and moon as one. I repeated this action on the front of the folded papers and blew lightly to cool the wax. I replaced my ring and handed the papers to Spencer. “See that these are delivered to King Matthews,” I instructed.

“And the letter to your father?” Spencer asked.

“Ah! Yes. Thank you for reminding me!” I pulled out another sheet of parchment and quickly scribbled a note for my father informing him of the deal I had made. I hoped he would be pleased.


Father,
I am writing to inform you of an alliance I have decided to make with the Eastern kingdom. I received a message from the Prince of the Eastern Kingdom, who, according to the agreement will remain here with me to inform and train the remaining soldiers of the nature of our enemies. The Eastern kingdom will be joining you once they receive the location of your army. I do hope this alliance pleases you. Know that I believe this is what is best for the kingdom and our family. Please stay safe and take care of mother. I hope to see you safely return in the near future. Fight hard and smart for me, father.
With all my love,
Your daughter, Aleigh

I sealed the letter and handed it to Spencer. I smiled at him. He took the letter and returned the smile before leaving to have the messages sent. Brendon and I watched him go.

“So, what princess-ly duties must you attend to now?” Brendon asked with a playful grin. I smiled, but I narrowed my eyes lightly in suspicion.

“I have a few things to attend to,” I told him. “But you look like you have something in mind,” I observed, both amused and curious about his attitude. He laughed as he grinned. He looked at the ground for a minute before returning her stare.

“Come find me when you’ve finished,” He said, and walked out of the room.

I let out a laugh, which was mixed with confusion and amusement. What a strange man he was. I leaned back in the chair in wonderment. What have I gotten myself into? I was then certain that there would never be a dull moment as long as Brendon was staying with us.