"Strength takes time, and time takes patience."
❅❅❅❅❅❅
Leaving the Eastern Wing, a shadow emerges from behind a pillar.
'Well, well, well. What do we have here?' a rather cold voice calls out.
I look up to see Second Brother Murdoch.
'Second Brother,' Clement says flatly, his eyes as cold as ice.
'Brother Murdoch,' Sandor mumbles at the same time, looking uncomfortable.
They may have the same mother, but it seems Brother Clement and Brother Sandor don't like Brother Murdoch. I wonder why that is.
He looks at me, his midnight blue eyes almost freezing. I shudder, inching behind Brother Clement. This Brother Murdoch is very different to the sleazy womaniser I'd known before. He seemed… dangerous, like a sleeping beast waking up.
'What are you doing here?' Brother Clement asks.
'I came to check on my little brothers and mother. I can't do that?' he asks, his voice silky smooth, going back to the womanising tone he's used many times before.
'Hello, Adira,' he says, flashing me a smile.
Brother Sandor moves his body in front of me.
'You've seen us, so go,' he says more firmly.
Brother Murdoch raises an eyebrow.
'Someone's gained balls since I've been away,' he comments.
'Enough of the vulgarity,' Brother Clement scolds.
'What vulgarity?' he smirks.
'Why are you here?' Brother Clement asks again.
'Well, I was strolling with a lovely maiden in my arms when I saw quite the random sight. The little sister hiding in the Southern Wing was walking around with folks from the Eastern Wing. Whatever happened to only leeching off the youngest from the Western Wing?'
'What do you mean by leeching?' Brother Sandor asks in confusion.
'You don't know?' Brother Murdoch smirks.
'Little invisible Adira is brought food by our dear youngest of the Western Wing Alexander.'
'Brother Xander sometimes brings me breakfast…' I mumble.
'Like I said, she's a leech. Be careful, or you'll be leeched off too.'
'He should bring her breakfast. In fact, he should bring her lunch and dinner, too!' Brother Sandor argues. 'She's way too skinny to be a Princess of Oceania!'
Brother Murdoch's perfectly shaped jaw tightens a little. Out of all my brothers, Brother Murdoch has the sharpest features. He's not rough like Father, having Lady Violet's more delicate features, but a more masculine form, giving him a very close golden ratio perfection. Brother Clement, however, is definitely closer to Lady Violet's image with more of a frailty to his features, while Brother Sandor is a definite mix of Lady Violet and Father, though he's still young enough to have that more child-like chubbiness still at 15.
'Females should be skinny,' he dismisses. 'In fact, she looks a bit too fat still. She should slim down more.'
I look down at my arms, tummy and legs.
'What do you mean she looks fat!?' Brother Sandor asks incredulously. 'She's practically skin and bones!'
Brother Murdoch laughs, as if Brother Sandor just told a really funny joke.
'She's not skin and bones yet. In any case, neither of you should be associating with that.'
'That is our sister,' Brother Clement finally spits. 'We might not interact with Adira, but she is still our sister and a Princess. She does not deserve such ridicule.'
'Anyone in the Southern Wing should not be spoken to. They're exiled there for a reason.'
'She had nothing to do with it. According to the laws, she should not be punished for a crime she did not commit. A child doesn't carry their parents' debt.'
'No one cares about the law,' Brother Murdoch says dismissively.
'You should. Make sure you don't get a minor pregnant,' Brother Clement says offhandedly.
Brother Murdoch scoffs.
'Any girl pregnant by me is blessed.'
That makes me want to puke. Has he really been gallivanting around with underaged girls? Even I couldn't marry until I turned 18!
'You'd better hope Mum doesn't hear about this,' Brother Sandor warns.
'Like you'd tell her,' he sneers. 'You wouldn't want her heart broken.'
'You know it breaks her heart, yet you still do it,' Brother Clement frowns. 'You don't deserve Mother's worry and heartache.'
Brother Murdoch shrugs, his hands now in his pockets, as his posture turns languid.
'You two should keep your stickybeaking noses out of my business.'
'Then you should keep that nose of yours out of ours,' Brother Sandor shoots back. 'Stay away from us, from Mum and from Adira.'
Brother Murdoch shrugs.
'Your problem when things blow up around you from sticking around that thing.'
With that last parting comment, he walks away, whistling as he does. Not long after, a girl comes scurrying along and he hooks his arm around her shoulders, grabbing her assets as he does.
'Disgusting,' Brother Clement spits, as Brother Sandor gags.
'Don't learn from that,' Brother Sandor says, turning to me.
'Thank you,' I whisper.
'For what?' Brother Clement and Brother Sandor look confused.
'For protecting me…'
Brother Sandor blinks and Brother Clement's face looks blank.
'You're our sister,' Brother Sandor says slowly.
'You're a Princess,' Brother Clement adds.
'No matter what's happened between the adults, that doesn't change those facts.'
A tear falls. Apart from Brother Xander, Lady Violet, Brother Clement and Brother Sandor have been the warmest I've known since Mamma died. It's nice to know that there are some who look past the crime Lady Kaitlyn framed Mamma for.
Seeing the tear, Brother Clement looks uncomfortable, and Brother Sandor scrambles to find a handkerchief.
'Don't cry!' he says in terror.
Seeing their reactions, I can't help but laugh as my tears fall faster, making them more awkward. When I eventually calm down, Brother Clement looks away.
'Shall we go to the library another day?' he asks.
I shake my head.
'Let's go now,' I say firmly, blowing my nose.
We reach the library with no more interruptions. I watch Brother Clement as he heads straight for a specific book. How does he know where to go in a library this big? Right. He has an almost perfect memory. He remembers practically everything he sees or reads. The book he takes down is huge. I doubt I could even carry it, it's that thick. Setting it down with a huge thud, I swear I could see the table bend a little.
'This is the book I want you to read,' he says coolly.
I walk over, looking at the cover. It's beautifully bound in a soft brown leather, the ink like molten silver.
Female Laws, Volume 5.
I open the cover gently, hoping I don't harm it.
1. Women are the property of men.
2. Women cannot ignore men.
3. Women cannot work the same jobs as men.
4. …
Seeing those oppressive laws makes my stomach queasy. How could anyone think these laws are okay? How could my brothers think these laws are okay? They have a mother, a sister! I know their Kingship studies are secret, but they should at least try to get rid of some of these laws!
I can barely read them, wishing we were back in the times of the Lost Queens. Back then, we could learn how to fight, how to live. Back then, we knew about magic! Now, we're nothing but property. Something that can be destroyed if we show even an inch of difference.
It's disgusting.
It reminds me of Asmodeus all over again. The way he treated me, my children. How it was so easy for him to kill me when it suited him because of Frostine. That's something I can never get over. I don't even know if I want a family again. I probably would need to if I'm Queen. I'll need an heir, but how can I trust men again? As it is, I need a magic-bound oath to trust my own brothers!
I hate this world. One wrong step means the end of me and I have to do whatever I can to survive. The future is just that. The future. I have to focus on each day as it comes. Now, let's see if Brother Clement and Brother Sandor are trustworthy enough to bring them into the fold. I do remember Brother Xander once said Brother Sandor was worried about me, so I hope he stays that way. Please don't change, Brother Sandor.
It doesn't take long for me to finish the reading Brother Clement set for me. I look up to see him flicking through a book, the pages flashing by as he reads at a speed I will never be able to reach.
'Ahem.'
Brother Clement looks up, his glasses at the tip of his nose, nearly falling off. He takes a moment to push them back up the bridge of his nose to get a good look at me.
'Finished?' he asks.
I nod.
'Good. What's the tenth law?'
'Women must know how to cook. The exceptions are nobles and royals.'
'And the twentieth one?'
'Women must have at least one child by the age of twenty.'
That's a law I didn't know before. Is it the same in Europe? If so, then I understand why Asmodeus thought of me as an eggless, and therefore useless, wife which makes me feel like punching something. Just thinking of it makes me furious. Why do we have to bear the risks of childbearing while the men don't have to care? I definitely have to change laws like that.
My hands curl into fists, but I catch myself in time.
'Good,' Brother Clement says calmly. 'You can go with Sandor now.'
He looks around, not seeing Brother Sandor anywhere.
'Sandor!' he calls out.
A head pokes out from behind a stack of books. There's Brother Sandor, drool in the corner of his mouth, his hair sticking out like he was electrified.
'Here, teacher!' he shouts.
Brother Clement frowns, but I can't help but laugh. Brother Sandor's bleary eyes slowly focus on us before a slow redness flushes from his neck up to his cheeks.
'Sorry,' he says, scratching his head.
Feeling the lift of his golden locks, he quickly pats them down, trying to flatten what he can grasp. I move over to him.
'Here, let me help,' I say with a smile as I rake my fingers through his hair.
I remember doing this for my lovely Alric when he was little. He always came back with hair sticking out in some way, but a quick brush with the fingers always set it right. He probably got that from me if Brother Sandor has the same problem… actually, it's probably from Father, something I absolutely cannot imagine. Father with hair that sticks out everywhere when he sleeps? Maybe that's why he always keeps his hair short.
'It's time for you to teach Adira,' Brother Clement sighs as I finish fixing Brother Sandor's hair.
'Really?' he asks, perking up.
Brother Clement rolls his eyes, before returning to his book, completely ignoring his younger brother.
'Let's go!' Brother Sandor cries happily, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the library.
I laugh again as I follow behind.
'We're going to have lots of fun!'
We head to the central courtyard where Brother Sandor lets go of my hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet while I'm breathing heavily from that short run. Looking at me, he frowns a little.
'You're so lacking in stamina,' he sighs. 'We need to improve that before we can do anything else.'
'So what do I need to do?' I ask.
'You're going to run.'
'Run!?' I ask, horrified.
'Yes. Run. You'll be running laps around this courtyard until you drop.'
A satisfied smile on his face, he starts jogging.
'Come on. Let's get moving!'
Groaning, I follow behind, my legs already feeling like jelly. Just one lap has me soaking in sweat, my breathing so heavy, I can barely move my feet.
'Keep going!' Brother Sandor says in front of me, jogging backwards as he faces me. 'It's only been one lap! We need to do at least three.'
Three!? How can I do three when one has left me like this? I can't do it! Absolutely not!
I shake my head, but he moves behind me.
'Time to pick up the pace,' he says from behind me.
I can only try and run faster.
I don't know how long it took, but I finally complete the three laps. As soon as I finish, I collapse instantly, unable to move a muscle.
'Are you okay?' Brother Sandor asks, worry written all over his face.
'Water,' I croak out, my throat on fire.
He runs away, and I can't help but wonder where he gets all of that energy from. Three laps leaves me almost dead, but he's still bouncing around like a rabbit! Groaning, my head hits the ground once more as I just lay there.
I try moving a leg.
Nope.
Not happening.
I'm way too tired to move.
Eventually, my breathing regulates and I see Brother Sandor returning with water. He helps me up, holding the cup to my lips. I drink greedily in large gulps. Finishing the entire glass, I sigh happily, forgetting the pain in my legs for a moment.
The moment I try moving again though, it comes right back.
'Help,' I plead, unable to get up.
Brother Sandor shakes his head as he picks me up in a princess carry.
'You really need to build your stamina,' he sighs. 'From now on, you're going to run with me every day. No skipping.'
'Not every day!' I cry, my body too dry to even produce tears.
'Every day,' he confirms.
I pout, but he doesn't budge.
'After you finish your lesson with Big Brother, you'll be running with me.'
'Fine,' I huff.
Brother Sandor walks me to my wing, setting me down in my bed.
'Now, you rest. You can get up when you're ready, alright?'
I nod, watching him leave.
'See you tomorrow,' he says with a sweet grin, but all I can think is how evil that grin looks in this moment.
Not long after he leaves, I drift into a deep sleep, something I haven't had since Mamma died.