Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(16) An Ember of Light

I jolted awake, my hair sticking to my sweaty face as I tried to reel myself back into my body. I glanced down at my ring and the comfort of its weight soothed me slightly. Bright light filtered in through the sheer gossamer curtains which fluttered in the cool breeze, bringing with it the slight smell of pine from the nearby trees. The ball had gone very wrong, and Quilo had... Quilo had saved me. Then he'd refused to leave me alone. I snapped my head to the grey sofa pushed up against one wall and was relieved to find it empty, only the blanket he'd used neatly folded at one end. At least he hadn't been there to witness how I'd awoken after one of my nightmares, he'd most likely taunt me about it for months. I had no idea what I was going to do when I travelled south to the Zaith mountains and I awoke in a different location every night, that was going to be difficult. I only hoped my screams weren't loud enough for Quilo to hear.

Just then my door flung open and a very agitated looking Rosie fluttered in holding a tray and then closed the door behind her. She swiftly set the tray on the table and hurried over to me, picking up a few strands of my hair, lifting up my arms and moving my head from side to side. "What..." I started trailing off when she glared down at me. Her arms were crossed and I gulped, knowing exactly what was about to happen. "Why was Quilo fucking Ramos asleep on your sofa this morning?" she queried, cutting a glare in my direction. "I was bringing fresh towels to your bathroom and there he was, half asleep. One arm draped over the back like he owned the whole fucking palace." I fought a smile, Rosie didn't exactly care much for the prince and I bet it took every ounce of self-control she had not to drown him in the bath. "Then" she continued, perching on the end of my mattress, "he noticed me and had the audacity to ask me to bring him some water. Of course, I did, not wanting to refuse a prince. When I got back he was sitting right where I am now... Shirtless! imagine that!" I stilled, Quilo had been sitting on my bed while I slept? I tried not to think about that too deeply. Sitting up and clearing the last fog of sleep from my eyes and glancing around, nothing seemed out of place. Then I noticed a glass of water next to my bed which most definitely hadn't been there the night before. But it was what sat next to the glass of water that caught my eye, a black leather-bound book. I snatched it from the nightstand and flipped it open to the first page, the note he'd written had been carefully tucked inside.

"Did you move this?" I asked, scanning the room for any more changes. Rosie shook her head, standing and bringing me the tray of an assortment of fruits. That meant Quilo had gone through my draws to look for the book, a spike of anger rose within me at the thought. "I think that water you mentioned was for me," I said, pointing a fork towards my nightstand and swallowing a chunk of melon. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at me and I laughed "he's just looking after his best interests." She smirked before taking the now empty bowls and tray and heading out the door, closing it softly behind her.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A few hours later and I was already bored of bed rest, I'd stared out of the window for what felt like a week and then had tried to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes however I saw the sword that plunged into James's chest, heard his final words. It was then that the black book Quilo had... given me caught my eye. Curiosity got the better of me as I reached over and flipped it again to that first page. I tugged out the note and carefully placed it on the nightstand, glancing back over and reading the line of text that had previously been hidden by the note. "The diary of Miss Eliana Stovbeck" had been handwritten in bouncy writing, I used the tip of my finger to trace over the lines. This was somebody's diary... could I really read this? For some reason, it felt like a massive breach of privacy. Underneath Eliana had written the date the diary was started and finished and a lump caught in my throat, this diary was old. Feeling slightly less bad now that I'd realised the owner was most likely dead, I flipped over to the first entry.