Escrito por: The Princely Seal
Teela slowly opened her eyes and immediately felt her head stinging fiercely. She gained awareness and covered her mouth with her hand as she recalled the events of the night before.
She couldn’t believe how she had been clinging to Adam’s neck, luring him into her bed, begging for him not to leave, and, worst of all, how she had cried her eyes out, sobbing as she fell asleep.
It was just too much to take in. Where did all that come from? She could partially blame it on the wine. But not completely, and that made her nervous. It was as if all her buried sentiments had exploded at once, in the worst way possible. The Sorceress had warned her once about such an outburst. The wise woman told her she could not power through her emotions all her life. Powerful emotions such as sadness, fear, and longing should be felt rather than fought. Teela didn’t understand those words until this moment, and it was too late to take back what was said… and done.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were smudged all over with makeup. Her hair was a disaster. She cleaned her face and went on to wash her body with cold water.
Adam had said he would come back in the morning, and he was known for keeping his word. At least, she could credit him that. So, she got ready as fast as she could and left her quarters in a rush.
The royal guards did not expect their captain to arrive so early. Nor did they expect to be dispatched on a reconnaissance trip so soon after the Harvest Ball as the entire City of Eternos was still sleeping.
Adam had slept restlessly. He had tumbled in his bed throughout the remaining hours of the night, unable to fall asleep. The burden of his identity struck him. Had he been someone else, he would have stood guard outside Teela’s residence, waiting for her to wake up so he could explain himself. As the Heir to Eternia’s throne, son of revered King Randor, beloved Prince Adam, he could do no such thing without raising a variety of unfortunate rumors. That was the last thing he wanted, given the circumstances.
So, very early in the morning, he called for a big jar of wild berry juice to help ease the effects of the previous night’s unrelenting toasting. He then cleaned himself up and went in the search of Teela.
When he arrived at Teela’s dwellings, she was already gone, as he had suspected. Although he didn’t expect to hear that he wouldn’t be able to contact her that day at all. He was in for constant disappointment the following days.
Whenever he asked for Teela’s whereabouts, she was always out of reach:
Training the younger guards in the nearby mountains.
Out for a recognition of the East Gates.
At a strategic gathering with other officials to evaluate potential dangers.
On a visit to the forging site, to supervise the new armors.
Adam kept leaving messages for her, asking her to contact him as soon as her duties allowed, but to no avail.
Half-moons later, Adam had grown impatient. He could picture the bitterness spreading in Teela’s mind. To be true, he was a bit annoyed. Couldn’t she trust his motives? Didn’t she know him well enough to guess why he had left? Apparently not.
So, he sat at his desk, scribbled briefly on some parchment, and sealed the document with his royal, princely seal.
«She’s going to hate me for this,» he mumbled to himself as he sent out the official order.