Diplomacy: a Princess's Guide

All characters, that engage in sexual acts are over the age of 21!

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This chapter is relatively slow paced, so if you are looking for spice, scroll to the end of the chapter :) I hope you still enjoy!

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TW: Description of injury - proceed at your own caution

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Feedback is always appreciated!

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"You haven't eaten anything," Lex stated, when he walked into my room. I had showered and dressed in a green gown, courtesy of the maids, before I sat on the bed and picked up a book.

"I didn't feel like eating," I said and he crossed his arms.

"So you will just starve?"

"Does it make a difference?" I asked and he glared at me.

"Yes it does. Do you want me to tie you up and force the food down your throat again?" he said, his voice dangerously low, as he came closer. He had changed, too and was now wearing a white button down shirt and black pants. The white shirt was a big contrast to the caramel tone of his skin and his nearly black eyes. The golden circle was fixed on me.

"You have quite the habit of tying me up, so I'd say, yes, I do."

He chuckled, and walked over to the bed, his lips quirking. "Don't tempt me, Princess."

I quickly scanned his body, checking for weapons I could get a hold of, but he wasn't wearing any. At least none that I could see.

"I am not wearing my daggers openly, when your hands are free," he stated, his voice calm, but his eyes blazing with intensity.

I had seen his face yesterday, so I was no fool. He knew what I had been looking for and why, which made me wonder if he was hiding something underneath the clothes. The corner of his mouth twitched, as he noted me staring.

"Like what you see, Princess?" he asked and I scoffed.

"No, don't worry."

"Liar."

It was strange to hear that from his lips, to hear that word directed towards me. I did enjoy the view, but no way in hell would I actually say it. Hell, he was attractive and he knew it, there was no denying it, but I hated him. I hated his condescending attitude, his smug face and his superiority.

Slowly he walked over to the tray with food and grabbed a piece of bread and cheese.

Involuntarily I flinched and backed off.

"This is actually the first time I smell fear from you," he mused and held out his hand, handing me the food.

Smell? Fear? He smelled my fear?

"What do you mean, you smell my fear?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Curious now, are you?" he mused and I rolled my eyes.

"Just get out, Prince. I have a headache because of you, so go away."

He huffed.

"I'll tell you about my... ability and you eat a piece of bread, deal?"

I thought about it for a few moments, debating my options. I needed to stay strong to be able to flee, once I got the chance. And he would shove it down my throat again, anyway, why not gain a bit of knowledge along the way?

Slowly I nodded and he raised an eyebrow.

"Words, Princess, I can't read your mind," he reminded me and I glared at him.

"Yes."

He smiled and sat down beside me, while I grabbed the bread and took a bite.

"I guess you read something about us? About our abilities," he started and I nodded.

"Well,then you should have read something about our heightened sense of smell. We cannot only smell things, ordinary humans smell, but also some... emotions. Fear affects the body and we can smell that. Anger, Arousal, Happiness, Sadness and other things."

"You mean you can smell feelings? How is that possible?" I asked, completely surprised.

"How is any other thing, possible? Our senses are just another gift to help us survive in the wild."

I chewed, still not believing him, but at the same time his words made sense.

When I didn't say anything, he let out a long sigh.

"Look, Princess, my mother, the Queen of Asteria is waiting to meet you, but I am not so sure, it would be wise. Yet."

I scoffed.

"What, can't she handle me?" I said and he glared at me.

"She is the Queen, she can handle anything. But I want you to show at least a bit of respect towards her and act like a royal for once," he hissed through gritted teeth and my temper flared. Who did he think he was? He didn't even treat me with any form of respect, so why would I expect anything else?

"Why should I? Did you, when you kidnapped me?" I snapped at him, glaring at him as I did.

To my surprise, a grin curled over his lips as he looked at me, his head slowly tilting.

"You'd be surprised, what I would have done. And besides, I couldn't care less what you think about me," he snorted.

"Liar!" I hissed, as I remembered he had accused me of lying only seconds ago. His grin dropped, his gaze focusing on me. "You do care, or else you wouldn't even be here right now. And made sure not to hurt me on our travels. Or made sure I was dressed properly. Or made sure I was covered in a blanket before I went to sleep. Because it mattered what I thought about you. Because you need me for something. I doubt I'd still be alive otherwise," I challenged, wondering where all this bold confidence came from all of a sudden.

"That's...,"he pressed through gritted teeth.

"True?" I finished for him, eyeing him carefully as he kept a level gaze on me. A mixture of annoyance and irritation in the depths. The fact, I just pulled that information out of him made my heart skip a beat in victory.

"Anyway, I want you to calm down, before you meet her," he declared, choosing to ignore my remark and walked toward the door.

"Lex, let's make one thing perfectly clear. I will never be calm about this. I am here because you kidnapped me, tied me up, threatened to hurt me, let me ride like a sack of potatoes, threw me on a horse like a piece of baggage, forced me to sleep outside in the dirt and dragged me through the forest."

I was on the verge of tears, so I took a deep breath, before continuing.

"You can threaten me, torture me, whatever you want. But you can never expect me to behave like the calm, precious Princess that will respect the Queen if her son kidnapped me. That is not going to happen."

He looked as stunned as I felt for my outburst. Then I remembered I had used his first name. That would probably enrage him further, but it slipped out, I really didn't mean to say it.

He watched me for a few seconds, before nodding.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but it will be this way, so we will have to see."

"And how do you want this to proceed, exactly?" He couldn't possibly expect me to be calm at any moment, I was being held here.

"At the moment, I want you to calm down. Don't make this harder for both of us. After that we'll meet the Queen. And don't say, you don't want to, Princess, you know you can't escape."

"That won't stop me from trying. I can't stay here with you... You are our enemies, the vicious creatures that attack on site!"

His dark eyes met mine with such intensity, that I had to force myself, not to look away, when he slowly walked towards me. Too close, but I didn't back off.

"Listen Princess," he spat. "Listen carefully! We are not like you, we are not vicious, we are not the enemy, we are not animals and we are not mindless beasts. We have emotions, we feel pain, we get sick, we are capable of love and happiness and sorrow. Just like humans, we have all of that, maybe even more. So don't tell us, that you know, Princess, because you don't know shit," he hissed through gritted teeth and then was walking away, ripping open the door and slamming it, without another word.

Astonished, I looked at the closed door.

"Fuck this," I whispered, got up and stormed to the door, grabbing the handle, before pulling with all my strength, to no avail.

The silver knob wouldn't budge an inch, no matter how hard I pulled and jerked and yanked. It was completely stuck in place. It didn't even clatter against its chamber or make any sound; like the entire door frame was melded to the wall on a molecular level.

I considered just hitting the door until my fists were bleeding but discarded the idea.

"I have to get out of here. I can't stay here, I just can't!" I was pacing the room, trying the handle again.

After a few hours of trying, I sat on the bed, trying to calm down, but there was no use. I couldn't stop panicking.

The worst part was that my anxiety had only increased, as a result of the conversation with Lex.

It had been hours since he had left.

How long would I have to be here, anyway? I just wanted to go home, wanted to cuddle up with Asher, I wanted my old life back.

My chest tightened and my eyes watered, before hot tears started to run down my cheeks, one after the other, salty and painful, as I fell down on the bed.

I felt alone, completely and utterly alone.

Nothing was the same anymore and no one was around that I could trust, that thought scared me more than anything else.

I didn't know how long I had laid there, crying myself to sleep, but the next time, when I woke up, the room was bathed in the golden rays of the afternoon sun.

The sky was clear and the weather warm, making it seem that everything was fine.

Although it wasn't.

***

Lex had shortly checked on me everyday for a week and I assured him everytime, that he could go and fuck himself.

Of course he never responded to that, he never reacted with any emotion, just made sure that I had been fed and hydrated, before he walked away, not responding to my insults. He was infuriating! Every day it was the same shit and I hated it with every fiber of my being.

I sat on my bed and stared at the ceiling, as I heard the usual clicking noise coming from the door. Kassandra walked in, she was wearing her leather armor, it clung to her curves and I couldn't help but envy her.

"The Queen is out of patience, Princess. I will take you to her now."

I looked down on myself, glad I had showered and wore a nice gown. When I noticed that my hands were still resting casually on the mattress, not bound, I looked back up again, to the woman standing at the edge of the bed. What? Wasn't she tying me up this time?

I stood up, following her outside and through the hallway, towards an open space, where I was met with a large group of people.

Everyone was looking at me, when we arrived. We walked down a flight of stairs and were led through another corridor, before we halted before a big double door. The doors opened and I was met with a breathtaking view. The ceiling was made from glass and the rays of the sun streamed through it, illuminating the room with an orange glow that felt warm and cozy, but the floor was made from marble, reflecting the light, making the whole room look like it was burning.

It was utterly breathtaking.

"My Queen, Her Royal Highness, Princess Enya Althea Vasiliou, of Moira," Lex said before he bowed.

Kassandra and Carr bowed, too, but I wouldn't bow before anyone.

I stood up straight and crossed my arms, looking at the woman, who sat on the throne.

"Asteria welcomes the Princess with open arms," the Queen smiled, and I couldn't help but snort.

"If you had asked me nicely to come here, I would have appreciated it, but sending your son to kidnap me and then claim you welcome me with open arms? Yeah, sure," I sneered and Lex sighed.

The Queen chuckled, before she looked at me, her gaze intense and penetrating.

She had to be around the same age as my father. She had long, dark brown hair with strands of gray and chocolate brown eyes, the golden circle around the iris the safe indicator that she was a wolfborn.

She wore a long dress, the golden and red fabric shimmering in the light.

"Come, Princess, let us talk, shall we?" she asked, gesturing to the sofas, But I didn't move.

"I'd rather stand," I growled and the guards took a step closer, Lex stepping in front of me.

"Now is not the time to show disrespect, Princess," he hissed, and I wanted to punch him right in his stupid, smug face.

"Don't you ever tell me about respect!" I snarled at him and the Queen clicked her tongue, which made me glare at her.

"Okay, then remain standing, I however will sit," the Queen announced and Lex took a step back.

"You are a little fireball, aren't you," the Queen chuckled and I tilted my head.

"I've been called worse things," I snapped and the Queen laughed.

"Oh, yes, you surely have. I am glad that my son brought you here, to Asteria, Princess. This must all be very... Confusing."

"That is an understatement," I scoffed and she smiled.

"I know, but I assure you, everything will make sense, as soon as we talk."

"I am not the most patient person, so I hope you get to the point quickly."

Lex nearly choked on his water and Kassandra hit his back.

The Queen just laughed.

"You are also a very honest person, which is very charming and I hope that we will be able to get along splendidly."

Lex snorted, but the look his mother shot at him was enough to shut him up again.

"Don't count on it," I huffed.

She cleared her throat, and moved on. "At least you are not boring. I prefer lively women, like you. Though I hope you will listen to me carefully."

"I am not promising you anything, your Majesty."

She didn't seem fazed by my lack of respect and just continued. "I do hope you can change that, Princess, for both of us."

A waiter came in and handed her a porcelain cup with, what I assumed, was tea. She took a sip and held the cup in her hands.

"So, the story starts in Asteria, in a time long before my birth. Back then, there was a war between the wolfborn and the humans. My ancestors were involved, they were one of the sides fighting that war. As much as they tried to avoid it, many died on both sides. Finally, an agreement was made, that the wolfborn would move to a secret location, where they could live in peace, and the humans wouldn't be bothered."

I nodded. This was common history.

"You might have just started a war by kidnapping me," I snapped and she cocked her head to the side.

"That was not our intention, Princess. We are not savages, like you might think, but we are trying to solve something that is way bigger than you or I."

She took a sip from her tea, before offering me a pastry, which I declined. She just shrugged.

"My people are dying," she said, her voice low. "They are starving and I can't do anything about it."

I looked around the room, looked at the table with the pastries, I had seen farmers earlier, too!

"I am sure, that isn't true..."

"Of course it is," Lex replied, before his mother could. "Your kingdom has built some stupid dam to cut us off from our main water supply!" His chest moved up and down as he got up and towered over me. Goddess he was tall! He crossed his arms and eyed me closely, staring into the depth of my very being as it seemed.

"Your kingdom is killing my people!" he yelled. His face was contorted, as if he was in pain.

I raised my chin, but he grabbed my shoulders, squeezing them tightly, "You will help me save them!"

I searched his eyes for something that would reveal him to be joking or at least to tell me what to say. But nothing! Only the absolute certainty in his expression.

"That is not true!" I said, anger in my voice. "I attend the council meetings, I talk to my father, I am the god-damned Princess of Moira! I knew if they did that! They did not do that!"

I tried to push him away but his hands were still on my shoulders, his eyes boring into mine, while I glared at him.

"It was not them!" I insisted.

"Alexander, let her go," Queen Orlaith demanded and he stepped back, his eyes still on me.

"I know, Princess, but it's true. And you have to know that. The river is fueled by the melting snow of Moira's mountains. No one else has access except your people."

"My people would never do that!" I growled through gritted teeth, meeting both the Queens and Lex's gaze. I took a few deep breaths, shaking my head.

"I wish we could believe you, Princess, but your kingdom has been doing that for years!"

I shook my head. "No, that is not true."

"It is true, Princess," Queen Orlaith said softly.

I couldn't believe them. My father would never do such a cruel thing, so I decided to change the subject.

"Why did you attack my people? At first there have only been attacks, but now there were casualties," I asked and watched them closely for their reaction.

Kassandra suddenly had an overwhelming interest in her black painted fingernails, Carr looked at Kassandra and Lex... Lex looked confused.

"We didn't kill anyone," he blurted out, before his mother could stop him.

"Yes, you did! Four people had been killed, including a merchant. The merchant's body was found a few feet away from his wagon, his wares gone."

He cocked his head.

"You think, we did it?"

"Isn't that the logical explanation? Who else would have done it?"

"Us," Carr said and looked at his Prince.

"What?" he turned to them. "Why would you do that?"

"We need food to survive! And he had food, loads of it!" she argued.

"You killed him for food?" I raised an eyebrow. "So, what, you eat humans?"

"Of course not!" she defended. "We didn't kill him, we didn't even touch him, we just stole his food and left."

"If you didn't kill him, then who did?" I asked and looked at them, while Lex shook his head.

"I have no idea."

"You expect me to believe you? You abducted me and put me in prison. And now you claim, a human killed a human, which happened right beneath Asteria? Do you expect me to actually believe you?"

"You better start believing it and stop believing everything your family tells you," Lex growled.

"We thought, it was your people. That is why they are searching the whole fucking forest for you!" I shot back and he flinched visibly, as well as the other's.

"But they have failed, every single time. We are still here."

"How can I be sure that you are not lying to me?" I asked and Lex sighed loudly.

"Why would we lie to you, Princess? You are the only one that could help us."

"We wouldn't lie to you," Kassandra said and looked at me. "We would never lie to you. And we haven't so far, have we?"

"You called him Aedan to mask his real name," I argued and Lex flinched.

"Because his real name is Aedan."

My chest heaved rapidly, as I looked at Kassandra first, then at Carr, who was standing beside Lex, to Lex who was watching my intently, and finally to Queen Orlaith who hadn't talked, and sat quietly observing us.

"So it's your real name?"

"Of course, it is my real name!" he yelled. "But my family and friends call me Lex, because Alexander sounds too much like the name of my father's ancestors. Aedan is my second name. It is just not properly recorded. You can keep calling me Aedan, I don't really mind," he added, more quietly, but the Queen was the one who answered.

"He is telling the truth, Princess. We haven't lied to you."

"So what happens now?" I asked and they looked at each other, before Kassandra spoke up.

"Well, first, you will get to know us a bit better. And you will stay here for a few days, until we get to know each other a little better."

"So, I am a prisoner, then," I stated and noticed a bitter look on the face of the Queen.

"I would prefer, if you saw yourself as a guest. But if you don't want to, I guess you are a prisoner. But I see you as a guest of Asteria, and we treat our guests very well, you'll see."

"But I can't leave my room on my own, that makes me a prisoner."

"You have no use for me, if you run straight back to your kingdom. And that would surely start a war, so until we are confident that you won't run or try to kill any of us, I am afraid, you are our prisoner."

"That makes no sense, I haven't even met you until today, how can I know if I want to help you? Why should I help you?"

The Queen got up and took a few steps closer, much to the displeasure of her guards, looking at me. "Because deep down, you are not a bad person. And if you saw what happened to our people, you would surely want to help."