Click, clack, click, clack, went her leather boots on the shiny marble floor as she strutted down the hall. She could feel heads turn in her direction: servants, guards and ministers couldn't help but stare at her. The girl was fascinating. She emitted a powerful, almost regal presence that made even the bravest men shy away. Part of it had to do with her family status. The Tunderas had forever held control over security in the country. Some dared say they were at the pinnacle of the hierarchy, second only to the royal family.
The other part was her genes; light brown, heavy curls that were impossible to tame, golden skin and grey eyes that could bore into your soul, a Tundera trait thought to have long disappeared from her bloodline and strangely enough found its way to her.
Nicole knew she was being watched but did she really care? Not really. She'd grown up under their stares, their desire to understand her, to make her seem more human. She knew she intrigued them and she was used to it. The only thing she cared about was getting her job done and right now her only job was escorting a certain too-dumb-for-his-own-good prince who was about to get an earful.
She stopped in front of a large mahogany door with intricate carvings of special elements and embedded with coloured stones.
"Permission to enter your majesty?" she asked in a raised voice. "Permission granted.", came a voice from the inside.
She stepped inside, and the prince was seated at his desk, flipping through files. When she shut the door, he stood up beaming with his arms open," Hi Niccy". She lunged at him, grabbing onto his locks and yanking them. "You careless idiot," she said through gritted teeth, "What kind of bullshit stunt did you try to pull last night?" She ignored his cries and pleas and kept pulling. When she finally gave in, he was breathless. She took a few seconds to regain her composure as he rubbed his scalp, trying to soothe the pain. "That was really unnecessary. You can be such a bully sometimes. You do know I'm your superior right?".
Cloud Ghazar Zenith, the third prince of Gudyr, a little country in the Atlantic Ocean, which meant it was in the middle of nowhere barely on any maps you'd check. Unlike Tunderas, the Zeniths had managed to retain their features by marrying people with similar ones; Caramel-coloured skin, dark brown hair that kept in neat locks and pure and innocent golden-brown eyes that made their people believe they were angels. His entire family looked almost unreal, just one good-looking family ruling a kingdom, at least that's what Luke said.
Cloud had a natural charm, a childlike attraction able to win over anyone. He was a listener, and the way he spoke made others feel respected and understood; for this reason, they called him their golden boy. But Nicole saw him for who he truly was, one manipulative bastard who knew how to get what he wanted. Sadly, she loved him either way and as she shot daggers at him with her eyes, she was trying to remember why. "Honestly, what were you trying to prove?"
Cloud sighed.
"That monument stood for the reintroduction of the watchdog policy. They were going to invade the personal lives of the people all in the name of order. The people deserve their privacy."
"So, your solution to this was to sneak out in the middle of the night, risking your safety and your reputation, to destroy something that took precious resources and manpower to build?" Nicole snapped.
"It was an accident!" he whined.
He was starting to feel really stupid about his choices.
"Look, all I'm sure of is that it was an injustice and I had to do something about it. I admit the incident with the monument wasn't my best decision but it was big enough to send a message that the policy isn't wanted."
Nicole understood him. Some of the policies set by the council were intense. And unlike his two older brothers, Cloud refused to just go along with them and usually pulled stunts like this one. Three months ago, he'd hidden his face and led a protest against a new company he said wasn't eco-friendly enough. Two months before that, when produce prices had gone up, he went full Robin Hood, raided the food stock and handed it out for free, and the economy of the country dropped for a while. And on all these occasions, just before the guards or the police got to him, Nicole dragged him out of it. And she was sick of it.
"Cloud, I know you want to help but you can't keep breaking rules. It's only a matter of time before you get caught and if that happens, I'm getting dragged down with you. And that's not fair because if it weren't for you, I'd never go against orders"
"Except for the one that stops you from dating my brother" Cloud cut in. He had her there.
The Zeniths and Tunderas had a delicate relationship. Gudyr had been founded by Jebediah Zenith and Ramon Tundera, but Ramon didn't want to rule, and so he handed the crown over to Jebediah and became his sword, hence creating the paladins, a system that went on for generations; A Zenith royal and his personal Tundera paladin. Because of this, the relationship between both families could only be platonic, forever equals and yet never joined to maintain the balance. That didn't stop Nicole and Caleb, Cloud's older brother; they'd been going strong for almost a year, in secret, of course.
"What, cat got your tongue?" He said with a smug look on his face.
Nicole chuckled. No one knew how to push her buttons like he did; he was her best friend after all, her only friend.
"Touché" she said," But my crime hurts no one. Yours could strip you of your title and me of my guardianship all in the name of treason." She took his hands in hers and said calmly, "Cloud, your coronation is coming up soon." In Gudyr, the right to the throne wasn't determined by birthright; the throne went to whichever prince proved himself worthy.
"If you really want to make a change, do it with your power, in broad daylight, not in the dark of night like a common criminal."
He went quiet for a few seconds then he smiled and nodded," I'll try."
"Good."
She let go of him and headed for the door." Now, your majesty, you're needed urgently at the meeting of the council. May I escort you?"
Once they walked out those doors, appearances were back up, no longer friends, just a prince and his paladin. The way it was supposed to be.
"Of course, lead the way."