"I don't want anything to happen to any of you," He agreed, meeting her eyes with determination, "I was hoping you'd like to help me figure out who she is?" Sam copies what Alex did moments earlier, offering out an arm to Holly, "We can talk inside if you'd like, but there's no pressure to help if you'd prefer to stay out of it." He hoped she would agree to helping him, knowing that she might be able to give him some hints on who it could be, and even if she didn't know anything more, he could make sure she got to her room safely without any possible sabatogue. If there was a plan against one of the girls, there could easily be more.
"No, I'll help," Holly said quietly, blushing slightly when she put her arm in his, even with the severity of the situation. "After all, if you hadn't hidden our date, that would have been me, not Alyssa." She watched the flowers, the bees buzzing, oblivious to the dark mood of the two strolling through it. "I might recognize the voice of the second girl if I heard it again, but there are a lot of girls, and if I suddenly decide to be friendly, they'll get suspicious."
"Do you know if any of the girls hang around each other more?" He asked, already forming an idea in his mind. It would be much easier to figure out who the other girl was if they spent time together. Even if there was a group of girls that it could be from, it would be easier to sift through then all of the girls. "Otherwise…I'm well overdue for an interview with you girls for the media. We could use that as a cover.." Sam looked over at Holly, a tiny smile present even as the conversation was still far from pleasant. "The only issue with the interview is that I would have to go through all the girls, and you would have to spend some time in the media's view because of it."
"That-" Holly's face went pale at the thought, but she nodded. "I can do it. Adaline talks with everyone, so that's not really any help. But an interview would be the perfect cover. I'll manage; after all, there isn't really any reason for me to stick out." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a tiny, happy smile on her lips. He remembered. He knew that she didn't like being in front of camera, or attention. He had remembered, and was taking it into consideration. It made her feel warm inside. She twined her hands in her dress and asked, "Should we have some sort of signal when I find out who it is, or should I tell you after?"
(Plot twist: what if it's one of the maids? XD)
(XD That would cause some major chaos but it would be so fun…plus it could tie into the whole assanation of his parents)
"No one public knows about our date, and I'll keep things simple, so there'll be no reason to stand out," He assured her, leading her around a corner in the garden, sure of his steps in a way that showed he walked this path often. "The interviews will probably be one on one…with the media of course, so a signal might not work, but I have an idea. I can get an earpiece for you to wear and a small microphone that it can hear through, and as long as you have a way to hide the earpiece, you could be able to listen in to the conversations. The rest I'll get together if an interview can be wrangled together." Sam looked at her, the look on his face calm and assuring, "If you're uncomfortable with the idea though, we can do something else, there's no pressure to say yes to it."
(Let's do itttt! Should we wait for a little while to let them figure it out? Or is the assassination plot going to happen soon?)
Holly felt a wave of panic as she thought about it, about people watching her, judging eyes and mocking smiles and pitying words. It would be just like when her parents died. They would all be watching her, paying attention to her, never leave her alone… She felt paralyzed just thinking about it. Everyone's attention would be on her. Everyone would be watching. She wouldn't be safe anymore. She wouldn't-
She accidentally bumped into the Prince, the brief contact pulling her back to the public. She shook her head, gripping the folds of her skirts tighter, clenching her jaw. "No. I can do it." Her voice was hard, sure, confident… more so than it had been in a long time. This was for the other girls, the innocent ones, the ones who had to participate, who just wanted to fulfill their dreams. And… for the Prince.
(Hmmm….what do you think would be better? I feel the assassination will happen fairly soon, though I still have to set up the scenario for it to happen/work well into the plot)
Sam was unaware of the thoughts in Holly's mind, waiting patiently for an answer. He simply led her along, mind spinning with how to get everything set up quick enough before no one got hurt. Getting things set up would be simple enough, it would be getting the equipment, and the time in his day for the interviews. His feet led the way without thinking, circling them through the gardens and back towards the palace.
He blinked when Holly bumped into him, turning to glance at her. "Alright. I'll get everything set up." He slowed his walk, a small thankful smile crossing his face, "Thank you, by the way. For bringing this to my attention…and for offering to help with all of this. I hope I can find a way to thank you."
(Maybe they don't find out until after the assassination? I think then that way, they could start to become suspicious about the maid, and get some clues as to who did it? I dunno, what do you think? Also, just a suggestion, what if we killed the king and queen after the interview, when there's a positive response from the people, to make it all the worse? Idk if that makes sense)
Holly smiled softly at him. "Of course. I don't want innocent girls to get hurt just because they want to marry you." Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she continued. "I'm glad that you care about it. I know several nobles from other countries who wouldn't care at all." She shook her head, remembering the stories her brother had told her when he was overseas.
She considered the last part of his words and nodded lightly. "I think you can thank me by recommending some books for me," she said lightly, voice reflecting the relief she felt that he believed her. "There are so many books in the royal library that I don't know where to start."
(I was thinking the king and queen would be assassinated at some public event, so maybe we could tie that into the interview? I do like the idea of including the maid, though did we also want to play in with the original idea of it being one of the girls that is involved? I'm up for just about anything we can figure out.)
He laughed lightly at her suggestion of how to pay her back, though he shrugged in agreement. "I'm not sure what you'll think of my taste in books, but I can certainly give you some suggestions on good books." Sam felt a jolt of happiness when she brought up his care, and though he didn't reply, a very faint blush colored his cheeks at the compliment. "It's probably easiest to show you in person, if you don't mind? We don't have to immediately, if you have things to do this afternoon."
With the main focus of the conversation taken care of, Sam let himself relax into casual conversation, surprised at how natural it felt. He was good with talking to people in general, but usually it required some energy. Talking with Holly didn't seem to take any energy. It felt easy, natural, and he enjoyed it.
(Sure! I like the idea of including the maid. What if the girl the maid was working with was a foreign girl? After all, they know about her from the Selection, but what if she wasn't the original person? If that makes sense lol. And maybe we could have an attempt at the interview, and then when that fails, we could have it another time? What do you think?)
"No, I'm free." Her cheeks pinked slightly, and she smiled slightly. "That would be nice. I don't even know where anything is. It's not sorted, as far as I can see, and the covers are so much fancier than I'm used to."
She relaxed as she talked about the library. Books were her happy place, and as long as she was talking about them, her entire being could take a breath. It also helped that the man next to her was one of the people who didn't make her nervous. Also, there were no eyes on them, watching their every move. There were no people here who could sabotage this.
(I might ask for you to explain your idea again…I'm having a major brain fart at understanding it, but from what I understand, I like it!)
"My great grandfather was the one that used the library the most in my family, and he had a strange way of organizing things. He also had a strange flare for fancy books." He replied, a smile crossing his face as he shrugged, "No one has really been tasked with reorganizing the library after he passed, so it's quite a mess still. I apologize."
Winding his way back through the gardens, he took his time looking around, happy to just spend time with Holly, even doing something as simple as walking around and talking. He led the way to the palace, slipping his arm away from hers so he could step in front and open the door for her. Playfully, he smiled, motioning her in, "Ladies first."
(You're good lol. Reading through it makes my brain confused, and I'm the one who wrote it!!)
(So my idea was to have the girl who wants to ruin everyone, Adaline Ricardo, be a foreigner. She could be allied with the country that caused the King and Queen to die, and the maid would be her sidekick or helper? If that makes sense? And for the other part, we could have an attempt at assassination at the interview, and then that fails.)
"Can you imagine sorting the books like that?" Holly asked, more than a little awe in her voice. "That sounds like an awesome job." She imagined stacks and stacks of books, some old, some new, all of them in perfect condition. She imagined looking through each one, sorting them, creating a system of books so that everyone could find what they needed right away… her mouth almost watered at the thought. She loved books so much.
When Sam removed his arm from hers to open the door for her, she blinked at how cold her arm felt. He had been so warm without her realizing it. She smiled at him, cheeks slightly pink, and curtsied a little. "If that's what the gentleman requests." She stepped through the door, turning and waiting for him inside.
(Sure! That makes a lot more sense if I’m honest XD)
Sam smiled at her curtsy, bowing a little to her in return before following through the door. He held out an arm for her again if she would accept it. “If you really wanted to, no one would stop you from sorting the books. My parents certainly wouldn’t mind,” He offered. It was a bit of a servants job, but seeing how excited she looked at even the idea…he couldn’t imagine how happy she would be overall.
They passed several people on the way to the library, but none of them stopped the pair, only bowed to the prince.
As soon as she entered the castle, though, every bit of relaxation and ease she'd been feeling, talking with the Prince, vanished. Her hands went back to her skirts, twisting the fabric around her fingers unconsciously, smoothing it with her thumbs and squeezing it in handfuls. She didn't realize what she was doing for the most part, nervous as she was. It was becoming a habit.
She didn't want to be around all the prying eyes. What if those two girls showed up? And saw her with the Prince?
No. Sam won't let that happen. She wasn't sure where that confidence was coming from, but she smiled slightly at how sure she was about it. She felt a little more at ease, somehow, like she could breathe better. She straightened her shoulders and asked, a light teasing coming into her voice, "Lacey looked delighted to see your friend. Alex, right? Do you have any blackmail stories I could tell her?"
He laughed at what she asked, shrugging with a grin that showed he had plenty of stories he could tell. "Maybe I do…I'll tell you when we get to the library." Leaning close to her, he whispered, "Alex would kill me if anyone more than I knew his stories…but if they're going to a good purpose, I might be able to tell you one or two." He straightened back up once he finished speaking and smiled, seeing the doors of the library in front of them. They were shut, but he opened one of the large doors without issue, motioning for Holly to enter before he did.
The library had always been one of his favorite parts of the palace, mostly because of how big and grand it was. There were shelves upon shelves of books, and the shelves were all made of ornate wood, carved and stained a deep reddish-brown. Paired with the large windows letting in large amounts of natural light, and the ornate lights lighting up the rest, the room was gorgeous.
He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, and Holly repressed a shiver, cheeks going pink. At his words, though, she laughed slightly, covering her mouth with her hand so that the sound wouldn't echo too loudly in the halls. "I'd appreciate that," she said softly, not quite a whisper.
When they entered the library, she forgot everything for a moment, as she usually did when stepping into a place like that, full of books and texts and sunlight. She stared around her in awe, even though she had been there before, wondering why it seemed so much brighter. And then she glanced over at Sam, meeting his eyes, and looked away quickly, aware suddenly of how her heart was beating, and not just because of the books. Oh.
Sam stopped alongside her, smiling with something close to comfort as he scanned the room of shelves. "Well, Miss Holly, shall I get you some books?" He offered, breaking the silence as he turned to look over at her. For a minute he paused, catching her eyes before she looked away again. Holly somehow looked even more gorgeous in the library than she did usually, and that was a hard comparison to beat.
Before he got lost in staring at her, he broke the gaze, tearing his eyes away from her to look at the books. Different than the arm he had offered her earlier, hesitantly, he offered her his hand instead. Some part of him found himself wishing that she would take it. But he wouldn't push it.
"How many books did you want me to pick out?"
Holly didn't even notice the hand he had offered for a second, and that was saying something. She was too busy trying to avoid the prince's eyes, fighting the irge to inch toward his solid warmth. And then, at his question, she glanced over, eyes widening for a second in surprise at his hand before she hesitantly took it, wrapping her small fingers in his.
It was hard to concentrate, but she managed to say, "A lot. I read really quickly, and I wouldn't want to bother you too soon after our walk." Her voice was soft, and she could barely meet his eyes as she said this.
He was quite sure his heart stopped when Holly took his hand. Sam felt a soft blush cover his face, and he looked away. Yes, he had offered his hand to her, but he hadn't been expecting her to take it. Her hand felt small in his, and he held it gently, almost as if he was afraid she would pull away.
"You can bother me any time, that's no problem," Sam said, a noticeably softer edge to his voice. With the task to find books finally back in his head, he glanced around, trying to decide the best place to start. Most things were semi-sorted, but he could never be sure. Finally, he just decided to head towards his 'portion' of the library, the place where he kept all of the books he had read and treasured enough to try to keep together. "If you want recommendations from someone other than myself, I could see if my mother has options. She's always reading a new book." Leading her towards a shelf near the large windows in the library, he tried to pick out books mentally, slowing to a stop near the edge of one shelf. A plush chair sat next to the window nearby, and there was a small table next to it, making it the perfect spot for someone to sit and read unbothered.
Holly's eyes widened as she came into the section of the library that he led her to. Unlike the rest of the library, where most of the books were placed on the shelf without a thought for a different sorting method, this area was lovingly sorted and made neat. Some of the bindings of the books were broken at the edges, worn down by time and love, hands constantly touching and reading.
She smiled. This was, truly, a place where books were loved.
And then something that the Prince had said struck her. "Wait. The Queen likes to read?" This surprised her for some reason, and made her realize just how sheltered she had been. Either that, or the fact was just not openly publicized.
"Saying she likes to read is an understatement," He said with a soft laugh, "My mom does nothing but read in her free time. Whenever she's not in the eye of paparazzi or anyone she has to keep an image up around, she's pouring through books. I'm sure if I asked her, she would be more than happy to share some recommendations." With his free hand, Sam ran his fingers over several well-worn books, all that looked like they would fall apart soon. Gently, he pulled out one specific book and held it out to Holly, relaxing his hold on her hand in case she wanted to pull away. He had no desire to let go of her hand, but to carry books, she would probably need both hands. "I'm not sure what you think of fantasy, but this is one of my favorite fantasy books. Or, well, a collection of short stories. If you want to pass, I can put it back."
Sam wasn't sure why he was so nervous when it came to recommending books. He wanted to give Holly books she would like, and he worried that his favorite books might be ones she would hate.
"She sounds wonderful," Holly said softly, gazing around at the massive library around her. She could just picture the queen, warm and beautiful, sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in the area, maybe curled up reading. She smiled at the thought and took the book from the Prince's outstretched hand. She could tell that he was nervous recommending books, and so she squeezed his hand lightly. "I love fantasy," she said. "I'm sure I'll love this, too."
The squeeze of his hand assured him that Holly wasn't going to look down on his book choices, and he smiled lightly at her, gaining a little more confidence. "Here's another," He offered, pulling out a slim book with an ornate gold cover, painted with a fire-breathing dragon on the front. "I got this one when I went to one of the countries across the sea. It's one of their folk tales; about a shapeshifting warrior princess." Sam held it out to her, watching to see her reaction. The books she had were two of his favorite, and recommending any more was going to get a little more tricky. "Different than some of the stories from around here, but it's a really good book."
"A shapeshifting warrior princess?" Holly raised an eyebrow and took the extended book, tracing her thumb over the ornate cover, watching it glimmer in the bright sunlight. She flipped through a few pages, noting the beautiful artwork and graceful script, and smiled. "It's beautiful, and I've certainly never heard of a plot like this before. You said it was a folk tale?" She had always been interested in folk tales, and the fact that this one was about a girl instead, and it had a dragon on the cover, made it all the better.
He nodded, his eyes lighting up as he explained, "The merchant explained that the girl in the story, the princess, is seen as a spirit of sorts. One that protects the land as long as her story is told through generations. She's the heir to a long line of royalty, destined to lead and fight until her kingdom is attacked. Willing to do anything for her people, she makes a deal with a fire spirit, who gives her the power to transform into a dragon." Sam paused, a bright, almost childish smile on his face, "I won't give away any more. You'll have to read it for yourself."
The book was one he had read time and time again, going back to it whenever he was in a bad mood and wanted to read. Unlike other stories, it had a good ending, or what could be considered good compared to stories that lead to the characters dying. Being stuck as an immortal shapeshifter to protect the lands forever was a pretty good ending.
(I was gonna bump these, and realized I hadn't even responded. So……….)
"She can turn into a dragon?" Holly gushed, looking closer at the book. She hugged it closer to her chest for a moment, breathing in the smell of the book. It smelled like it was well-loved and often read. She wanted to read it even more.
Realizing that the Prince was probably watching her, she flushed and acted like she hadn't done that. "Do you, um… do you have any other books you'd recommend?" She asked shyly, meeting his eyes. "This one sounds so good that I might accidentally finish it all in one night."
