Secret Lessons and A Deal
1195 Words
“Mistress, you ate very little during lunch with your fathers, was the meal not up to standard? Must I have a word with the kitchen?” Oberyn asked.
“No, my mind was simply elsewhere.” I said, absently. Oberyn was walking my back to my room, but he stopped them.
“Are you alright, my lady?” he asked, grabbing my hands and facing me.
I truly could hide nothing from my faithful steward. “You worry too much.” I said, dismissively. I tried to turn away, but Oberyn held fast to my hands.
“Please, dy’myl, talk to me.” his gold eyes pleaded.
I sighed. “I’m just worried about my fathers’ taste in potential partners, and their total lack of regard to whether or not I wish to be married.”
Oberyn opened my door for me and I nodded in thanks as I passed him and headed into my bedroom. He helped me take off my overcoat, and I settled onto the chaise by the foot of my bed. He stood with his hands behind his back, and I looked up at him.
“Why don’t you tell them that you do not wish to wed?” he asked, looking down at me curiously. His long curly hair was tied behind his neck, and his ears perked up, awaiting my answer.
I sighed a long breath and collapsed across the chaise dramatically. “Because then they’ll just arrange a marriage for Avyn. I need to be the strong, older sister, marry some prince, and take the crown. Once I’m queen, Avyn and Adie can both marry whoever they want.”
Oberyn c****d an eyebrow at me, but then took a deep breath and sat at my side. “That’s very admirable of you, little heart.” He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “But you’re allowed to be selfish. To put yourself first. You cannot predict how everything will fall into place.”
I sat up. “Oberyn, it’s not like I’m giving anything up. It’s not like I have a secret lover waiting in the wings. But Avyndell is obsessed with her studies. If I refused to wed, she’d have to drop everything to pick up the crown. And everyone’s noticed Adrissa’s eye for the stable boy.”
Oberyn held up a hand. “Adrissa is 15, she's hardly found who she plans to marry. And Avyn is brilliant. She would make a great queen.”
I gasped and glared at Oberyn.
He stood as well and bowed in apology. “You’re right my lady, I’m sorry for suggesting anyone else would ever be the queen.”
I eyed him for a few moments before my scrutiny turned to a smile. “I know how you can make it up to me.”
Oberyn raised a brow and grinned back. “Oh? I can only imagine how so.”
I stood up, inching closer to him so I could grab his hand. “I just figured, since we have a few moments together, alone-”
He pulled away from me and took a few steps across the room to lock the door. “You know we have to be careful. If your father catches us-”
“I know. I know. It’s just… it feels so right. I can’t stop thinking about it.” I sighed.
Oberyn turned back and nodded understandingly. “That’s because it’s natural. This is what you were meant to do. It’s in your blood. Have you been practicing?”
I nodded, pressing my lips together. I raised my hands in front of my face, closed one eye, and focused. Balls of light hovered over each of my fingertips. I smiled, sticking my palms out towards Oberyn and making the lights dance from finger to finger. He laughed.
“I can’t imagine you practiced any non-light based spells.” Oberyn chuckled.
I dropped my hands and pouted. “I’m not as good at those.”
“That’s why you have to practice.” Oberyn said as he approached me. He pulled a coin from his pocket and showed it to me.
“I’m going to drop this. Close your eyes, and focus. As you breathe out, reach with your mind and catch the coin. Tails up.” He said.
I nodded. He held the coin up high, and I closed my eyes. I tried to see the coin with my mind. I kind of could. I could see Oberyn, he had a red aura. I saw his arm outstretched. I saw his fingers start to open.
With what felt like a flick, I threw a bit of my consciousness towards Oberyn. He had taught me this, using my mind to summon something he called a “magician’s fist.” It was essentially an invisible hand formed from a piece of my consciousness. It reached for him and grabbed for the coin. The first pass went right through. I clenched my fists and focused. The second attempt I fumbled but grabbed the coin.
Triumphantly, I opened my eyes- to see the coin was suspended sloppily and turned about halfway between both sides.
Oberyn suppressed a grin. “Most people wouldn’t have caught it.”
“I’m not most people, Oberyn.” I said indignantly. I thrust the coin at him, with my magician’s fist, and it shoved into his chest.
He let out an ‘oof’ as he grabbed the coin. He held it up again, and waited for me to say “Ready.”
He dropped it, but this time my mind had already summoned an invisible hand. All I had to do was use it to grab the coin.
I opened my eyes when I heard Oberyn laugh incredulously. “You have been practicing!”
“Yeah.” I laughed too. “Until I get better at summoning, it’s best to keep my magician’s fist out.”
He nodded. “It’s always best to be prepared, ready for action.” He glanced across the room at my bookshelf, and with a raise of his hand, grabbed a book. It seemed to float across the room to them, and he handed it to me. “Use it as often as you can. It will strengthen your consciousness. You’ll be able to reach farther and more dexterously.”
“You’re saying I should just play around with my abilities.” I grabbed the book with my own mage fist and held it above his head, acting like I planned to drop it.
We each started picking things up, and it soon turned into a friendly competition to see who could magically hold up the most items. By the end of it, we both had collapsed on my giant bed. The room was scattered with belongings, books, pens, letter openers. I was laughing and Oberyn was smiling much more than usual.
“Well, you won. Which means you can ask me to do one thing, and I cannot refuse.” I said, sitting up on my elbows. “But I hope you’ll consider being lenient, as I almost beat you.”
Oberyn bit his lip, then looked up to meet my green eyes with his golds. “I would never do anything you’d be uncomfortable with.” He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Just like he did when I was a kid, but this time it was different. It made me feel different. “Would you dance we me tomorrow, at your gala?”
I sat up, shocked. “But- we can’t. My parents would never allow us to-”
“Good thing it’s a masquerade.” He smiled, interrupting. I grinned back at him.
“Well, a deal is a deal.” I found my cheeks growing hot, a faint blush on my fair skin. “I’ll see you at the ball.”
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- Writer
