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Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
They’d climbed up a ways into the mountains, and it sat nestled snugly in the hills, surrounded by trees, other than one cleared pasture for horses. There were no luxurious gardens; what for, when they had nature all around them? It was perfectly set away from everyone and everything, just what Justine had always dreamed of owning. No servants rushed to help them unload or take their horses away – they were completely alone.
The thought was a little daunting, but she told herself to relax and trust him. They set the horses free in the pasture, and then he guided her into the house, narrating as they went.
“It’s perfect for little day trips because it’s so close, but we used to come up here more when I was younger, for a few days at a time. When we’re not at war, it’s a lot easier to go on holidays,” he said ruefully. “We used to spend whole weeks up here in the summer, just me and my parents.” He led her into the main hall, which rose high up three stories around the winding staircase. At the very top was a high, slanted window revealing the blue sky above.
“That sounds lovely.” She followed him into the cooking area, which consisted of a large fire pit in the wall, a long counter for cooking, and a small, cozy table around which she could envision the royal family of three gathered to eat. The floor was stone, the ceiling low, and it smelled faintly musty, from years of smoke billowing through. It reminded her of the kitchens in the palace, but much more homey and welcoming than that daunting space.
Then he guided her up the stairs, pointing out various bedrooms and parlors, as well as the small library. Each bedroom was a spacious, wood-paneled room with a canopy bed and bright red and yellow blankets. They each had writing desks as well as comfortable armchairs and a gaping fireplace stacked with wood.

16-Dec-2011 03:25:31

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“I’m surprised my father hasn’t chosen to retreat up here and hide out. Whenever he used to be stressed by all his responsibilities, he’d come here to think. Which reminds me, part of why I wanted to come here is because I need to work something out. I was hoping you could advise me.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to.”
“Not now, though. No business talk until we swim.”
“Right. You mentioned a lake?”
He led her down to the final door at the end of the hall, which he pushed open to reveal a beautiful, wide upstairs deck scattered with chairs and tables. They stepped out onto it and Justine gasped. “James, it’s beautiful!”
Before her stretched out a small valley in the mountains, a hollow filled with shimmering blue water. It was a clear azure color she had never seen the likes of before, nothing like the dark blue of the river that ran by Varrock. On either side the mountains rose up sharply like towers to guard a gate. At their bases, the evergreen trees stood tall and close together, a dark green canopy that faded to sparse gray rock and eventually white snowcaps. Beyond, more mountains blocked the end of the valley, towering against the sky. James put a hand at her waist and pointed. “The water runs down from the mountains, from the massive ice sheets up there. It warms up by the time it gets here, thankfully. When I was younger my father and I rode all the way up the river, trying to find the source. Its incredible – ice, as far as the eye can see.”
“I can’t even imagine,” she murmured. “I never knew all this was up here.”
The mountains were reflected perfectly across the blue surface, which was not marred by even the slightest ripple. It was the perfect picture of serenity.
“Varrock is such a small, contained place. The world outside – it’s just so much more interesting.”

16-Dec-2011 03:26:34

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
These were the worlds Lucas read to her about from his travel stories. He’d promised her places of such beauty existed, but she’d always found it hard to believe. She’d teased him, complimenting his imagination, believing that all there was were places like Varrock, desolate, crammed full of people, that there could never be any such escape into nature as beautiful as this. And yet here it was, here James had taken her such a place, proven that other worlds really did exist after all. She could hardly believe it. She turned her face up to his, smiling broadly. “Thank you, for bringing me out here. This is amazing.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, gently. For the first time, she did*’t tense up at his touch. He rubbed her back. “Want to swim?”
“Certainly.”
He turned and guided her down the stairs, out to the back porch and down the steps to a small patch of sand at the water’s edge. “It may be cold,” he cautioned. “It’s really only warm at the height of summer.”
“I can take it,” she said. “Can you?” She was conscious of him stripping off his shirt and pants, down to his undershorts, although she tried to look away. It hadn’t occurred to her that swimming would require them to take their clothes off. Shyly, she removed the pants and Lucas’ shirt, folding them neatly so she only wore her underclothes as well. Her skin prickled as it was exposed to the air. She could feel James’ eyes roving over her. “Let’s go in, shall we?” she said. Keeping her eyes carefully averted, she walked quickly to the water and plunged in up to her knees. A horrified wail tore from her throat. “Oh dear gods!” she screamed. “It’s freezing!” The icy water pooled around her knees, numbing her skin instantly.
“I thought you could take it?” James teased, standing next to her, goosebumps rising over his taut muscles. Then he dove forward, disappearing into the clear blue water. Justine shrieked as the water splashed over her.

16-Dec-2011 03:27:19

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He emerged a few feet away and shook his head like a wet dog, grinning happily. “You get used to it after a while.”
“Maybe you do, Prince, but you’ve had practice.”
“Well, now you get to learn. Then the next time, it won’t be so bad.”
She stiffened at the mention of a next time. James was so sure of himself, so convinced he could get her back here. He always spoke like that, as though they had an assumed future together. But did that have to be a bad thing? Was that implying a future as husband and wife, or just that they would be friends in the future? She did*’t have time to answer her own question, because he swarmed up out of the water like a large fish and tackled her. She collapsed sideways and hit the water, plunging her head underneath. Everything was muted silence for a moment, the weight of his body holding her under, and then she emerged, gasping for air and coughing. James rolled away and squatted in the shallows, eyeing her carefully. “Are you all right?
“Fine,” she wheezed, shivering. But her feet, her calves, had all begun to feel comfortably warm as they adjusted to the temperature.
“Come out deeper,” he urged, and she followed him out into the water up to her waist, then her shoulders, until she was treading water next to him. His blond hair was plastered to his head, turned darker brown by the water. She was close enough to see the drops of water rolling down his nose and cheeks. He caught her staring and grinned. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I love it here.”
“I can see why.”
“My father taught me how to swim here. Took me out a ways in a boat and then pushed me in. He jumped in after me, made sure his prodigy did*’t drown, but let me figure it out myself. When I just kept floundering, he put a hand under me, held me above the surface, until I was treading water. I was maybe five years old, then.” James laughed softly to himself, his eyes gazing at somewhere far away, seeing that boat from almost twenty years before.

16-Dec-2011 03:28:11

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He blinked, looked at Justine. “I guess he likes to just throw me into things, huh?”
Justine drifted back to where she could stand and began to comb her fingers through her hair, which had become tangled in the water. “What happened to your father?”
James stayed where he was, treading water as he stared down at the clear water, able to see all the way down to his feet. The water was surprisingly clean, free of weeds or kicked up dirt. The bottom was filled with tiny stones and large slabs of rock, not as much gravel or sand. “He’s old,” James began, then stopped. She waited while he found the right words. “I wonder if his mind is going? I looked up to him so much growing up…he was so powerful, so organized, so good and moral and he ran the kingdom right, I think. I was too young to do anything during the last war – but this one, he told me this was my chance to prove myself. I’ve always had to try so hard to make him proud…and here he was, letting me do this by myself. To see if I could rule the kingdom like he did. And as I took over certain responsibilities…somehow, he drifted away from them.
“We were working together for awhile, and he just let it pile onto me. A war, it consumes all national resources, it influences every part of the kingdom. In order to manage our foreign policies I had to be involved in the running of Varrock, I had to be involved in trade, in everything. Somehow in the last couple of months, he faded into the background, just became a recluse, enjoying the luxuries of royalty without doing anything to help anymore. I go to him for advice, and he sends me away, saying he doesn’t know.” He slapped his hands across the water, sending angry splashes in all directions. “It’s so frustrating! Everyone knows I’m the one doing everything now, but I can’t, because I don’t have the right authority. He still has to sign off on everything. He won’t formally resign his position, even though I’m running the kingdom all by myself.”

16-Dec-2011 03:29:05

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Justine bobbed up and down in the water, unsure of how to react. He was clearly upset – should she go to him, touch him, or let his anger simmer out on its own. “I had no idea it was that bad,” she murmured.
“Your father has been so helpful,” James acknowledged. “He was just an advisor like any other…but somehow he flocked to my side just as my father bowed out.”
“I doubt that was accidental,” Justine said.
James laughed. “Of course it wasn’t. Your father is brutally power-hungry. He’s a master of social climbing, no doubt. But there’s no denying he’s been a huge help.”
“Be careful,” she cautioned. “You can never know what his real motives are. He’s manipulative.”
James studied her now, frowning. “Are you suggesting that he might not be serving the best interests of our kingdom in the war?”
“I never said that,” she protested.
“Oh, but of course not, Lady Val’Myren,” he sneered.
She flinched, hurt. “I’m just saying, don’t trust him with what’s most important. I don’t doubt he’s trying to help the country. I don’t know what he does behind locked doors, in his office, what he plots –“
“Don’t pull me into a conflict with your father. If this is about Lucas –“
“It’s not!* she cried. “He manipulates everyone. I’ve watched him do it my whole life. Like you said, he’s a master, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get to the top.”
“Like setting up his daughter with his beloved, trusting Prince?” James asked softly.
“There’s no question he’d love for me to marry you.”
“And if you don’t? Do you think he would want that much to rule?” James exhaled, rubbing his hands over his face. “Should I fear knives in the dark, should you decline his wishes?”
She rushed to him, throwing her arms instinctively around his neck. “Oh, James, never!” she insisted. “He would never do such a thing.”

16-Dec-2011 03:30:02

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Surprised, he folded his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. “I suppose you’re right,” he murmured. “He has me right where he wants me…being my right-hand man. Whispering over my shoulder at every move I make. He knows I’d take his word at anything. And if I married his daughter, well, he’d be more ingratiated with me than ever, wouldn’t he?”
She pulled back, looking up into his eyes. “I suppose,” she said quietly. She wasn’t sure what she’d just admitted to, or agreed to. She hadn’t scoffed at the mention of marriage, this time. But she couldn’t seem to break away from his piercing blue gaze.
James frowned, his hands drifting down to her waist. “I suppose I’ll just have to tread carefully, then.”
“I suppose,” she said again, her voice wavering. He leaned forward, dangerously close to her face. She pulled away for a moment, and he opened his eyes, questioning. “I can’t make you any promises, right now,* she said quickly.
He smiled. “That’s okay,” he whispered. “I won’t ask you to. But if it’s all right…I would very much like to kiss you.”
She blushed and burst out laughing at the forward statement. For a moment, she almost felt as though they were being watched, and had an urge to look over her shoulder, expecting to catch a vision of Lucas staring from afar. Then she looked up at James, blinking the drops of water away from her eyelashes, and said, “I would like that very much, my Prince.”
Grinning, he leaned forward, pulling her into his arms as he pressed his lips against hers.

16-Dec-2011 03:30:29

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I've set some specific goals about where I want the story to be by the time I go back to school in January. I know it's been moving slow, because I don't have much of a plan, other than rough ideas of things I want to happen. I have a better sense of a timeline and hopefully the action will pick up a little - some bigger dramatic events should be coming soon.
Thanks for sticking with me, everyone :) It means so much that you guys keep checking back, even with my long absences. I'm not giving up on this story...I really am determined to see it through to the end, as long as it takes (it'll probably be awhile ;) ) I hope that I can continue to hold your interest and entertain you all.
Merry Christmas to everyone if I'm not back before then. Expect a few more rounds of adds in the next few weeks.

16-Dec-2011 03:36:24

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