Chapter 2- itchy tongue

From that point on, anytime I stuck my head out into the common area it was empty. I kept waiting to run into Pepper again but a couple days went by and I don’t think she left her room. In the afternoons and late evenings I would often see kitchen carts with stacks empty dishes outside her door. It was the third day before I experienced any repercussions.

I like to skip all the fuss of going to the dining hall for breakfast. Usually no one is paying me any attention and I can steal something off a tray before it goes to the dining area. Today I swiped a strawberry strudel and ham hand pie. One of the kitchen staff gave me a grin and an eye roll. That’s when I saw Emmet at the end of the hall ahead of me. I had known him as a child but gone was his double chin and his far away gaze as he stuttered out something from a day dream. His puppy fat had melted away and his face was etched with the experience of a man as I’m sure was his body underneath his armor.
“Amael,” he spoke and my carefree grin met stern eyes.
He looked almost as if he wished to stomp out the familiarity between us. I stopped and felt my head cock to one side with curiosity.
“The King is displeased with your behavior,” he squinted at me.

Guilt washed over me. I didn’t even have to wonder what it was he meant.

“Why is Pepper even in the same diplomatic suite as me? Isn’t that suite reserved for special guests? She’s not even a highborn is she?”

A contemplative look colored Emmett’s face. There was a pause that hung in the air as he thought.
“You were instructed to foster friendly relations between you and Pepper. Instead whatever you did has upset her and she refuses to leave her room. She’s complained to the feathered powers that be,” his voice trailed off.

“So? I’ve never even seen her with any of the nobles,” I argued back. I desperately wanted to forget what I had done to scare Pepper.


I started to leave the kitchen with my breakfast and Emmett blocked the hall way with his bulky armor.
“Fix it,” he commanded
I scoffed before making my escape by ducking under his arm.
I heard him mutter something under his breath.
I didn’t want to go back to my room to eat my stolen breakfast. For a long time I leaned against a wall trying to figure out where I was going to go. If the King was looking to reprimand me I would quickly be found and given a more stern scolding than what Emmett has said. I let out an involuntary groan slumping to the ground. I had gotten lucky Emmett had once been a friend of mine and had spared me. He had given me some time to get ahead of the problem. My issue was I didn’t want to face Pepper again. I racked my brain for what could possibly make her so special apart from her dwarfed wings. That’s when memories of Emmett reminded me of the last time I’d seen him. I’d been giggling as he swung around a wooden sword trying to impress the other girls in the nursery. The scent of honeysuckle in the nursery gardens from so long ago was still so vivid in my mind. Then it dawned on me, it was too early in the day for the nursery classes to be in the gardens. No one would ever think to look for me there. So that’s where I went.

I sat alone on a bench looking at the empty garden. I noticed to my dismay that the cerulean of the sky was becoming marred by stony grays. I heard the soft murmur of far away thunder and felt my heart sink. A chilly wind whipped past the tree behind me and in a fast aggressive whoosh it ruffled and pulled at my dress. In surrender I got up to head inside. On my way back to the safety of the castle I heard a soft gasp from one of the play tunnels in the hollowed out center of a tree. Without thinking I immediately stuck my head in.

“Amael,” cheered a soft voice. I blinked in confusion as my eyes adjusted to the dark. It was princess Anne.

I felt a stern expression shifting on to my face.
“What are you doing out here all alone!” I felt my voice twinge with panic.

“I didn’t study for my math quiz. I’m hiding from my tutor,” she told me the guilt apparent in her quivering lips. Without warning I picked her up. I pulled her gently from the play tunnel and scooped her up into my arms.

Even though the sunlight was muted by the clouds the highlights in Anne’s hair still shimmered with the same periwinkle as her mother’s.

“Let’s get you back inside, you can study instead of getting stuck out in the rain,” I said carrying her back to the castle on my hip. Anne’s pout was visible but she didn’t physically fight me. I gently tapped the ball of her nose.
“Surely your tutor can make an exception for a princess,” I teased and she giggled.
A couple raindrops fell on us just as I ducked under a covered arched castle doorway. I went to put Anne down however she clung to me.

“Amael, why is my Mom mad at you,” Anne held tight to me.

I thought about the Queen Consort and Pepper.
“I disobeyed,” I replied exasperated. Anne continued to hold handfuls of my dress.

“That’s okay you’re still my favorite cousin,” she whispered in my ear.

“I don’t care if you were mean to that turd,” Anne hugged me tightly.

“Turd,” I responded stunned.

“My mom said you were mean to the feathered king’s base-turd,” Anne stuttered over the last word for a moment.

Suddenly Anne pulled away from the hug so she was making direct eye contact with me.
“No one will tell me what a base-turd is. Why is the feathered king making such a big deal about his turd,” her little eyes looked determined.

Pepper’s tiny wings, her withdrawal from court suddenly all of it started to click. I sat Anne down so that we could go back into the castle. She looked at me with an expectant expression. I was not about to explain to a young princess the harsh realities of life. Looking at her I hated that she had to live in a world where someday her chastity could be questioned. I didn’t want to be the one to destroy the quaint notion that marriage was a precursor to becoming with-child.

“Turds aren’t something a little Princess should be worried about,” I tussled Anne’s hair and we went back into the castle.

I followed behind and she lead me to a classroom filled with other young nobles. I watched her rejoin her friends.

Once Anne was safe in the nursery, I switched my focus to the next task at hand. I looked out at the darkened hallway ahead of me.

“Time to go deal with the turd,” I sighed to myself.

The sudden thunderstorm had turned back the clock. What was in reality early to mid morning appeared as if it was still night. Blowing rain pelted the windows of the castle and the sound seemed to crescendo and decrescendo in waves. I hurried anxiously down the hall watching candles lining the hallways flicker with each howl of wind or flash bang of thunder and lightning.

Finally I made it to the solitude of my wing. Per usual the red velvet couch and loveseats in the common area were empty. The fireplace remained dark. That’s when I saw it. The door to Pepper’s room was wide open. Before whatever wits I had could stop me I was poking my head into her empty room. Her pearly letter opener shone in the light of the singular candle she had burning. Next to it was an opened letter sitting on her desk. I didn’t hesitate to pick it up.

Most Darling Pepper,
Just know I will be constantly wishing for your safe return home. I respect and even understand your desire to see new places. Yet you are all I have left of your mother. You are her last and most precious gift and you being so far away inspires nothing but apprehension—

In an instant the letter was yanked from my hands. In place of the letter was empty space and a clear view of Pepper’s angry expression.
“How dare you,” she glowered at me.

I went to defend myself but all I ended up doing was stumbling backwards and letting out a nervous croak noise. I didn’t fall all the way back because Pepper grabbed both of my wrists. She held me tightly with what I imagined was the intention of dragging me somewhere.

“Oh no you’re not going anywhere! You’re coming with me to tell the Queen and my brother, Arthur, that you broke into my room and read my private correspondence,” as she spoke her voice became more and more shrill.

“You mean Arthur, your half brother,” the words just fell out of my mouth but how I wished I could swallowed them back down.

Pepper’s face turned bright red like a tomato.
“HOW FUCKING DARE YOU,” at this point she was flat out screeching.

“How dare you speak to me like that,” I felt her grip tightened around my wrists.

That’s when it happened, a gust of wind too powerful to be contained caused the window clasp to break apart. I heard the clatter of the window flapping open and shut in the wind long after I could no longer see it. The one lone candle Pepper had lit blew out. Suddenly we were surrounded in pitch black. I blinked for a couple moments wondering if my eyes would adjust. I noticed despite the silence Pepper didn’t let go. I don’t know for how long we stood in the dark in silence. Her holding my wrist and me standing there blankly. Yet at some point there was a flash of lightening. In the fleeting seconds of illumination I could see Pepper’s terrified face with tears streaming down.

“Let me go,” I instructed her.
“No,” I heard her choke out.
“Just let me go,” I groaned.
I turned my face away from hers and sucked in a pointed breath. I felt the familiar burning heat in my chest. Then I exhaled cautiously letting a thin stream of fire swirl hotly around my silver tongue.
I watched out of the corner of my eye her face light up red and orange. I felt my hands fall back to my side as she let me go. Everything went dark with the fire gone I could speak again.
“Thank you,” I responded quietly.
I navigated unskillfully in the dark feeling my feet bump against things. Finally feeling around the wall I found the stone of her fireplace and I purged the fire I had been building in my chest. It burned as flames roared out of me similarly to stomach bile and vomit. Instead of puke this was sulfuric and deathly hot. When I was finally spent I felt the warm glow from the lit hearth. I doubled over and what started as sputtering became a cough. The smoke from my own fire irked my lungs.
When the coughing spell subsided I looked up.

Pepper’s face was frozen in a horrified stare.
She stuttered for a moment as I looked at her.

“Don’t tell me you came to the fortress of the fire-eaters and you’re surprised to meet one,” I scoffed.
The one small wing of hers I could see was puffed up. I had quite literally ruffled her feathers.

“I thought it was just the king,” while her voice was colored with shock but there was still a hint of indignation there.

I stepped closer to her and watched as she recoiled bumping into the wall.

“A common misconception, while only the royal bloodline have golden tongues, silver tongues can still eat fire,” I explained as I closed the distance between us.
As if giving a demonstration I let my thin silver tongue slither past my lips. As before the tip
flicked like a snake’s above her nose almost as if it had a mind of its own. There was something inside of me when I watched her squirm underneath me. I couldn’t help but imagine her squealing and wriggling with delight instead of discomfort. I couldn’t stop myself from picturing her suppleness unclothed. Imagining the way her middle would bounce while giving her pleasure. The more firm chubby top of her navel bouncing into her boobs and boosting them up only to flop back down and ripple as the soft fatty overhang crashed into the boundary set by her doughy thighs. I imagined the way it would ache to bounce like that when she was stuffed full of all the delicious treats on one of those kitchen carts they wheeled up to her room everyday.
My reverie was quickly interrupted by my tongue. No longer just flickering at the tip I noticed in horror all of it was spasming. The movement was not much different to a newly caught fish wriggling helplessly out of water. I quickly composed myself swallowing my tongue back in. Pepper narrowed her eyes at me looking somewhere between perturbed and alarmed.

“Sorry my tongue itches from heating up your hearth,” I crossed my arms under my chest giving the best defense I could muster.

She raised one eyebrow as if she were about to debate me but then stopped.

“Stay out of my room. Do not go through my PRIVATE correspondence,” she ordered.
I nodded making a swift exit. I heard her door close loudly and the lock click behind me.

The days went by and while I maintained a low profile it seemed as if everything had been smoothed over.
Then came Sunday. It was approaching noon and I was running late. I had promised one of my sisters I would feed her horse while she spent the weekend at the sea. As it was my last day I had planned to take her horse, Shortbread, to an orchard. I’d arranged with a stable boy a time that he could assist me.
As I stepped into the common area I heard a familiar voice.
“Amael,” Anne cheered.

The little princess had burst into the common area ahead of her nanny who I saw struggling to keep up.

Before I knew it my little cousin was hugging my leg. She then composed herself and took a step back from me. I saw she was holding an envelope.
“I want to invite you to my half-birthday ball,” Anne held up the invitation to me.

I smiled down at her.
“I would be honored,” I replied taking the envelope from her.
She beamed up at me.
“It’s going to be a masquerade ball just like in the book I’ve been reading with my tutor,” she cheered.
I found that I didn’t have a problem masking my wince as a smile. I didn’t want to disappoint her, and I felt honored that the little princess had chosen me as her favorite. Still I was not looking forward to a ball.
Finally her nanny caught up to her.
“Oh my Amael are you in your riding clothes?” Her nanny noticed my attire immediately. From her tone I had a feeling she was trying to teach Anne about social cues. Part of me wished I had received more lessons in that area.
“Unfortunately yes, I am running a bit late to meet with one of the stable boys,” I replied following her script.

I saw Anne pout for a moment but quickly compose herself.

“Have fun at the stables,” she said with a sad little smile.

“We also have other invitations to drop off don’t we, Anne,” the nanny continued giving the princess a little nudge. She nodded.
“I wish I could go with you to the stables,” I heard Anne mutter and I felt immediate guilt wash over me.

I saw the nanny mouth a sorry as the pair left. I slid the unopened invite under my door and hurried to the stable.

Unfortunately when I returned back to my room I was drenched. I had no apples to show for my excursion thanks to a freak storm. I felt tremendous embarrassment still brewing inside of me. My sister’s horse to my dismay did not particularly like me. I was lucky that with the horse being spooked by lightening that the stable boy had been there to help me bring her home. I went to unlock my door, turn in and lick my wounds. The most deep wound being I almost lost a horse and had to be rescued by a meek stable boy. Unfortunately, as the lock on my door began to click I heard someone clear their voice.

“Enjoying your freedom,” Pepper asked in a peculiar tone.

I turned around to look at her. I barely got out an uh before she cut me off.

“I haven’t told anyone that you broke into my room,” she continued. I rolled my eyes and groaned.
“The door was open I didn’t break in,” I corrected her quickly.

“No matter, you’re going to take me to the masquerade ball,” she informed me.

I stepped into my room. Two long thin strands of my wet hair had fallen down into my line of vision. I smoothed them back out of my sight.

“You didn’t get an invite,” I asked snidely.

“No, but you did and you’re going to take me or I’m going to tell my father, and anyone else who will listen that you were in my room reading my letters,” her expression was angry and I felt my will to argue with her dissolving.

I leaned against my desk appraising her.
“You know with your tiny wings and that…
Physique,” I paused to really bring my point home. I watched her feathers ruffle and her face glow pink. To my amusement it was enough to make her fix her posture and suck in.
“A masquerade mask isn’t exactly going to hide your identity from anyone,” I finished.

She crossed her arms over her body and I relished watching her have to go on the defensive.

“I don’t care, I am going. If anyone is rude to me or even breathes the name of my mother you’re going to burn them to a crisp,” despite her protective pose she was still making demands. Still I found it interesting to hear her motives spoken aloud. While I knew I couldn’t possibly burn a diplomat or guest to a crisp I decided to play along.

“What was your mother’s name,” I responded cooly.

Both of her eyebrows raised and I watched her mouth purse angry and alert. She looked like she was preparing to verbally let me have it.

“How will I know who to burn if I don’t know what I’m listening for,” I faked innocence with my lips but my eyes were laughing at her. I’m sure she could feel the slight insincere turn at the edges of my mouth and glisten in my eyes.

I watched her face dance through a wide range of emotions in the span of under a minute.

“Her name was Lily,” she finally said and I could hear the surrender in her voice. Somehow the way she said the name sucked all the fun and mischief out of playing with her.

“I can’t actually roast anyone at the party. I am meant to use my abilities to serve the King, it’s part of my birthright and duty,”I conceded.

I watched as she got all riled up again.

“I don’t care about your duty!“ for once I found myself recoiling away from her.

“If I so much as tell you to get on your knees so I can use you roast marshmallows and you don’t kneel before me I’m going to make you pay,” her voice went shrill again.

Unfortunately, that statement transported my minds eye to a scenario where I was on my knees doing much more than helping her make s’mores as she gorged herself with marshmallows. Suddenly I just couldn’t muster the backbone to argue with her anymore.

I was pulled back to reality when I heard the click of her opening my closet door. She began to rummage through my dresses.

“None of that is going to fit you,” I alerted her. I watched her head spin back to look at me and her eye narrow. If looks could kill she might have just snapped my neck.

“This trip is the first time our countries have interacted in centuries. I just want to know what’s in style here,” she informed me.

I watched as she flicked through my gowns. I sat down on my bed and with her back turned I could look at her for as long as I pleased. I had this burning desire to see her fill out her dress. I couldn’t stop myself from picturing her so packed with treats and spoiled from days of heavy meals that dress began to fit poorly. As I ran my fingers through my wet hair I had a terribly devious plan pop into my head.
Almost as if on cue I heard her stomach become audible.
“Must be dinner time,” she muttered. I felt myself instinctually crossing my legs as she rubbed from the top of her belly down to under where it hung above her thighs. I watched mesmerized as her hand created an oblong circle going up from the top to dipping below the swell of belly and circling back again. I felt as if I was a living and breathing Dichotomy. Somehow my mouth was dry but salivating at the same time. I was tense with yearning yet completely serene with pleasure. It was perfect and unnerving.