Malcolm stood by the door that led to the bath, his gaze void of any emotion as he watched the crown prince step out of the bath room.
Steam licked at his heels as he stepped out , robe slung across one shoulder, gaze sharp despite the warmth of the bath. Every motion was deliberate—unhurried , yet laced with tension, as though even now, his mind was moving pieces no one could see.
The air thick with the scent of sandal wood and something darker—burnt parchments and unanswered questions.
Malcolm's eyes didn't blink. They rarely did, watching the prince was like watching the weather predictable in it's unpredictability. And tonight, the clouds were rolling in.
The crown prince stood before the huge mirror, water still clung to his skin without shame, glistening under the dim candle lit, as he undid his robe.
His thoughts spiraling back to the incident that took place in the palace earlier.
'She shouldn't matter....so why does she? '
He had most definitely found his answer, The spirit was here for her. The real question now is why?
" Malcolm " He heard his name and he didn't need to ask what his highness wanted, as he already knew.
If anything he detested the idea of having to share his opinion, but who was he to reject.
" Your highness, " He began, his souless black eyes staring back at the crown prince.
Sometimes it was a wonder how he knew what was on his highness mind, but they had been together for a long time.
" I don't think she's human " He said, and he saw his crown prince fully turn towards him, his expression unchanging.
It was then he knew.....his highness already was aware.
" The spirit had come for her alone, and the most disturbing part was her stance before i took action.
She knows how to fight. " Malcolm added, he had sensed her rigid stance as soon as she felt his presence.
' was she perhaps a spy '
' The rose bushes....she knows about sorcery, she knew where to run and what to do, humans rarely know sorcery. '
He had his eyes on her the whole time and though she had panicked there was no look of hesitation or uncertainty on her face.
She had taken action fast, making it easy to deal with the spirit.
He squinted in deep thought, as the image of her reaching for something in her hair played once again in his mind.
' An assassin? '
He froze at that thought his gaze traveling up once again to meet Caspian's.
It was as though they could converse telepathically, and Malcolm's gaze deepened.
Caspian moved towards the scroll—stacked table, each step a silent verdict.
He reached for one—it's edges worn, secrets etched in careful ink—and without hesitation, he tipped a corner into the nearest flame. The fire caught like it was hungry for truth, dancing across the parchment with a hiss.
He rotated it slowly, methodically, burning all sides until nothing but blackened flakes and curling ash remained.
Then, with a brass dish, he swept the remains together—an offering, a message, a warning wrapped in silence.
"Something for you to dispose of" He handed it to Malcolm who accepted with a bow.
No questions asked. And because mystery was a game, and illusion was the weapon, he didn't take the door. He walked to the window instead, vanishing into the night like a rumour.
Caspian stood watching the now empty space where Malcolm previously stood.
'Something just wasn't right' He thought to himself....
***********
A splitting headache accompanied with light headedness was what welcomed Ravenna the moment she regained consciousness.
It felt like she had been stuck in that horrible nightmare for not longer than a minute, but in truth she had been unconscious for a whole day.
The thick smell of herbs invaded her senses , it smelled too sweet—like something was trying to cover up rot.
She immediately sprang up from the mat, the pain that followed after reminded her of the fall into the thorny bushes.
Her sharp eyes taking in the decor of the strange room and she panicked.
' where am i? '
What baffled her the most was that she was no longer in the dirty sack like dress. She was now dressed in a pure white gown that clung to her damp skin like it had been waiting for her.
Someone changed her clothes again, she clenched her fist with parts of the clothes tightly folded between her palms.
The room was very brightly lit up with candles, and the only thing in the room was just the mat and a divider for privacy.
She walked towards the window and realized it was already dark outside but it was no longer raining.
' How long have i been sleeping? '
She wondered. None of it made sense. Everything was too loud, too fast, too much.
Why had the spirit chased after her?, And what stone was it talking about?
' The man... The hooded man had known it would show up and stood there. To do what protect her?
' How did she get here, was it the hooded man? But then where was this place?
Ravenna grabbed her hair in frustration her thoughts mixing into a crumpled mess. Since she had entered the palace a lot had been happening slowly whisking away her sanity cause nothing made sense.
The woman in her dreams had called her a mystic.
'What is a mystic?' She scoffed, probably mocking herself for drowning in her thoughts like an idiot.
' forget it, i need to leave this place'
She glanced out the window one more time, scrutinizing her surroundings and it immediately clicked.
'This is the royal pharmacy.'
'Wait....what?!' she almost slipped from that realization alone. She couldn't be mistaken, the golden statue outside was the symbol for the royal pharmacy.
She didn't know a lot but it was so similar to a regular pharmacy except this was extremely more extravagant.
'How the hell did i end up here?!'
The ROYAL PHARMACY!!!!!
She almost died from the nearly dizzy heart attack, left eye twitching and her hands tightly gripping the window sill.
The deities sure do hate her,no matter how much she tries to lay low.
Despite the churning anger and frustration she didn't dare make a noise in order not to attract anyone's attention.
Luckily she was all alone in the room which meant slipping away was easy.
But then her room was on the third floor, it was too high and risky for her to jump in the dark.
Sustaining more injuries wasn't something she would appreciate in this crucial time.
And thus Ravenna decided to sneak out the room.
Slowly she crept towards the door, placing her ears against it to detect sounds from the other side.
It was eerily silent which surprised her, but then it was night time which meant the pharmacy wasn't bustling with patient unlike during the day.
Ravenna hoped her speculations were right as she stealthily twisted open the door and peeked outside.
Indeed the hall was desserted much to her relief, her dainty figure slowly made it's way out of the room without a single sound.
She hadn't taken more than one step when she saw bunch of people at the other end of the hallway.
She wouldn't have panicked if she hadn't seen a familiar face within the crowd.
And to further confirm it she heard a nurse address him.
" Your highness "
Ravenna froze for a second, her breath hitched in her throat, heart pounding like it wanted to escape through her dented ribs.
she immediately darted back into the room like a shadow fleeing from light.
' THE CROWN PRINCE IS HERE?????' She panicked, sweat now coating her whole....