A wizard in the Castle

Severally, he visited the infirmary to buy medicine he did not need, just for an opportunity to see her. And no matter how many times he saw her, he did not have the courage to talk to her much less ask her name.

"Where is that hare-brained friend of yours?" Aerilyn asked ignoring his comment.

"Soren is probably gambling or drinking at some whore house." They laughed.

"Where are my manners? Draven this is Levina, my new friend." She turned to Levina, "This is Draven."

Levina smiled widely when Aerilyn introduced her as a friend, she wondered if they noticed. She had never been called that before.

Draven stretched out his hand, which Levina gladly accepted, "Nice to meet you, Levina," he smiled.

"I thought you were never coming back to Arvenia?" Draven returned his attention to Aerilyn.

"Changed my mind," she shrugged.

"So how long would you be around for?" he asked.

"Long enough to make your life miserable," she laughed.

Levina could not remember the last time she laughed as much as she did, but she had never felt so happy and like she belonged somewhere.

Maybe working at the castle wasn't completely a bad idea.

_____________

By the time Levina got back, it was late, but she was still basking in the euphoria of making new friends. She felt like a new person, skittering down the hallway. This was something she has dreamed her whole life.

Her father….

Levina walked faster, it was almost sundown and she was still wandering the castle halls. Her father would certainly panic if she wasn't back before sundown. It was already difficult for him to watch her go into the lion's den every day, the least she could do was get home on time.

She walked past a room just before the kitchen but halted almost immediately when goosebumps washed over her skin. She walked backward quietly and stopped in front of the door. She could hear hushed voices, but she couldn't figure out who had the voice.

She tried to open the door but it was locked. She wasn't sure why, but her curiosity was piqued. She did not have a good feeling about it.

She placed her ear against the door and that was when she heard it.

"Venenum cordis usque ad mortem."

A male voice chanted.

Her hand flew to cover her mouth. There was a wizard in the castle!

She was not sure if this realization should excite her or make her worry. If there was another wizard in the house, why was he here? Most importantly, who was he?

And the spell he was casting, she muttered the words mentally and her knees trembled at the realization. Another wave of goosebumps flooded her skin.

"Make sure Lucien drinks this," the male voice ordered in a lowly voice.

Levina backed away from the door, still shaken from what she just heard.

Who was that and why does he want to poison Lucien?

Who would anyone want to hurt Lucien and why?

Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling to protect him hit her. She wanted to shield him if she could.

She hurriedly walked away when she heard shuffling of feet from the room, she could not afford to be seen by whoever that was. She could only protect Lucien if she was alive, thankfully she already overheard their scheming, so she knows their plan now.

First, she would stop Lucien from taking whatever it was they were planning to serve him. Once he was safe, she would proceed to find out who was trying to harm him.

When she got to the kitchen, she leaned onto the table, why was she trying to protect him? She was doing a lot for someone who is likely to set her ablaze without thinking twice if he should find out who she truly was.

But she couldn't let him die. Her job as his nurse was to keep him alive and healthy and that is exactly what she was going to do. She nodded to herself, that is the humane thing to do.

Should she tell him? Would he even believe her if she told him?

She began to pace about the kitchen, rubbing her temple which was starting to throb. She almost bumped into Aerilyn, but Aerilyn was quick enough to step back.

"Levina!" she shrieked.

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you alright?" Levina apologized, looking the other woman over for any sign of injury.

"I'm alright, don't worry about it," she smiled. She walked passed Levina and settled into a chair. "I thought you already left."

"Umm…yes… I mean I just have one more errand to run before I leave," she muttered and hurriedly turned to leave. She had to get to Lucien before he eats anything that could hurt him.

"Wait," Aerilyn stopped her. Levina turned and met a warm smile on her face, "Thank you for today," she shrugged.

Levina smiled back, "Here I was thinking that I owed you an appreciation for making my day."

The two women giggled.

"I will see you tomorrow then?" Aerilyn asked.

"Certainly!" Levina hurried away.

When she got to Lucien's room, she knocked and when she did not get a response, she pushed the door open and went in.

"My Lord?" She looked around the room, but there was no glimpse of Lucien.

She panicked, has something happened to him? Did they get to him before her?

"My Lord?" she called again, looking around the room again, even though it was clear that he wasn't there.

She rushed out of the room. She looked around frantically; she noticed two guards parading the bedroom area and threw herself in front of them. "Sorry, I am looking for Prince Lucien. Do you know where he is?"

The man looked over with an amused expression, "Who are you again?" The second guard laughed.

"Levina, the prince's nurse!" she managed to say in between gasps of breaths.

The second guard looked at her suspiciously, before he pointed towards the stairs, "He is somewhere around the dovecote."

She didn't wait for the guard to finish before she raced down the stairs. It took her a couple of minutes to find the dovecote.