It was only after he opened the door, that Lane remembered he had left the Book under the bed.

“Lane!” Lena said, “Is everything okay? I heard something fall.”

“Oh, I was sleeping, and when you knocked I stumbled from the bed.” He said inviting her inside, “somehow I managed to bring down the chair with me.”

“I see,” she said entering, and indeed, the chair was sprawled on the floor by the bed, “But you have the candle alit. You can’t keep sleeping without snuffing it. Hans will complain again we have not enough candles!”

“He,” He said closing the door, “He can complain all he wants. As long as you and Dahlia keep reading every night, there will never be enough candles. In any case, the City Lord won’t stop indulging the two of you.”

“Hmph, it is because he understands what a young healthy Lady needs to grow wise.” She said.

“It is because he will pamper both of you into spoiling,” He retorted, “besides, the teacher said reading without daylight is bad for the eyes. She said that reading all the time with candles is why the librarian is always squinting and in need of glasses. It is as I always said! Nothing good comes from books!” He finished looking at his hand with a frown.

They sat on the bed, shoulder-by-shoulder, her by his left, and him by her right. They sat talking about everything and anything. For a finger width of the candle, they just sat, bickering as siblings often do, until the silence took over the room and they talked no more. For an instant far too long, they sat there, staring at the candle burn in silence. Until Lena talked again.

“Lane,” she started without lifting her eyes from the candle, “Do you… Do you think we will be okay? They…” but she stopped, biting her lips and trembling in silence.

Lane passed his arm over her shoulders and hugged her.

“It will be okay,” He said, “Father is here, the City Lord too, and there is no way they will send us the Heir without preparing at least some protection.”

“But, what if it is like the last time? I… I cannot rest easy Lane, I have been thinking about it the whole day since, since her! She…” And she stopped, her voice stuck in sobs. Lane pulled her closer, her face to his chest as she cried in silence.

Only when he felt her calm, did he started talking again.

“There is no way it would pass without notice Lena. Father and the Lord are too wise, too clever to fall for anything.” He said patting her back, “And she serves the Heir himself. Sent here with a letter from the hand of the King. Sent here with a letter from the hand of the Queen.”

“I still can’t believe it, Lane,” She sniffed, pulling away slightly to look at him with a frown, “What if it’s all a lie? What if she is one of them? What if she is dangerous?”

His eyebrows rose and he found himself glancing at the corner of the bed. The picture of the curling, trembling Erin pointing a toy knife without daring to look at him was still fresh in his mind, too fresh.

“Ha ha ha,” He laughed, “Lena, ha ha ha, Lady Erin is harmless! She couldn’t harm a fly if her life depended on it!”

“Hum! How do you know?” Lena asked, “She could be acting!”

Lane snorted and hugged her stronger.

“Listen, Lena,” He said, “There is nothing to think about!”

And a small *Thud* came from under the bed.

“What was that?” Lena asked turning to check at the noise.

*cough* “It must be that loose board,” He blurted, “I keep telling Hans to call the carpenter but he must be ignoring me again” Sorry Hans!

“Again? Is he still mad about that? Just how petty can he get? I’ll tell Dahlia and…”

“Leave it, Lena,” Cut Lane sweating cold, “I’ll talk with him myself; there is no need for you to worry about it. Anyway,” he followed, “Lady Erin is completely harmless and that’s the end of it.” And he pinched her cheek softly.

“Hum!” She said pulling away, “You just like her because she is pretty! I don’t even get what you see in her, our Dahlia is much prettier,” and she paused to think for a moment before finishing “…and bigger.”

*Thud*

“Ah!” She turned, “There it is again! Are you sure you don’t want me to talk with Dahlia about Hans? This bed must be falling apart!”

“Yes!” Lane said with a twitching eye, “I’ll solve it, don’t worry!” He huffed blushing.

Lena looked at him and smiled, then chuckled, and when Lane blushed harder she gave away and started laughing aloud.

“Bwahahahaha, Lane,”*cough*, “I, haha, I am sorry! Ahahah, I just…”

“Hmph,” He said, but soon he found himself laughing too.

“Fine,” he said collecting his breath, “Laugh all you want you nosy traitor, I am over it I tell you. I am already over it.”

And she hugged him again, but this time she was smiling, her shoulders trembled with laughter instead of fear.

“Thank you, Lane,” She said, “If you say it will be okay I will trust you.”

“As you should!” he said closing his eyes and straightening his back, “I am the eldest after all. Well, I think if that is all, we have to wake up early tomorrow. I don’t want to wake up late and find out too late what clothes Hans picked for me to receive the illustrious Heir. I’d rather get the chance to change them in time.”

“Hum!” she said standing, “I shall forgive you this time!” And Lane accompanied her outside the room. He stood there, watching her walk away. He only relaxed when she turned around a corner at the end of the hallway. Then he opened the door and saw Lady Erin, standing by his bed with her back towards him. Just how careless can she be? He thought, Hmm, I’ll teach her. So he turned around, closed the door, and locked it making as much noise as he could.

“Ah!” She said.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

In the room, under the bed, an annoyed Lady Erin listened with growing discomfort the pair of siblings making fun out of her. Deviants! Both of them! Freaks! De…Debauchees! Wait until I tell my master! But then she thought of her master’s pretty face, smirking smugly with unhidden amusement and her mouth fell, Humph! Perhaps… Perhaps I may not tell, humph! Only because I am just, that, kind. He had better be grateful! Then, she looked at her chest and her mouth fell lower.

Anyway, what is it with her hate? I sure have done nothing wrong; I don’t even know her well! Now I am stuck here snooping! It’s all that Lane’s fault! Pulling me here without co… consent! I am a proper young Lady! I… I shall show him! There is definitely much to think about! I... I…, And she remembered about the towel and shuddered, I… Humph!

Although there was truly blood on it. Could it really be a misunderstanding? She was not that sure. Would a proper young man pull a young Lady into his room without consent? He! He must be up to something! Something definitely not good! *Gasp* I… I must get out of here!

And she got her chance, as the siblings suddenly stopped laughing and stood up. She stared at their feet walking away, leaving the room and relaxed when the door closed behind them. She squirmed, her body felt stiff and cold. She counted to ten, and when no one got back in the room, she crawled out from under the bed.

However, when she was about to exit, her boot kicked something heavy. She stopped, her eyes widening for a moment, and squinting at the next; her mouth opening for an instant before turning in a lip-biting grin. What do you hide under your bed, you deviant? Hehe, I shall show you. Let us see if you dare mess with this Lady again!

And she rolled back and waited for a moment. When her eyes got used to the darkness, she saw a small box hidden at the corner of the bed. He hehe. She smiled, reached for the box, and pulled it towards herself. It was cold and smooth to the touch, A safe box? She thought, so she hurried and rolled out. Standing on the light, she realized it was not a box but a book, with a raven black cover and a pretty, white dot in the middle. Could it be a journal? Does he… Does he keep a record of his… his deviousness?

She opened it and found a poem, four lines in the dialect of the Elder High Lords warning the reader about reading forward.

How pretentious! She snorted, although… He does have pretty writing… No! There is nothing pretty of him!

She passed the page.

There, a single word in neat calligraphy welcomed her.

‘Show?’

Below it, in the middle of the page, a small piece of paper covered something she could not see. She reached for the paper, picking a corner with two fingers, and stopped.

Hmmm… She pursed her lips, Perhaps I shouldn’t?

But before she pulled her hand away, a banging at her back startled her and the Book closed on its own, chomping with tiny teeth around her wrist!

“Ah!”