Desta and Daniel

Desta missed Daniel. It had been three months, twenty-six days, seven hours and fifty-two minutes since they’d last seen each other. That was longer than any other time they’d been apart since the day they first met. It was five days till the mid-winter festival. A celebration of the season and the coming new year. Her favorite holiday. Desta had returned early from studying at the Crystal Palace to be with her family for the festivities. Every year one of the nine Elanon kingdoms hosted the celebrations. This year it was her family’s turn. Her two younger sisters, Mercury and Saharrah, welcomed Chris and Kasea days ago, but Daniel still had not arrived.

Desta paced the confines of her rooms. The castle walls seeming to move in on her. Without Daniel, she had nothing to do till the festivities started. Reading was too much like studying and she’d been doing that for months. There was no one to go riding with. Most everyone else was busy either preparing for the holiday or left to retrieve their families. Daniel was also the only sparring partner that made her break a sweat. He should have been here by now, but the Warrior’s Guild where he was training, took breaks for nothing. Including holidays. They would not let him leave till the last minute.

Tired of pacing her rooms in boredom, Desta decided there was nothing else to do but go retrieve him. Her parents, the king and queen of Northern Elanon, would never give her permission to go on her own, and waiting on an escort of guards would only slow her down. She would have to sneak out and do this herself. Finally having a plan, Desta jumped into action. She tied back her long golden hair in a loose braid that could easily be hidden under the hood of her cloak. Pulling off her rose gold evening gown, she threw it on the floor and replaced it with a pair of old trousers normally reserved for working in the training yard. Desta pulled on one of Daniel’s shirts that she’d confiscated because it was much more comfortable than any of her own. It was too big for her slight form, but she tucked it in her pants and rolled up the sleeves. Last she grabbed a pair of worn work boots that laced up to mid calve. The Warrior’s Guild was more than a day’s ride away. Desta pocketed a coin purse she kept stashed under her bed for emergencies like this. She used a belt to strap a dagger to her waist. She would have preferred her sword, but that was locked in the armory. Her parents would no longer allow her to keep it in her rooms after that incident with the wild hogs last summer.

Deciding she was ready, Desta pulled on her cloak, using the hood to help conceal her noticeably golden hair. Normally, when she left without permission, she climbed down her balcony, but that was not an option today. It was too bright out and the courtyard below was full of people preparing for the festival. She would have to try the halls. Her parents only posted guards outside her rooms when they feared she might sneak out, but since it was almost the holiday, and Daniel wasn’t here yet, they had no reason to suspect she would try something. They were mistake to believe that, but Desta was not going to inform them of their error. It made things easier for her if they did not know.

The hall was clear, but she could hear the staff hurrying back and forth along the other corridors and the stairs on the right. They were preparing the castle for the celebration. That was also the fastest way to the stables. If she was going to leave without being seen, she would have to take the longer route through the castle. Taking another quick look to be sure the coast was clear, Desta dashed down the hall to the left. Moving away from the main stairs. The thick carpets helped to conceal the sound of her footsteps. She had almost reached the servant’s stairs when a door ahead of her opened and a male figure stepped out in front of her. He was a little taller than Desta, dressed in simple but finely made clothes that did not show how well-muscled he was. He had shaggy black hair that hung over his bright blue eyes. The look he gave her was one of mock surprise. He could not have known she would be there because she’d only decided on this course of action a few moments ago, but he didn’t find it at all strange that he’d discovered her sneaking out.

“Desta, where are you off to dressed like that?” he asked with a teasing smile. Desta didn’t have much choice but to tell him. If she didn’t, he may follow her and ruin her plans.

“Those cave men at the Warriors Guild will not allow Daniel to depart early! Since there is nothing to do here, I thought I would go retrieve him.”

“I am guessing the king and queen do not know that you are leaving?” The smile on his face told her he already knew the answer.

“Of course not, Kasea.” Desta grumbled. “They would never allow me to go alone and an escort would only slow me down.” She glared at him. “Do not go and tell them either!” Prince Kasea of Eastern Elanon was four years her junior and one of six Universe Children that included herself as well as Daniel and her sisters. Kasea let out a loud laugh that Desta could swear they would hear all the way down the hall.

“I am not foolish enough to report you.” He answered, after he got his mirth under control. “Besides, there is no need. I am sure your parents will figure it out soon enough. They always do.”

“Then move out of my way. You are holding me up.” She snapped as she stepped closer. He gave a mock bow and he backed up to allow her to pass.

“Tell Daniel I said good luck.” He called, when she strode past him.

“What is that supposed to mean?” She asked, stopping at the top of the stairs, and looking back to where he still stood.

“He will understand.” Kasea replied cryptically. He gave her a mischievous smile before turning and walking calmly down the hall she had just left. Desta wasn’t going to chase him for answers and risk getting caught. She didn’t have time if she was going to escape before anyone noticed. She shrugged it off for now and crept quietly down the stone steps. She could always ask Daniel later.

The stairs spiraled down a round, corner tower of the castle, making it impossible to check ahead for anyone that might be ascending or to watch behind her for anyone starting down them from above. She had to be as silent as possible and keep an ear out for the sound of other steps on the stone stairs. If she were caught here, there would be nowhere to hide. She would be forced to either make a dash for it or give in and be herded back to her rooms. She could try to lie, but she doubted anyone would believe her. She’d been caught sneaking out before and the staff were always made aware of when she was not supposed to be leaving.

Desta wasn’t able to breathe easy till she made it to the bottom with no incidents. The rest of the way was simple. She slipped through the servants’ quarters, which thankfully were all but deserted. Most of the staff were either preparing the castle for the festivities or had left to visit family in the countryside. She slipped out a side door without being seen, passed through the garden by ducking behind some bushes and arrived at the stables in record time.

The stables were bustling with people coming and going. Most dressed in clothes similar to her own. It was a simple matter, during all the confusion, to saddle a horse and head out unnoticed. She wished she could take her own mount Diamond, but she would surely have been caught had she tried. Diamond, a large black Eldwin war horse with a white star on her forehead, was a gift from Daniel three years ago. Daniel had trained the horse himself before presenting it to Desta as a birthday gift. Everyone was used to seeing Desta riding Diamond. The horse was too recognizable to do for this trip.

Desta filed in with the line of people leaving the castle. Keeping her head down so the guards would not get a look at her face. As she was passing through the gate a solider came rushing up to the guards.

“What is going on?” demanded the guard closest to Desta. He was a tall dark-haired man that’d been working at the castle for years. Though Desta had seen him around, she did not know his name.

“It is the Princess Desta!” gasped the solider, causing Desta’s heart to jump into her throat. “She is missing. We think she’s ran off again.”

“That girl!” laughed the dark-haired guard. “I’m surprised her parents haven’t chained her to the bed posts by now.” Desta bristled at his words. She was not that difficult. “We will keep an eye out for her, but my guess would be if you want to find her, it would be easier to find Prince Daniel first.”

“He has not arrived yet.” Replied the solider in dismay. Desta could not hear the guard’s next words as the crowd moved her beyond the gates. She was relived they’d not spotted her, but the dark-haired guard didn’t sound like he was concerned. At least someone realized she could take care of herself, thought Desta as she maneuvered through the crowd. Either that or he didn’t care what happened to her, but she didn’t think that was likely. He had been with the castle for many years and he always showed a friendly smile when she passed by.

*********

Prince Kasea watched from the shadows of the garden doorway, as Desta saddled a horse and rode towards the gates. He stepped out into the brisk air only after she mixed in with the other traffic and disappeared. The holiday had not even started yet and she was already getting into trouble. Kasea was surprised her parents didn’t realize this would happen. Desta and Daniel rarely spent time apart. Whenever they were separated for a long time, they each started getting twitchy. It was almost as if they were addicted to the others’ company and needed another dose to stop the withdrawal symptoms.

Desta’s sisters, Mercury and Saharrah, along with Chris and Kasea had a bet on how long it would take, after her tutors left, for Desta to sneak out to see Daniel. He and the others didn’t normally bet on things, it was just a game they started when they were children, that had grown over the years. Desta and Daniel were predictable when it came to each other and they were always the subjects of the bets.

“Kasea!” called Chris when he spotted the younger prince. “Where have you been? We were supposed to meet up with the girls an hour ago. Merc is getting upset. You know better than anyone how impatient she can be.”

“Just like Desta,” he replied, smiling. Chris was the Prince of Western Elanon. He was also betrothed to Desta’s sister Saharrah, just as Kasea was betrothed to Mercury. It was something the Royal Council had decided years ago and when discussed with them they had not objected. He wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about it, but he did like Mercury, they had been friends since they were children. All of them had, Mercury, Saharrah, Chris, Desta, Daniel and himself. They were the only children of the Royal Council members that were able to get along. The others, like Prince Tion of Northeastern Elanon and Princess Cath of Southwestern Elanon, didn’t share the same interest as the six of them. They were also all six Universe Children, which set them apart from everyone else on the planet and gave them a common bond. Though the bond between Desta and Daniel was something more, which seemed always to be there. Kasea, like the others, were not sure how Desta and Daniel managed to keep from discussing it all these years. “Speaking of which,” Kasea continued, after shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “I just watched as Desta stole a horse and snuck out the gates.”

“Yes!” cheered Chris, then continued when he saw the confused look on Kasea’s face. “I had three days after her tutors left.” He explained. “I win this one. I told Merc Desta would not last five days.”

“Well, you can also be the one to tell her she lost the bet.” Replied Kasea. Chris’s face went from happy to thoughtful.

“I just realized. This is your news. It would be wrong of me to take the joy of sharing it with girls from you.” He said after a moment. “Besides, I’m sure the girls would rather hear it from you. After all, you are the one that saw her leave. They might think I was just fibbing to win the bet.” Kasea laughed as the two headed back into the castle. The girls would never doubt Chris’s word. Of the six of them, he was the only one that tried to always tell the truth. Of course, that became difficult when they were trying to cover for one of Desta’s schemes, but so far, he had managed to speak truthfully without giving anything away. Kasea wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.