Chained Hearts: From Slavery to Sovereignty
Chapter 40: Faded Moments

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Faded Moments

Cassian groaned as he woke up in his small quarter, the morning sunlight falling on his closed eyes through the small window. The sunlight was stabbing into his skull like a thousand tiny needles.

"What in the hell..." he muttered while squeezing his eyes, hoping to shut all the pain he was feeling in his head.

Cassian tries to remember the cause of this headache, but the pain only got worse, making him groan.

Ahh! Class held his forehead with both his hands and blinked his eyes to get himself in control.

As he tried to remember the events of the previous night, everything was blurry; he couldn’t remember what happened after he came back from princess quarters.

But he had a feeling that he was missing something important. Even when he tried to remember, all he could grasp was fleeting sensations—a warmth on his lips and a dull pain at the base of his neck...

He was not sure if the sensation was true or his mind playing games with him.

Just as Cassian was pondering, James entered the room while rubbing his sleepy eyes. He paused, looking at the disarray condition of Cassian and the grim expression on his face.

"You look like you’ve been dragged through the gardens by the royal hounds. What happened?"

Cassian gave a side eye to James but still answered him.

"I don’t know," he replied. Class felt his mind spinning. He tried to stabilize himself and sat comfortably on the bed.

"My head feels like it’s going to burst. Did you hit me while I was asleep?" Cassian commented on irritability when he looked at the nonchalant expression of James. Who looked like he was enjoying himself, seeing him in this condition?

James chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "Not unless I sleepwalked into a boxing match. Seriously, what’s got you looking like that?"

Cassian pressed a hand to his forehead, trying to ease the throbbing. "All I remember is a blur... But my neck feels strange, and these lips—" He traced his swollen lips, frowning. "It’s like I’ve been in a fight with a beehive."

James’ eyes widened in surprise. "Ah, I see! You had a wild dream about kissing some nobility, didn’t you?"

Cassian shot him a look that was half-annoyed, half-amused. "Very funny. As if I’d dream about such things."

James grinned, crossing his arms. "Come on, it’s not every day you get to be a romantic hero in a palace full of nobility. What a scandal!"

"Just help me get rid of this headache," Cassian muttered, feeling the urge to laugh despite the pain. "I can’t be a hero if I’m too busy groaning like an old man."

"Alright, hang on," James said, and walked towards his bed to rummage through a small wooden chest they kept their supplies in. After a moment, he triumphantly pulled out a small vial. "Aha! Headache remedy. This should do the trick."

Cassian watched as James poured out a couple of small pills into his palm. "This better work quickly. If I faint again, I’ll make sure you will not get your sleep for the entire week.

James laughed, handing over the pills. "If you do this to me, I’ll simply tell everyone you’re looking for a kiss from a handsome nobleman."

Cassian grimaced as he took the pills dry, then grabbed the cup of water James offered. "Great. Just what I need—rumors spreading through the palace that I’m pining for someone."

"Hey, you never know! Maybe someone will find your supposed romantic side charming," James teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Cassian shook his head, trying to keep his mood light despite the dull ache in his skull. "Well, if my love life hinges on dreams, I think I’m doomed."

"Look on the bright side," James said, leaning back against the wall.

"Who has seen the future, and how do we know? What has been written about our future? Maybe our destiny changes in such a way that everyone keeps watching." James said, with a deep look in his eyes.

"Amm! Where did you copy from this?"

Cassian said with his eyes wide open; he couldn’t believe that James was capable of saying these words.

"I knew it; you are not worth telling this," James said, and he threw the glass in his hand back to Cassian.

Cassian laughed out loud while dozing the glass.

"Ohh! Okk! , Our James is the best poet. Don’t worry, even if no one supports your poetry, I would be the first in line," Cassian said with a sarcasm, his eyes gliming with mischievousness.

~~~~~

Just as he was walking towards the quarters of Princess Aurelia, a commotion in the hallway caught his attention. A long line of servants, mostly girls, had gathered around the windows and railings, their heads craned outside and they whispered among themselves, buzzing like bees.

Cassian’s curiosity piqued, he also approached the crowd, trying to peek over the shoulders of the taller servants. "What’s going on?" he asked, but the craze among them only intensified, blocking his view.

"Move aside, I can’t see!" he murmured, shifting from side to side, but it was no use. The girls were engrossed, their eyes wide with excitement. He dared not push his way through, so he decided to find another angle.

Glancing around, Cassian spotted a staircase leading to the lower floor. "Perhaps I can see from there," he thought, slipping away from the crowd and making his way down the steps.

As he descended, he entered the ground floor, the noise of chatter replaced by the clashing sounds of metal and the rhythmic thuds of feet against the training grounds.

Cassian realized he had stumbled upon the knights’ training area, a large open space where the air was thick with sweat and determination.

He watched as knights practiced their swordplay, bare torsos glistening in the sunlight filtering through the high windows.

It was an impressive sight, but what truly caught his attention were two figures locked in combat in the center of the arena.