The Start of Something?

Posted on Sun Aug 28th, 2022 @ 11:45pm by Princess Elana Orsini
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 10:32pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: China House
Timeline: Date 2371-07-06 at 0000
853 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Three weeks later Gloria was over lurking and rarely came up to the second floor.

This meant that Maria was able to let Princess Elana know when the second floor was clear and Elana was now out of her suite of rooms more, spending time in the other rooms on the second floor like the dual story library. Which is where she was now, sitting at a desk with books and Padds.

Standing nearby, Kyle was idly glancing at the spines of some of the books nearby. As a history buff, he loved to read old books, and most of the ones he saw here were first editions, dating back at least a hundred years.

Elana looked up from her book on the formation of the imperial government and said

"Do you wish to read one of them?"

A spark of excitement flashed in his eyes briefly as Kyle thought about reading these tomes. "It's not my place to look over Royal property, m'Lady." He tried to keep his voice neutral, as he knew his place.

"Paulo is the only one who reads those. You may read them if you wish. I wont tell." Elana was okay with it.

The look of excitement was clear in his eyes. Slowly, he moved around the well-stocked library. Finally, his eyes landed on a title that gave him pause. Reaching up, he gently pulled it out. The title read, "The Complete History of Ground Warfare, Volume One". Moving over to the opposite side of the table from Elana, he asked as he indicated the empty chair. "May I, Your Highness?"

Elana nodded. He wasn't annoying her so she was fine with him sitting. "Of course " she replied.

Nodding his thanks and giving her a soft grin, Kyle lowered his large frame down into the chair, causing it to creak softly. He instantly gave the Princess an embarrassed look. "Apologies, Your Highness!"

“The chairs are old,” Elana replied with a smile. “They creak really badly at times.” She gave a half shrug. “Nothing to be concerned about.”

He gave her a relieved grin. "Thank you, m'Lady." He looked around the library. "I've never seen so many books, as I have in the various libraries your family has. It is very impressive, that today, with the use of PADDs being commonplace, you have so many actual books. One can almost feel the history of Terra dripping from their pages!" It was clear that he was excited by all of the tomes surrounding them.

Elana watched him for a moment. "You like books, Captain?" She flushed. "I mean, it's odd to see someone of a military mind to be so open about books from other eras."

Kyle smiled softly, noticing the color in the Princess's cheeks. "Yes, Your Highness, I do. After my parents….well…my grandfather finished raising me and my baby sister. He stressed that knowledge, in all its forms, was a precious commodity. When I graduated from the Academy, he gave my a copy of Sun Zhu's "Art of War" that was over three hundred years old!" He smiled at the memory. "It's one of my most prized possessions."

Elana nodded. "Where on Terra did you grow up?" She asked. She knew it was on his file but she had accepted Maria's assurance that this Officer knew what he was doing.

"Long Island, New York, originally, m'Lady." He got a little somber here. "Then, boarding school in Europe, after my parents died."

Elana nodded. "Do you get back to New York often?"

He shook his head. "No. I haven't been back since my parents died." He was sure she didn't know the particulars of that night, and now worried she would think less of him, even fear him, if she knew what he really was.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. " Elana replied as she glanced at her studies. "I thought about studying there one time."

"It does have some of the most beautiful country and beaches though," he said with a soft grin. While he had never been able to see it for himself, he had certainly seen enough advertising to know that much.

Elana nodded. “Well maybe once I am permitted to leave here, we can go to the New York house.”

Kyle was silent for a beat, then nodded. "As you wish, Your Highness." He found it difficult to even consider going back to Long Island. The Imperial Family's New York House was located in what once was the affluent neighbourhood of Locust Valley, near the northern shores of the Island, on the Long Island Sound.

His childhood home had been closer to the southern shore, in the small hamlet of Massapequa. The last time he had seen that house was when his grandfather was taking him and his baby sister away, following the deaths of his little brother, mother and father.

Elana noticed but she was polite enough not to comment. She turned back to her studies knowing he would go back to his books.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Kyle finally returned to the book he had borrowed.

~TBC~