svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Shock flowed through her at the emotion on his face. It made his features softer, giving her a glimpse of the man she had when they were together before. It made her want more. Just as quick as it was there, it was gone. His face hardening once again, although his touch stayed gentle. It was throwing her off. Her breath left her shakily at the feel of his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him, his arms wrapping around her. She placed her hands on his head, sliding her fingers in his hair at the feel of his lips on her stomach. The move so soft and so unlike him, that it brought tears to her eyes that she tried desperately to push back. It scared her what this man made her feel. As he guided her to sit on his lap, Lana tensed as his lips touched hers. No words had been spoken and she was hesitant to say anything for fear of breaking this moment. Feeling his hands exploring, her body slowly relaxed against his as she tentatively returned the pressure of his lips on hers.

Sanctuary || Maximilian

It was almost instant, the change in his features, emotion softening his dark gaze. He didn’t expect the request. Why would he when he’d only seen her as cold as he was lately. Cold towards him perhaps but not to others. Although it was fleeting, the emotion her question had awakened within him made him feel something towards her again. He contradicted this thought so quickly, reasoning that he was just feeling bad for her. That’s right, he said to himself, expression once again hardening. He didn’t pull away from her though instead, he kept his hand under her face. Without saying a word he took her by the waist, her body positioned between strong thighs, arms snaking around her. He released a breath, hands spread on her back as he placed a kiss on her stomach over the dress she wore. He held her in the same position for a minute before guiding her to sit on his lap. Still no words his lips pressed to her lips, hands explored whatever skin exposed to his sight. He failed to protect her but he could at least make her forget about what happened to her…

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Tensing at the feel of his hand on her face, Lana met his gaze. It was hard to voice what she wanted to ask. She knew there was a very high chance he would deny her. But she was holding on to that last little bit of hope that maybe, he’ll do it. As she stood there trying to put her words together, she distinctly wondered what he was thinking that had his touch so gentle. It was enough to throw her off balance with him. She didn’t understand what was going on with him. She wanted so desperately to lean into his touch but refrained. Knowing she was risking his denial, she took a deep breath and finally asked what she wanted as she noticed the change in his voice. “Will you...will you hold me? Please. Just for a little bit. I’m so cold and for just a little while I want to feel safe and warm again.” She met his gaze as she asked, bracing herself for his denial. She hated feeling so weak in front of him. This wasn’t her and she hated it. 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

Maximilian’s eyes flickered, looking up to meet Svitlana’s stare. “What is it?” He said, suddenly oblivious of where they were or what year was it. His hand slid comfortably under her chin, cupping her face as he waited for her to continue. He thought of the first time he met Svitlana, how he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid his eyes on… It was a good memory, the same one that brought him back to present and reminded him of what proceeded after that. He wasn’t sure why all this was coming back to him now. Maybe it was the guilt that gnawing at him that made him remember of how once he promised to love and protect her. No, he never truly loved her, he told himself, his eyes still on her, thumb now caressed the side of her lips. He didn’t think he was capable of having any more feelings for her, to be honest. She was just a property now. A property he had to protect. He hardened himself with the thought and repeated his question, his voice much firmer this time. “Well, what is it? Speak,” he commanded.  

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Lana jumped slightly at the anger in his tone. She could tell it wasn’t directed at her but she did agree with him. She should’ve gone straight to the doctor after what had happened. But she didn’t trust anybody who worked for the Queen. There’s no telling what would’ve happened if she would’ve gone to the doctor. Her gaze was locked on the floor but quickly snapped to his at his words. Her eyes were wide at the thought of staying here with him. It was shocking that he had even suggested it. Shaking her head in disbelief, she tried to open her mouth to speak but nothing was coming forward. She knew he was waiting for an answer. “Yes, sir. It’s understood.” Lana whispered softly, turning her gaze back down. It was hard to look at him. Biting down on her bottom lip as she twisted a ring on her finger, she debated on asking him something. Knowing it made her look weaker in his eyes but she couldn’t help it. “May I ask you something, Max?” She asked quietly, knowing he was deep in thought. 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

Maximilian would’ve had a snarky retort to her gratitude towards him not informing her father about the incident at the hunt but he knew better than make the situation out to be what it wasn’t. It wasn’t true that he decided not to tell her family about what happened to her because he didn’t want to be accused of not being able to protect her. It was true, he failed to protect her. But his decision didn’t lie on wanting to save his face. There was no need for her family to stress about what happened when she was already suffering. “You should’ve seen the doctor,” he then snapped but the anger wasn’t towards her and he made her aware of this by keeping his hands on her, gentle and non-threatening. “It’s okay. It’ll be alright. You’ll stay here with me while we look for the bastard who did this to you. In the meantime, don’t talk to anybody and keep to yourself,” he looked up, meeting her eyes. “Is that understood?” He asked, his eyebrows knitted together. He raised a hand to touch the side of her face and then released a sigh, jaws tight as he fell into deep thought. 

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Lana eyed him warily as he held her hands against hist chest. She thought he was going to push her away. Hearing that he wouldn’t tell her father what happened, had a sigh of relief leaving her. As much as she disliked the Queen for what has happened, she had no wish to see her father and brothers converge on her kingdom and bring hell with them. They would make sure the Queen suffered for what had taken place. “Thank you, Max. I don’t want them to know. I don’t want to disappoint them or hurt them.” She kept her gaze locked on his chest as he seemed to be looking at the bruises she still carried. “I’m sorry, Max. I’m sorry that I didn’t fight harder to get away from him. I tried. I really tried.” She whispered as he inspected her neck. She was glad that the marks there had faded quicker than the others. Lana frowned as she stood in front of him, shaking her head at his question. “No. No doctor. I...I didn’t want another touching me. I was in too much pain and didn’t want anyone to see the...no, I didn’t see the doctor.” She twisted her hands in front of her, fighting the urge to touch him. “Its why I waited so long to come to you. I didn’t want you to see the worst of the marks. And I was scared.” 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

With her hands grasping the front of his shirt, Maximilian released a sigh. He took her hands, but not in a threatening way. He held them against his chest and looked her in the eyes. “Your father wouldn’t have to know, Lana,” he said, getting a good look at her arms and finding the bruises she spoke of earlier. His jaws then clenched, hands ran down her arms as he inspected her much closer. He would find the man who did this to her, he thought to himself, running a thumb over one particular bruise that almost faded. He reached and held her by the chin, turning her head to the side as if to inspect her neck and face for any marks. He didn’t find a lot of them as they must’ve faded days ago. He pulled her to him as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Did you see the doctor?” He said, feeling his emotions rising the more he thought of what happened to his Tribute. A meeting would be held before the day ends, he decided. Someone will be punished for putting their hands on what is his.

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“But you didn’t believe me. I wouldn’t lie about something like that. You should know that.” Lana said, her voice soft as she met his gaze. Sitting down like he directed, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fend of the cold that seemed to follow her everywhere these days. She was a mess. She could admit that. She was falling apart and all she wanted was to go home. To be surrounded by her family. She wanted to feel her father’s arms around her, promising her everything was going to be alright. Shaking her head, she sniffled, wiping her eyes as she listened to Max. “Of course I would come to you about this. I don’t trust anyone else in this place. I don’t really trust you but seeing as you own me. I figured you would want to know that someone else damaged your property.” She stated, quite calmly. “No, I don’t know the Trainer that attacked me. It was dark. I was trying to hide. He snuck up on me. He was older, stronger. Seemed entitled to do as he pleased. I would recognize his voice though, if I heard it again. I don’t think I will ever forget it.” She shivered, looking down at the floor as she tried to block out the memories from that night. She didn’t want to think about it. she just wanted to forget about it. A thought occurred to her that had her paling as she stood up quickly. “Are you going to tell my father? You can’t, Max. Please, don’t tell him him. I can’t have him knowing. It will hurt him. And my brothers. I don’t want them knowing.” Lana pleaded with him, her hands clutching the material of his shirt. 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

Maximilian faced Svitlana with a straight face. He listened to her outburst in silence and when she was done, he took her by the arm, preventing her from leaving his room. He turned her around and with his eyes staring down at her he started, “I never said you asked for it,” his voice firm although he still showed no expression. His dark eyes wandered over her face covered in tears, a flicking sensation in his chest caused his heart to skip a beat. She was telling the truth. He let her go, hands ran through his thick hair before telling her to sit down. She was not allowed to leave. “You did the right thing coming to me,” he said and wanted to add that she should’ve came to him right after it happened. But there was no sense in bringing that up now. She appeared deeply affected by what happened. To say that Maximilian didn’t have a heart wasn’t entirely true of course. He wouldn’t be in Hohenzollern if it wasn’t for his family and the need to prove to them that he could be successful, more successful even, than his older brother. Thinking about his own family led his thoughts to Svitlana’s father. The old man doesn’t have to know what happened to his daughter. Not because he thought the older man would blame him for not protecting Svitlana but because he knew the truth would devastate the man. “Do you know the Trainer who attacked you?” He stood in front of the woman, his tone changed but still wore the same blank expression. 

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Lana felt herself pale at his words. She should’n’t be surprised. Of course the bastard didn’t believe her. To him everything was a game. So of course, Lana was lying about what happened. Cause she was just that type of person, she thought sarcastically. She couldn’t help the anger that she felt. She wanted nothing more to strangle the man. Standing up, Lana glared at him, ignoring the tears that fell from her eyes. “You sorry ass bastard. I should’ve known that you wouldn’t believe me. Would you like to see the marks he left on me? The bruises I’m still having to hide. Oh but wait, that won’t do much in changing your mind, now will it? You’ll simply say that I enjoyed it. That I asked for it, right? Cause I’m a whore.” Lana snapped, hearing the slight hysteria in her voice as she quickly turned from him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at the wall in front on her, feeling so incredibly defeated. “Very well, Maximilian. You do what you have to do. It was a mistake for me to come here thinking that maybe, just maybe, you had a heart in that chest of yours. But it was mistake. Trust me, it’s a mistake I won’t make again.” She reached up, wiped the tears from her eyes that kept falling, hating the weakness she was exposing to him. “Please forgive me for disrupting your morning.”

Sanctuary || Maximilian

Maximilian started putting his clothes on, the woman’s voice in the background. He didn’t catch much of the things she said but one particular detail made him turn around and face her. “It’s not a game, Lana?” He called her by her nickname, his gaze sharp as he stared at her. She was trying to get under his skin, he knows it. Trying to get back at him for the way he’d been treating her. He expected such reaction from her. She never let anybody push her around however in their current situation, he had the upper hand. So of course, she’d think of something to do or say to get a reaction from him. But if she was indeed telling the truth then he couldn’t possibly just let this slip by. He had to do something, make that person pay for what he did to her. No one dares touch what belongs to him and gets away with it. “If it’s not a game like you said, then I shouldn’t doubt you… But you must know what I have to do.”

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

She paused with her hand on the door. “There’s no game, Max. Despite what you are thinking.” She whispered, leaning her head on the door. Feeling her eyes water, she closed them, pushing back her emotions before she turned to face him again. “That event that the Queen just had to throw, had some really negative effects, don’t you think?” She asked, moving over to the bed. Running a hand through her hair, she sat down and grabbed one of his pillows to wrap her arms around.  “I didn’t even want to participate in that damn event. But whatever the Queen wants, she gets.” Pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath before just letting Max know what happened. “Anyways, thanks to that lovely event, another trainer, don’t know who he is or was, well, let’s just say, he had some fun with me. No matter how much I protested or fought. He seemed like it was his right to rape me. All because he is a trainer and I’m a tribute. That meant I deserved it.” Lana scoffed, shaking her head as she wiped a stray tear. “So, Max, as you can see, I’m not playing a game. There is no game or plot or some nefarious reason on why I’m here in your room.” She looked up at him, her pain filled eyes meeting his, waiting to see what the cold-hearted bastard would say now. 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

Maximilian who pulled the towel from around his waist, exposing himself to her, did not believe a single word she said. He knew this was some plot, some plan to get him to sympathize with her. And it wasn’t working. He dried his hair with the towel, sex swayed as he approached the bed. He took his time putting on his black boxers before turning to face her. She now headed towards the door. He had to plan to stop her but he was curious what went through her head. “What game are you trying to play?” He said to her, mirroring her image a few seconds ago; arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her response. What could be so important that she had to bother him, he thought to himself.

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Startled, Lana turned to face him, keeping her face neutral as she met his gaze. Keeping her arms crossed over her chest in a slightly protective manner, she shrugged, looking at the wall behind him. She knew that this was the last place he expected her to be. But he was just going to have to get over his hatred towards her for the moment. As much as she hated to admit to herself, she needed him right now. “I sent your groomer away. Told him his services weren’t required. I needed to talk to you and I don’t really want it all spread around the castle. But, I’m starting to get the feeling that maybe you already know what has happened.” Lana stated, looking at him once again before turning away. It was hard to look at the man while he was standing there half naked. “I know we are not on the best of terms right now. But....I couldn’t stay another minute in my room. I can’t sleep. I don’t feel safe here. And for some unknown reason, I feel safe with you. So here I am. Invading your privacy.” She shook her head, hearing the break in her voice as the emotion she was holding back cracked. This was a mistake, she thought to herself as she moved to walk back him towards the door. 

Sanctuary || Maximilian

[Timeline: 3rd March 2016, Thursday, 6:47 a.m., Max’s room. ]

Maximilian was an early riser. He liked starting his day when it was still dark. It made him feel he’d accomplished a lot of things by the end of the day which was usually true. Although waking up in Hohenzollern was harder than starting his morning routine in his own turf. He realized this after the unsettling night the month before, the Queen’s birthday. Thoughts ran through his head as he finished washing up. He had no particular plan for the day. He might see Svitlana, he thought to himself. Despite his claim on the woman he had distanced himself from her. Groomers and servants took care of the woman under his order but he associated himself with others simply because he wanted her to know that she wasn’t the only one that could caught his attention. The past came back to him, reminded him of how he disliked the woman but needed her for his own personal gain at the same time. He couldn’t keep her here, he then decided with a sigh. After the attack in the woods he knew he had to protect her. She wouldn’t be of any use to him dead, he told himself. He turned off the water then and got out of the shower, quickly drying himself with a towel and wrapping another one around his waist. He didn’t expect to see Svitlana in his room when he walked out of the bathroom. Distant, silent, she appeared as if she was in deep thought. “What do you want?” He questioned, tone cold and uncaring. He glanced over to the clothes laid down on his bed and with a frown he looked back to her again. “What is this?” He continued, slightly confused.

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“Most rooms down this hallway are bedrooms.” Lana stated, trying to place the girl. She looked familiar. And not a good familiar. “If you are not supposed to be here, they why are you here? Are you trying to get yourself in trouble?” Just her luck, Lana thought, she would get a crazy in her room. “Common? Yes, I’m sure you are very common. That really doesn’t explain what you are doing here....Oh wait....” It clicked to her on why this woman looked familiar. “You’re one of those damn gossipers that run that damn gossip rag. What the hell are you doing in the castle?” This woman was crazy coming in here. Her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. “You’re here searching for a juicy new story aren’t you?”

Snooping :: Allie & Lana ::

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“I’m sure it is. But don’t dwell on it. The more you dwell on it, the more you start to think the worst. And then nobody wins in the end.” Lana smiled softly. She hoped everything worked out for Macai with his father. Hopefully soon, he will be able to hear something that will ease his worries. “Tell you one? Well, let’s see. Being the baby of the family as well as the only girl, caused me to get into all kind of trouble just to keep up with my brothers. My mother used to snap at my father every time I came home with a new bruise or scratch. It used to crack him up every time. Simply because I would always have the biggest smile on my face as he pretended to scold me. There are so many stories. I can’t choose. There was that one time I woke up in bed with one of my brothers friends. Nothing happened. He was into guys and he was upset over something and I let him stay with me. Needless to say, my brothers didn’t take to kindly to that. By the time I was done with them, they were the ones in trouble not me.” Lana laughed softly as the memory came to mind. Her brother’s hadn’t talked to her for a good week after that. She always thought it was funny how they pouted over what she did. But they should’ve expected it. Shaking her had, she looked over at Macai with a shrug. “My brother’s never really understood how they were the ones that always kept getting in trouble or things I was getting caught at.” Looking over at her bookcase, she pointed to a few books on the top shelf. “You can look through those and see if any of those covers would work. I think I saw some boring unassuming covers that could work. Maybe.”

“I hope that’s what’s going on,” he mused.  He wanted to believe that was what was happening right now.  Things in the states were in turmoil, so her logic was sound.  But there was still that part of him, the pessimistic, lonely part, that wasn’t sure if it was the truth.  Macai smiled back at her.  It was good to see her relaxing a bit and laughing.  He’d never understood why some guys preferred to make girls cry or upset when they were much prettier with a smile on their face.  “Tell me one,” he prompted, truly wanting to hear about her life before this place.  “I’ll hide it in plain sight.  I just need to go to the library and find a book cover that will work on this,” he said, lifting the infamous book.  “It’ll have to be something innocuous, but also something I’d likely read.  Maybe I’ll use a cover from a book about complicated motherboard schematics… Or I’ll go with something Morten let me ramble on about like upsilons.“ 

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

Turning the page in her book, Lana looked up as the sound of her door opening and closing registered. She wasn’t expecting anybody. She wasn’t really in the mood to deal with anyone. So whoever it was, better be ready to turn right back around and leave the way they came in. Placing her book down, she pulled her sweater closer around her, moving towards the entrance way. The first thing she noticed about her intruder was her red hair. This was the first person with that color hair that Lana had seen here. Seeing as the girl had her eyes closed, Lana cleared her throat to get her attention. “May I ask what the hell you are doing in my room?” She really didn’t care for the answer. She just wanted the girl gone. Somehow, though, she had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be that easy to get rid of this red haired stranger.

Snooping :: Allie & Lana ::

Allie had not been in the castle long. She bribed the scullery maid to let her into the back entrance near the kitchen. It was a pretty far shot from where most of the action was but with a little tenacity who knows what would happen. Allie wandered from the kitchen toward the main halls of the Castle where people where coming and going everywhere. Some looked as if they belonged others didn’t. She wanted to talk to everyone and find out more about what was happening but it would probably be a bad idea to do that. So instead she just wandered around. Perhaps she could corner someone where she wouldn’t get caught. As she wandered around the castle she was coming up a hall in a relatively quiet part of the Castle when she heard men talking. They were coming from the other direction. She pressed her back to the wall and listened. They were carrying weapons. that much she could tell as she peeked a gander at them from around the pillar. Swearing under her breath she looked around and spotted a door not to far away from her. She looked again and then made a beeline for the door. She slipped in smoothly and shut it behind her. Resting her back to the door. Allie breathed a sigh of relief. 

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“Give him time. I’m sure he’s probably waiting until it’s safe to send you a response. You said he’s a politician. If he’s being watched, it’s not that easy to get mail out.” Lana stated, remembering a few times in the past when she had a hard time contacting her father whenever they had to go on a blackout period as they called it. “Exactly. We’ll have plenty of experience to handle whatever they dish out.” A laugh left her as she nodded. “I am most definitely a troublemaker at heart. I used to get myself into all kinds of messes growing up. Much to the amusement of the father and brothers....my mother, not so much. Oh the stories I could tell you.” Lana smiled wistfully. “Do you have a good hiding spot for it? Not your room, I hope. That would be too obvious.”

“After over 8 months with no word from my dad, I’m starting to have doubts about that,” he told her in a quiet tone.  His brother had at least written back.  Macai knew his father was extremely busy and had much bigger things to worry about, like potential assassination attempts, but there had to be enough time to get a letter to him, right?  An e-mail, smoke signal.  Hell, he’d be happy with a postcard that was simply postmarked from their house.  “Let’s not talk about the media anymore.  They’re not worth the worry.  And besides, by the time we’re out of here, we’ll have had enough experience dealing with crazy news judging by the stuff that gossipy woman throws out,” he said with a chuckle.  Macai nodded to her judgement.  Hopefully, he’d get the chance to talk to Adhemar or Mathias again to do just that.  “You’re a trouble maker at heart, aren’t you?” he asked with a mischievous grin.  “I won’t lose it.  I have an idea on how to disguise it a bit.  And on a cover story in case someone catches me with it.”

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“If he loves you, then you shouldn’t worry about that. I don’t truly think that your father will think any different of you for what goes on here. You’re doing what you have to do to stay safe.” Lana sighed, laying her head back on the couch.  The one thing that was going to concern her was the media. She was used to being in the tabloids. It didn’t bother her or her parents nearly as much as it used too. “Maybe they won’t bother you. If they try, I can always distract them for you. I’m pretty good at that. Plus, I can handle them better. No need for you to add any extra stress to yourself.” She shot him a grin. She always had fun with them. “Well, I guess we can wait and see what they do about this. Let’s see how they react to this mess their sister caused. Then we can see where they stand with this. As for the book, I’m sure other’s around here have it as well. But I have to admit, I kinda like the fact that nobody else has it. Just make sue you don’t lose it. Cause if that happens, we’re both going to be in trouble.”

“I worry that he’ll think of me differently,” he confessed.  It was true that Macai was worried about how the media might take the news that he was participating in Hohenzollern’s sordid tradition, but he was more worried about how his family might react after learning about it.  “I know I’ll have to deal with the media eventually.  I don’t want to.  But I will.  I just… wish I didn’t have to.  I’m terrible at talking to the press,” he groused, trying to make light of his situation.  Making Svitlana be concerned about his well-being was the last thing he wanted.  She had more than enough to worry about.  If he couldn’t keep it a secret, and his family reacted poorly to the news, he’d have to make a choice.  A part of him was so sick of these heavy choices.  “Then we can’t really count on them as allies,” he stated in regard to the Queen’s brothers.  “So far you’re the only one I know who has a copy.  And I’ve kept my ears open for any mention of the damn thing.”

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

I’m all about challenging the perception of myself, people’s perception of me. I’m interested in genres and things I haven’t done before, so I’m overdue doing some good contemporary work.

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“Then I hope he doesn’t find out then. If you don’t wish for him to know.” Lana stated, wondering how far the book has made it. She was surprised families haven’t shown up yet, demanding answers as to what was going on here. “You don’t want your family to know what is going on here? Do you really think that the media won’t get a hold of this? I don’t wish for nothing bad to happen to you. But trust me when I say, its more than likely that the media will find out about you staying here. It’s their job. It’s what they do. Your father won’t be able to keep it a secret once news gets out as to what is really going on here.” She stated, thinking about the field day the media is going to have with this place. “Yes. That seems more likely. It’s what brother’s do. Even if their sister seems to be going crazy. They will more than likely stand with her.” Lana sighed, staring at the book in his hand. “If you do get caught with it, I don’t mind if you say you got it from me. I don’t want you to lie and get into more trouble for it. I don’t mind. After all, I managed to get it from a groomer here. There’s really no telling how many of the books are actually floating around here. If they thought they could keep it from us, they thought wrong.”

“None of this is my dad’s fault,” he said, completely sure that his father had nothing to do with how he’d gotten tangled up in the tradition.  “I hope he doesn’t.  If he hears about it, then someone told him or he read this book.  And if the media back home hears I’m participating in this tradition, willingly or otherwise, it could ruin my dad’s career,” he said.  Macai knew that if he got out of here, he’d likely have to keep his experiences, good or bad, to himself.  “I’m from California,” he told her, glad to have a topic he didn’t mind talking about.  “I know them, but not well.  I hear from Adhemar more than Mathias.  They seem to be genuine guys, but… they have a lot on their plate.  I don’t think they’d go against the Queen directly.  They’d probably want to support her even in her poor decision just to keep their own heads.”  He really couldn’t say that for sure, but that’s how he’d do things.  Keeping the queen placated was the sane thing to do.  “I’ll do my best to hide this,” he said, lifting the book.  “And if someone finds me with it, I’ll make sure to say I got it from someone else.”  Protecting Svitlana from any other harassment had quickly become a priority for him.

[svitlana-of-glucksburg-blog]

“No harm at all. Just something that is hard to do with him. But I’m sure it can be accomplished.” Lana smiled, just thinking of the road ahead of her with Max. It wasn’t going to be easy by a long shot. “He sent you here to protect you and without even knowing it, put you in more danger? I hope he hears what is going on here and gets you out of here before something else happens. Where are you from?” She wished her parents would get her out of here but she had a feeling  she was stuck here until Max deemed it time to leave. Her eyes narrowed on him at his comment about he brothers. He knew something about them. “Do you know them? Are they not what they seem to be? Do you think they would side with her and let her continue this madness?” Lana asked, quite curious as to his answer. She couldn’t help the laugh that left her at his shock. “I told you, I didn’t get the book inside the castle. One of the groomers did. How they got it in here, I don’t want to know. I asked them for it. They gave it to me. But with the event and everything that has happened...I haven’t had a chance to read it. So when you do, let me know all about it., if you don’t mind.”

“There’s no harm in trying to find common ground,” he told her.  It took Macai a moment to realize that he’d just spouted off a phrase his dad had used a million times before.  It shot a bit of loneliness through him at the thought that he may never heard one of his father’s anecdotes again.  “He sent me to Hohenzollern to stay with my uncle.  My dad’s a politician back home, and his view points were starting to upset some powerful people.  The whole family got death threats.  So he scattered us to keep us safe.  Ironic… that I ended up here, in one of the suddenly least safe places,” he said, looking up at the ceiling.  “Yeah they seem that way,” he commented, being vague.  Both men had said they’d try to help him, but it quickly became clear that they had more important things to handle.  Macai stared at her in surprise when she gave him the book.  “Are you serious?  How the hell did you get this into the castle?!”