The Royal Contract

"Here we are." He announced as he parked the bike in front of the massive ruined castle. "How was my driving?" 

"Oh, it was ok." She could not help but feel glad that it was over. Although she did slightly feel excited with the experience, she still preferred a car, where she could ride comfortably with the fear of them ending up in a ditch somewhere.

She also understood the need for a small vehicle. It would be difficult for anything larger than a bike to get through the road they went through.

They arrived at the old castle that he talked about after more than an hour of riding his bike. Dani surmised that it took longer than usual because he was careful not to speed up the motorbike. She found it quite thoughtful of him for considering her in that regard.

"Wow, it is quite big." She held the huge breath she just inhaled before finally letting it go. For something that already broke into pieces, this structure still maintained its beauty and magnificence. "Impressive." That was the word that came to her mind.

"Yeah, it is." He spoke near her ears as he stood behind her. She could feel the chill that went through her body as she felt his nearness. He was not touching her, but the effect was no different.

She quickly stepped away from him, walking around the place as if she was inspecting the ruined structure. She wanted to divert her attention away from him and the way he was making her feel. 

"What is that?" She asked, noticing a barren road up in the other direction from them. She wondered where that road would lead to since it looked like it could accommodate larger vehicles.

"That is a road leading to the city." He started scratching his nape, knowing that he just made another mistake.

"So, it is possible to take a car to this place." She punched him in his arms when she saw his expression. She realized that she did not need to ride that motorbike if he chose to take her in the car.

"Yes, it is but in my defense. I don't want to waste our time to get here when we can travel quickly through the shortcut." He reasoned, but when she seemed still unconvinced, he continued with his explanation.

"But if we take that road, we would take a quarter of a day of traveling. We need to go around the city to access that road, while it only took us an hour or so to get here through my bike," Alex explained, pointing on a path that led to a wide-open space on the other side their position.

He was a practical and logical person. He always considered everything but not compromising their safety. He did not see the point of using a car when they could see the place in less time with his bike. 

Besides, he was a great biker, not to brag, but he did win several dirt bikes challenges. But Dani did not need to know that, he thought.

"Ok, you have made your case. I see the logic in your explanation, but next time, all you need to do is be honest with me." She was not about to let this ruin their day. It was a petty situation that did not need to blow up into proportion.

"Thanks. Next time, I'll be more transparent. I will make sure to earn your trust." He knew that when she did not answer her earlier, it was due to her lack of trust in him. He could not blame her. So far, he had done nothing to deserve it.

"Can we go inside this castle? Is it still safe?" She asked, curious at what it was like to stand inside an actual castle. Although she had lived in a big mansion that her father called his Castle, it was still different to see a true one. She was still in awe of the history it held in its walls. 

"Yes, we can. It is still safe to explore it." He said, staring at the imposing structure. "The government is soon planning to convert this place into a tourist spot. But the Council is still vehemently stopping the conversion project." He stated to her as he led the way inside the abandoned place.

"What about you? What are your thoughts about the matter? Are you for the conversion or the reservation?" She always found this topic interesting. She was all in for modernization, but she also found it hard to destroy a part of history, even if she was never part of it.

"I think the government is just being practical. This lot had remained abandoned for centuries. It is time for the present citizens of this country to use it for a good cause." He voiced out what his opinion was about the matter.

Although this structure had been a part of his history, he had no qualms if it vanished to make way for progress. It already served its purpose. It is time for a change, for it to be functional again.

"What about you? If you were to be the queen of this land, what would you do?" He asked her as they went from one corner of the castle to the other. 

"I don't know. Maybe I would be hard broken to see such history vanish forever. But like you, I think the present should always take precedence. The need of the people should be the priority." She understood his reason, but it was still hard to let go of a past.

"I'm glad that we agreed on something." He said as they passed the stairway to the dungeon.

"Where does that lead to?" She asked, pointing to the dark stairway going down underneath the structure.

"The dungeons." He said spookily. "Do you dare to go down there, or are you scared?" He challenged her, just wanting to see her reaction in such places.

"Why not? I am always fascinated to see a different kind of cell." She only heard from her history class how people in the old days got their justice and punishment. Some deserved it, but most did not.