7 Chapter 7: The Horrible Truth of Life

My limbs were stiff and my eyes were gunk covered when I finally drug myself from sleep. I rubbed my eyes and groggily looked around. My heart stopped when I say the dim windowless room. Where was I? What happened? But then I remembered. I sat up from the plush chair in the corner of Laurent's study. It had been a more than an adequate napping place, dropped in soft quilts and embroidered pillows. I hadn't remembered falling asleep, but then again, whoever does? Laurent and I had traded book titles like badges of honor. Whoever could dredge up the largest collection from the cobwebbed corners of their brain reigned supreme. Laurent won, obviously. I could never compete the years of traveling he had with the comparably pitiful collection of books in the Royal Library. It wasn't even a contest. But it hardly seemed like a loss. All of his books, whether old or new, were novelties in my eyes. I couldn't have imagined myself falling asleep in a place like this. That was until he opened a book and began to read. It was a fairytale book from the Deserts. Before I knew it I was lost in a world of jackrabbits, magi, blood magic, bone spells and beautiful glittering princesses in their oasis castles. Now I'm standing here, bleary eyes, sore backed, and completely alone.

Laurent couldn't have gone far. I thought, he was probably just stretching his legs on deck or maybe eating dinner in the other room. Stars, I hoped he wasn't eating dinner, it couldn't be evening already. People would wonder, or worse, whisper. I hurried to the door and was greeted with the familiar hallway lined with armor suits and tapestries. He had to be behind one of the doors. I thought. He wouldn't leave me here alone, would he?

I knocked on the first door. I half-whispered, "Laurent?" No answer, I tried louder, "Laurent?" nothing. Next door.

Door 2 maybe?

Door 3?

4?

5?

6?

I paused at the last door. He had to be in this one, he had to be. And if he isn't? The voice in the back of my head whispered.

And if he wasn't then I'd go up above deck, chin held high and leave, no matter what time of day it was. I didn't care. I was the Princess for stars' sake.

I knocked frantically.

"Laurent?" I called, my voice broke halfway, ending the word in a sorrowful heap on the floor.

"Laurent are you in there?"

A muffled grunt and rustling of cloth and papers,

"-Yes, Yes I'm here give me a moment" came the voice behind the door. I practically melted on the spot. Thank the stars. I didn't even know what I was so upset about. There was nothing to be afraid of anyway? Why was I so worried? I felt stupid. But the happy relived stupid when you realized you overreacted but everything still turned out okay.

A few moments later and the door cracked open. Laurent peeked out and smiled shyly. I could see he must have just woken up too. His face was even more pale than usual and his eyes were clouded. But he rubbed away the drowsiness.

"Ah, Eira, you're awake" He smiled,

I laughed, "Yes, thank you for forgiving my uncivilized behavior, I must admit though that was the soundest sleep I've had in years."

Laurent grinned, running a hand through his knotted black hair.

"I see someone's got a bit of bedhead too" I chided, daring to reach up and ruffle his hair.

"Did you fall asleep too? The more the merrier I guess, we all need a little nap once and awhile"

Laurent's face twisted into an expression I couldn't quite read,

"Eira, uh- it's morning. You slept through the night" he said,

"w-what" I whispered, my words stolen from my mouth.

Laurent forced a pained grin, I looked down and saw he wasn't wearing the same wrinkled white shirt I'd seen him in, what felt like mere hours ago. It was a heavy robe, tied tightly around his bony limbs. He'd been asleep, I'd woken him up, not just from a nap.

"I'm really sorry," he seemed to be panicking now,

"But I didn't know if I was supposed to-you know I'm still unsure- with all the rules and the tea party-and-" but I wasn't listening anymore. A whole day? I'd slept through the entire afternoon evening and night. On an Orinthian boat. What had my parents thought? I knew what Astra would assume, but I just prayed her dirty thoughts weren't shared by Mother and Father? The talk! The whispers! I could already hear them, see them. Fluttering fans and narrowed eyes. Rumors poisoning afternoon tea like sour milk. I would never recover from this. How was I supposed to rule the country with a black ink stain like this on my record?

I sunk to the floor. Tears pricked at my eyes, I tried with all my will to hold them at bay but that will was slipping further and further from reach at every moment. What reputation did I have to preserve now? Why was I even trying?

Laurent was clearly panicking now, "Eira, Eira, It's all going to be okay. I promise. We'll just explain to your family you fell asleep and I was too much of an uncivilized recluse to know to wake you"

"Don't you realize what's happened?" I cried, tears finally spilling loose.

"Can't you understand the repercussions? I can't go around sleeping on young man's ships! It matters not what I do there or who that young man is it only matters what others will think I did"

Tears were flowing freely now, "Y-you do understand what people will say right" I sobbed,

Laurent didn't speak for a second, he crouched down beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder in an unsure attempt at condolence. But the brush of his robe against my dress just made it seem all the more real.

"Eira... I- I'm so sorry" he whispered,

I tried frantically to wipe the tears from my swollen cheeks but it did nothing to stop the flow.

"W-What am I going to do" my voice wobbled with my panicked breaths.

"I'll figure something out. I promise, there will be no harm done. I swear on it" he said, voice even

"Its not the same for men like you as it is for women" I mumbled in between sobs.

"Things don't just, work out"

"I know" was all he said

I found myself in an Orinthian coach making its way up to the palace. I'd dried my tears but my eyes were still a little puffy. Laurent sat beside me, his hand tentativly resting atop my own. Across the coach Markus sat at attention.

"I've worked everything out" Laurent had told me before we left.

"Just be quiet and let me speak, everything will be cleared up"

All I could do was nod silently.

We approached the palace gates where the guards let us in without question. We rounded the grand stone courtyard where a single figure waited patiently in the falling snow.

"Astra" I breathed, giving her a quick hug,

"Mother and Father were worried" she murmmered in my ear as she pulled from my embrace to look at me,

"They still are"

Her face was stoci and measured, so unlike the Astra I knew. I couldn only imagine what things must have been flying through her head.

"Laurent said he'll fix everything. It was my fault really, I fell asleep in an armchair" I confided,

Astra's mouth tilted into the ghost of a smile, "I knew something like thta must have happend" she said, leading the four of us into the great hall and up the stairs.

"But-" she faltered, as if unsure if she should speak her worries or not,

"People talk" I finished. She nodded grimly.

I turned to Laurent, "No one will believe the truth" I whispered, "It doesn't matter what we say"

"I know I know" Laurent muttered, more to himself than me,

"That's why I fabricated a more beliveable lie, hopefully with a bit of improv we can pull out a foolproof story"

I nodded, that was probably our safest bet at this point. When a truth and a lie are both presented the one that's easier to swallow is usually presented as the fact of the matter.

Astra pushed open the door to the broght morning room, reserved for family guests and informal meetings. Despite its apparent casual atmosphere, the room was still luxuorious. Navy curtains framed the sunlit windows which surved the front gardens and the city below. Matching love seats with mahogany trims were placed before and elaborate plaster fireplace. To the right, book cases and a small breakfast table, to the right, Mother and Father, seated like statues in a museum. Regal and dissaroving. I sunk into a deep curtsy. Not something I usually did for family but right now I wasn't speaking to my parents, I was speaking to the King and Queen of Anthea.

"Your Majesties, I give my most sincere apologies at not being able to return your daughter to you last night" Laurent bowed deeply. Father nodded at him to rise, though he did not speak,

"I invited lady Eira to take dinner with me and she so kindly obliged, you see she went in the late afternoon and we were to take tra together."

I held my tounge from correcting him, I was there in the midmorening at the latest, the sun had barely risen for three hours before I had gone down. But, this detail wasn't part of Laurents' naritive and I could only pray that astra kept her mouth shut.

"But you see Your Majesties, I made the careless mistake of keeping Her Highness out after dark on such a blistering night as this, the wheel of her coach splintered and broke and her axel was thouroughly frozen. Plus it doesn't help that, with the palace on such a steep incline against the city, the roads to get back are quite treacherous in these wintry months and since it was too late to hail a cab or fetch horses from one of the Orinthian boats, it was decided that it would be safest for her Highness' health and safety to stay at an inn near the docks for the night, curtesy of the Emporer of course." he added, "We sent the coach to be repaired, also at our expense and a pneumatic to inform you of the arrangements made. But again it was my fault at sending a word of mouth message at such late hours as the messenger was turned away, and without a letter to present in his stead, he left Your Majesties worried, I take full responsibilities for this disaster of an affair. I am not deaf to the whispers of the Court, I know how much they love to talk nonsense. Please tell me Your Majesties if there is anything I can do to lighten the blow towards Her Highness' reputation."

The room was deathly quiet for a long moment as we all watched Father's face hesitantly, even Mother had turned to see his verdict. Father sighed and shook his head,

"Eira is a fine lady, I don't doubt its truth or her honor, but you are right in that the gossips do talk, all that needs to be done is to pay off the tabloids and sough the evidence you have about the Court. Things will settle down soon enough. I've seen my fair share of uncecessary scandals in my day. The truth always comes out sooner or later."

My insides twisted, Oh the irony I lamented,

"Things will sort themselves out, my boy," Father grinned a little, "No need to worry to much, you've already got and Empire to look after"

Laurent sighed, like a weight had been taken off his shoulders, but just as soon as he relaxed he was back up again, "I cannot thank you ehough for your trust Your Majesty, I assure you, what needs to be done will be delt with immediatly by me personally. With that I must regretfully take my leave."

He turned to me, offering the briefest flash of his unguarded smile and then he was back to being the overly formal green bean of an Emproer-to-be. He bowed and left, Markus following behind.