Hung over friends

"Ow my head," Liam winged pulling himself up off the navy blue floor. His spiky brown hair ruffled and disheveled.

"Don't be so loud!" Maddy whined, her hair falling around her face in tangled knots.

"Your the loud one," Crystal moaned, her dress ruffled and her hair sticking to her face as she knocks a wine bottle aside. Staggering to her feet with a dizzying headache. Kylo helping her stand his eyes half closed with exhaustion.

Hunter getting up and staggering as he tidies away the wine glasses. "Where are Alex and Diana?"

"Not sure, last nights a bit blurry after we started drinking but I remember him carrying her to Solis and then the while ride home was silence. When we got back he barked some orders then they disappeared inside." Kylo slurred over his words half awake.

"Yeah, and then we came here and drank some more." Liam finished as he massaged his head.

"Nice, theres some food here," Maddy cheered and they all took their time eating before changing into the layed out clothes and wandering into the hallways.

"It's nice to see you all awake you were asleep for most of the day," Queen Valeria giggled as she and King Brian wondered the halls.

"We were just going to welcome the others back they'll be arriving soon," King Brian informed them "care to join us?"

"We'd love to," Liam smiled as they all laughed walking down the long corridors.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Emma beamed as she burst through the palace doors hugging her parents, Alex and Diana following close behind. Pulling their hoods down and letting two servants take their cloaks to dry them off.

"Your all wet," King Brian laughed as he helped take off his daughters cloak and handing it to the nearby maid.

"It was raining and we rode back as fast as the wind," Emma giggled "and the orphanage was so much fun. All the kids loved Big Sister Diana and I got to play with them all day."

"It sounds like you had a good time," the queen beamed.

"Yeah and the kind lady who ran the orphanage gave Big Sister a beautiful new dress because her clothes got wet when she went to put the horses somewhere dry." Emma exclaimed bouncing on the heels of her shoes.

"I was wondering why you were in that gorgeous dress," Queen Valerua smiled "it looks stunning on you dear."

"Thank you," Diana said her tone nonchalant as ever.

"Did you enjoy yourselves?" King Brian asked.

"Yes, father." Alex replied for the both of them.

"Well, why don't we all have dinner together this evening?" King Brian suggested.

"We'd love to," they replied before going their separate ways throughout the palace. Some finding themselves puking into a toilet, others changeing into dryer clothes and others watching the rain from their bedroom windows.

Peeling off the orchid coloured dress and heels and instead swapping them for a long sleeved v-neck red top and black trousers and finally a pair of knee high, high heeled brown boots.

Her swords hanging around her waste she walks along the corridors thinking over what to do. 'They deserve to know, they should know. So why can't I tell them?' she thought in frustration. As she tackled the assassin to the ground. "Really? You thought you could hide in wait until I was gone and then you could kill the crown prince, how pathetic."

"H-how did you-" the assailant began his voice laced with fear as she cut him off mid sentence "Simple really, but you have more pressing concerns now." with that she pulled him to his feet taking away all his weapons "I would kill you but I need you alive."

"What makes you so sure I won't tell them who you are, princess?"

"Because if you breathe a word about who I am to anyone I'll make sure you pay for it," she replied with a cold ice glare as she pulls him towards the dungeon stopping infront of the guards stationed there.

"This man tried to assassinate the crown prince; lock him up in a cell until we can question him, check him for any remaining weapons," Diana continued laying down the weapons on the table next to one of the guards "and inform the king and queen, that's all." With that leaveing them dumbfounded she headed away hair swaying around her hips.

'What a pain!' she thought as she roamed the hallways confirming that the assassin had been working alone.

Meanwhile, else where in the palace you could hear the boys laughter "She actually punched you?" Kylo wheezed.

"Yep, broke my nose. I had to tell my parents I fell down a hill." Liam chuckled as he thought back upon the memory.

"What did you do to make her punch you that hard?" Hunter pondered.

"We were around six years old and I was being pathetic and said something about how she was nothing more that a stupid pawn for her parents. That if she wasn't even brave enough to stand up to them she didn't deserve her title; let alone any right to claim she could protect her people. I showed her pity and told her she was weak and she proved me wrong." he explained sheepishly "I've never again seen her as weak or pathetic."

"So she punched you?" Hunter cackled clutching his stomach.

"Yeah, it really hurt." Liam replied scratching the back of his head. Trying to change the subject he turned to Alex "Alex, how was the orphanage visit?"

"It was fine, nothing out of the ordinary happened." He replied glancing out the nearby window.

"Did you enjoy it?" Hunter pushed further.

"Yes, the orphanage director was a very kind lady and the children seemed healthy."

"Your no fun!" Kylo moaned "You never tell us anything interesting."

Before anyone could reply there was a knock at the door "Come in!" Alex called.

"Sorry to disturb you, your highness I was instructed to make sure you were safe." A knight reported his hair tied in a tight bun.

"Why?" Alex asked sceptically.

"An assassin managed to sneak into the palace earlier from what we've discovered they were working alone."

"What?When?" Kylo cut in.

"Not to long ago, they were dealt with by his highnesses personal knight but since she handed the assassin over to the guards at the dungeon she has not been seen. So I was instructed to come and guard his highness until she returns."

"Returns?" a female voice asked from the window sill "I never left, you may leave I am perfectly capable of protecting Crown Prince Alexander myself." With that the knight left leaveing everyone staring at the silver haired girl.

"I was wondering why you were perched outside the window, you could have come inside." Alex sighed "You could have caught a cold."

"I'm fine and besides, why would I take away the chance for that knight to explain everything?" she replied sitting down on the window sill.

"So in other words you couldn't be bothered with explaining it yourself,"

"You know me to well," she smiled slightly as she watched the rein "and Liam it wasn't what you said that made me punch you, it was because you had been looking at me with pity for two weeks and I'd had enough."

"That's why you punched me?" he bellowed astounded.

"You never showed me pity again, did you?"

"Well...no." he sighed as Kylo and Hunter laughed, clutching their stomachs.