She eyed herself warily. The reflection staring back at her showed one of upmost perfection. Well...to the citizens at least. Ever since she had abandoned the caged bird life, the clothes she wore didn't suit her. It was a very pretty dress, she had to admit, covered in sheer satin and taffeta, but not on her. Never on her. This was the life she grew up with yet she didn't find it necessary anymore to be treated like she was an important chess piece. The only reason she was here was because her cousin had his coronation rehearsal. Why she was there was beyond even his knowledge. Being in the castle was such a bore to her now. Of course it was great to see her long time friend and even those in the lower quarter but she never truly desired to be back here.
With an unsatisfied groan, she twirled around. She was the least perfect person she ever knew. Her knowledge wasn't truly needed in every situation yet she always felt compelled to state it. She was short and had a very unflattering body. The only reason why courters looked her way was because she was the princess. With a steady hand, she pulled loose a thread in annoyance. Her mind wavered between the coronation rehearsal and her friends. 'Friends,' she thought suddenly, 'I do not recall having many of those a few months ago.' And then a smile broke out onto her flawless face. She loved to travel. She loved being free. She loved being with him.
A hand gently rapped at her door.
"Come in!" Her voice sang. When the door opened, a beautiful and tall knight stepped in. His hair bounced with very little movement. "Good Afternoon, Estellise. Would you care to take a walk with me?" Estelle's face glowed with happiness and he escorted her out of the stuffy castle and into the calming courtyard.
-
"I understand completely, Your Highness. Sometimes I even get tired of this place." Estelle giggled slightly as Flynn stressed the statement. The two settled down onto a carved bench and watched as some dark clouds rolled overhead. "But Flynn, you don't need to worry about the Council tracking your every movement like they do with me. Atleast you have freedom." Her older friend glowered at the thought. "You're not even in line for power anymore. They really shouldn't worry about what you do."
She sighed as if thinking.
"As true as that is, I really think they are worried about me because I'm with Yuri." The two shared a thoughtful laugh as a familiar group watched overhead. The blonde Commandant obviously spotted them and acknowleged their presence with a smile. All but the long blackhaired swordsman continued forward to the two. Rita and Raven made an excuse that they needed to restock on supplies while Judith and Karol made off to explore the town. Yuri proceeded forward with a smug grin. With a resounding bark, Repede made them noticeable. "Yuri?" Estelle questioned.
"Yuri!" She shouted. Not even the most brutal of winds could keep her from her required destionation. Her teal heels clicked harshly on the stone as she bolted from her position and into his open arms. Flynn smiled warmly at the sight. The tall man chuckled as she buried her head into his chest, pressing further into him. "Oh Yuri. How have you been? Are you alright? How are travels? Gosh I wish I could be with everyone!" He looked up at his blonde friend who shrugged a 'She's-asking-you.' Surprisingly, the dark haired man laughed in response, earning a confused stare by his small friend.
"I'm fine, thanks. I thought we went over this. I stopped getting myself into trouble." Both of the party stared at him with disbelief. "Well...mostly." Suddenly, a thunderstrike sounded above as the clouds let them have all it held in. Somehow the rain that poured onto the three clarified how the girl truly felt inside. Flynn rushed over to Estelle and grabbed her arm, clearly trying to get her to a dry and safe spot. She released her hold on Yuri gently and allowed herself to be dragged under an arch of dryness. The Commandant shouted at a maid to get towels. Puddles made themselves at home between the stones. The leaves idly chattered amongst the trees. Normally in a situation like this, Estelle would complain about getting wet and ruined but now she enjoyed it. She slowly stepped out of her heels and cast them aside neatly. The wet called back to her. Gathering the ends of the now destroyed dress, she ran out into the rain and jumped into a puddle. Flynn was about to yell out to her but Yuri held him back with an arm. The look on his friends face would be one Flynn would never forget. They both stood and watched her let everything go. They knew she was stressed. They knew she was tired. But they didn't know why. Yuri couldn't tell if it was tears or if it was just the rain but he knew she was done. She jumped from puddle to puddle, undoing the beautiful artwork that was her dress, hair and makeup. The maid dropped the towel as soon as she came into sight and ran off.
Estelle looked like a complete and utter mess and though he wouldn't admit it, Yuri wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
-
Karol winced as a strong and sharp voice echoed throughout the hall. The best they could all do was sit and watch the punishment. Rita growled silently.
"This is really stupid! She didn't do anything wrong! Is she seriously getting punished for having fun?! Ugh, these damn royals..." Her voice trailed off. Raven glaced at the mage silently. "Ain't nothin we can do about it, Darlin'. She's still the Princess and the best we can do is watch. Our word don't much matter to them."
Judith didn't say much. She just stood with her back to the punishers and communicated to Ba'ul. Yuri sat with his arms crossed, gently beating himself up for not stopping her. 'It's not like she would've listened. She's just a bit on the stubborn side.' Repede casted him a look of concern before whining, almost like he knew what was on his owners mind.
"A woman of your Class and age shouldn't be doing such inappropriate and unacceptable things! Heaven forbid you get sick! We would have to put the whole world on a stand still just to nurse you back to health!" shouted one of the Counselmen. "And what if it were any other being, what would they think?! They certainly wouldn't treat you like the Princess anymore!"
'I don't see how that would be a bad thing...' She thought to herself.
"You are lucky to have been found out by this maid here! She saved your life and possibly your position! You may have the freedom to travel and such now but you are still our responsibility! Ugh...What would your future husband think if he saw you in such a state."
Estelle wasn't the only one to stiffen. The group in the back did as well. Especially Yuri. Just the thought of sending her off to someone she didn't even love was enough to send even Flynn into a spiral. He stood from his position on a nearby chair and walked over to where the Princess was. She didn't look up.
"Excuse me. If you do not mind my intrusion, it was not entirely her fault. I invited her out to go on a stroll with me and forgot to lead her to dry safety. I am taking responsibility for this and deeply regret my not stopping her." He dropped to one knee, surprising everyone. "My deepest and most profound apologies, Your Excellencies. I am ready to accept whatever punishment you have for me. And I will take it without complaint!"
Estelle looked at him with disbelief and tried to say something but couldn't form the words. Rita turned her back and walked out without another word, clearly feeling uncomfortable. Yuri rolled his eyes as the Council glared at the Commandant. Demoting him wasn't an option considering he was the best troop that Zaphias had to offer. With an annoyed groan, Yuri hoisted himself off of the wall he was leaning against and trotted forward. "It's my fault." he said simply. "I blocked Flynn from stopping Estelle. Give me whatever punishment you feel is fit. Don't blame them." He said it in such a nonchalant manner that Flynn stood up in shock and Leblanc stomped his foot in anger. The Council eyed him with suspicion but didn't mention it much. They nodded and without hesitation threw down the gavel. "Alright then. Yuri Lowell, for causing Her Highness trouble, you are sentenced to the Jail Cell for 5 days without bail!"
Raven whistled in admiration as two guards led Yuri out of the room. 'Wonder which cell he'll be getting this time.' However the young pinkette watched Yuri get led out and fell to her knees in exhaustion.
-
Yuri lay in the dark and damp cell with his arms propped up behind his head. It had been two days or so since he'd been in here and he didn't really miss it.
'It's not exactly cozy but it's not bad.' he thought with a considerable shrug. At least he was alone so he didn't have to make unimportant chatter with someone he didn't really care to talk to. His sword had been confiscated, of course. He wasn't even going to try and break out this time. 'It'll be over before I know it.' He heard the clanking of armor headed his way and soon the guard was standing before his cell. "Hey you!" He inquired. "I'm going to leave for a bit, don't try anything or you're in for it!" And with that he was off. Yuri shrugged and sighed as he heard the door close. Not even a few minutes later did it re-open.
"Hey! I thought you were leaving!" Yuri yelled sarcastically. He didn't get a reply back. When he sat up and rubbed his neck, he saw an all to familiar girl standing there waving a key in her hand. His eyes widened and he looked at her incrediously.
"Estelle...?"
She giggled and smiled.
"Hi Yuri."
He sauntered over to the bars and stared at her. Her small and delicate hands were hurringly trying to unlock the door. She seemed different somehow but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. When she ran out into the rain, she didn't seem like herself. She's only ever done that one time before and that was when Belius passed. Estelle was like a never ending puzzle that he couldn't solve and no matter how frustrating it could be, he absolutely loved it. "Aren't you going to get in trouble for this? Some law about bailing or whatever?" She looked up at him with her emerald eyes that always made his breath catch in his throat. "No." she smiled, "not when Ioder so kindly cleaned this mess up for me."
The door swung open with a heavy thud.
It was kind of like time stopped when their gaze met. Like one of those cheesy and cliche movies where they both love each other and can't come to admit it. That's exactly what it was. She grabbed his hand suddenly and laughed nervously. "As nice as this is to have Ioder clean it up, you're not really supposed to be out until tonight. But I felt the need to do it now." He smirked at her. She's become more daring over the 3 months they hadn't seen each other. Yuri laughed. "So in other words we need to bail before we're caught."
He had rushed ahead and dragged her at his heel. They rushed and dodged past every guard until they reached the Lower Quarter. Out of stamina and out of words, they bent over to catch their breath. The two walked over to the fountain for a nice catching up. They talked until there were really no more words. Yuri explained what had happened with Karol and Nan. Estelle had spoken of how she came back to such a wierd but old place. Estelle's expression was unreadable, however, and that worried Yuri more than anything. But the two still sat there and watched as the sun set and for the first time ever, both of their hearts got heavy together.
-
A/N I wrote this on the plane ride back to my home and...I don't know. Obviously Estelle is having problems that we don't really know about yet. I originally plannes on making this a oneshot but there's so much more I can do for it so...short story it is! I hope you enjoyed.