Should I explain every detail?
Tell Teresa everything?
Should I explain how you make my lips sigh?
And also make my heart sing?
-Meus Regius Amicus, An Original Poem written for Courtly Love by S.T. Gapurn
Teal woke up in the morning, sitting up and breathing heavily. Her sisters were still sound asleep. She wished to go back to sleep, but if she did her dreams would be nightmare filled again. The same dream, losing control and hurting, even killing, Remert. The first time you dreamed about who you loved, you knew it was meant to be. But did this count?
She recalled the previous night vividly in detail. Teal showed Remert how she was a witch, and then sobbed for about an hour. He sat by her for every tear, every gasp of breath in between. Then when she finally stopped, he took her home. He had already left when Teal realized that her mother had gone ahead and locked the door. She had knocked on the wall of her bedroom until she scared her sisters so much that they opened the door for her. Then the nightmares began. Deciding that she was not going back to sleep, she decided to sit in the living room.
"Why are you up?" Teresa inquired. She was sitting in the living room with a few candles lit and holding a small book. "Doll, it must be six in the morning. Is something wrong?"
"Kind of." Teal walked over and sat by her mother.
"Well, I am your mother you know. You can talk to me about anything. But before you do that, will you explain why you've been acting so oddly these past few days? You went off somewhere with that Melissa girl and came back all funny behaving and I know you don't like strangers, but Floria didn't bother you until she talked about the prince. Then you didn't come back home until late last night, so I went ahead and locked the door."
"That's mostly why something's wrong." She paused. Should she spill every detail? Definitely not anything about telling Remert. But what about Remert telling her? It was her mother, the woman who she could trust anything with. As long as she didn't lie it was fine though, right? "Don't you know a lot about relationships?"
Teresa laughed. "I've been in quite a few. Don't let the secret get out, but I'm in a pretty serious one right now. We even had kids together. About six feet tall, red hair, name's Byron, ever heard of him?"
"Oh yes, I think we've met before. How did you feel when you met him?"
"Hmm...that's a good question. It seemed like...like there was nothing around me. Just him and I. Like the world could have ended right there and I could have been happy. Do you know what I mean?"
"Yes, I do."
"Have you felt that way recently?" her mother asked slyly. Why did mothers have to have the ability to read your emotions even if you hid them fifty kilometers away? I swear, the moment you're born they give the mothers mind reading lessons, Teal thought. I need to be more discreet.
"Perhaps I have, perhaps I haven't." You idiot! You may as well have screamed, "Indeed Mother, I'm completely and utterly in love!"
"Who is he?"
"Not telling."
"Teal Anne, I will tickle you half to death until you tell me. I am not going to judge you on who it is."
She held her breath. Finally exhaling, she said, "Remert."
Her mother was silent and as still as a statue. Her only sign of life Teal saw was her blinking, and even that was irregular.
"Oh." That was the only word that escaped Teresa's lips.
"Aren't you going to say anything? You know, a few tips on relationships, things like that? Fatus Mother!"
The spell quickly took effect. "He's a prince."
"Yes. Does it matter?"
"He's a prince," she repeated, nearly a growl this time.
"What's your point?"
"He's a prince! WHAT MORE DO I NEED TO SAY? ARE YOU DAFT?" Teresa was standing up in the center of the room now. "TEAL, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO YOURSELF! YOU MAY AS WELL WEAR A SIGN AROUND YOUR NECK THAT SAYS, "I'M A WITCH," IF YOU THINK THAT THIS IS OKAY. IF YOU EVER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS PRINCE, IT WILL BE SHARED WITH THE WORLD AND EVERYONE IN WHAYE WILL KNOW YOU'RE A WITCH. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?"
Teal was left speechless. This was the truth. It was a smack in the face, but the truth. Maybe not the shared with all of Whaye part, but if she ever became queen, everyone knew everything about you. Did Marcy and Devon know she was a witch? Hopefully not. It had to change, from that moment on. There was no more, "bubbly girl in love" act, it had to be secret. From this point on, it was courtly love. Melissa, Sebastian and Remert were the only ones to know about this. Deciding to tell Sebastian first, the one most likely to tell people, she whispered Dimitto and was in front of his house. She knocked on the front door and was sent into shock at who answered.
"Teal? What are you doing here?" Melissa asked. She had a blanket wrapped around her, that was it.
"You-Sebastian-blanket-mother-secret-what? Is Sebastian here?"
"Yes he is. Follow me." Teal walked behind Melissa to a bedroom where Sebastian was lying with-thank God- another blanket covering him.
"Back yet my lover?" he seductively inquired. He noticed Teal was with here. "What business do you have here?"
"It was Teal knocking," she said with a smile. "Te amo, mi querido"
"Te amo también Melissa. Mi amor por ti quema como el sol, con un calor de fuego de la pasión."
"-If I'm interrupting something, I'll come back later-"
"No, go ahead. What has upset you? Or is this good news?"
"I guess its good news." Melissa sat on the edge of the bed Sebastian was lying on. This was the true definition of, 'the kind of thing that makes you want to sleep in the same room as your parents for the rest of your life.' "This thing between Rem and I, it's got to be just us knowing. My mother had a point. I can't explain everything now because it seems you two were...busy. I'll let you get back to that. But you have to promise me that from this moment on, you cannot say a word about us liking each other, okay?"
"Don't worry Tight-Up Teal, we won't say anything." When he stopped talking there was a very awkward silence.
"Yeah."
"Indeed."
"I better leave."
"That sounds nice."
"Uh huh."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
**
"Expositus!" So much for knocking. She walked through the walkway of the spell-opened door. Knowing Remert would be sleeping, she lightly stepped into his room. Surely enough, he was sleeping soundly. At least he didn't snore. Now to wake him. This wouldn't be pleasant.
She put her hand on his arm. "Sorry about this. Glacies melt."
"What? Stop!" He sat up immediately, soaked in ice cold water. "Teal? What in the name of Hades are you doing here? Why did you drench me in water?"
"We need to talk."
"You could have just said something, you didn't have to wake me like this!" Remert exclaimed.
"I already said sorry. But I need you to hear this. All of the being open about our relationship has got to stop." She explained everything her mother had said.
"Oh, I see. You're right, it makes sense."
"I've changed Rem. I didn't think someone could change in the course of a few moments, but I thought wrong. If I ever want to be something with you, I can't be a sniveling little girl like I have been lately. No more tears, no more blushing, no more doubts. I should be a woman."
"Wow. That's a big change. I believe in you though." He smiled. "Here's a thought. In congratulations in your becoming a woman, why don't we go to a party? Tonight is Tobias' party. His father is the richest noble in Trenova and they have a huge party every year. Tobias just turned nineteen I believe. A lot of nobles are going and my sister and I have been invited. Would you like to come with me?"
"...I-I don't know..."
"Live a little. Why don't you come by here about dusk and Devon will fancy you all up. I'm sure you wear the same dress size and she can probably fix your hair nicely. If we get back late you can stay the night here and you can tell your mother you were at Melissa's. Sound good?"
"Okay, I'll be here."
"One last thing: don't drink too much. There's going to be ale and wine and mead, so be careful. See you later."
"See you tonight Remert."
**
But then I went and really spoiled it all
By filling up my glass again.
-One Drink Too Many, Sailor
The party was rousing. People everywhere were conversing and dancing. Minstrels were playing in some corner that Teal and Remert couldn't see and there was a table of drinks and food. Devon had lent Teal a dress of hers, a beautiful green silken dress, something that only royalty could afford. Her hair was left down in a flowing style with a small veil covering the top of her eyes. Remert kept close to her side while he talked with some people she didn't know.
"I cannot believe she had the nerve to come here with him either!" he noted to a teenage boy he was talking to.
"Everyone in the community is as shocked as we are. If she says that she's sworn to celibacy, why does she cart that man around her arm like a purse then?"
Teal was getting nervous. She didn't understand a word that anyone was saying, a fish out of water. Each person here knew each other and could talk about anything. Trying to drown out her thoughts momentarily, she took a few sips of her glass of wine.
"Are you okay?" Remert asked her. The teenage boy was gone.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit jittery." When Teal stopped talking, a tall brunette ran up and hugged Remert.
"Remy! It's been ages!" She kissed him on the cheek twice. Who was she? Teal drank quite a bit more of her glass, and without her knowledge, her witchcraft kept filling it.
"It has Glasia. How is Aunt Holly?"
"She's getting better. Arthur is the most adorable thing. Lost a lot of blood having him, but now she's fine." Devon made her way through the crowd and saw Teal.
"Teal? Is something wrong?" she asked. She led Teal to a nearby table so they could sit down.
"Nothing ish wrong. Who'sh the gi…rl Rehmert is hugging?"
"That's our cousin, Glasia. She's the crown princess of Geriu. You're acting all funny and slurring your speech. Have you been drinking?"
"On'y a bit. Tipshy, at besht." She took another drink and hiccupped. "I don't lice him being with her."
"Why not?"
She shrugged. "I don't tell peopshle thish, but I'm the jealoush twipe. My old boyfend hung a'ound girlsh a lot. Moshtly friends, but 'at's probably why I never kished 'em."
"You never kissed your old...boyfriends are people that you like a lot, right?" Devon felt bad, taking advantage of Teal when she was smashed drunk, but there was some information coming out if it at least.
"Yeah, evan love shomtimesh. I theenk that Rehm ish the one for me. I love him. I ashtually love him." She stopped for a moment and put her hand over her stomach. "I don't feel too well. Could it be the whine?"
Devon realized that Teal was probably going to be sick, so she went and told Remert that they needed to leave. Her last memory of the night was Remert and Devon helping her walk to their house, then nothing.
***
"Where am I?" Teal asked the moment she woke up. It took her a bit to realize it was Remert's room, and his bed. Oh no, was she that drunk? They had done it, hadn't they? She pulled back the blanket to see that her dress was changed to the one she put on before Devon changed her last night.
"Up already?" Devon called. She walked into the room. "We took you here last night. If you don't remember, you got really drunk last night at the party and we went here. I changed your dress for you in case you got sick. Good thing you haven't emptied your stomach yet. Remert made a quick trip to the apothecary for you and he'll be back in a bit. How are you feeling?"
"Not so good. Horrible headache, stomach in knots, achy all over and I'm really dizzy."
"That's what normally happens. Taking a drink every time you get nervous adds up."
"I have no idea what I was thinking."
"Teal dear?" Remert came in carrying a cup of tea. "This is a yarrow, wormwood and lemon balm tea. It should help clear some of the symptoms. You need to keep hydrated too, according to the herbalist there." Teal took a swallow of the tea. It was noticeably bitter.
"You're a fairly silent drunk you know," Devon said with a laugh. "I heard all about the boy you liked last. And how you're the jealous kind of person. I never really imagined you like that. But past that you barely said a word"
"Uh huh..." Teal closed her eyes and fell back into the bed. "Can I take a quick nap?"
"Go ahead. I'll be by your side if you need anything Teal," Remert said, touching her hair lightly.
"Love you Rem."
"I love you too Teal."
Teehee! I loved writing Teal drunk. Now everything's changed! She's not a goody-two-shoes anymore. Sebastian and Melissa got hot and heavy this chapter O.o I reuploaded chapters 2-5 because I noticed some errors. Nothing has changed though. Not sure what to write next chapter, taking suggestions!
Review, review, review, re to the view, heck, I'll rap it! Uber uber thanks to every reviewer so far, especially Dem. Just 'cause she's awesome.
Post-Scriptum: All of Meus Regicus Amicus can be found on my profile.