Sunday, December 10th
"Humbert, congratulations on your recovery!" Yuki smiled at Humbert as she entered the room and moved to sit in her usual seat.
Humbert returned her smile with a grin of his own, "Thank you, I'm just relieved to finally be allowed out of this room, this bed." The boy motioned to his bed, happily from the chair across from Yuki rather than from the bed itself.
"It is rather tiring being convalescent, is it not?"
Humbert nodded, "And how are you today? Have you heard anything about Lune yet?"
The princess sank into her seat, her posture drooping in the most unroyal manner. "No, not a thing. A whole month since he left and still not a word. I do worry."
"Who wouldn't after all that?"
Yuki shook herself out of her reverie, "That is not what is important today, what is important is that Dr. Natori has declared you fit and well again. Mother even has a surprise for you after we have luncheon."
"Oh, what is it?"
"It would not be a surprise if I told you," the princess chided with a smile. "Since you are no longer on orders for bed rest we are to have luncheon in the sun room." Yuki rose from her seat, Humbert quickly followed her example and, for the first time since arriving, left the room. As the princess led him through the palace Humbert's head swiveled about wildly.
The halls were the same clay as his room, but paler, almost yellow, with rich brown patterns of ovals and diamonds along the even darker floorboards and trim. Well, that would be the best way Humbert knew how to describe the boarders along the bottom and near the top of the walls, though they weren't boards. Pointed arches with curtains across the openings substituted for doors along the hallway, much like the one in his own room. Soon Yuki led him into a spacious, perfectly round room with large windows streaming light in from the domed ceiling. The walls were a warm, golden color while the floor was a perfect match for the walls in the hallway, right down to the rich brown pattern in concentric circles. Between the circles were several rather oddly shaped tables, they looked like someone had hauled in and scrubbed several large boulders, then taken a lumberjack's saw right across it to make a smooth top. Each table had an assortment of foods on it, all individually sized or ready to be portioned out, with a Cat in a chef hat behind each table. In the very center was a little, round, wooden table with three cushioned, wooden chairs placed evenly around it. Queen Louise stood next to the wooden table waiting for them.
"Ah, Yuki, Humbert, right on time. We thought a buffet style luncheon in celebration of your recovery would be very fitting. Pick out whatever looks good."
"Is this the surprise?" Humbert asked as he looked over everything set out before him.
"I see Yuki has told you about that. No, not quite, the surprise is for after luncheon. Now set up your plate and come sit with us."
Humbert obediently went to the nearest table and looked it over. It was overflowing with freshly cut fruits, parfaits in dainty glasses, and a punch bowl full of pale green liquid with fish swimming in it. Humbert avoided the fish as he loaded up his plate with the other items, then moved onto the next table.
Luncheon passed with light chatter, most of it between Queen Louise and Princess Yuki as they discussed their royal duties. It was as the meal wound down that the queen finally decided to give her surprise. "Humbert, since you are finally recovered I have decided to take you on a tour of our magnificent kingdom. We shall accompany you in royal style to see all the most noteworthy sights."
"That sounds wonderful," Humbert replied.
"Does it not?" Asked Yuki excitedly. "Our kingdom is so beautiful, wait until you see the darling little homes everyone lives in."
"We hope you will come to love our kingdom just as much as we do," added Queen Louise.
Humbert looked down at his hands then, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "That does sound very nice, but I've been meaning to ask for a while, and don't take this the wrong way because I really am grateful for how kind you've been to me and I can't thank you enough, but... when will I go home?"
"My, just look at the time. We had best get started on that tour if I am to have time to attend to state affairs this afternoon." The queen very prettily patted the corners of her mouth with her napkin before elegantly rising from her seat and leaving the room.
Yuki was morosely pushing the last remnants of her parfait around the bottom of her glass while the queen sailed out of the room. After she had gone Humbert turned his confused gaze on his friend, causing the princess to sigh and say, "I am truly sorry, Humbert. Mother does not wish to tell you because the news is unpleasant: you cannot leave." Yuki paused as Humbert drew in a shocked breath, "You have been here too long, you have eaten our food, you are one of us now."
Humbert looked down at the remnants of his freshly eaten lunch, his stomach suddenly churned sickly and the food within felt heavy as rocks. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"Oh Humbert, do not cry. I know you must be sad never to go back home to your family, but our home is a pleasant place. I am sure in time you will grow to love it. Or at least, that is my hope." Yuki gave Humbert a moment to wipe away his tears and pull himself together before continuing, "Come along then, Mother will still want to take you on that tour. You said you are fond of climbing trees, did you not? Though I do not think you are quite recovered enough yet for such an exertion." Yuki stood and held a hand out to Humbert. He still felt sickly, but he took her hand and stood up anyway.
AN: Poor Humbert, but there are risks to spending too much time in the faerie realm, and there's a reason you don't eat the food there. Not that anyone didn't see this coming, story wise it wouldn't make sense for Haru to go on an adventure to find someone who already got a free ride home. Though I suppose something like that could make for a fun comedy, if they both spent a whole story trying to rescue each other when neither one really needs it. Not this story though.