Yellow
twenty-something

"Oh. It's you."

Cedric opened the door to the Manor to find Amber on his doorstep in a dark blue gown, a wide-brimmed hat, and a pair of those darkened glasses that had become some kind of trend. He had to bite his tongue to refrain from saying what he wanted to say in response to her bitingly deflated response to his presence and instead tried to say something more like what his wife would say.

"And a true delight to see you as well." The sarcasm dripped from his tongue. Well, he did say he would try to sound more like Sofia, not necessarily that he would succeed at doing it. "How might I help you, Your Majesty?"

"I was looking for Sofia." Her words were curt yet unhurried. But Cedric was able to notice the fingers on her left hand anxiously strumming against her skirts, not to mention the fact that she was favoring a hat over her most royal crown that she took such pride in wearing. Something was off with her slightly slouched posture.

"It's a bit early to come calling, don't you think? I can't speak for you, but I tend to relish in these early morning hours when my children are sleeping as there is such precious little time to be alone." The trap was laid. A perfect opportunity for a less-than-subtle dig at his surely sub-par paternal disposition. Exactly the kind of dig that Amber tended to sink her perfectly manicured claws into.

"Is she asleep, or…?" Amber trailed off her sentence, ignoring the bait. Yes, something certainly was wrong.

"I'm afraid she's indisposed at the moment. The baby kept her up all night and I'm remiss to wake her up while she gets the sleep he lets her take." His words were chosen carefully as he considered the young Queen before him, taking his time to speak so he could watch her closely. Her disappointment was almost imperceptible: a slight toward turn at the corners of her lips and a tiny furrow of her eyebrow.

"Of course. I didn't realize the hour. I apologize." All crisp lines again, Amber turned to go.

"Amber," he said, familiarity and a touch of kindness ringing out in his voice. "Wait." He reached out and grabbed her arm and she visibly flinched before tearing her arm out of his grasp. With her other hand, she ripped the dark glasses off of her face and glared up into Cedric's eyes.

"Do. Not. Touch me!" She was nearly shouting, a flash of anger hiding panic behind eyes that were surrounded by a yellowing bruise. Cedric, for his part, had pulled his arm back to his side. Shock ran through him at the sight of the bruise and the pieces of the puzzle Amber had unwittingly presented him with came tumbling together. He held his hands in front of him, both clearly visible to the Queen as she realized that her glasses were no longer balanced on her nose. "...oh," she breathed, bringing her free hand to delicately touch the exposed bruise.

"Come inside, Amber." All harshness had been shed from Cedric's words. His words were gentle instructions to help her find shelter in his home. Their constant dislike of one another was no match for the very real problem written across Amber's face. Cedric was surprised to find a protective instinct swell to life inside his chest at his sister-in-law's pain. He stepped back into his home and held the door open wider so she could numbly walk inside. "I'm glad you're here."

A/N: Traveling to the beach tomorrow! Hopefully the surf and sun will help the creative juices flow on Riches. Until then, drabbles galore!