Warnings: Lying is not very nice.
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Morning After
I woke up the next morning, my head aching only slightly from the wine and lack of sleep. I had also partaken liberally of the high-class reds and whites that had been presented as the liquid refreshment for last night.
As was our usual morning routine, Raquel had supplied me with a pitcher of water by my bedside and a note that said something about my schedule of events. The first thing I had to do did not start until later that morning, so I lay in bed, perfectly content to be lazy.
After pouring myself a glass of water, I proceeded to count the dots on the ceiling tiles, a perfectly harmless pastime for a Princess, until Raquel came in.
"Milady, a brunch will be held in a half hour. Would you like to attend, or shall I have breakfast brought to you?" She fiddled with a loose string on her skirt.
"I think," I said, without thinking, "That I will have brunch with the others."
"Then you'd best get dressed, milady." Raquel whisked away into that closet of mine, returning mere seconds later with a proper day gown of light, summery yellow cotton. "Up!" She commanded, and I slowly crawled out from underneath my sheets. In a trice, she had my nightgown off and the day gown on, complete with the decorative corset lacings up the back tied off with a neat bow.
"Thanks, Raquel." I finger-combed my tangled hair tiredly, until another maidservant handed me a brush. "Oh!" I smiled and brushed out my long tresses, watching vainly as they tumbled down to rest in shining pools of chestnut-brown on my lap.
In a matter of a few more minutes, I was pronounced ready for civilized company, and sent away to eat.
As I strolled down the hallway, my spirits plummeted to the pit of my stomach, and they stayed there, fluttering around like butterflies. I realized that Adrian would most likely be attending this brunch. I remembered that I had drugged him the night before.
Oh dear. This could prove to be quite problematic. I considered turning around and going back to my rooms and having Raquel get breakfast for me, but that would probably raise too many questions. Going off to the kitchen to get my own breakfast wasn't even really worth considering; that would be not only conspicuous, but it too would raise far more questions than I wanted to answer. I figured that I might as well keep on going and have brunch with the others. It couldn't go too badly, right?
I was so doomed.
Step by step, I made my way to the solar where the meal was being hosted. Step by step, my strides grew smaller, slower until finally I was barely moving at all.
"Elensar?" I squeaked as Faelyn walked up behind me.
"Faelyn!" I forced my lips into a smile that looked anything but innocent. "Hi, how're you?" I giggled nervously, feeling like I would throw up if I opened my mouth again.
"Are you feeling okay?" She gave me a look full of sisterly concern. "You seem a little…jumpy."
"No, I'm fine, just dandy!" I seemed to be only a spectator as my mouth fielded Faelyn's questions with perky ease.
"Oh, alright then." She paused, giving me another look. "Are you going to the brunch too?"
"Oh yes, of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I started to wonder at my own mental stability. What was I saying?
Faelyn looked askance at me. "Right. Well," She mustered a smile, "Come on then."
"Did you have fun last night?" I asked her, almost desperate for conversation, for something to take my mind off of the social faux pas that I would certainly commit.
"Oh yes, it was quite fun. It always is." She smiled impishly then. "Elensar, did you have fun?"
"Um…" Suddenly, I was no longer a spectator. "Sure."
"You know, he's probably going to be there this morning." Faelyn patted my shoulder. "The wine should have worn off by now."
"Please, Faelyn, don't remind me." I sighed, wishing that I could redo the entire night.
"Why not? I'm proud of you! You did the right thing." My sister gave me a real smile then, not one of the politely fake ones that she had been using.
"Did I?" I frowned. "I can't help but think-"
She interrupted me, "Of course you did the right thing! I always knew you could do it, you know."
"Really?" That somehow surprised me.
"Yes. You wouldn't betray us, Elensar, not you, not ever." Faelyn laughed lightly. "It was silly of me, of all of us, to ever be suspicious of you. You care about us, about dancing, too much to ever give it up." Her cerulean eyes practically shone with pride.
"Thanks, Fae." I hugged her awkwardly.
She grinned. "No problem. Now, let's hurry, everyone has probably eaten all the food and saved none for us!"
"They better not have!" I continued indignantly, "I had to walk all this way, all the way from my room to the solar, no less! It would be positively scandalous if they didn't save any food for us. And you! Your walk was far longer than mine was. We might've starved by now…" I trailed off into giggles.
Faelyn was laughing too. "That's what I love about you, sister. You always make for a good laugh."
I was too busy laughing to respond.
By the time we reached the solar, a whole two minutes had passed and I hadn't starved. Contrary to our worries, there was still food left on the table, just waiting to be eaten.
I picked up a strawberry-filled pastry and slid into the seat that was open next to Alyssa. "G'morning," I greeted her.
She daintily patted her lips with a napkin. "Hello, love. Sleep well?"
I nodded, "Oh, indeed." Taking a bite of the pastry, I reveled in the taste of fresh strawberries on my tongue.
Alyssa nudged me. "Oh look who's here," She chirped merrily. I looked where she was pointing and almost choked.
"Hide me. Please. Dig a hole and bury me in it, please. Now." I whimpered slightly and tried ineffectually to hide behind my water glass.
"Elensar, don't be daft." Alyssa giggled. "King Adrian, please, come sit with us!" She waved him over.
I could have died.
"Hello, Princess Alyssa, Princess Elensar." He inclined his head regally towards the both of us, but kept his gaze firmly fastened on Alyssa.
"How are you this fine morning?" Alyssa inquired of him politely.
"Apart from a slight headache, I'm doing rather well. I do believe that I drank a little too much wine last night." His response was the quintessence of polite formality.
My cheeks burned hotly as I nibbled at my tart.
Adrian took a sip of his water, and then addressed Alyssa again. "How do you fare?"
"Oh quite well. I slept wonderfully last night. I think that the new sheets I bought are the trick. Ieratian cotton, I believe. They're just so soft…" She sighed dramatically, emphasizing her point.
"I'm glad you slept well, Princess." He pronounced this gravely, as if it were a matter of utmost importance.
There was silence.
Alyssa was waiting for him to ask how I was doing, and Adrian was refusing to. I was waiting for my hole to appear so I could crawl in anytime. My throat was feeling stuffed full of strawberries, but I knew it wasn't, since I had barely eaten any of my brunch. It had to be tears.
Finally, Alyssa took it upon herself to break the pause, which had become very uncomfortable. "So, Elensar, how are you this morning?"
I stared at her mutely for several long heartbeats; I was utterly unable to comprehend what she was asking me. Then, with a start, I answered. "I'm rather tired. I kept having nightmares…they were quite awful, really."
"Really?" Alyssa shot a questioning glance in my direction. I snuck a look around her at Adrian. He was staring at me intently, but looked away when our eyes collided in midair. "What were they about, if I may pry?"
I gathered my wits about me and launched into my story. "Well, you see, it all started with me holding this fancy goblet. It had this liquid in it, dark and all, and at first I thought it was blood. For some reason, I tasted it, and then I realized it was wine." I warmed up to my tale. "Suddenly, there was another goblet in my hand, and I was sitting next to you, Adrian." I looked over at him and attempted to smile, but ended up with a grotesque facsimile. I continued, "I gave the other glass to you, and you drank it, and mumbled something and fell asleep. As I was leaving your rooms, I woke up…" I trailed off, hoping they would believe me.
Alyssa pretended to. "Oh that's terrible!" She reached around and gave me a big hug. She whispered angrily into my ear, "What are you doing."
I shrugged slightly and let my gaze wander over to Adrian.
"So, Elensar, are you saying that it was all a dream?" He stared at me levelly, showing absolutely no emotion.
I faltered for a second, and all my worries and insecurities must have been written in large, bold letters across my face. "Yes?" I answered hesitantly.
Adrian leaned over Alyssa and trapped my stare securely in a net of his eyes. "So you want me to believe that we shared a dream, last night, a dream in which you betrayed me?" He sighed. "I don't think I believe you, Elensar."
As he dropped my gaze, I felt an acute sense of hopelessness well up inside of me and threaten to spill out as tears. "You don't?"
"No." He smiled at me, in a mockery of all the sugary-sweet smiles that I had turned on him in Delran. "It wasn't a dream, Elensar, and you and I both know that." He shrugged. "I almost wish it was a dream, you know."
There was a pause as I struggled not to ask why, but lost in a matter of mere seconds. "Why?" I nervously took a bite of my strawberry confection to have something to do.
"You know Elensar," I cringed as I heard the droll cynicism return to his voice. It was almost as if the several months that we had spent together in Delran had never happened. It was as if he was pretending that he hadn't said he loved me. He said my name, and when he said it, it sounded like dirt. Like less than dirt. It made me feel like less than dirt. "I said I loved you, you do remember that, don't you? Just yesterday morning, in fact. I declared my love for you before the entire court, Elensar." He chuckled bitterly. "I say I love you, and you drug me. I work to free you and you hinder me. Why, Elensar, why?"
I couldn't answer him. There wasn't anyway possible that I could. If I answered him, I would have to tell him everything. I couldn't do that. Faelyn had said that she knew that I would stay strong, she knew I could do it. Alyssa knew that I had my doubts, but she too expected me to stay strong. Evadne would gloat if I failed, she would revel in my inadequacy. She would rub it in my face. None of my sisters would ever trust me again. I would be the one who had failed. I would fulfill that goddamned prophecy.
I loved Adrian, though. I was sure of that now. There was no way that I couldn't tell him. I couldn't let him die. He was someone that I could trust, someone that I loved. I couldn't let him down too, could I? I couldn't let him die. I had to tell him. I had to tell him everything; I had to tell him the secret nighttime dancing, I had to tell him about the princes, the forests, everything. He was counting on me, he had trusted me. Could I betray him two more times?
I must have been sitting there for quite some time, because the entire room seemed to be waiting expectantly for me to say something.
"Elensar?" Adrian reached out to touch my hand, and I realized that he was kneeling next to me. "Elensar, why? Answer me, please, I just want to know why…" His voice cracked a little and the cold tones that I had heard in his voice earlier dissipated with a few words.
I couldn't answer him. I wouldn't give my sisters the satisfaction of knowing that I was a failure, but I also wouldn't let Adrian know. At least not there.
"Say something, anything." Alyssa leaned toward me, her imploring expression saying more than her voice.
I looked at both of them, and smiled strangely. "Can't," I mumbled, my response coming out as if it were being squeezed from the very pit of my stomach.
Adrian's face fell quickly, but resolved into a hard façade of cool reserve just as quickly. "Oh." He got up, and I grabbed at his fingers, but missed as he turned away from me.
"That was brave of you Elensar." Alyssa patted my knee.
"You didn't let me finish." I swallowed as my mouth was very suddenly devoid of any moisture.
Adrian glanced over his shoulder very, very slowly, and, equally leisurely, the rest of his body pivoted to face me again. "Oh?" He raised one eyebrow sardonically.
I stood, shaking slightly. He came to me, and I stood on tiptoe so that I could whisper in his ear. "I can't tell you."
He started to draw away, frowning. "That's not diff-"
I placed one finger on his lips, silencing him. "Now, not now," I murmured. "Wait for me tonight. Don't come and catch me this time; wait for me."
"Can I trust you?" He asked, his breath stirring the fine hairs that curled across my cheek.
Pressing my cheek against his, I replied, "You have to."
His arms encircled me in a gentle hug, and I smiled. "I will wait, then, be it for death or for you."
I drew back, stricken by the sinister quality of his words.
"Elensar, what are you doing?" Jeanette crept up behind me and grasped my elbow. "Elensar!"
As I extracted myself from Adrian's arms, I started to cry. I was so torn…who was I to be loyal to; the one I loved or my family?
Worry and pity flashed across almost every face present; it was inescapable no matter which way I turned.
I did the only thing that I could think of doing in a situation like that: I starting running again.
Author's Note: Why, hello again! Once more, I apologize for making you wait for an update, but school keeps getting in my way. First it was Frau preparing everyone for the biggest German test ever, and it was going to be so hard and we were all going to fail…etc. Then, we were swamped by New Standards testing, this time for math. Math is evil. Even now, my teachers seem bound and determined to give us as much work as possible in the last quarter, and I don't know why…but at least it means that I am (almost) through with my graduation project! XD
As for everyone who reviewed, you make my days that much better! Thanks bunches! Cookies for all of you!
Yep, I gotta love ya…
Miss Piratess: Nope, Adrian's not dead…yet. Mwahaha. Do you really think I could get this professionally published? I would love to, I know that much…)
Lilred-07: We can't have Adrian dying, now, can we? Perhaps…P
Rainkisser: I think I was waiting for my inbox to suddenly have an influx of Review Alerts! to update, I don't know why…Maybe it's because they make me laugh, and make an awesome day even better! Do you have any chapters left to review, or did you review them all by now?
Athena Diagon Cat: Good point about the shoes…I never thought about that. You would think that royalty of all people would get sturdy shoes. Hmm.
Panemonium: Remember, Markus is Evadne's soldier-guy. He usually acts on whims for her. I don't know why the dancing is such a big deal. I'll have to think up an explanation for that now!
Cerri: Thank you! I'm flattered that you liked my story enough to read it in such a short span of time! I want Elensar to fall for Adrian too, but I'm still undecided as to the ending…
No-myridon: School is evil, without a doubt! Are you so certain that everything turns out well in the end? What if I decide to go against my very nature and become one of those writers who never has happy endings? I probably won't, so no real worries…:)
Dragonblade Goddess: It took me a while to really make myself do that to Adrian. I would hate to have to do that to a real person, though…that would make me very unhappy…
TinkerBell394587: I don't know how you hide a door. It might simply be magic. I'm guessing that Evadne just found it and started using it.
HalfBludPr1ncess: Well, thank you twice over for all the nice things you said! I appreciate them muchly!
Well, that's all for now…I hope you all review again, and I thank you in advance. I hope you liked this chapter!
