Chapter 2:
Nightmares and books
.
Hours into the night, laying in bed, Theena stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Sleep never came easy to her, especially since….well, since Kameo had started training to become queen. Yes, she had duties before, but considering how much she didn't know…Theena sighed and rolled over.
.
She would learn in time, they were there, they would teach her. It was always the plan if anything should happen to…
.
She rolled over again, as if to block out the thoughts. It was the last thing she wanted to think about, but her mind kept wondering back to it. She knew that if she thought too long on everything that had happened, her walls would crumble and break. She couldn't deal with that. Not again.
After Solon…it took many years to recover from that, but even now, even 18 years later, she still hadn't recovered her heart from then.
'Sleep, I need sleep. I need to be at my best to teach Kameo.' Theena sighed again. How often did she do that now? The old queen wasn't sure and didn't care to count.
.
Finally, her eyelids felt heavy enough to rest. They closed and she sighed once more.
.
.
"Mother?" She glanced over.
.
Kalus sat across from her in her tiny blue night gown. Another bad dream, which often happened every time her beloved Solon went away.
.
"More nightmares?"
.
The red headed child nodded silently, looking up at her mother with eyes strongly reminiscence of her father. How she loved staring into them and thinking of times when all three were together. Theena scooped up Kalus and both sat on the large bed, adorn with silk.
.
.
"What happened in this one?" She asked as Kalus stared off.
.
"I dreamt-"
"-dreamed"
"-dreamed that Father didn't come back… then you disappeared too." Theena glanced at her with some surprise. Yes, her nightmares always involved Solon disappearing, which worried her, but this was the first time that she had been in Kalus' nightmares."
.
"My dear, precious child, your father does leave a lot, yes…but I will always be here, and I will always love you. Nothing will change that, my tiny queen." She said, hugging her tightly.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
.
."Mother?"
.
Theena looked over, seeing Kameo standing in her room. She got a fright and looked down, realising she was hugging her pillow. Theena immediately released it and sat up, looking at her daughter.
.
"How long have I slept for?"
.
"It's early, you have not slept in, but I heard you talking… are you okay?" Kameo asked.
.
The truth was, she couldn't sleep either. She had so many thoughts flying around in her mind and writing them in her journal did not suffice anymore. She had this feeling to go see her mother.
.
Kameo sat down in her dark green gown, fiddling with her hands. Kalus used to-
No, she couldn't focus on that now. She couldn't afford to look weak, she had to be a strong example for the future queen.
Theena sighed heavily before composing herself.
.
"I am well, but you should rest. You will need it for the meeting today. There is a lot we must go over before the Council arrives." Kameo frowned.
.
"I wasn't aware there was a council, only representatives for each tribe." Theena nodded.
"Long ago, there was a council that was formed by each leader of each tribe. We would come together to discuss and negotiate, whatever one tribe needed, it would be brought up and the details worked out until both sides were happy. Thorn used to be part of the council, around the same time as the King."
.
Kameo blinked in surprise.
.
"Thorn was part of the council? I know father let the trolls into our lands long ago, but why let him, let alone any troll on such important matters?" Theena glances off to the side.
.
"While Trolls did create incredible machines, they also drove a lot of monsters away from the other tribes and their lands."
"Wait, were they a type of guardian?" Theena chuckled in surprise, startling Kameo.
.
"Of course not, that role is far too important for such simple creatures. As the trolls made land for their structures, they just happen to take out dangerous beasts as well. I suppose it takes a monster to destroy a monster."
.
"But the King believed they could be of use in such a position by the council, more so for monitoring them. But Thorn is stubborn and often rejected proposals made by other tribes. It would make sense that the leader of the trolls has a narcissist complex."
.
Kameo was lost in thought, thinking about this new information. Why was this never brought up before?
.
.
"Did Kalus know this?" Theena's eyes darkened as she looked off to the side.
"..."
.
"If I am to be….queen….then I should know this, shouldn't I?" Even after 2 years, it still felt so weird and even wrong to call herself that.
.
"There is much you will learn-"
"But how much I know now, compared to how much Kalus knew, how much more is there for me to catch up on?"
.
The older queen sighed, rubbing her eyes.
.
"I will not lie, there is an incredible amount for you to learn before you even come close Kameo. While you still have a great deal ahead of you, do not forget that your family is here." She said with a smile. "Now go get some rest. There is still time to sneak a few hours sleep in before the sun rises." She said after glancing out the window.
.
.
Kameo got up, gave a brief bow and quietly left, lost in her own thoughts.
.
"While you still have a great deal ahead of you, do not forget that your family is here." As she walked through the hall, she stopped beside a familiar door on the way to her own. A deep red door that looked quite worn.
.
The new heir turned to face it and reached out, pushing it open. It creaked quite loudly, the sound ringing out through the silent, cold air. Kameo felt a chill go down her back, but still walked inside, shutting it behind her.
.
To the right corner was a desk piled in books. Some were still open, while others were pushed to the side, having a single large scroll stretching down the right side, filled with various notes. A large candle with melted wax sat on the corner of it, once providing light to allow further study long into the night and early hours of the morning. Off to the left of that desk was symbols and markings drawn on the floor.
.
The bed was surprisingly plain, but the sheets were still a mess from the occupant's last use of it. Having been tossed aside in excitement and joy, not tucked in neat and tidy as per usual. Against the wall opposite of the bed was an old wardrobe that had seen better days.
.
It had quite a lot of scratches and scuffs, even having some scorch marks, but it was awfully close to the magic circle on the floor, so she could easily locate the cause of these old wounds of wood.
.
Kameo slowly reached out to the handle and pulled it open. She didn't know what she was expecting to find, or what she was looking for, but dust greeted her and she sneezed, stepping back. She slipped on the sheet and fell back onto the bed, getting a fright.
.
She realised it was the first time she had been alone in here. Even when she was younger, there was always someone else inside, but now she could feel the room itself. Lenya had often told her that rooms strongly reflect the person living in them, and the best way to learn more about them, was to listen to the room when their person wasn't around.
.
So listen she did. Kameo closed her eyes and sighed, letting her mind wonder.
.
.
The room held an air of tension, stress, knowledge, power and…loneliness…
One thing she noticed, was a strong tension in the air. She felt herself tensing, the feeling of unseen stress crawling up her arms and back like an unwelcomed spider. She felt the desire to improve, to be better, to become powerful, but she felt something else..
.
…loneliness…
.
.
Kameo opened her eyes, sitting up. She had started crying without realising it. Is this what she went through? She looked back at the wardrobe, remembering that she never actually looked inside. She stood up and peered in.
.
A white, long dress sat inside, decorated with golden hems and runes stitched in with a deep red thread. The skirt was long and elegant, leading to a snug bodice, but the sleeves were the main highlight. It was an off the shoulder design, but instead of being tight, they were loose and open, having two buttons down the sides to hold them together, ending as a fingerless glove that only connected at the middle finger.
.
It was stunning. She saw a vision of it being worn, a bright beaming smile, so much pride and joy…
.
Something caught her eye.
.
Sitting on the bottom, covered by the dress' skirt, was a small deep red book. Kameo didn't think twice about picking it up and opening it. Curiosity overtook her.
.
.
It was a list, almost like a series of tasks. At the bottom though, she read:
*'I imagine my days will be busier once I have charge of the Element of Power-'*
.
Kameo tensed.
.
It was *Kalus' diary.*
.
She didn't even know she had a diary.
.
.
As she was debating what to do, she heard footsteps approaching. Kameo tensed, quickly ducking down after shutting the wardrobe. Unfortunately it made an audible *click* and she froze.
.
The footsteps paused.
Kameo's heart pounded.
.
The door handle turned and Kameo crawled under the bed, book in hand.
.
.
She could only see the entrance, but she recognised the gown. Then she realised that Mother must have wanted to check that she had gone to bed. She was somewhat annoyed but realised that without Kalus, Mother would have felt better checking on at least one of them, even if she was soon to be queen.
.
Eugh, still felt weird calling herself that.
.
Theena didn't move for a long time. Kameo could *hear* her clenching her fists. She then heard her take a deep breath and shift slightly.
.
"I still need to seal this room… Kameo doesn't need reminders of the past.." She turned and left, visibly shaken, judging by her footsteps. She didn't even enter Kalus' room. Not even after 2 years.
.
Kameo waited a bit, before crawling out, dusting herself off and quickly wondering down a different hallway, hiding the book in her skirt, as she saw her Mother walking out of her room.
.
"Where were you?"
"I had to pee." Theena seemed surprised but didn't think much of it.
"Get some rest." Kameo nodded as she walked past, heading into her room. She sat in bed and waited for Theena's footsteps to fade. Once they did, she briefly changed into Ash and lit the candle by her bed with her left nostril. After changing back, Kameo sat down in bed and opened the diary.
.
Part of her told her not to violate Kalus' privacy, but the other half told her that her mother wouldn't talk about Kalus anytime soon. While Lenya, Halis and Yeros were more open, there were certain details they still held from her.
.
Kalus wasn't here now, but at least her diary could hold some clues. She still had some hours before she was meant to get up and now would be her only chance to do so.
Chapter 2:
End