Romain had been moping around in the library for most of the day. Both Eden and Benicia, along with his father, had been called to a meeting that was apparently of crucial importance. Romain was uncharacteristically exempt from having to go - and ordinarily, he would have welcomed it, but his mother had informed him (in no uncertain terms) that he was expected to use the time to get to know the Selected.
Apparently they were all at another gathering, this time some sort of lunch. Romain was getting tired of wandering through parties and pretending that he remembered everyone's names. He hesitated outside the door, hearing the soft, constant murmur of polite conversation, and contemplated whether or not to go in. The prospect of slipping away from the palace by himself was looking more and more appealing.
It had been weeks since Romain had left the palace at his own liberty. No one would notice if he left for the stables and went out for a quick ride in the grounds...right?
The sound of heels clicking on the floors of the palace made him start guiltily, turning to see his mother looking coolly, expressionlessly down at him. Despite the fact that Romain was much taller and broader than she was, her unfailing, perfect composure and confidence always made him feel very small and insignificant.
"Romain." The Queen took in his attire, from his black boots and tan riding breeches to his leather gloves. "Are you going somewhere?"
Well, there goes that plan. "Um...just out riding?" It came out sounding much less assured and much guiltier than he had intended it to be. "I was going to invite a couple of the Selected to come with me," he added hastily. The Queen would see right through the lie, he knew - Romain had never been good at deception. But at least this way, she couldn't actually blame him for anything.
It was funny how a few minutes ago, Romain could think of nothing worse than forcing himself to go into the room with the Selected gathered inside. Now, though, he was seriously contemplating throwing himself to them and giving himself up to their every whim just to escape the Queen's coldly disapproving gaze. He compromised by mumbling something vague and mostly incoherent to the Queen, and stumbling rather gracelessly into the room.
He glanced around, feeling the heat rise into his face. Nobody seemed to be paying him much attention though - it appeared to be lunchtime, and the Selected were grouped around small round tables, some of them conversing comfortably with each other, while others sat in stony silence.
"Um," Romain said eloquently, aware of the Queen's presence behind him, knowing that he had to follow through with his promise. "I - everyone? Hello?"
One of the girls at the table nearest to him stopped mid-sentence and dropped her sandwich at the sight of him. When the rest of the table noticed the reason for her reaction, they fell silent and stared, too. WIthin seconds, the entire room was quiet and focused on him, which absolutely did not help Romain's desire to sink through the floor and never return.
"I'm planning on going out for a ride. On horseback, that is. With the horses. I - does anyone want to come with me?" He stammered. If Eden or Benicia were here, he'd probably have been able to more smoothly deliver his question, but then again, they would probably have also teased him relentlessly about the situation in general for days afterwards.
It was only after he asked the assembled group of Selected that he realized most of them probably hadn't been near a horse in their life.
"You don't have to go," he added hastily. He wondered if they could all not go, and then he could return to reading or other pursuits that involved not talking to people.
One of the few men that had been Selected caught his eye, flashing Romain a smirk when they made eye contact. Romain blushed, his embarrassment only growing when he realized that he had been the one to catch him after his clumsy stumble at the welcome gathering. "I'd love to go," he drawled. "It's a beautiful day...but of course, not as beautiful as you, your highness."
Romain was certain that if he blushed any harder, he would spontaneously combust.
The rest of the Selected seemed far less willing, but Romain eventually managed to scrounge up several other people who seemed to know how to ride, or were willing enough to try. He ran through their names in his head again. The blonde one was named Maverick. The three girls trailing behind him were Ivelisse, Cynthia and Lace.
At the very back, almost jogging to keep up, was Valentina. Romain doubted that she had even wanted to go in the first place, but Umeko had pushed her towards the door, whispering something to her that Romain hadn't been able to catch.
There was a member of the royal guard already standing by the door, presumably sent by the Queen. Romain nodded to as he fell in with the Selected, bringing up the rear. He supposed that he couldn't expect that he and the Selected would be allowed to go through the woods without any sort of protection. He would've preferred Eden, but at least any the members of the royal guard didn't usually feel the need to talk unnecessarily.
"You guys can wait outside," he suggested, mostly just to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled over them as he led them out of the castle. None of them really responded, except for the redheaded girl, who nodded and smiled in a faintly encouraging, friendly sort of way, but Romain decided to take their silence as agreement.
Romain felt his spirits lift marginally as he approached the stables, starting to smile when he saw a familiar finely-shaped dark head peering out of the stall. Her ears were angled towards him, and her dark eyes were bright as she whickered softly in greeting.
"Hey, Dawn," he said, stroking her muzzle. "Miss me?"
He'd been given Black Dawn when he was only sixteen - well, not quite given. Black Dawn's mother had died while foaling. He'd begged his father to let him keep the weak foal, and had been grudgingly permitted to nurse her back to full health.
Romain didn't like to think about it much, but horses were much more delicate than most people thought. Back when he and Ophélie were younger, they would talk about horses all the time; his little sister was fascinated by biology and animals in particular. Of course, that had all stopped when she suddenly decided that he wasn't worth talking to.
He noticed that Black Dawn, along with several other horses, had already been saddled up. No doubt Umeko had given orders for the servants to run on ahead of them and prepare the horses, not wanting to waste any of the time that Romain could be spending on socializing with the Selected. One by one, he led the saddled horses out to where the Selected were waiting.
"Choose a horse, I guess, and we'll get going."
He watched as some of the Selected hesitantly approached the horses, most of them looking wary and uncertain - well, all of them, really, except for Maverick (did anything faze him?), who approached one of the horses - a somewhat wild stallion named Casanova - with confidence. He only raised an eyebrow when Casanova snorted and stamped the ground, waiting until the stallion had quieted to swing one long leg easily over his back.
Within a few moments, most of the Selected had made their way onto their horses - albeit clumsily, and looking a little nervous (though most of them seem reassured when all of the horses stood docile and still and didn't attempt to buck off their riders), all but for one of the girls - Romain was fairly sure her name was Lace - who had an air of good-humoured confusion.
"I've never done this before," she informed him, though she didn't look particularly put off by that fact. "And I'm not nearly as tall as everyone else is. I thought it'd be an interesting thing to try, though," she added cheerfully, apparently sensing Romain's question before it came.
Her friendliness put Romain more at ease, and he found himself relaxing a little. She didn't seem to mind, at least, that Romain had barely showed his face around the Selected and had been less-than-courteous to most of them. "It's all right," he said, stepping away from Black Dawn to offer his hand to her. "I'll help. Just put your foot in there - and then step up -"
He guided her through it, keeping his arm around her waist and tightening his grip when she wobbled forwards. Both of them laughed - Lace with bright eyes and genuine amusement, and Romain awkwardly and averting his gaze - when Romain's arm lingered around her waist unintentionally for a half-second longer than was strictly needed. He withdrew hastily, quickly mounting Black Dawn.
"Come on," he called over his shoulder. "We'll just ride through a short trail through the forest."
Romain led them through the small forest that stood behind the expansive gardens. The rhythmic, muted steps of the horses were a steady beat against the gentle trills of birds and rustle of small animals through fallen leaves.
He realized abruptly that none of the Selected were talking, and an uncomfortable silence seemed to have settled over them.
"So...nice weather we've been getting," he said, bypassing all of his etiquette lessons and proceeding immediately to the worst line of conversation possible.
There was a chorus of agreement among the Selected, and then another long silence. Romain wanted to point out something interesting in the scenery, but there was a definite lack of features that were not trees or grass.
"Yeah, it's been really nice weather," one of the girls said from the back, trying to extend the conversation. "We don't get as many sunny days where I come from."
"Oh, where's that?"
"Columbia."
Romain tried to think of a response. "That's nice. Um, my sister really likes rhododendrons; she tried to grow some in the greenhouses. That's the provincial flower, right?"
"Yeah. We learned about it in school." the girl in the back said, effectively shutting down their already awkward exchange. Romain took a quick glance back at the Selected; Maverick was definitely trying to hide his laughter, while two of the girls were engaged in their own quiet conversation.
Alright, Romain thought to himself. I'll just let them enjoy the scenery. It really was a pleasant day, and he missed being able to leave the castle on extended excursions. Being in the forest was calming, even when he was accompanied by a group of people he didn't know and who were all trying to hide how uncomfortable they felt.
There was a sudden sound of galloping in the distance, and before Romain even had time to do more than wonder briefly who it could be, a lone horse and rider burst into view from one of the side paths veering off from the trail they were on. Romain let out a yell of surprise, both Black Dawn and the other horse rearing upwards as they nearly collided with each other.
"Ebony Flame?" Romain said, staring at the only other jet-black horse in the royal stables, and the only one with such a regrettable name. He turned his attention to Ebony's rider, blinking in surprise when he recognized the glossy sheen of dark chestnut hair and a heavily embroidered riding jacket that she always wore. "Ophélie?"
If Ophélie was as surprised as Romain was at having encountered each other in the forest, she didn't show it. "Watch where you're going," she snapped, pulling on Ebony's reins so that the mare turned onto the main path. "Honestly, can't you do anything right?"
"What?" Romain asked in disbelief. "You were the one who nearly crashed into me!"
"You're supposed to check if anyone's coming down the side trails before crossing them," Ophélie said. "It's like looking both ways before crossing the road. Common sense. But I suppose that you're sorely lacking in that department."
"Why are you even here, anyway?" Romain demanded, unable to find a response to her barbs. Ophélie let out a short, sharp little laugh.
"Doing something more productive than prancing around in the woods. What must Illéa think - not only is their Prince and next King unable to even show his face at his own lessons, he needs help finding someone that might even be the slightest bit interested in marrying him."
Romain was used to Ophélie's insults, but they still hurt. "Don't you have somewhere else to be too?" he asked in an attempt to shoo her off. He was painfully aware of the fact that the Selected were still behind him, silently watching the interaction, their opinion of him likely plummeting each second he stayed motionless and struggling to breathe, to not let the unanticipated pain that Ophélie's words had struck in him show on his face.
Without bothering to give Romain a response, Ophélie spurred Ebony forwards at a gallop, skimming past one of the Selected so that Ebony brushed against her horse. The girl let out a cry of shock as her horse danced nervously to the side, rearing up on his hind legs and plunging forwards into the woods.
"Whoa there!" Romain yelled. "Odyssey!" He jerked on Dawn's reins, pointing her towards the direction where Odyssey and his rider had disappeared. "Take the rest of the Selected back to the castle!" He called back at the guard, not waiting for a response. "Come on, Dawn," he urged.
They sped through the forest, Romain bent over Dawn's neck as he guided her along the path. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Odyssey and his rider up ahead, the gelding still tossing his head nervously, but no longer racing wildly through the woods and with his rider still very much intact on top of him, even if she seemed a little shaken.
"Are you alright?" He pulled up beside her, grabbing onto Odyssey's reins just in case he spooked again. The girl dismounted shakily, but with much more grace than Romain would have expected.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, her voice breathless but steady. Her long caramel hair had become dishevelled, the formerly loose waves windswept and a little tangled, but her eyes weren't wide with shock, so Romain figured that she was telling the truth. "Are you?" She added unexpectedly.
Romain blinked, unsure what she was asking. "I'm not the one that was carried off into the woods by a panicked horse on my first time out riding."
"No, not that," she said, and though she sounded utterly serious, he could see a hint of humour glinting in her blue-green eyes. Is she laughing at me? Romain wondered. "Earlier. That was your sister, right? Princess Ophélie?"
"Yes," Romain said slowly, not sure where she was going with this. "It was." Oh. Was she concerned for him because of what Ophélie had said? Am I that obvious? He thought a little bitterly.
"Sorry, I saw your expression after she said what she did," the girl said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "For what it's worth, though, I don't think any of the other Selected noticed. You never answered my question, though. Are you okay?"
Romain took his time responding, dismounting from Dawn and beckoning at her so that she followed obediently at his heels while he started to lead Odyssey out of the forest. His rider - what was her name again? Ophélie was right. I really am hopeless at this. "It isn't anything I haven't heard before."
"That still doesn't answer my question," she pointed out. "I'm Cynthia, by the way. It's all right, I figured you'd forget, there are a lot of us," she said, apparently anticipating Romain's impending apology. "Siblings are sort of awful sometimes, aren't they?"
Romain started to smile at her matter-of-fact tone. "Yeah? Do you have a lot of experience with that?"
"I've got five older brothers at home. We have a lot of arguments."
"Probably not about the one that's most capable of ruling the kingdom, though, right?"
"Well, no," Cynthia admitted. "They usually have something to do with money. A big family of Fives doesn't really make enough money to go around. Still, though, at the end of the day, we're all still family, and that matters more than anything else."
Romain smiled, suddenly feeling quite a bit more cheerful. "So, do you think Ophélie and I are going to become the best of friends one day, and realize we spent over ten years fighting over, I don't know, a misunderstanding?"
"Don't rule it out. She probably cares about you...deep down."
Romain shook his head, laughing. "You don't know about the time she went to the trouble of unhemming every single one of my pants in revenge, because I accidentally bumped into her the day before and made her stumble in front of a diplomat. I was tripping over myself all day."
Cynthia laughed, her eyes bright with amusement. "Oh, that's nothing. One time, my brother Derek hid all of my performance clothes and swapped them with West's - my oldest brother. I had to sing in a suit at least eight sizes too big for me."
Romain was nearly breathless with laughter. "Okay, fine, you win this round. Well, one time Aurelien, my younger brother…"
The two of them exchanged stories all the way back to the stables. Romain bid her goodbye, staying behind to hand the horses back over to the stable boy.
After leaving the stables, Romain decided to take a detour, using the winding footpath that went between the greenhouses and behind the fountains. At least I managed to talk to one of them, he thought, kicking a pebble out of the way. He might not have been the greatest public speaker, but he did enjoy one-on-one conversation; maybe he could get to know the Selected slowly, and even find some kind of friendship along the way.
Romain smiled to himself as he approached the palace, feeling more optimistic than he had in days.
His optimism faded quickly when he saw what awaited him at the end of the path. There were at least five guards standing in front of the back doors to the palace, including Eden, who ran forwards to greet him, a frown etched into his usually relaxed features.
"We need to get you back inside. Security issue," Eden said. Several of the guards were already moving through the gardens, looking as though they were searching for something.
"What happened?" Romain asked, startled.
Eden looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but...do you remember that princess that came to stay with us a month ago?"
"Oh, the Tsar's older sister? The Russian princess. She was here to renegotiate the alliance, right?"
Eden nodded. "Yeah, her. She…" he lowered his voice. "She was found dead this morning. Just lying in her bed with a gun on the sheets beside her."
"But the deal was just about to go through -" Romain could barely believe that he had just been thinking about how beautiful the morning was. If the alliance fell through now, Illea would find herself more alone than ever before, all while tensions brewed within her provinces.
"I know," Eden said, his eyes downcast. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he just patted Romain on the shoulder and gently pushed him away.
What's going on? Romain thought in distress. It was rare that Eden was so solemn and uncharacteristically quiet - he kept waiting for him to turn around and offer him a grin, maybe tease him a little about the morning spent with the Selected, but it never came.
And to think that interacting with the Selected had been his biggest concern at the beginning of the day. Now, though, Romain had to wonder whether he should be fearing for his life.
Hey everyone!
Sorry it's been so long (a month!) between updates! Again, I've been trying to focus on my schoolwork. But I'm glad that I got this chapter done, and since I do have some free time I should be able to get another chapter up soon.
Speaking of the story itself - more plot is going to start happening soon, and some of the Selected characters will be heavily involved with it. I'll try to continue to give individual characters moments to shine, like I did in this chapter. There's also going to be a POV switch in the next chapter - can you guess who it's going to be?
Thanks again for submitting all of these wonderful characters and continuing to read and support my story (even when I take forever to update)!
- Brenn