Chapter Two

Yugo was panicking. There was no way she hadn't noticed yet. He was sweating profusely and his legs were asleep, but that didn't stop the heat of the issue at all. Made it worse, actually. He'd have to have a little introspection later about that. He kept his gaze glued out the window, hoping for a distraction while grasping his leg firmly. His right leg, so his friends to his left couldn't see his turmoil. It had gone completely numb.

It didn't help that Amalia kept slowly sliding off his legs and then readjusting herself. As the minutes passed, this became more and more frequent. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that she was doing it on purpose. He'd never know for sure, because he would never talk about this again. Ever. And that was fine with him.

He doubted Amalia would want to talk about it either. He spared a quick glance to see if she gave any reaction. She looked bored, if anything. Maybe she didn't notice after all. Relief washed through him, he just needed to stay still for another... however long it was going to take.

"Uh, did we have an ETA for this?" he asked, not caring who answered.

"Yugo, it's been fifteen minutes..." Evangeline smirked. "Why? Are you thinking of forfeiting?"

"Of course he's not!" Amalia pushed Yugo's hat over his eyes. She huffed and shot a haughty glare at her friend.

Evangeline shrugged. "Well, my best guess is three hours, but I don't know for sure how fast this scrapheap can go."

"Scrapheap? You should be grateful I'm not charging you for this!" Ruel yelled.

"You are charging us!"

"For fuel. That's just common courtesy."

Yugo didn't bother to remove the cloth from his eyes as he cursed at himself. He doubted he could last at all... Although his hat gave him an idea. When it was covering his face it numbed his senses. He should keep it there so he wouldn't smell Amalia, who smelled like flowers because of course she did, she basically was a flower and surrounded herself in flowers and wore them but now wasn't the time to think about that because now he had an idea that maybe he could take a nap to help pass the time and ignore all this by covering his senses! Perfect. Great cover-up. Not a problem. Except Amalia was moving again and now the twins were talking loudly with one another about how powerful they were going to be with their parent's tutelage and how amazing they are going to be on this adventure and if not the volume, the weird topics were going to keep Yugo awake.

"By slaying a dragon, we mean the bad kind of dragon! Sorry Yugo!" Elely corrected herself.

What a sweetheart. He didn't even have time to be insulted by the innocent ramblings of children because Amalia was still moving and she still smelled good through his hat and he still wasn't sure she wasn't grinding into him on purpose!

"It's okay... I'm just gonna... take a nap. Or something. Wake me up when we get close." Yugo said as he pulled his hat down further and tried to ignore everything.

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While Evangeline was busy scolding Percedal for egging on his daughter when she said she could totally slay a dragon—only the bad kind, though!—Amalia was having a crisis. The type of crisis she swore less than four hours ago that she would definitely not have on this trip. She didn't want it to become like the last one. For what it was worth, nothing bad had happened yet. It was just a possibility. A very possible possibility. One she didn't trust herself to prevent this far in.

Thank Sadida she had a decent poker face. Yugo probably felt the same. He didn't seem to realize he had been squeezing her thigh for the last five minutes. It might have felt good, under other circumstances. Like, if their friends weren't sitting so nearby. Or if Yugo wasn't slouching so much. She kept sliding down his lap and had to readjust frequently, which just made him push further into the unwieldy position.

That, and his 'guest appearance' was very noticeable to her from that position, which was a whole other can of worms she couldn't deal with right now. She wouldn't mind it going into something a little more direct another time, some other place. But not before they worked out their issues with each other. And certainly not with an audience.

She glanced over to her friends and saw them barely paying any attention to her or Yugo, engrossed in a conversation with their kids. She tried to calm herself, thinking on the way she could still sit comfortably and hide Yugo's issue at the same time. She had her work cut out for her, because Yugo's only method seemed to be 'pretend nothing is happening'. Which he was terrible at.

Amalia cursed inwardly at herself. She knew Evangeline was drawing her in with that bet earlier, and she still let her ego rule her actions. This seemed a bit of a strange bet for her friend to push for though. Kinda perverted coming from little miss straight-arrow... But she didn't seem to realize the implication. Perhaps it was because Yugo still looked so young? Amalia grumbled to herself, that honestly made her mad. Like Yugo needed one of his friends vindicating that insecurity.

Maybe it would be better to forfeit now and save him the embarrassment... He'd still have to do the chores, but she could apologize for that. He was pretty forgiving. And willing to help people. It was his element.

Yet, that still didn't sit quite right in her mind. If she was going to apologize, she was going to offer something. Like... annulled duties. That was something a princess could typically offer, wasn't it?

Yugo mindlessly tightened his grip on her leg and Amalia almost squeaked. This was going to be a long trip.

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Evangeline looked over to her flustered pair of friends, trying to be discrete while still holding a conversation with her children. Yugo seemed to be asleep, while Amalia seemed unfazed, aside from her blushing. It was an obvious act that didn't need any special eyesight to see through.

They stopped being cute to her years ago. Now she just got frustrated thinking about them. She knew she was pushing her luck with this little 'bet'. Amalia could get genuinely angry about it. Rightfully so, especially if it pushed Yugo even further away than he already was.

While she was still going to carry through with her plan, it gave her such a foreboding feeling. She had long since thought they'd make a good couple, but if it wasn't one holdup with them, it was another.

Yugo had that obnoxious messiah complex that made him really hard to help. Evangeline respected his heroism and sense of duty, but he was such an extreme that he wouldn't let himself be helped if it meant a friend would have to take the time of day. Well perhaps she exaggerated, but Yugo did have the tendency to hog burdens. Still, that was foreseen. Completely expected.

Amalia, on the other hand, was a curve-ball. Let it be known that if ever in the princess' twenty years had she wanted something, she wouldn't hesitate to announce it to the world. And nothing but life-and-death would stop her from obtaining it. Perhaps in a roundabout way, but nonetheless. Evangeline had thought that attitude would help break Yugo out of his shell. Any doubt he voiced would be shot down by Amalia's boisterous proclamations. Yet that wasn't the case. Amalia had cold feet and a silence unheard of from her.

Years ago, Evangeline was certain that they were going to become an item. After they started flirting. Perhaps they didn't consider it flirting, but it certainly looked like it from where Evangeline was standing. Amalia would sneak glances under an aloof facade and Yugo involved her in almost every conversation possible, even if she wasn't there. He didn't seem to realize he was doing it. She recalled Yugo teaching Amalia how to fish... Amalia already knew how to fish. Evangeline taught her how to fish years before they ever even met Yugo. But she still listened intently.

Despite this, they never hooked up.

Evangeline rarely got to have a heart-to-heart with her friend as the royal duties racked up, so she never got an explanation or any insight into Amalia's feelings on the subject. She once considered having Percedal talk to Yugo. He needed someone to talk to him, forcefully if need be. But she scrapped the idea after she heard Percedal's plan.

No, a mock 'rescue the princess' circumstance wouldn't work. Amalia could handle herself and they'd probably be arrested. Iop-brain.

Yugo and Amalia still flirted, though. In fact, if they weren't under the awkward conditions they were, they would probably be doing so right this moment. Apparently they kissed during the Oropo incident, If what her daughter said was true. Yet Amalia only got quieter after that. Apparently some things were said in the confusion that couldn't simply be taken back.

Evangeline wanted the best for her friends, and if they kept setting themselves up for heartbreak she was going to intervene. By setting them up for embarrassment instead. If she got a few laughs out of it, so be it.

Evangeline restrained a giggle as she looked to the pair, who were stiff as boards and looking out the window. The way she set them up might have leaned a little toward perversion, but perhaps this subject would be enough to push them over. After all, Percedal became a lot more upfront with her after they got intimate...

For now, they seemed much more lighthearted than before, so she had high hopes preceding events would go smoothly.

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Alibert rested his head in his palm as he rocked the Sadlygrove infant to sleep with his other arm, staring out the window of the inn at his three adoptive sons and the sunset on the horizon. Adamai had gained a paranoid obsession with making both Chibi and Grougaloragran into capable warriors as fast as possible. It worried him sometimes, after seeing what that prowess gathered in terms of risk. How many times had he watched Yugo nearly plummet to his potential death pushing himself like that?

He sighed. He knew that these kids were destined for major influence on the world. But a father worries.

"Dad?" Adamai floated near the window. "Are you alright? You seem... upset."

Alibert chuckled. "Is that so?" He looked on at Chibi, who was hugging Grougaloragran in elation, much to the little whelp's dismay. They were done with today's lessons and did well. "Well that happens to everyone, doesn't it?"

"Can I... help?" Adamai had a slight choke to his voice.

"It's alright, I'm much happier than I am sad right now." Alibert said, turning to look his son in the eye. "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

Adamai had a string of emotions run across his face before mindlessly wording a question. "Why?"

"Why not? You're my family."

"But I—"

"Not everyone gets such an amazing family. Especially an old Enutrof like me without that much ambition." Alibert adjusted his hat and looked back to Chibi and Grougaloragran. "You should have gone with Yugo."

"I couldn't..." Adamai admitted after a terse silence. "Not after—"

"And how long will you be avoiding him?"

"...When I can be forgiven."

"Yugo forgave you the instant you apologized." Alibert realized he'd slipped into his lecturing tone at some point. "Anyways, you did what you thought was right."

"And I was wrong!"

"So was Yugo. Wasn't that the reason you ran away?"

"I did terrible things to his friends."

"Your friends. Who forgave you."

Adamai looked down. His eyes were glassy and his fists were clenched.

"I know you're not convinced, so I'll drop it for now. But still..." Alibert clamped his hand on his son's shoulder, still smiling. "I'm proud of you."

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Armand sat in quiet after the last guest left in graceful entourage. He wasn't surprised at all. Just disappointed. Not at his sister's troublesome tendencies, but at himself for having nothing to help her. He understood that she took after their mother, and he desperately did not want to snuff out that last flame of his late family. But he had no earthly idea how to do that while insisting she do her job.

"Guards, leave me. I need time to think."

The guards left, their footsteps echoing quieter and quieter, until they all but disappeared from the hall.

With such mischievous displays toward noblemen and politicians it was a wonder that none left with sour attitudes. Aside from the Brakmar delegation, they were always like that. Actually, even they seemed lighter on their feet than usual, which only confused Armand further. It was as if his little sister's stunt amused them. And the pretentious snobs around politics, himself included, were never amused. Ever. At least not from childish pranks.

Armand sighed into his palm, trying not to smile. This must have been what father saw in Amalia. She inspired people, even when she was completely focused on her own selfish wants. Or perhaps specifically because of that. People watched her with interest. Every time she went off on an adventure, bards and writers and adventurers inquired about the runaway princess. And those requests grew tenfold after each and every crazy event that occurred involving her.

They came by daily nowadays.

It was bitterly humorous that she probably thought that all of these suitor meetings were completely his idea. They were at first, sure, but after that incident with Frigost he only kept it up for appearances and to satisfy his standings. The recent events were, in truth, honest requests for the right to court her. His official response to these requests was that if a party can impress her, they may try. Of course, it was said with much more regal language... And the assumption of the suitors that she could be impressed by them.

Yet with all of these eyes on her, none of them seemed to pick up on the damn-near transparent goo-goo eyes she made any time that Eliotrope was mentioned. Or the way she lit up when recalling his heroic exploits for the bards. Gods forbid, they'd be seen in public with one another and the crowds still wouldn't distinguish the truth. All that was left to figure out about them was the politics.

The kid was a would-be 'king' anyway. Armand didn't need to scheme any grand plot to get this to work out politically. If anything, appearing as a naysayer to the circumstances lent itself fairly well to the fairy-tale romance stories which were popular nowadays. It would build public support and a greater, stronger alliance with the Sadida and this presumably Eliotrope kingdom-to-come.

And if he had to play the villain, so be it. All would prosper.

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"That is so unfair!" Amalia screamed. "It doesn't count!"

Evangeline was chuckling between groans as Percedal laughed heartily in the background. "Oh? I think it does! And this entire thing was about being unfair anyways! Right, Dally?" She finally managed to sit up and rubbed her shoulder.

"Don't ask him!" Amalia pointed at Percedal, who simply laughed harder. "Conflict of interest!"

Yugo groaned from his upside down position on the other end of the car, blearily recovering from the sudden stop. That was one helluva way to wake up. He rolled upright and sat for a minute while his friends argued.

Elely was next to him, upside down as well and snoring loudly. Her brother was nursing a reddened nose from the impact and trying his best not to cry. And Yugo was now remembering the events from before his nap.

He flushed and silently thanked his luck that nothing outrageous had happened yet. He caught a glance out the window and noticed a noticeable change in the color of the sky. It was late. Had they arrived?

Ruel came through from the cockpit with a defeated scowl. "Well, I've got good news and bad news..."

Evangeline and Amalia halted their debate and focused on their friend. "Okay?"

"The good news is we made it to a decent place to set up camp."

"And the bad news?"

"We'll need to hoof it to the next town over in the morning for parts. The old girl just blew her last piston." Ruel scratched his head. Hopefully, there would be a scrapyard he could liberate parts from. He certainly wasn't going to pay some ridiculous price for them! Not many shops sold parts for this kind of rig anymore anyway.

Amalia immediately went back into her argument. "See? We made it! We won the bet!"

"Not quite, this wasn't an intended stop! And your words were very specific! You two would make it 'all the way to the next stop. No matter how rough the terrain'. And rough terrain is exactly what knocked you out of your seat." Evangeline folded her arms and donned a smug grin. It felt good to go back to this childish banter after so long.

Amalia was boiling over. "But we're HERE!"

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