"Irenie," the deep voice echoed through the princess' chambers.
After she had been returned to the castle by the miner boy, the princess had been confined to her room, the door only opening now and then to deliver her meals. All of which were piled outside her door, cold and untouched.
"Irenie," her father spoke up for a second time, this time pushing the door open and seeing that she was curled up by the window of her room. She didn't look over but coiled herself tighter.
The King side stepped the trays of food, but didn't go any farther than the centre of the room.
"I'm sorry," he spoke gently.
"Me too," he could hear her mumble, though she still didn't move, her back as rigid as a board.
"For your birthday party- I extended an invitation to the miner boy, he said he would do his best to arrive here on time."
He heard a bitter laugh come from Irenie, her hands clenching tightly, "at least he comes at your request, there are benefits to being king I suppose."
The king was phased by what she had said but did his best to appear not so, "I must insist that you tell him what must be done, that any further interactions between you and him must be formal and watched by either Lootie or a guard. It is not so innocent anymore."
"He's already told me himself-" Irenie hissed bitterly. "Seems like the miner boy has done your work for you, father."
"Irenie-" the king began, his chest tightening from anger or grief.
She whipped her head around to reveal two blood shot eyes and a tear stained face, "Can't you see you've done enough! Leave me, let me be- please," she cried out before throwing a pillow over her head and weeping underneath it.
The king staggered back, his hand instinctively clutched to his chest.
"Goodnight," he whispered softly, exiting back through the door and shutting it slowly after him.
He hadn't realize how broken he was at seeing his little princess sad until he stumbled down the stairs, just managing to catch himself as one of his loyal guards came to him.
"Sedaris," the king muttered, his hand pressing tightly on his face, the brow wrinkling as he grimaced, "I must ask a favour of you."
"You don't need to ask, I am obliged as you are king, and my dear friend." Replied the guard, a dark beard covering the the lower half of his face and covered in palace armour.
"I must ask you to stay with Irenie when I am away on the business at Volois."
"It's gotten worse with the deaths, hasn't it?" Sedaris looked back at the king, his voice low and quiet.
The king only nodded his head, but then shook it roughly, "I should be taking you with me, as my most trusted friend I would rely on no other, but that is also why I must instead ask you to stay."
"My king?"
"I am afraid for Irenie, she is so young still and I'm afraid she'll do something rash, if only I could push back her impending marriage by just the slightest." The king spoke desperately his eyes skating over the room, he was indeed afraid of what Irenie might do, whether running off with that miner boy for good this time or worse.
"But she is to be the queen one day, it is important to this kingdom she be married, I think, if you allow me to say so Gabriel… she will find peace soon."
The king chuckled softly, "I am glad I chose you Sedaris, if there is anyone to handle Irenie with care, I would trust no other for the task."
"She will come to understand, just as Angelica had, if she's as strong as the queen was, she'll handle this, my king."
The king nodded again, his shoulders releasing.
"Thank you for your council Sedaris, you have always been the wiser of the two of us."
The guard chuckled before throwing an arm over the king's shoulder and patting him roughly on the back. "What are old friends for, if not to guide us once in awhile."
The king smirked softly and gave his captain of the royal guard a strong pat on the back in return as he walked back to his royal chambers. The journey to Volois would take two days at the very least and he would be leaving that morning to come back for Irenie's birthday a week later.
The King approached his bedroom quarters when a dreadful ominous thing fell upon his shoulders as he thought on his mission in Volois. Royalty dropping like flies all around the kingdom and Volois had been the recent attack. Each step the royal guard took, the assassins remained ahead, just out of reach.
The king wouldn't let them get so close to irenie, not when she was still so vulnerable. Leaving Sedaris with her was had an ulterior motive, for though he meant all he had said to the guard, he knew there was no better fighter in the kingdom.
Sedaris would keep her safe while the king could not.
...
Meanwhile, in Irenie's bedroom, she had stopped sobbing as her faithful Turnip came to her side, the grown male cat mewling at her in sympathy.
"Oh, Turnip, what have I done-" she cried softly, letting the dark blue-gray cat climb on top of her and purr affectionately.
"Curdie is embarrassed of me, Papa wishes I were a spineless simpering princess- perhaps it would have been best if I were never born at all."
Turnip's round golden eyes peered up at her, rubbing his face along her elbow.
"Are you crying my child-"
Irenie was startled by the voice, but as her grandmother materialized through the ceiling, her skirts twirling around her white slippers.
She was so overcome with emotion that she ran crying into her grandmother's arms, Turnip giving a surprised yowl when he was thrown from her lap.
"Oh Grandmother, everything has turned out so horribly- I- I don't think I'll ever be happy again. Papa was so cruel and Curdie- Curdie thinks I'm an absolute idiot. They all hate me, I only have Turnip now, my friends say I'll have to marry an old man and I'll be lucky if he's only twice my age."
The aged white woman stared down at her poor grandchild and held her tightly in the translucent glittering arms. Sometimes Irenie was so strong she forgot that the girl was merely just that, a girl. She hated seeing the little princess in such pain, but she new better than anyone that the world was full of it, if only she could spare Irenie just a moment from it.
"Shh- sweet child, I know- I know… you have had a long night."
The grandmother lifted her up like a wind in her arms and sat in the rocking chair with her head nestled in the crook of her arm.
Irenie trembled and hooked her fingers into the robes of her grandmother's robe, the silk brushing up against her cheek. Turnip curled up around the grandmother's radiant feet, his nose pressed to the ground as she petted Irenie's head in a calm soothing fashion.
"I don't believe it is in your destiny to be unhappy Irenie, in fact," the grandmother whispered, her eyes glazing over for a moment as they stared far out the window to the mountain, "I sense you will find this happiness sooner than you think."
Alright so I don't know if you guys would feel better if my chapters were smaller but I updated more, or the chapters were longer and I updated less, just let me know ^-^
No song for this chapter.