-V-
Venturing Far
Across the lonely, muted meadows
in Asterye (Castle)
Arielle found herself in a peculiar position over the following days. She followed the King's wishes in attending to his esteemed guests and being dutiful, keeping her manners and showing the Revolutionary Officers whatever they wanted.
Arielle made sure not to get in their way in finding secrets hidden within the Kingdom and kept her curiosity to herself. She was never one to pry into the affairs that concerned the Kingdom and knew better than to interfere. Convinced that whatever crisis was bound for the Asterye Kingdom had nothing to do with her, Arielle observed them and kept her distance as discreetly as possible.
But like the rest of the workers in the castle, she too was curious.
For one, Arielle was glad the Revolutionary Officers were still wearing masks when wandering about the castle as their presence was in the dark. No one knew their faces, and the chief of the Revolutionary Officer, Sabo, suggested keeping their identity a secret due to some whistleblower amidst the King's chambers.
Arielle was still cautious over his presence. Something about the way he had steered away from her entirely perplexed her: sure, she wasn't expecting some form of sociability from him, but to dismiss her every question, if they needed her help or not, irked her.
"The Princess is not to be involved," she heard him say to his colleagues.
They were all seated in the Prince's study, excluding the King resting in his chambers. Arielle had never been inside his room before, but after a few hours doing nothing but keeping an eye out for the guests, the novelty of the room wore out. It didn't help that the curtains were drawn, and candlelights filled the room, adding an overcast to its atmosphere.
Her eyes glossed over the booked shelves and the small letter tray of invitations in the corner of the room. Arielle was sure that whatever they were discussing had to do with the Prince but was unsure if they knew he was missing.
Arielle grumbled and sighed, "It's not like I want to be here either."
She watched them resume reading the textbooks spread across the vintage round table, ignoring her bitter frustration. She recognised only two of the three guests since the officers weren't wearing their masks in the room due to the humidity in the air.
From what she could remember, the blonde Sabo was some form of a secondary leader who had accomplished much, whilst the other was a criminal from Impel Down. Her knowledge of the Revolutionary work was very much limited to skim-reading the newspapers every now and then. Didn't they free nations from oppressive rulers?
The Asterye Kingdom had a traditionalist ruler, and with the coronation of the Crown Prince, the nation would prosper from its stagnant conventions. As the Princess of the Kingdom, Arielle was sent away from the capital and lived in the countryside due to her illness. She was completely unaware of the problems and internal affairs of the nation and was not entirely sure why the revolutionary army was even granted an audience with the King.
Arielle reached out her hand to grab onto another book on the side shelves and yelped a second later as the book dropped onto the floor at her slight touch. She sheepishly looked over to the table beside her and held her palm out in apology.
Sabo's eyebrows lifted, though he had quickly turned his attention back to the papers and snail transponder.
"If the Princess is bored, you are free to leave."
Arielle's cheeks quickly crimsoned at his curt remark. How dare he? She only wanted to be of help and not sit in the corner of the room like a doll staring into space.
"Arielle," she snapped instinctively but quickly recoiled at the sight of the unruly masked revolutionary officer staring at her.
"F-Fine, I'll go!"
If someone did barge into the room, and the cover was out, it wouldn't be her fault. Arielle stood up and closed the door loudly, huffing. She ignored the pointed looks from the maids and footmen and stood by the door, waiting. Much to her dismay, the officers did not come after her and continued to converse in a hushed tone.
Why were they so mean to her? Was it because of her title? Or was it because of the rumours? Did they not trust her? Not that she cared what they thought of her since they'd be gone before long. But this was her chance to find a way to flee the Kingdom and break this curse. If the Prince was never to return and the King died, she'd be next in line to rule. The very thought of such a fate disgusted her entirely.
"Where are you going, my Lady?" Myrtle asked as Arielle wandered across the long corridor mindlessly.
"Myrtle?" Arielle breathed a sigh of relief, "You nearly startled me."
"I'm sorry, my Lady."
"What's the problem now?" Arielle asked as they walked into the royal garden adjacent to the Prince's study room.
A few maids strolled past her, their gazes lingering shyly on her now and then, whilst the guards and gardeners stationed at the garden observed her intently, their nosy stares veiled but obvious to Arielle. At first, she ignored them and suspected they were nervous over her presence. It wasn't the first time they would look at her with sharp stares and whispered gossip.
Myrtle glanced around and linked her arm with Arielle, bringing her closer. "Rumours are going around that the King has welcomed foreigners to court you."
"What?" Arielle exclaimed, stopping mid-step to look at her Lady-in-waiting in horror.
"Well, since one of them was wearing your mask. You know, the one Lady Livia had gifted you alongside the invitation letter a few days ago."
Arielle gaped and tilted her head, "My mask?"
"I wasn't sure either until I saw them for myself. But, one of the coachmen that escorted you that evening recognised it and told everyone you had met during the ball."
"No, I mean...we did meet." Arielle shook her head at a loss for words. How did they believe such a fantasy when she would usually be holed up in her room? She wanted to tell her lady-in-waiting the truth but kept quiet to stop further unnecessary attention.
"It's not like that at all. They're here for Prince Aster, and I'm to represent him and care for them."
"That's what I told them, but because the Prince is yet to return, everyone seems to think otherwise," Myrtle explained, offering her weak smile.
Arielle could only sigh in irritation. She had to admit that it wouldn't be the first time anyone had gossiped about her in such a way. It wouldn't be long before high society would grasp at any words of her courtships, the Prince's fiance being the first in line to taunt her.
"Will my Lady not return to the study room? I'm sure the King will notice."
Arielle rolled her eyes and huffed, pushing back hair strands from her face, "I don't care! They told me to leave, and I left. If the King reprimands me, then I'll..."'
"You'll?"
"I'll run away and prove everyone right," Arielle joked, twisting the ends of her long with her finger.
"You know that won't be possible."
Arielle perked up at the innocent comment and smiled, trying her best to stifle her laughter. It may not have been possible back then, but with the appearance of the Revolutionary Officers, she had a chance to fulfil her dreams.
"I thought you long gave up that dream when you moved to the countryside," Myrtle reminded, a chuckle slipping out of her.
Giggling alongside Myrtle, Arielle pulled her to the garden filled with delicate red flowers that swayed gracefully. Its bright colours lit up her mood, allowing her to forget her moments of unease. Even if the worst were to happen, Arielle knew the King would never condemn her actions. In his eyes, ever since his dear Princess showed signs of change, he made sure she was away from any trouble.
From a distance, Sabo observed them from the Prince's study room. His wide eyes fixated particularly on her through the veiled windows with an expression of curiosity.
"We don't have much of a report on the Princess, Sabo-san," Jiron said from behind, watching her from the window. "She's weird."
Sabo shifted his focus and watched the Princess walk further away from the building and into the garden field filled with bushes of red flowers. A frown flitted across his features as the Princess plucked a flower from a bush and waved it to the sky. The movement of the red flower mimicking a flame against the rays of the sunlight.
Rather than weird, Sabo believed something was amiss from the reports concerning the Princess. The Princess seemed well, though ignorant of the affairs surrounding the Kingdom. In her defence, she'd been isolated and lived in the countryside due to her illness (the very illness — a mystery in itself).
"The King too, is far too unwell to do anything. I don't think he'll be useful in our plans."
"I know. Once Karasu shows up with the missing Prince, we'll see how he'll react," Sabo declared, leaning away from the curtained window.
The meetings with the King thus far were ambiguous, leaving Sabo with a sense of certainty that he was hiding integral information from them. There was some hint that the King, who was warm and accommodating, was beating around the bush and waiting for words from the missing Prince before revealing his plans for the Kingdom's resources.
Sabo regarded the view of the horizon from the Prince's study room. The bright sunlight radiated over the stone-white walls of the castle, blurring the lush hills in the distance. As the humid heat set into the room, Sabo could feel the hiss of fire bubbling inside his body.
Sooner or later, the peaceful nature of the Kingdom would engulf itself in destruction if the nobles caught onto the King's misery. Karasu had to find the Prince before anyone else, for if the Marines were to discover him first, they'd make their way to the Kingdom and install someone who'd benefit them. And if any other parties involved with the nobles in this Kingdom were to find the Prince before Karasu, it wouldn't be long until they'd strike to start a civil war between themselves.
In the midst of his thoughts, the jarring sound of the transponder snail pierced the quiet room. Sabo swiftly whipped his head towards the white transponder snail atop the stack of books. When Inazuma picked up the call from his seat, holding onto a book, Sabo and Jiron leaned in from behind, eager to listen in.
BEEP BEEP
The call was jagged with heavy waves and irregular electronic sounds, and the only thing they managed to pick up was stilted words of what sounded like an emergency.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to make it on time. I'll meet you at the harbour before midnight with the body," Inazuma proclaimed after a while, "Or something along those lines."
"Body? Wait—does that mean?" Sabo held onto his assumptions and frowned, moving closer to the table.
"Well, there goes our plan of using the Prince to get information out from the King," Jiron commented without a thought.
"Sabo-san—
A knock on the door shattered the tension in the room, and instantly, their gazes darted to the wooden door. The revolutionary officers looked at one other, wide-eyed as if to wait for the knock to diminish into thin air. Immediately, Sabo and Inazuma picked up their masks on the table and sat on their chairs.
"You go answer the door, Jiron," Sabo ordered, placing his top hat on his head and fiddling with a few papers in his sight.
Jiron was sceptical at first but went ahead to open the door. Luckily for the officers, a petite young maid stood shyly asking for the Princess.
"I'm afraid the Princess is not around," Jiron answered, clearing his throat.
The maid flinched at his bluntness and tugged a letter behind her arms.
"But, she'll return soon. Is there something you'd like me to relay?" Inazuma asked out of nowhere, appearing in from behind. "The Princess went out to bring us some refreshments."
"Oh, I was told by the head butler that the King wishes her to visit his chambers," She stammered, clutching the letter behind her. A sigh of relief escaped her without thought at the sight of Inazuma.
"Yes, we'll relay the message once she's here."
"That letter you're holding onto, is it for the Princess?" Jiron asked, stepping forward and hovering over the maid.
The maid slowly moved back, intimidated by his towering figure and imposing boldness. She looked at Inazuma for aid before bringing the letter forward in an attempt to keep her composure.
Contemplating whether or not to leave the letter with the delegates, the maid glanced towards the slightly opened door and caught a glimpse of yet another guest. Unlike the other two, the maid had recognised the infamous white mask and blonde wavy hair.
"If I...If I leave this letter with you, please pass it along to Princess Arielle and let her know she's been summoned," she stumbled, a wave of embarrassment flushing across her face. The rumours surrounding the Princess had been true all along.
The maid passed the letter along to Inazuma instead, bowed too quickly before strutting along the corridor with a self-assured swiftness, elated that she had another tale to add to the rumours shrouding the Princess.
"I had a feeling there's something amiss about the King. Will he use the Princess now that the Prince's fate has turned for the worse?" Jiron asked, closing the door behind him.
"I agree. If the King is to use her, we won't have the better edge and time is limited," Inazuma said, holding the letter out to Sabo.
Sabo stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I know a way for us to get an upper hand. Our mission has yet to turn."
Jiron and Inazuma turned to their chief commander in eagerness, confident that whatever Sabo had in plan, they'd complete the mission with success.
"I'll think of something, you guys don't worry," Sabo assured, walking towards the door with the letter tucked away in his pockets.
Sabo had to find the Princess before any of the servants escorted her to the King's chambers, the one place barred for them. Just like the entire mission had abruptly sprung upon him, Sabo had little time to devise a plan and find the truth behind a strange Princess who feigned an illness.
Once he had left the room, Sabo was greeted by two maids who immediately giggled bashfully at his smile. Sabo pulled his hat to cover his mask, wary of the maid's odd enthusiasm and walked as naturally as possible to the other end of the corridor. Did they recognise him? Sabo touched his mask and slipped his hands in his pockets.
This time, the guards patrolling the corridors nodded their heads at him. Sabo kept his distance and did not attempt to look their way. Once he had managed to step outside the main building, he spotted a familiar maid who was always beside the Princess, pacing backwards and forward on the stone pathway near the garden.
Sabo redirected his gaze towards the direction the maid was staring intently. There, amidst the backdrop of the castle's keep, a gentle breeze fluttered by where he caught a glimpse of long flowing hair a little mile away. Treading behind a frail man, the Princess had a visible air of unease surrounding her.
Sabo quickly hid between the stone walls and watched their movements, waiting for a chance. When the elderly frail man had turned a corner, like the speed of light, Sabo dashed across from the entrance of the inner castle walls to the central arena and followed behind to the King's chambers.