The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Nineteen: Keeping Up Appearances

The following morning, I woke up to bright early morning sun rays streaming through the open windows of the Astrology Tower, and I sit up abruptly.

"Shit!" I exclaim as I sit up, Cael's cloak slipping off my shoulders.

I awaken Cael in the process and he rolls onto his back, rubbing his eyes and groaning in protest.

"What time is it?" He groans.

"No matter the time. We've got to go" I reply, frantically gathering my bearings and standing up, walking over to the window of the tower and looking down it to the ground beneath us, which seems farther away than it really is.

I scan the side of the Estate, noticing a few loose bricks along the wall on the way down. I waste no more time, stepping onto the ledge of the Astrology Tower's window.

"What're you waiting for? Get up. Lets go" I say to Cael, ushering him my way as I begin my descent down the wall.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" He questions, coming over and peering down at me from the widow frame.

"Getting out of here obviously. Do you know what your father would do if he found out we were missing all night?" I question, determined to reach the ground.

Cael pauses for a second, considering my point, before shrugging and saying: "Good point".

He follows along not too far behind me as we brave the uneven bricks upon the Estate's walls, testing each brick before we step onto it. Soon, I've neared the bottom, but am stopped by a few shrubs that grow along the side of the Estate beneath me.

"What is it newbie? Afraid of a little dirt?" Cael asks from above me as I pause to examine the bushes.

"Actually, My Lord, I'm quite accustomed to dirt, seeing as I didn't grow up within an Estate where maids cleaned me every two seconds" I retort.

"Ouch, that hurt" Cael replies, holding his chest in fake agony.

"So what's the problem then?" He asks me.

"The problem is you asking me what the problem is. Can you just shut up and let me think for three seconds?" I question.

"Whatever you say, newbie" Cael responds.

I roll my eyes, returning back to the shrubs. Just as I've conjured up a plan to avoid the plants, my hand suddenly slips from the stone I'm grasping, sending me straight down into the bushes beneath me.

"It seems like those three seconds really helped you clarify some things" Cael teases from above me, gracefully jumping over the bush and landing on the ground untouched, while I sit in the dirt with twigs sticking into my scalp.

I release an exasperated humph before standing up and removing myself from the bush, brushing the dirt off my skirt and pulling twigs from my hair.

"Ultimately, I'd say this was a productive morning. We should do this again" Cael jokes.

I roll my eyes in annoyance and begin walking away angrily when he stops me by grabbing my hand, pulling me towards him and kissing me again.

"What was that for?" I ask as we pull away.

"So you don't forget when we're apart today" He replies.

"Trust me, I won't forget" I reply, touching his nose softly before turning and walking away.

"So that's it?" He calls after me.

"Go do some Duke-y things. We can meet up later!" I call back.

"But how are we supposed to do that if people can't know?!" Cael questions.