Down with the King- Dream SMP

9- Drista

She couldn't sleep that night. Perhaps the room was too hot, or the sheets were too heavy, or maybe it was because her mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about the prisoners, about the fact that there were real people inside the castle walls that weren't servants or members of her brother's council. Drista had done her best to follow Clay's rule over that past days, but staying away from the cells only made her want to go down there even more.

She sighed, staring blankly at the canopy above her bed, the soft silk curtains blurring her surroundings. After a few more minutes of unsuccessfully trying to sleep, she sat up, deciding that a glass of water would help her at least calm her mind. Pulling the silk curtain aside, she cringed as the cold stone floor froze her feet. She quickly slipped them into a pair of slippers that had been placed beside her bed for that very reason and quietly opened her door.

The castle halls were dim as the servants had doused the large sconces hanging on the blackstone walls. Grabbing a candelabra that was still lit, she began the very familiar walk to the kitchen. As she walked, she passed by her brother's office and was surprised to see he was still hunched over his desk.

"You do realize that it's three in the morning," she said, pushing open the door. Clay jumped and swiftly reached up to pull his mask down before he realized who she was.

"Drista," he sighed, pushing the white porcelain mask back. "Why aren't you asleep? It's late."

She eyed the mask on his head, trying to remember a time when her brother hadn't felt the need to hide his identity. She had a mask of her own, though she tried to avoid wearing it whenever she could. Whenever she pressed Clay about it, he always responded with, There is power in anonymity.

"You should be telling yourself that," she retorted. "Whatever you're working on will still be there in the morning."

"And what are you doing up at this forbidden hour?" he shot back, his green eyes bright with mischief.

"Unlike you, I was actually trying to sleep," she pouted. "I was going to get a glass of water."

"You realize that you could have called for someone to get it for you?" Clay said. Drista shrugged at his response.

"I really don't mind getting it myself."

"Mind if I join you then?"

She gave him another shrug and together, they made their way through the silent halls.

"I like the castle at night," Drista smiled, making small talk as they walked. "It's so peaceful."

"That's probably because Sap and George aren't screaming at each other," Clay joked, making her laugh.

"Why is your council full of a bunch of childish men?" she asked jokingly.

"Drista, you know just as well as I do that the council is a joke," Clay said. "I don't need them to help me decide what's best for my kingdom, so why not have people on there that make me laugh?"

"Our kingdom," Drista corrected him. "If anything were to happen to you, I'd be next in line."

"Nothing is ever going to happen to me," Clay smiled down at her. "You won't ever need to worry about that. I'll always be here to take care of you."

She smiled as he ruffled her hair, but it was forced. What if she didn't want Clay to always be hovering over her shoulder? What if she wanted to go out and make her own way in the world? Drista didn't want to spend the rest of her life cooped up in this dark castle, always hiding away from the outside.

They came into the kitchen and Drista set the candelabra on one of the long dark oak tables. She always liked the kitchen because of it's warm, comforting atmosphere. The many furnaces lining the wall were always alight and roasting something, the cooks were friendly, and she felt at home. The smooth stone countertops always had some sort of treat or goody up there for her to steal and the huge window at the far end provided a fantastic view of the sunset. At least until the sun dipped below the massive obsidian walls that kept her trapped here.