The Exiled Gem

Mabel in a Mouse-trap

But then again, she had no say against the Staff, so Alexandra didn't bother herself too much with it. The mice, were anyhow too smart to fall for such a primitive trick. 

On the brighter side, two months into the Third Year, Alexandra had received a letter:

Exiled Princess,

Without wasting valuable ink on mentioning my name, I should first apologize for the aggravating lack of communication. I kept meaning to write, and the days kept rolling on. Until today, I looked back and realized that it has been two whole years. Wait, or has it been three? No - two. I am losing my marbles. And there, I succeeded in making you grin.

At the last line, her grin etched into a laugh. Then she looked around herself quickly. It was ten at night, as Alexandra sat on a seat in the wide, empty Arena, the last remnants of her laugh still echoing around her. She did need a bit of privacy right now, with a letter that stoutly called her "Exiled Princess". 

Being a King is boring. More than being a princess could have been. In two years, the most amusing thing I've come across is the Prime Minister's wig blowing off in open court, leaving him only three flat hair on the head. I know you don't believe that - your sense of humor remains dry as ever. 

Coming to the better parts, Master George calls you an "impertinent but talented" girl. I had to read it thrice, just to make sure. Trust me, in the thousands of spies we have, Master George only calls himself talented. And now, you. It is a big relief. I personally expected you to get enraged and storm out of the Council two days into it. But Alexandra, you seem to have some serious caliber. And now that you are on the cusp of becoming a spy, I realize the peculiarity of what we have done.

A princess - A spy.

I'm forced to wonder if what I have done is right or not. More so, because I do get an account of what is happening. Of what happened at the barrister's. And while I didn't interfere because I knew you could handle it, the matter gets no less grave. I have experienced working with the spies. They are the finest men of Idgard - I knew they wouldn't straightaway accept you. But I sensed that they would respect you, at least.

The newest additions however, broke that notion. And it isn't your fault - it's theirs. And even more than that, it is my culpability. I would have loved to say an array of things upon this - but now that you have already moved on, that it has been two months of that ordeal - I better let bygones remain bygones.

Alexandra exhaled as she traced her hand upon the neat, loopy rows of letters and the soft parchment. He could have ignored it. He could have written about anything else. He knew Alexandra had no way to write back - the Council didn't provide correspondence permission until they passed out. When Liam was pushed into a dormant corner of her mind, everybody else seemed impressive to Alexandra. But when he came to the forefront, when he made her really feel awed and stirred, did she realize the real standards of impressiveness.

The tiniest of things with him, seemed big. Liam was that person who had plummeted into her life out of the blue, and yet he felt like the person she had known forever. Why were the strings of destiny so unreadable? Why did they shoot into unforeseen realms and tangle with the rarest of folks? Alexandra stared at Liam's handwriting - how were some people destined to be kings, and some, paupers? 

She turned the page.

I don't know how we were born prince and princess. 

Alexandra's breath sharpened. Was it a mere co-incidence that they had arrived upon the same question - or perhaps, that was the way human minds worked.