The Exiled Gem

The Bloodless Method

'That,' Watson suggested, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes, 'can be our new way of greeting long unseen friends.'

* * *

'So, where's Kane then?' Alexandra asked, still sitting by the Lake with the still-wet Watson, who was still filling her up with the month's news as the sun set in the distance.

'Supervisory,' he informed, one of the few times when he was serious. 'Diablos did not have a terrorist center. I found it out in three months - and since then, I'm waiting for my next trial.'

'You sound upset it wasn't,'

'I am, a bit. No risk, no fun.'

'Fun? You wanted it to be one - for fun?' Alexandra asked, nettled.

'Calm down - I just said it. I don't mean it,' he replied. Alexandra stared at him for a minute, and he stared back. Deciding that Watson was not lying, she broke the staring contest.

'That's good,' she told him, leaning backwards, on the cold grass. And then, just to change the topic, revisited her third year - the time since when they had gotten over the silly rivalry. 'How much did you score in that general knowledge test?' She asked him. Not for the first time, a change in topic was gladly received.

'That seems like yesterday,' Watson grinned. 'I got - ninety nine. And you got a hundred didn't you? Oh well, I was close enough. I got the Exiled Dovish Princess wrong - thought it was Rose - and now think it never mattered.'

Alexandra's stomach twisted: the change in topic had come at a steep price. And for Watson, it didn't matter which princess had got exiled - he didn't even know it was she, Alexandra herself - on whom the question had been. 'That was Alexandra anyway.' She corrected - it felt odd, saying it was me. One thing was good: that the one person she had to keep the secret with, was Liam. Quite faraway, quite reliable and quite mature. Alexandra shuddered to think what her state would be if Watson had been the keeper of her secret. He could have ratted out on her the very first time they would have had a disagreement. Royal problems demanded royal solutions. 'She was a useless girl, anyhow.' Alexandra added, to him.

'You say it like you know her,' Watson said, raising his eyebrows. 

'Believe me, I do.' Alexandra replied, 'she was a use-less girl.' And she had no idea why she was pressing the topic so much. It was one of those daring tendencies having taken over her. Had Liam seen her do this...

'Whatever,' Watson waved off. 'All the princesses are the same,' he added.

Alexandra nodded, not yet having gotten over her dare. 'True, they are. Unless you know them personally. Then you see they are human too. They are just like the rest of us ... insecure about little things, having fights and wrangles. Then, they become queens. Everything changes,'

Watson was looking at her without blinking, 'You are talking like one,'

Alexandra laughed nervously, not over her dare even being at the brink of disclosure. 'I might be - that is, haha, do I look like one? And, I just saw one particular princess whom I had seen before. As a queen, she is very...'

'Unlikable,' Watson completed. Alexandra nodded again, finally over the dare. 'Who cares?' He continued, 'Our Emperor Liam brought her down the right way,'

'Right way? How?' She demanded, sitting up straighter. She didn't know what had been the proceedings of the previous month. And now, she ought to. 'Tell me, tell me!' Alexandra exclaimed, patting the ground in excitement.