The Exiled Gem

Sister Heiress

It was finally back to those old times. The very same room at the rightmost corner of the upper floor. Betty - Sarah - Mabel (Alexandra?). The three not-so-alike sisters or rather, the not-at-all-alike sisters inhabited it once again.

Betty was lying right of Alexandra - Sarah was left. The pretty girl snored - lightly, like a mouse, and she looked quite cute while doing it. Alexandra couldn't digest the fact that Sarah was only seventeen - or perhaps eighteen. When she had been of that age, she used to drool in her sleep and knock over things.

Alexandra was not exactly sleepy. Part of her was afraid if she closed her eyes and slept - she'd wake up in the morning and have to leave. That wasn't so lucrative an offer. Betty's eyes were closed - she could be sleeping, or trying to sleep.

Apparently, she was doing none.

'I gave up on him long ago, Mabel.' Betty said, quietly. Alexandra opened her eyes and turned to look at her. Betty had put one arm on her head and the other on her stomach. She looked at the ceiling and talked.

'Whom?' Asked Alexandra, shifting her pillow slightly to bring it on level with Betty's.

'The King,'

Liam would be having the worst of dreams that night. How did he find his way into everything concerning Alexandra? It was as if magnets were stuck onto them.

'Betty,' she said, putting her hand on Betty's, covering it. 'You were never seriously interested. You were just young and a bit stupid. All of us ar-'

'I was,'

Alexandra got up a bit, 'Are you awake? Or are you sleep-talking?' She asked, just to make sure.

Betty smiled, without humor. 'I'm awake, Mabel. Sarah's too young to understand it; she is clever, but her heart's young. You will understand, I'm sure.'

'I do,' Alexandra said, lying back down, and deciding to say something of her own. 'I've always looked at men like competitors, I used to think I can do better, Why are they allowed? Why am I not allowed? Now, for the first time - I'm looking beyond it. Not a lot, just a little beyond it. Li- our king's quite fine. You'll say I'm being partial, you'll say he is more than fine, but I am giving him the best compliment I've ever given to a man. I'll tell you something,' she then began, biting her lips. The first time she was going to confess that, would be the last. 'When I am with him, I too feel things like, "he's so charming" and "I am going to fall for him", but when I have put enough distance between us, I realize how stupid that is. Some people just have the natural bewitchment in them, they are - let's say - lucky. But love and bewitchment are two different things, we both know,' and just for the effect of it, Alexandra clasped Betty's hand in both of hers, 'we both know he is a great deal out of our reach. Why should we be miserable over something that can't happen?'

'Because we have hearts? Hearts that do not listen to our minds?' Betty asked, and they stared at each other in the dark for a minute. Alexandra had said what she had to and it now depended on what Betty took away from it. 'Not only that,' Betty then said, turning away and then back towards her. 'Sometimes, you know what I think, Mabel? I - I feel I'm attracted to William only because he's so much like the King. I feel I'm cheating him and myself. I feel so hopeless, Mabel. And a little guilty, all the while.'

'Betty,' Alexandra said, now smiling. 'Would you like to be a Queen?'

'What?!' She asked, a little too loud. Sarah stirred and they both gestured each other to shut up, with a finger to their lips and hissing, "shh". They made quite a lot of noise with the hiss itself, but Sarah's slumber was a deep one, because she turned away and snored on. Betty sighed, and continued, 'No!' She exclaimed, 'No way, Mabel. I don't feel good finding myself an heiress. A Queen? Simply no!'