The Exiled Gem

The No-Entry Room

'Goodness!' She wailed, 'YUCK!' but now that the deed was done, she could see Rose's wisdom in the distance. There was speck of blue, if Alexandra looked far enough.

River Cessabit. As far as she remembered- this didn't have drinkable water. But certainly... bath-able water?

'River! Oh, River! I love you!' Alexandra cried, spitting out once again in the sewage.

You are only increasing the dirt, Dear, her mind reminded.

'Will you please shut up?' Alexandra said, reluctantly raising her limbs to swim. She hoped Rose hadn't fallen into any trouble. Because if she did, it would be her fault. And Rose seemed convinced that Austin didn't have bad intentions, if she opened her mouth to him... there would be utter destruction.

And if the first day in Doveland itself has gone so bad, Alexandra thought to herself, entering into the River- that only had knee-deep water, How will I manage for the rest of ... Eternity?

* * *

The Doveland Palace was calling her. And Alexandra was stoutly ignoring. Over a month in Doveland and she still hadn't paid it a visit.

'I'll go tomorrow,' she said to herself each night- she kept shuttling between inns and people's houses, every two nights or so. Alexandra didn't keep her cycle predictable. She simply barged into the first night-club or inn she saw. Sometimes, she pretended to be a traveler-

'I don't need food,' She said at every house, 'Just a place to sleep.' And people were quite fine with giving her a place to sleep. Because the current Dovish problem was food.

This had continued for the past four weeks. And ever since, she hadn't even looked at that Palace twice.

'Today,' Alexandra said, in that dark, cloudy morning of December, 'Is the final day! If I don't go today, I will propose Fredrick Derk, I swear!'

It was a simple way to motivate herself. Swearing this and that nonsense, so that she remembered- in case she didn't do the work, she'd have to do that thing.

'Okay, now that I had sworn - it can be safe to say that, that was a King sized stupidity.'

She rolled out of the bed, then midway through the roll, remembered that this wasn't a mattress on the ground- this was a real bed.

Too late, her malicious mind mused, now you'll wake up the hard way.

And she did, falling on the hard, stone floor, saving her head by an inch.

'Ow,' Alexandra said, rubbing her back as she sat up, eyes brimming over in tears of pain, 'Stupid bed, I can't go to the Palace like this!'

Then you'll propose Fredrick Derk. Hehe.

Alexandra sat up even straighter. She had a Liam and then to go gadding after her sister's husband - what stupidity! She should have sworn of "not feeding Jade today" - that would have had scarier consequences.

'No!' She declared, nevertheless.

Of course, yes. Now get up, you are not dead. Crying for no reason at all.

Alexandra kicked the bed covers aside. She stood up gingerly, still a hand on her back, like an eighty year old grandma. No, the pain wasn't that bad, after all. She thrust a hand inside her pillow and pulled out Moira, the blade flashed in the dim light.