The Exiled Gem

The No-Entry Room

'Come on, Moira, I'll show you my... Old Home.' She promised.

* * *

Staying in a famine struck nation had its own benefits. Number one being that everybody was so bothered with themselves and their hungry stomachs that they didn't care about out of the place things.

Like a lady in black going past the barracks.

Alexandra didn't even have to worry about scaling walls, or getting in through windows. She took the back door, as of right. She walked on the carpeted floors, the swords and shields hanging on the walls, as well as those familiar portraits of previous kings and queens.

Dusty curtains were an undeniable feature of Palace Corridors. One particular curtain, separating the Princess Chambers from the Guest Chambers was the one Alexandra had hid behind when she was five, playing a stupid game of hide and seek where the only rule was that you could hide anywhere but under the stairs, because that place was, as Olivia claimed, haunted.

Alexandra wandered aimlessly. If anybody would have accosted her right now - she'd have no idea what to reply. Preferably, she would say she was lost - and then maybe make an escape through windows. Or one of those nice emergency exits Alexandra knew existed in this Palace.

Come on, her mind urged, this is home territory! Play bold!

Boldness and Stupidity have a thin line of difference. Do not be bold if you do not know where that line is.

The second line was in a good Council Library book called, An Amalgam of Acumen. It sounded a boring, conservative title, but Alexandra had gone ahead and read it, mainly because nobody else ever did. And it had turned out to be a completely MIND-BOGGLING journey, through hundreds of quotes, each one better than the previous and none explained. Alexandra liked it when quotes weren't explained. If the whole thing was written down on paper, why would anybody think about those values. And unless they thought about it, how would they imbibe it?

'Dove's droppings,' Alexandra said, staring around herself, as she resurfaced from the thoughts. She had been thinking about the Council library. And somehow, her legs had lead her to the Palace Library, 'This really IS home territory!'

The library was empty. It had the old familiar smell of musty books and wooden shelves. The ceiling was still the revolting shade of red that would have made any bull go crazy. Alexandra had no idea why she was still proceeding her walk into the library. Anybody could barge in, anybody could catch her, and she had no excuse in hand.

Was Clementine the Librarian still here?

Alexandra was pretty sure she was. Clementine had been ninety when Alexandra had left- and she had been in such excellent health that the lady could run five miles without batting an eyelid.

'Domica! Here, here!' Cried an old lady's cracked voice. Alexandra jumped and turned- behind the Librarian's desk was a very old woman. Almost so ancient that she seemed to wilt before her very eyes. Alexandra surmised that she had been squatting below the desk for so long and hence, invisible.

'Me?' Alexandra asked, pushing aside the run instinct that her mind had given her.

'Yes, you!' the old lady cried back, 'come here!'

Well, I'm not Domica... but this lady is definitely Clementine. Alexandra thought, walking towards the woman. As she came closer and closer, Alexandra registered that the lady was heavily short-sighted. She was touching the books almost to her nose in order to read their titles and squinting at Alexandra every now and then. In such a case, it was better to stay a bit away.

'Take!' Old Clementine said, handing her a stack of books, which Alexandra didn't immediately accept, 'Take, girl!' And she pushed them into Alexandra's grip, 'take these too!' She added and piled up another stack, 'And these- oh, wait- one second... better take these too.' She finished, putting almost twenty fat books into Alexandra's hands, who staggered under the weight.

'Why?!' She barely asked, then the books began to tilt sideward, so she bent the other side, they began tilting the other side, Alexandra bent towards the opposite end, finally managing to balance them.

'Balance, girl!' Clementine barked. 'Go, take them to the meeting room! And fast- you have only five minutes. These are important records! Put them on the table! You get it?'

'But-'

'Hussshhh!' The woman declined, shaking her hand. 'Go!'

'But-'

'Go, girl!' she said, giving Alexandra a hard push. She almost toppled down with the books, managing to hold them together by a second.

She had no choice but to leave. Alexandra wondered what would happen if the real Domica turned up and told Clementine that she had handed the books to somebody else...

Better not think about it. Alexandra's mind advised. And she gladly accepted the counsel.

One good thing was that Alexandra at least knew where the Meeting Room was. Not very far from the library, but definitely a lot when somebody had ten kilograms of books to carry.

Alexandra stepped over the threshold of that handsome room. Big, well-ventilated windows with the best view down. Pristine, white curtains and settee covers. A dark, coffee colored table, below which a furry, red carpet unrolled, disappearing under the bookshelves of equally dark color.

When Alexandra was younger, this was the "No-Entry Room". If she ever asked why, Queen Ava would tell her that this room belonged to Kings and Queens, someday, when she became a Queen, she would meet important people here.

Remembering that, Alexandra didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Both were equally applicable. She had one, last sweeping look of the room and then bent down, to place the books on the table.

Crack!

Alexandra felt excruciating pain flare through her lower back. She put a hand to it, dropping the books on the table and collapsing on the red carpet.

The fall in the morning. She had strained herself too much in the past one month- less food, less sleep, more wanderings. And then the fall and finally these books.

Alexandra gritted her teeth together, the excruciating bout had disappeared, now replaced with a gentle thudding pain. She tried to sit up.

'Ouch - oh - goodness!' Alexandra sighed, giving up the attempt. Every small moment made her back flare up. She hadn't felt such pain since her fall from Mercury. She lay on the carpet for a whole minute, taking slow, full breaths. Her own heartbeat sounding alarmingly loud.

Another try and another failure. After which, Alexandra knew she couldn't escape the No-Entry room now. Five minutes, had Clementine said? If so... now it was more than ten. Maybe, maybe the meeting- was canceled?

'Hopefully!' Alexandra prayed, putting her head on the furry carpet. But as she did, another periodic sound, just like her heartbeat, fell into her ears.

Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud, thud.

Footsteps. And they were growing louder. So were the sounds of people talking. Alexandra covered her mouth in panic. She looked left, then right and finally in front of her.

The settee.

Though it pained, Alexandra crawled on the carpet, trying her best to not make any noise, finally, she put a hand on the ground and rolled under the white, foamy, two-seater lounge.

Almost as if on cue, the door opened, Alexandra had a view of polished shoes, moving around. She counted six shoes- three pairs.

She had laughed at him for it, but Alexandra realized Liam's stand best now. In her case too, the lesser the better.