Once Upon A Princess

32: Confessions

Theo had woken up the next morning with a hard sore spot in his ribs. Sleeping on the floor had little benefits towards health, he thought to himself. When he'd managed to actually open his eyes he saw he was alone. Amelia and her guard were gone. The bed wasn't made, and the window had been opened by a crack to let in a cold draft that permeated the room like an invisible layer of ice.

Tomorrow was the test. All the girls would be taken to different bedrooms tonight, he couldn't recall why. He'd never paid much attention in the meetings. He wondered idly how Amelia was feeling about it as he stretched himself awake. He decided he'd go check on Mia to make sure everything was alright and to take her down to breakfast with him. He stood up and went over to the window, closing it with a solid thud. He left the blankets where they were after changing and making sure his hair was presentable.

Going through the hallway he saw it was unusually crowded with guards. They must have been on high alert since an assassination attempt had been made. Every one of them were giving him odd glances, and he couldn't understand why. Maybe he had something on his face.

The door to Mia's nursery was ajar, light spilling out to the hallway. Theo heard a voice from inside; one that was talking along with Mia's incomprehensible jumble of words.

He got closer and realized it was Amelia who was talking. What was she doing in the nursery? He went to open the door wider, noticing one of Amelia's guards moving forward. It was the other guy; the one that looked like a soldier with his broad shoulders and intense expressions. He was moving closer to Amelia, where she was sitting on the floor across from Mia. The guard's face was to Theo, and as soon as he saw the prince he stopped his advance and backed away to the corner where he'd originally been. He obviously didn't want to talk to Amelia while other ears were around.

Amelia herself also had her face to the door, but she was hanging her head and didn't see Theo in the doorway. She had Mia smiling and gabbing, something Theo had only seen him or his mother accomplish with any sort of longevity. She was also talking to herself though. It was as if she was carrying on a conversation with the little princess.

"Do you think the test will be long? Do you think I'll be alone? Maybe you were in the meetings. Spill your secrets," she said sincerely to Mia. Mia just smiled and started talking. Amelia nodded along. "Yes, you're right. That wouldn't be right to have an advantage over the other girls. Did you know I have to sleep somewhere else tonight?"

Mia replied. It sounded like she said something about the bathroom.

"That's true. My bedroom isn't exactly the safest place for me at the moment anyway."

Theo felt a stab of sympathy in his gut. She had no one else to talk to, and so she had to spill her fears to a small child who wouldn't be able to understand fully. Maybe that was why she wanted Theo in the room with her last night. Any sort of comfort was better than none.

"Tho bab," Mia said. She laughed.

Amelia nodded. "You want your brother, right? Does he usually come in to see you?" Theo was surprised she knew Mia's word for him. Tho.

Mia reached out her hands; her soft, tiny hands, and grabbed at Amelia's lap. Amelia let her into her lap with no fuss.

"I guess if he's coming I should leave. He'd probably find it strange to see me in here."

Well, that's true, Theo thought.

"Before I go, princess to princess, you'll keep my secrets, right?"

He could tell that Mia, though her back was to him, was looking at Amelia with those big, dark eyes of hers.

"Sometimes I feel like you're my only friend," Amelia said. She picked her up to set her back down on the ground. "Now it's time for breakfast. I wonder if all the girls will be as nervous as me, or if they'll still be fawning over Castiel. Blegh," she stuck out her tongue to show her disgust, and Theo almost laughed at the sight. He felt a strange, unidentifiable relief at her obvious disinterest. They had something in common, at least. Watching a congregation of women all pining for Castiel was the worst kind of way to spend your time.

Before she stood up, she said something else to the little princess. Theo caught it just barely, for she was whispering like she was telling Mia a secret sacred to her own heart.

"Nothing is as bad as the nightmares, though."

Mia said nothing; her eyes were concentrated on Amelia's face.

Nightmares? Theo had wondered why she had been mumbling in her sleep last night. His night had been full of tossing and turning from being uncomfortable, but her fits must have been from an entirely different sort of discomfort.

"I dream mostly of something coming for me. But it's always so diluted, I can never quite make out what the different symbols are supposed to mean. I thought it was all in my head. But then last night happened. Someone is trying to harm me. Now I just feel like I'm crazy."

Theo had no idea how she could be feeling. Or even what to say. Not that he was supposed to know this information. She wasn't telling him this. But he heard it all the same.

The guard's face was impassive when Theo looked at him. He must've felt pretty guilty. It was his job to protect Amelia, and last night he'd almost failed his job. She was walking around terrified, and there was nothing anyone could do about it, especially now.

He wanted to go in; to let Amelia know that he was there. Maybe she would talk to him, if he inquired about her. He wanted to tell her that dreams were nothing, and that it had just been a coincidence. He'd had his fair share of nightmares and they never meant anything. He wanted to say that after the test was over she could go home, and leave her fears behind in Gell. With him. He'd never given her any good reasons to love his country, he realized. Maybe if he'd taken her on a small adventure or two, just to show her the sights and people, she'd feel better.

He wanted to open the door wider and say all of those things, but when Amelia shifted to start standing up, he jumped back. No. He couldn't say anything to her. He hurried away before she could see him, imagining the look on her face when she realized he'd been standing there. No, it was better if she had no idea he'd been there. It was easier to forget the things she'd said that way. And he desperately wanted to forget her words.