eldia

23 | home sweet home

An abrupt knock at the door snaps you out of your trance. "Princess, wake up. We have to get going." Marco yells from behind the door.

You come off your side and stare up at the ceiling. You didn't sleep at all last night. There were moments where you could feel yourself doze off but it was only a few seconds. Once your brain reminded you of what you'd be waking up to if you fell asleep, it became a lot harder.

No matter how hard you tried, your brain wouldn't shut up. You spent the entire night tossing and turning. You went over about a hundred different outcomes for every possible situation.

After a few more minutes of just staring at the roof, you slide out of bed and begin to collect your things.

Ms. Kirstein had breakfast ready and it was Jean's favorite, omelets. The entire kitchen smelled of eggs, tomatoes and ham.

Even though the table was miserably quiet while the two boys still had unresolved conflict, the sound of them devouring their food was enough to fill the room.

When everyone is finished, you help her clean the kitchen while the men collect the bags and put it into a carriage that Marco called for. Since the weather was better now, people were freely roaming the streets so it was crucial you weren't seen.

Marco is the first to say goodbye to her and the first to get onto the carriage. You decide to go next considering Jean's goodbye to his mother may be longer than most, so it's better for him to go last.

"Did you sleep well?" She asks.

"Actually, I haven't slept at all." You admit. "I couldn't. I was far too anxious."

She looks over at the door that Jean was coming in and out of as he lugs more bags into the carriage. "The same goes for Jean, I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and he was outside."

You watch him as he sets the last bag onto the carriage. "Well, hopefully all goes well and we were worried for no reason at all."

She hugs you tightly like she never wants to let go. Every time she did, you felt like a small toddler again in her arms. It felt good to get away from the adult world for just a few seconds while her arms wrap around you.

"Goodbye, Mama Kirstein." You find comfort in her warmth one last time. "Try to visit us sometime."

"Goodbye dear." She says as she rubs your back. She then whispers. "By the way, I'm still rooting for you and Jean."

You pull away and smile sadly. "Me too."

Jean enters into the kitchen and washes his hands off in the sink. You begin to walk out the door. "I'll leave you two be."

You quickly get into the carriage and sit there alone with Marco. He was struggling with one of the straps of his uniform.

"You seem nervous." You mention.

He chuckles. "Your parents can be quite intimidating." He then tugs on his collar. "Especially the king, stone cold expression that one. Don't even get me started on the queen, she has the sharpest tongue and-"

He then quickly shuts up when he's remembers those are your parents. "I'm sorry, your highness."

You laugh. "It's alright. I know first hand how scary they can be. I may not look it but I'm quite nervous myself."

You lean forward to get on a more personal level. "I know we've gone over this already, but I want to run it by you again. You aren't going to tell my parents or anyone else about what you saw, right?"

He shakes his head. "I won't. As much as I know I should, I know Jean will probably end up most likely dead and I don't want that to happen. Regardless of our little issue we have going on right now."