The Deadly Trials

13 | Water Droplets | rune

\\ water droplets \\

Water dripped down his face, into his eyes and mouth, and gathered at the collar of his shirt. His hair stuck to his face. He watched droplets fall off the table in miniature rivulets.

For a while, it hadn't registered what had happened. Not even after the maiden had left did it occur to him that he had been doused in water. He just sat there, drenched.

His father was silent, speechless for the first time in a long time. After a dragging moment, the King lifted his arm and snapped his fingers. "Eika, please fetch us a towel."

The chameleon-noid stepped forward, bowing. She straightened to grab a towel from the kitchen, but the Prince's movements gave her pause.

Prince Rune rose to his feet, the chair scraping against the floor. He straightened his wettened collar and yanked on his frock coat to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles. "It's alright. I'm fine." He refused to lower his head.

Then, King Hadeth snorted. A full-bodied laugh followed, causing him to hold his stomach. His laughter reverberated about the dining room, each echo adding to Rune's irritation.

"I'm sorry," the King said before he collapsed into laughter again. "She's a bit feisty, isn't she?"

Lips pursing, Prince Rune glared ahead. More water rolled down his cheeks and off his chin.

Still consumed by amusement, his father managed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh." He continued to laugh anyway.

The Prince stepped aside and pushed his chair in. He clasped his hands behind his back, determined to maintain a sense of pride. "I'm going to my room."

His father controlled himself just long enough to say, "Of course," and lost himself to his laughter once more. Prince Rune could still hear him from the hallway.

He marched to his room upstairs, keeping his expression blank and his posture straight. He felt the servants stare after him, he could hear their whispered questions. But he ignored them.

Before he could touch the door handle, a voice called, "Your Highness."

"Yes?" He pivoted on his heel to face Eika Lorde.

She smiled at him. "While the Earth maiden does need to see things from your perspective, with all due respect, sir, you can try to put yourself in her shoes too."

A brow quirked. "Are you excusing her behavior, Miss Lorde?"

"Certainly not." Her smile was gentle. "But doing so may offer an explanation for her actions."

The Prince took a step closer to her, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Do you know the maiden's name?"

"I do."

He puckered, as though he had tasted something sour. "Surely useless information."

The chameleon wiped her hands on her apron. "I doubt her name will vanish from my memory. She is quite unforgettable." She bowed. "Your Highness."

Prince Rune slammed his bedroom door behind him. He snatched the black towel off the post of his bed and roughly dried his face and hair.

The only splash of color in his room was the red of the black-and-red checkered floors. Otherwise, black dominated: from his bedsheets to the curtain drawn over the window, to the blanket over the single mirror propped in the corner. A black rose, the only seemingly personal touch to the room, sat in a vase on a small round table in the opposite corner.