COBALT: The Sovereign's Stratagem (Book Two)

Chapter 3: Mr. Bunny (Part 1/3)

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Heyo, here's your set bi-weekly update to help with some of that school, work, and/or the cut-throat election stress.

Let's be honest though. The memes. 

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Latos - Six years ago

          "Vera, I told you he'll be back in a month," Queen Yasha sighed, looking down at her daughter, arms crossed and cheeks red with irritation in a way that was more cute than intimidating. 

          Vera hated it more than anything. The smile that always founds its way onto her mother's face irritated her to no end, but she couldn't help it if her tries at intimidation were always betrayed by her size.

          "You said daddy would be back last month, I kept track!"

          "Did you now?" Her mother mused, sharing the impressive feat through a glance at the spectating guards. Even with half their faces covered Vera knew they had that same look on. 

          Like she'd just remained five years old for the past four years.

           "Don't worry, he confirmed it with a letter this time."

          "Why doesn't daddy send me letters?"

          "Because daddy has very messy handwriting that only mommy can read."

          Vera groaned in disapproval. There it was again. "Then can I go outside?"

          "No Vera."

          "Adrian can go outside, that's not fair!" Vera locked eyes with her mother's stern glare, immediately cowering away before she lost the right to roam indoors. "I just want to go sit in the old courtyard and pick flowers."

          That was a blatant lie. What she really wanted to do was climb a tree, but there was no way her mother was going for that.

          The queen sighed, thinking on it for a few hopeful seconds. "If you behave we'll see. Why don't you go play with your sister?"

          Vera couldn't help but scrunch her nose. "She just reads, she's no fun."

          The queen raised her eyebrows. "How about you go practice your Lumience with Adrian then? He should be in his room."

          Vera sighed. For running a whole kingdom, her mother wasn't all that smart. Of all the people to play with, her snot nosed puff chested big brother was even below doing her homework. He used to know how to have fun before her father gave him a wooden sword and he turned himself into the next Golden Knight of Fran. Apparently trying to smack Horus with a wooden dud wasn't playing, it was practice, and only boys could practice.

           "I'm just going to play with Cinder," Vera muttered, her bitter frown dipping to the dreadful realisation that her guardian wasn't on her shoulder. She was still in a ring of scarves in a closet that she'd shut the door on two hours ago.

          Her heels turned without a goodbye to her mother, quickly bursting to a jog as she got out of the dinner hall and away from the dressed up important people her mother had been chatting with. Cinder was no stranger to escaping locked spaces, the only problem was, she used her fire to do so.

          She barreled down the halls, ignoring the nods and waves from the maids and guards she blew past. If she set her closet on fire, it'd be a year before she could even stick her nose out a window, let alone walk the streets of Listillvice with her father like she used to.