Reyna and Marie quickly left the pub and watched from the shadows as palace guards swarmed the block. Neither of them wanted to stick around to watch the outcome, so they headed back towards the castle, with only the moon lighting their way.
The whole way back Reyna tried to talk with Helios, but he kept blocking her out, and after a while she gave up. Her mind wandered to the lady beside her. Marie was Reyna's best friend, and was willing to go to the ends of the earth for her, yet she didn't trust her with Helios for some reason. The silence between them killed the princess, and she realized that just as she was keeping secrets, so was Marie. And whatever the secrets were, they had created a rift between the two. A rift that Reyna was determined to destroy.
When the two got back to the kitchens Marie went off toward her own room, "Marie, could you come to my rooms?" Reyna asked, "There's something I wanted to talk about." Marie's eyes lit with interest and any sign of fatigue quickly faded.
"Alright, lead the way," Marie gestured toward the empty hall. Again, they walked in silence, but this time it was needed. 'The walls of the castle had eyes and ears' Reyna's mother used to say. As a little girl, she had actually thought they did, and swore that she felt them watching her from time to time, but as the princess grew up she learned the full extent of the metaphor.
The two ladies stopped when they heard shuffling from up ahead. Looking around the corner Reyna saw that it was Lord James. Briefly cursing under her breath, the princess slipped the engagement ring back onto her finger. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." She whispered to Marie when the Lord noticed them and marched up to her.
"Good luck," Marie muttered before stalking off towards Reyna's rooms.
"Lord James, how can I help you?" The princess turned toward her fiancé and glared.
"I was hoping to ask you something." He looked tired, dark circles marred his usually flawless skin, but she didn't dwell on it.
"This late at night, I should hope it's a good question." Reyna silently cursed at her remark on the time. Hopefully the lord would let it go and not question where she'd been.
"Yes, well it is something that's been bothering me for some time." He muttered and ran his hands through his thick black locks.
"Well, out with it then."
"Do you have a lover?"
"Pardon?"
"You heard me, lover." The lord's eyes were alive with anger. "What other reason would you have for opposing this marriage."
"First, if anyone has a lover, it's you." Reyna knew his reputation, as did everybody else. "You've slept around enough to probably have an unknown child or two." The lord had the audacity to look shocked at her remarks. "Second, I'm opposing this marriage because you are a pompous ass," Reyna began mentally counting the things she hated about him off, "you are selfish and not strong enough to be king, especially not my king. You are the epitome of everything I hate about nobility." When she finished, Reyna felt a lot better than before. Getting that all off her mind felt good.
At this point she didn't care if the halls really did have ears because Reyna wanted the whole world to hear her, her complaints, her hatred, for the man in front of her. "It's late Lord James, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." The princess walked away, leaving a stunned lord behind.
She reached her room in record time and closed the door. As the lock clicked into place Reyna spun around to face Marie. She took a minute trying to find the best way to start. "Out with it Reyna. I'm slightly drunk, and I want to go to bed."
"Alright," She began. "I haven't been entirely truthful with you since I got back, but I want you to know the truth–"
"Say no more, I already know." Marie interrupted.
"You do?"
"Yes, you were at the cliffs because you were meeting your lover," The hell? That's got to be a record. Being accused of having a lover twice in the span of minutes. "Because you, Reyna Dux, are pregnant."
Silence filled the room before Reyna started laughing uncontrollably. It was one thing for Marie to think she had a lover, but pregnant? "Why are you laughing?" She yelled.
Reyna took a full minute to control her laugh and another to catch her breath, "I can see how you'd connect the dots off me going to the cliffs and a lover, but why the hell do you think I'm pregnant?"
"Well, you've been eating more, and you're much quieter, and–and," She looked down embarrassed and dragged a hand over her tired face. "I'm wrong aren't I."
"Yep, but thank you for the laugh, it was much appreciated."
"Gods above," Marie sighed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought–"
"I understand, but in truth," Reyna paused before she said something she would regret. "I always thought you'd be the one to have a kid first." In an instant the lady in waiting's face turned beet red, "Are you?"
Marie shook her head, "But there is someone..."
"I knew it!"
"You did not!"
"I had a feeling then," Neither spoke for a few minutes, so Reyna went to sit on the golden couch. Marie followed. "Why didn't you tell me?" She didn't want to admit it, but Reyna was a bit hurt. The two of them used to share everything.
"Because," Marie ran her thin fingers through her hair. "Because he isn't of noble blood, and I'm a lady in waiting, a lady in waiting to the princess nonetheless."
"But you weren't born of noble blood, so it'd work out. Not to mention that I wouldn't give a shit as long as you're happy." Marie huffed a laugh. "And last I checked you didn't value any of the court's opinions except for mine."
"But I'm your lady in waiting, I can't have kids or a family, I'm not allowed." Right. Reyna forgot about that stupid law. Since the ladies in question were supposed to be fully devoted to their mistress, they weren't allowed to have families. "Plus, after the coronation, I'll be the lady in waiting for the queen."
"But you're not going to be my lady in waiting forever," Reyna remarked.
"What do you mean, of course I'm going to keep my position!"
"I just mean that when you're ready to settle down," As in have a nice family, some nieces and nephews would be nice, since Reyna would definitely be named their aunt. "I'll let you go." Marie looked shocked, and a little hurt. "Our friendship is not based on your work Marie, no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend, you'll always be the person I come to when I want to go drinking, or to throw pies at people." Both ladies smiled.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Alright, let's change subjects. How are we going to fully stop your bull shit marriage?" Marie asked. She seemed to shrug off the entire conversation, but Reyna could see it in her eyes that she was thinking about her future.
"Great question, one that we don't need to answer."
"Why?"
"Because I'll be gone before the wedding takes place," Reyna finally confessed.
"Okay," Marie looked a bit relieved to be honest. "Where will you go?"
"North."
"How north?" Reyna hid her wince. This was going to be a tough question to answer. "'Cause your father will find you easily if you don't go far enough." Marie stared into her eyes, looking for the answer in the gray depths.
"North." She repeated more firmly, trying to get the point across without actually saying it.
"You mean, North north?" Marie's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "As in across the sea, north?" She hissed at Reyna. The princess could only nod in response. "What would possess you to cross the sea to an unknown land filled with people who probably want to kill you?"
"Helios," Was her only response. The dragon came bounding out of her bedroom and hopped onto Reyna's legs. He turned a few times before finally sitting down. Marie's face paled, and she looked like she'd faint any second.
"Reyna, I think I'm more drunk than I thought, because I swear I see a baby dragon sitting on your lap."
"You may be drunk, but what you see is real." For a few moments the dragon and Marie had an intense staring match, before the lady in waiting finally relented.
"Okay, this actually explains a lot. The books, the food, the silence."
At that point Reyna just broke, everything spilled out, from the cliff, to the visions, to having a baby dragon hatch before her eyes, even the gypsies. Everything she had kept from Marie was brought out, and damn did it feel good.
"And I have to return him to his mother," She finished. For a few minutes the three of them were silent. Then Marie finally spoke up.
"What can I do?"