* * *
Simona sat by the balcony looking over the garden. There had been a lot of things going on her mind lately. But it all summed up to the two people she cares about so dearly.
Lauren and Camila.
In the short span of time the two had shared together, their connection had always been palpable. Way too obvious to not notice. The old woman saw it right away back in Isla de los Muertos, she saw it again as the two found their way back to her. She still see it as the days go by and everytime she does, she can tell just how stronger Lauren and Camila's connection get.
There's just something in the way they look at each other. Something true and meaningful and deep.
But that doesn't mean she can stop worrying about them.
Lauren represents the world. She is about to be in a position of great responsibility. She has duties and there are laws and traditions for her to uphold. And Camila, by Arcadian conservative standards, she is not the person fit to be the next empress' spouse.
But Lauren sees something in her, believes in her. Simona does too.
It's just that not everyone can see through their eyes, not everyone can see through their perspectives. It's difficult to make someone with different opinions and beliefs understand. Not everyone will see the good person Camila truly is. Simona is afraid that most of the empire will only see the flaws in her once they find out who she is. Or who her father is.
"When you opened the book, what did you see, Simona?"
Startled, she looks over and finds Lauren sitting by the nightlight behind her.
"Scribbles. Gibberish. All in fancy gold ink . . . Why?"
The princess takes a deep breath, it is obvious that something bothers her.
"What did you see, princess?"
"What do you know about the first Arcadian empress?"
Perhaps the princess is looking for an example to follow other than her father, Simona assumes. After all, Lauren will soon become an empress. The second one in the history, after her great grandmother whose last rule was about a hundred years ago.
It only makes sense that she would ask about her only female predecessor.
"Graciela, the first empress of Arcadia. Well, it is known that she was the champion of the common folk. The best healer of her time, a pioneer in the field of medicine. She spent most of her life helping the poor, especially those with illnesses who cannot afford proper medical care. She had a particular specialty in apothecary. She travelled far and wide throughout the empire to help those who had ailments, to share and spread her knowledge about medicine; to find better cure for existing diseases and more efficient ways to treat people,"
Lauren knew about that, it's been written in all the history books and medical journals. "What about her personal life?"
"She was an only child, like you. But she married much later in life and under the pressure of having an heir to continue the bloodline. According to historians, she was so dedicated in her work as a healer that she was ready to abdicate the throne to only focus on medicine. She was about to name her uncle, her father's younger brother, as the next ruler even though he doesn't want anything to do with becoming an emperor. But the word of the imperial ruler was absolute. However, just as all the preparations were set, she meets a man known as Benedict the Howler—"
"The cursed prince in disguise, the heir of Masedovia, kingdom of the great plains. They didn't agree with each other at first, a human and a lycan, but they were meant to be together, he was her sun and she was his moon who broke his curse. They exchanged vows they truly meant to say and soon the empire celebrates, for the line of the first born continues. Great uncle Pete and his wife led the greatest celebration in the empire to honor their union. A feast that lasted a month known to us now as the La Luna festival,"
"Yes, that's pretty much what it is . . . But that's not what you're getting at are you?"
"Tell me about her sons,"
"She only had one. Your grandfather, Theo,"
Lauren closes her eyes, shakes her head, "She had two sons,"
"Historical accounts doesn't say that . . ."
"The book of life does,"
Simona stares at Lauren.
The princess is in anguish, eyes still closed. She knows that if she opens it, the older woman would see the pain of the past shine through. Clearly, a passage from the Arcadian book of life tells her that her great-grandmother had two sons. That the late emperor Michael had an uncle too. But he never mentioned any of this to Simona when he read the book of life nor was it written in any texts in the Arcadian archives.
"Lauren . . . What did you find?"
The princess takes a beat of silence, thinking how is she going to explain something she herself struggles to understand. She quotes her father instead of giving a straight answer. With everything the book of life has revealed to her so far, those words of emperor Michael just keeps coming back at her.
"Some fruits are ripe and good; others are just plain rotten . . ."
Princess Lauren then opens her eyes, determined to make sense of everything, and looks at Simona.
"What does the history books say about empress Graciela's death?"
"It was a devastating loss for everyone, but especially for her husband who died only days after her. But the details of her death were . . . Vague . . . Almost unknown,"
* * *
"Well, that's a lot. First, Laura the guest is the heir to the Arcadian throne, then Mila gets herself a girlfriend, and y'all guess who? It's none other than our former guest herself, aka Lauren the princess of the great empire of Arcadia. Isn't that fun?! We now have the spawn of the king of bandits smoochin it up with the heir to the greatest nation in the world! Oh wait there's more, good old Simona, formerly the dude Simon, knew everything from the get go about princess Lauren who was actually looking for her. What a mother effin coincidence Dinah brings her to our island! And speaking of, did I forget to mention that tall blondie over here is actually half sister to that Oakridge queen? That mighty gorgeous woman who kind of bosses over this side of the world when princess Lauren doesn't, who by the way, looks hotter than jalapeño hot sauce from hell's buttcrack . . . I'd be more than happy to bang her in the nearest flat surface, honestly,"
"You did not just say that,"
Dinah glares hearing the tail end of Ally's rant.
Normani simply snorts at the two of them, "What a way summarize it, Al,"
"I've been mind blown this entire time, give my brain a breather will ya. It's a lot to take in, it's messy! But it makes sense! Not quite, but yeah, you know what I mean!"
Normani shakes her head.
"No, I don't," Dinah retorts.
Ally rolls her eyes, "Anyway . . . What's next boss?"
The boss has been quiet, looking out the window of the lavish room princess Lauren gave her. Even though Hailee is the appointed leader of Oakridge kingdom, the territory and everything in it belongs to the empire of Arcadia. So basically, Lauren owns everything there, rules over everyone. No formality of her ascension was needed, it's already given and well understood by the Oakridians and every citizen of the Arcadian empire.
Camila had been thinking that the world is just so big. And a big chunk of it rests in the hands of the one woman who brought her heart back to life. A big part of the world looks up to Lauren, and Camila doesn't ever want to jeopardize that. Being who she is, who her father is, what she's done in the past, she is just nothing but a taint in the good name Lauren is upholding.
The princess deserves more than a bandit like herself.
But she wants to try. Especially when Lauren sees something in her that she herself had been struggling to find. She wants to be that person a princess so precious like Lauren deserves to have by her side for the rest of their lives. To be someone worthy.
"First things first," she turns to the expectant faces of her friends, "The three of you are not obliged to do as I say from here on out. You never were. All of you are your own person so it'll be your choice if you want to stick around with me now that I have decided to quit thieving,"
Ally and Normani exchange glances while Dinah stares at Camila.
"As you know now, the big snake is in Arcade city. He's been occupying the imperial castle and so far the current rallied forces of the empire doesn't entirely have a united front. Maybe that's why he succeeded in taking siege of the castle; every other kingdom and county have their own agenda in their attempt to take back the imperial castle. Hopefully, her majesty's ascension will give the Arcadians clarity and remind them why the empire is the greatest nation in the world. The emperor's sudden death and the princess' absence somehow made them forget that. And now that she's back on track, I will be there to help her. However and whenever she needs me. Afterall, we do want the same thing. Justice,"
"And here I thought it was revenge," Ally comments.
"It was . . . Not anymore,"
"Because you now see some sense. That revenge will not give you the closure that you never realized was what you truly needed," Dinah says.
Camila nods.
"Yes. It took a lot of time for me to finally realize that,"
"It took you to meet Lauren to finally realize that. The same thing goes for her, I think," Normani comments, "And for whatever you decide to do, I'm with you. You're not just the boss, you are family to me,"
"I already said the same thing earlier so, again I'm asking now what's next?"
Camila chuckles at Ally's bluntness. Then she looks at Dinah, who just looked back at her with pensive eyes. Slightly worried that her ally for the longest time wouldn't be as supportive as Ally and Normani. Especially when it was her fault that Zara died many years ago in a village her mother built dedicated for all the half-breeds looking for their place in this world.
Dinah never blamed her of course, but her guilt deep inside did. It still does.
"Mila, the first time we met, you taught me how to steal without getting caught. The second time around, you taught me how to bullshit my way out of a sticky situation. For somebody with normal upbringing, that's just unacceptable. But for me, it was the basics of survival since I had been wandering around alone and confused. And as the days and weeks and years went by, you taught me how to get through the harsh realities of life. And more importantly, you led me back to the roots of my father, reminded me that I was never alone. I owe you that much. But I am not sticking with you because of any of that, or that I promised your mother to look after you," The tall blonde moves to pull Camila into a hug, "I'm with you because I love you. You are important to me, Mila. Through thick and thin, I am always with you,"
She can't help but feel the overwhelming love that had always been there. Love of the family she has found since leaving the father whom she is supposed to receive it from but never truly did. She was just so blinded and so numb, so wrapped in her own self, to realize that it was there all along. Four times better than what her selfish father and his multitude of gang members could afford to give her.
"Thank you guys, I appreciate it very much. I may not show it in the most conventional ways but I do appreciate all of you. You are the family that truly made me feel like I belong. And I really love you all too,"
"Aww, and she's sappy now too!" Ally starts teasing, "I could cry right now. But for real, you gotta answer my question some time this week, boss,"
"Alright, you annoying little shit," Camila replies, chuckling, "Tomorrow we will be heading out to Willow Creek. Princess Lauren will emerge from a cave there after the blessing of the Arcadian tree of life. Then, soon after, we will head out to Arcade city via our griffins. We will be accompanied by an army pledged by the Arcadian kingdoms of Ravaryn, Masedovia and Astraea but not by much will travel by griffins, only a handful because the rest will travel by horse,"
"Well, that's very reassuring. How many days does travel by horse will take?" Normani asks.
"These aren't ordinary horses, these Arcadian stallions are the most superior breed and trained extensively for the sole purpose of battle and speedy travel. So the rest of the army will be behind us maybe by a day, two at the most,"
"Not to mention that the speed of centaurs in land rivals the speed of griffins in air. The centaurs of Clifden may not be as plenty but they are the fiercest warriors of Arcadia," Dinah adds. "They will ride ahead of everybody else as well as spread the word of the return of the princess as they go across lands,"
"The few, the brave and the strong. We should be alright then facing Alejandro and way too many of his goons of snakeheads," Ally comments.
Their discussion was then interrupted by a gentle knock on the thick mahogany door.
Dinah, being the one closest to the door, opens it. She smiles to see Lauren behind it. But then she remembers that the girl is a royal, she immediately tries to curtsy albeit awkwardly.
"Your majesty,"
"Hi Dinah," Lauren smiles back but something was off about her, "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting—"
"Hi!"
Hearing her voice, Camila was at the door right away, smiling happily. Squeezing her way between Dinah, the thick mahogany door and Lauren.
"You are not interrupting anything your beautiful majesty. Please, come in!"
Lauren giggles softly.
Her green eyes brighten up, and whatever off that Dinah initially sensed disappeared right away. She simply leaves the two by the door since Camila already unceremoniously pushed her aside. She motions to the other two occupants of the room to leave the princess and the bandit, bidding them goodnight. Understanding right away that the boss is very eager to be alone with her princess.
"Whatever you do . . . use protection," Ally says as she closes the door on Camila before she can think to react.
Both the bandit and the princess blush. They momentarily stood still, staring at the closed door . . .
* * *
Simona asked a few more things but she just can't give her any more tangible answers.
She was stuck at knowing that her great grandmother had another son whom the rest of the world didn't know about. After bidding the older woman goodnight, princess Lauren spent an unhealthy amount of time in Oakridge's palace library. Looking for any accounts that suggests that the first empress had two sons.
But none of the books she browsed mentioned anything about one prince Xavier of the imperial house of Jauregui, secondborn son of Graciela, first empress of the great empire of Arcadia.
It was as if he was erased from existence and only the Arcadian book of life mentions him. And even that was not telling a very good impression of who he was.
Because the passage in the book of life reveals that prince Xavier was the master of potions who murdered his own mother.
It is a family shame that made Lauren feel so sick. Not only because of the vile, cruel act itself, or the fact that the true nature of empress Graciela's death wasn't told in any written or verbal history, or the fact that she had another son.
Lauren feels sick because of the possibility that this untold Jauregui prince has a direct connection to a certain master of potions whose expertise lies on deadly poisons.
A possibility of familial relations.
She just can't comprehend what the book of life is trying to tell her. Trying to guide her into. Granted, she hasn't read the entire story upon seeing the picture of prince Xavier holding on to the rod of Asclepius. An artifact that has the image of a snake carved in gold, coiled around a five-foot long stick, also made of gold. An artifact that is known for it's magic of medicinal powers.
Who else would she associate that particular image with if not Camila's father, the notorious lord of serpents?
It could be a coincidence but something in her gut tells her that there is no such thing.
The princess shuts the useless book from the Oakridge palace's library. She leaves the room even more troubled than before she entered it. She had every intention of going to her room, to give the night a rest and perhaps tomorrow she'll have a new perspective around things that are unravelling in front of her.
But then her feet led her somewhere else. Next thing she knows, she's knocking on a thick mahogany door.
It was Dinah who answered, and she was truly glad to see her alright. But her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes to convey her feelings. Until of course the person whom she actually wanted to see pushes her way against Dinah and give her the brightest smile that could rival the sun in the height of summer.
Her reaction was instantaneous. Lauren just can't help it. It just simply lifts her up to see Camila smile.
"Hi!" She says, "You are not interrupting anything your beautiful majesty. Please, come in!"
When Lauren has finally entered the room, the three other bandits start to leave. She really didn't mean to impose on their group or barge into whatever they were doing.
She just wants to see Camila, that's all . . .
"Whatever you do . . . use protection," Ally says as she closes the door on them before she can even try to stop their leaving.
Both the bandit and the princess blush at the short one's teasing. They momentarily stood still, staring at the closed door, unable to come up with a response to that.
"I think it's a little too late for that," Lauren ends up mumbling.
Camila scratches the back of her neck, gulps as she too remembers their first time.
"Yeahh . . ."
"So uhm, how are you holding up?" The princess asks, rocking back and forth on the soles of her feet. "I hope this room is okay for you; it's not the largest but it has the spectacular view of the mountainside,"
No it wasn't the largest nor the most luxurious because that one is reserved for Lauren. But it is the most extravagant bedroom Camila has ever been in.
"I'm holding up just fine, my princess . . . And this is just about the best bedroom I've ever been in," Camila is still smiling at her but her beautiful brown eyes studies her face. It was as if she can sense something was bothering her but doesn't say it outright.
"How about you? Are you alright, my princess?"
"Yeah . . . Yeah, I'm good,"
Camila pulls the princess towards her and Lauren simply melts in her embrace. She was tense, but she immediately softens as the bandit wraps her arms around her. As if that simple hug lifts all the weight of the world that was pressing on her.
"There's something on your mind, I can tell. Would you like to talk about it?"
"Maybe . . . But can you just hold me like this for a while?"
Even as Camila's smile widens, she wants to know whatever it is that's bothering Lauren. She'd like to know how she can help.
"Of course my love . . . But first, let's get you comfortable,"
The bandit brings both of them to the large poster bed. She adjusts them by the pillows and over the thick, soft covers. And every time there's a bit of space between them as she moves, Lauren pulls her back close. Camila chuckles at the princess' need for contact as she fumbles a little bit with pillows.
She needs that contact as well so she wastes no time fluffing stuff around them and holds Lauren close as they lay down on the massive poster bed.
There is nothing else that Camila could ever want. This right here, in the arms of the woman she loves, is right where everything she needs.
"Camz?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it okay if I ask you about your father?"
Camila tenses for a little bit. Because her worst memories are with her father and that is something she's so done for. But then she figures that perhaps Lauren would like to understand more about the person trying to cause trouble in her otherwise peaceful dominions. Perhaps this is what has been bothering her mind.
"What would you like to know?"
"Can you tell me where he's from?"
"When I was a kid, he mentioned something about coming from the desert country of Polaris. It's such a harsh, unforgiving place; a poor country populated by barbarians trying to outdo one another to survive. Why do you ask, princesa?"
"Just . . . curious,"
Camila can sense that there was more to it than curiosity. The way the princess paused in between suggests that. How she's being careful with her words tells her that there's something more the soon-to-be empress needs to know.
"Is there something about that that could help you serve his punishment?"
"Not really . . . Camz, you do realize that his crimes against the empire are punishable by death, right?"
"Burglary, murder, public disturbance, unlawful siege, terrorism, babe I don't really care if you dump him in a tank full of flesh-eating worms to rot, or feed him to a dragon, or toss him in a shark infested waters for no reason at all. I just don't give a damn about him. He can die choking on his own lies and selfishness for all I care,"
"He's still your father . . . That has to mean something to you,"
Camila sighs deeply. Trying her hardest not to lash out because with where their conversation was heading is something that drives her crazy mad. It is a topic she never discussed or acknowledged, not even with Dinah or her late mother. Her affections for her father has long dissipated ever since she was enlightened about how evil and selfish he is.
The last time she looked up to him like he was the hero has become a long forgotten memory of her early childhood.
"Not anymore," she never meant to but her voice cracks.
Lauren can see her pain, feels guilty for pushing the matter. She may not know specific details, but she still understands somehow. She couldn't imagine being failed by her father but she knows if she had been in Camila's place, she would definitely feel hurt and resentful. Lauren hugs the bandit tighter, kisses her neck hoping to pass some comfort on her.
"I'm so sorry my love. I didn't mean to upset you,"
"It's just that . . . It's something I never talk about,"
"You don't have to tell me something you don't want to share. It's alright Camz,"
"That's the thing, I want to share everything with you, princesa. But my past is an ugly mess and you only deserve the best,"
"You deserve to be happy, to be free of your own internal struggles. You do deserve the best life has to offer too, Camz. So, please do not undermine yourself because your father failed you . . . Besides, my family's own history isn't as perfect as the world perceives it to be,"
This piques Camila interest. For as long as anybody knows, especially the Arcadians, the imperial house of Jauregui is the most formidable and honorable family known in this world. And she didn't expect Lauren to just blurt out something like this.
"What do you mean?"
The princess falls quiet for a moment. She knows she shouldn't jump into conclusions when she only has a handful of information. Just because there's a significant image of a snake in her family's heirloom doesn't mean the serpentina bandits originated from them. Just because one Jauregui prince was a snake who betrayed his own mother by murdering her doesn't mean he fathered the most notorious snake bandit in the world today.
A snake bandit who fathered the woman holding her close right in this present moment. The woman she is so deeply in love with . . .
"The first empress of Arcadia was murdered," she finds herself telling Camila anyway. She can't bring herself to hold back. She realizes that she too wants to share everything with her. Even if that includes ugly truths.
". . . By her own son,"
* * *
BEHOLD!!
The longest chapter I have written!!
(must be the coffee I had been drinking lol)
ALSO . . .
^ meet my homies Bailee El Oso and Jakee El Pato; the weird green blob is Mojito Express, she just got out of rehab guys, go easy on her
Ugh! I'm so weird (¬‿¬)
Anyway, this is the beginning of the end; not gonna tell how many chapters left but people are definitely going to die 👀 . . .
See you all next chapter mi gente!
- Hatfield 🙂
* * *