Cale had the mother of all headaches
She hadn't felt this nasty since... Actually, had she ever felt this nasty?
Oh, yes. She definitely had. Memories gently flowed back into her of times better forgotten and individuals who she had no love for.
Speaking of all that. She had the faintest of memories of her final moments in that damn prison and she could swear she remembered seeing the prince there.
How strange.
She had made enough arrangements that she was relatively confident in her rescue but she didn't anticipate Alberu's presence there. Or was that her feverish mind playing tricks on her?
Cale opened her eyes, regretting it immediately as the lights in the room did absolutely nothing to ease her migraine. Or rather, even the gentle moonlight flitting in from the window was too fucking much and she wanted to throw a bottle at the moon to put out it's damn light because wow her head throbbed.
She was so focused on her hatred of the moon and the pounding agony inside of her head that she almost didn't notice the feel of someone holding her hand.
Cale blinked and looked down towards the source.
It was a rather unseemly sight.
The crown prince ought to have a bit more elegance than to fall asleep at her bedside, dark bags underneath his eyes and a wrinkle pinched between his eyebrows that belayed his discomfort.
She scoffed.
Was he so determined to play the part of the loving fiance that he'd even sit at her bedside like this?
Cale frowned, fully taking in her surroundings lit up by moonlight.
Well, this wasn't her bedroom. That was a bit of an uncomfortable thought after her recent kidnapping. She wasn't terribly worried though.
She might not particularly like or respect the crown prince all that much, but she trusted that he wouldn't kidnap her at the least.
She looked down at their joined fingers and felt a bit strange.
She knew it was all a show for an audience. That was one area where she could perfectly understand her fiance.
They both danced for the entertainment of the masses, showing the public only what they wanted to show and hiding all the rest on the inside. She could be sure that everything Alberu did, carrying her away at the ball or holding her hand like this, was nothing more than a show.
She felt foolish because it was such a good act that even she wanted to be fooled.
There was a gentility to the crown prince that she'd always found a strange sort of comfort in, even if he annoyed her, and she liked... she liked the way he was holding her hand.
"What a fucking laugh..." She whispered to herself.
She didn't have the time or interest in actually developing a bond with her fiance. They weren't even truly engaged. Ultimately, they were merely strangers who could use one another for their own purposes.
It was only her exhaustion causing her to have such strange lingering thoughts. She knew better than to allow herself such a weakness.
She only had a soft spot for the prince because he'd never once believed the allegations against her. At least publicly, he'd defended her until the end. He hadn't been able to get the evidence to pardon her though and ultimately it all just amounted to pretty words without action.
He lost power and influence defending her though and that was why she was confident that he actually fought for her. The ambitious prince she knew would never willingly lose political sway. He simply wasn't that sort of person.
His whole reason for getting engaged with her was to bolster his ambitions.
It made her want to trust him.
She wouldn't, of course, she wasn't so foolish as to allow anyone to grasp her weakness. But... perhaps, she'd trust him with a few things. Just to test how capable he was and to get a better use out of him.
She'd never admit that a part of her just wanted to rely on him. What a mortifying idea that was.
"Hey, your highness." Cale said, a gruff voice coming out in a rasp and scratching her throat on its way out. She scowled. "Wake up." She moved her hand nearly out of his to bap him awake but he instinctively held tight, bright blue eyes opening up blearily to look at her.
She scowled at him. "Oi. Water. Now." She rasped with all the respectfulness of the trashy lush she pretended to be.
Alberu's drowsiness drained away instantly. His other hand shot out to her face, checking for a fever as his eyes raked over her for signs of injury.
She scoffed.
Did he think she'd manage to get herself dreadfully injured in the short time he slept. She glared at him, ignoring the warmth in her cheeks. "Water." She repeated with emphasis.
Alberu wasn't entirely incompetent so he managed that much with speed and efficiency. Cale took the first sip, feeling her headache ease just a bit.
Ah, she'd been dehydrated. Made sense, they hadn't fed or watered her much while torturing her and she didn't know how long she'd been asleep.
She was hungry but she was used to being hungry so she dismissed the feeling immediately.
"How are you feeling?" He asked. She wondered when she'd ever seen him look so openly distressed. Was this too an act? For what audience?
She took her time drinking her water before she bothered to reply. "Just fucking great."
She did feel pretty good. With her headache edging away she could appreciate how many of her injuries had already closed up and healed.
"What's the situation?"
She'd assess what happened, what the prince knew, and then determine how much intel to trust him with.
Alberu frowned.
It caused Cale to pause. She hadn't seen him frown very often in either of her lives. And usually it was because she'd done or said something worthy of a frown. There was nothing wrong with her question.
Alberu's fingers grazed her cheek and the gesture was so strangely intimate that she was all the more confused.
"Rest." He said firmly. "We'll deal with the rest in the morning."
She scowled darkly at him. Who was he to tell her what to do? Besides, he didn't know how urgent all of this could truly be.
"Venion Stan is in our custody."
Oh. Well that improved matters. Some of the angry tension left her shoulders. She had questions but Alberu's expression told her that he wouldn't tell her anything else until she'd abided by his request.
"I want fresh air." She said haughtily, only to be contrary.
There was a queer expression on Alberu's face that she couldn't quite place.
Still, he nodded obediently and picked her up without bothering to ask permission.
"I can walk." She said crossly.
Alberu shrugged his shoulders and from this angle she could see how worry had worn down his otherwise handsome face.
Really, why was he so worried about her? It didn't make any sense at all. Perhaps he felt a sense of responsibility.
When the fresh air actually hit her on the balcony she realized exactly why Alberu had looked at her so strangely.
The time she'd spent in the darkness with nothing but the wretched stench of filth around her. It wasn't the first time she'd experienced something so grim but it was the first time she'd been able to see the sky so shortly afterwards.
Ah. She really had needed fresh air.
Cale sunk into Alberu's arms and looked up at the sky with a strange feeling in her gut between relief and trauma.
"...did the dragon live?" She asked, endeavoring to look as though she didn't care about the answer.
"He was with Roksu last I checked." Alberu replied and there was a strange edge to his voice.
"Ah, so you two met. That explains that." Roksu was intelligent and resourceful, of course he'd utilize the power of the royal family if he could.
"...you trust him a lot."
Cale shrugged, letting out a scoff as her eyes followed the meaningless patterns of stars above.
"I trust his capabilities." She said firmly.
Alberu could agree with that. He nodded mutely even though she wasn't looking at him.
They lapsed into a companionable silence until Cale's eyelids grew heavy and her head rested against his chest, listening to his gentle heartbeat as she allowed herself to be coaxed back into the abyss of sleep.