"Your highness, we have a problem!" The breathless maid said.
"What happened?" Alayna nervously asked.
"It's- It's her majesty, she found out..."
'Oh no, don't tell me she's already caught on!'Alayna thought for herself, but before she could think of a possible excuse the maid interrupted her thoughts.
"... she found out that you've skipped the dancing lessons," the maid finished off before she could catch her breath.
"What!?" Alayna burst out, however not in shock but rather in relief.
"Her majesty is very mad and wants you to take responsibility for your actions" she said, "and since you've been careless enough to skip dancing lessons when your coming of age ceremony is coming up in two weeks you have been given a punishment."
'Take responsibility!?' Alayna certainly didn't have time for that. She glanced at Lina hoping to be of any help, but Lina could only shrug her shoulders and so Alayna had to accompany the maid to receive her punishment. Alayna sighed and accepted her fate, even though she didn't know what type of punishment she was going to get. Write a letter saying 'sorry that I misbehaved a thousand times', clean the dirtiest inaccessible places in the palace, or maybe have to take care of her younger cousins? The possibilities were endless and the only way to figure it out was to actually take the punishment itself. Alayna sighed once more, but louder ,making it obvious for the maid too.
The maid escorted her to the ballroom and as she opened the doors Alayna was met by her aunt, and to Alayna's surprise her dear cousin, Angelo was comfortably seated as well. Aunt Mara didn't seem fazed by any of this, in fact it seemed as though she had accepted it. Having to deal with rebelling young royals, that is.
"Now, I'm not going to waste my time trying to think of an ill penalty when such a special day is near, instead the both of you will sit here and reflect about the past decisions you have made that led you up to this occurrence and I do hope you two will not skip future lessons as well, since it would force me to think of a worser penalty," Aunta Mara said in a definite tone while pointing her fingers at both of them.
Alayna crossed her arms and glared at Angelo in an insensible way. 'Great' Alayna thought for herself. Now she was stuck with her annoying cousin again.
Aunt Mara left the ballroom making sure to lock it up and closing all of the windows as well, leaving Alayna and Angelo behind, all alone.
"What reason do you have for skipping dancing lessons? Too busy fantasizing about your future husband?" Angelo jokingly asked.
"Actually I want to ask you the same thing," Alayna hissed back.
"I'm not telling you that," Angelo replied back, a little too cocky considering the mess he had put himself in.
"Let me guess, you were too busy hanging out with a special someone that you forgot about your royal duties?" Alayna shot at him.
Unlike last time Angelo didn't turn as red as a tomato, instead he fired right back at her.
"You're not as innocent either. I caught you last time."
"Caught me? Yeah, right and then you threatened me just like you always do when I haven't even done anything to you," Alayna responded in a calm yet attacking manner despite her insides fuming in rage.
"Don't act all good willed, I'm not the only one threatening around here," Angelo remarked. That sentence was enough to silence Alayna. She leaned her head against the wall and looked out the window.
"That's what I thought,"Angelo rejoiced proudly.
Alayna heard him, but didn't bother answering him back. She kept staring out the window. Arguing with him would only exhaust her and she had better things to think of instead of trying to come up with irksome comments to bother her cousin with. She let her thoughts wander freely for a moment trying to think of a way that could help her out of this situation. In the meantime she could hear Angelo making annoying comments about her. She tried to ignore them and soon enough they faded away. She walked to the door and tried to open it. Maybe, just maybe the lock wasn't strong enough.
"It's locked, there's no use in trying," Angelo stated. Alayna didn't listen to him and kept on pushing the door in hopes it would open.
"Argh!"
"I told you, there's no use in trying."
She looked around for something that could break the lock on the door but found nothing. Angelo was right, she quietly admitted to herself. She went over to the windows on the other side of the ballroom. She looked out the windows and tried to estimate the height down to the ground and sighed in annoyance .
"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked Angelo in an endeavor to convince him to help her.
"Do you think I enjoy being locked up in the ballroom with you!?"
"I'll take that as yes then," Alayna responded.
"I don't trust you. I'm not going to help you in any way if that's what you want."
Alayna didn't intend to plead with him in any way, however it seemed necessary in this case.
"Fine, if that's what you want. I just thought that if we had worked together, we both could get out of this and then you would not have to spend your precious time with me."
Angelo just glared at her with crossed arms. He looked bothered yet Alayna didn't stop trying to convince him.
"Listen, we both want to get out of here and it won't hurt either of us to help each other out this time. Sometimes you have to take help from your enemies. Believe me, I don't want your help either."
"How can I trust you to help me? You might use me to get yourself out."
"No, I promise. And as proof, I'll help you out first, but then you have to promise to help me."
"Okay, I'll help you," Angelo finally agreed, "what's your plan?" he inquired.
None of them knew how much they could trust one another and whose promises were lies. For this time both had to put aside their enmity.
"Have you noticed the curtains covering the windows?"
Angelo nodded and looked at them.
"If we take them down together, we can tie a long rope and hoist each other down, but I cannot reach them myself, and need your assistance as a ladder to reach them."
Angelo didn't look as relieved as he did a moment ago.
Alayna knew he didn't like the idea of being used as a tool. In his eyes he was above everyone else and in no position to be exploited, but Alayna took it as a good laugh to be able to make fun of him for once. Of course she wouldn't do it now because she still needed his help.
"My idea is that I get to stand on your shoulders to be able to pull off the curtains."
"Who told you that you get to take the curtains off? I'll do it. I'm not going to let an outcast stand on my shoulders," he replied in a bitter tone.
Alayna looked at him for a brief second. She didn't want to agree with him, but she knew that it wasn't worth arguing with Angelo as she was in a hurry to get out of there.
"Fine then," Alayna replied a little sourly.
Angelo tried to stand on Alayna's shoulders. It took several failed attempts before he succeeded, and Alayna wondered if she could continue to handle his heavy weight.
When he finally found a way to stand on her shoulders properly, Alayna made her long awaited comment, "You weigh as much as a pig."
"Shut up. I'm sure you'd weigh more than two horses," He retorted.
"Be careful with your words, I might accidentally drop you and it wouldn't be a pretty sight."
Angelo fell into silence and turned his focus on trying to pull the curtains down.
One by one they pulled down each curtain. It wasn't easy because Angelo couldn't keep his balance several times. When they finally pulled on the last curtain, they both heard the door behind them open.
"May I ask, what are you doing!?" said a firm voice.
"Aunt Mara!"
"Mother!"
Alayna didn't waste a second and tossed Angelo off her shoulders. He fell with a thud to the floor.
"Ow, what did you do that for!?" Angelo shouted in pain..
"Oops, I didn't mean to," she tried to innocently defend.
"Your punishment is over, but now that I see what you have been up to, I really regret not giving you a worse punishment. Maybe it would have been better if you cleaned up around the castle after all."
"Luckily for you, you have a bunch of royal duties waiting so you are both free to go this time, but next time I promise that I won't let you get away with this."
"You made me work for nothing," said Angelo indignantly.
"What, are you going to cry now? You should be thankful our punishment is over so that you return to your that special someone," Alayna whispered to Angelo.
"You!-"
"I really don't want to ruin it for you, but your face is all red."
Angelo quickly looked away in an attempt to hide his reddened face, but it was too late. Aunt Mara looked at both of them in utter disappointment.
"Now, what are you still standing here for!? Hurry up , things will not get done by themselves."
They turned their gazes in different directions and left the ballroom in tense silence.
Both Alayna and Angelo knew that this war between them wasn't over.
*******
Hello everyone,
I would like to think of this chapter as a filler chapter. A more wholesome one before the disaster begins. *Inserts evil laugh*
Until next time,
S&S