by C. A. Sabol
Kadrianne came over and sat down at the foot of the princess’ bed. “Good. We all worry about you so, Lady Princess.”
Selene bit her lip, and then asked carefully, “Kadrianne, how is Etoileon today? Is he feeling better yet?” She reasoned out that maybe if she was better today, he would’ve been completely healed as well. Oh, how I hope so! Selene thought.
Kadrianne looked down and shook her head sadly. “No progress today, so far,” she answered. “He is still doing the same as before, though. He has not gotten any worse, so that is good news.”
Selene looked down and sighed softly. “I suppose you’re right,” she responded, though her voice sounded hollow. Still, Selene thought, I wish he would wake up. If I can make a miracle recovery, why can’t Etoileon?
She remembered the doctor’s synopsis the night before and slumped down in her bed once again. It was a miracle that he was still alive, she thought. Maybe that was all the miracles that she was allowed for now.
“Your Governess, Lady Aura, told me to tell you that you will be moving out of the medical ward this afternoon,” Kadrianne remarked, bringing Selene out of her trance-like state. “Your palace rooms are ready for you, Your Highness. His Majesty the King has taken great pains to ensure that you will be in the highest and safest amount of comfort possible.”
“That’s wonderful for His Majesty then,” Selene replied. “I haven’t seen him in here since I woke up.”
Before Kadrianne could respond, a voice called from the door. “His Majesty has been very busy with the war, Your Highness.” Kadrianne and Selene looked up to see Yana in the doorway, a small smile on her face. She’d already taken note of her princess’ considerable improvement. She bowed and walked in, coming up behind where Kadrianne sat. “Your Highness, it is good to see you this morning,” she said.
“Thank you, Yana,” Selene murmured. Had she worried her servants so much that they were moved to break traditional conversation lines? It was a relief, but it was also a little frightening to realize how much her moods of the past weeks had shaken nearly everyone on the staff. I’ll have to bear this pain in my heart more quietly, Selene thought with a sad smile. Even if my dearest companion is not well, I can’t worry everyone. It’s too selfish.
Yana continued, her brown eyes alive with excitement. “His Majesty has decided to open the palace with a ball in your honor tonight, Your Highness. Every member of the High Court is invited, and he has taken the liberty to order the seamstresses to make you a beautiful new gown, as well as gowns for all of your handmaidens! Isn’t that kind of him?”
Something in Yana’s voice caught Kadrianne’s attention, but Selene apparently hadn’t noticed. She was staring off into space again.
“Your Highness?” Kadrianne asked uncertainly.
“I’m all right, Kadrianne,” Selene responded. She tried to give her faithful handmaidens a reassuring smile. “It’s just ... it’s just that thinking of a party makes my head spin somewhat,” Selene explained. “I’m still very tired and I don’t know if I’ll be up to it, that’s all.”
“Are you sure that’s all, Your Highness?” Yana asked. Her words were chosen carefully as she asked further, “It doesn’t have to do with a particular young man? You are not sad over something other than being too tired for a party?”
Selene looked up to meet Yana’s gaze. “You needn’t worry about me, Yana,” she said truthfully. “Please, don’t let me spoil your fun.”
“Well ... are you sure, princess?” Yana asked again. There was an eagerness to her features that clearly told anyone that she wanted to go to the party. It was a little surprising; usually Yana excused herself early from such celebrations.
Selene nodded. “By all means, we shall go. But I might turn in early, that’s all.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Your Highness,” Yana bowed. “I shall inform His Majesty of your decision right away! He shall no doubt be most pleased.” She bowed once again and then waltzed out of the room, a smile on her face. She nearly ran over Cyerra and Rosaria as they came into the room.
“Huh ... Wonder what’s gotten into Yana?” Cyerra asked as she looked back in the direction of Yana. Cyerra shrugged and turned her attention towards the princess. “Selene, you look like you’ve gotten some sleep at last. Are you well this morning?”
Selene smiled. At least she had convinced someone to call her by name. “Yes, Cyerra, I’m feeling better this morning.”
“That’s great,” Cyerra smiled. “It’s so good to see you smiling.” Cyerra came and sat down opposite from Kadrianne.
“Thank you,” the princess nodded politely. “Does anyone know what time I’m going to be moved to the Palace from here?”
“It’s not that far of a transport, Your Highness,” Kadrianne assured her. “You’ll be shuttled over sometime after lunch, I’m sure. I will ask Lady Aura for the correct time, if you wish.”
“No, that’s all right,” Selene replied. “I was just wondering, that’s all.” She looked intently at her handmaidens. “Is Etoileon going to be moved as well?” She dared to hope that Aura or one of her attendants would have pledged that he be moved along with her.
Cyerra and Kadrianne exchanged glances. Was it okay to tell the princess about her friend? Should they even tell her, now that she was finally showing progress?
Kadrianne shrugged and nodded. “We might as well tell you, Your Highness,” she started.
“They decided that your protector would be better off here in the hospital, despite your questions earlier about moving him. The doctors are still watching his conditions,” Cyerra explained. “They feel that he will eventually recover, but they don’t know the exact length of time his internal repercussions or any of his injuries will take to heal.”
Selene’s eyes fell to the floor. “I ... I understand,” she managed. “But I wish that he would wake up at least.”
“There is nothing we can do for him, but hope for the best,” Kadrianne sighed. “I’m sure that he’ll be fine in matter of time.”
The question there is how long? Selene thought. How long would she be left without him? And how long could she go on without him?
A drizzle of warmth seemed to sink into her heart. Selene looked up and suddenly thought of her dream last night. It had been a wonderful, beautiful dream—her first one since the war started. Could it be a sign? A message? Was someone trying to tell her something? The more she thought about it, Selene realized that she could not possibly know for sure. She would have to go on, that was all there was to it for now. Answers would have to come later.
THE PALACE OF DIAMOND City had never looked more grand or more magnificent to the onlooker. The outer granite walls had been cleaned and scrubbed of all the debris. The windows had been replaced, as nearly all of the original ones had been shattered or cracked severely in the attack. The gardens were growing once again, and although some of the inner keep needed more reconstruction work, there was a certain liveliness to the place. The floors were mopped, the woodwork was dusted, the gold inlaid designs were polished, and there were all kinds of decorations hanging for the celebration. There was only one room that had not been completely restored.
It was more than a homecoming for the princess; it was a celebration of surviving the attack and bringing hope back to the people.
Selene was healthy enough to go home, but she sure did not understand why so many people believed that she could possibly bring the world peace. As far as Selene could tell, the war had decimated her in way that nothing else could have; her dearest friend and the one she cared for the most in the world was hanging on the edge between life and death. If she would ever talk to him again, see him awake again, she did not know. And she did not know what she would do if he did not survive.
Selene watched out the transport vehicle window as her subjects all lined the streets, some with flowers, some crying, some with gifts. A lot of flower petal confetti was being dropped from the sky by several airway ships. People were chee
ring for her as her vehicle sped by. Selene felt her body involuntarily shrink back into her seat. But she did try to smile and when Aura was watching her, she even managed to wave. There was nothing so important to Aura than appearances. She’d arranged for Selene to wear one of the more festive imperial outfits. It was quite pretty, Selene thought, as she looked down at her flounced gown. It was white and frilly, with gold inlaid sparkles and designs, complete with a matching gold-beaded headdress. Her hair had been brushed to a shine, let down for the arrival, and on her feet were the traditional golden shoes of Diamond City rulers. Selene managed a tiny smile.
“Now, Your Highness,” Aura said as the vehicle slowed down in front of the palace entrance. “Please remember to behave. And smile, your people love you. Your Highness shouldn’t want to worry them.”
“Of course not, Aura,” Selene assured her. A tiny smile came to her face as she added, “I would not have them think that they should worry about me. I suspect from their reactions, that many of them love me enough to worry on their own.”
Aura, being one of them, looked over in surprise and then returned Selene a warm smile. “Yes, I think you are quite right about that, Your Highness.” Aura watched the princess as she looked at the window on a crowd of people who had huddled as close as they could to the doorway. She really is such a treasure, Aura thought. Such a sweetheart, and very innocent. I just wish that she were a bit more serious regarding some matters.
But as she looked on Selene’s calmness, she felt that if more serious were what this world had needed, then surely the reigning monarchs of the recent past years would’ve helped. Aura couldn’t help but feel, as she continued to watch Selene wave and smile at the people outside her window, that maybe the princess was the one who had it right. Maybe there was room in this world for a little harmless fun.
“PRINCESS, PRINCESS, over here!”
“Your Highness! We love you!”
“All hail Princess Selene!”
“Make way for Her Highness, the Princess of Sapphira!”
There were plenty of people shouting as the princess’ transport arrived at the front entrance to the newly refurbished and rebuilt Palace.
Selene looked at her home and tried not to frown. It was still her home, but it had an unusual effect on her senses. She’d lived her whole life in that palace. Now she was going back to it after being away from it the longest amount of time in all her life. The realization hit her that she was going back to the place where she’d longed to escape from and caused her to falter in her movements as her door was opened.
She looked up the High Tower and felt a sigh rise up in her chest. She suddenly felt tired and weary.
An escort team of eight men huddled around her as two of them reached forward and extended their arms to her. She slid out of the vehicle and the surrounding crowds cheered all the louder. They knew nothing of the effort that Selene was putting forth in order not to look sad.
She walked in the center of her guards and remembering Aura’s words, she waved and smiled graciously at her people. She was grateful that they cared for her, but she was also discouraged at the high amount of faith that they placed in her because of the prophecy for peace. She still didn’t understand what she was supposed to do or when she was going to have to do something.
Still struggling against her inner chaos, Selene looked up ahead to see her brother waiting for her at the palace door.
THERE WAS NO DENYING the feeling of pride as Dorian watched his sister come towards him. She was all dressed up in another one of her silly outfits, but Dorian had to admit, the white and gold color combination seemed to suit her. The sunlight seemed to make her sparkle like a little toy as she made her way to the castle’s main doorway. Up the stairs, one by one, she walked with an air of matchless dignity. Her governess and her handmaidens, as well as a couple of maids and coaches followed her, all of them in their flounced matching garments. It made for a triumphant return, Dorian thought as he waited patiently.
Though he’d been busy the last couple of weeks with the rebuilding of not only the city, but also the reconstruction of hope in the city dwellers, he had not been able to visit Selene. Seeing her now, with her royal glow back to normal, and her wounds healed, she embodied the spirit of hope reborn. He imagined that the people would see no less.
When she reached the top of the stairs and stood before her King and brother, she bowed respectfully. Selene couldn’t suppress a smile at the clinking of the beads on her attire. The crowd cheered and applauded as Dorian lifted her chin so that she no longer bowed. He winked at her, both of them sharing a brief, knowing look. The formalities were just for show. Dorian extended his arm to her and they walked inside to the melody of their applauding subjects. The princess’ time away had brought questions to sound out loud throughout the community, one that could not be answered—had the time come at last, when man shall be freed of his captivity and sickness? Would the world be at peace? Was the prophecy to be fulfilled? Or was it hopeless to believe in such a miracle, hopeless to think, that their world, full of humans, was incapable to solve the crisis at hand?
Chapter 9
The Princess Makes a Friend
IT WAS LATER THAT DAY during the evening that Selene headed towards her palace rooms. She had just finished with the celebratory dinner, and she was tired. She was also feeling empty, as if the hours surrounded by her people had done nothing to assure her that her trouble would be solved in time. If anything, it made her think that maybe she would be silently bearing this pain for a long time before someone noticed her actual condition, if they noticed at all.
“Well, I think that your return was a complete success, Your Highness,” Aura grinned happily as she led the way through the inner-palace construction sites to the princess’ rooms.
Flanked by all five of her handmaidens, Selene said nothing for the moment. She was too busy taking in all the wreckage and reconstruction of the place that she had once known as her home. Here and there, every so often, was a gaping hole in the granite walls, letting a small amount of moonlight to burst through. Though she felt remorse for the destruction of her palace, she couldn’t help but think that the holes added an elegant touch to the fabric of the castle. The little moonlit holes illuminated the hallways, shining a sparkling light into the darkness of the corridors. It was a breathtaking moment, both sad and beautiful at the same time.
This is so sad, she thought as she watched some workers try to reassemble the pieces of a fallen vase. This place was not one of overwhelming happiness for me, she mused, but it was a familiar place at least.
It had been a place of beginnings for her, in many ways. Though she hated it and despised the place for keeping her from freedom, Selene knew that she was very loyal to her home. The walls that had once mocked her now cried out in pain, and she felt a sense of regret that nothing would go back to being the same as it had been before. An aching seemed to rise out from her heart as she turned her attention back to what Aura was saying.
“—and His Majesty was so handsome, too, all dressed up in the traditional garbs that he was in, don’t you think so, Your Highness?”
Selene nodded. “Yes, Aura, I agree,” she said. “Everything was really nice. Very nice.”
Aura glanced back at her and asked, “How do you feel, now that you are home, Your Highness?”
“It is good to be back,” Selene responded stoically. She looked towards the floor and added softly, “But I wish that everything could be as easily fixed as the palace was.”
“What was that, Princess?”
Selene looked back up and said, “I just said that everything’s gotten fixed up so quickly, Aura.”
Aura smiled. “Yes, it really is a miracle that they were able to get as much done as they have, isn’t it? The workers here must be working long hours. Just think, Your Highness, soon we shall hold grand balls and parties, just as we always have. Everything will be just like it was before, and everyone will be happy again!”
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br /> “I’m sure that it will be everything and more,” Selene said dryly. She was getting tired. After the celebration for her return, and the luncheon that followed, and everything that had gone on that day, Selene wondered if she would ever get some time to herself. There was too much that was lying on her heart for her to enjoy herself. She watched as a support beam was being lifted back into its original place. Some debris fell off and scattered on the floor.
Aura moved quickly to avoid the small shower of dirt and dust, maneuvering through the piles of junk and broken things.
A few corridors later, Selene found herself back in her old rooms. She entered the room and felt a rush of familiarity, but something struck out as being different. She’d been assured by both her brother and Aura that nothing had been changed in the original design of her rooms, but now she was not certain that she could believe that.
“Aura,” Selene questioned, “Has my room always been so ... small like this?”
Her governess had wasted no time in giving directions out to the handmaidens, telling Kadrianne to open the curtains, Rosaria to fluff the pillows, Chevée to ready the princess’ pajamas, and the like, but she halted at Selene’s abrupt question. Turning to face her charge, Aura put on a confused smile. “Beg pardon, Your Highness?”
“I asked if my room had always been so small,” Selene asked. “I feel cramped in here all of a sudden.”
Aura shook her head. “The exact dimensions were used for the remodeling, Your Highness. This is your room. It is exactly the same as it was before.” Then she grinned. “Maybe it is you that has changed, Your Highness.” She started going on about how it was common for one who had been away to come back and not remember everything exactly as it had been, or to find something new, etc., etc.
Selene ignored Aura’s chattiness as she prepared herself for bed. It was still early, but she’d been told by Dr. Hamersley to get plenty of rest over the next few weeks. He’d also told her that if she couldn’t sleep, a good book would help. He’d laughed when she’d said that she agreed that her mathematics book would prove to be insufficient entertainment.