Head in the Clouds

Chapter 5: No Rest for the Guilty

The queen dawned a sort of helpless smile, taking a seat in the most beautiful flowery chair Clyde had ever seen. She gestured for Clyde to sit, and he obliged cautiously, still conscious of the boy in the corner of the room.

"How could Deidre do any of this," asked Clyde, "She isn't magical."

The fairy nodded, "Maybe once she wasn't, but now she surely is."

"But how? When?"

Before the queen could answer, Deidre did, "When did everything change, Clyde?"

"I don't know," he muttered, causing everyone present to furrow their brows in confusion. He considered for a moment, then put his head in his hands and groaned.

"Prince Clyde?" The queen called cautiously.

"The merge," he stated through another groan. His mind raced to Deidre again, "I'm so sorry."

"Well, this is getting a bit concerning," muttered the queen. She shot a glance to Tarmiel as though alerting him of her worry, then turned back to the prince, "Prince Clyde-"

"Why didn't she tell me she was magical?" He muttered to himself.

"Does she know you know anything about magic?" Asked the queen, "Last time I was here, humans merely thought we were a thing of stories. Only the officials knew we existed. Is that the case now?"

Clyde nodded, his head still low, "We never let our people know magical creatures could be real. If I'm being honest, I didn't completely believe the stories either. How did I miss this?" He looked up at the fairy, "Do you think my father was responsible for this?"

The queen shot another look to Tarmiel,

"Prince Clyde, I think it's time for you to go," Tarmiel instructed rather roughly, stepping to the queen's side.

"But-"

"Prince Clyde, I am forever in debt to Dame Monte for helping my sister," the queen said. As she rose from her chair, grabbing her can again, a twinge of sadness creased her eyes, "She told me my sister couldn't move on- that something went terribly wrong on the way to the afterlife, and she's just trying to find her way there. We're doing everything we can to guide Aurora there, and we're hopeful she'll be able to get there soon."

"As much as I wish to repay her for this personal debt, I cannot turn against the king. While I'm almost certain we can fight him, I can't ensure my people will face no casualties. Honestly, the only chance we have for peace is not to confront Jericho." Glancing at the hopeless look on his face, a twinge of guilt filled her stomach, "Still, if it helps, I'll send some of my geokenisists to investigate further."

Prince Clyde opened his lips to argue, but a voice cut him off.

"Don't," warned Deidre, "just go."

Clyde pursed his lips and arose from his chair. He took a bow, thanked the queen for her help, and left the home with Tarmiel. The angry child marched the prince out the wall, and closed it behind him, leaving him all alone again.

"Well, that was helpful," remarked Deidre.

"Why?"

"Hmm?" Deidre hummed, casually.

"Why didn't you tell me what you were going through?" He asked softly, his head hanging, "Didn't you trust me?"

Deidre, now dawning her grey tank top, baggy pants, and tan jacket tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Well, we've both kept our secrets, Clyde," she responded almost monotonously, "I mean- you got engaged and didn't tell me until after she was standing right in front of me. This was after you tried to get me to run away. I mean- how could I trust you?"