Ripples from Forgotten Weeks

Preparation - Vayne

When Amerle poked their head in the door later in the day to check on him, Vayne put on a face of decisiveness.

"I'll be holding the coronation again. Tomorrow." he said.

"That soon?" Amerle asked, a worried expression on their face.

Vayne nodded.

"Why wait?" he asked.

"I never pegged you as the impulsive type, Vayne." Amerle said, propelling themself to the bed and stopping themself with their tail. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Vayne blinked. Was he expected to not be okay?

"We can't show hesitation. Besides, we have all the guards we'll need right here, and I had news earlier that the royal octopus is okay."

Amerle turned to him, their pink hair settling in the water behind them.

"But what about you? Are you okay?"

"Of course." Vayne assured them.

Amerle sighed.

"Forget it. I can't help you if you don't want to be helped." they said, pushing off the bed and to the door in one smooth motion.

Vayne had the feeling they'd intended to stay longer. He'd said something wrong.

As the curtain settled behind Amerle, Vayne put his head in his hands. If he couldn't even keep his friendships tidy, how was he supposed to handle the kingdom?

Vayne woke up the next morning to a report from Tyris.

Kys hadn't returned home after the attack, and he hadn't been seen anywhere around town.

"The guards are ready for your coronation. We might as well get on with it." Tyris said.

Vayne nodded. Tyris hung by as he straightened his shirt and ran a comb through his hair.

"It was a smart decision to hold the coronation again this soon. This way Kys and anyone he's working with won't have a lot of time to prepare." Tyris commented.

Vayne was surprised, but tried not to show it.

So something he'd done had turned out to be a good choice. Or it was according to Tyris. Time would tell if was truly a good choice.

"I look fine. Let's go." Vayne said, deciding there were no snarls in his hair.

"You may want to wear a different shirt." Tyris suggested diplomatically. "It will create an impression that you're calm and collected despite what-"

"I know, I know. Wait for me outside." Vayne said.

Vayne chose a garment from his wardrobe at random. A long red dress. Maybe a bit too flashy for the occasion. Whatever.

Nothing he did was going to be right, so it didn't really matter what he did.

A memory flashed through Vayne's head as he held the dress in front of him.

"I love this new dress!" Vayne said, giving his mother a beaming smile.

Although the castle was only lit with soft luminescent moss, the water itself felt full of light.

Vayne had a bunch of hair ties in his hands and was trying to tie his hair up.

"Let me show you." his mother's soft voice said, her soft voice filling the room with happiness.