i just might love you (a hosie royalty au)

Part 23: "I never thought it could be like that."

A/n: see you next Friday :)
***

It's long after the witching hour before Penelope finally reaches Hope's door. She slips inside the chamber, looking first to see if Hope is in the sitting room. Without light or shadowy lumps on the couches, the raven haired girl makes her way over to her best friend's bed chambers. A yellow glow emits from under the door, and she knocks twice softly, forgoing their usual staccatod code. A barely audible response is what reached her. She opens the door timidly, incase it was a no, walking into the room slowly to see her Majesty laying on her back in bed.

"Hey." She spoke softly into the barely lit room, approaching her friend with light steps. Although she has a blank expression now, Penelope can just make out the tear tracks lining Hope's face.

"Hey." Is her only response for a moment. She remains staring up at the ceiling as Penelope gives her time to say anything else. She's not in a rush to push Hope into saying whatever is on her mind. Instead, she goes to the other side of the bed, kicking off her boots and laying beside the other warrior. She flips her hand closest to Hope over, offering support. Hope's own hand grasps at hers as soon as she does this, and she sniffles a bit.

"He's going to the front." Hope finally lets it out, almost spooking her friend due to the length of silence that had been stretching on. She didn't have to guess at who he was. And although this wasn't the news Penelope thought it would be, it was certainly bad.

"Is he getting antsy? Or is it really that bad..."

"The reports have been getting worse."

"So he's had enough of this war?"

The auburn haired girl snorts. "No, you know that would never be true." She looks over at Penelope. "High casualties, new technology. It's bad Pen, he needs to go."

"Then you're about to get your first taste of being queen?"

"Yep." The girls lips are drawn into a thin line. "He also thought it would be a good wedding present. Start fresh."

"It's been decided then?"

"Yeah, and you'll never guess who to."

Once Penelope had processed the information Hope had finished relaying to her (which took quite a few minutes), her shouts could be heard from the hallways. The guards burst in, confused at the scene they found, as no one was in danger. Hope dismissed them with a wave of her hand, and even then Penelope still had an incredulous look on her face.

"Not her, not Lady Dana."

***

The first meal of the day was a somber affair. Josie hadn't joined the rest of the nobility in the main dining hall for awhile, taking her meals in her sisters room or her own. It was strange to see so few people littered about the place. Those who were here hunkered over their bowls silently, and without vigor.

MG slid his plate onto the table, stepping over the long bench and taking a seat with care. Josie noted the ghostly look on his face. He kept his eyes fixed on one place on the horizon, but it was an empty and unseeing stare.

"Why good sir, are you ill?"

"No, he's just emotionally scarred." Kaleb said as he set his plate down, he shouldn't have trusted the drop to keep his food from escaping, but it turned out well enough. The sound of Kaleb's plate hitting the table seemed to snap the other knight out of his stupor as he looked back at his two friends.

"The latest trial was last night."

Josie raised her eyebrows, looking around to pinpoint Jed's location. His head was resting in the bowl of gruel in front of him. Looking around further proved that he was to be the only other competitor there. She returns her attention to the other boys, studying Kaleb's face and noticing his usual smooth confidence has been put upon him like a mask. The cracks in it are so obvious he might not even try.