Let The Games Begin.

E x p u l s i o n

I awake with a start, sitting up in my bed. To the left, the baby blue curtains over my window billow in the breeze. It's still dark, so I must have only slept a few hours. How did I even get in my room? I plop back down into the bed, only a few minutes passing before I reconcile with the fact that I'm not going back to sleep. Sighing, I sit up once more and fling the covers off, sliding from my bed. I grimace at the cold granite, but still make my way from my room.

I pause in the hall. Where am I even going?

Who knows? Maybe I'll just walk and I'll see where I end up. I start to take a step and then turn around, reaching back into my room, grabbing my himation from the hook on the wall. I wrap it around myself tightly, taking off into the night.

Passing my mothers room, and through the throne room, I find myself at the walkway to the entrance of the garden.

Glancing around, I nod at the guards walking around the small plaza.

     "Lady Integra, are you okay?" One of them asks, quickly approaching me.

I smile, nodding sleepily as I pull the cover around me tighter still. "Yes, I'm alright. I just couldn't sleep and needed to clear my head."

     "If I may speak freely-?" He asked. I nod again, and he says, "You do have many responsibilities awaiting your command, but please don't forget that everyone here has your best interest at heart, and we'd not hesitate to help you."

     "That's sweet of you," I say. "I'll keep it in mind."

He bows slightly, turning to leave. Making my way deeper into the garden, I come to the fountain that I'm supposed to meet Marcellus at tomorrow. Many small frogs hop around the edge, and jump from one lilypad to another. I inhale deeply, turning to sit on the fountains edge, away from any of the small creatures, while many important thoughts swirl through my mind. I understand why my mother wants me to marry but I simply don't want to. I can do it on my own. And even then, I'll never actually be alone because I'll always have my royal council at my side. And what about Marcellus? I shouldn't entertain him if it won't ever lead to anything farther than a friendship.

A cold wind sends chills down my spine. I pull the himaton over my head, forming a hood. Suddenly, I heard a small voice say 'run away'. I jump, glancing around. Nobody is there.

     "What a silly thought." I mutter, shaking my head, until the thought crosses my mind again. "Well, I know my mother would truly rather stay in power than hand the throne over to me, and I don't actually have any real responsibilities here. The burden of having an unwed heir of age would be lifted. No one would probably even miss me."

Where would I go? Who would I stay with? And then it struck me. The small house Alexios had before he moved had been transferred into my possession. Technically, I could venture there whenever I wanted to and no one would know.

     "But, Marcellus..." I said to myself, "I can't stand him up again. Even if I go through with it, I'd have to wait. Which would give me time to make some plans. Then again, I've never been one for plans." I stand and take off towards my room, waving off the guards who were greeting me on the way. I was too lost in my thoughts to even hear what they had said. There's no way I was actually considering this.

Flying through the door from the garden, down the hall to my room, I latch the door, making it impossible to open from the outside and tiptoe to the fireplace along the right wall. Carefully, I feel around on the wall until my hand lands on the loose rock. I slowly pull it out, laying it on the crumpled himaton I'd dropped on the table behind me. Reaching into the hole, my fingers quickly find the canvas bag, full of golden drachmas. I pull it out, dumping as many coins into my hand as I could without spilling them onto the floor. Enough to get me by for some time.