The Ruler's Rift

Convalesce

She was no better. She may even be worse.

Hidden between leaves and branches, Celeste hugged herself and desperately pressed her back against a tree to no avail. She whimpered into the dark. Between the intersecting web of branches shone the distant glow of the fire. Was that laughter she heard coming from the circle?

Even now she messed up; she must've made a poor impression. They would never take her seriously after she'd run off.

She battled the blame; was she supposed to have this solitary debate in front of them?

Well, why not? Didn't they deserve to know? Celeste's ears burned. Her stomach hollowed out.
Rustling came with the parting branches. They made way for Amber, who knelt down next to her niece in a hurry. "What's going on?" She asked, breathing deeply. A gentle hand cupped Celeste's shoulder.

"Ugh, nothing, it's nothing..." Celeste lied. Forming a sentence proved difficult.

"Come on, I'm not that stupid," Amber insisted. "I heard weird noises."

"Speak for yourself!" Celeste snapped. Anger ignited in the gasoline of panic. "I heard you all laughing at me back there!"

Amber blinked so hard it threw her head back. "Huh?" She gasped. "No, no, we were laughing at Violet! I made up a stupid story about her to cover for you."

Celeste crinkled her face tightly, cringing at her conflict. She fought herself for a moment, recalling Lucy's reaction to her panic. Then, she decided to believe Amber. "I'm so...confused and afraid..." she rasped.

Amber's voice softened. "About what?"

The demon panted like she'd completed a marathon. "They keep saying...I'm better than her...they keep bringing her up..."

"Yeah," Amber hummed.

"And...I'm not. I'm horrible," the queen cried.

Slowly, Amber dared to wipe a tear from her niece's cheek. She wasn't met with any resistance. "Oh, Celeste. I promise you aren't like her."

"You don't understand," sighed Celeste. Beneath layers of black velvet and gold, her proxy slowly retreated like a wound finally healing. "There are things you don't know, Amber."

Amber paused. Then, she took a handkerchief from a pouch on her belt. She patted Celeste's face with it and said, "How about this? You can tell me all about it later if you want to. But right now, let's finish up this dinner, okay?"

"I don't know if I can handle them contrasting us one more time," Celeste warned.

"If they do, I'll change the subject. We can do this." Amber's smile, though invisible in the dark of night, glowed brilliantly in every note of her voice.

Fresh air whooshed into Celeste's lungs. She nodded. "Okay. Let's make it quick."

Amber offered her hand and with it the queen got to her feet. Her advisor brushed off her regalia and, together, they walked back to the circle of chairs. In the orange glow of the flame, Amber looked Celeste over then whispered, "Your eyes are a little puffy and your face is red, but everyone's drunk and it's pretty dark so just act natural. No one will suspect a thing."

Celeste nodded and the two took their seats.

Warm welcomes greeted the queen. They truly weren't laughing at her. Excuptero leaned forward and said, "Ah, your majesty! Great to have you back, hey, how's the rash treating ya?"

The weight of Celeste's brow furrowing nearly blinded her. Her sharp eyes slowly drifted to Amber, who nervously grinned. "Oh, it's fine," Celeste hissed through clenched teeth.