Hillary sits in his sturdy, studying the Bible.
(It was one of his few hobbies, asides, reading the memoirs, journals and articles of previous Kings). Calah interrupts his solemn evening with her elephant-like stomps towards her father's sturdy.
"Get out of my way."
She yells at the guards in front of his chamber who remains unmoved.
"Get out"
She furiously restates. Bewildered by the homicidal aura emanating from Calah.
"I'm sorry my lady, my lord does not wish to be interrupted during his study."
"She said move. So move"
Drae says, appearing directly behind Calah. The guard changes his focus from Calah to Drae but remains unwilling to move.
" Or I'll make you."
Drae says with the depth of his voice, giving it a more intimidating tone.
Hillary hears the raucous outside his sturdy and immediately darts out and let's Calah in, leaving Drae and his guard outside.
Walking into the room with raging anger on her face, she sights the Bible on the right side of his bed.
"The Bible? So ironic, for someone who refuses to show mercy to the weak."
Calah says infuriatedly leaving Hillary in complete oblivion of the reasons behind her outburst. He resolves to calming her down which also proves to to be in vain.
"What is this about, why create a scene?"
Hillary inquires innocently. Calah scoffs.
"A scene? You order your men to behead the hungry peasants and you call this a scene?"
Calah says increasingly fuming.
"There was nothing I could do, it was out of my hands"
Hillary says disgracefully
"Out of your hands? You're the bloody King, nothing is out of your hands. Literally."
Calah spurts at the peak of her anger. Hillary looks away in self-disgust and pity and suddenly puts himself together and looks back at Calah.
"Well, it's too late for regrets, it's the law now?"
Hillary says defensively
She stares at her father in disbelief and eventually walks closer to his face and stares him dead in the eye.
"Fuck the law."
Hillary's hard palm strikes on Calah's face in immediacy.
Calah instantly becomes stupefied, as she grasps her cheek. She stares at him a last time
"I hate you"
Calah tearfully says and egresses the sturdy leaving Hillary speechless and ignoring Drae, who follows behind her.
***
Alone in the Boudoir with her face still as red as grapes, she watches the maid gossip from the top.
(It was another of her sacred locations where she came whenever she felt overwhelmed by sadness or anger and for some reason watching the maids laugh and giggle made her happy.)
The boudoir becomes cold and lonely enough till she lets Drae in.
"Come in"
She opens the door and walks back to her previous spot while Drae stands by the door.
"Come sit"
She pats the table beside the window
"I'm fine, my lady"
Guilt was written all about her face since she left her Father's chamber.
(She was simply not convinced that the new rule was her father's idea.)
"What do you think about what happened earlier"
She asked, sincerely curious of what he thought
"Somethings must be done"
'Was he sane? The lady was pregnant, she couldn't even use the coins she stole. Everyone around her seemed alright with the judgement. What has happened to Brighton.'
Calah thought disturbingly.
"She was pregnant, how can you say such?"
She asked, powerlessly confused. Drae stands in utter neutrality and facial nonchalance.
"I don't have a say on such matters"
"And if she were your mother?"
Calah asks deliberately to prompt a genuine answer from Drae.
"I would erase the king and his family from the books of time."
Calah becomes unexpectedly unsettled. It would appear her tactic worked too well. It would have been seen as treachery if the King were to hear of what he had said. She steers the conversation in another direction before she feels anymore threatened.
"Your Mother and Father?"
She asks emotionally
"Both dead"
He answers unwaveringly. Calah, on the other hand, is shocked and empathizes with him.
"I'm sorry"
"What is done is done"
He, once again, answers casually.
Her attention suddenly drifts to the armet.
"You do not have to put that on all the time."
"I choose to"
Surprised and eager to pry, She gives him a demanding look.
"Well, I want it off and that is an order."
She pushes out the little charisma in her but he doesn't respond to it, instead he stands still by the door, ignoring her.
(Exactly what she feared, not being obeyed, it was the reason she was so soft with every soul, because of this fear of disrespect she had just gotten.)
In the result of powerlessness, the room becomes cold and quiet once again as Calah returns to watching the maids.
"We should leave, your dinner is soon."
Drae says unpredictably.
"I won't be going"
Drae answers with silence and continues to stand by the door robotically.
"Where are you from"
She flings another troubling question which has been in her head for a while.
"Grenzek"
Calah lets out a loud laugh, one so loud, the maids she had been watching hear it. He stares her till she stops laughing.
(Grenzek wasn't a place, it was a myth, at least that was what she grew up knowing.)
"The mythical city?"
(It was one of the little things she barely had knowledge about, some talked about it while some laughed, some were scared but most were skeptical.)
Drae gives an unsatisfying look and the room again becomes cold and silent as she expects a response from the man she was supposed to trust with her life.
She proceeds to bite her nails unconsciously.
"Well......."
The bells from the kitchen ring loud interrupting Calah as she's about to speak.
"It's time for your dinner"
Drae reminds her, ignoring the fact she said she wasn't going.
"I said I wasn't going"
She stands up adjusting her dress before leaving the Boudoir.
