Wild Uncharted Waters.

Chapter 10: Cover Blown.

Shortly after having to witness Leo having to do such a forbidden act, April quickly swam back to the palace, her brows tense with guilt written on her face. Did she just let him go like that?

Entering the palace entrance, April took careful breaths, trying to reassure herself. But she couldn't help but tremble, looking at her claws with caution. "It's alright, it's probably nothing." She opened in soliloquy, shaking her head. April took a short pause, hiding behind one of the pillars by the entrance. "No! This is so wrong. Why didn't I stop him?! Stupid! But-"

"Hey April! What are you doing back there?" A voice called out, April jumping at the sound. "Lieutenant Jones! Hey." she walked towards him, having had nervously stepped out of her hiding spot, her voice light and unassuming. Casey put down his rod, dusting himself off to at least try to make an impression in front of the king's trusted advisor. "How did it go?" April attempted to change subject, trying to shake off that regret she had from earlier.

"Oh, April. We've been over this. Just call me Casey. Training went well, though." He sneered. April rolled her eyes, attempting to tease him. "Right, but you don't want for me to confuse you for your mom, don't I? You do take after her." She playfully bumped him.
"You do not want to do that." Casey lightly chuckled, taking a few steps back. He shook his head, finally getting to the point. "You might want to come with me, though."

April staggered, feeling her heart sink. She ruffled her hair, attempting to distract herself from the situation. This might be it, she thought. I'm doomed.
She shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Come with you? Why?"

"Well, your highness needs to have a word with you, that's all." April's heart sank even more, her iniquity becoming more apparent. "A word?" She gulped, "Sure, I guess."
Before she even knew it, Casey grasped her arm tightly, dragging her to the throne room. No matter how hard she tried, April had to face the consequences.

As Casey directs her to the throne room, she becomes rather appalled by the amount of guards there were, they were talking to the king stone faced. Casey had her by the shoulders, slowly swimming towards the center of the room, to April's impending ruin. Or even worse, to Leo's himself. Not wanting to do this, April took a deep breath, but even that did little to silence her nerves.

They approached king Splinter, who was about to finish having a conversation with one of his guards. Casey let go of April, letting her stand on the green carpet below. He bowed, "Your majesty! She has arrived." Splinter's daunting eyes fixated on April. She attempted to fix her posture and she tried to steady herself. "April, can I speak to you?" Splinter's voice boomed, whilst his guards swam off. Casey whispered, trying to reassure her, "Good luck." He swam off along with the guards, leaving the two alone in the room.

The silence was so loud, April could hear her heart beating. The door closed behind them, leaving a massive thud to be heard from behind. That silence was eventually broken when Splinter started to speak. He commands, "Come closer here. There are important matters we have to discuss."

"Right away!" April scuttled along, mumbling to herself, "Okay, April. Focus. No overreacting. I am calm, I am calm. Oh my gods what do I even tell him..."
She arrived at the foot of his throne, facing right at him. April cleared her throat, preparing herself to speak. "Yes-" she stopped, accidentally releasing a high pitched sound. She rephrased, "Yes, your majesty?"

"Have you noticed that my son has been acting strange?" He drummed his fingers on his throne. April gulped, "Which one?"

"Leonardo. You have noticed that he has been gone for long hours, smiling to himself and missing both Singing and Martial Arts practice?" Splinter looked off to the side, "Not to mention, even getting more distracted than usual?"
As soon as Splinter said that, April has lost all hope. There was no turning back at this point.
But April had to keep it within her. Splinter's gaze returns to April, studying her reaction. She tries her best to keep her composure, but even she knew that this was the breaking point.

"Well, I-I don't know, sire. I just-" before she could say anything, she gets dragged in by Splinters trident. "You haven't, haven't you?"

"Well he has been kind of..."
"April. I know that look on your face. Are you hiding something from me?"

April freezes up, beginning to fumble with her fingers. She can only look at the ground, trying to avoid the situation all together.
"H-Hiding...something? Your majesty?" She cautiously lifts her head, trying to stand upright. April can feel her claws shaking, slowly sinking into her shell.

"About Leonardo," Splinter continues,
April responds, nervously giggling, "What about him?"

"I think he's really the one hiding something." Splinter puts down his trident and moves closer to April, he whispers, "Is my son perhaps...in love?"

April hesitated, trying to keep it within herself.
"I can't say for sure...I uh.." she stammers, still trying to avoid making direct eye contact. Splinter leans back, his voice boomed, "April, I have known you for a long time. What is it?"

April's heart races as she struggles to maintain her composure.
Splinter's words of trust hit her like a wave, and she feels a surge of guilt wash over her. She knows she can't keep this secret from him much longer. She takes a deep breath and looks Splinter in the eyes. "Sire, you know I can't lie to you, right?"

"Just tell me already." He tries to keep the mood light, trying to pass it off as nothing else.
April's voice trembled at first, but she couldn't hold it in anymore.
She exclaims, "I tried to stop him, okay?! He swam too fast, I couldn't keep up! I tried to drag him away from the surface but ever since he saved this guy-"

"Surface?!" Splinter's eyes widened and his voice rose, getting off his seat. "Surface? What? I don't know what you're talking about." She chuckled, trying to take his mind off the situation, knowing it was too late.

Splinter's expression turns serious. "What do you mean by 'the surface'?" he asks, his voice filled with concern. April hesitates, knowing she needs to choose her words carefully.
"I-I'm sorry sire! He saved someone from drowning! Someone from land! I had to-"

Splinter's gaze turns stern, cutting April off mid-sentence. "Land?! You let him go up there by himself?! April, what exactly have you been allowing Leonardo to do?" His tone is full of worry and disbelief.

"Look, I-" she pauses, "I'm sure he didn't mean to it's just that it was wrong and I had to-"
Splinter pushes her away, letting her hold his trident, being there was unfinished business to attend to. "Stay here and let me handle things. I think I need to have a word with him." He exits the throne room, leaving the door open to April's demise. She groans, letting go of the trident. She held her temples, knowing she could not contain this amount of regret.
April grit her teeth, "Oh shit."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. April let go of her temples to find out that Casey was watching this whole time. He swam towards her, patting her on the back. "I'm sure he's fine, right?"

April's voice quivered, turning her head to face Casey. "Yeah, but with Splinter this angry, something tells me things aren't gonna go well." Casey sighs off to the side, "First time?" He snickered. "And besides, it's not like you did anything wrong."

She raises her voice, "Leo may be my friend but I had to! He can't just get away with this, can he?" Casey paused to think about it, still in shock that one of the king's sons had the audacity to do something like that. "I couldn't believe it either, and that's okay. He needed to learn his lesson anyway. Land above water contact is strictly forbidden, after all."

"Sure, but he's gonna be fine, right?" April shook her head again. "I'm sure he will." Casey responds, "Right?"