Emeral In Shadow

The Wake [#9]

In the quarters of the King, in the Royal Palace, the Queen Nova Emeral sat at a small dark table, a once full tall glass of maroon wine was held in her hand, drained near empty.
Tears flowed down her fair and gleaming face, running down and off into the cup.

"I can't take this Adalwolf! Your cruel judgement is destroying me from the inside out!" Nova cried out at King Adalwolf Emeral, who stood right off the edge of his grandiose veiled bed, wringing his hands together.

Adalwolf took a purposely deep and heavy breath, "The servants must show absolute and perfect obedience." He said, changing his expression to look like a perfect metaphorical brick wall, austere and unchangeable.

"A gardener does not keep a pair of faulty clippers, he throws it out and gets a new one." Adalwolf looked directly into Nova's eyes, puffy from crying.

"I do not keep faulty gardeners, I throw them out and get new ones." Adalwolf said, plainly and monotonously as possible.

Nova glared Adalwolf down, then sipped down the last of her wine. She had been taking a lot in recently, but today had been the most in a long time; and she felt the effects.
She could barely hold her gaze straight, or even, her head. She held her hand up straight in the air, holding up the empty glass.

"You... are a... Dæmon! Acting as if sending innocent men to the gallows is equivalent to a tossing out a gardening tool?! Insanity!" Nova yelled,

Adalwolf stepped close to Nova, his sturdy form towering over her, "I will not have my integrity questioned-" Nova stood up abruptly, holding the glass high, forcing Adalwolf to step back a few steps, "-by my own-!"

Nova swung the cup down, expensive and sturdy crystals sparkling under warm and equally expensive electric lights, breaking it onto Adalwolf's head.
Adalwolf staggered backwards, one hand on his forehead, now gleaming with blood and glass.
Adalwolf's face now resembled a surprised brick wall. He stood, mouth agape, blinking rapidly as he stared incredulously at Nova.

"...Perhaps I could spare some mercy on the whelps..." Adalwolf said apprehensively,
Nova slunk back into her chair and looked up at Adalwolf expectantly.
"I'll give them a quicker painless death by blasting cap next time." Adalwolf said, which caused Nova to burst into horrible drunken sobs.

Adalwolf sighed heavily, "Okay!" He cried out. "How about we throw a ball to ease our minds?" He asked Nova.

Nova smiled crookedly "Yes! And all the servants can attend!"

Adalwolf gritted his teeth together, "No-! I mean... Who will make the hors d'oeuvres? The beverages?"

Nova giggled drunkenly, "They can make them beforehand and leave them out for the guests."

"We cannot allow our family to be seen as weaklings who allow servants to walk as royalty." Adalwolf crossed his arms,

"Then let us have a masquerade party, no one will know that they are servants! We haven't had one in many a year!" After saying this, Nova got up and stumbled across the quarters, stopping to hold onto the side of the bed,

"Wait, we cannot-" Adalwolf started, but let it drop as Nova left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Adalwolf ran up to the door, laying his hand on the handle.
He didn't turn the handle but instead left his hand on it for a few seconds, before sighing and shutting the lights off, and laying down stiffly on his bed.
---

Ewald awoke to the light of the morning sun filtering through his dark green curtains. His bed was half-bare, Madelief having taken the sheets and half the blankets off to sleep on the floor.
Amber hadn't returned since leaving the day before, and since Ewald had never fixed his bed or cleaned his room, everything but his dresser had remained messy.