When We Ruled The World

Chapter Three: You'll Never Live This Down

                    "You have to be dumb or stupid. I'm not sure which one yet. Gods Lyall, your little crush wasn't enough for you? You had to bring the royals here. Of all places!", Daphodyl Slylander paced the oak floorboards of tiny apartment she shared with Lyall located above their dual owned bakery and butchery. Her thigh length long, thick, straight pewter gray hair was clipped backward out of her face and swinging in time with her rapid footsteps. The khaki overalls she wore loose over her thin frame and stained with blueberry preserves despite the wine colored apron wrapped around her waist. Careful to never step on a crack as she fiddled with her fingers in a repeating pattern of tapping her thumb to each one to calm her nerves. She wasn't fond of the idea of having royalty gallivanting in the village let alone their shop and home. It wasn't that she didn't like them, it was just, how could she put it? What has the High Prince ever really done for the kingdom besides run around in clubs on numerous occasions and hooking up with whatever breathes in his direction.

"I can see how this looks, but can't we just hear Cal out? Give him a chance.", Lyall looked like a pleading golden retriever puppy trying to get an extra treat out of his gullible owner. Daphodyl wasn't buying it for a second. When the younger man came home with the news of a special brunch meeting, she was immediately against it.

            "Cal? You mean Prince Callisto! Have you actually lost your mind? The same Prince that lousied off paying for the window he broke last year? Absolutely not. We were out of a proper working oven for a week. Do you even hear what the townspeople say of him?! He is going to break your heart Lyall and like always I am the one left to pick up the pieces.", she scoffed.

Lyall did his best to hide the hurt from the jab.

"He isn't as bad as people make him seem and the rumors aren't true. I can assure you Callisto has not been sleeping around with anyone for well around a decade. If you choose to judge him for his early twenties, I don't remember you being such an honorific saint yourself, Daph. You would know that if you would come with me to visit them. You would know.. It's because I've been with him. Perhaps he was promiscuous once upon a time. Aren't we all? " Lyall pauses briefly to let it sink in. His thumb twirling the platinum band around his ring finger absentmindedly before huffing once more "And for the final time, the window wasn't his fault! He tried to stop the carriage in time!" Lyall knew he sounded like he was making excuses for Callisto, but it frustrated him that Daph wasn't willing to hear him out about the meeting in the morning. What was her problem anyway? She never is usually the type to judge people without meeting them. Hell, she took him in when he had nobody else. If she just gave him a chance, she would have known his big secret already.

               "I'm quite content here in the village. Thank you very much. No wanders or worries about playing dress up and kissing the feet of royals.", she remarked snidely and stopped pacing once noticing his hand. Her voice caught in her throat. She walked over to the little window of their living room and closed the curtain. Standing there giving Lyall's words a second thought. She knew he was right, she watched the scene happen. Prince Callisto was on horseback riding a little bit in front of Prince Charon whose troops were following him returning from a visit to the southeastern most parts of the kingdom where they had a meeting with the Quwaki nation. The King and Queen obviously ahead of them both in a carriage when the hind wheels started to kick up broken pieces of cobblestone. Everyone was gazing and waving, and suddenly ran for cover. During this entire debacle, Prince Charon and his troops were helping villagers take cover. It was when Prince Callisto bolted ahead that the offending occurred. He was simply trying to knock on the right side of his parents carriage to get their attention. To no avail, so he raced a little more forward and his horse startled the coachman and his steed, causing them to swerve the carriage's path off center. It was then they hit a rocky patch in the road that hadn't gotten repaired yet. It yielded larger pieces that broke the stable, old Mr.Bruchette's wishing well a few places down, and of course, their shop window. Daph saw it, Callisto even turned around and winced and bowed apologetically before Charon made his way over to make sure nobody had gotten hurt. It didn't stop her from being upset at him though. It was Charon who came to assist in replacing the window as well as repairing the stable and wishing well. He even offered one of his best horses to the farmer. Callisto, however, was nowhere to be seen except when he made his grand appearance in a brand new Quwakian leather suit later that very same week. Then, too, Lyall said he had duties and he was remorseful he couldn't help out. At the memory, Daphodyl couldn't help but let out an faux annoyed sigh. Sure, she didn't know them personally, but that didn't mean she didn't have to like this little meeting happening in her home tomorrow morning. There was something bigger at hand now. Lyall started wearing that ring two months ago. She had never questioned it and he never told her besides it was a gift from his precious Cal. Her own dislike blinded her to her little brother's happiness. If she could put her foot in her mouth she would have swallowed it already. Sure, she didn't have to like what she had heard about the prince. Though, there is no harm in trying. Afterall, once upon a time Lyall was just her bothersome snot-nosed tiny neighbor she watched after school and on the weekends for her grandparents after they took him in. They used to sneak cookies from her grandma's kitchen window sill and blame Mr.Bruchette's cat. Somewhere between then and now, time took hold of them. Twenty years had passed and Lyall wasn't the little kid being bullied on the school grounds for being an orphan anymore. Daph wasn't in charge of watching over his every move anymore; and regardless of his horrible love life track record... if this was the man he chose, she was going to support him. She could almost feel Lyall's shit eating grin behind her before she could even speak her decision.