Under the Water (Book 1)

Nine

I sit there. Well kneel. In front of the royals, trying not to make it to obvious that I'm trying not to stare at the princess. Just as she's staring at me.

The King clears his throat and starts speaking in his refined inner circle accent. "Quinn Seventh. Or more formally Quinnson. You have been brought here to trial for being accused of working with rebel forces. You exhibited this by ravaging Artificial Pod Planters and trying to main one of the Overseers."

The King looks up from the paper. His graying blonde hair makes him look even older than he already is."Do you protest?"

I struggled to keep a snort of maniacal and nervous laughter inside me. Protest? Really? Nooo.

"Yes I protest." I said staring the king strait in the eyes. "I protest when an Overseer is enough of a bast- idiot- to beat a diligent worker and destroy plant pods in his neanderthalic path." I catch my breath before saying anything else. Realizing I'm slipping into the same accent as the King...

I continue to stare t the King. And he looks back at me, anger beginning to rise in his face.

"I'm sorry does hearing how imperfect your "flawless" society is upset you." I snap before I can stop myself.

The kings face turns an interesting shade of red.

The Overseers that cause trouble stood up from their booth (when did they get here?) and started shouting rather nasty things.

I take that time to look around the room. Many in the hall seem to be upset as well, although many are just confused. I look up at the royals seats, the children just seem bored, although the younger ones rather interested in the colorful language being used.

The booths up above hold the 5 houses, Paris, Roe, Lake, Emerald and Grecian. Although the Grecian just has an cousin ruling for now. Ever since the head of the 5th house got banished and basically disbanded... the minors of the house have faded into mercenary and such. So the court just decided to let an the closet relative of the original family take over for now.

It's silent.

I looked up from my slight distraction and see the king finally deciding my stand,

"Quinnson Seventh you are Guilt-"

"Not guilty."

My head snaps to the side. The princess, girl, is standing now. Obviously she just spoke. I could've sworn she wasn't listening the whole time.

The court ends quickly after that. The King looks ready to explode, but a quarrel between the Royals now wouldn't be good. So I just get led back to my jail cell.

I sit there for half an hour contemplating what in the world just happened.

She stood up for me.

Why? She doesn't know me. She couldn't right?

An old ball room song echoes down from the ceiling. I close my eyes and just listen.

***

Baelinn comes down in the evening with a sale tasteless piece of bread, apple and a glass of water.

I immediately ask the questions swirling in my head. "Why did the Princess stand up fro me. Who is she?"

He just smiles at me and passes the tray through the bars. "I'm glad you're okay boy. But for your narrow escape with death, you sure seem fine. Of course you'll still have to do 3 years of community service."

I roll my eyes and dismiss the information, then stuff my mouth full of bread. It's delicious. "I need to know."

Baelinn shakes his head and slowly lowers himself into the chair in front of my cell. "She's the eldest princess, twin of the eldest prince. Her name's Scarlett and she's going to be queen one day. Don't get any ideas boy."

I flush and bite into the apple. "Is it so wrong that I want to know why the snobby aristocrat stood up for me?"

"Watch you'r language lad you're still in the Royals castle. Don't think you have immunity because the princess had a case of pity for a poor Outer Dweller." Baelinn pulls out a knife and block of wood and starts whittling.

I stare in amazement. "You're making something?" I say. Then realize how idiotic I sound.

Baelinn smiles and turns the wood in his hands. It's not often you can make something and the synthetics let you keep it. Usually it's only the Royals that have the privilege. But my father taught me just as his father taught him and so on until the times before the Domes." Baelinn gets a far away look. "And so I'll continue the tradition."

We sit silently after that, me watching fascinated, as he whittled the block of wood in to a shape.

***

I get let out of the cell a few hours before dark, I will have to take residence in the Middle Pier until my community service is complete. It's ironic considering I will be in much more comfort than I would be in the Outer Pier. Such is my punishment. Those idiots.

I walk away from the Inner gates without looking back and start to wander the street. Nobody will take in a straggler at this time of evening, so I'll just have to make due with an approximately dry alleyway.

I walk for about an hour, when finally everyone is in their home, and everyone has abandoned the streets.

Almost everyone. I hear a noise, a quiet sobbing, and I follow the noise to an side road.

I walk until I find a girl with raggedy dark clothes in an alleyway. She looks surprisingly old to be sobbing in the dark. In the outer piers even the 5 year old know better than to show weakness. Something must be wrong.

"Are you okay?" I ask moving closer to the girl, in the dim city lights (dimmed after curfew) I see her hair is a curious color.

Red.

She ignores me, and I move around to the front of her, trying to see who she really is, knowing already.

I kneel down and look her in the eyes, then pick her up and wipe away the tears. She doesn't need to be down in the dirt. She is a princess after all. And she saved me.

"Thank You." She says softly, finally looking up and seeing me.

I"m Quinnson" I say, though obviously she already knows. "But call me Quinn."

"I'm Kathrinne." She says.

I breath a laugh of amusement. "No you're not. You're the girl in my dreams. You are Princess Scarlett."

"Don't call me that." Scarlett says almost scornfully. I fail to hide my look of shock. Why not? She has a title of power, that many would die for and who is she not to want it?

"Why are you so familiar?' She continues. She doesn't remember either?

I just shrug "I can't remember." I lie.

She just stares at me as if lost in a daydream. "Who are you Quinnson Seventh?" She asks.

The boy who befriended you in your childhood. The boy who received the wrath of the foolish king. The boy who dreams of being a rebel at heart. The boy who grew up to hate all Royals.

Except you why can't I hate you.

She goes on not even leaving space for my answer. "I want to see you again."

"Okay." I find myself saying.

But I don't move. She just stares at me. Waiting.

"Kathrinne!?" A voice calls out in the distance. It's probably whoever took her out here to the Middle.

I untangle myself from her grasp and make sure she is steady on her feet, before saying, "You should probably go know."

"But where can I find you again?" She asks.

I smile at her question. She's a Royal how hard can it be? "You're the one who sentenced me, you'll figure it out." I hear footsteps running at a fast pace toward out alleyway.

She opens her mouth to say something else, but I'm already gone. Watching from the rooftop as her brother grabs her in a hug and scolds her for something.

It's strange.

I'm looking forward to seeing her again.