For King and Country

The Testimonial of Micah J. Thornbury Pt 1

Chapter 20

I woke up to the blinding sunlight and a heavy banging on my bedroom door. I groaned, rolling over into the heavily decorated pillows. This had once been my mother's bedroom, though Josephine had assured me it had been completely gutted just for me. It was strange to think a younger version of my mother had walked through these rooms, she'd probably giggled with Josephine about how in love she was with my father in these rooms. Her jewelry box, which was filled with outdated broaches and pendants sat on the carved desk across from my bed, in front of a huge vanity mirror. Above the fireplace hung a huge painting of a goddess she had commissioned when she first arrived. It was a goddess of hope, Josephine said, and that she would have it removed if I wished. The bed still hung with the white and gold damask woven tapestries over its dark mahogany frame, and the duvet was of the same make as the one she had. Her colors had been white and gold, my father's had been gold and robin's egg blue, the color of the Westlake sea, where my father's family had descended from. The sheets of the giant bed were that color, along with pillow after decorative pillow. The room alone was bigger than my entire home in the village, and I stayed up half the night listening for noises in the shadowy corners.

"Get up, Princess," Lily's thick scoff made me grown, and pull the thick blanket over my head. "Okay, you asked for it." A heavy pile of skirts and red hair jumped on top of me. I groaned under her weight and threw my elbow into her side. She groaned, and I immediately rolled over, making her fall off into the floor. I threw the duvet back, laughing as her head popped up over the edge of my bed, her red hair scattered in every direction.

"Why are you waking me up?" I laughed, then whimpered at how bright the light was. I threw my arm over my face, then groaned again.

"Because it's nearly ten thirty," She said, climbing onto the bed beside me. "You and Elijah were out until nearly one thirty last night."

"We were just on the roof, talking." I said, then I jerked up. "Wait... don't I have a cabinet meeting at one?"

"Yep." Lily said, "The reason I am here in fact. But you two were not just up on the roof. I heard you two stole down to the kitchen for an exceptionally large amount of liquor."

"There's no evidence of that." I snapped, even though it was true. Elijah had shown me a secret door down to the wine cellar, which housed far more than wine, and I had grabbed two bottles of Starshine, like Micah and some boys back home used to make in the fields, and Elijah had grabbed at least six quarts of various wines and liquors.

"Your attitude right now." She laughed, rolling out of the bed, standing up. Lily was dressed in a pretty green dress and her red hair was pinned up, but was slowly frizzing out in every direction. "Get up princess, lets wash that smell out of your hair."

I rolled out of bed, stumbling into the bath chamber, where Lily already had a hot bath waiting. While I slipped in and started to bathe, she sat on the vanity, checking her pale reflection, and chatting idly to me.

"So," She said, "Did you and Elijah do anything scandalous last night?" I rolled my eyes.

"No, we just talked." I snapped. "I told you."

"What about?"

"I'd rather not say," I said cautiously. I couldn't tell her I'd cried my eyes out about being princess and having to take over the country, Elijah confessed he had only ever loved on girl, but refused to tell me who it was, and then we drank. And he told me more about the Prince of Royavieve and the oligarchy of Vinland, and even about Thanir, about the way the women behaved and the people danced. Somehow, I have found my way to bed, and I'm sure Elijah had found his way home as well.