Remember Me *Book 3 Of The Remember the Rules Series*

The Promise You Made

A/N: Honestly, there's no set place for you to start playing this song. It's more of an overarching theme. So start playing it whenever you want, but I would recommend that you start it when the words DOES NOT COMPUTE show up for maximum angst levels.

All I could do was hope that Peter wasn't too confused or angry to read the note that Felix and I had left for him. There was no way for me to get back to the orphanage without putting the game in serious jeopardy, since no one but Tommy knew about him.

Still, my pulse was faster than expected when Jo and Diana finally finished with my "makeover" and etiquette lessons. They had even gone into lunch, where apparently there was a proper procedure for eating in the presence of royalty.

It was strange; I'd expected Diana to be the iron fist in teaching, but it was, without a doubt, Joanna. Diana couldn't really have cared less whether I wore my hair up or down, whether I stood up straight or not. She seemed to be going along with whatever Jo wanted because "it's safer not to argue." As long as I wasn't outright obnoxious, I passed.

It was Jo who took the lead in everything. Diana may have brushed the tangles out of my hair (and not gently; my scalp still tingled in pain hours later), but Jo was the one that insisted on braiding it tightly so that when we appeared at dinner it would fall past my shoulders in waves. She was the one who brandished bottles of scented oils at me and pointed out every mistake in my posture. I was a little bit afraid of her, though of course that may have had something to do with the lingering unease and worry in the back of my mind.

Finally, the time came "for the three of us to accompany Her Majesty to dinner," in Jo's words. Apparently, I would normally be expected to change before eating, but since I only had the one dress, the rule didn't apply for the moment. As much as I understood the necessity of learning these skills for the sake of fitting in, I couldn't help feeling as though I'd wasted a day.

I followed the others through the maze of corridors that led to the dining hall, memorizing every turn we made and the number of halls we passed.

"Most of the knights are at court at the moment, so the table will be full," Diana warned me. "We sit by the squires, in order of seniority."

I perked up. "So that means--"

Guinevere smiled knowingly. "Yes. Lance and I have arranged it so that you will be sitting with your brother."

Joanna looked skeptical as we turned another corner. "Your Majesty, are you sure that that's the best idea? After all, placing newcomers together can look suspicious."

"They're orphaned siblings," Guinevere rationalized. "That's the story we've established. They've always been together and suddenly they're in a new environment and separated all day. It would make perfect sense, especially to Arthur."

Because he's an orphan himself, I realized, impressed and more than a little bit grateful.

"Besides," she added mischievously, "I don't know that they could stand to be apart any longer even without the lie."

I winced, but didn't correct her. After all, she wasn't wrong. "If you could try not to draw attention to it, that would be great. It's a weakness I can't afford to broadcast."

We rounded yet another corner and came to a large set of double doors. Guinevere stopped and turned to me. "Of course. Do you really think that I would do something to screw up the plan like that?"

"Language, Majesty," Diana said in amusement, opening the door to let Guinevere through.

All conversation immediately ceased and everyone in the room (all men, I noticed) stood up. When Guinevere waved at them, they sat back down and conversation resumed, though no one was eating. We followed her to her seat at the end of the table ("The Queen must be seated before you even look at your own chair, Lily") and waited for her to dismiss us. Jo and Diana led me to the three empty seats between her and the squires, where Felix sat. He was dirty, as I'd expected, but he looked immensely relieved to see me when I sat down, squeezing my hand discreetly.