In Search of a Queen

Chapter 5

It was now the day before the king arrived, and Sawyer had continued to be very cold towards Charles. He had cancelled their lessons for the past two days, using the excuse of having too heavy a workload to be spending his time with other, less important things. Though Charles still had Nahia and he enjoyed her company just as much as usual, he could not help but to begin to sink into a depression, brought on by Sawyer's treatment of him. Sawyer was the first real friend he'd ever had besides Augustus, and he was tearing himself apart trying to figure out what he had done wrong. He'd considered the possibility that maybe Sawyer did simply have too much to do, but it was the way he had called learning to read less important. He could have said less urgent, less anything, but important? Charles had tried his best not to let on, but he'd been very hurt after that conversation in the hallway, when he had asked why Sawyer hadn't arrived for that day's lesson.

He decided to take his mind off of the Sawyer situation by planning out his father's stay with Nahia. He walked to her room, located on the main floor almost directly under his own. After their first evening together, when he knew for certain that she was the perfect woman for the job, he had asked her if she would like to move into one of the many spare rooms in the house, and she had replied with a very enthusiastic yes. When the other girls had seen her enter the house and then exit it again a few hours later, they had said and done nothing, which had surprised her. However, later that night she woke because her tent had become uncomfortably cold, and discovered a large gash in one side. A wild animal, of course. She had managed to fall asleep once more, only to find one of her 3 clothing trunks missing in the morning. Perhaps the bear who damaged her tent also fancied nice dresses. She was glad to be indoors now, and was also very pleased to learn from one of the servants that there was a closet with a spare supply of clothing, including dresses and shoes, which could be altered to fit her if necessary. So, she had spent the past week in the prince's chateau, finishing off her book supply and then moving on to Charles', which she also depleted rapidly. In the long hours between her waking and her preparations for dinner, she had taken to wandering the house, and had been lucky enough to come across a small sunroom looking over the forest and distant mountains, and there was also a small store of painting supplies, abandoned by some noble lady long ago. Nahia had never been a talented artist, but practicing her skills with a brush had been a pleasant way to waste useless time. So, Charles was met with o answer when he to knock on her door, unaware of her current whereabouts. His mood worsened even further, he returned to his room and decided to while away his time by choosing which of his outfits to wear tomorrow when he ventured outside to greet the king. Surely, the girls would not act quite so violent in the presence of their ruler, and he would be safe. He decided to wear comfortable shoes, suitable for sprinting, just incase. Already bored with this activity, he finally decided upon taking a long, relaxing bath. He trudged into the bathroom and began to undress, and then gave a long, exasperated groan when he realized he'd have to prepare the bath himself. Usually he would enjoy completing his own tasks, but his mood was just so foul that he did not really feel like doing anything at all. He turned on the water, the spring below supplying the house with unlimited hot water, which was it had been built there. He finished stripping and lowered himself into the steaming tub, giving a long sigh as the water soothed him. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, intending to just relax rather than actually wash himself. As his lay there, he began to fantasize about his future, a subject which often tortured him. However, lately he had begun to consider something new: if he truly could not find any way to make Augustus king in place of himself, he would ask Nahia to return to the royal city with him to be queen. She was amazingly intelligent, she could sympathize somewhat with the pain the commoners faced, and he genuinely enjoyed her company. He would continue their friendship, though, and he would have to find a way around having "heirs to his throne", as he did not want be having any heirs with anyone, especially not his friend. And Sawyer would come with them, of course. He would be brought on as a student, or as Charles' personal servant. He would be given a room covered with silk, and he would be able to roam the royal libraries freely; the books stored there could satisfy him for the rest of his life, with hundreds of volumes still to spare. The thought of being able to return home with his two best friends in tow made his spirits soar, and the image of the three of them staying up all night reading books to one another almost made him giddy. When the water was beginning to cool and his muscles were loose, he sighed and climbed out of the tub. He quickly toweled dry and dressed, deciding not to bother with his hair. After sitting in the heat for so long, he had become completely ravenous. He left his room once more, heading to the kitchens to grab himself a small meal.