Royal Blood

Chapter Nineteen

The sound of someone crying wakes me up during the night. At first I think I am hearing things, that it is just my imagination playing tricks on my sleepy self but then when I roll over I find out that I'm wrong. Lying in the bed next to mine is Jasper who is sobbing into his pillow. I don't think he realises that I'm awake as he doesn't acknowledge me in anyway. Closing my eyes, I roll back over to my other side to give Jasper the privacy he needs. I know it's not much but it is the best I can give him at this moment in time.

To an extent, I can understand how he is feeling. There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about my mother. Ordinarily they are not always good thoughts, more like 'how will she be ruining the country today?' but there is still a part of me that misses her dearly. I also miss seeing Louis every day; I really hope his wife is getting the treatment that she needs and is recovering well. I also hope that Crystal is not getting punished to harshly for what she did, everything was my entire fault.

At least when I do decide to go home, I'll have all of these people to come home to. Jasper, on the other hand doesn't have anyone. His parents disowned him as soon as he came out and Anita is dead. And all of this is down to my stupid family. Now we do not know where Max is. He could be lying dead on a road while we are tucked nice and warm under a duvet. By the end of this, Jasper could be completely alone. He certainly has plenty of reasons to sit there and cry, I will not be stopping him.

For the rest of the night, I manage to sleep quite well, all things considering. I woke up to the sun streaming in through the window because of the lack of curtains. It must only be about seven in the morning but already I feel ready to start the day. The only problem is that curfew does not lift for another hour yet. Instead I go and sit by the window and watch the world go by.

There isn't much to see outside other than the sunrise. It shines over the buildings in the town, creating shadows along the streets. If I look closely enough I can see some movements in the other buildings, lights are being turned on or off, and people are opening curtains to let the new day into their houses and shops. I find it quite peaceful to watch.

The streets are deserted for the time being, I can't even see any guards from where I am but I know this room is along the back side of the building. There will definitely be some guards around the front of the building that I am certain of. Every now and then I do see a cat run down the street, probably chasing mice. How nice it must be to be that cat, or a bird sitting in a tree. They are truly free, able to roam around the streets when the rest of us cannot and they do not even have a single care in the world. How I envy them. I left the palace, a place I felt captured and trapped, to explore the real world and yet somehow I am still strapped but this time in a room that is so much worse than the one I have in the palace.

Jasper is still asleep in his bed; the sun apparently does not bother him. Or maybe it is the lack of sleep he had last night. Either way, I leave him to sleep because he looks like he needs it. Picking up some of my clothes off of the floor, I walk into the bathroom to get changed for the day. All I'm wearing is a simple top and some jeans because they are easier to move around in. Once I have finished I walk back out into the room to find Jasper awake.

"How are you feeling today?" I ask him although I can tell by his face that he does not seem that well.

"Sick to my stomach. What if something has happened to him Ria?" Jasper then asks me, his voice sounding like a child asking their mother a question.

I feel motherly as I walk over to his bed and sit down to try and reassure him that everything will be alright even though I don't know that for sure. "Max is not stupid. He will have found somewhere to hide if he was out after curfew. Hopefully he will be making his way back here now." I say, not believing a word of it myself.