The Raven-Haired Mistress

Castle

The gates opened as he rode in on his black stallion.
"The prince is arriving." The guards yelled as they opened the gate.
It was early morning now with the sun rising from behind him. He had been out all night.
When the Queen heard her son had arrived, back after she woke up a few hours later, she rushed to meet him.
She knocked on the door to his chamber.
He grumbled from inside. "Adler! It's your mother." He still didn't answer. "Now either you are asleep or you are ignoring me..." She said patiently.
There was still no answer and her moment of kindness was over. "Adler James you will open this door immediately!" She yelled.
He groaned from the behind the door and she heard some shuffling. He then opened the door with a frown on his groggy face.
"What, mother?" Adler asked.
"Don't 'what' me! You know what this is about. You stayed out all night." She frowned. "I want an explanation."
"And you will not be receiving one." He smiled.
"Adler! Were you with another woman?" She asked.
"No, mother." He looked shocked by the accusation, but then his face changed when he thought of the raven-haired girl. "I was at a tavern in a near-by town and left very late. I rode here in the dark." He answered.
"That is very dangerous, riding in the dark by yourself." She protested.
"Yes and I'm not six anymore. I'm 24, mother." He argued.
"But you are a prince, Adler." She insisted.
"Yes, I've been told that all my life." He mumbled.
Adler walked inside the his room and plopped down on his bed.
"Well, don't worry. I covered for you with your father." The Queen said as she entered his room. "I told him that you were missing dinner, because you with Regina."
That got his attention. "Did she miss dinner too?" He asked.
"Yes...I had talked to her before and she said she was feeling a little ill." The Queen explained.
"Ill..." He trailed off in thought.
"I'm going down to breakfast. I suggest that you join us, but talk to your wife first, Adler." His mother advised.
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Adler knocked on the door to her chamber.
She opened it swiftly.
"Hi." He said with nervous and guilt in his voice.
"Oh...it's you." She walked back inside and tried to shut the door behind her.
Adler reached out his arm and stopped it. He walked in and shut the door.
"Who did you think it was?" He asked.
Regina sat down at her vanity and started to brush her long brown hair. "No one. Just my maiden. I need to get dressed for breakfast." She said.
"Are you feeling any better?" Adler asked.
"Yes. I just felt a little tired. Had a little headache." She said.
"Right...so I have an idea. How about we just be honest with each other from now on? If we can't do that then this 'marriage' is just going to go completely to hell." Adler said.
Regina slammed her brush down on her vanity top. "Fine!" As stood up. "I wasn't sick last night and you stayed out all night. Do we want to explain what we were really doing?" She asked.
"Yes, Regina, because I was at a tavern. I was drinking and enjoying sometime alone. I just needed a quick break." He explained. "Maybe you just don't want to be honest because of what you were doing?!" Adler was beginning to raise his voice.
She walked back over the vanity then turned back around to face her husband. "I was here, in my room, all night. Not because I was sick, but because I also needed a break." She exclaimed. "Maybe next time we should plan this so we don't do it on the same day." She proposed.
Adler wasn't exactly certain that he should believe her, but there was nothing else that should prove otherwise. "I actually think that we should. If we plan our break days on the same day..."
"Then we can freely do whatever we want." She finished his sentence. "But not with whoever we want..." She said.
"Yes." He put out his hand.
Regina shook it and their deal was set.
It was quite a stupid and naive plan, but they were going through with it anyways.
"I need tonight." Adler said.
"We can't do two nights in a row." Regina argued. "We will have to do tomorrow night."
"Fine." Adler agreed, then he headed for the door. "I'll see you at breakfast." He said as he left the room.