Scarlet Heir

Chapter 11 - Cleo

I sit next to Harmony on the lawn.

“Prince Alfie is so cute.” She giggled watching him with dreamy eyes as she twirls a lock of her curled hair.

“It's not about how cute he is.” I say indifferently, not glancing the the direction of my betrothed.

“Have you ever noticed that when you speak to him his mind is always elsewhere?” She asks filled with curiosity.

“He is the Heir of the burning crown - he has his excuses.”

“He is the Prince and we are his guests we deserve some attention.” She rolls her eyes at my disinterest.  “Laugh and look ladylike Lan is looking this way.” She whips her fan out and giggles delicately.

“Seriously Harmony you're already engaged to him.” I hiss through the side of my grinning mouth.

“Shush he’s coming over.” she waves a hand to silence me.

“Ladies,” Lan says and Harmony gives him a smile and continues to fan the code 'I love you’.

“Um, would you like to play croquet with us?” Daniel asks with pride - I may be five years older than him but he is a Prince and walks with the aura of someone much older than himself.

“Of course Prince Daniel, Prince Lan.” Harmony says standing up curtsying to them somewhat clumsily. Lan links arms with her, Bethany and Lillian do the same with Daniel and Henry.

“Lady Cleo?” Lan asks. “Would you like to join us.”

“I might join later I… um I have something to do.”

“Whatever you say my lady.”

They walk off arms linked. How pathetic - all this being so official. He is flirting with me - I know he is! I take my leather bound sketch book from my bag along with my pencils. I close my eyes. Today it's warm and humid but I transport myself home where I am surrounded by icy forests. My fingers move without thought I draw icicles hanging from the trees and mist hangs low on the snowflakes that have gathered to make a thick layer of snow on the earth. I draw a girl her sleek black hair gleaming in the winter sunshine. She looks similar to Alfie however shorter and has a more secretive look in her face like maybe she's hiding from something.

“That's beautiful,” Alfie snaps me out of my artistic trance - at least that's what Tomas tells me it's like when I draw.

“Oh good afternoon your Highness.”

“Oh please don't start talking to me like that.” He sits on the picnic rug next to me.

“Um sorry….so shall I call you Alfie.”

“Yes just Alfie.”

“I'm guessing something's up?”

“Yep.”

“May I ask for how long? And even what?”

He sighs. “You'd have heard about my sister going missing three years ago.”

“It was all over the news.”

“Well of course because of the new laws passed just before she was born made her the next heir to the throne. Now Queenstrial has come and gone people are starting to ask when my parents will be stepping down and who will take over - of course that will be me if my sister isn't found. For some reason Father hates the idea of her not preceding him. I personally agree with him I'd be a terrible king.”

“You don't want that?”

“No being monarch has never been a very secure position and it doesn't offer up much freedom,” but somehow the words seem empty “The thing is I don't think she went missing.”

“What else could have happened to her? You don't think she's dead do you?”

“No, you see my sister always felt out of place in the family. She was a bastard you see and a red that would make her unworthy of even talking to a silver in most eyes but she was to rule upon them - people hated her for that. Many also thought that a woman is incapable of leading - you see she was always a misfit at court. She always wanted to prove herself to father and all of the nobles but there was no proving to it she was red, well, newblood so she had powers, but she was still red to them, a lesser. She wasn't educated like you and I also - she was kept in the dark so when it came to it she'd be a queen who needed everything done on her behalf, a puppet. I think she just snapped and left everything behind. It's the type of thing she'd do.”

“Were you two close?”

“My colors Cleo you ask a lot of questions.”

“I'll ask as many questions as I desire.”

“Yes Scarlet and I were close - in age also.”

“One week.”

“Thank you for listening by the way and know that you can ask questions if you want to. I'm not going to stop you.”

“Good because I wasn't going to stop.”

“I hope we can be friends Cleo; I don't want what my parents have - which is nothing but marriage. If not friends then lovers.”

I nod. I've always hated the idea of marrying someone you hardly talk to properly.

“So would my lady like to play croquet with me?”

“Sure I'll give it a go.”

I pack away my sketchpad and pencils and leave my bag on the picnic mat for my maid to take back to my quarters later.

We join the others to play croquet and I find that Alfie is as appalling at it as me.

“Becoming Prince never put croquet on the time table but my brothers had a lot of free time unlike Scarlet and I. As siblings we kind of split up silently you see Scarlet and I were always the special ones Scarlet being dragged around and trained with my mother to be a ‘proper lady’ and me to be a general, a politician and a soldier. These three have always shadowed us so they hung out together and got to spend lots of time just to be kids, a luxury I'm sure you and I neither had.”

I nod in agreement. Prince Alfie sure can move his lips a lot - I guess I kind of like it, it stops me from having to make conversation which usually irritates people because I ask too many questions. I think I prefer asking questions and getting answers than being questioned and giving answers. I'm not a big talker and prefer to keep to my cold stern resting bitch face most of the time.

“You two stop Chit-chatting and take your turns!” Daniel yells at us.

“All right bossy boots,” Alfie says taking his turn. He just about manages to hit the ball through the hoop and I cheer him. His younger siblings judge us - let them judge we will be King and Queen one day.

I take my turn and am not as lucky as Alfie. When the game is over neither Alfie or I did very well - Daniel won.

 We head back across the lawn where my maids have returned my belongings to my chamber and the picnic rugs are gone.

Alfie escorts me back to my room.

“Cleo?” He asks before I step into the door.

“Yes Alfie?”

“Will you come on a walk with me later? And bring that drawing you drew today.”

“Of course,” I curtsy to him and shut the door behind me as I enter my quarters. I take the sketch of the girl in the forest out. I remember where it's from. I was practicing that day in the woods and I saw that girl - but as soon as she was there, she was gone.