The Ordinance

Chapter 15 - Natalia

Comment what you think of her brothers, and tell me what you think so far. I'd love your feedback! Thanks again for reading and coming this far!

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She rose before the sun that morning nearly a week later. Today was the first day of lessons for her and her brothers. She detested the fact that Maxon was making them do this. She had things to do: organize the ball, visit the Renegades, and a slew of other things she couldn't even remember right now.

So far, she'd managed to find an orchestra to play at the ball, and she found decorations as well. She was still working on finding a group of caterers large enough to host such a large event. She was told that the palace chefs could handle the food, but she knew they didn't have enough servers.

She scratched behind Lakeland's ears and then got out of bed. She undid her hair and walked toward her closet. She pulled out a gray dress with a lace top and put it on. Walking over to her vanity table, she began to tie her hair back into her usual Dutch braid. Pinning the last of it into place, she ran through her itinerary for the day.

Go to lessons, look for catering, lunch with Maxon, try to make it to the Renegade base before dark. She'd been trying to make it to the Renegade base all week. She was itching to see how they were doing, and to see Jackson. He often popped into her head whenever her tasks got boring. She was embarrassed about her panic attack after talking to Isabelle, but it hardly seemed to bother him. He'd just held her and took her to their room, where she told him about her flashbacks. Of course, it was all things he already knew about, but it was helpful for her to talk about them. Just thinking about his warm embrace sent pleasant shivers up her arms.

The problem about getting to the Renegades wasn't making it out of the castle. All of her personal guards were Renegades, and a few more castle servants were also Renegades. There were people who shared her secret all throughout the castle. The problem was finding time. She'd been busy every second since she'd gotten back, what with the ball and family meals and other duties she had to take care of as Princess. Even when she had a free moment, her brothers always seemed to get in the way.
On Monday, for example, she'd already given her night bag to one of her Renegade guards and was nearly out of her bedroom door, when Maxon came up to her.

"Where are you going?" He'd asked.

"To get a snack from the kitchen or something," she replied dismissively. "Now if you don't mind," she continued, trying to shove past him.

"You're going to the kitchen in your winter cloak," he asked skeptically.

"I'm cold, Maxon. Why must I be questioned for everything I do?"

"I'm not questioning you, Talia. I'm just wondering," he said defensively.

"Well now you know," she said, once again
trying to maneuver her way around him.

He let her walk a few yards away before stating, "You're leaving, aren't you?"

She looked down at the ground sheepishly.

Men loved to be right, she knew that much. She looked back up at him, feeling her cheeks flush.

A satisfied grin appeared on his face, "Who are you seeing?"

"A friend," she lied quietly.

"Tell me about them," he said happily.

She tried to come up with a convincing reason he'd never met her "friend" and never would, but her wits failed her. She decided to tell the truth. Well, part of it anyways.

"He's from the village. His father lives there, and I met him a few years ago," she looked back up at him, "Is that enough information? Can I go now?"