Lavenders Blue ❦

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟChapter Three; Punishment

"Keith." The Queen sighed, hands neatly folded in her lap. She has places to go, people to see, cigars to smoke in the privacy of her own pleasure. She would rather not be here, but according to Shiro, she could be the only one who could get through to him. When it comes to people who Keith listens to, his guard captain is at the top of the list, then there's not really anyone else. However, Keith is pissed at Shiro right now, and he's pissed at his mother for a while, too.

Even though she had asked Shiro to be there for Keith when she couldn't, he couldn't keep him out of trouble, despite being captain of the royal guard as well. A terrible idea is worth a better shot than no idea. "Please talk to me. I can't imagine why you would do something like this. A well-taught prince does what he is told, and respects the boundaries he's been given."

"I don't have time for this, I need to go to th-"

Shiro grabs his shoulder, holding him in place with a stiff arm. Keith grunts angrily, staying where he is and glancing up at his mother.

"You directly disobeyed your personal guard, left the castle grounds without said guard, and spent castle funds on personal purchases. That's a felony, Keith." Krolia reminds him. Keith scoffs. She even talks like she doesn't care.

"What does it matter to you? I've done this at least five times in the past three weeks, and you never cared. You only decided to talk with me when Shiro told you to. I haven't seen you in nearly a month!"

"Maybe you would have seen me if you came to the planning meetings for your ball-" She started.

"Don't bring that up, I'm disgusted that you think that's something I want." Her son hisses back. "And it's not important right now."

She's at a crossroad. She doesn't know what to say, because everything Keith's saying is right, and it's breaking her own argument down. She hasn't seen him in nearly a month, she decided what was best for the kingdom before deciding for her son, and she isn't planning on changing that.

"Your Father had to go through the same arrangement, Keith."

"And he didn't even do it! He took a chance and got you, a peasant, pregnant. Now he's dead and you're the Queen. You have no training, and no right to sit on that throne." He spits. "Do you want to know what I saw today? I saw a citizen nearly get robbed out of his money by a foreign merchant, while you sat in your room and slept in your velvet sheets until noon!"

Krolia gasped through clenched teeth, head throbbing with denial. He's correct, but she still hasn't attained the respect she expects as his one and only mother.

She's been blinded by the glittering power of being royalty.

"And why don't you go and solve everyone else's problems then, son? Why must I be the one to help the people?"

"Because it's not my job, it's yours! That's why your ungrateful mass sits on that throne, to help the people who feed you and give you their taxes because you simply want them to!"

Keith is angry. He's in that mood, and escaping it by taking a few deep breaths seems downright impossible.

Krolia steps in yet again, throwing out her first offense after several bad defenses. "And what was it that you told Shiro? You were doing all of this for a... a village boy?"

As Shiro cowers, wanting to be left out of this family fight, Keith pauses. She knows that she's bringing up his sensitive subject, the one that makes him think, and she's using it like a tyrant.

'Village Boy' is a raw, unseasoned term for the boy he saw. He wanted to add meaning to the words, show the true meaning behind his actions. That wouldn't get him anywhere in this fight, but it would help him come to ease.