Away

Chapter 5

"That sounds very adventurous, getting caught up in such a dramatic situation with two princes." Cianna exclaimed. Naira and Cianna were both sitting at their kitchen table, kneading dough for the night's dinner. The event had happened a week earlier, but Naira still felt her heart tremble in fear when she remembered it. She would not have even shared what happened with Cianna, but when her best friend came to visit this morning, ofcourse that was the first thing Henry told her about.

"Of course." Naira said. "What could be more adventurous than getting beheaded at the hands of a violent thief."

Cianna laughed before adding some more water to her dough. Cianna's parents were bakers with their own bread shop a few miles from town, and Naira watched as she skillfully kneaded the dough into a smooth ball.

"Well, at least tell me how they were." She asked. "The royals, that is?"

"Just normal humans. They breathe and eat and sleep, just like the rest of us." Naira responded, not having anything in particular to say. Except for the attempted carriage robbery, their stay was uneventful anyway.

"That's not what a lot of people believe." Cianna stated, making a second ball of dough. "The people of this land either revere them or fear them. Just normal humans, and yet they've created a system that gives them such power." Cianna looked around the kitchen to make sure the housekeeper, Miranda, was nowhere in sight.

These are conversations the two friend had in private. Anyone else overhearing could land them in heaps of trouble. It was not as if either girls had anything personal against the monarchy, but idea that some people were chose divinely to rule over others, while the majority of the population in the same land suffered from poverty, was not an idea they could accept. They were sure they were not the only ones who held such belief, but they were a very small minority. Naira knew the monarchy was quickly becoming an outdated system, and would one day be replaced by other forms of government, but at this moment in time, she knew she needed to accept this is how the world worked. Like her aunt would say, Naira was a girl with thoughts that were ahead of her time. But she was not thinking of those things now. At the mention of royals and monarchy, the image in front of Naira was of the King showing kindness to her uncle. She thought of the Queen, a soft spoken woman, concerned for her grandsons, the way any grandmother would be. She thought of Neal, his warm smile, his ability to handle a troublesome situation with a light joke, the graceful way he carried himself. 

And then of course there was Will. His perpetually bored mood which only seemed to shift when Naira did something to embarrass herself, almost as if he enjoyed watching her fumble. She almost smiled, before realizing Cianna was still sitting next to her.

"I said," she repeated, "the dough is done."

"Thank you." Naira stood up, taking the tray of dough to place it near the stove. "I wish you could have stayed for dinner."

"I know, I would like to stay as well." Cianna said, "But Mother said to head home before dusk. She needs my help."

Naira walked her friend.

"Uncle Thomas is coming back from Capella this evening." She said. "If he stays home with Henry, I will visit you tomorrow or the next day."

After giving her friend a hug and waiting until her carriage rode of, Naira went back inside to finish cooking..

"How was the trip?" She finally got the chance to ask her uncle, after Henry finished talking about his day with his friends. They were seated at the dinner table, Uncle Thomas and Henry on one side, and Naira across from them.

"It went well." He responded, taking a bite of his food.

Naira almost asked about how Will and Neal were doing, but could not bring herself to do so. She wished her uncle would talk a little bit more about it. It was funny almost, when she did not care about the royals, her uncle would come home with so many stories to share with her, and tonight when she wanted to know, he simply said his trip went well and did not expand on it.

"They're all quite busy actually." He finally added. "Will's sister is getting married."

Naira looked up in surprise. She was not aware that Prince Gideon had a daughter as well. In fact, she was under the impression that Neal and Will were the King's only grandchildren.

"Will's half sister." Uncle stated, sensing her confusion. "Prince Gideon's bastard daughter. She does not have the title of a princess, and the wedding was supposed to be a simple feat, but Will went back and arranged for something bigger."

So perhaps Will wasn't as rude and detached as he came across. At least with his family, he showed care and kindness. But Naira already knew that after watching his interactions with his cousin. And yet, she felt strangely pleasant after hearing what her uncle had just said.

Uncle Thomas came into her room later than night, just as she had put Henry to bed and was about to go under the covers herself.

"I forgot to give you something." He started from the doorway.

"What is it?" She went up to him.

"The Queen wanted me to deliver something to you. I did not want to open it." He handed her a large brown packet. "Goodnight."

She wanted to tell her uncle to come back. She did know what it could be and would rather open it with him. But he had turned and left before she could say the words.

Naira walked back to the bed, and gently ran her finger through the opening of the brown paper. Inside the package was a beautiful cream dress, decorated with sequins and pearls. A smaller paper fell to her feet as she was looking over the dress, and she bent down to pick it up, noticing a few short lines in the middle of the paper.

Miss Naira,

Thank you for your hospitality while we visited Algol. Consider this a small thank you from His Majesty and myself. If you were to attend my granddaughter Charlotte's wedding along with your uncle, it would mean a great deal to our family.

Sincerely,

Camilla.