Displaced

Chapter 59

Arlette didn't know what to do, to say, or even to think. She was so far out of her depth that it was comical. They'd put her in a part of the palace reserved for the royal family, where no servants were allowed. This was where the princess was supposed to be recovering, safely away from any prying eyes. No servants, just the King, the Queen, and Sebastian. Apparently, three other people, the trio of generals who commanded the nation's armed forces, knew of the princess's death. Nobody else knew of this tragedy, and so here Arlette would stay until she could emulate Princess Rosalyn well enough that it would stay that way.

She was going to be the Princess. So much of this terrified her—the complexity of the task, the thought of interacting with the King and Queen every day... even the palace itself intimidated her. Just a few days ago she'd been sleeping on a hard bed filled with straw in a small wooden cottage. Now she laid in an impossibly soft down-filled bed, surrounded by luxurious items crafted by masters out of rare and expensive materials, in a bedroom that was larger than her entire home. Any one of the items in the room was likely valuable enough to buy the entirety of her old village at once, and yet here they were treated as if they were as common as leaves in a forest. She was afraid to touch anything lest she break it and fall into debt for the rest of her life. How was she supposed to imitate a girl who lived in a place like this and found it normal?

Yet as scared as all that made her, nothing terrified her more than the thought of what would happen if she failed. Images of unwashed Ubran monsters sweeping across the country sprang unbidden and unwanted from her imagination. She shivered.

The bed felt cold and empty. She missed sleeping with her mother. Really, she just missed her mother entirely. Arlette missed her smile, her hugs, and especially the warm feeling she got when she went to sleep in her mother's arms that told her that everything was going to alright. That was all gone now. When would she even be able to see her again?

She sniffed, feeling the tears begin to well up as homesickness reared its ugly head. Quickly she crammed a soft pillow over her face and willed herself to hold it in. Big girls didn't cry.

"Wow, this place sure is a lot to get used to," a voice said from beside her. Arlette jumped so high that she nearly fell out of the bed.

"Peko, don't do that! I almost screamed!" Arlette hissed, furious at her friend's ill-timed and unwarned appearance. "Where have you been this whole time? I haven't seen you since we left the village!"

Peko stood beside the bed, still dressed in the peasant's clothes that he always wore. He shrugged as if scaring her half-to-death wasn't anything worth getting worked up over. "I don't really like it here, so I haven't shown up."

"You left me all alone!" Arlette accused.

"Stop being so dramatic," Peko replied. "Even if I'm not out, I'm always with you. You know that. How can I leave you when I am you?"

Arlette tucked herself up into a ball and hugged her legs to her chest. "Still..."

"I know everything's all weird and different and it's all kinda scary, but you're not alone. I'm always going to be there for you as long as you need me. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"Good, now let's get some sleep. I'm tired." The illusory boy yawned. "It's not fair that I can't sleep unless you sleep. It's like I'm your slave or something."

Arlette closed her eyes. She must have been much more tired than she'd thought because she was out before she knew it.

*     *     *

"Tuck in your elbow more. Yes, that's better. Now make sure you hold it at that angle the entire time. Now step... and step... good, just like that."