The Queen of Stones

Chapter 10

At some point, people start leaving the ballroom and I use this opportunity to leave as well. I stand up, being quickly followed by Davi, who places my hand in his arm and starts to walk with me to the door. However, on the way out I notice as Allerick Grinald hands the cameraman, standing at the corner of the room, a few gold coins.

"Did you just pay the cameraman, Your Grace?" I ask approaching Grinald, once the cameraman leaves.

"He is here working, Your Majesty," he answers with a smile. "So, I believe he must get paid."

"Yes." I press my lips together. "However, it is not your job to pay the palace employees."

"I do many things," Grinald says, starting to leave.

"Grinald," I say with an affirming voice. "Why did you bribe the cameraman?"

Allerick Grinald walks closer to me and Davi. "I paid him to focus on the other kids, you know, I'm already a Grinald. I don't need the publicity."

"You mean you paid him not to film your daughter." My shoulders fall. "You don't want to be associated with her. Is that why you didn't vote?"

He looks around us, then takes one step closer and starts to whisper. "The only reason why I would associate myself with her would be to find a man willing to marry her. However, I don't need to worry about that because you'll find him for me. And I think you should focus on that." Grinald looks over to Clementine and Apollo walking towards us. "Your time is running out."

He leaves us, quickly walking out of the room.

"You're helping to find a marriage for Grinald's daughter?" Davi asks me. "Why?"

"I don't know," I say looking down. "I guess I just sympathize with her."

He kisses my forehead. "You are such a good person."

I smile. However, I know he might be wrong. I watch as Clementine and Apollo reach us and immediately ask if I will join them to watch the movie.

"Are you going to see a movie?" Davi asks. "That is amazing. I hope you have fun."

"Come with us, Davi," Apollo says. "I'm sure you'll have a great time too."

"That's okay, you guys don't need to invite me," Davi says.

"Okay, let's go." I sigh. "The sooner we start, the sooner it will end."

"That's the spirit," Apollo says ironically as Davi waves and walks out of the ballroom, holding a wrapped plate. "Why he never wants to spend time with me? You can tell me if he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," I tell Apollo as we start to walk through the corridor in the direction of the movie theater. "He just feels like he is not welcome."

"Why not? I always invite him."

"I don't know," I say. "But maybe because when we were kids you didn't want him around."

"I see." Apollo looks down. "I was eight though."

We keep walking until we reach the movie theater, which is placed on the east side of the palace, a part of the palace reserved for entertainment, which meant that, at this time, there was no one around but a few guards. We walk into the theater and Clementine asks us to wait while she puts on the movie.

"What are we watching?" Apollo asks as we sit in the red cushioned chairs.

"It's called Catch Me If You Can, I watched it yesterday and really liked it," Clementine says. "Today has been perfect, you guys. And I could not imagine a better ending for this night."

"I'm so glad you're happy, little sunshine." Apollo hugs her.

During the movie, I look at the projector room many times. I come to the realization that it is a place in the palace that I have never been to and have no idea what that room is like or what is kept in it. I remember my father's passion for films and wonder if he could have hidden Steinmor in that place.

After my father's death, I looked inside every book or movie that he had, hoping that his most prized possession would be staked inside one of the hundred things he had in his private library. Because I didn't find anything in his things, I started looking around the palace, which makes the task difficult due to the size of it and the fact that no one can see me searching for it. I fall back in the chair and pretend to focus on the images on the screen.

I wonder if there is a secret passage of some sort that I don't know about. A place inside these walls that somehow preserve every precious thing that was ever owned by my father. 

That's ridiculous. If there was a place like this, I would probably know about it.

I look to my side and see Clementine resting her head in Apollo's shoulder. Another episode of guilt strikes me, and I try to remind myself that I have made my decision. However, for some reason, every time I look at them together, I can't help but think about how perfect they are for each other.

When I was a little girl and found out that, because I was a royal, I would have to marry someone that would be chosen for me based on their nobility and money, I completely gave up on love. I knew that all I wanted was to be a great queen and if that meant to never live a love story, I was okay with that. But, with time, I began to realize that other people around me were concerned with different things. 

Girls around me who were completely focused on finding the man of their dreams and for who the promise of meeting their true love was the main aspiration in life. I know Clementine is one of those girls. And, even though I don't care about love, I understand what it's like to want something so much that every muscle in your body aches for it.

 She deserves her dream fulfilled as much as I do.

If the situation was different, I know that I would never get in between this union, but it is not only my dream to become a great queen that is in line here. Hundreds of people are dying each day and a single document could end it all. All of the deaths. I just hope Clementine can understand my situation.

"Your Majesty." The lights are turned on by a guard, which makes me close my eyes while they get used to the clarity of the theater. "There is a privy council meeting."

"No, there isn't," I say at the ridiculously of the statement. "It is past midnight."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he continues. "But the Duke of Morwen asked me to inform your Majesty that there is an emergency meeting."

I look at Clementine and Apollo's confused faces and stand up. The council cannot call a meeting, that is reserved only for the monarch. I quickly exit the room and head in the direction of the meeting room. In the way, I think about how I have never entered the meeting room after dark and wonder how it will look like without all of the natural light cracking through the big windows.

I say to myself that this is not important, since a meeting at this time of the day means something bad. To which I should start preparing already. A small particle of fear creeps in and I start imagining the worst, after all, there is no political matter at the moment who would require an emergency meeting at midnight. I look around to see if there is anyone in the corridor and, once I state the area is clear, I start to run.