Three Monarchs & a Royal Guard

Part title

Eleanor showed up at her room that night. She clicked her tongue at the sight of the bandage on her head, shutting the door behind and taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"I heard." Was all she said at first, checking her head for any other injuries. She found none of course. Kaya smiled when she pulled away. Last thing she needed was for Eleanor to find herself in the line of fire. She looked sad, Kaya wasn't sure she really wanted to know why. Eleanor was intent on letting her know it seemed.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Kaya wasn't sure she understood. "What?" Eleanor shook her head, wiping her eye with her sleeve. "You killed her didn't you, Kaya?" She could tell the answer she wanted was no but she and Eleanor shared most things. She was her closest friend in the castle. She didn't have the heart to lie to her but she didn't have the guts to say it aloud. She nodded and Eleanor broke into a sob as Kaya watched.

"What have you done?" She never would've guess Eleanor would've cared for Veda. She wasn't sure she actually did at all as she just kept crying and looking at her, holding her hand. Kaya smiled and Eleanor only cried harder. She didn't want to be a villain in her story. "They made me." She shook her head, squeezing her hand tight as the first tears landed on the blankets below. "Kaya-" And Kaya told her the only thing she could. The truth. She'd lost all autonomy. She got nights off but she was never truly free to devote herself to a cause and she never would be again. "I don't have a choice anymore Eleanor."

Eleanor was quiet for a few minutes, silently collecting herself. Kaya waited patiently as she wiped her tears and cleared her throat. She looked up when Eleanor squeezed her hand, her voice was quieter now, "We can leave. We can go, Kaya. Far away from here." And it sounded wonderful but they both knew it was impossible. Sure Eleanor could quit her job and leave and she'd be fine. Kaya was the problem. "We'd be fugitives. I'd be one and you'd be housing me, and I don't have anything." She nodded, ever so hopeful, "I do. I get paid at the end of the month." She wanted it so bad it hurt. Wanted to climb onto a horse and hold Eleanor as it rode somewhere so far away from here where they didn't know what monarchs or councils were. But it wasn't possible, "Eleanor, I can't. I know too much."

She was quiet again. The sadness had returned. "I can't watch you live like this," she reached up, tender fingers on the bandage on her forehead. Kaya leaned into it. She wasn't sure she could watch it either. How had things gone so wrong? "I will come to your room at the end of the month and I will have my things packed. We are leaving, Kaya, even if I have to drag you out." Her gut aches at the thought of leaving. Colin was angry when she was in his presence she could only imagine his anger toward her in her absence. This was a plan for tonight. A dream. She smiled, squeezing Eleanor's hand, "Okay."

Eleanor stayed over that night. Kaya left silently the next morning to attend to Colin. The night guard had a black eye when she opened the door. Today was going to be swell.

The council met again. She waited with the guards outside. None of them mentioned her new head wound or her new position at all. Instead they talked about the amazing breakfast the kitchen staff had made and the smells the upcoming lunch made. Kaya's stomach growled. Colin hadn't eaten breakfast so neither had she. If any of them noticed, they didn't say it. The conversation turned to shit-talking the regular guards. Half the personal guards thought they were better than the rest, the other half didn't even bother arguing. Kaya drifted over to that half. The guards she talked to most, Leona and Kalligan.

"She told me that they aren't sure about Colin being king." Kalligan scoffed, "He's a man child, of course he's not fit to be king." The two looked to her. She merely shook her head and glanced at the door. "Sorry Kaya." Was all they offered her. Usually gossiping with them about what was going on inside was fun. Now she could only think about what awaited her when the meeting adjourned.

Colin slammed the door behind them and grabbed her by the chest plate, throwing her into the wall and holding her there by a hand on her chest as he punched her in the gut. Her body tried to double over but it couldn't until he finally let her go and she dropped to the ground. "I deserve the throne more than anybody here! What the fuck are they thinking?" She just nodded, trying to stand with the help of the chair. It flipped as soon as she put weight on it and the attention was brought back to her. Great.

A knock at the door. She hurried to put her drink down but Eleanor was already opening it. Any chance of pretending to sleep was gone. Kaya smiled, it hurt. "Why do you even bother coming? It's only going to get worse." She didn't bother trying to be Kaya tonight. She didn't want to be. Tonight she was merely bitterness and spite. Still, Eleanor persisted. "Because you won't take care of yourself goddamnit." Kaya scoffed, turning to look at her. She had no doubt Eleanor saw the bruises on her neck based on how she winced. Her reactions only made it worse. "What am I to do? Fight back?" She moved to sit on the bed, taking out a box from beneath it full of bandages and water to clean wounds, pulling it up onto the bed as she stared at her. "No but you'll leave your wounds open. How you haven't died of infection yet is beyond me." Kaya pushed the box away, knuckles still bandaged from where she'd punched the wall. She could take care of herself just fine. "Well I don't have any cuts today so you can go." Eleanor smiled, "You wish. You just need to hang in there for three weeks." How could she not get it? Kaya had explained to her what would happen but still she insisted on this idea. "Eleanor. That was a dream. You don't really believe-" She pulled the box back onto the bed from where she'd pushed it off, slamming it back down, "I do, Kaya. And I will keep believing until we never have to see this fucking place again!"

She hadn't realized she'd flinched until Eleanor covered her mouth. She'd yelled. What had Kaya become where yelling had her flinching? She shook her head as Eleanor reached for her, quickly moving to lie down, managing to hit every bruise on her stomach along the way. Eleanor was at her side in a minute, lifting her shirt to reveal the mess on her stomach. "Oh Kaya..." Kaya couldn't look at her. She didn't want to see her reaction. "Just shut up! I'm fine. Leave me alone Eleanor. Just leave me alone." She rolled over to face the wall, the tightness in her chest growing as Eleanor laid down next to her, back to back. She couldn't survive three weeks. She wasn't even sure she'd survive this one.