Post by misssunflower on Mar 14, 2011 22:10:15 GMT -5
It was less than a minute later that Keith entered the group. His eyes taking in the three people in the room before finally staying on Raelea, sitting on the floor in a mess of crimson fabric. He looked at her and Emily wondered if he knew any of the details of what had happened, but even if he hadn’t he seemed to understand then.
After a moment of simply staring at each other Raelea, not moving from the floor, held her arms up to him like a child wanting their parent to carry them. Keith moved to her quickly and before Emily could blink he was sitting with the girl in his lap, kissing her once, twice, again and again. She didn’t know how Raelea could be so comfortable in the embrace of a man she had just heard was married to another woman. But in fact, she seemed quite happy in her position.
Paul was the first to speak, his blue eyes glinting as he surveyed the room, still completely calm, “Now, will somebody please explain what just happened here?”
“That man.” Keith murmured between kisses, noticing the beginnings of bruises on her neck, “Your father, he belongs in an asylum, not anywhere around you, for the rest of his life.”
Paul shook his head a little, “Oh, a man like that will suffer plenty more misfortunes as his life continues, you can bet on that. His daughter may marry the prince, but that is certainly the last thing she will ever do under his command.”
His cheerful way of proclaiming that was too much for Emily. “How could you say such a thing? How could I say such a thing? When I know – oh we ALL knew – oh it’s KEITH Lea wants to marry! Not some silly prince!” She shook her head wildly, the tears coming back, “How could I do that? How could I say that!?”
She heard him sigh the smallest bit and then Elizabeth's hand was on her shoulder. She looked up at her and was shocked to a shaken, but genuine smile on her face. Did she not understand anything that had just occurred?
“You were doing what you had to, to keep Liz from being hurt. It’s perfectly natural to say what you need to.”
“So I lied?”
Paul spoke up, his voice as light as her sister's, “I wouldn’t say that. However, you are a truth-teller, not a fortune-teller. The truth changes everyday, you can’t, in your power, know truthfully what will happen tomorrow or any day in the future.” He paused, debating his next words, “However, that wasn’t the case here either. You did, in fact, tell a truth that has already occurred.”
For a moment there was absolute silence in the room.
Emily realized her legs could not support her anymore and sank to the floor. “What?” She finally said in a faint voice. But, she wasn’t looking at Paul when she spoke. She was looking at Keith. Raelea, who had been lying most peacefully in Keith’s lap, was now staring at him too.
“What your sister said was true, you know.” He continued softly, “Keith did elope last night, while the two of us were spending our own time together. But that girl was Lea, not some other girl he was flirting with on his free days. What Lizzy told was a secret, but it was not a secret from Raelea.”
“B-But I said…”
“That Lea would marry no one but the prince. Well, yes. I don’t think you give enough credit to how little many people in this kingdom know about their monarchs. Rarely are they seen in in public, even by a merchant like Karro - and no one, well, nearly no one, is even aware of their full names.” He spoke as if this was some elaborate speech, Emily struggled to keep up, "For example, Queen Lyla is really Siobhann Lyla Fiona, and her son, Prince Ryan's full name is, in actuality, Prince Keith Ryan Alexander Harkin."
The next silence was more profound, as the information hit every person in the room in turn. This time Raelea was the one to break it, “What?” She squeaked.
Keith drew her in closer, when she appeared to be pulling in back in shock, "That was me own wish. I didn't want anyone to love me for being the prince, in fact I was rather sure I wasn't going to marry at all. Then it was proposed I marry ya. I didn’t want to meet you; I expected you to be just as stiff, and stupid." He glanced at Paul, “It was his idea to come and meet you this way.”
Now Emily’s eyes swiveled to Paul’s. If Keith- If Keith was the Prince then Paul... oh Paul could be anyone. Certainly someone powerful and noble.
And one of the biggest liars in the kingdom.
She dropped her gaze to her hands but not before she saw the expression on his face. “Yes, it was my idea, but I didn’t expect things to go in such a spectacular way.” His tone was pleading, “I thought we’d merely see the young woman, see if she was as horrible as we imagined and leave. Neither of us expected to be delayed by…. Circumstances.”
Raelea spoke again, still weak, “You're the PRINCE?”
“Aye.” He replied, “Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for!?”
He blinked, “You aren’t upset I lied?”
Raelea, of course, was laughing, “Oh, I’m sure to be upset about that! Here I thought I was marrying someone who would always make me happy but always with the cloud of hurting my father over all of it. Now I hear that I’ve married the man I not only love, but the man meant for me all this time? I don’t know how I shall ever get over it.”
Pau, Emily, and Elizabeth exchanged looks. Raelea. How typical. How could he ever been worried? Still, he had behaved badly, unacceptable for anyone really. If it had been her, she would not have been that quick to forgive. If it had been her…
She wouldn't look at Paul and addressed her sister, who was silent, "So, how long did you know this particular secret?"
"From the night they arrived at our inn."
"No!" She gasped, amazed.
"What gave me away?" Keith asked.
She smiled her teasing smile she always gave Keith, "I recognized your name."
"You knew my full name?"
She grinned in return. The safe-keeper in Elizabeth was back, always silent always knowing. Emily shook her head at Keith who gave up.
But Paul didn't, "And how is it you knew what Raelea and Keith were doing last night? He'd told no one but me about that particular 'venture... perhaps you were wandering down by the chapel with a lover of your own?"
Elizabeth blushed a light pink and Emily turned to her, "No... not without telling me!"
She laughed, "No, Neil and I wouldn't dream of wedding without you present. I was just- we were just looking - we were thinking wintermoon might be a good time. "
Emily positively beamed at her, “I suppose then, all tonight, you knew it would work out. You weren’t concerned at all.”
“I was bit worried with her father’s state of mind. I wasn’t sure anything we said, even if it was what he wanted to hear, would stop him.”
Raelea smiled at her, face pink with happiness, “I wasn’t that worried.” She said calmly, “I knew he wouldn’t seriously hurt me.”
The conversation continued for a little longer, though Emily no longer knew what to say. Her friend and sister’s dreams had both come true. As for her, she was no longer sure what her own dreams were.
Cassie came in minutes later, declaring that the party had ended and that if Emily and Elizabeth was no longer detained there was still work she was being paid for. Despite the protests from her friend and the men, Emily was thankful for the break to think and hurried to the door.
Paul caught her arm before she could slip past him. “We have to talk tomorrow morning.”
She shook herself free and kept walking, “Tomorrow afternoon more like. I’ll be up till dawn.”
“I have to tell you- I have to explain-“
She shrugged, “You can if you want.” She said, and followed Cassie down the hall and back into the kitchen.
After a moment of simply staring at each other Raelea, not moving from the floor, held her arms up to him like a child wanting their parent to carry them. Keith moved to her quickly and before Emily could blink he was sitting with the girl in his lap, kissing her once, twice, again and again. She didn’t know how Raelea could be so comfortable in the embrace of a man she had just heard was married to another woman. But in fact, she seemed quite happy in her position.
Paul was the first to speak, his blue eyes glinting as he surveyed the room, still completely calm, “Now, will somebody please explain what just happened here?”
“That man.” Keith murmured between kisses, noticing the beginnings of bruises on her neck, “Your father, he belongs in an asylum, not anywhere around you, for the rest of his life.”
Paul shook his head a little, “Oh, a man like that will suffer plenty more misfortunes as his life continues, you can bet on that. His daughter may marry the prince, but that is certainly the last thing she will ever do under his command.”
His cheerful way of proclaiming that was too much for Emily. “How could you say such a thing? How could I say such a thing? When I know – oh we ALL knew – oh it’s KEITH Lea wants to marry! Not some silly prince!” She shook her head wildly, the tears coming back, “How could I do that? How could I say that!?”
She heard him sigh the smallest bit and then Elizabeth's hand was on her shoulder. She looked up at her and was shocked to a shaken, but genuine smile on her face. Did she not understand anything that had just occurred?
“You were doing what you had to, to keep Liz from being hurt. It’s perfectly natural to say what you need to.”
“So I lied?”
Paul spoke up, his voice as light as her sister's, “I wouldn’t say that. However, you are a truth-teller, not a fortune-teller. The truth changes everyday, you can’t, in your power, know truthfully what will happen tomorrow or any day in the future.” He paused, debating his next words, “However, that wasn’t the case here either. You did, in fact, tell a truth that has already occurred.”
For a moment there was absolute silence in the room.
Emily realized her legs could not support her anymore and sank to the floor. “What?” She finally said in a faint voice. But, she wasn’t looking at Paul when she spoke. She was looking at Keith. Raelea, who had been lying most peacefully in Keith’s lap, was now staring at him too.
“What your sister said was true, you know.” He continued softly, “Keith did elope last night, while the two of us were spending our own time together. But that girl was Lea, not some other girl he was flirting with on his free days. What Lizzy told was a secret, but it was not a secret from Raelea.”
“B-But I said…”
“That Lea would marry no one but the prince. Well, yes. I don’t think you give enough credit to how little many people in this kingdom know about their monarchs. Rarely are they seen in in public, even by a merchant like Karro - and no one, well, nearly no one, is even aware of their full names.” He spoke as if this was some elaborate speech, Emily struggled to keep up, "For example, Queen Lyla is really Siobhann Lyla Fiona, and her son, Prince Ryan's full name is, in actuality, Prince Keith Ryan Alexander Harkin."
The next silence was more profound, as the information hit every person in the room in turn. This time Raelea was the one to break it, “What?” She squeaked.
Keith drew her in closer, when she appeared to be pulling in back in shock, "That was me own wish. I didn't want anyone to love me for being the prince, in fact I was rather sure I wasn't going to marry at all. Then it was proposed I marry ya. I didn’t want to meet you; I expected you to be just as stiff, and stupid." He glanced at Paul, “It was his idea to come and meet you this way.”
Now Emily’s eyes swiveled to Paul’s. If Keith- If Keith was the Prince then Paul... oh Paul could be anyone. Certainly someone powerful and noble.
And one of the biggest liars in the kingdom.
She dropped her gaze to her hands but not before she saw the expression on his face. “Yes, it was my idea, but I didn’t expect things to go in such a spectacular way.” His tone was pleading, “I thought we’d merely see the young woman, see if she was as horrible as we imagined and leave. Neither of us expected to be delayed by…. Circumstances.”
Raelea spoke again, still weak, “You're the PRINCE?”
“Aye.” He replied, “Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for!?”
He blinked, “You aren’t upset I lied?”
Raelea, of course, was laughing, “Oh, I’m sure to be upset about that! Here I thought I was marrying someone who would always make me happy but always with the cloud of hurting my father over all of it. Now I hear that I’ve married the man I not only love, but the man meant for me all this time? I don’t know how I shall ever get over it.”
Pau, Emily, and Elizabeth exchanged looks. Raelea. How typical. How could he ever been worried? Still, he had behaved badly, unacceptable for anyone really. If it had been her, she would not have been that quick to forgive. If it had been her…
She wouldn't look at Paul and addressed her sister, who was silent, "So, how long did you know this particular secret?"
"From the night they arrived at our inn."
"No!" She gasped, amazed.
"What gave me away?" Keith asked.
She smiled her teasing smile she always gave Keith, "I recognized your name."
"You knew my full name?"
She grinned in return. The safe-keeper in Elizabeth was back, always silent always knowing. Emily shook her head at Keith who gave up.
But Paul didn't, "And how is it you knew what Raelea and Keith were doing last night? He'd told no one but me about that particular 'venture... perhaps you were wandering down by the chapel with a lover of your own?"
Elizabeth blushed a light pink and Emily turned to her, "No... not without telling me!"
She laughed, "No, Neil and I wouldn't dream of wedding without you present. I was just- we were just looking - we were thinking wintermoon might be a good time. "
Emily positively beamed at her, “I suppose then, all tonight, you knew it would work out. You weren’t concerned at all.”
“I was bit worried with her father’s state of mind. I wasn’t sure anything we said, even if it was what he wanted to hear, would stop him.”
Raelea smiled at her, face pink with happiness, “I wasn’t that worried.” She said calmly, “I knew he wouldn’t seriously hurt me.”
The conversation continued for a little longer, though Emily no longer knew what to say. Her friend and sister’s dreams had both come true. As for her, she was no longer sure what her own dreams were.
Cassie came in minutes later, declaring that the party had ended and that if Emily and Elizabeth was no longer detained there was still work she was being paid for. Despite the protests from her friend and the men, Emily was thankful for the break to think and hurried to the door.
Paul caught her arm before she could slip past him. “We have to talk tomorrow morning.”
She shook herself free and kept walking, “Tomorrow afternoon more like. I’ll be up till dawn.”
“I have to tell you- I have to explain-“
She shrugged, “You can if you want.” She said, and followed Cassie down the hall and back into the kitchen.