First Two Chapters of To Raise a Banner

Hello, I hope you are keeping well as we come into Summer. Today I've got the first two (working) chapters of To Raise a Banner for you.

I say working because I'm still in the middle of it and things may change in the revisions but I've got a strong feeling about the opening chapters. Beware of spoilers for To Catch a Rebel and enjoy.

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Chapter 1

It was as if an alarm had sounded. I was running behind Mama towards the meeting room where some of the Chiefs and the advisors had already gathered. I still couldn’t believe it. Mama came into the hall where we were remembering the King and said that we were at war with Auja. It was like a dream, one where I wouldn’t wake up any time soon.

Mama turned to the guards who were about to shut the door before she turned to me.

“Where are you going?”, she asked, moving a stray hair from her face.

“Into the meeting with you”, I replied. I wanted to know more about this war and what we were going to do about it.

“No, you are not”, she said firmly and turned to walk into the room. I grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

“But I have to…”

“You don’t have to do anything.” She walked in without a backward glance, the doors once again slamming in my face. I bit back a scream.

“Imotenya?”, I turned to see the prince staring at me from over his walking stick. It made me feel a bit better that he wasn’t able to sneak into the meeting either. I walked away from the door towards him, not caring that my gele was coming undone. I didn’t think the wake was still on anyway.

“The queen is in there?”, he said rather than asked. I nodded. He sighed, picking uncharacteristically at his pocket-handkerchief.

“What happened to everyone?”, I asked. Surely this declaration of war would put a wrench in the burial agenda.

“Most of them are still here, waiting to see if the burial will go on, although the ones not in that room are probably in their guest chambers.”

I thought it had escaped my attention that we would have some guests at the place for the burial, and I was just getting over the last ones.

“Mama won’t let me in for the meeting”, I said and it sounded like something of a whine because that was what I was doing because, with all that Mama had put me through, the least she could do was let me sit in a goddamn meeting, discussing a war that was happening in my country.

“Then that’s that then”, he mused looking at his watch and then turned away from me, “I suppose I will see you later.”

I bit my lip. I didn’t know how to feel around him anymore and couldn’t wait for all this to be over so he could go home back to his wife and to his daughter. The daughter that wasn’t me.

“Alright Uncle.”

I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. I had to hear what was happening at that meeting.

“And Imotenya?”

I glanced back at the prince who had moved one step away from me.

“I don’t know if you know this but there is an alcove on the second floor, very beautiful. It’s where I used to go to be alone and a good place to discover secrets.”

He gave a weak smile and then went back down the hall past the fountain. What did he mean by a place to discover secrets? I bit my lip looking at the bronze capped staircase that led to the second floor. A place to discover secrets. Secrets. I picked up the hem of my dress and ran towards the stairs.

The alcove wasn’t too far from the stairs and the hallway was empty save for one of the guards at a door. Thankfully the alcove had a large velvet curtain, which I pulled away to step inside. It wasn’t like the alcoves in the living quarters. It didn’t have a bench and it could only fit one person. I crouched low, leaning my head against the wall. I couldn’t hear a thing. I crawled further in, scraping my knee on something. I ignored the stinging and the blood and looked at the floor. There was a brass handle sticking out. I pulled at it, which revealed a small square and felt a gust of air and heard a mixture of voices.

“The Ambassador is on a plane home now”, a voice said.

“He had no trouble getting out?” Mama’s voice.

“No, but not before he talked to the Chancellor. He told him it would be safest if he left immediately.”

“It was as if he knew what was going to happen, the declaration was announced just an hour later”, another voice said.

“Our first set of troops are being set to move to the border as we speak.” Chief Agoto’s nasally voice rang out, “Organisation for enlistment must start as soon as possible.”

“Each state should set up recruitment services as soon as possible. All accepted recruits

report to the Ori Point at earliest notice”, said Mama.

“Yes Your Majesty.”

I was glad to know that everything was going to happen very quickly but I was also worried that everything was going to happen so quickly. Firstly, I was disappointed that I didn’t hear the start to know why all this was happening and then I remembered what happened earlier in the week. The Northern operatives at the oil lines. Mama had said it was not grounds for war but it turned out she was wrong. But it couldn’t be. It had to have been something else that set it off.

The meeting continued for another 45 minutes with talk about infantrymen, supplies, training, and so on and so forth. The King of Auja and his chancellor were mentioned a couple of times, as well as our ambassador, who I found, was one Nathan Dearok. In all of this, I still hadn’t gotten the piece of information that I wanted. I shifted again to a more comfortable cross-legged position when the curtain was flung aside. I scrambled to close the gap and ended up cutting my other knee on the handle while standing in the arch was David looking quizzically at me with his very dark eyes. I was surprised that he wasn’t behind me and Mama. In fact, he had left before she had made the announcement.

“Princess”, he breathed heavily, “What are you doing here?”

“Nothing I just needed to be alone”, I said, picking at the dried blood on my left knee before getting up to meet his gaze. His red guard’s jacket seemed to shine brighter today for the occasion.

He nodded, taking in my dress before stepping away from the alcove.

“You should go back to the living quarters”, he said, gesturing for me to come out of the alcove. “Everyone is having dinner brought to their rooms.”

“Are any of them still staying for the burial?”

“You tell me.”

I bit my lip and removed my gele, folding it over my arm. The party was over until further notice.

We continued down the stairs in companionable silence as the meeting was still on. I didn’t know how long it would take. A couple more hours, the whole night? David, sensing my worry turned and whispered, “It’ll be alright Aria.”

“How’d you know that?” It really didn’t feel like it was going to be alright.

He shrugged and I could see a little piece of dirt on the side of his jacket. He must have noticed it himself because he dusted it off.

“Unless you are thinking of enlisting, then you won’t have that much to worry about for now.”

I wrinkled my nose as we came to the entrance of the administrative building. Some of the guests were there mingling softer than they were at the wake, the threat of war chilling the air as I heard a clap of lightning in the distance. When they saw me, they gave shallow bows and greetings. I nodded politely, not wanting to find myself in any conversation unless it was with Mama but one young woman came close to walk alongside me.

“Your Highness, I am very sorry for your loss”, she said. She was a pretty girl with charcoal skin and a knee-length white dress. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I would probably die from condolences.

“And for war to be announced now, it’s awful isn’t it?”

I pulled a smile at my cheeks. Wasn’t there supposed to be a-don’t-speak-unless-spoken-to- aura around me? But I kept smiling, all I could do for now.

“What is your name?”, I asked. If she decided to stay here for the burial the least I could do was be cordial with her. She smiled.

“Divine Oluwade”, she replied, extending a hand for me to take. I shook it, taking her in. She was cheerful like her father and like her father I felt the need to be a bit wary of her. I turned to look at David beside me but his expression was neutral and I wondered if he remembered what he had been told about Oluwade and Avery. He hadn’t brought it up again. I’d have to ask him later and possibly tell Mama, it was her they were speaking against.

“Pleasure to meet you, Divine, it didn’t happen to be you who sewed that handkerchief for me?”

Her light brown eyes lit up.

“Yes I did, do you like it?”

I forced my eyes to light up too. “It was beautiful, I can never get a stitch straight, so I won’t talk about my embroidery.”

“Oh, that can’t be true. Maybe I could show you how sometime.”

I chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d have the time to improve to a somewhat average level.”

“Well if you change your mind, highness, I’ll be here.”

I nodded politely and she bowed before David and I went out across the courtyard to the living quarters.

I stopped and turned to look at him seeing that the hall was empty.

“David, did you speak to the captain?”, I asked, deciding to go straight to the point.

He looked around the hall before stepping closer to me.

“I did”, he said quietly.

“And?”

“And Avery is still here in your charge and Oluwade is in the palace.”

“You mean he’s done nothing.”

“Not nothing exactly, he didn’t tell me what he would do only that he’d keep watch on Oluwade when he was here and that he’d talk to Avery.”

I rolled my eyes and clenched my fists. “A watch and a talk when my mother could be in grave danger from this Jonathan.”

“Are you sure it was a Johnathan he was talking to?”

“Yes, I heard it with my own ears.”

“Heard what with your own ears?”

We both jumped apart at the voice of the prince. He stood without his walking stick in the doorway of the living room, from behind I could see James refiling a glass at the bar. He didn’t look up.

“Nothing Uncle”, I said, wringing my hands behind my back. “Just useless house gossip.”

“I never took you for the gossiping type”, he mused and then fixed his eyes on David, “And you, I didn’t know close protection required that close proximity.”

My cheeks warmed. If he knew how close we were a couple of weeks ago, then he would have had a heart attack or at the very least, tried to knock David out with his walking stick.

“I’m sorry sir”, David replied tersely, not looking at all sorry.

“It’s quite alright”, my father said with a too-easy smile. From behind him, James looked up and then quickly looked back down as he placed the newly filled cup on a table.

I made a face at the prince before quickly excusing myself and heading up the stairs with David behind me.

We went to my room but then I turned around and said, “Can we go to Mama’s room? I want to make sure I catch her after her meeting.”

“Of course”, said David, not looking at all surprised by my request. I’m sure he must have thought that with the interrupted wake, the declaration of war and the threat of treason, I’d want to lie down to process everything, but even sitting down was the furthest thing on my mind.

So we went back down the hall to mama’s room, her guards sizing me up a little as it had been sometime I had spent time in Mama’s room during the evening.

I gave them a charming smile and went to push the doors open. It was my mother’s room, I had a right to be there. She wasn’t supposed to hide anything from me but when I thought about what happened that she had been hiding from me from everyone, I shivered and my blood almost froze when I thought about what it had led to. Mariad Okode slowly dying to hide the truth. Was I an accessory to murder? I couldn’t be, who would I tell if it was orchestrated by the queen, the government? I could be signing my own death warrant. But she was my mother and she wouldn’t do that to me. Right? I held my head in my hands, taking a glass from the table pouring the last remaining water from the jug. Dessa hadn’t been in here yet or Mama hadn’t requested water.

I sat down on the edge of the couch looking at the room. It felt like a second home of sorts but I could never decide which was my real home. What felt like home, not that it mattered anymore that much. We were at war which meant that this country felt like home would be attacked, and I lived here so I cared very much about what happened here and to the family that I had. I had to stand against anything that threatened those two things.

“Imotenya?”

I stood up to the queen back from her meeting, her own gele discarded.

She threw it on the couch and sat down in a heap. I took that as my cue to follow.

“How are you, Mama?”, I asked, my hands in my lap.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and was looking into the corner of the room for a small eternity. Finally, she looked at me and she looked as if she had aged 40 years. The queen had always been a beautiful woman though tired and had only seemed to get better with age, but now it seemed as if that process had regressed.

“Well enough, I suppose”, she sighed, “I can’t believe it though.”

I shifted a little.

“Do you know why?”

Silence.

“Mama?”

“It’s simple really, Auga doesn’t need our oil or our coal, they have so many new forms of energy.”

“But that’s good right?” I leaned forward, almost touching her knees. New energy sources are always good things, why go to war over it?

“It is, if they still weren’t stingy and still wanted an increase in their share of our resources, cut sharing all together and just take what ‘belongs’ to them.”

She got up and went to the table and cursed silently when she found that the water jug was empty.

“I’ll ring for Dessa”, I said, getting up.

“No need.”

She took her glass and went into the bathroom. I wrinkled my nose. I knew this was the palace but did she really want to drink water from the bathroom?

“Members of the government of Auja”, her voice rang out, “think we are some sort of rebel state that is still under their control. They have no concept of breaking away and now seek to control what we have and who we give it to.”

I drew my knees up to my chin, kicking off my shoes. So this was more than just an attack, it was an invasion. I didn’t have to worry if the chiefs found out about my birth and decided to dispose of me, a foreign army could do that themselves.

“But we won’t surrender. Not easily at least.”

Mama came back into the sitting room, her face flushed with water. No was the time to tell her.

“The burial will still go on, of course”, she continued before matching my position, drawing up her long legs.

“Mama?”, I asked with a deep breath.

“Yes, Imotenya?”

I bit my lip and changed my position on the couch.

“A couple of days ago after you had a meeting, I heard Chief Oluwade talking to someone on the phone, someone called Johnathan. He was complaining about how you were handling the Northern operatives. He said that they would be ready for something.”

Mama’s eyes widened and it was her turn to lean in closer.

“And then he said the same thing to Avery.”

“Avery? Your guard Avery?”

“Yes, Ma.”

I exhaled sharply. I had told her. She got up and went to the window as another moment of silence ensued.

“Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you’d heard?” She turned around, her gaze fixed on me.

“I…”

The truth was I didn’t know exactly why. Was it because I thought it was nothing? Was it because I thought David and the Captain would do something about it. Or was it something darker? That maybe just maybe I wanted to punish my mother for everything that had happened, with Alexander, me and the King. But that was ridiculous. Just because I despised what she did that eventually led my brother to kill himself, didn’t mean that I wanted her any harm.

“I told David and he told the captain and he said that he would talk to Avery and have a watch over Oluwade.”

On the window sill, I could see a lizard scampering along before turning down the side of the wall. I wished I could follow it out away from my mother’s stern gaze.

“Oluwade under our roof?”

“I’m sorry”, I said meekly.

Mama shifted to a lying down position. “Well, I trust Captain Mazaron and will have to speak to him more about it.” She hit her hand sharply against the table making me jump. “But why did you not come to me first? If they had some plan they could have kidnapped you right there while you were watching them and Avery is a guard he could have found a way around security.”

I had never thought of it like that and although I really doubt that Oluwade and Avery had plans to kidnap me or that they could get away with it, I really did understand Mama’s fears.

“Do you have any idea who this Johnathan is?”, I asked. Mama was silent before finally shaking her head.

“I know some Johnathans but I don’t know if they would plot…” She choked then got up. “I’m going down to my office. More planning.”

“Of course Mama.” I got up straightening my dress when something caught my eye. It was a red book on the table closest to Mama. I recognized it immediately.

“Is that the king’s diary?”, I asked.

Mama looked at me and then at the diary and shadow seemed to cross her face.

“I thought I’d read some of what he thought”, she said, still eyeing the book that was crisscrossed in red buckles with the words ‘classified’. In that diary was the king’s suspicions that I was not his child. His correct suspicions. I wondered what else he had in there?

“You can take it if you want”, Mama said, suddenly grabbing a file from a shelf and making her way to the door.

I was puzzled. “You mean it, don’t you want to…”

“There’s nothing there I don’t know already.”

She held the file closely to her chest and looked at the diary with tear-glazed eyes as if it had hurt her.

“But for you, you can learn more about your father.”

I knew who she meant. She was back to playing the charade of happy home life. For all intents and purposes, the king was my father.

I picked it up, fingering the leather jacket. I turned to thank Mama but he had left and I soon followed to go to my room as the rain began to fall outside. I had enough spying for today.

Chapter 2

I told David about what I told Mama, and he said if it was an immediate threat, Captain Mazaron would surely deal with it.

“I still can’t believe it though”, he said quietly as we came to my door, “Avery.”

I nodded and shivered as I recalled Mama’s words. He was also my guard, if he had meant me or my mother harm what could have stopped him?

“It looks like you’ll be my only guard from now on”, I said trying and definitely failing to lighten up the atmosphere.

“Not necessarily”, David replied with the ghost of a smile pulling at his lips, “You're the heir to the throne and there’s a war, I won’t be surprised if you get appointed a train of guards.”

That would be a nightmare. Sure it would be for my safety, but if some of those in the train were plotting against you, then how safe were you?

We were close at my door and I could see the guard standing next to it.

“It’ll be over soon”, David said, stepping away from me to a more than professional distance.

“What, the war?”

“No”, he sighed as if he wished as I did that that was the case, “I mean the burial and everything.”

I bit my lip and muttered some thanks. I was glad that we were able to have conversations like this again after that night in the hall. It almost made me feel better about the burial not actually being my father’s and having to play the part of the grieving daughter.

We were at the door and we reverted back to the act of princess and guard.

“Good evening Your Highness”, he said.

“Good evening Officer”, I replied and nodded to the guard at my door before going inside.

It was empty and I flopped onto my bed along with the king’s diary. I could see along one of the buckles was an engraving of an eagle. It felt strange having someone's diary in front of me, it felt like an intrusion on their privacy especially since they weren’t a parent. But Petal, my maid who had turned out to be a rebel, had read it and had told some of its contents to the court. He, in the end, he was my uncle and he was dead and my mother gave me his diary. Why shouldn’t I read it? I opened it to the first page. There were no dates, unhelpfully but the diary seemed to speak timelessly...

Ike said that it would do me some good to write down my thoughts. No wonder he didn’t give a journal to Lucky, he would not get one word down. But I really don’t see the point. Maybe Ike is trying another way to get me to ‘settle’.

I paused. What did he mean by ‘settled’ and who was this Ike? Curious I continued on…

At least Dad didn’t complain about my notes for the meeting today. He actually didn't say anything which is a good thing I suppose. He’s too focused on the festival, “To renew our powers” he says. I think that is ridiculous. Being king doesn’t require any special powers or maybe that’s because I don’t have any. Hopefully, dad will be better before his birthday party next week.

I put the diary face down on my lap. That was unexpected. I don't know how I had gotten the idea that the King never had any doubts. Here he was a young man who seemed so unsure of himself. Just like me. But at least he was the actual heir and his mother didn’t have someone killed to have the true circumstances of their birth covered up. He had his own struggles and insecurities that he had to deal with before he sat on the throne.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I yelled and Miracle stepped in with a tray with a covered plate and a glass along with a jug. I sat and went to take the tray from her but she wouldn’t have it and set it on my table.

“Thank you, Miracle.”

“You’re welcome Princess,” she replied, arranging dinner in front of me, “It’s strange to prepare trays for so many people. They usually all eat in the dining room.”

“I thought they would all stay in the main hall and have the meals brought to them really.”

If some people decided to stay in the main hall, I hoped they didn’t think me rude for not staying when they had traveled so far for the occasion and they were short of a host since Mama was planning for a war and I was sort of preoccupied.

I opened the lid on the plate and was met with steamy rice and beans. Pretty simple for a wake, I supposed the main event would come at the burial. The liquid in the jug was malt and before I took another look at my rice, I took a gulp full of malt.

“Did you hear about the queen’s announcement?” I asked after swallowing. Miracle who had come out of my bathroom sucked her lip and nodded.

“It got around quite quickly,” she said, placing her hands behind her back, “You don’t think when you are reading books about war, that it could ever happen to you.”

She looked so wistful and thoughtful and I realized I had always seen her as this happy bubbly girl without a care in the world but now I was seeing another side of her. I thought that I would be seeing different sides of different people in the next couple of days. This was a new world and it would make us think.

“You’re right,” I replied, mixing the beans with my rice, “Even the things that happened to Petal and everything that has happened with the rebels.”

“It feels so hard to deal with.”

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of my spoon moving against my plate and Petal scuffling across my room.

“I’ll come back when you’re finished princess,” she said as if the previous conversation hadn’t happened at all.

“Of course,” I said between bites. She bowed and then left with a small smile.

I ate slower than I usually did and I thought about everything that had happened in the last month.

Mama, Prince Lucky, David, Alexander. Alexander. Alexander. My brother. The rope around his neck.

I choked and coughed. I reached for my neck and then my cup of malt.

I coughed some more. I ran into the bathroom and shoveled water into my mouth. Choking, drowning. Dying. The lopsided walls of the bathroom were closing in quickly. How could I feel guilty about Alexander, I had helped in the death of Mariad Okode. I opened my mouth and screamed.

“Aria!”

I covered my ears.

“What’s happened?” I continued screaming. No one would find out. What if they did? I didn’t deserve to live.

David was in the blurry haze of my vision laying me down on my side. As a bell was rung in the distance. Then I stopped screaming. Then I started crying. Deep guttural noises.

“Don’t get the doctor,” I sobbed, clawing at his jacket. “Don’t go.”

David pushed the hair away from my face as footsteps ran into the bathroom. Water was rushing and a towel was placed on my forehead.

“It’s okay, Imotenya,” the voice soothed. One I didn’t recognize. Another voice came out asking should she get the doctor. Miracle’s voice.

“She doesn’t want him,” David replied.

“Give her some room,” said the new voice and they all moved away from me. Air. There was a lot of air in this bathroom and I could hardly breathe it.

Miracle moved me to an upright position against the bath.

“Deep breathes, princess,” she whispered and started to breathe deeply. I hesitantly followed her. My breaths were shaky.

“That’s it.”

My breathing slowly returned to normal. I looked at everyone around me. David, Miracle, and someone I didn’t know. She wore a green top with a long white skirt that was sprawled around her on the floor. She had fair skin and a calming look about her.

“Get her up,” she said almost like a command. It took me a minute to realize that the ‘her’ was me. Miracle took both of my hands pulling me up gently. She put a hand around the small of my back and led me into the bedroom. The colors seemed strange. The walls I once thought pretty reminded me of blood. Blood of all those who stood in my way to the throne.

I sat on the bed and placed a hand against my stomach. Miracle knelt in front of me rubbing my hands, David stood close by at the ready and the girl knelt at the other side of me.

“Thank you. All of you.”

“Would you like some water ?” asked Miracle.

“No, I think I’m fine now.”

“Were you choking princess?” asked the girl getting up and smoothing her skirts.

“No, I …” What was I doing exactly? Mourning over the fact that my brother had killed himself or that my mother had killed someone.

“Yes, I was choking.”

I looked again at the girl if I could recognize her from anything I had seen before. I couldn’t.

“Excuse me, who are you? I know you must have come for the wake but I don’t recognize you.”

The girl blinked and then said with a gentle smile. “That’s alright, Your Highness. My name’s Cecilia but most people call me Cisi. I don’t know if you know my father, Kingsley Omafidon?”

I searched my brain for the Chiefs I had met and learned about. I really should have known him. Kingsley Omafidon, Chief of Delta. Delta was one of the main sources of our oil and coal operations and Omafidon had his own successful shares in the oil industry. I had heard that he had divorced his first wife after their children had grown and married a white woman. This must have been their daughter, given her light complexion.

“You’re father’s the Chief of Delta right?”

She chuckled before moving to push a curl away from my eye.

“Amongst other things.”

“I don’t wish to be rude,” said David, suddenly moving closer towards Cisi, “But what were you doing on the Royal Family’s corridor?”

Cisi straightened up, all gentleness put aside.

“ I wanted to personally send my condolences to the princess,” she replied, “That’s what I said to the guards at the stairs, and it was good enough for them.”

David still didn’t back down, his gaze steely.

“David, she’s okay,” I said, “She helped me, remember?”

“It’s alright Your Highness”, she said then turned to David with a smirk as he was still sizing her up, “ I’d be worried if he didn’t ask questions. I’m glad to see that our future queen is in the hands of such diligent security.”

David still didn’t soften.

“Well, I hope you feel better before tomorrow, Your Highness,” she said with a bow.

“Thank you Cisi, see you tomorrow.”

She gave another grin and another look at David before leaving the room in a swish of skirts.

“Was there a bone in your food?” Miracle asked, getting up and going to my plate, “Or was there a rock in the beans?”

“It was nothing, I just ate too quickly.” I didn’t want anyone in the kitchen to get in trouble for my alleged choking.

Miracle didn’t look so convinced and covered the plate.

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” I said to both of them.

“You didn’t scare us, princess. It was a little shocking though.”

Not for me though.

“Is there anything else you would like to eat instead? I can see if there are any meat pies left from the wake.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine really.”

“May I suggest hot chocolate,” David said looking at me, “It always made you feel better in Sapele.”

I gave a weak smile. I was happy to see that in all of this some things never changed.

“That sounds nice.”

“I’ll be back princess,” said Miracle, heading for the door leaving us there together.

I felt like this was the first time we were truly alone since the kiss. It still made my stomach turn whenever I dared to think about it. It was almost as bad as when thought of the other things that had gotten me so upset but this was different. This was bittersweet. There was the possibility that we could have gotten caught in our moment of passion that added a certain thrill of excitement as well as the fear and the increasing dread. What if we had been seen? I shook my head. I should stop seeing danger everywhere even though it seemed like the most sensible thing to do at this time. We weren’t seen. The only people who had a memory of that night were us. That is what it would remain. A memory. Something I didn’t know if I would ever forget when I looked at him and how much I’d want to ask why. Why didn’t you stop me? Why did it feel for that minute that he wanted me as much as I wanted him? As crazy as it was, it was the only explanation I could come up with and I’d had a lot of time to think about it.

“Hey, I don’t know if I should be asking”, David said, still a little ways away from me, “but I really don't think you choked, at least not on your dinner.”

I drew my knees up to my chest and moved my eyes away from him. I was resenting the fact that he knew me so well.

I looked at my wardrobe.

“I did believe it or not,” I replied, then turned to him with a wry grin, “Are you going to attack the beans for attempted murder?”

David didn’t smile but came a little closer causing shivers.

“You sure?”

I clawed at my blankets.

“I told Mama,” I said, “about Oluwade and Avery.”

David gave a single nod, bit his lip hard as if he wasn’t surprised.

“And what did she say?”

I leaned back against the headboard and closed my eyes.

“She was upset of course, that I didn’t tell her sooner…”

“So she should be…”

My eyes snapped open and I fixed him a glare. I didn't know how much I wasn’t in the mood to be contradicted.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean I don’t really know why you didn’t tell your mother, the queen first.”

“So why didn’t you make that clear?”

He didn’t answer and looked away from me.

I took a breath. “Is it because for all your talk of me being a little sister, and seeing me as a child that needs protecting, you really think I should suck it up and deal with my own problems like a grown-up don’t you?”

His gaze snapped back to mine, and he looked so hurt.

“Children don’t get kissed by adults usually.”

His fists were clenched as if he would beat me, that was until Miracle came in with a cup of warm hot chocolate.

He moved back to the wall before bowing.

“Your Highness”, he said, his shoulders stiffening as he headed towards the door, breezing past Miracle.

Her eyes widened in worry as the door was closed behind my guard.

“Is everything alright?”, she asked, setting the cup beside me, “Is Officer Soro upset I didn’t get him one?”

A smile threatened to come on my lips. “No, he’s not supposed to eat on duty anyway. It’s just…”

I buried my face in a pillow.

“I’m sorry, it’s none of my concern,” she replied sweetly stirring my hot chocolate.

I waved her off with a small smile.

“Would you like me to stay with you?” She asked, moving quickly away from the bed.

I thought about it as I sipped my chocolate. I didn’t want to be left alone with my thoughts after what happened with my panic attack and with David but at the same time, I didn’t want Miracle to feel like I couldn’t sleep without her. That I was weak.

“No, I’ll be fine. But could you help me undress?”

“Of course princess.”

I jumped out of my bed and she unzipped my dress as I stepped out of the red material. The rain-filled night air met my skin as Miracle went to my wardrobe and took out a white nightgown with long sleeves.

“It might be a little cold tonight, I don’t want you falling sick.”

My chest felt warm. It might not have done anyone any good if I was sick but I was cheered up by the fact that she cared.

“Thank you, Miracle.” She put the nightgown over my head and pulled it down my body. “You’re so good to me, you take care of me.”

She looked a little at her feet, her braids obscuring her eyes.

“Just doing my job,” she replied, fluffing the sleeves around my arms with a gentle smile. “It’s what everyone does.”