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Commoner Knowledge part 3

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That night after supper, Lord Ras retired to his room. Not having any further appointments until later, I adjourned to my own quarters. From my bedroom window, I had quite a view. The sun had set but it wasn't entirely dark. Beneath a deep blue sky filled with stars, the thousands of windows of Stars glowed with warm light. I mused over the events of the day, but hadn't got much thinking done before a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. 'Boo!'
I gasped and jumped, gripping the stone of the windowsill. 'Roselia!' I laughed. I turned around to face my 15-year-old niece. 'Don't scare me like that.'
'Sorry,' she giggled. 'I couldn't help myself.'
'Of course you couldn't.' I shook my head and smiled. Princess Roselia was the jewel of Labyrinne and my best friend. Every night that we could we'd meet up somewhere and discussed our day. The night was warm, but it was cool inside the castle, and I gestured to the chairs by the other window. 'What were you up to today?'
Roselia flounced over to a chair and plunked down in it, crisscrossing her legs beneath her long pink nightgown. 'Camp started today. Did you already forget about it?'
I sat down across from her and tried to remember what she was talking about. I had enough of my own things to do without keeping tabs on Roselia. 'I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind. How did it go?' I asked, hoping I could figure out what she meant by listening to her talk.
If she realized I had no idea what she was talking about, she didn't show it. She began to tell me about her experiences at a girls' day camp in the nearby city of Clocks. Nodding and 'hm'-ing in all the right places, I remembered now that Roselia was fulfilling another of her obligations as princess by volunteering her time at the summer camp. She did a lot of community service and the like.
'Anyway,' she finished, 'I'm not looking forward to having to deal with Adelaide again tomorrow, but otherwise it's quite fun.'
'I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Good luck with Adelaide.' I smiled, then yawned and closed my eyes, leaning back in my chair.
'You look tired.' Roselia pulled her legs up to her chest and, hugging them, rested her chin on her knees. 'How have you been sleeping?'
'Huh?' I yawned. 'Fine, I suppose. Why?'
'How are your dreams?'
Suddenly Roselia had my full attention. 'What?'
'You heard me. How are your dreams?' She looked serious; a rarity for her.
I looked away. 'They are… fine. Listen, Roselia, I don't-'
'I'm worried, Arthur. You used to talk about them. You liked to talk about them. Now you always look tired. If I talk for a long time, you fall asleep. You just seem different and I don't like it.'
Her blue-green eyes bored into me and I felt terribly guilty. 'I'm so sorry. I hadn't realized I was worrying you.'
'What's wrong, Arthur? You can tell me anything. Don't let yourself suffer.'
I glanced up. Her face was kind, accepting. I knew she was right. I used to spend all day looking forward to when I could tell her about my wonderful dreams. But that was the problem: they weren't wonderful anymore.
'Arthur,' she said, her voice warning me that I had better spill the beans.
I looked at the low table separating our chairs, pressing my hands between my knees. 'I have not been sleeping well for the past few months because I've been having nightmares. Well… not really nightmares, just bad dreams. Dreams that make me feel weird and cold, even when it's hot out. They've really been bothering me.'
Roselia went back to crossed legs. 'How are they weird? Can you remember them?'
'Well-'
'Is she not there?'
I stopped and closed my eyes. 'She is.'
'Then what's wrong? I thought your dreams were always good when she was in them.'
I had buried my face in my hands. 'They were. But not anymore…'
Roselia studied me, wanting to help but unable to tell how.
From the start, I knew I was a fool, for only fools fall in love with dreams. For the past few years, I'd had many spectacular dreams in which I met a beautiful girl. I never knew her name. I knew she wasn't from this world, the way you inexplicably know things in dreams. But she was very beautiful, and she made the dreams I had wonderful. After a dream that she was in, I'd feel great for days. I had fallen in love.
Then, starting a few months before, the dreams went bad. 'Sometimes I just wake up with a terrible feeling. Other times, I remember what I dream, and it's everything from someone dying to going to some world that looks like here but isn't. And she's always in them.'
I sat up, my face feeling warm. I looked out the window and saw that it was now totally night. 'It's come to the point where no matter how tired I am, I just don't want to sleep. I don't know what to do.'
With her feet tucked up underneath her, Roselia leaned on the chair arm and listened. Her young eyes were worried. She didn't say anything for a while. Neither of us did.
I glanced up at my niece. She stared out the window. I could practically see how hard she was thinking, trying to come up with a solution or a cure.  Finally, though, she sighed and looked back at me. 'I'm so sorry, Arthur. I don't have an answer for you. I wish I did. But I don't.'
Weakly, I smiled at her. 'Don't let it trouble you. They're only dreams; it will get better soon. I'm just stressed, probably.'
'They aren't "only dreams", Arthur. You know that.'
I didn't want to admit it. But I did. '…I know.'
Another silence filled the room as a million thoughts raced through my head and presumably, Roselia's as well. Eventually she looked up at me and tried to grin cheerfully. 'How did your visit to Aria go?'
'Well, I believe. Lord Ras, our Mianish visitor, was fairly impressed. He took a great deal of notes and made some suggestions.'
'Yes?'
'Yes.'
Silence.
Roselia giggled. 'That lord- you said his name, but I forget it- he's the princess of Miana's sweetheart.'
'Really?' I smiled.
She nodded, also smiling. 'They say that the two of them are in love. I think they'll get married.'
I had met Princess Miana a few times. She was sweet and quiet. Nothing like the outgoing Lord Ras. 'Where did you learn this from?'
Roselia shrugged and giggled again. 'You hear things.'
'No, you hear things. I never hear what you do, especially things that are supposed to be secret. For example, what noble is romancing the leader of a foreign country.' I was laughing.
Roselia shook her head, also laughing. 'Sorry. But it's true.'
I breathed deeply. Already I felt better about my bad dreams.
'Oh! I learned today that apparently Lord Ras had ulterior motives for coming to Labyrinne,' I began.
'Scouting wedding locations? Barren mountains and dirt: a bride's dream.'
I laughed loudly. 'No, of course not! He suggested that there be a World's Faire to exhibit current scientific progress and share ideas. I volunteered Labyrinne to host it.'
Roselia blinked, her eyes wide. 'Wow. Wow! That sounds amazing!'
'I know! It would be so good for Labyrinne…' With that, our previous topics of conversation were forgotten. For two hours Roselia and I discussed the World's Faire. It got to the point where I called Duncan up to take notes on our ideas. Though he, too, was in his pyjamas at this point, he helped us work. By the time we were too tired to stay awake any longer, the three of us had a proposal to show Lord Ras. It was rough, but could be cleaned up later. Rainess' first-ever Scientific World Faire was in the first stages of becoming a reality.
Just as I thought they would, the people of Labyrinne loved the idea of a World's Faire. Over the course of a month, the nation came together to build Sorcery City, a town dedicated entirely to the Faire. The days flew by in a days of organizing, public appearances, and correspondence between other nations. Before I knew it, the Faire had officially opened.
It would go on for three weeks. During those weeks there would be a public convention, several demonstrations, meetings between myself and other world leaders, and more. The third day of the Faire would see our first meeting. I could hardly sleep the night before with nervousness. Most of the leaders I had met, but only individually. I had an overwhelming fear of messing up, saying something stupid that would make Labyrinne look bad. It wasn't so much the fear of making myself look like a fool- though that fear was present, too- I just didn't want to screw up my country's prospects. Although anything I did would reflect that. That was the consequence of being king.
Thinking these thoughts alone in my room late at night, I sighed. Sometimes I wished I was just a commoner.
Finally, the moment I was dreading. With a 'Good luck, sir,' Duncan left me at the door to the meeting room. Hand shaking on the handle, I tried to breathe slowly. Finally, though, the door was pulled open from the other side. I had been gripping the handle harder than I realized, and tripped forward. 'Woah!'
There was a friendly chuckle. I looked up to see a dark man in black robes smiling down at me. Straightening, I saw I was a little taller than him. His hair was a black, curly mop; his face lined with the years of his life. I had never seen him before. He looked sinister, but had an air of sincere kindness that cancelled the effects of his appearance.
'I thought I heard someone at the door.' He looked at me, smiling still. Though he was older, his dark brown eyes shone with life and imagination. 'Are you all right?'
His accent was thick and strange. I wondered who the man was. 'Y-yes,' I answered warily. 'S-sorry. I was just, um…'
The man watched me expectantly.
Nothing the absence of anyone else in the room, I shrugged and looked at my boots. 'I have no idea what I was doing,' I said. 'Sorry.'
'No need to apologize.' He stepped back, opening the door wider. 'Come on in. No one else is here yet.'
'I c-can see that.' Still trembling, I found my seat at the head of the table.
The man shut the door and followed me. He sat in a chair and leaned back. As if he owned the place, he swung his black boots up onto the table. I wondered who he was. He sat in the place of King John XIII of Steinbely, but I knew King John, and this wasn't him.
At my remark, the man laughed. 'Clever, even when you're terrified. Good man, Arthur.'
'W-what?' I looked up from where I had been shuffling papers, trying to look like I knew what I was doing.
'You're terrified, aren't you?' he asked, meshing his fingers together. Still he smiled, still his eyes shone. 'Or very nervous, at least. Even if you weren't quaking, I could tell.'
'Oh, am I?' I tried to look nonchalant and stop shaking. Nothing happened. 'Sorry.'
'You need to stop apologizing so much.' The man grinned. 'And it's okay. Not hugely becoming of a king, though, nervousness.'
I fiddled with my pen, avoiding his eyes. 'I can't help it.'
'Nonsense. Of course you can. You just have to believe in yourself. You don't have enough confidence. You could be a great king, you know. Just as good as your father.' He swung his legs back down off the table and leaned forward. 'But you let your doubts and fears control you. I hate to say it, but you're weak. Or at least you look it. Bad things happen to weak kings.'
I stared at him, appalled. 'You knew my father?'
'Of course. Very good man. He got nervous, too. You should have seen him when he was courting your mother. Those two.' He chuckled and shook his head. 'But he never let his fear get in the way of his duty. I wish you could have known him better.'
'So do I…' I murmured. Who on Rainess was this man?
'Indeed. So take what I say to heart, young king.' He wagged his finger at me, and then laughed. 'If you fear messing up, you will. If you do not, you will not.'
'Um… All right. Thank you?' I had no idea what else to say.
'Good man. Remember. Believe in yourself.' Standing, he grinned. Then turned and promptly walked out.
I stared after him. …What just happened?
A minute later, another door opened. A woman with dark brown hair and bright green eyes entered. 'Am I the only…?' She saw me. 'Oh! Hello! You must be King Arthur of Labyrinne? It's nice to meet you!' The woman bowed.
Standing up, I returned her bow. 'Yes, it's nice to meet you, too…'
She went to a spot at the table and slid her bag off her shoulder, dumping it there. 'I'm Carole Early, President of Cran's Nest. And I do seem to be early!' President Early laughed.
I laughed a little, too. 'Yes. Well, so am I, I suppose.' I paused. 'There was a man here before me, but he left just before you came in.'
'Really?' She stopped fiddling with her stuff and looked at me. 'Do you know who he was?'
'No.' I shook my head. 'He was a little shorter than me, with curly black hair that was very messy. He wore all black.'
'Wow. Really?!' President Early smiled, intrigued. 'I have no idea who that could have been! Did he say anything?'
'…Yes.'
President Early sat down, but kept looking at me. 'Like what?'
'…Not much,' I finally said. 'Just conversation.'
'My! How mysterious!' she laughed.
'I suppose so.' I felt a little less nervous now. President Early was extremely friendly and easy-going, and we chatted until others began to arrive. As each leader entered she introduced us, then pulled them into our conversation. She took charge of everything. I was unendingly grateful.
Finally everyone had arrived but one: Lord Neil Story, the ruler of Gaimet. Gaimet was a large country to the southwest. While Lord Neil was technically the highest figure of authority there, they didn't have much of a government. 'Everyone does their own thing, for the most part,' President Early said. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but it was a peaceful land, so I assumed it worked for them.
We waited another ten minutes, some chatting, others rather awkwardly staring at the walls, ceiling, etc. I felt as host that I should do something, but was too afraid to do so.
Suddenly the door to my right blew open, startling many of us. In marched the man from before, taking long, purposeful strides. He smiled around at all of us. When he got to me, he winked and mouthed something. I think it was "courage". 'Hello, all, sorry I'm late! My wife had taken our children to the convention, and little Holly got lost. She is a wanderer, that one.' He laughed.
As I sat down, President Early stood up. 'Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Lord Neil Story.'
Lord Neil bowed, and then took a seat. 'We found her in the end, though, and I got here as quick as I could.'
There were chuckles from many. As President Early sat down, she caught my eye. I nodded at Lord Neil. She looked surprised, then questioning. As if to say, 'What? That's him?' Briefly I nodded agreement, and then turned back to the meeting.'Well, let's get started, then,' President Early began. 'First on our agenda today: how is everyone enjoying themselves so far?'
I grinned along with the others, all of whom were laughing or adding their commentary. All but Queen Mortea of Jasmineer, our neighbor to the east. Sitting near the end of the table, her face was cut in cold, hard stone, as usual. I had known Mortea since we were children. The Great Fire had claimed most of her family, as well. But even before that, she had always been a bully.
Our eyes met. I flushed and looked away out of instinct. Once, a long time ago, my brother had told me that if you looked into Mortea's eyes for too long she'd curse you. Being a little boy, I believed it. Even now, remembering her favor of dark magic, I feared her.
But I tried to keep Lord Neil's message in my mind: "courage". I was surprised how much it worked. Of course, everyone was friendly. It wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I laughed at myself and thought about something my sister once said: 'Anticipation is always the worst part of everything.'
The meeting went well, and I left with a group of other leaders, listening to their friendly chatter. The next Friday, as Roselia was planning to spend a few days with her new friend Millen Story- the daughter of Lord Neil- I told her that it was the best week I had ever had.
'Wow,' she said cheerfully, digging through a drawer full of fingerless gloves. 'I haven't heard you this excited since the last time you had a dream with her. Speaking of which, how have your dreams been?'
That killed my mood. I looked grumpily out the window. 'Fine.'
Roselia picked up my tone, however. 'Oh, Arthur. Don't tell me they've gotten worse.'
I didn't say anything. I didn't want to think about it, much less talk.
She turned around and looked at me. The day was grey and muggy. Pale light filtered through the clouds shone through the window. The light must have hit my face just right, because before I knew it, Roselia's soft hands grabbed my cheeks. 'Arthur.' She turned my head this way and that, then looked up into my eyes. 'You're wearing a Shimmer, aren't you?'
A Shimmer was a magical disguise. I had been using one so I wouldn't look as tired as I was. But almost angrily, Roselia waved her hand in front of my face and I felt the disguise spell disappear. Tiredly, I sighed.
'You are!' she gasped, taking in my bloodshot eyes and the deep bags below them. 'Oh, Arthur…'
'They're worse,' I admitted. 'I don't… Ugh…' I leaned on the sill. 'They're nightmares now. Proper nightmares. I can't sleep. They're too…' I shivered in the summer warmth. '…Terrible.'
For one so scrawny, Roselia managed to give powerful hugs. She latched on to me. 'It's going to be okay. I'm sorry they are so bad, but they'll stop eventually. They must.'
'I hope so…' I agreed.
She stepped back. 'Now. I want you to rest this weekend. If you have to go to events, don't. Read, play solitaire, try and get some sleep. Okay?'
'Yes, Mum.' I saluted unenthusiastically and laughed.
'I mean it!' Roselia laughed, too, and turned back to her bag. 'Rest, idiot.'
I chuckled. 'The only thing I can think of is a supper President Early is hosting. A quiet evening, I swear.'
'Good,' Roselia grunted, closing her bag with finality. 'I'll see you on Tuesday. Listen to what I said!'
We hugged again. 'I will. Have fun, be safe.' I always said those things before Roselia went somewhere. It was more than just ritual: on Rainess, words have power.
'Always!' Roselia and her bags full of goodness-knows-what walked out the door, leaving me alone in her room. I sighed and tried to fix my Shimmer.
The next part of my novella. I'm very close to finishing it; I hope to do so by the end of the week.

Part one: [link]
Previous: [link]
Next: [link]

I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think. Feedback is greatly appreciated. :D

Commoner Knowledge, its characters, settings, etc belong to me, Marty Burton, 2009-2012.
© 2012 - 2024 MartyWitch
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