Chapter 44 - FORTY FOUR: A Quiet Place

"Ha."

Kel stared blankly at the wall in front of her as the library door slammed shut behind her.

"What just happened?" she murmured, still dazed from Lila's brisk escort.

"Ah, Princess! Can I help you?" a passing maid offered, forcing her back to earth.

"No, thank you," Kel responded politely. The maid smiled and continued on her way but only made it just out of earshot when Kel's soft footsteps began fast approaching her.

"Wait!" Kel called, speed walking down the hall. "I do need some help!"

Nearly a half hour later, Kel found herself standing in a small group of trees on the east edge of the palace. It was one of the many locations on the palace grounds she'd never been able to properly explore before, but the maid had happily led her there.

As far as she could tell, the space was perfect.

The trees intertwined with tall shrubs and created a barrier that could effectively block any outsider's view on almost all sides. There were also several dry twigs and leaves littering the ground, perfect for several small fires.

Now, all Kel had to do was get rid of the maid who stood smiling contentedly as she leaned against one of the thick trees.

"A-ahem," Kel faked a cough. "Ah-ah-ahem."

"Are you alright, Princess?" the maid queried, her expression unchanged.

"I could use some water," Kel responded hoarsely, holding a hand to her chest as she pretended to clear her throat.

"I shall alert the nearest servant immediately," the maid answered, turning back toward the palace.

Kel let out a sigh of relief. It should take at least five minutes for the woman to find someone, and Kel would at least be able to try burning through one of the crunchy leaves in that tim-

"LUCA!!!!" the maid suddenly shouted, causing Kel to flinch.

The woman hadn't actually left. She'd just pushed one of the bushes aside and called to the first passerby she saw.

"THE PRINCESS NEEDS SOME WATER!" the maid yelled again.

"I'll run to get some!" came the faint response.

The maid turned back to Kel and resumed her large grin. "Luca will run to get some for you."

"Ah, right… thank you," Kel stammered.

The two stood in awkward silence as Kel tried to think of other ways to get rid of the woman.

After several minutes, the maid spoke up. "Are you enjoying the secluded space I found for you?"

"Uh, yeah.." Kel lied, trying to smile.

"Don't worry," the maid assured her, "I promise that nobody will be able to see you here, just as you requested."

Nobody except you! Kel yelled internally as she smiled and nodded.

And so the maid and the hostage princess continued to stand quietly together in the forest-like patch, each wondering what on earth the other was thinking. Until...

"I have the Princess's water!!"

Finally, Luca came to save them.

As the bushes rustled under the boy's hand, Kel resigned herself to giving up--just drinking the water and hiking back to the palace.

However, it wasn't a small errand boy that popped through the leaves, but a tall man. A dark-haired, red-eyed man.

"Your Majesty!" The maid exclaimed, sinking into a low curtsey.

"Your Majesty," Kel echoed, offering a slight curtsey of her own.

The emperor nodded to the two women and held out a wooden cup, half-filled with water. Before he could say anything, a head Kel assumed belonged to Luca burst through the bush next to the emperor.

"His Majesty saw me and said he would come deliver the water," the boy explained. "You should feel very honored, Princess!"

"Luca!" the maid gasped, moving to silence the boy.

"Why don't you both head back to the palace?" the emperor ordered.

"As you wish," the maid bowed, grabbing Luca who was still rubbing his head from the woman's 'silencing'.

The two disappeared quickly, and the scenario morphed into the emperor and the hostage princess standing quietly together in a forest-like patch.

"I heard you're looking for a secluded place," the emperor remarked, long after the leaves had ceased swishing from the maid's exit.

"That's correct," Kel admitted. She didn't even bother wondering how the emperor had already heard of such when she'd only barely mentioned it to the maid. There was nothing that slipped past the Dragon Emperor.

Well hopefully a few things slip past, Kel gulped, thinking of her own vital secrets.

"Would you care to inform me why you're looking for such a place?" the emperor asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Ah, n-no reason," Kel stuttered. If it wasn't already obvious that she was up to suspicious activity, her answer just now had confirmed it.

Good thing I was planning to just give up anyway, she thought, seeing as there's no way I'll ever have privacy ever again now.

"Alright," the emperor conceded. "Follow me, then."

Kel let out a slow breath. "Yes, I understa- Wait! What did you just say?"

"I said, 'alright, follow me,'" the emperor repeated.

Oh no, is it off with my head after all? Kel panicked.

The emperor observed her frozen figure, struck completely dumb by fear of her immanent execution. After a while, he sighed and reached for one of her arms.

"Just come with me," he huffed, pulling her out of the trees.

They had been walking for several minutes by the time Kel worked up enough courage to say something.

"Sooo," she began, trying to test the waters, "what happened with Mr. Magic-I mean Soren and all of that stuff?"

The emperor immediately came to a halt. "Don't say that name."

Kel tilted her head questioningly. " You mean Sore-"

"I just told you not to say it!" the emperor barked.

"Oh, sorry…" Kel responded quietly. It seemed like the waters of the emperor's temper were rather turbulent today after all.

"That man is a criminal. He's not a magician, and he's not worthy of being called by name," the emperor continued in a low voice.

"Then what should I call him?" Kel questioned.

"... you'll never need to call him," the emperor muttered, resuming his walking.