FFH: TTA - Chapter 19: Confrontations

I was sincerely dreading the moment.

The wait was agony in and of itself. There was so much I had on my mind, so much I wanted to say. So much I wanted to scream.

But I knew I had to be calm. For a while anyway.

I wanted to hear her confession first.

They brought her into the interrogation room soon enough. The guards were dismissed as soon as she was shackled securely to the table and floor. They weren’t in the mood to take risks.

Neither was I.

It should have been odd to see her in a prison uniform or to see the manacles on her wrists. Any other person, maybe. But there was no sympathy for the woman who tried to kill me. To kill Bridget. Who was willing to hurt others in her attempt. Someone I thought I could trust with my life.

Not even one day behind bars and she still looked calm and collected. Like she was out for a day trip or unexpected holiday. I half expected her to check an itinerary to make sure she was still on schedule.

It only made my blood boil more.

“Is this your attempt to get a confession?” she asked after a few minutes. “Did you think staring me down in person would be what it took?”

A part of me was hoping that would be the case. It wasn’t really needed at this point. We had the Carmichaels’ confessions and stacks of evidence from TETH headquarters. A raid of her office and her home provided the last pieces we would need for a conviction.

Alongside a decade-long secret.

“…It’s not going to work. You might as well just let me go back to my cell. I’ll need time to prepare for my trial and it takes time finding a barrister willing to defend someone accused of treason.”

I almost smiled at that. “Accused”. This wasn’t come unsupported allegation. We had her dead to rights. There was no possible way she thought she was in the clear.

“Who knows? This might just overshadow the coronation. It’s what you’d want, isn’t it? To take the attention away long enough for people to forget you and your incompetence?”

She really liked to talk, didn’t she? It was always her job, of course. Talking, spinning, and explaining everything away with a few words.

Why hadn’t I really listened all these years? It seemed so obvious looking back. This, or something like it, was a long time coming. Maybe I just never expected her to have gone this far.

“Gods Love, will you just SAY something already?!” she screeched after a while. She wanted to pretend otherwise but I was finally getting to her. We still had that in common at least. Good at pretending in our worst moments.

I didn’t say anything. Not at first.

I merely took out the book and laid it down between us. Her expression barely changed, but she kept her attention on it. Maybe she wasn’t expecting it to be found. Or maybe she was and hoped I wasn’t the one to confront her about it. It didn’t matter. I needed answers.

“Why?” I finally asked. “Why have ye been hidin’ me Dad’s planner from me, Lydia?”

It was her turn to give the silent treatment. Fine. I was ready to do some talking.

“I coulda considered it an o’ersight if ye’d given it tuh me sooner. Maybe, oh, I dunno, a few weeks after his death. Hells, maybe e’en after Mum died. I prob’ly wooda been tuh distraught tuh give it much thought why it took so long. Maybe ye coulda said it was in Mum’s possession. That she hadne the heart tuh hand it o’er yet. Lied an’ said Mum wanted tuh keep it fer’er own. As a way a’ rememberin’ Dad. I wooda believed it. Swallowed it hook, line, an’ sinker. We all wooda, most likely.”

Lydia continued to sit there in silence. Her eyes were still transfixed on the book even as I took it back. She followed it when I held it up.

“Not now, though. There’s no excuse why ye’d keep it in a locked safe in yer office fer almost a decade.”

I gave her a chance to talk. Waited for her explanation. I had some idea what was on her mind but wanted to hear it from her. When she kept quiet, I put forth my theory.

“Now, this is just me guess a’course…” I mentioned, flipping through the pages. “But I think ye dinna want me tuh see some a’ the things Dad wrote. He had plenty a’ notes in here on ‘lotta topics. People, tuh.”

Still no response. It was starting to irritate me. Not that I was exactly calm about any of this beforehand.

“Ye’d think someone who dinna want anyone tuh see this wooda got rid uv’it long ‘go. Burn it, maybe. Throw it in the river. Maybe just toss it ‘way an’ hope no one found it. Or maybe if ye were feelin’ really ambitious, ye wooda sold it off tuh someone wantin’ tuh hurt Fathach. Tuh hurt Dad. Tuh hurt any Arcadi. But that wasne possible was it Lydia?”

I fought back the urge to start yelling. Barely.

“‘Gain, this is just me guessin’ here, but this is spell-locked an’ heav’ly enchanted. Ye coodne get rid uv’it cuz it’s Indestructible. Has a Return charm on it in case it gets lost tuh. S’posed tuh send it right back tuh the owner’s desk if it gets tuh far ‘way. His desk. Currently me desk. An’ a’ course, ye dinna want me tuh see it. Not after what ye read. Not sure how ye did that, though. No one else has been able tuh e’en open it ‘cept fer me, Liam, an’ Molly. Closes shut fer e’eryone else. Are ye secretly a Master Magician or did ye just get lucky?”

The silence was finally broken by her laughter.

“‘Lucky’? You think I was lucky?” she asked once she caught her breath again. “I didn’t need to ‘get in’. I was his P.A.’s assistant when he was still alive. He told me about his ideas. Me, the fresh out of school intern hoping to make her way up the ladder. How privileged I thought I was to be his ear. Gods, how idiotic it all sounds now. How naïve I was.”

I didn’t have to dig for answers now. I’d hit her sore spot.

“I thought you’d be different, of course. With Cuculhain gone, you didn’t really know the day-to-day routine. We were there to help. Before my predecessor retired. You remember Arnold, don’t you?”

“…Van Cleef. Retired a few months after Mum died.” I recalled. The name didn’t come back right away. “Arnie was a good man.”

“He was an idiot. Coddled the bloody Hells out of you. I didn’t used to think so, of course. Just thought you Arcadis were…eccentric.”

“I’m not sure why ye thought-?”

“YOU MAKE COFFEE RUNS FOR CADUCEUS’ SAKE!” she yelled, turning it into another fit of laughter. “You, the leader of the damn country, going to the local coffee shop! For your staff! Who the HELLS does that?!”

“It’s only fair to chip in from time to time, Lydia. E’eryone-!”

“But you’re NOT everyone! It isn’t your job! It isn’t your PLACE! Gods, you damn Arcadis are the worst, aren’t you? One of the few ruling families in the world to consistently stay in power and you act like it’s nothing. Like it wasn’t hard or unusual.”

It was unusual. It was difficult beyond comprehension. If there’s only one thing we Arcadis can share, it’s our delusion that we weren’t going to crumble one day. We were lucky to have ruled as long as we have. It’s a bloody miracle. But we pretend to ignore it. If we got too full of ourselves, we would fall one day.

It was one of the biggest fears I had.

Once I became King, how long would I last?

“An’ that’s why ye decided tuh kill me? Fer bein’ ‘eccentric’?” I asked as calmly as I could. This…conversation was starting to frustrate me. More so than I figured it would.

“You weren’t my target. But yes. It was because of your newfound oddity.” Lydia stated with a sneer. “You just HAD to get a Human, didn’t you?”

I blinked.

She didn’t really say what I thought she said, did she?

“Are ye tellin’me…ye did this, alla this…‘cuz a’ Bridget?”

“If you wanted another damn pet, we could have set something up! Gone to a local shelter, find another dog like Barlowe! I know how much you loved that damn thing! Could have made a sizable donation, get some good publicity from it! Hells, we could have gotten you a damn purebred from an allied country and made ourselves look even better before the Alliance!” Lydia ranted. Her chains shook with each word and gesture. “But no. Of course not. You decided to run away for a week and come back with a Human. A wild Human. Couldn’t even go to a shelter or alleyway, had to go out and away! And look where it landed you!”

“Closer tuh bein’ in the Alliance than e’er befer?”

“NO! Gods be damned even now you think that rat had some sway in all of this! Who do you think had to set everything up? Had to make the right noises, say the right words, cajole and connive to make sure Riese would even consider looking Fathach’s way?”

“Yet despite yer efforts, King Gerwulf changed his mind thanks tuh Bridget.”

Gerwulf told me and Liam himself. That night at the Spring’s End Ball, he’d asked for the both of us. He wanted a private chat, away from all the eyes and ears. The drawing room seemed the best place.

Gerwulf’s guards kept watch outside the room, at the doors and the veranda. He cast his own Silence spell before we sat down. The only other person was Mr. Livingston but he left after serving drinks. I hated not having Mr. Livingston bustling about; it felt too serious otherwise.

“Have ye been enjoyin’ yerself, yer Highness?” I asked once we all had a glass in hand. I could have had a whole bottle to myself if it meant not having to go through the conversation.

“Very much so, thank you, my lord.” he replied. He took a sip of whiskey but politely set it back down. Gerwulf’s cane stayed in his hand instead. “You must come to Riese someday for a season’s end festival. Winter’s End is usually quite lovely.”

“We’d be happy tuh take ye up on that, yer Highness.” Liam replied automatically. Liam was our main diplomat after all. Chances were high he’d be the one to go. I hadn’t left the country since…since Dad died. I hadn’t the heart for it. Especially after Mum passed.

“Please. We are alone and away from the crowd. There is no need for such formalities. Gerwulf, please.” he’d said with a stroke of his beard. “Nor for the niceties. Allow me to ah, ‘cut the chit-chat’.”

“A’ course yer…Gerwulf.” I said. I already knew what was going to be said. I just wanted it done and over with.

“About your Alliance proposal…”

“I ‘pologize ‘bout that. This was s’posed tuh be a night fer fun not business. There’s no need tuh discuss it any-!”

“Oh, but there is. Your assistant, I believe, has been badgering me about it every chance tonight. Not outright, mind you, but I am old. Not a fool. I’ve been around the block, so to speak, with these things. Fathach is not the first or last country to seek sponsorship from Riese.”

I wasn’t sure if I should strangle Lydia for disregarding my orders or give her a raise for setting us back.

“Frankly, I thought I had my mind made up already. The last few days in your country have been…nice. But I’d barely gotten the chance to know you, Colm. Of you, yes, but not directly. I’d hate to pass judgment before doing so.”

No, it would have been fine. I sincerely didn’t want the deal to go through. Not yet, anyway. Maybe in another century or two.

“Then I talked with your Human friend.”

“Er, aye?” I gulped. I could only imagine what sort of international incident I’d have to resolve before the night’s end. Hopefully there was enough liquor to pull me through it all.

“And I changed my mind. I believe Fathach might have what it takes to be in the Alliance.”

“What?!” Liam and I said at the same time.

“I’ll not discuss what she told me. I made that promise to her in earnest. I will say it showed me something I was trying to find all night: a chance. Hope.”

“A-aye?”

“I’m a Vigilant, my lords. And I hold true to its most popular yet overlooked saying: ‘Those who mistreat the least of us do not deserve the best the Heavens have to offer’. You are not perfect. But you are trying. There are too many who don’t even have that.”

I could feel Liam’s eyes on me. We were probably thinking the same thing. No, I knew we were.

What the Hells did Bridget say?

“I will stand for you at the next Alliance meeting. That will be during the first week of October. You have only a few months, I know. There isn’t a good chance you’ll be accepted right away. But you will be known.” Gerwulf explained. He kept fidgeting with his cane as he spoke. It was a little annoying, to be honest. “You must also realize Boudan will be against you. They want to know you can ah, ‘play by the rules’. That should the time come, you’ll name a king.”

We’d worked and fought hard for our independence. Boudan knew we resisted establishing a monarchy. It was one of the things Maureen Arcadi herself avoided. Fathach didn’t need royalty. They needed leaders.

“Thank ye, Gerwulf. We ‘preciate it. If there’s anythin’ I can do tuh make it up tuh ye, name it.” I said, putting on my biggest smile and shaking his hand.

“I’m sure there are some trade agreements to be made, but I think for now I would appreciate directions to the nearest toilette.”

With that, the king was gone.

“So that’s it.” Liam said after a while. He finished off his drink in one gulp. “We’ve got the chance we’ve been workin’ fer all these years.”

“Aye.” I took my time with my own glass.

“Doesne mean we’ll be in, a’ course.”

“Aye.”

“Ye werne thinkin’ it’d happen, aye?”

“Aye.”

“…Ye were hopin’ it woodne.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Not really. Took me a few years tuh realize yer heart wasne in it.”

“I just…I thought it wooda been somethin’ Dad wooda tried tuh do…” I admitted, still swirling my drink. “Then it all got outta hand an’…an’ I coodne back down after ‘while…”

“I know that all tuh well. Why do ye think I became your deputy magistrate an’ diplomat?”

“…What?”

“I thought Mum would want us helpin’ each other. An’…an’ I always thought bein’ High Lord would be a burden. I was…was scared fer ye when Dad made his choice. If I had tuh do this ‘lone? I’d go mental, that’s fer sure.” Liam explained, refilling and downing his glass in an instant. “Good thing that dinna happen, aye?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him how wrong he was.

“So what do we do now?” he asked.

“Now…now I’m off tuh me study. Maybe start lookin’ fer good arguments tuh make fer the rest a’ the family. Hells, maybe just hide fer the rest a’ the night. This is…this is bigger than I thought it’d be.”

“It was always big, Colm. It just looked smaller from further ‘way.” Liam added with a pat on the back. “If yer gonna get plastered on yer own, least doona try tuh break anythin’ this time, aye?”

“When was the last time that e’en happened?” I asked. I could be a belligerent drunk if I had too much in me, sure. I’d never deny that. But I couldn’t recall being destructive.

“…Elizarbeth’s terrarium.” Liam said cooly.

“Oi, fer the last damn time, that wasne me! Yer damn lizard wrecked’er own damn tank!”

“She would ne’er have done that!”

“Elizarbeth was a four foot long Unicorn Iguana an’ could get out on’er own!”

“She only e’er got out once!

“SHE GOT OUT ALL THE TIME AN’ WAS STALKIN’ ME! She used tuh watch me sleep, Liam. In me own bed. I nearly threw’er intuh the wall the night I caught her sittin’ on me!” I said. “I woodne be surprised if she’s still livin’ in the walls somewhere waitin’ fer the right moment tuh strike!”

My heart nearly stopped when an unexpected CREAK came from a corner of the room. It turned out to be the door to the liquor cabinet.

“…Liam, if I die from any mysterious causes tuhnight…”

“Now yer just bein’ paranoid.”

“Ye say that now, but just ye wait! Yer damn lizard’s playin’ the long game!”

I laughed. I had to. I’d forgotten all about that conversation. Bridget and her friend Tyrese had been in trouble soon enough. Completely slipped my mind until then.

“What’s so damn funny?” Lydia demanded, taking me out of the memory. I’d almost forgotten why I was there.

“Just…thinkin’ how that was the night ye met each other.” I said. It wasn’t a lie. There were many reasons I’d avoided the office and work before that night. Lydia was one of them. “Was that when ye decided she needed tuh die?”

“I didn’t want her to die. Not…not until the next day. When she…gloated about Gerwulf. All those years, all that careful planning, everything scheduled down to the last damn detail! ALL A WASTE OF TIME BECAUSE OF THAT THING! It was ridiculous! Preposterous! DISGRACEFUL!”

“As disgraceful as needin’ an Explosive letter tuh get rid uv’er? Puttin’ lives at risk fer one Human? Conspirin’ an’ commitin’ Treason? An’ that’s not e’en touchin’ the obvious assassination ‘tempt.”

Lydia didn’t have an answer. I, however, still had more on my mind.

“…Why Bounce? What was the point a’ casting that on a charm meant fer me?”

“Because I knew it wasn’t for you. When you asked for that spare it was easy to guess who it was really for. I’m the one who has your supplies reenchanted, remember? You wouldn’t need a spare. I was biding my time, waiting for a reason to send the damn rat out in the middle of nowhere and hope it’d die in a ditch. The letter from TETH was…it was an idea they suggested, not one I thought they’d follow through with.”

“But one ye still went ‘long with when it arrived.”

“I…I didn’t…you weren’t…you weren’t supposed to be there when it…” Lydia stammered, stopping to compose herself after a moment. “It doesn’t matter. We both know I’ll be out of here soon enough.”

“Oh? An’ why’s that?” I asked as sweetly as I could.

“Because I know too much. Every dirty little secret that never made it to the papers. Every thought and feeling you don’t want anyone else to know. You want to keep all of that covered up as much as I want to be out of these chains. You think you’ve found all my hiding spots? Not even close. I’ll never have a trial and you know it.”

I laughed.

I laughed long and hard. I was in tears by the time I ran out of breath. Lydia was right to look unnerved when we made eye contact again.

“Yer…a heh heh…yer wrong ‘bout so many things, Lydia. So very wrong. There isne anythin’ ye think ye have on me that I’m not willin’ tuh admit tuh the public. There’s no way ye’d be let off just ‘cuz ye think ye can blackmail me. But most uv’all, an’ this one is the most important, yer wrong ‘bout facin’ a judge. This was yer trial.”

The stunned look on Lydia’s face almost made me regret the laughter. Almost. When it contorted back into her negotiating smile, all sympathy was gone.

“It seems the High Lord truly is inept if he thinks he can throw someone into prison without their right to trial by a jury of their peers. With a high profile prisoner like me, no less? Even the lowliest criminal can-!”

“The Iagan Act of 1817.” I reminded her. “A rarely used but legal precedent set down for extreme cases. When a criminal proves they are too dangerous for a public trial, a private trial is allowed.”

“I am NOT a-!”

“Ye just confessed tuh usin’ a dangerous an’ excessive spell tuh destroy a single Human in a buildin’ full a Tergaians. Iagan Arcadi tried tuh rid his house uv’a spider by tryin’ tuh burn it down. I doona see the difference.”

“You can’t just-!”

“Lydia Angana Patel, as the highest law a’ this land, I hereby pronounce ye incompetent tuh face a public trial. With yer confession-!”

“NO! I HAVE CONFESSED TO NOTHING! YOU CAN’T JUST-!”

“With yer confession an’ state a’ mind, I have no choice but tuh sentence ye tuh life in prison. Parole will only be considered after a minimum period a’ twenty years or based on yer good behavior.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU CAN’T DO THIS! I HAVE RIGHTS! I KNOW YOU, ARCADI! I’LL TELL ANYONE WHO’LL LISTEN ALL YOUR SECRETS!”

“Goodbye, Lydia. May the Gods have mercy on ye.”

The guards tried their best to wrangle Lydia in, but she was screaming and fighting too hard. It took her trying to bite one before she was gagged. I had to stop the other from using her baton to settle Lydia down. Even as she was dragged out of the room, she was trying to scream at the top of her lungs. It was more painful to watch than I thought it would be.

Only after her screams stopped echoing did I let out my true frustrations.

I don’t know what I hated more: the loss of someone I trusted for a long time…or using an outdated law to punish them. Either way, I felt horrendous. Sick. Like I truly was a great big dumb monster.

“…Feel better now?” Dorian asked once all was said and done. He stepped out of his corner and made me sit down. Against the wall, it turned out.

“Not in the least.” I mumbled. My hands felt like fire and I was out of breath. I just wanted everything to be numb again. If only for a little while.

“Well, at least the table and chairs will think twice before messing with you again.”

“Is this what it’s going to be like now?”

“Only if you have a thing against pine.”

“Am I gonna have tuh watch me back all the time? Second guess people I think are friends? Just…hide meself e’en more?”

The quiet said it all.

At first.

Dorian’s sigh was expected. His sitting down next to me was not.

“I wish I could tell you. I wish you didn’t have to worry about these things.” he said softly. “But we both know you can’t ignore them either.”

“I may be daft Stryfe, but I’m not that daft.”

“It did seem to slip your mind that the Iagan Act has always ended in an execution, not a life sentence.”

The words ran through my mind but never made it to my tongue. How could I explain it properly? Who’d be able to understand? Lydia may have tried to kill me and one of my best friends but…I just…I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sentence her to death.

“This’ll come back tuh bite me in the arse, woona it?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Only time will tell.”

Gods Above, what I wouldn’t give for more time.

“Speakin’ a’ time, I’ve other places tuh be befer tuhmorrow.”

“Don’t you mean Sunday? Unless you’ve moved the coronation up a day?”

“No, tuhmorrow I still need tuh interview people fer new an’ ol’ positions. Includin’ ye.”

“Me?” Dorian asked, flustered. It was another rare sight but one I enjoyed experiencing.

“An’ Private Kenzie. But fer now, I’ve a date with a lovely lady who’s been entirely tuh patient ‘nuff with me already.”

It wasn’t a date.

Not exactly.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what would happen when I arrived at the Relax Inn unannounced.

I came prepared as best I could.

The basics I had down pat: flowers, in her preferred bouquet; her favorite wine in good vintage; and the much needed apology lamp. It was the largest I could find on short notice.

But most of all, I was preparing myself for the break-up.

In case this was the last straw.

Annie couldn’t be blamed. It was all my fault. It always was my mistake. Annie deserved better.

And if this was what it took, then I wouldn’t fight it.

“Colm? Is that…it is! COLM!”

I nearly jumped at the voice. The lobby of the Inn was usually a crowded, loud place. Today was no different. The queue was longer than I’d ever seen it. Many turned to look, most whispered, waved, or took a picture when they recognized me. Good Gods, I was going to have to deal with this more, wasn’t I?

“IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR PLACE IN LINE THEN KEEP YOUR PLACE IN LINE!” Audrey thought to call out when a few tried to make their way to me. She ran out from behind the front counter once all was settled. I was in a hug before I knew it. “Colm, thank the Gods! You’re alright!”

“Aye, Audrey, I am. It’s good tuh see ye tuh.”

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be home resting or getting ready or something?”

“Erm, ah, I came tuh see Annie…if she wants tuh see me. Does…do ye think she…she’d wanna…?”

Annie was the first person I called once I got inside Castle Scáth. I’d asked Bridget to take over the memo pad and list duties. Most of the Humans knew where they needed to go. Some didn’t. A few, I think, were seriously considering making the castle home.

It took a while to get through, even longer to get Annie on the line. The Inn was the most popular hotel in Arcadia after all. With a historic event around the corner, it was no surprise for it to be busy. Or hear Annie so frazzled. I didn’t need to get much into the conversation. The moment I’d said her name, she went off. Several minutes passed as she screamed and berated, sobbed and choked, and eventually calmed down long enough to ask how I was.

Gods, it really was one of the reasons I loved her.

She was never afraid to speak her mind.

The look on Audrey’s face made me think I’d made a mistake. Wouldn’t be the first time, obviously.

Just as I was about to cut and run, one of the attendants waved for our attention.

“M’lord? Miss Annie says to meet her upstairs.” the attendant said once I walked over. “In the Crosby Room.”

“Alright, thank ye very much.”

I was nervous as I climbed the stairway. There were no others on the stairwell, thankfully, but the feeling remained. I wasn’t sure what to expect. More yelling, for certain. The coast was clear by the time I reached the correct landing. A well-kept secret of the Inn and it had the most simple of protection spells. Illusion to hide the door, reinforcements and passwords specific for certain people. People who’ve used the room once cannot enter again with the same password. Unless you’re family. Or close enough to it.

“Gressleweed Casserole.” I whispered. The door revealed itself in an instant. There was a compulsion to knock on the door. It creaked open at first, but swung wide in an instant.

“Colm, thank the Gods!” Annie exclaimed once she got her arms around me. We stayed there in the doorway long enough for it to automatically close behind us. And push us in forcefully.

“There goes that lamp…” I said while we got up from the floor. “I’ll get ye ‘nother one, promise.”

“I’m just so glad to see you.”

“Really? I dinna think ye’d wanna…”

“Colm, the last time I saw you was in hospital after you knocked yourself out. I’m just…it’s a relief to see your face and not just hear your voice. I missed you so much, Idiot.”

“Aye, missed ye tuh. An’ I’m sorry fer…fer e’erythin’. I dinna mean tuh run out ‘gain. I shooda told ye in person at least an’…an’ I’ll make it up tuh ye anyway I can.”

“You can start by telling me what happened.”

And I did. I spent the time laying by her side and telling her about my frantic week. All the incidents, all the things I learned, the thoughts that came across my mind.

Well, not everything. I didn’t want to worry her with all the details of close-calls or…or the depressing realizations. Annie let me talk for the most part, but asked questions every now and again. I thought for sure I was boring her. I was never a great storyteller. I didn’t lead an exciting life. Her polite attention was appreciated nonetheless.

“Where’s Bridget now? How’d she take the news about Lydia? They were never on best terms…”

“She’s at home, restin’. The Bouncin’ took more out uv’er than she thought. But she ranted up a storm befer passin’ out. Had more tuh say ‘bout Lydia than I thought.”

“And you? How are you handling all of this?”

That was a good question. One I still thought needed more deliberation.

“…I thought I knew’er. We werne best friends or anythin’, but…I canna believe I dinna see it comin’. We got on each other’s nerves but I coodne imagine’er goin’ so far just ‘cuz…‘cuz a’…I dunno. ‘Cuz I’m tryin’ tuh do better?”

It was hard to explain. The words didn’t sound right. Nothing about the situation seemed right.

“I just wish I werne such an idiot…” I muttered as I pulled Annie closer. Gods, how I wished I could stay like that forever. Quiet and serene as I cuddled with the person I loved best in the world. Life didn’t get much better than that.

“You’re not an idiot, Colm. You can’t blame yourself for this. No one could have seen this coming.” Annie tried to reassure me. She snuggled closer, holding me tighter. “I mean, Bridget’s not my favorite person either, but there’s such a thing as going too far.”

“She…isne…?”

“Of course not. She just gets to hang out with him.”

It took longer to catch on than I’d like to admit.

“Oh. Oh! I’m yer favorite person, am I?”

“Hmm. Maybe a bit on the slow side, but I wouldn’t trade you for all the gold in the world.”

The sentiment made me feel better. A little bit. But in the back of my head, there was still a little part of me that feared the worst.

I kept it as silent as I could.

I didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“I don’t suppose you’d be up for a quickie before the real world catches up again?” Annie asked after a while.

“Mmmm…doesne have tuh be all that quick, does it?” I asked as I leaned in for a kiss.

Just as we got each other’s shirts undone, the phone rang.

Of course.

“Gods damnit!” Annie yelled as she reached for the bloody ringing thing. “This better be a Gods-damn emergen-! Oh? What? How did that-? No, they weren’t supposed to be here for another hour! No, it’s fine, I’ll be right down.”

“E’erythin’ alright?”

“There’s been a room mix-up and now I need to avert an international incident. You know how it is.”

“A lil’ bit.”

We got dressed and left the room quickly. Something else came to mind as we started down the stairs together.

“I almost fergot: yer still comin’ tuh the coronation, right?”

“…No Colm, I think I need to wash my hair that day. Yes, of course I’m coming!”

“I just wanted tuh know if ye wanted tuh sit up on the stage with Liam an’ Molly an’em or if ye’d prefer a front row seat or somethin’. I know ye doona like bein’ the center uv’attention at big events like that.”

I almost crashed into Annie when she stopped. The look on her face told me everything in an instant. It terrified her.

“I…that’s a good question…” she said after a moment. “Can I get back to you on that?”

“A’ course! Though I think we’d change it fer ye at the last minute if need be.”

“‘We’?”

“Oh, aye, Cassidy is still plannin’ e’erythin’ out.” I explained while we continued down. “She’s handlin’ it all so beautifully. She did have a different question though…if ye were on stage, with us, what would we call ye?”

“My name, I’d assume.”

“Heh. No, I think she meant yer title or relation. I said why not call ye the King’s Consort but ‘parently that’s more like ‘wife’ not ‘girlfriend’.”

“I thought it could mean both?”

“That’s what I thought tuh.”

“Well, I’m fine with Consort if need be. Girlfriend is fine, but I get why it doesn’t sound so…‘dignified’.” she said when we reached the bottom. “I’m not sure how bad this’ll be. Can we meet up later? Or tomorrow?”

“Dunno ‘bout tuhmorrow. Got a great big heap a’ day interviews. But if I’m free tuhmorrow night…?”

“I’ll call you to make sure. Good luck out there, Colm.”

“Aye, ye tuh Annie.”

The kiss seemed to last forever. At least, I wanted it to last. But, yet again, we were interrupted soon enough.

“Oh! Sorry!” the man blurted as he opened and closed the door.

“I hope it woona always have tuh be like this…” I grumbled.

“Just think, with the crown comes a new castle. New castle means…new secret passages and hidden rooms.” Annie said playfully. “Who knows the kind of mischief we can get up to!”

“Gasp! Miss Malone! How scandalous! Think a’ the rumors sure tuh go ‘round!”

“You know you love it.”

“I know I love ye.”

The real world laid behind the door, but there was still time for one more kiss.

“OH!”

And one more pinch.

“Miss Malone! How ferward!”