Princess Natalya of the Longbournian Nations, Archery Mistress of the Longbournian Armed Forces

30 November, Year 1 of Sebastian VI, Emperor of the Longbournian Nations' reign

Amöneburg Palace, Amöneburg

The Longbournian Nations

Clutching my skirts, I sprinted down the corridors of the Palace.

I was late enough as it was. Firstly, the moment I had arrived at the Palace, I had to change out of my army uniform into a suitable gown - one that looked comfortable enough to wear on a daily basis, and at the same time, emphasized to others that I was a Princess of the Longbournian Nations.

Appearances were everything. My Lady Mother expected it of me.

Under normal circumstances, I did not care a whit about her expectations. However, I had been making an effort to be nice to her these days, to make it up to her for suspecting her of trying to kill Brother-mine this entire month. It was not necessary, considering she was none the wiser about the whole affair, but it eased my conscience.

Secondly, well...my plan had come to fruition a day early, and I did not want to miss a moment of it.

Her Majesty Queen Consort Eleanor Seymour of Monrique had arrived.

When I reached my Lady Mother's receiving chambers, I skidded to a screeching stop. I swiftly smoothened down my skirts, ran a hand through my curls, and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

"You are not late, Your Serene Highness."

The elderly herald standing by the double doors smiled amiably at me. We were on good terms, after the countless times over the years that I had stopped by to chat with him whenever I passed him.

He reminded me of my own grandfather when he had lived.

"Thank goodness for that, Corporal von Pappen," I sighed, returning his smile, "tell me, is my appearance up to the Dowager Empress' expectations? You must be honest. I do not want to earn her ire at such a time."

"You look most lovely, Your Serene Highness. Her Majesty will find no fault with you," he bowed, "truth be told, you will find that she is a little distracted today to take much notice of anything else."

"The Dowager Duchess? Distracted?" I pretended to be shocked, "surely you jest, Corporal. 'Tis impossible!"

"But true," he confirmed, "Queen Eleanor's sudden visit was of a great shock to Her Majesty, and the rest of this Palace. None of us were prepared."

Good. I did not want anyone to be prepared.

"Then I must see her at once," I chuckled, clasping my hands by my waist, "will you please announce me?"

He nodded, and knocked on the double doors, before opening them. He entered, and stomped his sceptre three times against the ground.

"Announcing Her Serene Highness Princess Natalya Sabine Hohenstaufen of the Longbournian Nations, Archery Mistress of the Longbournian Armed Forces!"

I glided into the chambers with small, graceful steps, quick to notice that both Monriquan and Longbournian guards were stationed around me. By the fireplace ahead, two, elderly women sat on their seats, with their backs straight and their eyes on each other, as they sipped on their tea.

They both paused, and looked at me when I entered. My Lady Mother's gaze assessed me in silence, before she nodded at me and returned to her tea without another word.

I took it as a good sign.

Queen Eleanor, however, broke into a large, blinding beam. "Ah, Natalya! Come, come, sit by us, my dear," she beckoned me, setting her cup of tea on the table, "we have been waiting for you."

My lips pulled up in a genuine smile at her greeting. From what I had heard of her, she was very amiable to everyone around her, and loving, even, to those whom she held dear. However, lo behold, if one had the misfortune to fall on her bad side, they were doomed for all eternity.

I was fortunate. She had liked me the moment we had met several months ago.

I walked towards them now, just as one of my Lady Mother's Ladies-in-waiting drew up a chair for me to sit. "A very good afternoon to you, Your Majesty, my Lady Mother."

"Good afternoon to you too, my dear," Queen Eleanor took my hand in hers fondly, "I am happy to see you well, and happy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I grinned, "how was your journey from Monrique?"

"It was long. I am no longer as young as I once was, and the sea does all sorts of things to my stomach," she shuddered, "thank the Lord we reached ahead of schedule."

"I agree with you, Madame," I squeezed her hand, "I am not too fond of sailing, and neither is my Lady Mother."

I glanced at my Lady Mother. However, surprisingly, she was not paying attention. She was staring hard at the closed double doors, deep in her own thoughts.

"Lady Mother?" I leaned forward to pat her knee, "is everything all right?"

She turned to me, slightly startled. "Oh, yes, all is well. Dear daughter, I must tell you how much I appreciate your prompt arrival upon my summons," she inclined her head at me in something close to gratitude, "you have made the journey from the Women's Academy all the way to my chambers faster than your brother the Emperor, who only has to walk here from his study." She frowned heavily.

My eyes widened. My Lady Mother's messenger would have taken at least half an hour to ride to the Academy with her summons, and I had taken another fifteen minutes to rush to the Palace on my stallion.

What in the world was Brother-mine doing in his study all that time?

My forehead creased in concern. In addition, it had been the same amount of time since Mistress Harrington had stormed out of the Academy with all haste, burning with fury, in search of my brother to demand an explanation for his idiosyncrasies this past two weeks.

For his sake, I hoped he still lived. Katherine Harrington was a force to be reckoned with.

"It is all right, Liese. Mayhap he is very busy," Queen Eleanor was assuring my Lady Mother in the meanwhile, "he is an Emperor, after all, and must have many duties to attend to."

"Nay, it is not all right. You are our guest, and he has yet to even come and greet you. Such rudeness is most unlike him," my Lady Mother set down her cup of tea on the table, "Eleanor, I think we have waited for him long enough. I shall go and fetch him myself."

At that precise moment, the double doors flung open. "Announcing His Imperial Majesty Emperor Sebastian Karl Hohenstaufen VI of the Longbournian Nations!"

Brother-mine strode into the chambers with long, powerful strides. All of us immediately rose to our feet to sink into curtsies in front of him, keeping our heads bowed. I raised my eyes slightly to look at him, for the briefest of moments, and I knew at once that something was not quite right.

His brown hair was tousled, which he was trying hard to comb with his hands as he walked towards us. His cheeks and his ears were bright pink, almost as if he were blushing, and his lips swollen.

And by the Lord, I could have even sworn I saw a fresh, red bruise just beneath his collarbone, standing out proudly against his pale skin, which was supposed to have been covered - had the top button of his shirt been buttoned, and had his cravat been in its proper place.

One did not need to be a genius to put two and two together.

I swiftly lowered my head again, and stared hard at the ground. I let the long curtain of my hair cover my face, so that I could safely and quietly release the warm pop of laughter that was bubbling fast up my throat.

Katherine Harrington was a force to be reckoned with, indeed.

"You may rise," Brother-mine commanded, coming to a slow stop before us.

All three of us stood up together, and looked up at him. Queen Eleanor offered him a smaller smile than the one she had given me, as she held her hand out towards him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Your Imperial Majesty," she greeted him, "I hope I find you in good health?"

He took her hand, and leaned over to kiss the air above it. "The pleasure is all mine, Eleanor," he assured her formally, "and you are welcome here. I am in good health, thank you, and I hope you are too."

She inclined her head.

He then turned to my Lady Mother, sheepish. "Good afternoon, my Lady Mother."

For the first time in a very long time, my Lady Mother scowled at the very sight of Brother-mine.

"Good afternoon, Your Imperial Majesty," she tried hard to maintain a neutral voice, but was failing miserably, "forgive me if I am wrong, but did I not send word an hour ago that Queen Eleanor has come to visit us? Why have you come so late, and so unkempt?" She eyed him, almost bewildered.

He would not meet her gaze, or any of ours, directly, but I could tell that he was trying not to smile. "I tried to come as soon as I could. I am sorry about the delay," he cleared his throat, "I was very busy."

"Busy with what, Brother-mine?" I teased.

Or with who, I wanted to add.

If it was at all possible, Brother-mine turned a brighter shade of scarlet than he already was at that. He turned around to roll his eyes at me briefly, before looking away from me, but I had caught it.

Although he was trying hard to hide it, his sea-green eyes were simply shining with the light from all the candles in the room, and brighter. Truly, I had not seen him this happy in almost a month, and a small smile unfolded on my lips.

Thank you, Mistress Harrington.

"I was, well, busy with my work and lost track of time. That is all, " he answered me evasively, clearing his throat again, "now please, sit down, all of you. I do not wish to waste any more of your time than I already have."

We obeyed. He strode over to the other end of the room to grab a stool, waving off a Lady-in-waiting who was about to fetch one for him, and sat down from across us.

"Well, Eleanor, to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" he asked her.

Queen Eleanor leaned forward. "I have come to see my son, Prince Richard. I received word that he has been found," her eyes began to brim with tears of happiness, "that you have been taking care of him here, in the Palace."

Brother-mine's eyes grew to the size of saucers. He stared at her, stunned, and all the wind was knocked out of him. The earlier light in his eyes was extinguished at once, as he tried to respond to that.

"How - "

"Where is he?" she asked him desperately, "I want to see him. It has been so long - "

"Richard is not here. He is currently running a few errands for me," he managed to force out, before, "but Eleanor, from where exactly did you hear about this?"

Get ready, Natalya. I froze in my seat, preparing myself for the storm I was about to face.

Queen Eleanor turned to me with a teary smile.

"Your sister wrote to me a week earlier of the news," she squeezed my hand, "I will forever be grateful to you, child, bless you. I left Monrique as soon as I received your letter."

I returned her smile tightly, nodding.

"You did what?" my Lady Mother was nonplussed.

"'Tis true," I admitted, "I invited Queen Eleanor to meet Prince Richard. She has been missing him terribly since he had run away."

"Indeed I have, darling. These couple of months have been nothing but hell for me," a tear slipped out of Queen Eleanor's eyes, "you are a godsend, truly."

"And when were you intending to tell me or your brother the Emperor about it?" my Lady Mother queried incredulously, "Eleanor is a Queen, deserving of all the hospitality we can afford her, and we have had no time to prepare - "

"She was not intending to. Were you, Natalya?"

Brother-mine was gazing at me, equal parts angry and resigned. His lips had thinned into a displeased line.

I stared defiantly at him. "Nay, I was not."

He nodded, as if he had expected as much. "My Lady Mother, Eleanor, please excuse us," he stood up, "I need to speak in private with my dear sister. Enjoy your tea in the meanwhile."

With that, he took my hand, and pulled me out of the room.

***

"Do you realise what you have done?"

We were standing outside the Palace, facing each other, in the gardens. Brother-mine ran a hand through his hair, as a frustrated breath left him.

"Aye," I crossed my arms, "I have done what you should have the moment you found him two weeks ago."

He closed his eyes, exhausted. "Natalya -"

"But you are not inclined to get rid of Richard, for some mysterious reason," I scowled heavily at him, "so I decided to take matters into my own hands, and do it for you. Mistress Harrington and I have had enough of your nonsense."

"And you thought bringing Queen Eleanor here would solve the problem?"

"At least she would drag his miserable bottom back to Monrique with her, where I would never have to see him again," I shot back, "which is more than you will ever do."

"Natalya, I have told you countless times - he is in no shape to return home at the present," he answered firmly, "I am trying to find alternative arrangements for him in Amöneburg, like you have been asking me to, but until then, he will have to live with us. I have given him my word."

"I cannot wait that long," I glared at him.

"You no longer have to," he threw his hands up in the air, "your foolishness has seen to that."

"My foolishness? What do you - "

"Queen Eleanor will bring her son home," he explained, huffing, "but not immediately. She will take advantage of our hospitality to stay here for a few more days yet - which is exactly what I have been trying to avoid these few months."

"Why - "

"There is a reason why I still have not extended an invitation to the sovereigns of Monrique to visit us, even though we are in the midst of negotiating the terms of the alliance," his voice was hard, "because one of the terms that they are hell bent on including is marriage. Yours."

I stiffened. "With who?"

"After Richard's disappearance, they suggested one of Frederick's nephews as a possible match for you. They have been sending ambassadors back and forth," he replied quietly, "and the Crown Council is all for it. However, I have never given any of them clear answers."

"As a result, Eleanor has repeatedly hinted to me about wanting to meet me in person to discuss it," he continued, "but I have been stalling for time, under the excuse that you are still upset about Richard. However, now that Richard has been found - and she knows about it - that is no longer possible."

Dread filled me.

I knew how badly my brother wanted this alliance with Monrique. In summary, the Treaty of Amöneburg entailed a free-trade agreement with Monrique, in exchange for our military aid - which Monrique sorely lacked after the many civil wars that had been fought within its borders.

Brother-mine was eyeing Monrique's largest and only sea port, which was the most successful one in the region. It was located in the duchy of Roche, which was not a part of mainland Monrique, but a small island that sat at the mouth of the Guillame Sea.

Many of the world's ships had to pass through the port at Roche before they could proceed to other countries in the West, and as a result, maritime trade flourished there.

The Longbournian Nations would greatly benefit from the free-trade agreement, there was no doubt about that. I knew my brother valued my happiness more than his own, but even he could not do anything if this alliance hinged on my marriage.

His country was as important to him as his family.

The magnitude of what I had done crashed on me in that moment. Brother-mine had been treading a precarious line these few months, keeping his interest in the alliance, but at the same time, trying to ward off Monrique's interest in me without offending them.

By bringing Queen Eleanor here, I had...I had undone all his efforts.

"Will I have to marry, then?" I whispered now.

"I do not know, Natalya," he shook his head tiredly, "but I can bet you, at this very moment, Eleanor will be trying to talk to our Lady Mother about arranging Richard's marriage to you again - and you are well aware how much our Lady Mother also wants that. Regardless of the alliance, Prince Richard has always been her first choice for you."

All the colour drained from my face. "Richard will not agree..."

"He eventually will," he ran a hand through his hair, "his mother is very good at getting what she wants."

My eyes stung with tears. More than anything, I hated disappointing or upsetting Brother-mine. He was one of the very few people in my life who truly believed in me, and had staunchly stood by me when no one else did.

"I am so sorry."

He gazed at me, saddened. "You always take your decisions on impulse without giving a thought to the consequences," he sighed, "would it have been too difficult to put up with Richard for a few more days? Why would you bring Eleanor here, and make things a thousand-fold harder for all of us, especially yourself?"

"Because I cannot handle it anymore," I felt my vision blur, "do you understand what you put me through - and Mistress Harrington too - by asking him to stay with us, and forcing us to interact with him? It feels...it feels like driving a dagger into a wound that has yet to heal."

He was momentarily silenced by the pain in my voice.

"That callous man broke both of our hearts without a single thought to our emotions," my voice broke, "every time I see him, I can only remember the months I spent cutting my wrists and drowning in alcohol, trying to forget my shattered dreams of a future with him."

I pulled back my sleeves, and raised my forearm towards him. The faded scars that marred my skin gleamed in the sunlight.

Brother-mine stared at them, flinching. I knew he remembered those dark days as well as I did. He had been the one who had helped to bring me out of them.

"Richard refuses to even look at me these days, let alone talk to me. It is as if I am invisible - as if all my love, my pain had never meant anything to him. It hurts, Brother-mine," I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a tidal wave of pain wash over me, "so much - "

I found myself suddenly folded in an embrace. Brother-mine's arms held me tightly, as if he were trying to hold together all the broken pieces that were left of me, before I could fall apart completely.

"I did not realise," he whispered, "God, Natalya - "

"I am truly sorry," I sobbed, my tears soaking his shirt, "I did not mean to cause so many problems - I only wanted him gone, and writing to her seemed like the fastest way - "

"Shh, I understand," he murmured, "and do not worry. I will...I will think of something."

I rested my head against his shoulder. That was when I noticed that we were not alone.

Prince Richard was lingering a few feet behind Brother-mine, frozen where he stood. He had long since dropped the trunk he had been holding, with an expression of utter devastation upon his countenance.

His grey eyes were glassy, and burning with a mixture of guilt and agony, as he stared at us.

He must have heard everything.

He noticed me looking at him at that moment. For the first time that week, he did not look past me like I was not there, but continued to hold my gaze. Recognising me. Acknowledging my presence.

I tried to scowl at him like I always did, but failed miserably.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, and vanished even before I could be certain I saw it. "I will handle Mama," he slowly mouthed to me, "do not blame yourself."

With that, he picked up the trunk he had dropped, and strode back into the Palace.

***