HE'S ALREADY IN DREG

"Your grace, may I go and see mother now?" Evirelda asked excitedly holding all the flower crowns she had made.

The sun had already set and Ceaser was thoroughly dirty by then. Even Crow was dirty thanks to Evirelda who kept sending them to get flowers for her. She had made ten crowns in total while Crow had six and Ceaser had one proper one.

"Let's look for Genevia and ask her." he answered.

"Is lady Genevia also mother's daughter?" she asked seriously pondering.

"No she's not. She is a relative of his grace here." Ceaser answered tilting his head towards Crow who was walking silently.

"I see." she said looking around.

Evirelda run ahead of them to ask if someone had seen Genevia. She turned to a guard in the hallway towards her room and pocked his thigh to get his attention.

"Have you seen lady Genevia anywhere?" she asked him.

"She went to his majesty, prince Ceaser's, room." he answered already accustomed to the princess' queries.

"Thank you, sir."

The guard smiled at the guard failing to notice the two men who stood close by looking at him as he patted the princess' head. She handed him one crown them beckoned Ceaser and Crow to follow her. The guard looked down to hide his face from the two men who had seen his interaction with the princess. He bowed when they stood in front of him then they just walked away.

When Ceaser and Crow entered the room, Genevia had one crown on her head. She kissed Evirelda's cheeks and told the girl that Terra had been looking for her children.

"So I can go now?" the young girl asked.

"Yes. Go with Ceaser."

"You mean his grace." she corrected the woman.

"His grace?" she repeated confused.

"That is how she addresses her brother." Crow said to clear her confusion.

Genevia smiled and stood up with the girl who innocently pulled her out. The four of them walked slowly to Terra's room but along the way when Evirelda felt they were walking too slow, she abandoned them. When they reached the Queen's chambers, Evirelda had already given her mother the flower crown.

"Why are you so dirty? All of you." Terra inquired.

"The princess made us play with her." Crow stated.

Ceaser walked to Terra who was looking better. He sat on the edge of the bed and extended his arms to hug her. She smiled brightly and sluggishly inched closer to him. He did the same so she wouldn't have to move too much then they finally hugged. A tear rolled down her cheek and she held back her sobs so he wouldn't break the hug.

"My son." she said in a shaky voice.

"Mother." he responded.

"Mother and his grace." Evirelda said joining the embrace.

Terra laughed and put the girl between them. A few minutes went by and they finally broke the hug. Evirelda's hair was ruffled up and so was Ceaser's.

"Thank you for looking after him." Terra said to Crow.

He didn't say or do anything but Terra kept smiling at him so he smiled back in politeness.

"I'm guessing you are the one who told her to call me 'his grace'." Ceaser said.

Terra nodded with a smile and held his hand tightly in her own. She looked into his eyes trying to search for the gleeful boy she had sent away but only found the man who returned. He had grown so much since she'd last seen him. He was tall now and his face was sculpted. His skin looked a little pale but she was sure it would change with time. His blue eyes had become deeper and more entrancing. He resembled his grandfather so much. She touched his chest just to check if his heart was still there. The beats were quiet and slow in an un-natural way. She watched his blank expression then noticed he had been holding out a flower crown for her to take. She took it with a wide smile on her face and she hugged him again.

*

*

Eve followed a maid closely as the lady went to the market where Ceaser was designated to pass that day. It was almost high noon and the sun was scorching hot. She had worn a faded brown dress and covered herself with a brown cloth to hid her distinct white hair. The maid had dolled up especially for attention and she did get it from several men but her goal was the prince. Dreg had changed over the years and was now the top of everything; military, trade, infrastructure, wealth, expansion and the like. Many royal families with unwed princesses were looking forward to making arrangements for their daughters to meet the prince so even the paupers had their eyes set on him.

The market was densely crowded with young women dressed in their best clothes. Eve scanned the crowd and spotted many palace maids there. All the women were beautiful and normal looking. Most of them were brunettes others black haired while their were a few blonds.

The place was noisy and most shops were locked to avoid been robbed of their goods. There were some maidens dressed extravagantly and Eve could tell at first glance that they were harlots because of the types of dresses. Did Ceaser like women?

A carriage passed by making everyone wait in anticipation. The emblem of Dreg was on the carriage so it was clear it was going there. Eve tried to see as much as she could but she was quite short. A woman came and used Eve's shoulders to prop herself up to see. Eve groaned and pushed the woman away then she moved elsewhere. The woman cursed her and went to another person to do the same thing. Some maidens stopped the carriage to ask about the prince.

"The prince is already in Dreg. He travelled quickly this time round. I am coming from Bernance to get some gifts from the queen Athena to deliver to queen Terra." the coachman explained.

"What?! When did he pass through Zeth?' asked another woman.

"Two days ago. He used the path through the forest." he said adjusting his hat as he played with a straw of hay in his mouth.

"Have you seen him?"

"Yes. We even spoke." the coachman bragged.

"What does he look like?"

"Like a man obviously."

The women were infuriated with the man's response and nearly attacked him but we're stopped by some of the men present. The man left soon after and the crowd started to desipate.

Eve's face fell and her shoulders slumped. She turned back in the direction of the palace and walked silently looking down. She used an alley that led to the palace's greenhouse where she had dug a hole that she used to go in and out. She noticed that there were three savage looking men there and was about to go back the way she came but as she backed away, her back hit something hard and firm. She turned to find it was another man with an eyepatch over his left eye.

They surrounded her but were angered by the fact that she didn't look so scared. Did she understand her current situation?

"Hello, milady. What are you doing all alone in such a place?" the eyepatch man said.

"She's good looking. I'd say she was looking for a handsome man such as myself." another man said coming closer to her.

He was about to touch her when she slapped him and went to push another weaker looking man to the side. She was about to go through the gap she had created but the eyepatch man pulled away the cloth covering her head and then the other man pulled her hair. She grunted in pain then swiftly turned and kicked the man's hand. He was shocked and lost balance and she delivered another blow on his head sending him straight to the ground face down. A pool of blood formed around the man's head shocking the eyepatch man. Had she killed him?

The man she had slapped run towards her but she moved away and threw a sharp pin into his back. It went through him with ease and nearly pierced the other man who was getting up after been pushed aside. Her eyes started to glow a bright white and suddenly the men couldn't move. They were crushed by their own weight and where they once stood pools of blood remained. They were beyond unrecognizable. Eve's eyes returned to normal and she continued to where she was going. She crawled through the small hall and walked to the palace's back door where the servants went in and out. The maids who were cooking looked at the princess suspiciously because it was the third time she had gone out that week. Was she meeting her lover?

Eve ignored their glares and made her way to her room. She took the dress off and went to take a bath. The water in the tub was warm like it had just been put there. She shut her eyes and let the water calm her nerves.