Lydia sat alone in Elara's dining room. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 4.00 in the morning. She had been awake all night. She didn't dare turn on the light because everyone else was still asleep. So there she was, a princess, sitting alone in the tiny dining room of her maid's family home.
Her mind was burdened by the weight of her choices, by the consequences of her decisions. She wished she could go back to a couple of hours earlier, when she was still smiling and laughing with Elara as they walked around the flea market. She wished she could go back to a week ago, when she didn't yet know the hearts of the men who were supposed to be her future. Everything seemed simpler then.
She wanted to make a cup of tea, but she didn't know where the tea was kept. Besides, she was afraid that the sound of the water boiling would awaken her host. So she had a glass of water instead. Her body was tired, her mind was exhausted, but for some reason, closing her eyes would only amplify the noises in her mind. So all she could do was sit there, knees tucked beneath her chin, arms wrapped around her legs, alone in the dark.
She thought that such a haunting loneliness would draw more tears to stream down her cheeks. But no. There were no more tears left in her eyes. All that was left was emptiness, doubts, and numbness. She knew she was standing at a crossroad in her life, but she didn't know which path to take. Every path seemed to lead to pain, sadness, and regret.
She heard the sound of rain gently hitting the roof, the walls, and the windows. She smiled. What perfect weather to complement her broken heart. She looked at the clock on the wall again. It was 5.30 am. If it weren't for the rain, sunlight would already be spilling through the windows.
Today was the day she had to make a choice. What to do from here? Where to go from here? She had racked her brain all night long, but she couldn't find an answer to those questions.
While she was still sitting there, pondering her thoughts, she heard a knock on the door. It was a gentle knock, but it was loud enough to awaken every sense in her body. The unknown guest knocked again. Lydia braced herself and walked toward the window beside the front door. She peeked outside through a tiny gap in the curtain.
She gasped. She looked again. She was sure her mind must have played tricks on her due to her lack of sleep. But what if it wasn't? What if the person outside was really who she thought it was?
The guest knocked again.
Lydia took a deep breath. She unlocked the door and gently swung it open. Standing in front of her was Lady Aveline, the Queen of the Principality of Montaire. Her mother.
"Mom?" Her voice quivered.
"Yes, it's me, darling. Jeez, it took you forever to open that door. How could you let your mother stand in the rain for so long? I was-"
Lydia hugged her mother tightly, tighter than she ever hugged anybody before. Suddenly, the reservoir in her eyes that she thought had already emptied started to overflow with tears. She cried on her mother's shoulder, like a little child who finally sees her mother after getting lost in the park for hours.
Lady Aveline gently stroked her daughter's head. "There, there, my dear. It's okay. Mommy's here. You're not alone anymore."
As if triggered by those words, Lydia slowly collapsed to the floor. Whatever strength that had kept her body moving all this time had finally given up at that moment. Her mother gently knelt on the floor to support her. She cried and cried and grabbed her mother tighter and tighter, as if afraid that if she loosened it up just for a bit, her mother would disappear.
The lights turned on. The sound of the rain and the wails of the princess had woken up Elara and her mother.
"Your Highness?" / "Queen Aveline?" said Elara and her mother at the same time. Surprised wasn't even the right word to describe how they felt at that moment. The two rushed toward the Queen and the Princess, who were still sitting and kneeling at their doorstep, rain still pouring hard outside.
"Come, come inside, My Queen, and Princess, you as well," said Elara's mother, doing her best to help both of them get back on their feet, and closed the door.
"Let me take your coat and your umbrella, Your Highness," said Elara to her queen.
The two members of the royal family slowly walked inside and sit on the dining room.
"Thank you very much for your kindness, Mrs. March," said Lady Aveline to Elara's mother. "I'm sorry if my daughter has imposed herself on you and your family."
"No, no, no, My Queen. On the contrary, the pleasure is mine. You and the Princess could come here whenever you like. Think of it like your second home. I know it's not as comfortable as the royal palace, but it has its own charm, you know, and-"
"Yes, yes, Mom. Could you please make some hot chocolate for Her Majesty and the Princess?" said Elara to her mom. She was feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Yes, of course. I'll have it ready in a jiffy," said Mrs. March while hurriedly walking to her kitchen.
"I'm sorry about my mother, Your Majesty," Elara bowed to her Queen. "She was just excited to see you, that's all."
Lady Aveline gently grabbed Elara's right hand. "It's okay, Elara. Don't worry about it. And thank you very much for going along with my daughter's silliness."
"Uh, ehm...It's okay, Your Majesty," Elara was flustered. She didn't know what to do. "The pleasure is all mine. In fact, I had a great time with Lydia, ehm, I mean My Lady."
Lady Aveline let out a chuckle. "It's fine, Elara. You can call her Lydia. She wanted you to, right?"
"Erm, yes. Alright then, if Your Majesty is fine with it."
"And now, would you be so kind as to let me borrow your towel?" asked Lady Aveline.
"Oh my God, yes, yes, of course. What was I thinking? Give me a second, Your Majesty," Elara quickly ran to her mother's room, looking for some towels.
From the moment they left the doorstep, Lydia still hugged her mother tightly. She stay silent while her mother spoke with Elara and Mrs. March. She never realized it, but just hearing her mother's voice was enough to calm her down.
"It's alright now, Lydia," said Lady Aveline as she gently patted her daughter's back. "You can let go of me now. I'm not going anywhere."
"No. Just give me a second. Let me stay like this for a while," whispered Lydia.
Elara came running back, with two towels at hands. "Here you go, Your Majesty. Do you need to use the bathroom? Or maybe a change of clothes? I'm afraid we don't have clothes that are suitable for a queen here, but-"
Lady Aveline smiled, "It's okay, Elara. I only need the towel."
As Lady Aveline dried her hair with the towel, Mrs. March came with two cups of hot chocolate in her hands. "Here you go, My Queen. I know it's not much, but a hot chocolate would warm you up in this weather."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. March," said the queen. "We will thoroughly enjoy this hot chocolate."
"The pleasure is mine, My Queen, and oh, you can call me Elmia if you want," said Mrs. March.
"Yes, yes, Mom. Come on, let's give Her Majesty and the Princess some privacy. So why don't you go look at Dad, in case he needs your help?" said Elara.
"Why would he need my help?" said Mrs. March with a light frown on her face.
"Just, let's go, come on." Elara ushered her mother to go inside her room.
Once Mrs. March entered her room, Elara came back to see the two members of the royal family in her dining room. "You can call me if you need anything, Your Majesty."
"Thank you very much, Elara," said the queen.
"Ehm, what about that gentleman? Won't he come in?" asked Elara, pointing at the silhouette of a man standing with an umbrella outside her house.
"Ah, don't worry about him. He is a royal guard," said the queen. "I've already asked him to come with me, but he stubbornly said that he needed to be outside in order to do his job properly."
"Is that so? Alright then." Elara nodded. "I'll be in my room. Feel free to call me if you need anything, Your Majesty."
"I will, thank you very much, Elara."
Now that Elara had gone back to her room, Lady Aveline lifted Lydia's head from her shoulder. She used the towel to clean her daughter's head some more. Once her daughter seemed to be dry enough, she put the towel down on the table and let out a big sigh.
"Okay. Are you ready to talk now?"