Aurum POV

What now?

Aurum stared at the fire, the flickering comforting. She really ought to feel horribly lonely now, confronted with the reality of her family’s magically-induced abandonment of her, betrayed – Was it really a betrayal? – by her only friend – Were they really friends? – and alone in a remote cottage. But the cottage itself was being oddly… supportive. As though it was trying to make her feel better. Odd, given how hostile it had been to her up to this point.

“Do you forgive me for hiding the truth from Alice now that I’ve come clean, house?” Aurum whispered to herself. No, to the house. It was impossible to deny it was sentient and capable of its own version of conversation. A puff of smoke rose from the fire, somehow seeming almost haughty. Aurum laughed quietly despite herself.

What now?

Tears formed, and Aurum wiped them away hurriedly, as though hiding them from someone. From the cottage, maybe? From Alice, who wasn’t even there? Aurum hadn’t felt this confused since she’d been first ousted from the castle. Which honestly speaking hadn’t been all that long ago. What a ridiculously horrible time this was. What a ridiculously horrible situation.

Alice being delusional really shouldn’t come as this much of a shock, Aurum reminded herself. The bizarre clothes, the strange manner of speaking, the isolation of the cottage. Her acceptance of Aurum, her odd silences and guilty glances. Aurum had discounted most of this because – because –

Why did I ignore it? Aurum wondered to herself. She didn’t want to admit that she had wanted to believe in Alice because she had wanted them to be friends. Or maybe something… more. Instead, here she was, alone again.

The fire flickered, indignant. Not alone, then. I have you, cottage. Another angry flash. Aurum started to whisper out loud again, getting angry herself.

“What do you mean, I’m not alone? How can I count on someone who thinks they come from another world, much less someone who lied about knowing who I am? I have to leave now! There’s no way out of this. I can’t trust her now, and I don’t know how to even start fighting the witch. I am alone.” Tears fell again.

A gust of wind rustled through the cottage, cold and judgmental. Aurum took a deep breath.  The cottage was chastising her, and with good reason. She was panicking, and she was ignoring a great deal of the evidence at hand. Alice may seem like she had lost touch with reality, but she didn’t seem like she worked for the witch. And as much as Aurum wanted to deny it, it didn’t make sense for Alice to have somehow made this up. She knew too much. Which, of course, meant Alice probably worked for the witch. Except she hadn’t done anything to harm Aurum and had even been attacked by a minion of the witch. But that could have technically been a trick…

Aurum shook her head despairingly. She was only going in circles. None of this made proper sense. Alice’s explanation was just absurd. Aurum knew she was real, that this world was real – how on earth could she be expected to believe that this was actually a storybook in another world? Wouldn’t that mean that somehow this was all a fabrication? A fantasy? And Alice had said Aurum was powerful, more powerful than the witch.

Nonsense. It’s nonsense. I need to face reality.

And this cottage, this strange little cottage with the strange little woman who lived in it, was as good as a fantasy. Staying here, believing Alice… that would be choosing a fantasy over reality. And Aurum’s family deserved better. Her kingdom deserved better.

Aurum POV  - a memory

It was a dreary day. After weeks of unbroken sunshine and beautiful early spring days, the sky was a solid, pale grey. Despite that, Aurum was filled with contentment. She had been tasked with reviewing the kingdom’s agricultural tax structures and looking for redundancies and waste, and she had actually found signs of embezzlement in one province. It hadn’t been going on long, and her careful work had saved everyone in the administration an enormous amount of time and headache. More importantly, it had saved the province from significant damage. It had only been a few years since she’d started taking on serious tasks as a minister’s aide, and she had long been desperate to prove to her parents that she had what it took to lead and care for her people. This was an important step in that direction.

Almost whistling, she nearly ran into her younger brother Argentum in the hallway as she walked to the kitchens to find something to eat. She had skipped breakfast and lunch and was ravenous now that she had finished her work.

“Aurie!  Careful!!” Argentum was carrying a tray loaded with cookies, a teapot, and three teacups. His small arms shook with effort as he balanced it all. Aurum grinned apologetically.

“Sorry, Argen, sorry! You are working hard there. What is that all for?”

“It’s for Platina and Aereus! We have a very important tea party. You said you were busy so you can’t come.” Argen spoke huffily, his eight-year-old voice making his annoyance adorable rather than cutting. Aurum had indeed brushed him off a few hours before when he had eagerly invited her to a siblings-only tea party with him and the twins. At sixteen, four years younger than Aurum, Platina and Aereus likely weren’t exactly enthralled with the idea of a tea party itself, but they all doted on Argen. He was the baby of the family. If it hadn’t been for the urgency of her assignment, Aurum would have joined them too.

“I’m sorry, Argen. I’ll be good and come next time, then? Since I’m not allowed to come, even though I finished work early?”

Argen looked torn. “Right. Next time. But not today!” And with that, he scurried off, face scrunched up in concentration as he balanced the tray.

Laughing to herself, Aurum continued to the kitchens, greeting the cooks cheerily – if slightly imperiously – as she walked in. They were used to members of the family stopping by for snacks and oddly timed meals, and usually had sandwiches and other food prepared. Thanking Della for the plate, Aurum sat at the tall counter out of the way but close enough to watch the kitchen staff at work. She always found it relaxing, despite the high energy of the kitchen, the efficiency and collaborative spirit making the rapid movements and work something like a dance.

A hand fell onto her shoulder and she jumped slightly, startled. Her father, King Ferrum, stood behind her, smiling gently. His hair was a rusty orange, streaked with dark grey from age, and his eyes were a deep stormy color, somewhere between blue and green and grey.

“I heard about your work. Well done, child.” Aurum’s heart warmed at his praise. It was a difficult thing to earn, and she always glowed under his approval. There was no one, except her mother, who she respected as much as the man before her.

“Thank you, father. It was a collaborative effort.” King Ferrum nodded approvingly; eyes crinkled at the corners.

“As it should be.”

“Indeed,” a voice sounded from the doorway, barely audible over the clamor of the kitchen. Queen Chalybe stood there, as poised and elegant as always in an emerald gown, her hair as pale and shining as Aurum’s, but silver rather than gold. Her pale grey eyes flashed.

“You have earned a rest, child, but your next tasks will be demanding. You should remember to seek guidance when you need it.” Aurum flinched slightly. Perhaps she should have sought counsel with her mother as soon as she had encountered the discrepancies in the reports, but she had known more or less what to do, and she had done well in the end. Trust her mother to notice her take slightly longer with a task then she might have otherwise. Aurum had just wanted to impress her, but she should have known by now that her mother respected efficiency and honesty above all else.

“Yes, mother.” Aurum lowered her head contritely.

Nodding with approval, Queen Chalybe looked to her husband, eyes warming slightly. “We should celebrate. It stopped raining a while ago. The horses would enjoy a brief ride.”

Aurum’s heart leapt. There was little she loved more than riding. And it was rare for her parents to join her, much less for her mother to suggest such an outing.

“Yes! I’ll go get ready now.” Aurum answered, looking at her father hopefully. He smiled indulgently.

“I will do the same. It’s been a while. Char will be eager for the exercise, and I could use some myself.”

Laughing gently, the queen took her husband’s arm and they left the kitchen to prepare for the ride. Aurum grinned to herself once they left, showing her joy more honestly now that they had left. It wasn’t so much that they scorned exuberance, rather that Aurum wanted to appear as poised as possible in front of them. Like a proper royal, and a true leader. Or at least, what she thought one looked like.

Eating quickly, Aurum’s heart was full. A ride! Her mare, Cream, would be thrilled to go outside. And the weather really wasn’t that bad. The clouds had an ominous sort of tint, but that meant only that they might get caught in a spring shower. It was going to be a good day.