For the last few days, Princess Amalia hadn't left her bed. She’d spent her days sobbing until she grew tired and her head throbbed. It was her brother’s own foolishness that got him where he was, injured and yet to awake. Whatever the reason may be, he was still her brother and despite the reassurances that he’d live, she feared he might die.

A knock sounded at her door and with a hoarse voice she responded, "Come in."

Her mother stepped inside the room, she wore an air of dignity about her despite the dark circles under her eyes. She was draped in plain clothes, a change from the usual displays of wealth and her mother’s love for ornate designs. "You’ve locked yourself away long enough."

"Is brother awake?"

The Queen did not answer.

"No? Then I’d say not long enough."

"He will not recover any faster if you don’t take care of yourself."

"Will he do so if I do?"

"You!" her mother snapped her mouth shut, closed her eyes and sighed. "Just peel your gown off, bathe, dress, and show yourself for supper. We’ll talk more then, if I do not see you down in half an hour I shall have your wall torn down for the entire castle to witness your petulance."

Amalia gulped, her mother wasn’t the type to make empty threats and years back during her brother’s rebellious phase she’d done exactly that to his room. Although she knew she’d have to comply, she refused to respond. The Queen turned her eyes and then the rest of her and walked out into the hallway.

After Amalia made herself presentable she made her way to the dining room, opening the double doors with force, drawing the attention of her parents and all the servants. Her father stood, his cheeks sunken and his bones seeming frail, "Ah, I finally get to see my precious daughter’s beautiful face after so long."

"I’m glad you’ve decided to join us," her mother spoke in a gentle voice, a small smile gracing her lips. It was almost like she hadn't threatened Amalia with violent erasure of her privacy.

Amalia sat across from her parents. When not hosting guests her parents sat side by sat at one length of the table. Normally her brother would join her at the other. The king sat back down and waved a hand to the servants, "Now that we’re all here, let’s get to eating."

Not a word was spoken as they feasted, the air was thick and stifling. Amalia bit back the tears that threatened to well up again as she chewed. She knew distancing herself from them was wrong, but while they adored their children, they also had responsibilities as rulers. She feared what talk they might bring up. Terry was heir to the throne and she was in line after him, if not her, then the gaggle of cousins and distant relatives were ready to throw themselves at it.

As the last of the dessert plates were removed from in front of them her heart thundered in her chest.

"Your brother," her mother began and Amalia stared down intently at her hands in her lap. "The doctors say that the infection from the wound might have reached his head and that’s why he hasn’t woken. It had taken too long before he got the care he needed and he may not ever wake."

"Mmh," she’d been there, she’d seen her brother’s condition worsen despite the continued care that the woman had given him. But if it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have had a chance at all.

"We know you don’t want to hear this," her father continued. "And we don’t want to discuss it either, but we must think about what happens if that is the case. Are you prepared to take the throne?"

"I have been all my life, but that wasn’t in the case that…that something happened to him, it was if the truth had been found. I never considered it’d be like this."

"I haven't made an announcement about the dragon. It has not shown any sign of coming back and I do not believe it right to cause panic over a hypothetical. But they are still afraid for the future, believing that your brother is bed ridden with an illness. I’ve decided to hold a ceremony announcing you crown princess in order to assuage their concerns. When he awakes, the title will be passed back to him."

The muscles in Amalia’s back relaxed at her father’s use of when and her tension eased slightly. What power simple words held, but she already knew that since she was little, when Terry called her sister even when they were fighting. "Give me a few days, I’ll refresh myself. I don’t wish to present myself to the public in my depression."

"It will be done in five days time."

"Excuse me, mother, father, I shall take a stroll in the garden. If I head to my chambers now, I’m not sure I’ll have the courage to leave again. Even if the walls are torn down." Her father eyed his wife and she averted her gaze.

Amalia breathed in the fresh air of the gardens, the scent of the flowers filled her nose.

"Your highness? What a surprise!" She looked over to find one of her hand maidens, Vivi, knee deep in dirt pulling weeds. She stood and curtsied, dirt falling from her gown. They had many gardeners but Vivi’s hobby was tending to the gardens and she did it in most of her free time, which lately she had much of. She was the only one that Amalia could truly call her friend. They grew up together when Vivi was too young to understand that princesses weren’t the same as other little girls.

"You’ve finally come out of your cave," though the tone of her voice was lighthearted and she had a smile on her lips, there was the barest sign of relief.

"Yeah, well, not by choice."

Vivi tossed the weeds in her hand into a wheel barrow near her and made her way to Amalia. "Shall we stroll together?" she extended her arm toward her.

Amalia linked their arms. They had been walking in silence for a while before she spoke again, "Maybe my hiding away for so long is unnatural."

Vivi took a minute to think before answering, "I have no siblings so, I wouldn’t even be able to imagine what I’d do, but you can’t control how you feel."

"I’ve been having so many thoughts run through my head, I feel trapped by them."

"Good thing I’m here then, I’ll talk loud enough so you can’t hear them," to push home her point she raised her voice.

That made Amalia smile, it felt like it’d been ages since she’d last smiled. Vivi always had such a strong affect on her, there would have been no way she’d gotten through all these years without her. And definitely no way she’d get through her brother’s injury without her friend, especially now that she had to get back into society.

"In five days I’m going to be made temporary crown princess," she couldn’t bring herself to finish what she was going to say.

"Of course, I’ll be there with you. And if you want me to, I’ll be with you when your brother yanks the crown right off your head," she laughed.

Amalia laid her head on Vivi’s shoulder and said nothing more. Suddenly she’d grown tired of speaking.

The five days to the ceremony were drawing to a close. She’d done much in the last few days to prepare herself for standing in front of the crowd, all the while pretending that she wasn't broken with grief. Somehow she’d managed to keep herself from her bedroom unless she was sleeping. Vivi was much to thank for that, more than willing to comply with Amalia’s orders to keep her from moping. In fact, Vivi had gone above and beyond, so much so that before Amalia was even ready to wake, her hand maiden would come in and drag her from bed.

"You sleep too much and you’ll never want to get up, of course I’m doing you a favor."

Amalia did want to complain, but the nightmares that plagued her nightly recounting the horrible imagery of her brother’s body hurling in the air like a rag doll kept her from doing so. There was more to her dreams, though. Things that she didn’t want to think about, fearing that they would become a reality, as ridiculous as that thought was. No, it was better to forget her dreams while she was awake than to fret over her imagination.

"You’ve done well to come out of your shell," her mother said. They sat together under the gazebo in the garden drinking tea and sharing pastries. Her mother’s servants stood far in the background, they were always around her somewhere, even if no one could see them. "I’m reminded of when you were a child, when you only shared your time with your family and Viviana."

Amalia rolled her eyes, "Mother, there’s no need to reminiscence."

"You were so closed off, never wanting to attend any parties or parade around town in your carriage on your birthday," she ignored her daughter’s continuous sighs and pleas until Amalia gave up. "Until you found the thing you loved most in all the world. What was it that got you to interact with the people, hmmm…" she pretended to ponder, tapping her chin with a finger, a smile playing on her lips.

"Must we do this? It’s different anyways, I’m only pretending to come out of my shell. I’m actually buried pretty deep."

"Ah, yes, the painter. She gifted you a landscape of the kingdom in so many colors you couldn’t count them all."

Yes, Amalia had that painting up in her studio, continuing to inspire her. The only resemblance to the kingdom was the shapes of the castle and the houses surrounding it, though even those seemed to be viewed through a glass of water.  The color of the sky and clouds were unusual and reflected on the architecture. She was enraptured, till this day, how the artist had perfectly captured the light bouncing off the walls, the turrets, and the water surrounding the castle.

"Is there a point your getting to."

Her mother’s eyes wandered away from hers, "Just that your father and I have been talking."

"That’s always a good sign," Amalia took a sip of her tea, preparing for whatever it was her parents had been discussing.

"Well, I thought maybe you could look at that painting as preparation," she chuckled awkwardly.

Amalia narrowed her eyes at her mother who still refused to look at her and pouted.

"Well, tomorrow you will be named heir to the throne, at least temporarily, so just like we did with your brother-"

"Pardon my interruption, mother, as you’ve said, my heirship is temporary and is meant only to appease the people’s anxiety. In other words, it’s all quite unofficial, so why, oh why, would we have a ball?"

Her mother clicked her tongue in disapproval finally looking Amalia in the eyes, "Because a ball would put everyone at ease."

"Not me."

"This isn’t about you," she said a little sternly. Quickly she added, "Or your parents. Just do this please, I know it’s last minute but we’ve already sent out the invitations. A personal one to the family who saved your brother too." Her mother turned her head but watched her from the corner of her eye.

Amalia glanced away and bit her lip. Other than the replay of her brother getting hurt, that day hadn’t crossed her mind, but now that her mother brought it up, the memory came rushing back. The tall man with the awfully handsome face. The way he fearlessly came in and saved them, how strong, powerful, and brave he had looked. Then the gentleness when he picked up her brother and brought him into his own home, and finally how humble and meek he was. It was the qualities she looked in a man, physical strength, bravery, but a softness toward her.

All knowingly, though she hadn’t seen him, the queen smiled. "It isn’t so terrible to simultaneously award them for their good deeds toward our family."

"No, I suppose not," Amalia glared at her mother, hating how she knew just how to get her to cooperate every time.

Now that he had entered her mind, she felt excited to see him again. At the ball, as they danced together she’d have the opportunity to learn about him, his interest, his goals. She would soon see Ethan again.