Andrew Robinson
Stories
4
Chapters
1,142
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 16 h
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The following morning we both woke up sore from sleeping on the couch but Al seemed much more refreshed. And determined to visit Nyla's mother. We had to eat breakfast with the rest of the royals and I had a very dull tea party with the queen and Rosenia first. Once that was over and done with, I changed back into my comfy clothes and we made our way over to the back wall. Nyla had been right; they weren't hard to find considering the group of children running around the neighborhood with black hair…-
42 •
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Once back in our room, Al paced back and forth so much it was making me dizzy. I wanted to ask him to stop but couldn't open my mouth. He might be angry—too angry to talk to me properly—but he had declared that I was the only family he needed less than ten minutes ago. That was a pretty bold thing to say. Despite forgetting me outside and not listening to me since coming back, I was the only one Al really trusted. It made me feel guilty considering the things I was keeping from him. "Al," I prompted…
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42 •
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Franz stared at his little brother in utter shock. Usually Al was pretty passive-aggressive towards him so I could understand how that amount of straightforwardness would throw him off. Maybe I'd had more of an influence on Al's personality than I thought. "Where on earth is this coming from? Of course we have the same parents. Who gave you the idea that the king isn't your father?" Al glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest, looking surprisingly menacing. He was normally such a human puppy…
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42 •
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Al didn't show after twenty minutes of waiting by the wall so I gave up on that idea and tried looking for the staff entrance. There had to be someone there who would recognize me and let me in. The risk with this idea was that I might run into one of Sigmund's informants. I didn't want him knowing I had left the castle. That could only result in trouble. Thankfully, luck was on my side today. I ran into Marcy as she was heading out to personally pick the best strawberries in the market to use in…
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42 •
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By the time all the hats and scarves were finished, the weather had improved considerably. Al and I headed out using clothes we had borrowed from the servants' wing and set up shop in the part of town that held the public market. I had already enacted the first part of my plan by having all of the other hats and scarves being sold bought up and delivered to the orphanage earlier in the week. We were the only ones selling and with our low prices they were clearing out pretty quickly. Al went off to find…
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42 •
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Al could not, for the life of him, follow my crochet instructions by hand. I wished I had a loom to teach him on; it would make my job a hundred times easier. Because there was no way I could accomplish all of this by myself. Then it hit me. I may not have access to the plastic looms they sell in the craft aisle of chain stores but hadn't the original looms been made out of wood? There was a small fleet of carpenters who worked in the castle. I found one of them and showed them a drawing of what I…
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42 •
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After Franz announced Mariela's pregnancy the entire palace was in an uproar for over a week. Suddenly the relatively forgotten second princess was the most talked about person in the capital. News spread like wildfire throughout the town. Al and I found that out while escaping the palace one day for some peace and quiet. No matter how hard we tried, it seemed that we couldn't escape our problems. Whispers about the line of succession followed us wherever we went. Eventually we were so sick of listening…
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42 •
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Left with no other choice, Franz and Mariela spilled the beans a week later. She needed the excuse to stay in her chambers. Apparently here, like in 1800s England, it was normal to stay in bed for the entire duration of a pregnancy. I couldn't even imagine that. I had coworkers who kept teaching right up until their water broke. One particularly eventful school year a teacher started going into labor right there in the staffroom. Her husband was called immediately and the vice principal was given the…
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42 •
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I hurriedly whispered for Mariela to lie on her side as I grabbed another blanket and a few pillows to pad her and hide her growing belly. That should be sufficient cover if Rosenia didn't stay long. "Let her in, Patrice," Mariela said softly. I hopped off the bed and stood tall for decorum's sake, even if I was wearing one of my comfy sweater outfits. Rosenia glided into the room without sparing the maid a glance. "Dear Mariela, you've been ill so long. The queen and I are worried about you." "It…
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42 •
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Franz had largely moved his base of operations into their shared bedroom so he could watch over his wife but once he saw that I was in a bad mood he kissed her briefly and headed back to his office, leaving us alone to talk. "What did Alpheus do this time?" she asked with a light laugh. She knew me too well. He was the only person in this place that could really get a rise out of me. "He won't stop teasing me about having children," I complained. "He knows I'm not ready for that but keeps giving me a…
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