11 -- WAKE UP CALL.

Laura woke the next morning, after having a very short night filled with turns and discomfort. She still couldn't get her mind over what was being requested of her. She played back the last years and her suitors' parade, the long line of requests and invitations just to be showed off and her worth determined. She hugged, hitting her bed harder till the frame shook beneath her.
Elaine entered just then, an empty laundry basket in her hand and Laura remembered their conversation yesterday. Laura had been trying to glean more information about her mother and seeing as Elaine was always ready to tell her about her mom, she asked her about her mother during her marriage with her father.
Elaine froze then, slowly turning towards Laura and searching her eyes. She probably didn't find what she was looking for because she bussed Laura's cheek and whispered, "She was beautiful." And she walked out, nervously glancing at Laura as she closed the door.
Laura knew that Elaine was hiding something. Of course, her mother was a beauty so she didn't understand what Elaine meant by her mother was beautiful. She looked up at Elaine then, glaring at her as Elaine purposely avoided her eyes, straightening the room and opening the windows. Elaine had always been a busy bee whenever she was nervous and worried and Laura guessed that this was the same reason.
She tried to tell herself to give Elaine space because somehow, irrespective of the years that had passed, Elaine still grieved for her mom and it pained her sometimes to see her tear up whenever she spoke of her mom. The pull to know more won and Laura spoke up.
"What did you mean by what you said yesterday?" She watched as Elaine's back stiffened and she pressed on, guilt assuaging her senses but curiosity greater, "You said she was beautiful. That is a common fact in this kingdom. I was talking about her marriage to my Father and you said she was beautiful. It confuses me."
Elaine set down the bathrobe that she had been folding and turned to look at Laura. Her eyes were wet and Laura felt guilty all the more. "I'm so sorry, don't answer that."
She made to get up from the bed but Elaine rushed forward, pressing down the covers down on her side and trapping her arms. "No, I shouldn't have been so vague. Of course, that information wasn't enough and I didn't think it through. I'm sorry it bugged you."
Laura shook her head, grasping onto Elaine's hand tightly, letting her know that she didn't need to tell her anything but Elaine continued speaking, "What I meant to say is that she was so much in love. They were so much in love." She put so much emphasis on the 'They' letting me ponder on it and I wondered how my Father must have been like, So in love.
"There was this warmth always surrounding her. This light." Her voice sounded like she was reminiscing and Laura gripped her hand tighter, wanting to know more. "She loved me so much."
Elaine wiped tears off her eyes and looked at me, laughing wetly and running her palms over her face. "She loved this kingdom and most of her thoughts, everyday, were on this kingdom. For this kingdom. And your Father." Elaine stood then, walking to the half full basket and picking it, resting it on her hip.
She turned back to Laura as she reached the door, just remembering something. "She loved you. Even when you were just a thought and a dream in her mind. When you were in her womb. And while she was birthing you. She loved you."
Elaine gave her a weak smile and walked out of the room. She stayed on her spot on the bed for a long while, her mind whirling with thoughts.
She suddenly remembered her little spat with Mary and decided that bridges had to be mended. It was just a disagreement between friends, seeing as they didn't see eye to eye on issues of the heart.
Laura stood then and walked through her morning routine, gulping down a glass of milk that a maid had dropped off while she was in the shower. Pulling on her winter boots, she pulled a large cookie from the plate that was dropped off with the milk and walked off, frowning when she saw Malik and Adam escorting her into the village.
"I'm not going to be mugged on my walk from here to there." She pointed over at Mary's house, that was just a few distance from the castle gates. Turning back, she saw Adam tapping his foot on the grounds, looking like a really impatient pup and she suddenly decided then that she might be wrong about him. No, that was wrong, something still looked fishy about him. She just decided to keep an open mind when it came to him, because she didn't ever want Mary to be upset with her.
Thinking about it, Laura agreed that she had upset Mary but Mary concluded with the most vile thing to ever say and she should be pissed about it, but it won't take their friendship anywhere. Mary might be this very quiet person but she'd definitely never apologize for something that wasn't her fault.
"Anything can happen from the walk here to there. That's how people get killed or kidnapped." Malik started walking, Adam following him. Laura didn't have anything more to say, especially as they were assigned to always be by her side. Assigned by her father, because Laura didn't see the need for them honestly.
Stewing, she hurried past them, marching down the little slope that led to the village. The baker's shop was always the first to open and currently, people were gathered at the front, waiting for those inside to finish their purchase and step out, giving others the chance to get what they need.
Laura stepped up to the glass of the shop and perused the goods set up on trays by the window. Seeing a bagel and croissant, she tapped against them from the glass and Peterson, the baker's nephew who has been watching her since she stepped up to the window, packaged them and walked out to hand the bag to them.
A lady heavy with child stopped and bent her head in greeting, the little boy beside her staring at Laura in awe. You'd think that her people would be used to her by now, with the way she always came down here to see Mary, that they'd all be used to seeing her.
She passed a group of girls and they whispered behind their raised hands, staring down at her. It wasn't news that most of her people despised her. She was called the Proud Princess simply because she didn't know how to communicate with people that she just met and because she didn't have any real interest in state affairs.
Laura frowned as she thought about that. It didn't make sense that people judged her simple because she didn't fit into the role she was born into, but just last week, the wood maker's son opened a salon down the street. That was hypocrisy to her, especially as her people had opened their arms wide, congratulating him.
She had just stopped at Mary's house when the door swung open. She watched from her position behind the gate as Mary's Dad ran down the short steps, stopping when he noticed them standing at the gates.
"My dear girl, come in. Come in." He pulled open the gates and ushered them inside, smiling at Laura but eyeing Adam and Malik.
"Mr. Sutherland, Good morning. I came to see Mary."
He laughed, "Of course, you definitely didn't come to see me or my wife." They all looked up when the house doors opened again and Mary was standing there, her baby brother on her hips.
Mr. Sutherland waved and then nodded at Laura, stepping out of the open gates and pulling it close behind him. Mary stared at them from her spot on her porch, looking red in the face.
Mathias, her brother, started wiggling and crying then and Mary bounced him on her hip, wiping her forehead with the apron she had on. She glanced at Adam, frowning when he looked at her with his brows drawn.
"I'm not much company here. Mama went to the next town yesterday to get some fabrics and it's just Matty, me and a thousand chores." She wiped her brows again and Laura rushed over to her, lifting Mathias out of her arms and into hers.
"Then I'd watch over my love just for today. While you work." Mary huffed, just as she heard Malik and Adam snort. "What? I don't do chores." She walked past Mary and entered the house, her nose filling with something sweet.
Mary shut the door behind her and Laura turned to her. "Potted hare." She stated and Mary laughed then, taking Mathias from Laura and placing him on a couch, picture books placed in front of him.
"You don't have to come visit me whenever you're hungry for anything other than palace food." Mary was a moving blur, shoving things into boxes and unflattering the space.
"That's not it." Laura sat on the couch, tickling the back of Mathias' foot as she sat down. Mathias laughed, staring at her and grabbing onto his toes, rocking forward and laughing. The action made Laura laugh out as well and she glanced up to see Mary staring at the two of them, a smile on her face.
"What?"
"It's nice seeing you like this." Mary smiled at her and walked out of the room, Mathias' plastic toys in a basin and Laura guessed that she was about to wash and disinfect them.
"Matty is the love of my life. Of course he'd bring out the best in me." She bent down to look Mathias in his eyes, laughing again when he shrieked and grabbed her face.
"You should be more like this. Maybe then, you won't be so bitter to those around you."
Laura froze and stared at Mary through the doorway to the kitchen, frowning when Mary looked at her from her spot on the stove and smiled. A fake one.
"Look, I know that you're mad at me." She tickled Mathias' foot again and stood, walking over to where Mary stood. "And I'm sorry for saying things to provoke you."
Mary froze, looking into the thickened broth on the stove. Her brows pinched together and then she looked up. "I'm sorry for what I said."
Laura snorted. "No, you're not." She placed her shoulder against the doorway and smirked at Mary. Mary smiled back.
"Okay, so I'm not sorry for what I said. But I'm sorry for saying it the way I did."
"I deserved it. And much worse." Laura waved the apology away and stepped more into the kitchen.
"No one deserves anything like that. Now, what you do deserve, is to do the dishes before eating my food." Mary threw the rubber hand gloves at her and she groaned, reluctantly putting them on and going to the sink.
She had helped out with the dishes so many times that no one needed to tell her where the washing cloth and soap were. Thinking about it, she had to do something as thanks for the food she was about to receive.
It was after four in the evening by the time Laura said her good-byes to Mary and walked back to the castle. She had not felt so relaxed since her father told her about the marriage and she remembered that she had forgotten to tell Mary about it.
She had just entered through the gates, waving at Malik and Adam as they went their way, when she saw Banks heading out of the house and marching towards her.
Great. Just what she needed to destroy the good mood she had just built.