Chapter 94: Where She Lay

It had been days since he met with Gavin, but Eden had a feeling that Gavin was too busy trying to save himself to care much about Eden’s dismissal of his proposal. It served him right.
He walked down the hall of the castle, hoping to see Laurel before he left the city.
“We shall have a brief break in the gardens…” an unfamiliar voice said from afar.
Eden stopped as an older woman led Laurel and Delia down an alcove leading towards stairs to the ground floor. Delia was holding a book in place on her head as they walked. Beside her, Laurel *glided down* the hallway with a book on her head, back straight and graceful as if she had always grown up in the castle. The book barely trembled as she walked.
Eden wanted to call out and speak to her before he left, but he couldn't get the words out. She seemed different. Her eyes had lost some of their innocent sparkle and joy. In their place was a calm composure and regal air.
He clenched his fist as a pair of servants came down the hallway with a garland of flowers to pin up in the grand hall.
He watched them carry the garland up a flight of stairs and head down the stairs to leave the castle. He wouldn’t be speaking with Laurel before he left it seemed, and that was fine. He needed to focus on the path ahead anyway.
At least, Delia seemed to be grasping what was necessary to ensure the success of the mission. He turned and focused on the list of things he needed to accomplish before leaving. He needed to finish his trade proposal to present to Adolph and make arrangements within his caravan to transport everything he proposed, and he needed a solid plan.
Adolph’s pending wedding was throwing several wrenches in the grand plan, but they weren’t enough to stop the plans he had in motion. It would just take a little more planning on his part.
He walked back into town with a soft sigh. It would have been so much easier if she had agreed to come with him, then he could go forward with his original plan without guilt and trouble, but it didn't matter.
He reached the inn and retired to his room with little more than a wave at random people before sitting at the table and beginning to write the letter.
It was coded, of course. The very few people who knew the code were those he could trust to follow his orders without problem.
When he finished, he folded the letter and went to find a messenger before returning to the base of his caravan and greeting them.
As expected, they were getting ready to move forward with plans coming from above him. He refrained from smiling, nodding at the werewolves helping to load things onto the cart. With enough luck and the right timing, he could make this all work out in his favor and no one would be the wiser.
He’d rescue Laurel from Adolph the Invincible and the fate he’d brought upon the werewolf kingdom.

Helena, Laurel, and Delia had lunch in the garden before heading back to Helena’s parlor. It was odd to be sharing a meal with Delia, but it was illuminating. She hadn’t ever realized how poor Delia’s table manners were. It stoked some fire of anger at the back of her mind, but she let it pass through her without acknowledging it. Delia was Basil’s mate. How could she be surprised that he did not care to force her to be perfect and fit into the world of nobility? Delia didn’t have to try for Basil, but Adolph was fair and that was all that Laurel could have ever hoped for.
She smiled to herself as Helena told Delia she would be assigned a stack of books to read for discussion.
“What for?”
Helena sipped and took a measured breath, “A lady of nobility should be well-versed in several topics to glide easily and manage the courtiers. You would be surprised what good conversational skills can get you.”
“I don’t see why I need to glide easily among the courtiers. I outrank them,” Delia said stiffly. “I’m the real luna.”
“Do you understand how the kingdom operates?” Helena asked, “What each minister is in charge of? What a luna’s duties to the people are?”
Delia wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes, “None of that is important. They just need to do as I say.”
Helena set her cup down, “Let us think on it, shall we? I will pretend to be a servant and you a noble. Your orders are to procure thirty apples and bring them to the palace so that apple pies can be made.”
Delia frowned, “Just go to the market.”
“Apples are out of season,” Helena said, “And rather than the usual five coins, each apple now costs 500. Now, what shall you do?”
Delia wrinkled her nose, “I would never pay that much for apples.”
“Yet your only order was to procure the apples. You never specified how much you were willing to pay or a budget. You simply gave an order and expected it to be followed… Now, your budget is 15,000 coins short all because you did not give a thoughtful order.”
Delia’s lips twitched, “That’s unrealistic.”
“It is the principle that is important, Lady Delia. There is more to being noble than giving orders and spending money.”
Laurel smiled the entire way back to the parlor. When they arrived, Helena dismissed them both for the day and Delia left without a word. Laurel stayed behind for a moment.
“I believe this will be our last session,” Helena said with a calm smile. “His Majesty told me that he hoped to ensure your comfort in dealing with the court, yet you have all the markings of a woman who knows her way.”
Helena’s eyes narrowed, “I see a great deal of Luna Laura in you… More than just your stunning likeness…”
Her eyes glittered with tears unshed, “Forgive me for being maudlin… I have only just recently learned of her death. Your comportment reminds me a great deal of her, though you have something she did not have.”
Laurel swallowed and met her gaze, “And what is that?”
“Confidence,” she said softly. “It is the one thing that I cannot teach as it comes from experience. I would like to think that if she were still alive, she would have come into her confidence and be a true force to be reckoned with.”
Helena took her hands and squeezed gently, “Might you cause enough of a stir on your merit for her to rest in peace knowing that someone truly worthy has taken her place.”
Laurel squeezed her hands back, “Thank you for your kind words, Lady Helena.”
She left the room feeling a sense of relief in her heart. She headed back to her quarters for a small break and found Sarah tidying up.
“Hello Sarah, how are you?”
“Well,” she beamed. “And you? You seem so at peace today.”
She nodded, “It is… nice to be taught things I should know.”
Sarah chuckled, “I bet.”
“How are you and Sam?”
Sarah flushed and fiddled with her sleeve, “Miss Laurel, please don’t tease me.”
“Has he marked you yet?”
“No!” Sarah gasped, “Miss Laurel, please.”
Laurel chuckled, “Well, alright. I’ll ease up… There is something that I wanted to ask about.”
Sarah smiled, “I’ll try to be of help.”
“Laura’s grave…” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Could you… tell me where it is?”
“Why?”
“I’d like to pay my respects,” she said.
Sarah nodded with a sigh, “Well, I can tell you where her grave is, but I can say that Basil has been visiting her grave frequently lately.”
She frowned, “Really?”
She nodded, “Nearly every night. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to go and visit.”
Laurel nodded.
“Are you certain you want to risk it?”
Laurel chuckled, “I’ll be fine. Tell me where she’s buried.”
“She’s about three rows in. You can’t miss the newest grave there…” Her eyes turned misty. “It hasn’t even fully settled.”
Laurel nodded and planned to go much later. She didn’t bother to change for bed and waited until Sarah had retired. She left her room quickly and headed down the stairs before following the pathway out to the gardens.
She couldn’t help but wonder what Basil was thinking visiting Laura’s grave. Was he cursing at her grave or sobbing? Did she care either way?
Once, she remembered wanting to see Olivia’s grave, to pay her respects to the woman who birthed Basil, but after hearing about Adolph and Olivia’s relationship and the truth behind the grand romance story she grew up with, she was almost glad that Basil had never told her where she was buried.
It would have been just one more memory to regret from her lifetime as Laura.
Laurel walked slowly down the path, pushing memories from her mind. She had never been to the graveyard, but she had seen it from the castle windows.
The air was chilly around her as if spirits walked through the graveyard. She followed the path searching for the newest grave until she heard a soft weeping sound. A figure was seated in front of a grave. The scent of alcohol floated, through the air.
"I'm so sorry, Laura…"
Was that Basil?