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Adele whispered back, not hiding her fear and hope from him. "It has to work." The huge wooden doors swung open slowly, revealing the fancy but hunble, with stone walls and large windows set high, nearly touching the ceiling, making the room feel more open and bright. Before she could even look at the room fully, Adele was swept into a bear hug by the queen. She squeezed all the breath out of her, and Adele felt faint from the lack of oxygen, before being released. The queen, Victoria Navvara, looked into her daughter's eyes with tears in her own. "Oh, Addison..." She whispered, before noticing her clothing. Victoria's expression changed to disgusted for a split second before brushing it off. The king walked in and observed the sitiuation, including Caelan and Adele's fashion choice. He looked grave and serious, though happy to see his daughter. The queen looked between her husband and Adele before asking, "Why did you leave us?" |
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Caelan stayed half a step behind Adele, wary of her parents and her kingdom. He smiled politely to both the king and queen, his face showing nothing but calm and openness. |
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Adele had prepared for that question, but all of the possible answers she had analyzed disappeared from her mind when she tried to remember them. An awkward moment passed, when no one spoke. "I really didn't want to go to Auldsworth. I'm sorry, I should have talked to you about it instead of running away, but I was overwhelmed. But there's something else I need to talk to you about." Adele hoped her parents accepted her apology, but apologizing wasn't the reason she was here. She waited until her mother, still unsure about all of this, nodded. "Mom, dad. While I was away, I met someone who has very good ideas of how to make kingdoms prosper. Don't overreact when you hear this, their kingdom isn't as bad as they say it is." She motioned for Caelan to step forward, smiling at him. "This is Prince Caelan of the Night Kingdom. He wants to make a deal with you. Shall we make it a little more formal? Let us retire to the counsel room." Stunned, the king and queen looked between Caelan, Adele, each other, and the guards. Eventually the King said in an uncommonly wavering voice, "Daughter, this is unacceptable. First you run away because you don't want to attend the best school in the kingdom, then you show up days later with the prince of the..." He shuddered here, "the Night Kingdom, and now you propose we act like this is all normal and not throw him in prison? It is unacceptable." Adele lifted her chin, eyes shooting daggers at her father. "Father, this kingdom could be so much better than it is now. You are doing amazingly to help it prosper, but it needs more. Have you not seen how many homeless and poor there are on the street, begging for food?" Her words became pleading. "I ask that you not throw him in the dungeon and give him a chance. Hear him out. He's a good man, and I trust him." She stared into her father's eyes, daring him to rebuke her. After what felt like hours, the king turned away and said, "Fine. We will retire to the counsel room." He motioned for them to follow, and Adele breathed a sigh of relief, taking Caelan's arm to walk beside him. Adele realized that made it look like something more than trust was happening here, so she quickly let go, but continued walking beside him, all the way to the counsel room. |
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Caelan moved his hand to the small of her back, not caring about what the other royals thought. He removed it soon after, hoping it wouldn't seem like he was forcing this upon Adele. As much as he wanted to scream to the clouds that she was his and his alone, he knew that wouldn't help right now |
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One of the guards opened the counsel room door, and the five of them, the king, queen, Adele, Caelan, and the guard, stepped inside the well-lit room. It was furnished with burnt red everything and had a long table with more than twelve chairs lining it, including one at the head and one at the foot. The king took the head chair and his wife sat on his right. Adele sat on his left, a few seats down. She motioned for Caelan to take the seat that was across the table from her. Adele stood and addressed her father. "Your majesty, King Ranulf, Prince Caelan of the Night Kingdom would like to suggest the idea of making a truce between our kingdoms. He will elaborate." Adele sat, looking at Caelan with belief and urging. The king motioned for Caelan to stand and speak, and Adele was happy that so far he was willing to listen. |
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Caelan stood and cleared his throat. "Your majesty, our kingdoms have been at each other's throats for a long while and it has never ended well for either side--no matter who wins a battle or simply an arguement between the kingdoms. I propose we call a truce and vow to not fight again. Ever. I believe you all don't see my kingdom as the way it is. You merely see the way you're taught to see it: Dark, cruel, mysterious, evil, and just downright bad. Your kingom is exactly as I pictured it, so why not return the favor and teach about the Night Kingdom the correct way? We are not all perfect, but who is? If you can call a truce with my Kingdom, peace will be restored for the next millenia." Caelan said, making sure to keep a calm voice as he watched the King and Queen's reactions. Caelan sat back down once he finished, suppressing a sigh. |
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Adele sat, listening, as Caelan laid out his plan. She hadn't spoken to him about what he was planning on saying, but Adele thought he was truly speaking to her parents' hearts. They cared about their kingdom, and when an offer for peace arose, they would most likely take it. But the downside was that the offer was coming from their worst enemy. That would likely tip the scales against Caelan, though Adele was afraid to admit it. When the prince finished talking, she held her breath while her parents talked silently with their eyes. Finally, the king spoke. "This is a tempting offer. However, we simply cannot accept it from you. How will we know you're not planning on waiting until our guard is down and then charging in with your entire cavalry? It is too risky for us." King Ranulf shook his head, debating what to say next. "However, our daughter clearly is on your side, and we know she has good sense. If you will excuse us, the queen and I would like to have a word with her in private." He stood, along with the queen, and escorted Adele towards a side room. Adele looked over her shoulder at Caelan helplessly, before following her parents inside. |
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Caelan nodded. "I can assure you, sir, I wouldn't risk my own kingdom just for the sake of making a dent on yours." Caelan said softly. He watched them walk away with Adele, uncertain what to do. He sat there, worried |
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The door closed behind Adele with a finality that made her even more tense. Her mother motioned for her to sit in a red armchair and joined the king on a small matching couch. The queen looked at Adele, concern and confusion on her face. "Why are you siding with this young man? He is going to inherit our enemy's kingdom!" She wasn't speaking harshly, but she was clearly disappointed and confused. Adele let words spill out of her, not caring if she was speaking diplomatically anymore. "Because I visited their kingdom, I stayed there, and I know that it's not bad at all! They don't have to be our worst enemy, mother. They'd make wonderful allies, and they have such productive blacksmiths and farmers... It's really not so different from here at all. I know that when Caelan is king, he'll keep his promises. His father, the current king, is on his deathbed, and he'll pass any day now. He is the one who would attack you, but like I said, he's going to die any day. If you wait until Caelan is king, and then agree to the truce, our kingdoms can live in prosperity and happiness together!" Adele trailed off, as she had seen the looks on her parents' faces when she didn't address Caelan as 'prince'. Her mother's voice was shaky now. "Why do you speak of him like you care about him?" Adele took a deep breath, knowing what she had to say. "Because I love him, mother. I CAN'T marry Prince August, he is the worst, most stuck-up person I've ever met. Caelan is... Well he's kind, caring, he loves his kingdom, and... He needs me. He has said that he literally can't live without me. I don't know how it's going to work out for either of us when he becomes king, but that doesn't stop me from loving him." Adele's voice broke, and she held back tears. Her parents looked at each other, having no idea what to do. Finally, the king said in a kind and sympathetic voice, "Since it means so much to you, we will agree to the truce. BUT we will wait until PRINCE Caelan is king." Adele's mother butted in, "And I will have a talk with you about your... Feelings, later." Adele didn't care that her mother was clearly mad at her, she was thrilled that her parents had agreed to the truce. She gave both of her parents forceful hugs, then pushed through the doors and ran to Caelan, wrapping him in a hug. "They're going to agree to the truce! Once you become king they're going to say yes!!" She exclaimed, smiling wide. |
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"Seriously? You did so good, darling. Thank you." He whispered softly, catching her into a hug. He surpressed the urge to kiss her and turned to her parents. "Thank you, your majesties, for this oppertunity. I will see you after my coronation." Caelan said, nodding politely to both the king and queen. |
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Afternoon Storms, then Clearing
