The Monocle's Eye

Chapter 15

 "A horse?" I heard faintly. I was partially awake but it wasn't until this till I opened my eyes and sat up to rub them.

"Yes your majesty, Will you enter a horse in today's races?" I heard a proper gentlemanly voice speak. I turned to see a messanger dressed in the royal guard uniform standing in the doorway, his notebook out, and speaking to Illy, who sat on the bed next to me.

"You've awoken me at this time in the morning to ask me that?" She replied, annoyance overtly spread upon her voice. "If I was my mother I'de have you head off, so you ought to thank the heavens I'm not. Of course I'll have a horse in it, I always put in my best racing horse at the time with my best jockey, did this decision really have to be made this early at night?" The man looked to be sweating now, and his hands were fidgety.

"No, my Princess, I apologize for coming so early, and would not have done so if I didn't have very expect directions to do so." His voice was shaking a little.

"From who?" She asked.

"Head of staff, your excellency." He replied after a pause.

"Well tell your head of staff if they make a habit of this interruption they'll spend the next year as another head in the dungeon." And with this he scurried out rather hurriedly.

"Is there even a dungeon here?" I asked.

"There is but it's basically just my mother's playground, no one really stays down there, I think." She replied,

"You think?"

"Well it's not like I'm permitted to see it, but I've never seen any employees from it and my mother kills most everyone who ticks her off, so I doubt it. Plus she has the patience of a five year old, she'd never content herself to let anyone stay down there for more than a couple days, it would drive her mad."

"Great," I sigh sarcastically, stretching out my arms in a yawn. She drew forward and press a kiss to me, before returning to unite us, slipping her tongue between my lips before drawing back, the skin of my lips caught between her teeth. I brought myself forward and continued, but there was something missing. There was always something missing with her, some disconnect between us that seemed to discretely divert the deep touch and only let forth the shallow.

I wondered if she notice, if it bugged her, if I was alone. But I was also scared of what would happen if the divide was closed, and we were really together, our palms pressed and fingers intertwined, reaching past the invisible glass and into the inevitable other. What would she think if she could see inside my head, and beyond that, what in the world was in her's? I could never tell what she was thinking, whether our lips were together or even when she was talking, it seemed I still couldn't understand. What was she like in there? I had no clue. As we pulled apart she pressed me away, and I got out of bed, stretching fully now to awaken myself.

"Go talk to Ebony, she needs it, and tell Gold to bring me breakfast." She said, and I started out the door, before she called to me, "Wait," She said, "Just before you go, can I ask honestly, were you really going to leave me?"

"Of course not, that would be way to logical for my thinking pattern, I was buying time, but not very effectively." I replied, "It's not like I could live without you anyway." The words seemed to slip out before I had a chance to stop them, but Illy only smiled, waving me away. I returned to my room and changed into more presentable clothes before giving the Golden twins the order, which they seemed relived by, and then I went and knocked on Ebony's door.

"Come in," I heard her high voice call, so I slipped in and found her buttoning up the front of a small black dress.

"Wow," I said, surprised to see her actually dressed for once, "Clothes, what's the occasion?"