Flora had not seen Felix since the ball months ago. There seemed to be a stiff aura hanging around the castle, the cause unknown to Flora. Even stranger, there were less guards around her area of the castle, though there could be a multitude of reasons behind this. She tried questioning Rose for information, but she didn't know and didn't really care.
Eventually, curiosity got the best of Flora, so she wandered out of her commons in search of answers. She had never gone this long without talking to Felix, so she was beginning to worry. Had something terrible happened? Was Felix alright?
She slid on a pair of soft silk slippers and a plain blue dress. Flora didn't want to seem too inconspicuous. As she walked down the hallway out of her part of the castle, she braided her hair to keep it in place. Flora knew that walking about the castle, especially without an escort, could lead to some messy problems. She wanted to be as stealthy as possible, but Flora would never blend in with her memorable appearance and fine clothes. Obviously, she was the princess.
Her first destination would be Felix's rooms. Flora knew that he wouldn't like her interrupting him, especially if he was busy, but she was worried for him. She moved quietly through the different corridors, the only sounds being the shuffle of her skirts and the padding of her slippers. So far so good.
Flora approached Felix's chambers and snuck through the first couple rooms. There were no servants around, which was a little off-putting. However, Felix preferred the company of soldiers and guards as opposed to the servants, which he found annoying. Finally, Flora made it to the bedroom where she rapped on the door in three quick hits. There was no response. She tried again and waited for a moment. Even if Felix wasn't in his chambers, his man servant would usually be tending to the quarters.
She tried knocking one more time before she gave up and decided to open the door. Slowly, Flora creeped into the dark room, squinting to try to see anything. "Felix," she whispered, "Felix, are you here?" No response. This time she spoke loudly. "Felix, where are you?" No response, he wasn't here.
A quick scan around the room revealed the room tidy, but with a little bit of dust on the dressers. Had Felix not been back here in a while? Her stomach dropped as her mind raced with the possibilities. What if he was hurt? What if the king sent him away?
She spiraled until the sound of a door closing in the next room startled her. Was he finally back? Wait, what if it wasn't Felix and they found her here where she definitely shouldn't be? Panicking, she rolled herself under the bed, coughing on dust bunnies.
Just as she had pulled her skirt under the frame, two men entered the room in a rush. They began riffling through drawers in search of something. One man spoke, "He told us he needed the paperwork pertaining to the amount of soldiers stationed at the Southern base closest to Leosta." They continued rummaging through drawers. The man spoke again, "did you get the vile from the desk? It's supposed to be a brown liquid. He also needs his spell book and herbs."
Felix hadn't practiced potion making in ages. He was adept at learning magic, but he choose to fight with his blade instead. If he was resorting to magic, there was definitely something awry in the kingdom. He would only use magic to solve problems fighting couldn't fix.
The two men's footsteps thundered past the bed as they picked up something on Felix's nightstand. "Alright, let's go," the other man said. There was a click as the door shut behind them and soon their footsteps faded away. Flora waited a few more moments before she pulled herself out from under the bed.
Brushing the dust off of her dress, she began to look around the room again. Felix was training to be the king, so it wasn't surprising that he had military records stashed in his desk, but why was the need for them so immediate? Was Prana going to war again? The last war ended just before Felix was born, twenty-four years ago with an island kingdom over mining rights. They needed to know about a base near Leosta. Why would they send one of their sons to Prana if they were going to start a war a few months later? Flora was definitely no military general, but she had studied foreign relations and past conflicts in depth.
Flora exited the chambers and made her way towards the barracks. She was going to find answers even if she was going to get into trouble. This time, the walk was much further than before. Flora was not used to exerting this much physical effort, and by the time she reached the grass fields near the barracks, there were beads of sweat dripping down her face.
The fields, while bustling with activity, were emptier than usual. The guards training in both swordplay and hand-to-hand combat looked younger than usual. These must be the more fresh recruits. The more seasoned guards must have been stationed somewhere more important.
Flora gathered every bit of confidence that she had in herself and waltzed right into the main building where administrative soldiers worked. She channeled the royal attitude that she had read about in her books. Flora was the princess, and she would get her way.
An older guard stationed at a desk near the front of the room looked up at her in a quick movement and then looked back down again. His head snapped up as realized who was before him. Backpedaling, he stood up and bowed towards Flora. "Your highness, forgive my rudeness, but you are not to be here."
There was no way Flora was going to leave without answers. She lifted her head stubbornly and looked down at the man. "I think that I'll decide where I can and can't go."
"But your highness," the man stammered, "his highness, Prince Felix has strict policies pertaining to..."
She waved her hand in dismissal as she interrupted, "Seeing as Prince Felix isn't here..." She gave him a sidewise glance. "I think that I'll do what I please."
The gears inside of the man's brain turned as he decided what to make of the situation. He was being put in a difficult position. "His highness is not here at the moment."
"Well, where is he?"
The man wrung his hands in worry as he decided what to say next. "I believe he is with his majesty the king."
Flora narrowed her eyes as she considered what was most important at the moment. Felix was safe, but he must be strapped with work assigned by the king. "Why all of the commotion around the castle?"
The guard gaped before he collected himself. "Um..." he stumbled, "your... your highness, did you not hear of the war?"
Flora used all of her will power to keep her face in a neutral position as she said, "elaborate."
Again the man wrung his hands together as he answered, "we are at war with Mistis your highness. We have been for three months."
She stared blankly at him for a moment. "Has Felix been with the king and his advisors this whole time?"
"No, he made a trek to the Southern border last month before returning last week." He seemed to consider his words before he continued softly, "it is common knowledge your highness."
Flora scowled at the old man, causing him to flinch. Softening her face, she asked, "who was it that declared war?"
Gulping, he answered, "Prana, your highness." He looked down in shame as he realized he had probably made a mistake in talking to her.
"Thank you," Flora said to the man's surprise. "That is all that I needed to know." She turned and headed to the exit. Before opening the door, she turned back to the guard. "I'll promise not to tell anyone that I talked to you." The man nodded in thanks as she burst out into the sunlight.
The cobblestone path that Flora was on seemed a lot more bumpy than usual. Had it always curved like this? She began walking more briskly as she considered all that the man had told her. Had Prana really gone to war? How could she have not known about something so monumental? How did this get past her?
What the hell?
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL?!?
How could she have been so blind? Her countrymen were dying for the country, yet she sat in her room reading, oblivious to their struggles. And then there was Felix. He had been in danger traveling all the way to the Southern border towards the action. What if something would have happened? Flora didn't even want to consider the worst possible scenario.
Her speed quickened from a quick walk into a run as she bolted towards her chambers. Why wouldn't anyone tell her about this? Why wouldn't Felix tell her about this? At first, there was worry for the safety of Felix and the country, but it quickly turned to pain as she entered her room. She flopped on the bed and sobbed into her pillow. Was she really so insignificant that no one would tell her of a freaking war happening?
But really, the thing that stung the most is that Felix had avoided her for MONTHS. He should have told her. She should have been there to support her brother that would be going off to fight. Was she really so weak that she needed to be protected from the truth? Why didn't Felix trust her enough to just talk to her?
Flora laid like that for hours until Rose came in with dinner. She wasn't going to talk to Rose right now; she knew full well that Prana had gone to war and had chosen not to tell her. Rose had purposefully deceived her, and Flora was not looking to forgive any time soon. By the time the sun had went down, Flora had thought herself down into a black hole. Eventually, she fell asleep and allowed herself to drift off into nothingness.