*POV* Kalea Rosell
Lula stood 6 feet or so away from me with a flaming fist. "Hold still!" She said as she aimed at me. I grimaced holding the pitchfork up
in the air with a paper target stuck to it.
"I don't think this is a good idea." I whimpered as she took aim. "It's safe enough!" She smirked as the fire flew from her hand, I felt it
hit the pitchfork and in seconds ashes rained around me.
I lowered the warm pitchfork to the ground and glanced at the stable hands watching us. "Are you done?" I asked as she walked over to me.
"No, not yet." She picked up the next paper and moved to stab it onto the pitchfork. "Are you mad or something?" She stepped backwards. "No, I am just practicing." I smiled before lifting it back into the air.
5 papers later I spotted Samuel coming into the courtyard of the inn. He walked over to us, and I lowered the pitchfork, "What are you
doing?" Lula grimaced. "We are practicing."
He took the pitchfork from me and tossed it into the hay pile. "You're embarrassing yourselves, how about we spare?" Lula glared at him. "No, I was doing just fine." I could feel the tension as Samuel looked at Lula.
"Fine, suit yourself. But you might like to know we are leaving in the morning." I wiped my palms on my skirt and moved closer to Lula.
"Really?" Samuel shrugged. "Yeah, your mother said we are."
Lula put her fists down. "Good, I want to be home already." She turned and walked away.
"Thanks for saving me." I said slowly, he moved to walk away, and I followed. "I don't see how she isn't embarrassed by all these people watching her." He said, I laughed, he definitely didn't know Lula. She didn't care.
"She is headstrong, that's what Aunt Coral says. No one really understands what she is thinking."
He grunted and ran up the stairs as soon as we entered the building. I sighed, he was definitely completely different from Lula. I winced down at my stinging hands and watched as the roughness faded away.
I sighed and stared up the stairs more slowly, I stopped at the door of the room mother, and I shared the room as I heard voices. "Can you
actually train him?" I heard my mother saying, "Sure." Stefon replied.
It reminded me of the conversation they had been having late last night. "I can't believe he was right under our noses. Coral will be
surprised. But what kind of horror will this bring?"
"We can keep this quiet for now, but it won't be hidden forever." Stefon said, Mother said something quietly that I couldn't hear. "Are
you eavesdropping?" Mark stood there with his arms loaded with sweets.
Mark Hamthumb was sort of mother's advisor or at least that's what he called himself. He was a cousin or some relative, he sported a
mop of brown curls that he kept in the best condition. In his early 30s he was unmarried and floating around like the bum he was.
Some might have found him handsome, but from where I stood I didn't. He also tended to make the girls leave the room. "No." I said as I
grabbed a bag of hard candles from his stash, I would bet 20 gold he was using mother's money for it.
"Hey!" He shouted as I walked away, Lula's room door was closed but I bragged inside without knocking and shut the door behind me. She was lying on the bed curled in a ball.
"What's wrong?" I asked, putting one of the candies in my mouth. Without looking at me she stuffed a piece of paper out towards me, I
took it and placed the candies beside me before I read it.
"King Desmond requests your immediate return! Suspicion is rising on the death of Prince Bartholomew, and we can't have suspicion on Hilldren. So please return. With Love Q. Coral"
My mouth stopped moving as I stared at the note. "Are you going?" I asked, with mounting sadness.
She groaned, "Yeah." She mumbled into the blankets, flipping over and she looked at the ceiling. "I wish I didn't have to, but I don't want
a war over something I didn't do." I nodded.
"I just don't know how I am going to convince them we didn't kill him, ughh this is all just a big mess!"
"They don't believe he tripped and died?" The conversation was distasteful. "I guess not, I bet they are saying, 'he wouldn't just trip
and die because he is a well-trained knight.' Ugh!"
She swung herself off the bed. "I gotta go find Aunt Lexus. I will come see you before I leave." She stepped to the door, I gave her a
parting smile before she closed the door.
My mood slumped as I flopped on the bed, all the exciting things that had been possible when Lula was coming with us crumbled. "Well, that's that, at least she isn't marrying Prince Bartholomew." I said into the
empty room.
*POV* Lula Sparks Franklin
I poked my head into Aunt Lexus's room and quickly pulled back. "Sorry!" I muttered, there was scrambling inside before the door was
yanked open.
"What can I do for you sweetie?" She looked flustered, her cheeks flushed. I held back my smile, still disappointed in the news from my
mother.
I held out the note, she read it quickly before she pulled me inside. The room was dim, Stefon slipped past us and left the room. "I am
sorry to say your mother is right, you will have to go back."
I nodded, I knew I would have too, her words just confirmed it. "I can get a carriage back and be there by morning." She nodded, her face
filling with concern. "Do you want me to send Mark with you?"
I shook my head indignantly, that man gave me the chills and plus he would only slow me down. "No, I will be fine." She sighed. "I know you will, I know how much you want to be there when Samuel is reunited with your mother. But don't worry everything will be fine."
I hoped so, hugging her quickly I left the room. Stefon and Samuel stood outside the door. "See you around." I told my delinquent brother
before I hurried to my room.
My clothes were packed already in anticipation of going, but not back to Elesor. Kalea sat on the edge of the bed looking sad, she jumped up to hug me as I shut the door.
"I should just come with you!" She stated, I patted her back and pushed her off. "No need, court is boring, there is no need for you to
suffer too."
Even though she was only a year and a half younger than me I thought of her as my other half, my best friend and my sister. She pouted and pulled away tossing her long locks and grimaced.
"I know you are right, but we have the most fun when you're bored. Plus, there is nothing to do at home when you're not there." Her words
made my heart ache, but I smiled.
"You can't come because I need someone to watch over Samuel." I stated, she nodded her face mellowing out.
"Do you think he will get bullied?" I nodded, he was definitely going to get bullied. "You know how much our family likes to duel each other." She laughed, grabbed the bag of candies from the bed and handed it to me.
"You had best hurry then. I will write to you all the time!" She gave me a grin then walked from the room.
We had never said goodbye to each other, never. Why would we start now?