Crown of Smoke

Chapter 3

            Gwen lingered on the staircase for a second before she entered the room, summoning up all the courage she could. She could hear her father’s hushed, aggravated tones as he spoke to Hayden. She couldn’t make out any of the actual words he was saying, but it hardly took a lot of imagination. Her mother met her at the top of the stairs and nodded to her, gesturing for Gwen to go forward.

            As she entered the room, the voices stopped immediately, leaving an expectant silence in the air. She held the eyes of each and every person and for a second, trying to gage their thoughts. Hayden and his stupidly bright and eager eyes, Blaine with his furrowed brow and her father with his stony expression of concern. She couldn’t help notice of the irony [AC1] that it was as though she were a queen about to address the court.

            Her mother still stood behind her in the doorway, taller than Gwen was. She placed a hand on Gwen’s shoulder and Gwen felt surer of herself. She strode into the living room, taking a seat between Hayden and her father. Hayden raised his eyebrows, lightly shocked at the gesture but pleased.

            “I’m going to go to the capital,” Gwen declared, “but I go on my terms.”

Hayden grinned.

            “Gwen, please. When the king finds out that you’re alive…” Her father’s expression was pained.

            “I know the risk and that’s why I have to go.” She said matter-of-factly. “Now that I know, I can’t just sit here and ignore it. I may not particularly want the throne and I love, love my life here,” she took a deep breath, “but I can’t continue to just live like there’s nothing more out there for me. I cannot stay here forever.”

            Blaine rolled his eyes. “So, what? You’re going to waltz into the palace then? Because, what, it’s so easy for you to just abandon us and go and be queen, Gwen? Be realistic.” His tone was like a slap in the face. Gwen did not know what had bought it about, whether it was the feeling of abandonment as he claimed or perhaps underlying jealousy. They had always been competitive as children but this was a serious matter and she had hoped for some support from her brother.

            “Gwen is not abandoning us, Blaine,” her mother cut in, relief washing over Gwen. “She’s never been fit to stay here forever. We’ve known it since she was a child that she was always bigger than this, even without her blood.” She turned to her husband. “Elliot, look at me.”

            Gwen’s father had kept his face pressed firmly into his hands, refusing to acknowledge everything that had been going on, but at his wife’s words he looked up. His eyes were red with tears he did not want to shed. His mind flooded with memories of the night in which they had taken her in. Rose’s hand reached over and gently touched his shoulder.

            “We’ve got to let go now, my love.” She crouched down in front of him, caressing his cheek. Even after all their years together they were so in love that sometimes it was painful to watch. Gwen noticed that Hayden turned away, afraid of intruding on such a private moment. “She’s no longer a baby and the palace is in a different kind of danger if she does not go.”

            That statement snapped Hayden back into the conversation.

            “I could not agree more with Rose,” he declared. Blaine rolled his eyes again and pulled a face at Gwen, making her chuckle and confirming to her that her mother’s words had not only stopped her father’s qualms, but her brother’s also. “The people of this kingdom are in danger of dying at an even greater rate if we don’t do something. The prices of medicine are constantly increasing, as is the prince of everything else if the king decides to declare war!”

            Her father sighed. “I do read the news, you know.”

            Her mother chuckled, kissing him on the top of his head and throwing Gwen a pleased wink. Gwen swelled with pride. They had not exactly agreed, but it was as though they had resigned to co-operating with Hayden’s plans for her sake and it was better than nothing.

            “So what’s the plan, exactly?” Gwen asked, turning fully to Hayden.

            His eyes glinted once more. “Well firstly, we need to make you more like a princess.”

            “Excuse me?” Gwen replied, aghast.

            “Well…I wasn’t kidding when I said I expected something regaler.”

            He got up, reaching over to his rucksack and pulling out book after book, each with dog-earred pages and notes written into the margins in a scribble that was barely legible. Gwen had to give him credit for his research skills. He pulled out one book that was bound with a golden spine. It was the most beautiful book Gwen had ever seen. She loved books, but her school’s library was very limited and she had never had the opportunity to look at something quite like this. He saw her awe-struck expression and softened a little, handing the volume over to her. Gwen turned the pages gingerly, her fingers running over the words. It was some history of the royal family, her family she supposed, with coloured paintings of each monarch wearing the crown jewels. They were all dressed in outfits she could never imagine herself wearing. They looked stunning, each one more mesmerising than the last. Hayden sat on the arm of the sofa and watched the pages as she turned them.

            “That’s your great-aunt. She was an interesting queen, Dianna. No children, hence why your mother ended up on the throne. She was all about change which really shocked the nobility but made the people like her a lot. That’s who I’m going to model you after.”

            “Model me after?” Gwen scoffed, pulling the book closer, as though it were a shield. “I’m not some piece of clay you can just mould however you please. If the people don’t like me then I suppose your plans will have to change.” She turned her eyes back to the book.

She turned the page once again and there stood a picture of her mother, Queen Juliette of Colvine. She hated that Hayden was right. The woman pictured before her was infinitely regaler than Gwen was. Her posture, her dress, the way that even though the strokes of pain made her image, she exuded the feeling of control. She sat on a throne with a stunning royal blue gown that draped on the floor in front. Her hair was loose around her face so that her crown sat perfectly atop her head. Gwen was suddenly very aware that she probably still had bedhead and her pyjamas had a drop of blueberry jam on them. Queen Juliette probably never would have been seen by anybody looking the way that she did.

            Her eyes wandered to the figure standing next to her. Her father, the king, equally regal and demanding. She noticed her father sitting next to her looking at the picture of him with warmth, giving her some hope that perhaps he was not the stern man that his expression in this painting portrayed him to be. [AC2] Perhaps she should ask him questions when they were alone, try and find out more about where he came from. He had never bought it up before, but then she had never bothered to ask.

            Despite herself, she searched for any measly sign of resemblance between herself and them but she struggled to find anything at all. She sighed, closing the book and leaning back on the sofa.

            “I suppose I should start learning if I’m going to become like this anytime soon.”

            Hayden took the book from her excitedly and pushed a long list of names into her hand.

            “Let’s start with history.”

            Almost immediately after breakfast, the shed behind the house was converted into a small classroom. The living room, Hayden had decided, was too crowded and Blaine kept on bickering with him every five minutes about Colvine’s political history meaning that nothing was actually getting done. Gwen’s father quickly picked up on this and came to the conclusion the shed could be cleared out and his desk, which was rarely used anyway these days, could be put in there.

Now the shelf which had held a series of garden tools now held all of Hayden’s surprisingly extensive collection of books. Gwen occupied the desk, which had fit in at a squeeze, with a notebook that she had once used for history at school. Hayden sat in front of her with a chalkboard and his own pile of books. He had taken his new role as teacher very seriously, testing Gwen at every opportunity to stop her from dozing off.

            But it was ridiculously hot. Flies lingered in the space between them and the sound of their lazy buzzing combined with the light sweat that covered her brow made Gwen desperately want to fall asleep. It had been hours of going through her long lost relatives over and over again. But even after learning that her great-great uncle’s favourite food was turkey and gravy and her grandmother’s beloved tabby cat was called Angelique, Gwen still struggled to find a connection with these people who were supposed to be her family.

            “Guinevere, are you still listening to me?” Hayden snapped.

            “I have already told you twice to stop calling me that,” she grumbled back, rubbing the fatigue out of her eyes. He was driving her crazy in that tiny space. Being so confined with him meant that it often felt as though his abundant arrogance was bouncing off the walls and knocking aggressively into her head.

            “Well,” He put his hands on his hips and Gwen had to hold her breath to stop herself from laughing at how ridiculous he looked. “What do you expect me to call you?”

            “Gwen,” she huffed, “like everyone else does!”

            “But it’s not your name is it, not really,” he replied snarkily. It was the fourth time they had this conversation in the last few hours and Hayden was not the kind to back down easily. “The name you were given-”

            “-was Guinevere Lilian Franeth Cavenair. I’m aware. But, I still maintain that it can be shortened to Gwen.” She took a deep breath and pushed her notepad away. “This is pointless. Please can we take a break? I’m thirsty and hot and I could really do with the fresh air.”

            She stood up, squeezed past the desk and sauntered through the door without waiting for an answer, letting the fresh air hit her. The breeze lifted her skirts slightly and her hair moved lightly around her face. She started walking through the fields of grass, ignoring the sound of hurried footsteps behind her.

            “Where do you think you are going?” Hayden shouted, but Gwen did not answer. She did stop walking though, letting him catch up. He was breathless, which was very satisfying. “If we’re going to do this we have to do it right,” he barked between breaths.

            “And what is right, exactly?” Gwen said, turning around to face him. The sun was blaring down behind him, meaning she had to squint. “Your way is not always the right way, Hayden. It’s not even been a day and you’ve already made me storm out the room- and I’m not usually an impatient person.” She sighed. She moved her dress around and took a seat in the grass. Hayden watched in silence as she picked the daisies around her and began to create a change “Why don’t you bring the books out here? We can work out here in the fresh air. It would help me concentrate more than that stuffy shed will.”

            Hayden looked down at her. She had closed her eyes and turned her face out of his shadow and into the sun. She had bags under her eyes but she still had a small smile on her face.

            “Well?” she asked, pulling him out of his daze.

            “I’ll go and get the books now, but don’t be expecting this kind of thing every day.”

            She sighed a breath of relief as he left. Who knew how many more moments like this she would have? For now, she remained anonymous and free as the blades of grass she carelessly picked at.

            When Hayden returned, Gwen had taken to sprawling across the grass, lying with her hands behind her head. Hayden sighed, putting down a blanket he’d found in a drawer and gingerly sat down on the grass.

            “This kind of behaviour is going to need to be kicked as well. No queen in any books I have ever read has been described as lying around on the grass as though she has no bed to sleep in.”

            “Maybe this is how I will have my royal portrait painted,” she teased. “I doubt I could sit still with the crown on for so long, but I could lie here forever.”

            Hayden dropped a book on her chest, taking her breath away for a second. She opened one eye to glare at him before she read the title. This one looked older than the book she had seen earlier, with a brown leather spine and faded words.

            “Etiquette? Does that mean we’re done with history for today then?” She said, sensing his growing annoyance and sitting up.

            Hayden didn’t say anything but stood up, offering his hand down to Gwen so that she could join him. She took it, but stood up on the edges of her own skirts making her trip over a little and grasp on more tightly. She heard him sigh while she straightened herself out and grinned mischievously as he shook his head at her, his shaggy dark hair moving with his head and catching in the sunlight.

            “Your posture really is awful.” He said, circling her, examining her from every angle. “Put your shoulders back. No, more than that. Better… and lift your neck a bit.” Gwen lifted her neck like a puppet being held by a string, tight and sharp. Hayden moved closer now, in front of her. “Tilt your head a bit lower. That’s better, but you don’t have to be so statuesque.”

            Gwen huffed. “You try staying in this position and see if you don’t feel like a statue.”

            He stood opposite her, copying the position but managing to pull it off. He took a step towards her once more and offered her his arm and escorting her across the grass.

            “If you move a little it’s easier,” she conceded.

            “Once you can hold it in a walk then perhaps we can try and teach you some ball dances, but it’s not the priority right now,” he said. They turned and walked back to the spot they had come from, the blanket and books marking their spot. Gwen smiled to herself trying to imagine herself doing this in a ball gown of some sorts, draped in jewels. She had always fancied a set of pearls for herself but had never been able to afford them. She had noticed her grandmother the duchess wearing them in the portrait she had seen that morning, and couldn’t help but admire them. She did not remember a word of what Hayden had told her about the old woman, but she remembered those pearls.

            “Have you got any dresses?” Hayden asked.

            “I’m wearing a dress right now,” Gwen laughed.

            “I can see that.” He let go of her hand go and took a step back once more, pleased to see that she had kept up her good posture. “But I mean a nice dress.” He laughed at Gwen’s angry furrowed brow. “Something that resembles what a princess would wear.”

            Gwen shook her head. “Not all of us can afford to dress like that every day.” She replied indignantly, gathering up her skirts and slumping back down to her spot on the grass. It annoyed her that he assumed so much about her. He assumed that because of her blood she had been raised as a noble would have, but her life had never been quite so easy going. Her parents had to work for all that they had and Gwen herself had been working to try and help since she was young. Hayden thought her oblivious to the kingdoms struggles, forgetting that she had not been raised in the way he had.

            “Do you have a job?” She asked Hayden, satisfied as to the dumbfounded expression that crossed his face. She already knew the answer, of course. He had a doctor for a father meaning that he probably had no idea what it meant to have a cold bath or leftover bread for dinner. With his father being a doctor in the capital, it meant he probably always got to have hot meals and fire behind the grate. A hint of jealousy crept up Gwen’s spine but she suppressed it. At least she knew what hard work looked like.

            “I sometimes go and help in my father’s doctor’s surgery when things become busy if he asks me to. I work on the desk.” Hayden mumbled. He was pacing back and forth, his lip tucked in so he could chew it in thought. He looked younger to Gwen now, she realised. Perhaps not as genius as he let himself believe.

             The sound of Blaine frantically running towards them from the house pulled the pair out of their silence. Gwen stood up, seeing her brother so delirious making her worry. His face, when he reached them, was almost as red as his hair and sweat was pouring down his face.

            “Urgent telegram,” he panted. “You had both better come back to the house.” There was a fear in his eyes that Gwen couldn’t place. She turned back to see Hayden looking equally confused at the situation. He looked at her and nodded, matching her pace as they both hurried followed Blaine back.