July 29, 2012

In Which Anna Is Still Not the Princess

July 16, 1179

"...and guess who he asked?" Mona paused, as if she did expect a venture, but Anna didn't see the need. There was only ever one answer to that question in that tone. "Me!"

She'd half-laughed the reveal, bouncing about with such giddiness that Anna feared she may faint. She didn't think she'd seen Mona so excited since... well, ever, really. Where Mona had grown up, at least the way she seemed to see it, there'd never been anything worth getting excited about. Robbing her of that would be a whole new level of cruel.

"Well? What do you think? Do you mind if I go?"

Anna ground her teeth in an attempt not to sigh. She wanted to say that she didn't, that she was happy for her... but the entire charade, however long it lasted and however it ended, was dependent on Mona's presence. If Mona were to leave and Anna were discovered, that would be the end of it; she would be locked up in the dungeon as a fraud, if not hung for some obscure treason. The way Devidra would see it, Anna was a common servant aspiring to steal her throne from beneath her frequently-flared nostrils, Mona being nothing more than the other wronged party, Adrius's rightful betrothed. So long as Mona wasn't here to explain otherwise, Anna's word wasn't worth a pair of old socks.

Why did the whole new level of cruel also have to be a whole new level of impractical? "I, uh... I realize that you want this, but..."

"Yes, yes, the whole thing. I've already taken care of it."

Anna blinked. Mona was a creature of spontaneity, a dreamer of sudden reckless schemes initiated immediately and without further thought. To plan in advance was a break in the pattern. Either she was losing her mind--doubtful--or she had adjusted to suit her needs. Or maybe she'd just said it and Anna was a fool for considering otherwise. "Um... how, exactly?"

"Simple. I wrote a note. If anything happens, just give it to Devidra."

Simple indeed. "Uh... kind of too simple. As far as she knows, I could have forged it."

"Wrong!" Grinning like a maniac, Mona clapped once and twirled about, something Anna would have never guessed she'd ever see her do. Ever. "You've been teaching her ladies in waiting how to read and write, haven't you?"

Eh? "Yes..."

"So they've all seen your handwriting." Another clap, smile swelling to the point where her head ought to have burst. "And a while before we came her, my father made me write to Adrius, so he's seen mine. If Devidra thinks it's a forgery, just have Adrius confirm it as Princess Ramona's handwriting and have the ladies confirm that it's not yours."

"What if I just painstakingly copied yours?"

"Could you?"

Well, that was a different question entirely. "You press so hard that you tear every third sheet and you dot your i's with stars. Besides, you've seen how I draw; I can't copy a stick figure."

"Exactly. If they ask, demonstrate that--and even if they're not convinced, they should at least have enough conflicting evidence to hold you for questioning until I get back." God. She wasn't allowed to win this argument, was she? Mona was still the princess. If things were to be done, they would be done her way, regardless of who happened to be wearing the nicer dress. "So... I can go, right?"

NEXT CHAPTER:

4 comments:

Van said...

So. Turns out that I'm going out of town next weekend (long weekend here). I'll be leaving early Friday morning, so while Tuesday's update will be unaffected, I'm bumping Friday's up to Thursday. No updates while I'm gone, but if I can get ahead with my pictures (which I almost certainly can), then I should be able to post what would have been Sunday's update on Monday.

Sorry about the continued schedule weirdness :S

Anonymous said...

Meh, you have a life, schedule weirdness happens. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. ;)

As for Anna and Mona ... oh, dear. Oh dear. We're still playing game with Anna's life, aren't we? And a note? No, that sounds like something that is bound to go wrong in a hurry. :(

And by the way, what's Mona's plan for if she gets herself killed on this mission? Has she ever been on a ship? Does she even know how to swim? So many things could go wrong!!

Plus, speaking of things that could go wrong ... don't Viridis and Twincest Searle live in Carvallon? Even if Viridis hasn't seen Mona in a very long time and may not be able to pick her out of a crowd, she would know that the odds of her being a dark-eyed brunette are devastatingly low!!

I just hope Devidra isn't the "shoot first, ask questions later" type ... or if she is, that Adrius is fond enough of Anna to stop her.

Winter said...

I'm pretty sure you're allowed to have a life now and then ;)

I'm agreeing with the Note of Doom point. Mona's immaturity is in full bloom here. The thought of what could happen if Devidra is allowed to operate on the assumption that this wasn't just some selfish game of Mona's is not appealing.

Van said...

Heh. Thanks for understanding, guys :)

Morgaine: Oh, Mona's plan is a giant flaw in itself, and I doubt she could've come up with much better if she'd had the time to think about it. But, luckily for Anna... they've been at this for months now and if they haven't been caught yet, it's probably not all that likely unless some huge slip-up occurs.

Mona has never been on a ship before :S She can sort of swim, but it's more "skinny-dipping in one of Naroni's lakes" swimming than "trying to stay afloat in the middle of the sea" swimming. I imagine most of the work Zareth has in mind for her will be below deck, but that doesn't mean the ship couldn't crash or scrape something or whatever :S

Viridis and Searle don't really interact with the Carvalli nobles. Searle probably had to explain his situation to whichever lord owned the land the house is on, but I doubt they have enough connections to get invited to court.

But if the worst happens... well, Adrius is a good guy, and he does seem to care about Anna. And for all Devidra might be a fire-breathing dragon, I think she's smart enough to seek the facts before doing anything drastic.

Still. Risky business for these kids :S

Winter: In some ways--for all she'd probably die if anyone pointed it out--Mona is definitely her mother's daughter, or at least at this point in her life. She's selfish and impulsive and she does a lot of out-there things without really thinking about their impact on others. Meanwhile, there's Anna, who has her reservations about all these crazy schemes but has to go along with them because Mona is (still, technically) her boss.

They both have the potential to grow, Mona into a more cautious, considerate person and Anna into someone who's more willing to put people like Mona in their places, but those aren't the kind of changes that happen over night :S