make me remember.

six

glancing around, i find my eyes landing on the clock hanging above door that leads out to the hallway. twenty minutes has passed since we all sat down. nineteen minutes has passed since servers delivered the food to each of the participants. fifteen minutes has passed since i noticed the clock hanging there for the first time.
and one minute has passed since i last checked it.

if it had been up to me, and if i hadn't been aware of the reputation i hold as the only reigning queen of our country, i would have had dinner brought up to my room. the company of the princes hasn't been horrible so far, but nevertheless, i would prefer to be alone. especially, after the day that has passed.
i have strangers in my home, which is stressful enough without needing my own family and closest relations questioning each other or myself, even. the day has been chaos, and simply to prolong the day even further, one of the princes has not showed up for dinner.
a dinner that atlas invited them all to. a dinner that every other prince is currently attending out of pure respect for our hospitality. glancing around the table, they all look nothing less than exhausted. i mean, being dressed in their expensive clothing and nicely groomed hair, they look picture perfect, as princes are expected to but looking closely, they are dull and slow in their movements. in other words, tired from days of travelling.
"so, how long was your journey here?" atlas asks prince valdemar, the one of them he is sat next to.
"oh, almost eight days. we travelled by day and stayed a few nights at different friends of our families." the prince replies, glancing in the direction of one of the other princes shortly.
"oh, so you travelled together, then?" atlas continues. this questions peeks my interest and i raise my head to listen. we were told that this entire trip was to strengthen the relationship between the kingdoms as it had been almost nonexistent as of now. so, why would strangers chose to travel together?
"the last few days, yes. we met at the northern border and continued on together." the prince nods, seemingly speaking without much thought to his words.
i raise my eyes and see that atlas is already looking in my direction. our eyes meet. it seems that he is thinking the exact same thing as i am: why would strangers travel together?
the smile is subtle on my lips, but i can't seem to help it. four princes are currently in my home, and they seem to be playing some sort of game. they're lying about their reasons for being here, that's quite clear. the piece of the puzzle that still remains a mystery is why.
"it must have made the last few days much more bearable with some company," i say.
"indeed." prince atticus is the one to reply. "especially after the time spent travelling through the outer-ring. it is just a horrible sight to see such landmasses having been abandoned." the prince shakes his head but doesn't meet my eyes.
"you're right, those acres could be of better use." i agree with a nod.
"i mean, at least the spring season hasn't dried out the crops that we did see." the prince looks up, a smile stuck to his face, the fakest one i believe i've ever seen. i lean my head to the side, studying his face to figure out why he seems as uncomfortable as he does. i mean, we're speaking about crops. wouldn't they have massive areas of lands with farm and crops?
a thought dawns on me. i have absolutely no idea how there kingdoms even look. if it's a constant winter season like the top of our mountain or even how their seasons are.

"excuse me," the waiter, a young woman, who has walked up besides my chair bows, waiting until i gesture for her to straighten back up to continue. "lady bexley has requested your presence," she says.

i nod, attempting to keep my expression neutral but i feel how my mouth is pulled into a tight, straight line on my face. excusing myself, i get up from my seat, leaving my two commanders in company of our guests.