Worlds Apart

Spotlight

That morning I awake, I am no longer on top of Eadric. At some point he must have moved me so I was lying on my side, facing away from him. When I look over to the other side of the bed, however, it is empty. I rise quickly, dressing into my clothes I rounded up over the course of my leave that were somehow cleaned while I slept. Even the chest plate looked scrubbed from the dirt and grime it had received through the duration of my travels. Looks like my royal status really did not fall despite my leave. The top half of my hair I pull into its same low ponytail, the braid over my left having been tugged out myself as I washed, leaving accent braids only in the back portion if my hair. When I look into the mirror, the shadows under my eyes have not diminished any, the upper portion of my cheeks and around my eyes still red and irritated from constant scrubbing them until the skin there was now raw, and my eyes look clouded, distant. How much has changed since the naive little girl I was upon having arrived at the ground.

As soon as I exit the bedroom, I am greeted with two guards posted outside the bedroom door. They do not lay a hand on me, but on our way down the Lift, their bodies press into the sides of mine in a suffocating manner, making their presence rather known. Public shame. I guess Eadric's pride can live with that punishment on me, even if it hurts his pride a little.

The guards tail me into the Dining Hall I step into without much thought, and I internally curse myself as soon as I do so because the second I have crossed those damn doors, I am greeted with a hundred plus sets of eyes watching me with clear disgust, loathing, shock, even just dismissal. All negative, all unapproving. Just what I need.

A sudden slam rings out from the front of the Hall, and like everyone else in the room, I flinch, looking up to see Eadric's palm flat over top of his throne. His expression is harsher than one I have ever seen him posses towards his own people, and I just narrow my eyes suspiciously to him. Much to my surprise, however, everyone just backs down immediately, their heads hanging as they return to their food and low conversations. Holy shit. I have never seen Eadric so harsh to them before, to his own people. The expression he just sported was always reserved for crime committers, traitors, enemies, never those of his own clan, the innocent ones, I mean.

The dynamic here has definitely changed.

Suddenly the guards at my sides back off, and I look back to see their gazes directed elsewhere. I follow their eyes only to see Eadric nodding them off. He meets my gaze immediately after, and judging by the dark circles I notice under his eyes, I believe it is safe to assume he probably did not get much sleep last night either. He looks away before I can comprehend anything further.

I go ahead and walk over to the food station, watching as others get their trays filled with heaping amounts of venison stew before handing my bowl and tray over to the server. She looks me up and down, an older lady with greying hair and beady eyes, and I cannot help but note that by the time she has handed me back my bowl, my portion size is about half of those who got served prior to me. She does not offer me a roll either.

Again, stupid, automatic impulse takes over as I slowly make my way over to my old table to see the entire group there. At first they do not notice me, too immersed in their own conversations until a deep voice suddenly notes, "Aurora."

My breath hitches, and I nod to Carter, but his gaze is not warm and friendly as it had once been towards me. No, he is uncomfortable, unknowing of how to proceed as he averts my eyes, clearing his throat by the time everyone else turns to look to me.

The silence that lingers is beyond uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh... hey, Aurora. How've you been?" Alice begins tentatively until Brian eyes her outrageously. She closes her mouth at once.

"I've been better." I comment stoically, and she nods.

"Uh, how about you take a seat? You look exhausted." She offers as she suddenly scoots herself and Brian over, leaving me a seat next to her at the very corner of the large table, right across from Jackie and Carter.