Caught in the Middle Ch. 04

Although she had no regrets about her decision- hearing Richard talk so fondly about the kingdom erased most of her doubts, and she appreciated that he took the time to talk things over with her, as opposed to outright forcing her to do things- she still didn't think she was the right girl for the job. She hated to think what would happen if everyone made a big fuss over her, only for her to end up not being the Source.

"Um, Richard?" she whispered while everyone else was distracted.

"Yes?"

"I don't feel too good. Do you think I could go back to my room? I'll be happy to talk about all of this more tomorrow, but I'd really like to rest."

Richard took a second to think before answering. "I suppose it has been chaotic day for you, and you're still recovering."

She watched as Richard strode up to his father and whispered something in his ear. The King nodded and Richard returned to Maya, gently taking her arm. "I'll escort you back to your room," he said before leading her out of the hall.

"So did I do better this time?" she asked as the pair walked side by side. Richard turned to face her. She kept her eyes looking straight ahead, with signs of worry etched all over her face. He studied her for a moment longer, and noticed that she even appeared to be slightly trembling.

"You were fine. You have nothing to worry about. Things will be easier from here on out, I promise. There's an entire kingdom that wishes to support you. I'll be watching over you too, of course." Maya nodded, but still didn't look too convinced. "Just get some sleep for now," he said, opening her bedroom door. "The next several days will be very hectic, so it's important for you to rest."

"Alright," Maya responded succinctly. Richard looked as though there was something else he wanted to say, but his inability to articulate his thoughts resulted in an awkward silence between the two. "Well, goodnight," she said quietly, not wanting to come off as rude, but also not wanting atmosphere to become increasingly uncomfortable. He walked up to her and kissed her cheek "goodnight," he said, hoping for his actions to express what words could not. He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving her alone in the spacious room.

The moment the door closed, Maya flopped on the bed, utterly exhausted from the day's events. She tentatively brought her hand to her cheek. Now that things had finally calmed down, and she was left alone, it felt like things were just starting to sink in. A very small part of her actually entertained the idea that this just might be her new reality, rather than a very lengthy and realistic dream.

As she lay on her back, reflecting on all that had happened up to that point, her eye lids grew heavy. The only thing keeping her from surrendering to sleep was the discomfort of her clothes. Reluctantly, she stood up and walked over to her vanity, studying the dress in the mirror in an attempt to see if she could remove it.

While Maya was able to locate the strings in the back, she succeeded only in creating a big, tangled mess, rendering it impossible for her to complete the task herself. She peeked out her door, hoping to find someone- Mille, Richard, or anyone who looked like a servant- wandering around the halls. She refused to leave the room and look for someone elsewhere, not wanting anyone to see the results of her own efforts at untying the dress.

To her dismay, the halls appeared empty. Briefly, she contemplated searching for a sharp object and simply cutting through all the strings. Thinking of how she would explain it to Mille in the morning, however, made her think better of it. Just when she was about to give up, she spotted someone turning the corner at the end of the hall. Their arms were piled high with books and papers, making it difficult for her to see the person's face. She waited until they got closer, figuring she would just wave them down and ask them to find a maid.

Relief washed over her when she saw that it was Cedric. She nervously cleared her throat once he got closer. He peeked out from his pile of materials to see Maya looking gesturing for him to come to her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. It's just...uh, well, could you come in for a sec? I'm so sorry, you look really busy. I promise this'll just be a minute."

Cedric couldn't help but smile at the urgent way she spoke to him. Curious at what had her so flustered, he nodded and joined her in the room, promptly setting the heavy books down on a nearby chair.

"So, um..." she nervously began, with her back facing the door, "if it's not too much trouble, would you mind helping me with this?" she turned and showed him the series of knots that donned her dress.

"You want me to remove your gown for you?" he asked skeptically, holding back laughter. "Isn't this a task more suited for your future husband?"

"All I need you to undo these strings. And just so you know, I wasn't thinking about it while Richard was here, otherwise I would've asked him, instead." She stated with crossed arms and red cheeks.

Cedric looked at her sympathetically, loving how easy it was to get a reaction out of her. "All right, all right," he took her hand and led her to the stool in front of her vanity.

"Thank you," she grumbled, sitting down.

The room was silent as he worked on her dress. Occasionally, she would glance at his face through the reflection of the mirror. He looked so focused, and she wondered if this was the same expression he had worn he tended to her head earlier. She relaxed and closed her eyes, feeling a strong sense of comfort in his presence.

Every time she needed help with something, Cedric always happened to be right there, waiting to aid and console her. Even though she'd only fully experienced one day in the castle, so much had happened, and each instance she interacted with Cedric allowed her to believe that things were going to be okay. Just being near him was reassuring, and he struck her as someone she'd be able to rely on in the future.

The problem was that Maya had no idea if her thoughts towards him would stop there. There was a kindness, a sort of warmth, to Cedric that set him apart from Richard. She soon found herself wondering if her feelings towards her current situation, which were fearful and uncertain, would be any different, had she been told to marry Cedric instead of Richard.

As soon as she caught these ideas creeping into her mind, Maya felt an instant pang of regret. Things weren't going to change, and with Richard as her partner, she didn't want to be doubting her decisions with what-if scenarios.

Maya sat still, these complex thoughts raging inside of her, as Cedric moved on to her corset. A light, accidental touch of Cedric's hand against the small of her back elicited a jump and a small gasp from her. This time, it was he who glimpsed at her through the mirror. He paused and looked down at her, taking note of her down cast eyes and slightly parted lips. Wondering why he stopped, Maya looked up. Her deep, chocolate colored eyes clashed with his mischievous hazel ones, with neither of them saying anything to break the tension that grew with each passing moment. Smirking, his eyes eventually returned to the strings.

"Sorry about that," he said, continuing on as though nothing had happened. Maya was ashamed at her reaction. Naïve to what was going on inside Cedric's head, she felt that he was nothing but professional with her, and there she was, getting caught off guard at the smallest touch.

"So I heard the good news," Cedric casually mentioned. Maya gave no response. "Are you not happy here?" He asked.

There was a long silence before Maya found herself able to answer his question. "I'm not," she said, "I feel like a prisoner here. I don't mean in this kingdom, specifically, but..." she struggled to explain her feelings, "I just hate being at the mercy of people I don't know. It's pretty terrifying."

"We're all making an effort to help you adjust," Cedric said somewhat sternly.

"I know, and I really, really don't mean to sound ungrateful. Richard told me if I didn't stay here, some other kingdom would find me and I'd be forced into the same situation." Her voice began to trail off, "If not that, he said Michael would probably find me..."

"I would think that being stuck here with us would be considerably better than your other options."

"I get that. But on the off chance that I do have some kind of weird power, would Richard and his family really let me go if I said I changed my mind? Everyone is making it sound like I'm choosing to marry Richard, but the only choice I've made is to willingly go through with it. I can't imagine anyone here would lose any sleep if I was dragged down the aisle kicking and screaming."

Cedric was taken aback by the frankness of her words. "That's quite an interesting take on your situation," he said, "any other girl in Esfalda would kill to be part of the royal family."

"I'm sure I would, too, if I was from here," she retorted, "but I'm not. Honestly, this whole thing makes me sick to my stomach."

"If it was up to you, what would you be doing here?"

That particular question caught Maya off guard. "I would travel. Sometimes I think that I might be better off trying to get by on my own. Although right now I'm more afraid of what's out there than I am curious," she stated sadly. "But still, while I doubt anyone here can help me find a way home, that doesn't mean there's not someone outside this kingdom who can."

"You know, even as the Source, you won't be stuck in this castle forever. You must be patient. You'll have many more resources at your disposal as a princess than you would as some wandering vagabond."

"I guess you're right," Maya admitted, "but it's so hard for me to just sit here and do nothing. I don't want to marry Richard, I don't want to become a princess, and I don't want to be the Source. It's even more ridiculous to think that how I would live the rest of my life was decided in a single day by people I don't even know!" Their eyes met in the mirror once more. "Sorry. I didn't mean to vent so much. I'm just frustrated." In truth, she wasn't sorry, but rather relived to have been able to get all that off her chest.

"Just remember that It's dangerous out there, Maya," he warned. "Even more so for someone like you. Acting irrationally could get you into more trouble than you realize. You must be patient," he repeated.

Maya's eyes turned to her own reflection. For the first time in her life, she seriously questioned her own identity. She had always thought of herself has a hardworking, ambitious woman. She was going to graduate from college, find a job with promotion opportunities, and live out a comfortable life. That had always been the plan.

Now, none of that mattered. She had absolutely no idea who she wanted to be. The only thing Maya knew for sure was that she would do whatever it took for her to get home.

"I've finished," he announced a short while later.

Maya stood up clutching the garments to her chest, "thank you so much. I really am sorry to have bothered you."

He bowed and retrieved his books. "Sleep well, my little peony," he said, leaving her with a sympathetic smile before parting ways. Once outside of her room, Cedric began walking down the silent, barren halls. He let out a long sigh, feeling quite satisfied with himself. Everything's going according to plan, he thought, with a smug smirk replacing his smile as he returned to his quarters.