A High Class Arrangement -Sovereignty- Chapter Thirteen

Sorry this one's like, a day late. I sort of have a lot on my plate right now.

Speaking of having a lot on my plate, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I got on crew again for another play at school. The bad news is that I got on crew again for another play at school. That means no more free time, basically, and infrequent updates. I'm going to try, I really am. If I have to stay up until midnight one night writing five chapters ahead so I'll be able to update, so be it. This weekend would be a perfect opprotunity to do it except I'm swamped. If I don't manage to update but once a week, please please don't be mad. Just... say you understand.
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It was a sunny day. Light was filtering through the curtains of the room I was in. I flipped on the televison, expecting to have to wait for the news to start. To my amazement it was already on. I also expected to have to wait awhile before anything concerning Lucus, the war, or the royal family in general was mentioned. I was wrong.
"...Has been a death parade of a day. Queen Sophie of Pseaudal was found dead this morning, causes unknown. Another extremely concerning piece of news considering everything that's happened the past few days is the fact that early today Princess Felicity was ripped from her jail cell in Castel and murdered under orders of King Michael of Pseaudal."
I was gaping. Felicity was dead. I couldn't grasp it. Felicity wasn't the most pleasant person in the world, but death? The news scarce had time to sink in before the second bomb was dropped.
"The future of Arsantia is now uncertain. As we all know, King Lucus has been missing for several days. It is highly probable that he is dead. The only hope Arsantia has for the future lies with the unborn child of..."
My eyes started to blur. All of the breath seemed to rush out of my lungs. I though that I would faint. My whole world was crashing down around me. I felt numb. Cold. I couldn't believe it. Lucus. Dead. Two words that I was never supposed to hear together in the same sentence.
I heard a shrill scream echo from somewhere. It took me a second to realize that the scream was my own. I was shaking uncontrollably. I must have passed out, because next thing I knew I was lying in a bath tub vomiting wretchedly like my whole system was rejecting everything that was in it. Wave after wave of nausea swept over me. I felt like it was never going to end. My sides ached with the heaving. A stabbing pain ripped through my abdomen, and I know that I passed out because when I came back to the world I was laying in a comfortable bed. Someone was holding my hand. I kept my eyes shut. I lacked the will to open them. I heard voices all around me.
"It was the sudden shock that did it." someone said.
"What are we going to do now?" someone else asked. "There was hope before, but now there is nothing. There's no one left."
"It's a shame that she lost wasn't able to keep it." another voice said.
"All of you out." a clear voice rang. I recognized it as Belle's. "All of you out now. This woman has just lost two very important things today and you're making it sound like one of them is her fault. There is nothing she could have done and I'm not going to stand for that kind of talk so everyone get out now."
There were several indignant mumbles of protest.
"I'm not asking again." Belle hissed.
After a minute, I heard the door shut. I opened my eyes. "Belle," I asked. "What else did I lose today?" I had a feeling that I already knew.
Belle looked sympathetic. "I'm so sorry." she said.
I thought back to the vomiting and the sudden sharp rip of pain, and I knew. I'd lost the last part of Lucus that I had. The only thing I had. I turned my head into my pillow and wept bitter tears. Time seemed to stand still. I could have wept for hours, days and I wouldn't have known it.
"He promised." I finally said. "He promised to come back."
Belle looked ready to cry. "I know he did."
"But he's not coming back." I wept

Days, maybe weeks, past. I couldn't tell. I stayed mostly bed ridden, and the times that I wasn't, I moved around the palace like a ghost. I wouldn't eat much. I couldn't eat much. I hadn't the appetite for it. I'd lost weight. My bones jutted out sharply in several places, and I was very pale. I looked dead, and I knew it. At times I wished I was dead. Never in my life had I known such a hopeless, crushing sadness. Everything was gone. There was nothing left for me.
I was only vaguely aware that the war was still going on. The councillors had taken command of the country for the time being, for lack of better candidates. Indeed, Lucus and Felicity were the last surviving members of the Arsantian royal family, and they were dead. So, too, was Lucus' and my's unborn child, who would have been the next king or queen. There was no one left to do it. Arsantia's fall was no longer a matter of if. It was simply a matter of when.
I preferred to stay out of the taxing affairs. The effort it would have taken me was more energy than my body had to spare. I was in a constant state of lethargy. Probably because I wasn't eating.
Belle tried her hardest to rouse me out of my stupor. She tried her very hardest to get me to eat something more than a bite of this and a bite of that. I tried my very hardest to oblige her, but it was impossible. My body and my mind were doing constant battle and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
Sometime after, I had no idea how long since I was completely unaware of the passage of time, something happened that changed everything.
It was early in the morning. I just happened to be making my daily pilgrimage to the kitchens to try and force some sort of sustenance upon myself when a commotion in the hallway caught my attention. One of the councillors, Benjamin Amherst was arguing with someone. I couldn't see the man's face, but the voice sounded familiar.
"Just let me talk to her, for a second." the man pleaded.
"She is no condition to speak with anyone, and considering the events of the past few weeks, I think it's prudent that you leave at once before I am forced to call some sort of law enforcement."
"Just let me see her for three seconds! It is of the utmost importance."
I stepped into the hallway. "What's going on?" I asked.
Amherst made a move like he was going to bow, but he stopped. After all, what need had he to bow? I was no longer queen. I was just Drucilla.
"There you are! Your Majesty, please, a moment of your time..." I saw the man's face. It was prince Michael. I was torn between being furious that he dare show his face in my presence and thankful to him for risking everything to tip us off that night at the ball.
"I am Majesty no more." was all I said. My tone was flat.
Michael looked confused. "What happened to make that so?" he asked.
"I really must ask that you leave, or I will be left with no choice." Amherst said.
"No, let him stay." I said. "If what he has to say is really so important then I think that I can stand to hear it."
Amherst looked unsure. "I outclass you now. I can do what I will."
"Try it." I said dangerously. Amherst backed down. "Leave us." I said.
"You can't order me." he said defiantly.
My dark rimmed eyes shone hardly and dangerously. "I think you'll find that I can. I said leave us." I growled. Amherst left quickly.
"You have five minutes." I said. A tug of pain plucked one of my heartstrings at the use of the phrase. I tried my best to ignore it, but I must have betrayed some emotion because Michael asked me if I was okay. I shook my head no. "No, I'm not." I said. "Now, tell me. Why did you so urgently need to see me?"
Michael sighed. "There's a warrant on my head." he said. "Someone overheard my tipping you off and told my father. He's convicted me of treason and would think to put me to death. I managed to escape before I was arrested and the only place I could think to come was here...Especially after I found out what really happened to my mother." his voice shook. "I can't believe he would have her murdered."
The news shocked me. King Michael have his wife murdered? How underhanded could you get? Then something occurred to me. "How do I know you're not lying?"
"You don't."
I carefully considered what he said in my mind. I sifted through it. So what if he was lying? What did I have to lose? What did anyone have to lose? Arsantia was damned either way. I was damned either way. "Fine." I said.

I had more trouble than I ever though I'd have with anyone when the councillors found out what I was doing. Apparently more of them had a problem with me than I knew, and only respect for my position kept them from outwardly displaying that dislike.
It took all of my coldest, harshest powers of persuasion, and several threats that I had every intention of carrying out if they didn't all agree to it.
Part of me wondered why the councillors even tolerated me in the castle anymore. After all, I had no right to be there anymore. I think perhaps it was Belle's influence that kept me there. Hers and several other councillors who still respected me and were kind to me. I was grateful to that kindness. I would never forget it.

Rest in results!
Prince Michael was grateful to me for my kindness. He was a lively person, even though he was about as down on his luck as I was (even though I felt that my luck was marginally worse than his was) and he was easy to get along with. I couldn't help but be cheered by his bright disposition. Soon I was able to eat normally again, and I wasn't so zombified in my behavior. I was as much of my old self as I would ever be again, at least. Several years my junior, I often found his behavior slightly immature. It sort of reminded me of the way Lucus acted in his late teen years, even though Michael was older than his late teens. It pained me to make the comparison. My face would contort noticeably, which always attracted Michael's attention and questions. Questions I couldn't bear to answer. I was surprised that he even needed to ask them, however. Surely he knew what had happened.
"But honestly," he asked me one day, seriously. "Why aren't you Majesty anymore? What happened? Why do some of the councillors treat you the way that they do?"
I sighed. "You honestly don't know, do you?"
"Know what?" he asked.
"Lucus stayed behind in Castel when we left... and he never rejoined us." I said, trembling. I felt another episode of hysterics coming on.
The look in his eyes told me that he understood and I needn't say anything more. "I'm so sorry." he said.