Heirs of the Gods

Ch 43: From the outside

Ella had meant to return to the palace before the afternoon. She had, really.

Seren hadn't minded Ella's nosy questions, rather, she'd been all too pleased to regale her with all sorts of riveting tales. Soon, a chat over tea turned into lunch, and then in to tea again, and by then, there really was no use in leaving before dinner. Entertained as she was, by the time Ella realised, it was well past nighttime.

Ever the accommodating hostess, Seren had insisted Ella stay the night, even offering to write to Callan to let him know she'd kept Ella for too long. Ella had refused profusely, not wanting to cause a fuss by overstaying more than she had already. Belatedly, she remembered she'd left the palace that morning in a hurry, without so much as a note.

She'd said as much to Seren, who had only huffed in half amusement and said, "Well, just like your mother, then." It was at moments like these that Ella realised that despite their polar opposite natures, Seren was perhaps not so different from Callan; they shared the same tart humour.

After promising to come back soon for more tea and gossip, as Seren called it, Ella made her way back to Gerrathea.

----

As she tiptoed around the dimly lit foyer, Ella thought that Callan would be proud.

Well, not proud. She was, after all, sneaking in well past a midnight. It was late enough that not even the guards milled about, and even the night lights had been turned on. Still, Ella had fully managed to shroud herself in darkness to the point of being invisible, an ability she'd been practising with Callan for a while now. Callan probably hadn't meant for her to use it for these means, but she still thought it was an accomplishment.

She congratulated herself as she tiptoed up the stairs, towards the second floor, feeling particularly pleased with herself. It was a shame no one was around to see how nicely it had turned out.

"Is there a reason you're tiptoeing through the hallways, Elowen?"

Between her startled gasp, Ella morosely thought that perhaps she hadn't been that stealthy.

Ella cringed, immediately coming out of the pocket of shadows she'd carved for herself. "Hello," she said meekly, turning to face Callan, standing next to the door of his study with his arms crossed. His expression was blank, though Ella could have sworn there was a hint of amusement. "I didn't know you were still awake," she said in way of explanation.

"Paperwork," Callan replied, uncrossing his arms. "I've received several comments that you were missing today. I was of the idea that you might have simply gone out and were not under immediate danger, though Sir Gawain insisted you might have been snatched in the dead of night. I suggested waiting before sending out the tracking hounds and the whole troop, as much as Sir Gawain protested." There was definitely entertainment in his tone now.

Poor Sir Gawain. Given that the wards around the castle were more than secure and there weren't that many people anyway, the guards' roles were mostly decorative. The few that had been left were there for protocolar needs rather than security. Sir Gawain was probably bored out of his skull daily, wishing some robber would at least try to breach the estate grounds, just to have something to do. This was probably the first time in a while there'd been the possibility of troubles, a missing Lady no less. Sadly, it hadn't been the case. Well, at least they'd be eager to look for her if she did up and disappear, Ella mused.

Ella winced, "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to worry anyone. I went to visit Queen Seren and I got caught up."

A light frown graced Callan's high brows, as he scanned Ella for something she couldn't place. Bemused, she continued, "I should have left a note, I didn't realise I'd be gone so much. We talked a lot and time flew by..." she trailed off lamely.