Note: This chapter get's a bit tough for poor Aili again.

 

Amaury

 

"Amaury?", she asked softly after he had taken her to his aunt and uncle's living room.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so nice?"

Confused, he sat down next to Aili on the soft sofa. "Nice?" How did she come up with that? What had this Nio done to her? Amaury felt the anger boiling up inside him, but he suppressed it. Anger didn’t help.

"Yes. Nice." She nodded. "I thought Nio was nice, but then he wasn't. And if I compare him to you, he probably never was. Right from the start. I just thought he was. I was so stupid! How he looked at me from day one... Like a trophy. Why didn't I see it? I’m stupid... And... Do you think my siblings will really be separated? And I? What will become of me?"

"You're not stupid, Aili!" What would happen now? How could he answer this question for her? "Maybe your grandfather will be back soon and take them in. And Aunt Julia likes you. She will help you." She probably would, too, if she didn't like Aili.

"And if not? If she can't help me? My brothers and sisters! They could be scattered all over the country. Coming into unknown families. Maybe I'll never see them again." Sobbing, she buried her face in her hands. "Birger used to joke about us selling drugs. All the time! Dad told him to stop the silly jokes before anyone believes him and we bring trouble for anything. That those weren’t drugs. We believed him. We never thought it was possible. I was so stupid! Again! I should’ve known. But we didn't want to admit that our parents could be criminals."

Carefully, he stroked her back. "Of course. They’re your parents. Why should you think badly of them?"

Aili winced at the delicate touch. "Why? Because mom was never a good mother. And dad? He is constantly away. At least he wants the best for us... Well, that's what I thought. But he let us pack drugs. He never got in Mom's way. For a while we were poor. We lived in misery. I was still very small. Dad always said we deserved a good, rich life. Cared-for and safe. This powder has made us rich again. He was proud of that, I think."

"Maybe he thought it was best for you?" Amaury was grateful to be a simple baker's son. His parents were not involved in any criminal dealings. And he didn't feel the weight of a crown on his head either. He did not live in misery. If he wanted to, he could live in an estate and play prince. But he wasn't one. "Maybe he thought it was the only way out of poverty?"

Aili shrugged. "Maybe." She snorted and looked at Amaury. "Your parents. What are they like? And your siblings?"

"I also come from a big family. Not as big as yours!" Amaury leaned against the sofa and sat cross-legged. "I have fewer siblings than you. My parents are wonderful. And my siblings... Three sisters and a brother. I am the oldest. After me come Ava and Aleidis. They are twins. And then Adaliz and Ethan. He’s in first grade. Adaliz regularly tries to convert the house into a zoo or laboratory. Once she dragged a raccoon in. It was full of fleas." Laughing, he shook his head. "My father is the queen's older brother. One of her older brothers. Dad gave up his title and everything for Mom. At that time, the tyrant still ruled. He could’ve had his title back, but he and Mom turned it down. I’m a simple citizen, not a prince. And that's how I like it."

"Don't you sometimes dream of being a prince?"

Amaury shook his head. "I could have a title, but I turned it down. And you? Would you like to be a princess?"

"Nio called me his princess in the first week, unlike Oswald. My fiancé... former fiancé. Mom wanted all of us kids to get a title. She and Dad fell out of favor with your aunt and lost everything." Aili nervously played with one of her strands of red hair. "Nio doesn't have any titles. He does not belong to the nobility. I would have given up a title for him at any time. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a princess." She wiped a few tears from her face. "Nio bragged about me. He introduced me to his friends. In the last month of the first year of school, I spent a lot of time with him and Arne. I listened to their conversations. Nio never wanted to spend time with my friends. I thought that was normal at first. For him, however, I was just an achievement. Possession. I know that now."

"Aili? Has he beaten you before? Or treated you roughly?", he asked cautiously. Startled, Aili moved away from him a bit.

She shook her head. "No... Never... In the beginning, he behaved quite differently. He gave me gifts. There were signs, I think. I didn't notice them. Everything he wanted..." Sighing, she buried her face in her hands again. "I wouldn't be a good princess."

"Why do you say that?" Amaury asked. "You're pretty, beautiful. You’re kind-hearted. Why shouldn't you be a good princess?"

"I'm dirty", she muttered, barely audible.

Dirty. At the word, Amaury turned pale. She had already said it once. "Why do you say that? Has Nio..."

"He said if I didn’t... with him..." She sobbed bitterly. "Then I wouldn't love him. I didn't want to, but..."

"What?" Shocked, Amaury clenched his fists. "I should have plucked him like a chicken! He did that to you?"

Aili flinched and nodded barely noticeably. "Outside. In the bushes. We met secretly. I never want to do that again! It was disgusting! And it hurt." Her voice trembled. Aili spoke more quietly than a whisper. "But he said it has to be that way. Does it have to be that way?"

Amaury shook his head. Nio deserved a higher penalty than he had received. How could anyone hurt such a delicate girl? "He shouldn't have done that."

"I shouldn't have listened to him... I should have stayed in my bed", she said softly.

"No. It was him. Not you." Amaury would’ve liked to take her in his arms, but Aili was still trembling. "Would you like some tea?"

She shook her head. "Amaury?" She grabbed one of the decorative cushions lying on the sofa and hugged it.

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm pretty? Still?" She looked at him with large, fearful doe eyes.

"What?" Irritated, he also took a pillow and imitated the gesture. "Of course, you're pretty."

"Would you do something like that? Like Nio?" She averted her gaze again and stared in front of her with red eyes.

"No. Of course not." He grabbed a folded blanket next to him and carefully placed it over Aili's shoulders. Again she was frightened. "It's all right. Sorry. It's just a blanket."

She nodded, whimpering, and allowed him to wrap her in the blanket and pull her to him. "Nio's an ass!", he said softly. "You deserve better. I would put the world at your feet."

"Would you?" Aili leaned against him, exhausted. "The world is big."

"You deserve no less."

"Thank you." Aili sighed. "Amaury?"

"Yes."

"You're a good friend. Your aunt is nice. The Queen." She laughed briefly and bitterly. "Does she really want to help me? Mom hates her."

Carefully, so as not to frighten her again, he stroked her hair. "Yes, I think so. She will do what she can. If need be, she'll go to the swampland and drag your grandfather here to take in your siblings."

She nodded. "Does she really climb trees? And roofs?" Aili asked suddenly.

Amaury smiled. "Yes, yes. Our queen is quite a daredevil. She especially likes to play hide-and-seek with her personal guards. Without informing them in advance. And Uncle Marko plays along instead of stopping her. He's her bodyguard."

Aili grimaced. "Then he does his job badly."

"No." Amaury laughed softly. "He usually fulfills his tasks very well. But to a good joke, he doesn't say no. Within the walls of the castle. Uncle Leo is constantly amused by this. In a letter, he wrote that she hid on the roof of the castle a few weeks ago. And important guests were expected. She then greeted them from the roof. Together with her dragons, who, of course, took part in it. Dad likes to call them all, the royal chaos." He winked at her. "The guests were shocked. After that, however, everything went according to protocol. Aunt Julia always says that the country has suffered for too long. People need things to laugh about. That's why she likes to joke."

And finally, Alili laughed. "She looks so young."

"She is!", he agreed. "She's an eternal teenager with a crown on her head. She stopped aging too soon. But she is also a good queen. Kind, assertive. She can be scary when you're stupid enough to upset her or dare to not take her seriously. She can be very playful, but it's better not to mess with her."

"Oh."

"She played hide-and-seek with me when I was little", he continued. "Dad almost went crazy when he found her with me on a very tall tree. I was six years old. She taught me how to climb."

"Did you climb rooftops too?"

"Yes. Once. With Aunt Julia and Uncle Leo. Josefine, one of her dragons, was also there. But don't tell my parents. Please. They would faint."

Nodding, Aili snuggled up to him. The two talked for a while until they heard the apartment door open. Lea looked cautiously into the living room. Shay walked past the living room. He was carrying Florentine while jumping. The girl laughed happily. Finally, the queen entered the apartment and accompanied Lea into the living room.

"The opening ceremony is over?", asked Amaury. Aili snuggled closer to him and looked shyly at his two aunts. Lea sat down in an armchair with a sigh. Queen Julia nodded and then sat down next to Lea in the same chair. Lea rolled her eyes, but she smiled.

"Yes. The anniversary celebration is now in full swing", Lea informed them matter-of-factly. "Chloe, Benjamin, and the kids are still at the party. Just like Leopold and the rest of the gang. One of the graduating classes performs a play. They want to see it. I'm sure the students will be happy about it."

"Gang?" Queen Julia laughed.

Lea nodded. "I noticed very well that Marko, Josefine, and Peter made funny faces during my speech. Fiete fell asleep! And Finn had a hiccup throughout my speech, which of course Tiw had to imitate. Aethel had little chance of stopping him." She sighed. "This opening ceremony will go down in history as thoroughly chaotic. And Alwin... Heaven! He was almost sitting on Pelle's lap. All that was missing was for them to make out in front of all the students!"

Aili chuckled softly. But at the same time, she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

"Oh come on! Lea! It was funny. And Alwin needs a lot of closeness. Especially when there are a lot of people around him", his aunt replied.

Lea snorted. "It was a disaster."

"Oh! Do you remember? When Cleo and Fritz once burst into one of Mom's speeches while being drunk? How old was I then? Twelve? Or the one time Emmie growled at the guests in the front row? Because they made fun of Peyo?" The queen grinned contentedly. She rarely spoke about her mother. The previous queen. The tyrant.

"Luckily the rest of the family couldn't come today..." Lea shook her head. "I'll make us some tea." She glanced briefly at Aili, who was staring at her uncertainly. "Or rather, hot chocolate. I also get some cookies. Unless Marko secretly ate them all." And Lea left them alone with the queen.

"My family?", Aili asked softly.

"Your siblings will be taken to the castle. There is enough space there. Until your grandfather is there and can take care of them", the queen replied. "I'm sure he'll take them in."

"And if he doesn't want them? Or me?" Aili asked softly. "We haven't seen him for a long time. And he and Grandma have children of their own. They are about the same age as me and Birger. Maybe they don’t want more children?"

"Then we'll find a solution", the queen promised. "Don't worry."

"Your Highness enforced this out of sheer stubbornness!", shouted Lea from the kitchen. "In the castle! All the children of Babette! Peter will get a crisis! Now the castle is becoming a children's home!"

Aili looked nervously at Amaury's aunt and then at him. "We're not like mom."

"She knows that", he whispered to her. "Your siblings are in good hands."

"Julia! You never think about things like that", Lea continued to rant loudly. "It's a castle!"

The queen rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out in the direction of the kitchen. "Then at least a little more life will come into the place! It's hard to play hide-and-seek with the council members!"

"Alma loves to play hide and seek. She hides in boxes, large flower pots... And then she jumps up and shouts 'Here'. She hasn't understood the game yet", Aili said softly. "Your Majesty? Thank you."

The queen nodded. "Of course, sweety. Your siblings are welcome in the castle. And so are you. Feel free to visit me, will you? We can climb trees together!" She winked at Aili. "Or on the roof? And bring Amaury with you. He shows up far too rarely!" She snorted playfully indignantly. "Just like the rest of the family!"

"We live far from the castle. You could also visit us."

"I'm the queen!", his aunt snorted.

"With dragons! As if traveling was risky for you, Auntie!", Amaury replied.

She stared at him. With feigned horror. "Auntie? I'm not that old yet! Lea! He calls me Auntie!", she shouted to her sister. They heard Lea laughing in the kitchen. A little later, Lea brought two cups of hot chocolate into the living room. Amaury offered to help her carry the rest. Now that Aili had calmed down, he dared to leave her side. And besides, he wanted to tell his aunt about Nio's assault. Which he did after following his aunt into the kitchen. To help her with the other cups. He spoke very softly so that Aili would not hear him. Lea snorted angrily.

"There are more consequences on the way for the boy!", she grumbled.

"Is there hot chocolate?" Florentine had appeared in the kitchen. "Can I get some?"

"And me?" Shay also looked around the corner. "I want chocolate too!"

Lea sighed. "Please, bring the remaining cups into the living room. I'll make more." She grinned at Amaury. "I forgot my chocolate monsters!"

"Chocolate!" Florentine happily took one of the cups and hurried into the living room.

They all drank cocoa together. Lea sat down on the second chair. Florentine sat in front of the fireplace. Together with Shay, who played with her. The fireplace was off. Instead of a fire, a stuffed animal sat in it. With its own cup of cocoa. Florentine looked shyly from time to time at Aili, who was restlessly hiding close to Amaury. There were too many people in the room for her. Shay noticed this and took Florentine to her room with the promise to read to her. The stuffed animal remained faithfully seated in the fireplace.

Lea looked at the girl worriedly. "You’re welcome to stay here. After this fright, I don't like to send you to your room. You can sleep here on the sofa."

"What?" Aili shook her head. "I can’t do that!"

"Of course, you can. Later, the apartment gets a little more chaotic for a short time, but at night you have your peace", Lea explained.

Aili looked helplessly at Amaury. This did not escape Lea and the Queen. The Queen smiled. "Amaury is welcome to stay here if you prefer. As long as he doesn't mind? Even if we would have to organize a bed for him..."

"I can push the two chairs together", he announced. "And sleep in the hallway", he added. Amaury didn't want to scare Aili. She nodded.

A little later, Chloe and Benjamin, with his wife and two children, also came to the apartment. Tiw and Hallie looked at Aili curiously, but then joined Florentine. Aili snuggled up close to Amaury and watched as the rest of the royal family gathered in the apartment. She smiled a little amused when Prince Peter appeared in almost the same dress as the queen. But he, the two wolves, the dragons, and Leopold only came to pick up the queen. They planned to return to the castle. They greeted Aili warmly but noticed that she was not feeling well and therefore kept their distance.

Julia gently hugged Aili goodbye. She promised her that everything would be fine. Aili thanked her, sobbing. After that, the queen hugged Amaury. "You like her", she whispered in his ear. "She seems like a nice girl. Be good to her. Whether as a friend or maybe more."

"Of course." He blushed.

The queen nodded. "She seems to like you." She winked at him and then fell into her husband's arms. Leopold kissed her affectionately. "Are you saving the world again?", he asked.

"No. But we'll have some important guests soon!" She waved them goodbye.

"I heard about it!" The elf nodded with a smile and waved as well.

Lea made them promise to visit her soon. And to write her letters. She wanted to know how the children were doing. Julia gladly promised this. And she also promised to write to Aili.

Then the royal family left.

"Your family is nice. And chaotic", Aili said quietly and emotionally exhausted. She rested her head on Amaury's shoulder. "They're as sweet as you are."

Amaury, as promised, stayed with her, while his aunt and uncle left Aili plenty of room to recover from all the horrors. Only Florentine did not understand why she should leave Aili alone. In the end, Aili stayed with them for the entire week. Amaury checked on her every day, but after the first night, he didn't have to sleep in the hallway anymore.

He talked a lot with Aili. And he brought her flowers and leftover pastries. To cheer h up. After all that had happened, she needed a friend. No admirer. No matter how wonderful he thought she was. But at the end of the week, she kissed him. Only on the cheek. Amaury looked at her with a red face, dumbfounded. The two of them sat in the living room again. Aili rarely left it at the moment. Lea had offered her that she could stay another week if she didn't feel ready to return to her room and classes. Aili had accepted the offer.

Aili's cheeks were equally flushed. "You?"

"Y... Y... Yes?", he stammered, taken by surprise.

"Do you still think I'm pretty?", she asked uncertainly.

"What?" He nodded, feeling like the biggest fool. "Of course."

Aili chewed on her lower lip. "Would you hurt me?"

He shook his head. "Never! Aili?"

"I like you... But... I don't know if I..." Aili sighed sadly and pulled one of the decorative cushions back to herself. She often did this. "I don't know if I can do that. Another relationship. More... But I like you."

Amaury sighed. "I like you too. Very much. And don't worry, you don't have to... do anything. We can just be friends. Or start as friends. You've experienced bad things. You don't have to jump into the next relationship. Take your time. Recover first."

She nodded. "Good. Because all this..." Aili pulled her legs up and buried her face in the pillow. "scares me. But I feel so alone. And tomorrow is the court hearing. My siblings have already been interviewed. Only Birger and I are supposed to testify."

Amaury nodded. He knew that Lea planned to accompany her. "I can also come along. If that's what you want."

Again she nodded. "Please. Stay with me."