Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) - By Paula Flumerfelt Page 0,31

admirable that you decided to do this. It’s good. It’s really good. And it’ll help you keep your head when you’re on the throne, know where you’re going.” Mathieu smiled at her and she blushed, writing her newest declaration to open conversations with all four districts of Korinth to the list.

“There.” She added the date to the left of it and rolled the scroll back up, stowing it away for safe-keeping.

“So what now?” Mathieu watched his charge curiously.

Avian turned to him, stretching. “Mrs. Emers lectures more about government.” She ran her tongue over her teeth.

The teacher put her hand on her stomach, wincing slightly. “If it’s all the same to you two, I’m going to sit down. We can move into free study if you’d like.” She said, waddling in a pregnant fashion over to the wingback chair.

“Sweet!” Avian went to one of the bay window and curled up on the seat. “Tell me about what it’s like.” She said expectantly, peering over his her glasses.

“What what’s like?” Mathieu said, confused.

“Out there.” She shrugged towards the outdoors. “I’ve only ever been up to Fallon and even then, it’s in an armored carriage. I hate those things. They’re so loud.” In an poor imitation of the engine in a motor she pretended to drive.

Mathieu flopped into a chair, kicking his feet over the edge. It was an old habit. “Out there is…kind of like in here. I guess. People work to make a living, take care of their families, that kind of stuff. I’ve always lived in an orphanage, which is kind of like here too…kinda.”

Laughing, she looked down at the grounds. “You’re funny. Really funny. This place is like a cage, trapped here by rules that can’t be seen to navigate. I hate it here, you know.” Avian’s eyes were now looking past the walls of the castle, at the city outside.

Mrs. Emers looked at the clock and looked at Avian. “…Jeez. Like lazy rays of sunshine. Get out of here. It’s a nice day. Read some before you go to bed. Behave.” She tilted head towards the door, one hand on her tummy. “Go.”

“Are you serious?” The princess asked, excited. Her face lit up and she was on the edge of her seat.

The teacher fixed her with a look before grinning. “Yeah. I’m tired, you want to get out. We’ll reconvene tomorrow.”

“Thank you!” Avian gave her teacher a bear hug, before she sprinted out of the room, Mathieu right behind her. “This is great! She never lets me out early. Normally, she makes me stay late.” She came to an abrupt halt. “What to do, what to do?”

“Why don’t we go into town? It’s a really nice place, the little I’ve seen of it, anyway.” Mathieu suggested with a shrug.

Avian bobbed her head in agreement. “Okay. We can go to this store that sells all sorts of crap. It’s pretty cool.”

“Crap is my kind of thing.” Mathieu joked.

She pointed towards the door. “Good, we’ll take the carriage.”

“Wait a minutes…I thought you’d only ever gone to Fallon…” He raised an eyebrow.

Avian wrinkled her nose slyly. “Sometimes I sneak out to go to this store, but it’s the only place in the city I’ve gone.”

Mathieu laughed.

The carriage turned out to be an armored, Energy Jewel ran machine that seated four people. Hopping into the front seat, Avian fired up the contraption and pulled out of the garage it was housed it. The engine roared as she drove through the city, passed the people crowded the streets and into the more industrial area. People didn’t seem to notice them mixing into the general populace, ignoring yet another carriage on the road. “You’re my protector, right? So you’ll like protect me even if I go to places like parties, right?”

“Er…yeah, I suppose.” He said with a small frown.

“Well, there’s this…thing. It’s a congregation of Elise and her officials along with our ‘important’ people. I want to go. It‘s in three weeks.”

“Um, ‘important people’?” Mathieu tilted his head, “And why would you want to go to that?”

“There are always tensions between groups of people, or countries, and stuff. We aren’t any different. Just because we haven’t gone to war doesn’t mean that it can’t happen. I have no idea what the true political situation is like and I’m supposed to take over some day. I need to know. I need to know.” She pleaded slightly and pouted as she drove.

“I’ve never done anything like that. I doubt I’d be suitable to go. Take Narrie,