Everliving: Day 13

Word Count: 78,015

Summary of Events:

Bethania was bored and wanted to leave her room when her handmaiden told her not to; she did anyways and discovered that her father was in the midst of disgracing Reynaldo, so she threatened to throw herself over the railing, and then accidentally fell, but was caught. Quique and the pirates woke up due to ants biting them and so decided to get an early start; the horses hampered the start, however, by reacting negatively when they, too, started to get bit by the ants which were still in the equipment that'd been packed up, which led to one man getting run over and having his leg broken when a horse got away. Awhile after her near-death Reynaldo came in to talk to Bethania and explained her father's motivations behind everything, as well as his own . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"" I knew I had done the wrong thing the moment I stepped into the dining room with you in my arms," Reynaldo said. "But there was no turning back. They wouldn't unsee what they'd seen. I didn't think of what scandal would be caused until that instant. I was thinking only of how my daughter had chafed, and how people were growing uncertain about your absence at the dining table."

Bethania opened her mouth to speak.

"No, your majesty, I take full blame for the beginning of this scandal," Reynaldo said, holding up a hand to silence her. "And I was willing to submit to the trial, only until I was told that you also were being tried. I tried to get them to stop because of the fact that you knew nothing, and I feared that you would react in upset to their probing, but it was to no avail."

"Why was I not told?" Bethania asked.

"Your father figured you would be less of a vexation if you knew less," Reynaldo replied. "Considering your mother could get whipped up into a passionate frenzy for any cause in extremely short order, and you are much akin to her."

"So instead he was going to subject me to a trial?" Bethania asked.

"For the sake of proving to the people that we both are innocent," Reynaldo replied.

"I am still nothing more than a pawn," Bethania said.

Reynaldo sighed and looked at her sympathetically. He looked like he wanted to say something, but yet he said nothing.

"But I must stay, for Maristela, and for Rafael," Bethania said.

"Your father knows that your mother was happiest as his wife," Reynaldo said. "And he feels you would be happy the same way, but I do not know why he must handle you with such roughshod manner. I feel very much that he is actually afraid of you."

"I am not surprised," Bethania said.

"His fear of you is making him into a fool, though," Reynaldo said.

"Indeed," Bethania agreed.

"Your majesty," Reynaldo said warningly. "You must not inflate yourself in self-justification. Your actions against him only confirm his fears of you, and add to them. They only reinforce his idea that you are as easy to control as a thunderstorm."

"If he wouldn't lie to me!" Bethania snapped.

"I know," Reynaldo said.

Bethania dropped her back against her chair again. "He is more a vexation to me than I am to he!"

Reynaldo sighed. "I am not at all surprised."

Bethania looked at him.

"I can see both of you, sides of each of you that you do not show each other," Reynaldo said. "And I cannot help but be vexed by both of you, but yet I cannot bring the two of you together to make things right either."

"Why not?" Bethania asked.

"You both harbour so much negativity toward each other," Reynaldo said. "You harbour resentment toward him, and he is afraid of you."

"So then what shall we do?" Bethania asked.

"I really haven't the faintest idea," Reynaldo replied. "I wish I did.""