Floriana came willingly to the dining hall, but she had begun to regret her decision as soon as they sat down. Her mother and brother had been discussing boring things that she knew nothing about, nor did she plan on learning any of it. It wasn't too bad until they sat together and directed their attention to her.

"Well, Flori, what did you do today?" Basil asked, smirking at his sister. He already knew what she had done, because they spent a good chunk of the day goofing off together. But he wanted to see what kind of lie she would tell, even though her guard had accompanied them all day and could easily Belline anything that was of concern. What they had done– practicing sword fighting– wasn't too bad, but it was frowned upon for girls to partake in. Any time Floriana tried to take up a taboo interest, her mother swiftly guided her to another path and warned her about what her father would think. Now that he was gone though, Belline was much more lenient than she had been before.

"Oh, um… I played in the gardens." She answered, which wasn't dishonest, aside from omitting the rest of the day.

"All day?" Belline glanced at Floriana's guard with narrowed eyes, assessing his reaction. The guard, named Petro Angelo, gave the slightest shake of his head, a small smile teasing at his lips. Floriana trusted him, the man had taken care of her for most of her life, and he never betrayed her over these trivial matters. He never betrayed her period, at that.

"Oh, I did my studies for a while, if that's what you're wondering" Floriana smiled and lied much too easily, a trait she had quickly learned while dealing with her father. She could say whatever he wanted to hear by this point, but he often chose not to believe it– even if it was true. "Probably not for as long as I should have, but it was such a lovely day outside."

Unlike her brother, Floriana was not interested in what was going on with her father, as long as she knew that he wasn't coming back yet. It wasn't that she wanted harm to befall him, but rather she wanted to enjoy the time she had while he was gone. But if he did not return, it would crush her.

That was what she told herself, anyways.

"Mhmm." Belline knew her daughter was hiding something based on the way Basil was acting, Floriana figured. Her mother wouldn't make anything of it, she never did so, when she could afford to. "Well, at least you did some of your studies, yes? Let's just enjoy our supper now, and we will talk more later. I'm glad to be able to spend time with you two tonight. It's always a shame when we aren't able to eat together."

Floriana almost disagreed, but she did love spending time with them, even if she wanted to do it elsewhere. "Yes, mother." She kept her pleasant smile while replying, but immediately started going at her food. The faster she could get to doing something else, the happier she would be.

After supper, Basil excused himself for the evening. The queen walked with Floriana back to her quarters, as she did almost every night for the past few months. Floriana didn't mind it, in fact, she adored her mother. The past few years, her father had made her mother reign back and force Floriana to be more independent. He insisted that it was best for both of them, but Floriana couldn't help but ache for her company.

Most of the time, Belline laid in bed with her daughter until she fell asleep, cradling her in her arms. Floriana appreciated it, and she'd even woken up to find her mother asleep once or twice. Usually, though, the queen would leave before that could happen. She still had to stay in her own room, if only to keep up appearances and nothing else. That was what Floriana figured, anyways. She wondered if her mother would stay tonight, or if she would be gone the moment Floriana woke up. Neither option bothered her, although she was never upset to see her mother there. In fact, it was comforting, as Floriana often had disturbing dreams.

On this night, Floriana had no dreams, and she did not wake up until late in the morning to discover that her mother was, she assumed, long gone. Floriana threw her covers back and jumped out of bed, the cold floor sending a chill throughout her body when the pads of her feet touched it. Vyxolis was always such a cold country, even the summers never got overbearing. She vividly remembered the time they had visited Inik. The heat was sweltering, but it was refreshing to be able to play in the ocean and not catch a cold. She missed that time, and had always wanted to go back to the land her mother came from.

She wondered if she would ever get to go back while idly moving over to the door, opening it slowly and peeking out. Petro was there, as he always was, and he greeted her with a small smile. "Good morning, little princess. How did you rest?" He was waiting for her to open the door the rest of the way, which she did. He then stepped aside, allowing her to stand in the doorway instead of him blocking it.

"It was fine," she replied softly, stifling a yawn and reaching her arms up to stretch. "Could you call for my maidservant? I believe I've slept in a bit too late, and I don't want to disappoint my mother by ignoring my studies again. I cannot gather how to button up these silly new gowns I have to wear, though. Unless you think I could study in my sleeping gown?"

Petro chuckled and shook his head. "You cannot wear that gown all day, little princess. I will call for a maidservant, as you wish." He motioned to another guard quickly pacing down the hall, beckoning him to approach. "Sir, I need you to go and fetch a young lady named Julia. She should be in the servants quarters, or the kitchen."

The guard flinched when Petro addressed him, shuffling over to him before being called to. He let Petro finish, but then spoke in a hushed tone. "Sir Petro, I apologize, but all of the servants are being told to stay in their rooms while a search is done." His eyes quickly shifted towards Floriana, who was puzzled by this statement.

"Why is that? What are they searching for, and why was I not informed?" Petro immediately asked, glancing back at Floriana as if to make sure she was still safe. He spoke in a hushed manner with his next words, but Floriana could hear him. "I need to be informed of such matters, Sir. It's imperative that I keep the princess safe." He turned around and smiled at her, ushering her into her room. "Go wait inside, little princess. I'll be there in a moment." Petro wouldn't dare to leave her alone right now, but she wasn't sure why.

Floriana wanted to argue and state that she should be able to know what was going on, but she sensed the seriousness of Petro's tone. She wouldn't dare to argue with him right now. The princess gave a nod, trying to indicate that she, too, could handle serious matters, even if her place was to be obedient. She went into her room, letting Petro shut the door, then promptly pressed her ear to it.

The two guards spoke in hushed tones, but she could make out a few words. 'Prince' and 'searching' were the only two that she could piece together. Are they searching for my brother? Don't they know where his room is? But she realized it must have been more serious the longer the two guards kept whispering. They must have checked for him in all the usual places, and this thought made her heart start racing. If her brother was gone… where could he be? Why hadn't they asked her, the closest person in the world to Basil? Then again, Floriana had no idea where he would be. He either hung around in his training area or spent time with his friends, but she was almost certain that none of them were available today. "Come on," she mumbled, pressing her hands to her temples, trying to get into the mind of Basil. "Where would I go if I were my stupid brother?..."

Floriana hadn't realized that she was up against the door mumbling to herself until Petro opened the door, causing her to stumble. Before she could fall, he grabbed her arm and stabilized her. "Now, now, nosy little princess. I should have let you fall for eavesdropping." His smile was plastered onto his face, as it often was, but Floriana could tell that it was forced. He never was good at lying, even with his face.

"My brother–"

"He's alright, Floriana. Please don't worry yourself. You shouldn't have been trying to listen in on a conversation that wasn't for you," he scolded her gently, reaching down to scoop her up and hug her.

Petro was more than a guard. Floriana considered him to be part of her family. He had guarded her for ten years, swearing his life to her when she was only a few years old. Sir Angelo had been the same age as Basil was now when he took his vows. She wasn't sure why he had dedicated his life to be her guard, but she appreciated him dearly. The man was more like a father to her than she could describe.

"How do you know he's alright if you don't know where he is?" Floriana retorted, bracing her hands on his shoulders to look into Petro's eyes. "You can't trick me, you know… I'm grown up now, so I can tell when you're trying to placate me."

"You've learned a new word, I see," Petro grinned and shifted so that one arm was under her rear so that she could sit comfortably. The other arm wrapped around her waist so that he could press his palm to the small of her back and pull her closer. He hugged her tightly, kissing the side of her head. It was comforting, albeit foreign. Petro was affectionate to her when he was allowed to be, but she was worried that he was compensating due to the stressful situation. "Countless guards are searching for him. I'm sure he snuck out to have some fun. Maybe even to see his pretty servant friend. What did you say her name was?"

"Paleina," was all that Floriana said in response. Something felt wrong. She didn't think that he would disappear so suddenly just to have fun. There had to be something amiss. He'd been so distant lately, concerned about the war or something of that sort. While the topic bored Floriana, she was starting to regret not asking him more about the situation. If she knew what exactly was bothering him, she might have been able to figure out where he went. Nobody else knew Basil the way that she did, not even their mother. Sibling comradery was a powerful force to be reckoned with. The only matter that she knew concerned him greatly was the absence of their father. There was nothing they could do about that, though. "How could he have even snuck past his guard? Any time I open the door, you're there… if not you, then Lukas. Both of us are on the fourth level, so he couldn't have climbed out…"

Petro moved over to the bed and set Floriana down, but she was hesitant to be let go. He sensed that, and reached out to put a hand on her head. While he spoke, he idly petted her head. "Well, if you were going to sneak out, how would you do it?"

Floriana didn't even take the time to consider that before answering. "Why would I tell you that? Your job is to keep me here, I'd never tell you my plans to escape." She couldn't stop her thoughts from racing. What if something awful had happened to her brother? Could his guard have conspired to harm him?

"You're the most similar to him, little princess. I'm sure you two have tried to sneak away before. In fact, I've caught you a few times myself. What would you do if you were trying to sneak out, then?" Petro asked her with a light tone, but Floriana realized what he was doing. He genuinely thought that she was the only person who could get into the mind of her brother.

"Um, well…" Floriana tried imagining where she would want to go, in the first place. Probably to the beach, even if it was too cold. None of her guards would take her there, she was sure of it, so she would have to trick one of them. "I would probably wait until Lukas was the one guarding me. Then I would tell him that… hm… I'd probably say something like, I left my book in the library, and I'm having trouble sleeping without following my usual routine. He wouldn't know that I don't have a strict routine, so it would be fine. I'd ask him to escort me to the library so that I could easily find it, but upon arriving, I'd claim that I saw a rat in the library and beg him to go in and grab it for me. I'd just describe a book that doesn't exist, and leave the library door open while he searches for it. However, as soon as he goes inside, I take off. See, it'd be easier, because the library is only on the second floor. I'm quite fast, but I know I'd have to be sneaky. I think I'd choose to climb out of the window of that empty room on the second floor– no one guards it, because there's nothing in there, and I'm sure I could climb down easily enough."

Petro listened intently, giving her his full attention. He was one of the few people to ever do that, and Floriana always appreciated it. "I see. Now I know your plan if you ever try to run off, little princess." He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I don't think your brother is clever enough to come up with that plan, though."

She figured he was right, but then again, how could he have escaped without a clever plan? "I don't know what he would have left for," she admitted. "The only thing he wants is to see our father again, but that's impossible. I mean, right now it is, anyways. He's so far away, pretending to be at war. That's what mother says, anyways."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Your mother says that? Doesn't sound like her. She takes this kind of thing rather seriously." Although he didn't sound like he disagreed entirely, which confirmed a suspicion that Floriana had.

"He's not really at war, is he? I mean, I know there is a rebellion, but it can't be that bad. We're not suffering, our people aren't suffering… is he just using this as an excuse to leave us?" Floriana asked bluntly, knowing that Petro would be as honest with her as he could. Her mother was probably more open with her than she should have been, but the two of them had a special bond. They'd been through similar situations, being royalty and women who had to deal with her father. She knew her mother found it easier to talk to her, but the queen still kept some of it quiet. "I know he loves to fight, and this group of rebels from another country is a threat, but I don't know if it's all that bad…"

The guard pursed his lips while pondering this question. Floriana wasn't sure that he would even know how serious it was or not. Finally, he gave her his honest answer. "No, it's not as serious as he wants it to be. But it could escalate rather quickly, and I think it's inspiring to our common folk that he was willing to go into battle to defend this country."

"But does Basil know that?" Floriana blurted out. "He doesn't seem to grasp the idea of my father… overexaggerating some things," she admitted. The conversation wasn't doing much to distract her from the situation at hand, although she admired Petro's attempts to try and quell her worries.

"No, I don't think he knows that, little princess. Boys admire their fathers more than anyone in the world. He would believe anything your father told him, no doubt. But that's alright– it's a good thing, really." He smiled at the sentiment, but Floriana wasn't sure this should apply to their own father. Then again, she understood that as soon as he returned, she would start pining for his approval once more. It was much easier to think clearly when he was gone.

"I want to help look for him." The severity was starting to sink in now, and she realized that she had started shaking. "I could find him. It's like you said, I'm the most similar to him. If I can't even find him, then he may never come back. Please, Petro, let me find him! I have to…" Floriana stood up, but the guard put a firm hand on her shoulder and eased her back down.

"Now, now, calm down, little princess… it's not as serious as you think it is, so don't worry yourself. Nothing bad will happen, my dear." Petro once again forced a smile, and Floriana tried to push back her feeling of dread. Something told her that this situation was more sinister than Petro was leading her to believe.