Confusion. Anger. Betrayal. Humiliation. These were just a few of the feelings coursing through Mike as he sat alone in the lounge room. After Vanessa's explosive exit, the rest of the Guard fled in fear of retaliation for some unknown offense. But behind that fear was a sense of vindication. For ages, Vanessa and the rest of the Guard had been trying to convince Mike to loosen up on his obedience complex before it had dire consequences. Much to their chagrin, however, Mike regarded these warnings as ludicrous, or sometimes, even funny. And now, here he was, alone and abandoned in the lounge room.
"Damn traitors," Mike muttered.
Are they really? The Voice had returned.
"What the hell do you mean, 'are they really'?" Mike seethed. "Of course, they are."
But were you not the one who refused to search for Melanie, whom you are sworn to protect at all costs?
"I refused to defy the Queen for the sake of a little girl with no ambition and no desire to better herself!"
Foolish boy! She has ambitions and dreams, being Queen just isn't one of them. But you being the lapdog you are, you simply follow whatever Valerie's beliefs are.
"JUST LEAVE MY THE FUCK ALONE!"
"It would appear that that request has already been granted." The embattled Commander startled as Charlotte once again displayed her knack for showing up unexpectedly and unnoticed. As he looked into the young woman's eyes, more emotions ran through him. Sorrow. Pity. Vindictiveness. Indignation. But there was another feeling within him both fighting to be acknowledged and fighting to be suppressed. And that feeling was gratitude. Gratitude for helping him discover the true, traitorous nature of his crew. But in doing so, Charlotte has put in reputation at risk by putting him in a situation whereby his loyalty can be questioned no matter what decision he makes.
"What's bothering you now, Commander?" Charlotte asked.
"Other than the fact the my team has betrayed and abandoned me, nothing," Mike said dully.
"What makes you say that? Charlotte said with genuine curiosity. With a heavy sigh, Mike recounted the events of the morning, sparing no details, culminating and the slap and Vanessa departure. Once he finished, he braced himself for more accusations of hypocrisy and dereliction of duty.
"Vanessa was absolutely, 100% wrong," Charlotte said fiercely. "The level of disrespect she showed a superior officer, let alone her commanding officer is absolutely appalling."
"I thought you considered authoritative figures and chains-of-command to be overrated?" Mike said, sensing an ulterior motive.
"Well, that was before the fate of the entire kingdom depended on it," she responded.
"Oh, really?" Mike said, still skeptical.
Yes, really," Charlotte said defensively. "As it stands right now, if Mother were to abdicate or pass, we would fall into anarchy because there is no clear heir or heiress to the throne. Said anarchy would lead to the destruction of Nominis, unless of course you come to your senses of Melanie."
"Are you suggesting that Queen Valerie is considering abdication or is at risk of imminent death?"
"No, but that's not the point," Charlotte said even more defensively. "The point is that-"
"I'm well aware of what your point is, Charlotte," Mike said, suddenly cold.
"Oh, really?" Charlotte said, conversely hot. "What exactly is my point, Lieutenant Commander?"
"Your point, Princess, is that if you're forced into a situation much like your dim-witted sister, then it's going to be my fault!" SMACK! For the second time that morning, Mike found himself on the receiving end of a stinging blow before witnessing the deliverer march off.
"WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH TO ASK TO YOU TO HIT THE OTHER CHEEK?!"
The next few days went by unexpectedly quiet. No mentions of the Heiress (either one), no sort of altercations, and no sort of interaction with the rest of the Royal Guard. In fact, Mike hadn't seen anyone from the Guard since Vanessa's flight. But what was expected was the summons he found on his dresser.
Lieutenant Commander Stevens, Please meet me in the Throne Room at your earliest convenience, as we have some urgent matters to discuss.631Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16sQ80rEy9
Queen Valerie Johannes
"At your earliest convenience, typically meant "you have until the time I'm ready to start my day to be waiting on me." Sighing deeply, Mike slowly made his way to the throne room. Knocking three times, Mike cautiously entered. "You requested my presence, your Highness?" Dressed in a simple purple dress to accent her crown, Valerie looked the epitome of royalty. Her sleek silver gloves were the personification of ruling with an iron fist. And her piercing gaze was the telltale sign of a life-threatening conversation looming.
"Have you found any leads as to where Melanie may have gone?" she began. Caught completely off guard, Mike struggled with his words.
"Um, well, we haven't, which is to say, I haven't. I mean, I thought-"
"It's a simple question, Commander. If you can't answer this one question, how do you expect to survive the day?"
"Yes, my Queen. I don't have any leads as to the Heiress's whereabouts."
"And why is that?" Valerie immediately followed up.
"Because I haven't tried to look for her," Mike said automatically.
"And why is that?" Valerie repeated. Mike froze. He knew the answer, and he knew his interrogator knew the answer. But how could he possibly give her the answer without insinuating that she was to blame?"
"Let me put your mind at ease, Mr. Stevens," the Queen said silkily. "I would rather you tell exactly what the reason is rather than you try to circumvent around what you find to be inconsequential, or in this case, highly consequential, detail." Taking a deep breathe, Mike attempted to stave off any other questions in one go.
"You expressly forbade me from searching for the Heiress and I believed that sending my team to look for her would also be a direct violation of your orders. I attempted to explain this to both my team and to Miss Charlotte, none of whom were willing to listen. I suspect that Ensign Johnson initiated her own search, and the rest of the Royal Guard followed suit, either with or without orders from Miss Charlotte." Breathing hard, Mike awaited the Queen reaction, and ultimately his fate. To his surprise, the Johannes matriarch was smiling.631Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hVGnvlz0F
"I'm impressed," she said. "Not only were you able to anticipate all of my remaining questions, you were also able to correctly guess the details. Vanessa did in fact begin searching for Melanie upon her departure. Your team did in fact join her search, and yes, they did so with orders from my younger daughter. And as you may have also deduced by now, they have significant leads as to Melanie's whereabouts. Again, I'm impressed." Valerie gave Mike an appraising nod before continuing.
"What I'm not so impressed with, sir, is your inability to look at the bigger picture, especially after it has quite literally slapped you across the face twice. What I'm not so impressed with, sir, is your refusal to acknowledge your instinct as a sworn protector of the royal family. And what I'm not so impressed with, sir, is your failure to act on said instinct." She paused for a moment to let these words permeate.
"I have a mission for you. You will use the leads found by your teammates to locate Melanie and bring her back here. Am I understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and because you no longer have command of your post, I find no reason for you to keep your rank as Lieutenant Commander. Therefore, until Melanie is returned to the castle safe and sound, consider yourself demoted to your previous rank of O-1 Ensign."
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