A/N This chapter has no title and was half-written when I found it. Nevertheless, I'm still publishing it.

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I woke up in a hospital bed.

It was eerily quiet. I could hear my own breath, slow and relaxed. The blankets were adorned with royal crests and a fresh plate of very fragrant mashed potatoes laid next to me.

I looked down. My arm was wrapped in a plain white cast on my stomach. 

I grabbed the mashed potatoes and put a spoonful in my mouth. It tasted like freshly picked roses and pickled caramel, with a hint of... wait, what?

I savored the flavor, gulping down the food gratefully.

The door opened, though I couldn't see it. A thin man walked in, and, upon seeing that I was awake, bowed.

"Your majesty," he said slowly, standing up again. "You were found with a broken bone in your arm around a day ago. You were unconscious for a while."

"I've been unconscious for a day?" I asked, taking another bite of the heavenly mashed potatoes.

The doctor nodded. "You were drifting in and out. I had to give you sedatives for you to heal from the trauma."

I looked back down to my mashed potatoes and took yet another bite.

"I'll leave you alone for now." He walked towards my bed and checked his computer. Then he examined me, checking my arm. "It seems that you're doing alright. Would you like me to contact anyone? I think you're in good condition."

I thought for a moment. "Could you bring in my lady-in-waiting?"

He bowed again. "Of course, your majesty."

He rushed away.

I laid back on the bed again, sighing. This really was a good pillow. I wanted to sleep here forev-

"I am here, your majesty."

I sat up once again to see a bewildered Euryale, dressed in her usual maid clothes.

"Euryale!" I said, smiling. "How are you?"

"You shouldn't go around hurting yourself," she said in a monotone voice, not daring to meet my eyes. "Not when you've been through so much, lately."

"It's only been four days," I laughed bitterly. A small smile crept onto Euryale's face.

"Indeed. You do seem to attract chaos wherever you go."

"I guess I'm used to it."

We sat in silence for a long moment. She took a seat next to my bed.

"The doctor said that you're in good condition," she said. "You don't suppose that you could go on a walk with me?"

"You should probably ask him first," I said.

She stopped to think. "Yes. That would be wise."

With that, she glided out of the door, leaving me alone once again.

I sat back, sighing.

Within a moment, though, she dashed back, this time with a stupidly happy smile on her face. I was taken aback. Euryale was never so... loose!

"He said yes!" she cried, holding out a hand for me to stand up.

"He did?" I leaned my legs over the bed. It felt good to move again, after lying in a bed for the past day. "Where?"

"He said we could go anywhere, as long as it didn't involve intense physical exertion." She threw her head back, laughing. "Whatever that means."

I stood up, wobbling a bit, trying to find my balance. "Why are you so excited? We're just going on a walk."

She smirked. "You'll see."

We stumbled out of the hospital, walking along the streets of the capital city, filled with rich cars and flourishing businesses. 

"Where are we going?" I asked her. 

She didn't answer, instead leading me across the square roads, all neatly packed into beautiful sections with beautiful skyscrapers and-

And suddenly they were gone.

She stopped at a rotting gate that looked more than seventy years old. I observed the houses beyond the barrier, so terrible and dreary that I could scarcely believe that this was the same city. I looked behind me, where the glamour of the skyscrapers and luxury hotels still loomed overhead. How was there such a huge contrast?

Euryale pushed the fence with all her strength and it screeched, the tip dragging across the cracked concrete floor. I winced, covering my ears.

She walked in and motioned me to follow her.

"Where are we going?" I asked again.

"Showing you the real Eastland," she replied.

We walked across the wasteland. There were rows and rows of rotting wooden houses and small markets, with vendors that barely looked like they had eaten in a week. The cobblestone floor was so old and cracked that a reckless person could trip on the ragged rocks if they were not careful.

"Do you come here often?" I asked her, watching a mother trying to feed her malnourished toddler a bottle of water. She glanced up at me, smiled at my lubricant hospital dress, which stood out from the rags the village wore and went back to feeding her child.

"No," Euryale admitted, leading me further and further down the village. Her strict posture was gone now, replaced with a casual stride. "My parents would never approve. The rich want nothing to do with the poor."

Suddenly, a brown-haired girl around the age of ten rushed past Euryale, almost knocking her over. Euryale stumbled, surprised. "Hey-"

The girl stopped a few feet in front of us, turning around. Her face was wide in terror. "S-sorry-"

"Hey, Vera!" Two boys ran over to us, glaring at the girl. "You're so cool!"

"I didn't know you were brave enough to go bother the rich lady!" the shorter boy marveled. "It was just a joke!"

The girl scratched her head. "You mean you weren't going to take my shoes if I didn't do it?"

"Yes, I would've," the taller boy snorted, towering over Vera. "Your shoes are so cool. My sister would want them."

Vera shook her head, frowning. "My daddy bought them for me!"

"Well you could tell your daddy that he sucks!" the taller boy complained. "Those shoes could buy us a whole gallon of milk!"

The shorter boy cowered behind the taller, looking guilty.

"B-but..." Vera looked down at her rugged purple slippers, her face falling. "I bothered the rich lady!"

The boys laughed, one louder than the other, and the taller one pushed her down.

"Sorry," the shorter boy whimpered, looking sympathetically at her. "We need the money. Momma's sick-"

I glanced at Euryale, who nodded.

"HEY!"

The kids turned at us and the shorter boy screamed.

"It's the rich ladies! RUN!"

The two boys rushed off and Vera frantically stood up, looking at us with terror.

"Hey," I said in a softer voice. "We won't hurt you."

She averted her gaze, not daring to reply.

"Who were those boys?" I asked, walking towards her and crouching down to her level.

"Bastien and Horace," she replied, her voice quivering. "They always want my stuff."

"I'm sorry," Euryale said flatly. I glared at her.

"That's not okay," I commented. A small smile emerged on her face.

"Yeah," she fidgeted, her fingers rubbing against each other.

I hesitated, patting her back. "Where are your parents?"

She finally found the courage to look at me. She sighed. "They... disappeared two years ago."

"Oh," was all I could say.

She laughed. "Yeah. Oh."

I didn't know how to reply. "If it helps, my mom just died a few days ago too."

"You're a grown-up, though," she muttered, looking back down at her feet again. "They don't force you to do stuff."

"What?"

"I hate the orphanage," she said with a loud huff. "They make us do work. They don't even feed us."

I exchanged glances with Euryale. "They don't?"

"Yeah," she said casually. "They said it was different before Queen Emily enacted some orphanage law."

"The Homeless Act," Euryale told me, staring emotionlessly at Vera's hair. "She cut budgets out of the nation's orphanages and homeless shelters to fund the police."

I whipped around. "What?!"

She shrugged. "Crime was skyrocketing after you-" she paused and grimaced. "After the Crown Princess's death. There was no other choice."

It was my fault.

I turned around to face Vera. "How do you feed yourself?"

Vera shrugged. "I do jobs for Miss Giavanna. She makes us harvest some crops for a bit of money."

Even Euryale looked surprised at this. "That's illegal!" she exclaimed.

Vera looked at her with a weird expression. "Everyone I know does it," she said shortly as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe. "It's the only way we get food."

I bit my lip, looking down at the floor. Euryale shook her head.

"Your 'Miss Giavanna' has to be arrested!" she cried. 

Vera glared at her, her hands on her sides. "Why do you care so much, anyone? Auntie Jackie says that rich people don't care about our life."

I looked down at my dress. It was beautiful and lovely, filled with jewels and other shiny things even though it was the hospital's dress. I guess they had a special dress for the queen. 

"Do you read any books?" I asked her.

She lit up. "No, but Miss Giavanna told us that we'd get books when we're old enough!"

"I started reading when I was four!" Euryale looked so disgusted that I thought she was going to explode.

Vera grinned. She was becoming more and more relaxed with us by the minute. "I often sneak looks at Miss Giavanna's television! She loves watching stuff about Princess Ariadne!"

My blood instantly ran cold. "What stuff?"

Vera giggled, taking my hand. I stiffened, surprised by her sudden trust in us. "I'll show you, c'mon!"

She lead us down the town, arriving at a large building. We crept behind to the backyard where she climbed on top of a tree with practiced ease. She motioned us up.

"I don't think we should be climbing trees in dresses..."