Meanwhile, in the middle of the hallway, a woman was hyperventilating. Badly. Reasonably she knew that speaking like that wasn't likely to do anything but cause Lamont's parents to dislike her, but Kiara could not think rationally. Two countries rested on her shoulders, well hers and the prince's, and she could have just blown it. Because she had decided to talk back to the king and queen, everything could have been ruined.

And yet, she could not find it in herself to apologize because everything she had said had been the truth. Kiara was tired of anyone who was different being told to change. How on earth were their two countries to ever live in peace if they could not accept their differences, their uniqueness? She had chosen to do that long ago when she'd picked up her bow, and Lamont had chosen the same when he'd chosen to read. But two people did not make a country, regardless of how powerful they happened to be. 

Even so, Kiara did understand the king's worries for his son. She supposed he knew better than anyone the dangers of being a royal during the war. Not only because of who he'd sent for her, but also because of the sons who had died to assassins that Callum had sent. It was true that Lamont needed to at least know how to defend himself. The basics would be better than nothing. Mostly, she thought he needed to learn how to think under pressure. As a prince, he probably already knew that and so half of his training was done. 

Thinking about this had caused her breathing to slow slightly, but she was still leaning against a wall to steady herself. Ah, what would her mother say if she found out how she was treating the people here. 

[i]You must always be respectful, Kiara. To everyone. And be quiet. If you have nothing of value to say, and you know exactly what I mean by that, do not say anything at all. No one wants to hear the vulgarity that comes out of your mouth.[/i]

Yes, her mother would have had a heart attack if she'd been in that room. Kiara smiled sadly realizing for the first time that despite their differences, she missed the woman. She knew that even though she had wanted different things, her mother had loved her more than anyone in the world. And Kiara too felt the same way about her mother, which was why it hit her so hard that she was always disappointing her. 

Kiara slid down the wall and placed in her head in her hands. What on earth was she doing in this place that she did not belong? Where no one wanted her? 

She was just thinking how embarrassing it was that she could not even handle one day when the one person she wanted to see the least called her name.