Chương 71: In the Face

It must've been the muffled sound of the horses pulling the large carriage or perhaps the slight creak of the wood, but Tori tilted her head and rubbed her ear. She was sure she heard incorrectly.

"What?" She furrowed her brows and squinted at Axton, who was seated on the bench across from her, Ilyana, and Nanny Rey.

"I must've heard wrong as well," Ilyana let out a small, nervous laugh. She looked almost pained.

"What did you say, Sir Nassaun?" Axton's lips were in a tight line as he looked at them under the dim light of the crystals in the carriage.

"The Empress wants to send His Highness Prince Gideon to the delta. It is his punishment for abusing his status to get a policy enacted targeting you." Tori's mouth was agape as for a moment, her thoughts blanked. Seated next to Axton, Henrik had a similar look, only with a bit more horror. Beside him, Constantine looked confused.

"Why." A low voice, dripping with irritation filled the carriage and Tori looked towards Ilyana on her right. Her friend's beautiful face was twisted with anger as her jaw clenched and her small hands clenched over her lap. Axton inhaled deeply.

"She wants him to look at the people whose lives he almost ruined." Tori let out a low breath and tilted her head back. She leaned against the back of the bench as she closed her eyes. Her entire body suddenly felt tired and heavy. Ilyana scooted closer and gave her a hug.

"I don't want him to come to the delta," Tori said.

"He has no business there."

"I know." Axton closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Constantine leaned forward and looked towards Axton.

"Is this an imperial order?" Tori, Ilyana, and Henrik also looked at Axton. Tori silently prayed that he had heard wrong; that perhaps the Empress was simply contemplating sending her idiot second son to the delta. Axton looked almost pained and he nodded. A collective groan came from the trio. Even Constantine shut his eyes tight and shook his head.

"All right, but when?" Henrik asked.

"She certainly can't be planning on sending him alone, does she?"

"She plans to have him come along during one of your bi-weekly trips," Axton replied.

"Considering the construction, it's probably the safest option."

"The safest option is if he didn't come at all...." Ilyana muttered under her breath. Tori put an arm around her and nodded.

"Well, we're not going next week. It's Lions Gate's anniversary. We'll be busy all weekend," Henrik said.

"The week after that is midterm exams...," Constantine looked at the group.

"We are planning to go after midterm exams…."

"Oh, just what I need during an already stressful period," Tori said, scowling.

"We have pressing business, exams, and now this." Axton held his hands up.

"The date isn't confirmed yet. She is going to wait until after midterm exams are over, but we don't know when."

"Do we at least get a warning?" Tori asked with a frown.

"Yes. We will tell you and you'll also receive a formal letter from her about this," Axton said.

"Is he going to stay the whole weekend?" Iyana asked. Axton nodded. She looked at Tori.

"We'll need to have a tent prepared."

"And additional knights will need to be stationed since he's an imperial family member," Henrik said.

"If knights are involved, will he bring Sir von Dorn?" Ilyana scrunched her face, as if disgusted at the very idea. Tori's eyes widened. It wasn't Fabian she was worried about, so much as Alessa appearing and sticking her nose God-only-knew where.

"He's not going to bring Fabian," Axton said. He leaned back against the bench and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're sure about this?" Tori narrowed her eyes.

"Fabian is training with the imperial knight cadets on the weekends. He has to if he wants to improve," Axton told them.

"Therefore, Gideon will be accompanied by additional knights. You don't have to worry about arranging that."

"What are the chances that he's going to bring Miss Hart?" Tori's demanding look never faded. At the name of the other student, Ilyana stiffened next to her and her face darkened once more.

"He is not allowed to bring anyone. It'll be only him," Axton said.

"What reassurance do we have that it will be only him?" Tori asked.

"How do we know that he won't tell her or Sir von Dorn, or even Mr. Guthry, that he'll be going to the delta and that they won't follow him on their own?"

"I doubt the village guards at the entrance to the road leading into the village will be able to stop them," Henrik said.

"They'd likely come into the village to check to see if they're allowed and if His Highness the second prince is there, then he's going to let them in," Ilyana added, as if assured that it would happen exactly as she said. Axton looked at them with a bit of confusion.

"What do you all think of the second prince?"

"We haven't exactly had very pleasant experiences with Prince Gideon since we started Lycée," Tori said in a dry voice. Ilyana nodded vehemently in agreement.

"To be honest, I just don't trust him to come and be a casual observer. Nor do I trust him to come alone." Axton reached up and scratched his head.

"I didn't know you had such a concern."

"Axton, she was at the Empress' birthday banquet. None of us knew she was going to be there," Tori said.

"If she's that close to the second prince, what's to assure us that she won't come, as well?"

"It was Miss Hart who was the cause of the vest debacle last year and it was her merchant friend who bought the bricks," Constantine said quietly. He furrowed his brows and looked up at Tori.

"Didn't you say that the First Prince said his brother had requested the budget limitation policy in order to aid his friend? Could it be Miss Hart?"

"I told you it was obvious," Ilyana said, pouting.

"We decided to purposely seek labor and staff from outside of Horizon so as to avoid a floating labor shortage for the foreseeable future," Tori said.

"Piers suggested that. It also let us be more selective in who we hire."

"It's worked out well." Henrik agreed. He looked at Constantine.

"The delta is being built at an astonishing rate."

"To be fair, a lot of money is being poured into it and we don't have a lot of people to answer to that may hinder us," Tori told them. She shook her head.

"I still don't feel comfortable with the second prince coming. I'm sure my mother has something to do with this. I'll call her when we get to the delta." Axton nodded.

"All right. When we stop for our next break, I'll switch with Ewan and let him sleep the rest of the way there." They looked at the window and saw Ewan on Axton's horse, Blue River, seemingly talking to the horse.

"Well... let's hope my conversation with Mama goes as well as Ewan's with Blue River."

"No, I don't want him here!" Tori nearly threw her arms in the air as she paced in front of her desk. Her comcry was open and her mother sighed.

"I know you don't want him there, Tori, but this may be a good idea," Antonia told her. Tori almost balked. She whirled around and glared at the comcry.

"What do you mean it's a good idea?"

"He needs to experience the delta." Tori let out a low breath and closed her eyes.

"This is the punishment the Empress gave him?" She opened her eyes and scowled.

"Is he being punished or am I being punished?"

"My dear, I know this appears bad. As your mother, I don't want that boy anywhere near you," Antonia said.

"However, he has to learn that his actions have consequences. He needs to see the place and the people he would've inflicted damage upon. If he doesn't, he will continue to bother you like this." Tori took a deep breath. What her mother said did have merit.

"But what if he brings some unwanted company?" Her mother picked up on her meaning immediately.

"If he takes that Hart girl with him, I told Monica that I will stop talking to her," Antonia said in a cold voice.

"Rest assured that Hart won't be there."

"Mama, she was at the Empress' birthday banquet," Tori said.

"I don't believe he won't try to bring Miss Hart." Antonia scoffed.

"He won't. Monica will see to that."

"Are you sure?" Tori gave the comcry a doubtful look.

"You didn't seem to have much faith in the Empress before...."

"Now, she's dealing with me," Antonia told her.

"Monica may be an idiot, but she's not an idiot." Tori took a deep breath.

"All right. I'm going to announce this to the village and have everyone prepare for his visit."

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, Tori. It is a necessary evil." Tori nodded and ended the call. She placed her hands over her desk and let out a low breath as she leaned forward and tried to gather her thoughts.

"Tori, are you done?" Ilyana peeked in from the front of the flap of the tent.

"The village meeting is about to start." Tori opened her eyes and put a firm look on her face. She put her comcry into her pocket and turned around.

"Let's go." The weekly village meeting followed the usual format. Everyone was used to it by now and it moved smoothly. When Tori stood to speak, everyone listened.

"First, I have good news. The budget limitation policy that was enacted at the beginning of the school year has been formally retracted," Tori said. She paused and let everyone digest the news. A breath of relief seemed to fill the area.

"As you know, in case we were unable to get the policy retracted, I did have a plan to fall back on to make up the difference in the budget. That will no longer be the case; however, we must continue our best efforts to be efficient. Winter will be arriving soon and we should be prepared for any unexpected expenses.

"I also wanted to report that I've received word from several acquaintances I've met over the summer. The Tona Kingdom has sent a ship with seeds, seedlings, and three experienced farmers. Their voyage is long and they will be arriving after the new year. We will need to prepare for their stay. The Zhu Empire is also sending some seedlings for a plant that we can process for cooking oil. They will also send some experienced farmers and will be arriving in the early spring.

"Lastly, in a few weeks, we will be receiving a weekend-long visit from His Highness, Second Prince Gideon." Tori took a deep breath to try to keep her voice calm and not fly into an annoyed rant.

"He will be under strict supervision and escorted by imperial knights. As with standard policy for uninvolved parties, His Highness Prince Gideon is considered an outsider. He may attend this meeting, but no information that isn't widely known across the village will be shared. He is not privy to future construction and business plans that are being arranged. Is this understood?" A wave of agreement swept through the crowd present and Tori was pleased.

"At most, villagers can give him directions. When he is on the islands, someone will be accompanying him at all times. I understand that his rank would make the staff feel ordered to answer, so I will arrange to ensure that no sensitive information is passed on. I leave this to you to let the rest of the village know and prepare for his stay." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Tori gave them a nod and stepped down to allow for the next speaker.

As per usual, she continued to take notes on key points and listened to what the villagers said. They were once more reminded that they were going to start taking suggestions for a village name. The village would include the shoreline and the islands. After the meeting, Tori had smaller meetings with different teams while her friends went off to check on their respective projects. Ewan went to train with Axton, as well.

In her tent, Tori spent another few hours speaking with professors, engineers, village leaders, and reminding them that as the daylight hours were growing smaller, it was expected that less work would be done and as weather permitted.

"I've stated over and over that the safety of our people, whether villagers or staff, is more important than the speed of progress," Tori reminded each team.

"There is no exception. I expect this to be followed. If there are concerns, please contact me immediately." She had two hours to break for her lunch and she almost wanted to laugh at how tired the others looked. Ewan had been doing conditioning training in the morning and would spend the afternoon doing drills. Axton was a surprisingly strict instructor and Nanny Rey provided additional support when she wasn't checking on Tori.

Ilyana had been putting together various plans, examining designs, and arranging payments for the excited embroiderers who were working for her. Many of their designs were popular and they were receiving commissions. Ilyana happily brought a thick folio of commissions for the spring. Tori was relieved to see that there was some money flowing into the village, even if it was just with a dozen women.

Henrik, as determined as ever to open a restaurant, was working closely with Instructor Ignatius to build a working kitchen fit to support a mid-sized restaurant on the shoreline. It was to be the first of the buildings built, as agreed upon by the village heads, so that it could be shown during the spring and give an idea of the possibilities in the delta. Henrik was in the midst of hiring cooks, and they would use local ingredients.

Despite his usual drive for profit, Henrik did not expect his restaurant to make a lot of money any time soon, but that wasn't the point of the Lycée project. His project would teach a skill set to a group who needed it. Constantine was helping Brother Cassius arrange for support work for the builders, which also helped train villagers with support skill sets, such as organizing and delivery of items from island to island. He and Tori felt that it would eventually help in the societal infrastructure of the islands.

All in all, everyone was working hard, but it was not without its feeling of accomplishment.

"Tori, do you have a moment?" Tori opened her eyes and looked up at the lavender and pink sky above her. The sun was setting and she was laying on top of a pile of ifana stone in the supply yard. She didn't have to look down to know who was talking to her. Only Axton dared bother her when she was there, trying to get some alone time to gather her thoughts.

"Yes," Tori said in a dull voice. He was already climbing up to join her.

"When are you and Ewan leaving for Presidio? Senior Sebastian asked me to make a report on Ewan's improvement and to send it with you," Axton said.

"And I have to leave for winter training, so I need to schedule it in."

"We're leaving by carriage as soon as our final scores and ranks are released." Tori remained on her back and Axton took a seat about an arm's length from her head.

"We thought about taking a ship to Karap with Mr. Zisos or all the way to Tres Arcos, but Mama and Papa want to make sure we have knights the entire way."

"All right, I'll make sure to have the report ready by then." He looked over at her and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you mad about Gideon coming?" Tori closed her eyes and let out a huff.

"I'm more annoyed than mad, but Mama made a point. Right now, Prince Gideon only sees the delta as an extension of me and not the individual people here. That's likely why he didn't hesitate to push for a policy that would affect the village. He didn't think about anyone else here; he was targeting me. Maybe exposure to the villagers will force him to take them into consideration."

"You're being very forgiving." Her eyes flew open and she scowled.

"I didn't say I forgave him," she said in a sharp voice.

"I'm also hoping to make him feel guilty. Let him look into the eyes of the children and old men and women he could've forced into starvation with his selfishness!" Axton cracked a smile.

"Have you noticed if he was acting strange at school?"

"He's quieter than normal, but I only see him during our homeroom. I don't pay attention otherwise. I kind of have my hands full with everything else."

"I was worried you'd reject Godmother's order."

"How can I possibly reject the Empress' order?" Tori snorted.

"Besides, he's just coming for a weekend. He'll be here for less than forty-eight hours. It's not going to kill me."

"I thought I was going to die!" Albert laid across the chaise in Cafe Fortuna as the others surrounded him. It was dark and cold outside, but the air inside the cafe was warm, though anything but relaxed.

"You're not going to die." Sonia rolled her eyes.

"Nearly everyone's ranks dropped during the reviews," Henrik said, shaking his head.

"What else do you expect with academic students so desperate to get into Ilyana's reviews for the midterm exams?" Albert tried to open both eyes, but his right one could barely do so.

"I didn't expect a fight to break out and then get hit in the eye!" Tori put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down against the chaise so the small towel with ice could lay around his eye without falling off.

"Calm down. Getting all riled up isn't going to get the swelling down," Sonia said with a frown. She adjusted the small towel to cover the forming bruise.

"We told you not to try to stop them."

"They were going to riot," Albert grumbled. Constantine was seated by the window, his hair disheveled and a button from his jacket missing.

"I didn't think this would get so competitive that people would resort to fighting for a spot." Henrik leaned back against one of the plush chairs next to the chaise and let out a tired breath.

"The largest study room at the dorm isn't large enough to hold half of the academic students. Her reviews are also attracting niche students now. It's impossible to fit that many people in the room, even standing." A small bell rang as the door to the cafe opened. Everyone turned towards the door and saw JP hold the door open for Ilyana as she walked with Nanny Rey at her side and Ewan behind her. Ilyana was slumped forward and pale; her brown eyes wet and red as she took small steps inside.

Tori moved from the chaise to the front of the cafe to give her a hug. Ilyana raised her arms and wrapped them around Tori as she turned her head and put it against Tori's shoulder.

"It's all right," Tori said softly as she gently led Ilyana towards one of the oversized plush chairs to sit. As Ilyana sat down, Tori sat on the arm of the chair so she could keep Ilyana against her.

"I don't want to hold any more review sessions after this!" Ilyana's voice was strained and Nanny Rey stroked her back to try to calm her.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Tori said as she stroked Ilyana's hair back.

"They should be thankful you even decided to keep doing them." Ilyana's eyes narrowed.

"They got into a fight to get in. It's just a review! It's ridiculous!" Tori sighed.

"I know."

"People got hurt. Look at Albert!" She turned towards the chaise, guilty.

"Sorry, Albert."

"It's not your fault," he told her as he laid there with an iced towel on one eye.

"You're a victim, too." Tori looked towards JP.

"What did Headmaster say?" JP took a deep breath. He leaned against the side of the chaise and crossed his arms.

"No more reviews in the dorm study rooms; there is not enough capacity and he worries this will happen again. If Ilyana wants to keep having reviews, he will have one of the guest lecture halls opened for her and will ask for staff to be present."

"I think we should force students to sign up ahead of time so she knows how much to expect," Tori said.

"This has gotten out of hand." Albert snorted.

"I'm all for having people sign up ahead of time." Sonia nodded and looked towards Ilyana.

"But only if Ilyana wants to keep doing it." Everyone turned to the upset young woman on the chair. Ilyana's eyes were narrowed and her lips were in a tight line.

"I'll think about it. It's not too late to do reviews next week. For now, we'll just keep doing our smaller reviews here." Several of them let out small breaths of relief, agreeing with her decision to take her time and consider if she wanted to continue. Ilyana enjoyed giving review sessions and felt that they helped her review the material, as well. However, what happened an hour ago was unexpected. The bell above the door rang again and Tori looked over her shoulder.

Axton and Piers walked in, taking swift steps towards them. Axton looked worried and Piers was frowning.

"What happened?" Axton asked.

"Ewan called me and told me that there was a riot." They looked towards Albert on the chaise with an iced towel. Piers frowned more so.

"What happened to Mr. Martin?" Henrik rubbed his head.

"A fight broke out in the dorm study room between students trying to get a seat for Ilyana's review session. Albert tried to stop them and got hit in the eye." Axton let out a low hiss.

"We've contacted Albert's family after we got him out of there. They're coming to get him in a few minutes," Henrik said.

"We also talked to the instructor who came." Axton knelt down by the chaise and looked over Albert's eye. He grimaced and shook his head.

"That's going to be at least two weeks. Did you take him to the infirmary?"

"We did, but the Martins are going to take him to their family doctor to make sure," Henrik told him. Axton looked around.

"Do you know who hit him?" The group shook their heads. Tori frowned.

"It got very chaotic, very quickly." Constantine nodded.

"There were at least three people who we know of that were injured. Mr. Martin was one of the first."

"I don't know what would've happened if Tori didn't walk me to the study room this time," Ilyana said, still visibly upset.

"We were lucky. Even if I came downstairs with you, if I didn't have the ice calcite to give to Instructor Ignatius, I wouldn't have been able to do much to stop them." Tori leaned back against the overstuffed chair, still trying to soothe Ilyana.

"What did you do with the ice calcite?" Axton asked.

"It was for testing our air cooler. I was bringing down a bag of scrap crystals and I threw several handfuls into the crowd, then triggered them to start freezing," Tori said. If she were being honest, she hadn't been thinking. It didn't cross her mind that it couldn't work; it was just scrap crystal, and while they were charged at the delta, they weren't on the energy vein when she used them.

It was likely the adrenaline rush of seeing the students descend to chaos that gave her a boost of focus to be able to trigger the crystals.

"The room got cold almost immediately," Henrik said.

"Everyone thought they were going to freeze." Ewan nodded.

"Tori was so mad."

"Of course, I was mad!" Tori sat up straight and glared.

"Mr. Zisos was dragging Albert to a corner; I thought he was unconscious! No one was listening to Henrik trying to calm everyone down. I was worried JP and Sonia were going to get trampled trying to get to you guys and Ewan...." She looked at Ewan and he smiled weakly. Axton raised a brow.

"What did Ewan do?" Several pairs of eyes avoided him.

"The less people who know the better...." The cafe was quiet except for the sound of coffee being made in the back. Piers frowned more so and then turned to Ewan, who shifted nervously and had some sweat across his bald head. He kept his eyes diverted as Piers walked towards him.

"What happened." Ewan dropped his head and caved immediately.

"I punched Sir von Dorn!"

"In the face!" Sonia couldn't seem to stop herself from exclaiming that as a wide smile filled her face.

"I don't even think von Dorn knows who hit him!"

"And he won't find out," Tori said in a low voice, looking at JP. His eyes widened and he raised his hands.

"I know when to shut up." Axton drew his lips in and tried to hold back a laugh.

"How did that happen?" Sonia stepped forward, appearing eager to tell them.

"When they saw Ilyana coming, the crowd started pushing from the back. Someone elbowed Hart, who was at the front of the room. That upset von Dorn, who turned around and yelled," Sonia told them.

"Normally, no one would argue or start a fight with him since he's Prince Gideon's knight, but most of the people inside had been waiting for hours to get a seat. The whole room was tense and on edge. A few people yelled back at von Dorn and he shoved one of them back. Hart tried to stop him and Mr. Guthry ran into the room to help. I guess everyone thought he was trying to get a seat without waiting, and suddenly, everyone is pushing and shoving and von Dorn is pushed forward, right at Ewan, who punches him."

"He surprised me!" Ewan stood up straight and defended himself.

"I thought he was going to fall on me!"

"So, you punched him in the face?" JP laughed. Tori sighed once more.

"Piers," she said as she looked towards him.

"Your brother wasn't there and so he wasn't involved, but it was still his knight...."

"If he was pushing someone, he started it. He is a knight and they are his fellow students. He should be able to control himself better," Piers said in a low voice.

"This incident will be reported to my parents." He looked towards Ewan.

"Does your hand hurt?" Ewan looked down at his right hand. He stretched out his fingers and clenched his hands a few times. Nothing seemed broken, but it was red and a bit puffy. He frowned.

"A bit..."

"Mama J! Can we get a bowl of ice water?" Tori called out as she stood up and pulled up a chair.

"Ewan, sit."

"Let me see your hand," Axton told him as Ewan sat down. He lifted his hand and Axton narrowed his eyes as he examined the back of it. He shook his head but he couldn't seem to stop from laughing.

"You shouldn't be so reckless."

"You should say that when you're not snickering," Tori said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Master...." Ewan said, lowering his head.

"To be honest, from the punch, Sir von Dorn may have it worse," Constantine said.

"He stumbled back into the crowd." JP winced.

"And his nose was bleeding...." Sonia's eyes widened and she looked at Ewan, impressed.

"Did you break his nose?"

"No, he did not," Tori said in a firm voice.

"This. Never. Happened."

"It'll be fine," Axton said as he stood up. Mama J came out, holding a white bowl half filled with ice water and a towel wrapped around the base of it. She handed it to Axton who put it on Ewan's lap and told him to put his hand in. Axton looked at the others once more.

"Are you sure no one else noticed that it was Ewan who hit Fabian?" Everyone was quiet. Henrik winced.

"We're not sure. We don't think so, but everything happened so fast."

"Ilyana and I were outside the door when it happened," Tori said.

"Who was closest to them other than you six?" Henrik furrowed his brows and thought for a moment.

"Mr. Guthry, Miss Hart, and a few people from my home room. Their backs were turned when the riot began, as the pushing came from the back." Tori felt dread in the pit of her stomach. If they were other, random students, she wouldn't be worried, but if Alessa and her love interests were involved, there was a good chance at least one of them saw Ewan punch Fabian.

"Am I going to be in trouble if they find out I hit Sir von Dorn?" Ewan asked. His usually loud, cheerful voice was quiet and filled with worry. Tori didn't like it at all. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"You might, but in the chaos that was happening, you acted in self-defense. He was rushing towards you and you reacted as your instinct instructed," Tori told him.

"Remember that."

"Ewan," Piers said, making Ewan look up at him.

"I will speak to my parents about this. You will not be punished severely." Tori looked over at Piers. She'd made a mental note of how she thought Piers ranked in closeness to her friends and Ilyana and Ewan were near the top, but Ewan was the first of them whom he called by his given name. Ewan's eyes grew large.

"Is that all right, Your Highness?" Piers gave him a subtle nod and Ewan's eyes grew wet.

"Thank you! When I become a knight, I will gladly put my life on the line for you! I swear it!" Piers gave him another nod.

"Thank you, Ewan. But do not concern yourself with that now. Continue your efforts and take care of your body. You have yet to enter La Garda and everyone expects much of you." Ewan looked at Piers as if he'd heard divine words spoken and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Beside Piers, Axton frowned and shot him a dissatisfied look.

"It's annoying that you sound more like his wise master than I do."

"I am smarter than you."

"Lady Guevera." Constantine, who was closest to the window, suddenly sat up. His eyes were fixed outside the glass, looking up the street.

"By any chance, does anyone else from Lycée know we tend to gather here?" Tori furrowed her brows.

"I'm sure by now that a few people have seen us come here to eat. Why?"

"His Highness Prince Gideon is coming down the street." Tori sucked in a sharp breath. Ewan seemed to pale and Ilyana looked towards her, as if asking what they should do.

"Alone?" Tori asked.

"He's with Miss Hart, Mr. Guthry, and... I think Sir von Dorn. There is a bandage across his nose." Tori looked around the cafe and settled her eyes on Piers. Time to deploy the anti-Gideon forcefield.