Room 413 [Thursday afternoon]

[notqueenyet]

When Aravis arrived back in her room after taking Trenor and Ata out for some brisk (very, very brisk -- still no love lost for the cold over here) exercise, she was just shaking the snow off her furs when she spotted the letter. It was neatly addressed to her in Cor's familiar scrawl

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[momslilassassin]

Ben poked his head through the doorway. "Hello, stranger," he said with a smile. "Happy New Year."

[notqueenyet]

"Happy New Year, Ben," Aravis replied warmly, motioning him in even as Ata hopped up to go sniff at him. "How was your holiday?"

[momslilassassin]

"Quiet," he said, crouching down to greet Ata. "Dad was off negotiating on Corellia so I just stayed here." He gave her a smile. "And yours?"

[notqueenyet]

"Different from my other Christmases," she said, looking irritable. "Would you like some tea?"

[momslilassassin]

"Please," Ben said, finding himself a spot to sit on her bed. "What happened?"

[notqueenyet]

Aravis got up to get the tea. "Cor is an idiot," she said, summing it up rather perfectly, she thought. "A useless, vile, immature imbecile. I fear the day he inherits the crown, for Archenland shall surely be driven to exist as a country of ineffectual morons who don't know what it is they damn well want at all."

Don't sugarcoat things, Aravis.

[momslilassassin]

Ben blinked at the onslaught. "Did you hit him? Do I need to hit him?"

[notqueenyet]

"No, I did not, and I'd prefer that you not," Aravis said simply, pouring them both some tea. "He's not worth the effort."

[momslilassassin]

Ben winced. Cor must have screwed up badly.

"What did he do wrong?" he asked, holding out his hand for the cup. "Or is the list too extensive?"

[notqueenyet]

"We...something happened, over Christmas," Aravis said, her cheeks lighting up, "and I thought things might be different, but he could not commit to even simply writing me."

[momslilassassin]

Oh, Ben's next bit of correspondence to Cor was going to be blistering. He sighed and covered his eyes with his free hand.

"Any chance he just froze up when you asked him?"

[notqueenyet]

"He acted like he did not care at all," Aravis supplied, trying not to sound as miserable as she felt. She was not particularly successful.

[momslilassassin]

"In that case, he really is an idiot," Ben said, reaching out to touch her hand.

[notqueenyet]

"Yes, I know," she said quietly, shrugging. "I just thought he'd grown up. No matter, I'm the better without him."

She didn't really believe that.

[momslilassassin]

"You don't really believe that," Ben said softly. "Start from the beginning."

[notqueenyet]

She shrugged. "Why does it matter? The outcome is the same."