In a darkened bed chamber located in Arva's castle, Cedric Lancaster slowly woke up. By then, it was the last room to still be dark and occupied. Most of the servants were bustled around to help organize for the royal family's departure that would be very, very soon. Cedric's hazy green eyes slowly opened and looked around the room for a few moments in wide-eyed confusion. For a few heartbeats, he had not a clue where he was or what he was doing. And then, a wave of both nausea and pain hit him as a pang of pain shot through his skull. Ced groaned and rolled on his side to face a young, sleeping woman. Oh yes, that's what he'd been doing. A smirk crossed his lips, despite the sharp pains of a hangover-induced headache. It was quite difficult for him to decide if this blonde was more attractive while sleeping beside him or awake and, well...what they'd been doing last night.
Cedric slowly sat up and yawned, his headache relieved for a few moments as the rush of oxygen reached his brain, only for the pain to return as he released the breath. The youngest Lancaster son pulled his knees to his chest and pressed his palms against his temples, rubbing slow, circular motions to ease the pain. Damn it...how drunk had he gotten the night before? Obviously, quite drunk if he was feeling this horrible. When had he last had a hangover this bad? The young man began to go off on a tangent in his own mind, zoning out so much that he started slightly when soft, smooth hands looped around his waist and the blonde who'd been asleep beside him placed a light kiss to his strong jaw.
"G'morning, sir," she purred in an alluring, sultry tone, unhooking her arms from around his neck to run a hand through his short, slightly curly locks. Cedric leaned back slightly, placing his head in his lap for a moment as he smiled back up at her.
"Good morning, my dear," he replied. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't actually sure he knew who this woman was. Hell, he didn't even know her name. His strategy to call her a pet name instead seemed to work, thankfully, and the girl of about eighteen blushed a bright shade of reddish-pink. Cedric slowly turned around to face her while sitting up. Crawling slightly toward her, he pressed his lips into hers and pushed her up against the headboard of his opulent bed.
As his hand trailed slowly along the length of her body, lower and lower, a knock suddenly sounded at the door. She gasped and pushed him back swiftly, pulling the covers on top of herself to cover her completely exposed self. Cedric, no better concealed than her, cleared his throat and yelled out a quick, "one moment, please." Getting off of the bed, he tugged on the pair of trousers he'd worn the day before and fastened them before opening the door, coming face to face with a servant who raised an eyebrow.
"Erm...is now not a good time, sir?" asked the man, fighting back a laugh at the scene: Cedric completely unprepared and quite disheveled with a woman, just as exposed as he most likely was, hiding beneath his blankets. Cedric narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"No, it is not," he snapped. "Yet, you might as well speak. I am already here at the door, no?" The servant nodded, all traces of amusement gone from his expression as he seemed to finally notice the sheer size of the man before him.
"Well, His Majesty awaits your presence by the carriages," he replied, wringing his hands lightly before him. Cedric's dumbfounded expression prompted him to continue. "You did remember the meeting today, sir...right?" Cedric rolled his eyes.
"Of course, I did," he muttered, lying through his teeth. "Now, if you will excuse me...you interrupted me from my getting ready."
"Oh yes, my apologies, sir..." The servant retreated down the hallway, however a few amused snickers could be heard from him, causing Cedric to flush quickly. He closed the door quickly and hurried toward his set of drawers, where he began to pull out clothing and toss it into a pile for packing. With a small collection to take with him, he also hurriedly dressed himself and then, finally, noticed the poor, bewildered girl who still sat on his bed.
"Where are yo-?" she began.
"Get out," he replied, jerking a thumb at the door. Her jaw dropped and she threw the covers off to walk toward him, her expression shocked and absolutely bewildered.
"E-excuse me?!" she cried, stopping right in front of him.
"Get out. I need to leave...important matters, you would not understand." He stood there for a few moments, holding his stance like the arrogant man he was. Without warning, however, the young blonde's hand sudden rose and struck him across the face, slapping his right cheek sharply so that the flesh stung. With that, she turned on her heel, walked toward her pile of clothing by the bed, and dressed silently. Cedric placed a hand against his cheek, jaw gaping in shock as he watched her strut out of his room, retaining the self confidence that had drawn him to her the night before.
Alone now in his room, he slowly finished packing his belongings and started for the door, turning his right cheek away to attempt to hide the welt that was forming from his brother's court. He was able to dodge most of the activity, or simply sneak past crowds, as he made his way outside. Arriving by the carriages, he handed off his luggage to a servant and quickly entered an unoccupied carriage, shutting the door behind him as he removed the hand from his cheek. It still stung harshly, though not as harshly as her blow had stung his ego. He actually probably would not recover from the blow for a few days at least.