The way things work

"What are we going to eat? How are we going to sleep?"

"We don't."

"What? But... but..."

"In case you have forgotten, I've been chained here for weeks. Don't you think you should listen to a girl experienced in your plight?"

Fred was silent. Astra wanted to continue but, looking at Fred, it was clear he was thinking. Astra waited so as to not interrupt his thoughts. Finally, Fred spoke.

"So... that's why you turned all preachy..." His voice was bitter.

"What?"

"A moment ago, when I was giving Velus his well-deserved what-for!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"When we met you, you were all 'Oh, dear Fred this', and 'Would you like some of that?' It was all an act! A foolish, selfish act!"

"What are you talking about?"

"'Freddy,'" he said in a mockingly high-pitched voice, "'in case you haven't realized, you're scaring away the one person who can get you out of your chains'! Sound familiar?"

"Well so-o-o-rry, but you were! What did you want me to do?" Suddenly, a thought panged Astra. She was supposed to be trying to be nice. She sighed. "Seriously, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to sound preachy. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Well, you were preachy, and very much so."

"Well, I just said I was sorry!" said Astra, beginning to get upset. "And I meant it! It takes a lot to get a Lord to acknowledge he's wronged a simple farmboy. Sound familiar?" Astra was starting to well up tears. "You're just a duke and I, the heir to the Aquilarian throne, am humiliating myself before you. Or does that only work when it's in your favor?"

Fred wasn't looking at her.

"Answer me, Fred!"

"The point is," said Fred, "you were only being nice to me so that I would get you out of these chains."

Astra stared at him with her mouth open. "No! It's not like that!" she said after a pause.

"Then what is it like?"

1. "I was raised to be nice to all the people I met, no matter how exasperating they are."
2. "I was nice because I felt I had to! Because I had this feeling that if I was mean to you, something terrible would happen!"
3. "...okay, fine! It is like that! But you should still listen to me!"

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