Festive

"I think she called me a witch." Alicia said, to Lucian a day after the royal audience had ended; it was the first free time she had had in forty-eight hours with Rocky. Alicia had earlier presented him with a crown of his own but with her hair down like such a wild mess, Alicia's own crown was far from her own head. They were walking down the streets of Alfairia, where they had sneaked off to from the palace. Alicia needed some air to breathe and so what better way to do it than showing her brother around the city.

"With that hair, I'm not surprised." Lucian said jokingly. Alicia punched him lightly and he mock grimaced in pain.

"I did this for you, idiot. Touring the city is quicker and more fun if no-one actually recognizes that you're their prophesied queen."

Alicia had changed out of her ballgown and into a plain cotton dress she had received from Anna, whom, except Jakob, was the only person who knew that she sneaked off to the city sometimes. She wasn't too worried about being recognized as the people had seen their queen a handful of times and even then, they saw her with her hair tight, in classy french braids with pearly pins and needles, not with birds' nest hair.

"Ah," Lucian acknowledged. "But I'm not the prophesied queen, am I?"

Alicia paused her step.

"If you want, we could just go back to the palace and you could find some duchess's daughter to show you around. Just know that, firstly, they would never come incognito and secondly, they don't know this place as well as I do. This is my world."

Rocky lifted his eyebrows, impressed.

"Well that sounds awfully familiar. Actually, that sounds like something I would say, sister. I'm so proud." He said, wiping mock tears from his cheeks. Back home, Rocky was just the person you needed if one wanted find for the latest, hippest places in California.
Alicia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let's just go, please."
The twins continued walking.

"So how would the city experience be as royals, compared to now as random citizens?" Rocky asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Well, we'd have to travel in a carriage which would obviously limit travel. The best places here are only reached and discovered by foot."

"Carriage? That's the only form of transportation here? That's---"

"Medieval, I know. But we've got ships importing stuff from, you know, the rest of the world. And airplanes."

Lucian stopped and looked around.

"An airport? Here?"

"Nope, it's actually behind the Amethyst Ranges; that's the three massive mountains you can just see from the top of the palace. Oh Lucian, there's so much to show and tell you. I don't think we'll ever get to it all." Alicia said in an odd moment of sincerity.

"But we've got a lifetime, don't we?"

"I suppose we do." Alicia replied, thinking of the fact that she didn't really have a suitor and therefore she would probably chucked out of Alfairia. Maybe she should have a contest of some sort? That always seemed to work on tv and she bet plenty of people wouldn't mind being a prince consort if it meant being royalty all of a sudden.

"What else?" Lucian prodded. They were almost by the town square now. Good thing the sun had only set.

"Mmmn?" She asked, having had not listened, lost in thought.

"How else is the tour different than if we were royals, right now? Besides the fact that you're a terrible tour guide and I could have gotten a much better, much more efficient one?"

Alicia scowled at him, snapping into attention.

"Well, I get it, Rocky. I get it, I'm a terrible tour guide. Is there anything I'm really good at, huh? No. I don't recall saying that I'd be great, I'm sorry." She walked ahead, Lucian trailing her.

A tense silence settled for a minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.

"As royals," she softly said, "we'd have audiences everywhere. They wouldn't let us walk, they wouldn't let us breathe. I love my job, but I hate the pressure so much."

They had entered into the busy part of the city now and the smells of cooking meats and spices blended in the air in a mouthwatering scent. There was though, the faint smell of decay and rot and Alicia wondered if she'd ever really get rid of it. This place, this part of the city was where the effects of poverty had taking its toll with the last king. Theses were what were the slums and Alicia had tried so hard to make the city itself forget this, but they couldn't.

It couldn't.

The physical city could never forget and the people, could never forget. She saw it in their weary eyes. But the thing about misfortune and poverty and sadness, is that you always find a way to relieve yourself of it. That's how one stayed alive and that's how one kept kicking. And so, these people with sadness in their eyes, they knew how to be happy and they knew how to have a good time. And that's why Alicia had brought Lucian here. So he could see.

"You can handle it, sis. But enough of that. What is all this food? Why does this place look so much more---"

"Poor? Broken?"

"I was going to say more festive. They look more festive. Happier."

"They don't have much and they're probably going to steal your money, if you have any. But they quickly learned to create their own happiness. In the old king's reign, this is where the poorest of the poor used to live. Life here was hard. I mean, I bet it's still pretty hard," Alicia said as they saw a little girl, laughing with her friends though her clothes looked too big for her and fiercely dirty, mud staining her face.

"I've been queen for a year now. I can't fix several lifetimes' worth of hurt and poverty. These things take time but great pain creates space for great happiness. In here." She said, gesturing at an inn that belonged to Barcelo, or at least it was called Barcelo's Inn. Lucian stared after Alicia for a while, startled at her brutal honest and especially at her maturity as queen.

One of the few things she liked about how medieval Alfairia was, was that there were inns everywhere and no hotels at all...at least she hadn't encountered any in her time here. The inns were not only places of rest and bath and you know, visiting, but they also had these little front rooms, restaurants of sorts with tables and chairs everywhere and obviously, a little lifted platform where artists, merrymen, pipers, clowns and dancers could perform to earn their stay for free in the inn. The entertainment brought business and business meant cash.

Alicia directed Lucian to a sole empty table; the only empty table in the far corner of the room as the inn was almost entirely full after sunset everyday. People stared, talked and laughed while listening to what sounded like a band but obviously, it was no Fall out boy or Maroon 5.

"A bit drab, but nice." Rocky said, as he sat at the old fashioned, round wood table. Alicia faintly saw a pretty young woman, a waitress make her way towards them.

"I know. The air always feels electric here. I love it." she said, casting a rare odd smile at the front of the inn, where the band performed. The waitress soon reached their table, her dress in an old fashioned off-the-shoulder style with a cream apron tied around her waist. Her dark curly hair was held back by some white linen material and hung down her back and Alicia thought she had really stepped into some King Arthur movie.

"Aye there sir, ma'am. What can I get this lovely couple tonight?"

While Rocky was still drooling, Alicia said, "we're not a couple. This is my brother and he'll have---"

"A beer. I want a beer." He said, almost breathlessly.

"What he means is that he would like some mead, please. But please, let us have today's special. Is it any good? T'was pretty good the last time I came here." Alicia said, unintentionally utilizing the common townsfolk's lingo.

The waitress squinted at her for a few seconds and smiled. "That's probably why you look so familiar, miss. The day's special is always it's best: I've had some myself."

Alicia was pleased she didn't recognize her though she thought she might soon. She beamed to match the waitress's enthusiasm and said, "we'll have two of that then. Thank you."

The waitress rushed off with their order and Alicia turned to Rocky, who's eyes followed the young woman almost hungrily.

"Breathe, Lucian. Breathe." Alicia urged, slightly annoyed.

"I think, I just saw a real life Snow White." He breathed. Alicia wasn't afraid to admit that the girl, indeed, looked a bit like a princess - more than some of the other duchess's and duke's daughters actually - and she could totally see why Rocky would think she's a real life Snow White with her dark curls, her pale skin and red lips. But the thing was---

"That girl is the owner's daughter. That automatically makes her off-limits."

"Awww, says who?"

"Me. Says me. And custom. A lot of men come into this inn every day. You think you're the first to think she's beautiful? You think her father doesn't know how you men undress her with your filthy eyes? She's off-limits, Casanova."

Rocky lifted his arms in defense.

"Geez, femanazi. I was just saying. No need to get your panties in a bundle."

"I happen to like this place," Alicia said defensively. "Don't mess it up for me."

A few minutes later, the waitress, who's name was Florence, they soon learned, brought them their food; freshly baked bread, a stew (which they actually called broth but broth made Alicia think of sickness) with some jacket potatoes and glorified pumpkin pie in the side. Rocky whistled, impressed and Alicia glanced at him; she understood exactly how absolute mouth watering the food looked and smell.

"Now this is good food, sister." Rocky expressed as Florence went to get his mead and her freshly squeezed orange juice.

"You're in for a treat. Eat up before they start dancing."

"They?"

"They. Us. The customers. Whoever. At a certain part of the night, some tables and chairs are pushed back to make space for the dance floor. You think you know how to party? I'll show you a real good time and how it's done here."

"But I don't dance." Lucian said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. But that's exactly what the twins did. After they had had their food, and drunk their drinks, the band started playing more upbeat music and the waitresses and cleaners pushed the empty tables back, signifying the beginning of the first of the night's dance. Rocky found that he enjoyed this sort of actual dancing compared to the grinding done at the normal high school parties he always attended. He naturally couldn't help but flirt with Florence but Alicia wasn't too bothered as she, too, had several dances with a bunch of strangers. They followed along with the locals' dance moves and soon, Alicia even forgot she was queen, that she had any responsibilities and that she was generally sickeningly depressed. She was into the dancing and festivities so much, that she didn't even notice the stranger, staring at her with his face hooded by the shadows of the corner of the room. She didn't notice the icy feeling that should have sank into her skin.

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thank you, thank you. I'm trying to write longish chapters now. So if you read, let me know what you think.