Distrustful

Alicia walked into the large dining room looking as regal as ever as she made her way to the head of the table. Though the dress was comfortable, it was still extremely queenly with its intricate patterns and embroidery and classy grey modern tones. Her hair was braided in a simple fish tail but she had her black army boots on indicating that she had not drifted completely from her style. The duchesses and dukes, lords and ladies and their kids quickly fumbled up their chairs to bow and curtsy in greeting, some with faces clear and void of emotion, others with eyes cold and condescendingly while others looked on with warm, welcoming smiles. How ever the royals felt was their own business; fact was, the queen was alive and she had come back to her royal court.

"Your Highness, you have come back. Are you well?" Jakob asked as if he hadn't seen her minutes ago in her rooms. The royals sat as she did. One of these days, Alicia was going to have a talk to him about being pretentious and fake.

Jakob had the Advisor's dark hair and striking sharp brown face, though he had his mother's intelligent hazel eyes and not his father's and his uncle's brown eyes. Alicia didn't have to guess that the young man had fans, admirers. He knew it too. It's all fun and games until the admiration goes to your head.

"I'm very well, thank you Jakob." She answered, playing along as she rolled her eyes. "How are you?" she asked examining the texture of the weird bread.

"Oh I'm wonderful. You know that. I hope you did not miss me too much?"

She didn't.

Alicia simply smiled and turned to her Advisor on her right, without seeming too rude.

"Advisor Phillips? How did you sleep?" What she meant was did you sleep at all last night?

The Advisor glanced at the two youth suspiciously before replying, "Very well thank you, Your Majesty. How did you sleep?" He said obliviously.

"Good-good. Update me?"

"Is this the right time....Your Highness? It is still early in the morning." He asked uncomfortably.

She smirked knowingly.

"The kingdom never sleeps, Advisor. Or should I rather ask your lovely wife. I'm sure she wouldn't mind?" She glanced at Lady Mavis, who was probably plotting something with a duchess.

"Of course not." He said quickly. The two authorities kept their voices low and casual with the background sound of the rest of the royals' murmurings but it still felt like each ear was listening in on the conversation.

"As you heard" the older man began, ", we've instilled a curfew upon the people: a time when the gates are to be closed."

"You and who?" She asked seriously.

The royal court was divided into five houses; the House of Flames, the House of Earth, the House of Waves, the House of Air and lastly, the House of Spirit. Each house resided over small parts of the kingdoms, though the Queen had overall power and made final decisions in the entire kingdom. Now this is all fun and games, however it meant Alicia received all the pressure, the complaints and had to approve or decline EVERY. SINGLE. THING and naturally, as the youngest queen in the history of Alfairia, she was often...undermined, like a child. She received the most grief particularly from the House of Earth, whose head and leader was a terrible, stern man called...

"Davido Rosa and I. Lord Davido as you can recall is head of security and is minster over the Death Forest area."

"I do remember. But why do we have a curfew again?"

"Attacks, Your Majesty."

"You would know that if you were more present in your kingdom. Not so, Your Majesty?" Lord Rosa said snidely, his deep voice kept low but audible enough to carry.

Advisor Phillips' wife, Mavis look her way and smirked. With her jet black hair tied tightly in a bun, her high cheek bones and her skinny frame, she totally looked like an ice queen, or a certain jealous stepmother who relies on a magic mirror for advice. But somehow, the rest of the royals didn't see it. They thought her harmless but Alicia didn't trust her one bit. Mavis was like that girl from high school that everyone loved but you alone saw something evil about her. Alicia sighed internally when she realized that no matter where you go, you just can't escape high school, can you? She glanced at her and Davido.

"Though I am not in it, my work outside is for it, Lord Rosa," she said smoothly.

"The beasts?" She asked, turning back to her advisor.

"You know how they are all said to be rowdy, feline, loud, flesh eating creatures," he said, waving his fork about in a faux casual manner. ", but those have never bothered or dared drift near the walls, however, there have been sudden sightings of humanoid beasts. Dark and mysterious with wings and yet they walk on twos."

She swallowed, elegantly processing everything,

"Did you actually see them?"

"Um, no, Your Highness, I---"

"---So you're making decisions based on a rumor?"

Phillips looked uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Though he was making dim decisions, she decided to cut him some slack; he could have been worse.

"So they are humanoid? Strange. What could they possibly be?"

"We don't know, Your Majesty. And quite frankly, no-one has ever gotten close enough to tell the tale. There are carcasses everywhere across Harvest,"

Harvest was the province of all farming, planting and primary sectors.

"But of course that is not a topic for the breakfast table, is it Your Majesty?" Mavis said smoothly.

Advisor Phillips froze.

"Of course not, Mavis," Alicia replied, making a point of ignore her title. Sit the hell down. "But Advisor Phillips; tell me, why did no one call on me or tell me. It's been a week."

"About that--"

"-- All connections - magical or technical - are down and that is why some people are extra snide the week." Jakob interrupted, glancing non-subtly at Lord Rosa, who was currently conversing with Duke Ezekiel, head of plant and agriculture, also in House Earth.

"That's terrible," she said as she rose from her seat abruptly, seeing something she shouldn't be seeing ", but excuse me. Breakfast was lovely; give the cook my regards, will you?" She told Jakob. She turned to her Royal Advisor and told him to meet him in her office and to bring the witch.

She quickly strode out of the room.

"What is the matter with her?" Jakob asked, slowly chewing on his bacon, his jaw imitating the motions of a feeding cow.

"I believe she just realized that the kingdom is in trouble of sorts." His uncle replied.

Jakob shrugged, "ah well; too bad."

~~~~~

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