by CS Patra
“That’s good to know.” Alice tried to stifle a yawn. “Well, I think we need to call it a night and get some sleep. It’s going to be a very busy day tomorrow. I know it will be a lot of fun as well. Let’s just hope things go smoothly.”
“I do hope we get the answers we’re looking for, Miss Alice,” Kian said, moving to the side and trying to find a place to sleep. “We’ve come too far to go back with nothing.”
“I know.” Alice found her spot by the fire, far from everyone else. If she did roll over, she wouldn’t accidentally touch them. “Sleep well, everyone. Tomorrow is going to be the day that will decide everything for us.”
“And if we don’t succeed?” Coryn asked.
“Then we will move to the next destination, The Sweet Kingdom.” Lavinia decided. “One way or another, we’ll get through to someone. For now, let’s just focus on The Petal Kingdom. As Alice said, tomorrow is a big day. The sooner it gets here, the better.”
And the sooner it gets here, the sooner I can tell you how I feel. Alice added silently to herself. It was almost unbearable not being able to say the truth but she had to hold on. She had to wait until that curse was removed and then she would be able to touch things. She would be able to hold things without making plants grow out of them. She would be able to feel someone else’s hand in hers and not worry about hurting them. She would feel like a person who belonged in this world.
Once that curse was gone, she could finally tell Lavinia that she had fallen in love with her.
Chapter 18
The night of the ball arrived yet the feeling around it was very strange. It didn’t feel like the one at the Frost Kingdom where it was lively and warm despite the cold weather. There were people chatting, dancing, and just enjoying themselves in the room. With the Petal Kingdom, it didn’t feel that way at all. As they were walking up, they could see people but no one really seemed to acknowledge them. With the bridge half-destroyed from Alice and Lavinia’s earlier encounter, people were being ushered in through the back of the castle. No one had said anything about the damaged bridge even as people were asking about it. The guards would just shuffle them inside without an explanation.
Inside, it didn’t feel very much like a festival. They were able to see many tiny dragons, not made out of flowers, flying about but they were the only ones who seemed to have any energy. The people inside the room were more concerned with talking to each other than dancing or greeting new guests. They didn’t seem to be in a festive mood just based on their facial expressions. They were all just very bored.
“This is strange,” Kian said, watching as tiny dragons flew around them. “These dragons seem to be the only creatures with life in them. This entire room is beautiful and filled with all kinds of flowers and plants. Why is no one happy in here?”
“I have never been to a ball but I assume it’s not like this,” Silas added. “I was expecting something a little more exciting and lively.”
“You’re right,” Lavinia agreed. “This ball doesn’t really feel like a ball at all. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. They don’t really seem to care about what’s going on.” When the others moved ahead of her, she turned to Alice and nodded at the room. It was very dead inside despite how full it was. “I thought there would be a bigger commotion over what happened to the bridge.”
“They don’t seem too concerned over this.” Alice whispered to Lavinia as they were walking in. “It’s like this is normal. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“I guess they don’t want to draw too much attraction to it.” Lavinia whispered back. “They should at least come up with a reason though. They don’t have to know the truth but at least give a decent explanation as to why it came undone.”
Kian didn’t even need to ask about the bridge. He could take one look at how half of it was ashes and knew what had gone down. Once they were inside and he found a private area where they could talk, he looked over at Alice and rolled his eyes. He waited until the others had gone off in other directions dance and look around the castle, he decided to confront her about it. “Why did I have a feeling you left out a good portion of the story?”
Alice shrugged. “I’m sorry. You know why we couldn’t say a thing before. I swear we were not trying to cause any trouble. Vinnie and I really wanted to see the King and Queen.”
“I believe you, Miss Alice. I know you would never cause damage on purpose,” Kian admitted. “Still, I do think there is something off about this entire kingdom. The ballroom looks full and there are people dancing and talking but the feeling is strange. I don’t feel any friendliness or warmth from anyone.”
“Neither do I but that’s not important right. I want you to try and see if you can find either the King, Queen, or Petal Witch in all this. Tell them that you have something that you need to say and that you have friends who’d like to talk to them. They have a request that needs to be fulfilled.”
“What makes you think they’ll do as I ask?”
“I don’t know if they will but it won’t hurt to try. Just go and see what you can find out.”
“All right, Miss Alice. I will look around but I cannot guarantee anything. The most I can promise is that I will try.”
“That’s all I need for now.”
As Kian left, Lavinia approached Alice and handed her a drink glass. “You should try this. It’s got a strange taste to it but it’s nice. It’s nothing like I’ve had before.”
“Is it safe to drink?” Alice stared at the bottom of the glass and swirled around the pink liquid inside. It was fizzing and she could see the bubbles rising to the top. “What was it made out of?”
“I asked and they said it was made of the finest berries found in the Petal Kingdom. There’s also a hint of rose water to give it the smell that it has. Just try it. I promise it’s nothing poisonous.” Lavinia insisted. “And if you don’t like it, you can pour it out into that plant behind you.” She nodded to the potted flowers that Alice was standing close to.
Alice shook her head and took a sip of the drink. Lavinia was right that it was strange yet refreshing. It cleared up her throat and the smell was lovely. There was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, just multiple berries that had been turned to juice. “Well, at least there’s one thing that seems good over here. Were you able to talk to anyone?”
“I wish. Every time I tried to approach anyone, they seemed either too busy to talk or they walked away.” Lavinia sighed, looking at the dancing people in the ballroom. “Well, it does seem to feel more like a ball now. The people don’t seem willing to talk to strangers but at least no one is standing around and doing nothing.”
“And I guess you couldn’t find the King and Queen?”
“I tried to get close to them. They are here and I’ve heard people trying to call out to them. Unfortunately, so many people have requests and I couldn’t get through. I did my best but my voice was drowned out by the others. I guess they must get a lot of requests,” Lavinia murmured. “Most of them were talking about that Skinned Demon and how it was affecting their businesses. Apparently, it has also taken some of the livestock and left nothing behind but bones. The birds are just as bad too.”
“We’re lucky that we didn’t get hurt by them,” Alice murmured. “I can see why so many people want to see them. This is much bigger than anything we are concerned with. We can wait to get rid of a curse.”
“Right. However, my main concern is the possibility of war. I need to tell them what I know. I don’t know how I’m going to prove this but I want them to be alert. If needed, I will…” Lavinia took a deep breath. “If needed, I will send a messenger bird to my father and maybe even try to find some of the guards who are looking for me.”
“That would be very risky, Vinnie. You’ve been trying your hardest to escape them.”
“I know but at the same time, if war is on the horizon, I will need them. They will be our best defense and our greatest allies in t
he war. For now though, I need to talk to the Petal King and Queen. And somehow, in the midst of it all, I must find the Petal Witch and convince her to call a truce in all this.” She rubbed her temples. “I’m beginning to see why my father is always so exhausted after negotiating with others. It is very tiring and you have to think about a lot of things.” Suddenly, Lavinia was struck with negative thoughts. Being in the castle made her realize how big things were.
“You don’t want to do that?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just... it’s a lot of responsibilities. It’s a lot of things I’ve never been trained or taught. How can I rule a kingdom if I don’t know the first thing about being a Queen? I can’t even get through to talk to a King and Queen. How can I help anyone? Even if I remove my curse, so what? The war is still on the way and I haven’t been able to get through a single person.” She shook her head. “A part of me is so scared to do this. What if they don’t believe me? Or worse, if they learn of my curse, what will they do?
Alice felt pity at that moment and wanted to reach out to hold her. “You have been able to reach out to me, right? You didn’t do anything different. You just came to me and told me everything. That’s what you have to do here. Be yourself. Be straight forward. Get through to them like you got through to me.”
“Will it even work?” Lavinia asked. “If not, then we’ll have to go to the Sugar Kingdom and try our luck there. And if that doesn’t work, do we just take on the witches on our own? This is just so confusing and frustrating. I can’t believe I’m nervous when we’ve come so far,” she sighed. “I need help, Alice. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“It’s okay.” Alice assured her. “Look, if you want, I can approach the king and queen. I can ask for a little bit of their time.”
“I doubt they will do that. The King and Queen will probably only listen to those high class members right now. I may be able to get through to them if I tell them who I am. Of course, I also risk other people finding out as well,” Lavinia sighed, looking towards the throne room. The King and Queen had to be in there. Since there wasn’t a line outside of it, this was her chance. “Wait right here. I will be back.”
“Let me at least outside the door…”
“No, I have to do this alone. When my father negotiates with others, he doesn’t let anyone else close by. If I am to follow in his footsteps, I need to learn how to do the same. I promise I will tell you everything.” She took a look at Alice and started to reach out to touch her. She stopped herself when she saw that she wasn’t wearing her gloves now. She had taken them off earlier when she was feeling hot. The face touch would have to wait for now. “I’ll be back.”
“Good luck, Vinnie.”
Alice watched as Lavinia put her gloves back on and head toward the throne room. She wanted to listen in on this conversation and be there for her should things go wrong. Yet Lavinia did have a point. Between the two of them, she had the better chance of getting through to see the King and Queen. It was her nerves that were getting to her.
“If you want to listen in, I found a place where you can look into the throne room.”
Alice turned around to find Kian standing behind her. “What do you mean?”
“I found it while I was exploring. There’s a tiny area where you can peek in and listen to their conversations. You can’t see very much but you can hear it all. I didn’t get a good look at the King and Queen but I know they are there. They have really big thrones though, made of vines and flowers. I amazed anyone can sit in them. Anyway, if you want, I can show you where it is.”
It did seem like a bad idea to eavesdrop on this conversation but she was curious. “Are you sure no one will spot us?”
“I am certain of it. Not even the guards know of this area. Come with me.”
Kian led her down the stairs to a small area that was hidden in the dark. It was right behind the throne room and where all the servants kept all their laundry. Kian found a couple of bedsheets piled up and climbed on top of it to where the hole was. “It’s here, Miss Alice. Just be careful when standing on all of this. It might give way because it’s not strong enough.”
Alice took note of that as she climbed on top of the sheets and peered through the tiny tear in the wall. Unlike the Frost Castle, the walls in this one were flimsy and easy to come undone like petals on a flower. It wasn’t surprising to see a hole here so she peered in and saw the giant thrones. They were made out of vines and flowers like most other things in the room. She couldn’t see the King and Queen but she did spot Vinnie standing in the middle. She was alone and standing straight so that was a good sign. She had not left yet.
“Can you hear anything?” Kian asked.
“Kind of. It seems like they’re speaking now.” Alice whispered back.
“I’m sorry but we cannot help you right now,” the King said. “I’m afraid we don’t have the resources.”
“But you haven’t heard what I said yet.” Lavinia pointed out. “How do you know I need anything?”
“That’s usually the case with anyone who comes to see us. That has been why people have come to see us yet we’ve had to turn them away. We can’t make all their wishes come true. We don’t have magic to fix their problems. I understand everyone has needs and we’d love to help them all. Unfortunately, we can’t do that.” The Queen explained. “We’re already dealing with so much and we don’t have much help from other kingdoms.”
“Really? I would think one of your neighboring kingdoms would have helped. If it is something bothering the entire land, they should help you.” Lavinia looked concerned. “What’s really going on in here? Is there a reason that things are so quiet here?”
“We don’t know. All I know is that we cannot help you. If you need help, I would suggest you go to the Sugar Kingdom. You will find it there.”
Alice gulped and looked over at Kian. “I don’t think we’re staying here for long.”
“Why not?”
She motioned him to stay quiet and continued to listen to the conversation. Lavinia was trying her hardest to get through to these rulers yet they weren’t going to help out. They didn’t seem like a kind king and queen from what she had heard. “Can’t you at least try to help me? At the very least, hear me out. It does concern the Petal Kingdom and all the other neighboring kingdoms. I understand that there are problems that you can’t fix but_”
“You do not need to say anymore, young lady. We know.” The King cut her off. “I guess that the news has already spread to everyone. I was hoping we could keep it quiet until after the ball.”
“What news?” Lavinia was confused. “What are you not telling people?”
Alice held her breath, knowing very well that they couldn’t stay in the Petal Kingdom for long. She listened closely as the king continued. “I’m afraid that there is a danger coming around the corner. It’s not just the Skinned Demon and its creatures that are turning people away. It seems so small compared to everything else. There is something far worse coming around the corner and I was just informed my advisor that we need to be ready.”
“Ready for what?” Lavinia asked, fearing that she already knew the answer. “What is so dangerous?”
Behind the wall, Alice was starting to sweat as well. She didn’t think things would go so bad over here but she was hoping for something good. She was hoping that she could get some answer tonight. She looked down at her hands, fearing that the Petal Kingdom wasn’t the end of her journey. They still had to go further before she could touch anyone or anything with her bare hands.
The King just said one word that made her forget about her problems. Her curse would have to stay a little longer and they would have to go to the Sugar Kingdom for help. For now, something horrible was on the way and he confirmed what she had feared the most.
“War.”
sp;