by Al K. Line
She followed the progress for fifteen minutes, entranced by the chaos. Some kind of platform took shape and other activities kept various groups of people occupied — all of which involved a lot of shouting and waving of hands, or hand in many cases. These people needed to take better care of themselves.
"Whoa! Ugh. Leel you daft dog, you can't sit down when I'm stood on your back." Arcene smacked Leel playfully on the rump. She wasn't mad, Leel had done well to be so good for so long. She stretched out her legs in front and dusted her socks off. The banging began again.
The door. This time it is the door.
With a slightly sore bottom from her fall, Arcene got up and went to unlock the door. She wouldn't get back to sleep now, not with all the noise, and besides, maybe company would take her mind off thoughts of her son and the guilt she still felt over Beamer — he was a nice boy, misguided sure, but underneath the indoctrination he'd been a good boy.
Arcene unlocked the door and opened it, where a smiling Margaret and two other women that had snooped earlier, dressed in what appeared to be heavy curtains she wouldn't even let Leel sleep on, stood looking as excited as if they'd been given a puppy each.
"Um, hello?"
"Hello ma'am."
Arcene waited to see how long it would take Margaret to remember. The silence ran on; she'd forgotten. "What can I do for you Margaret, and, er, ladies?"
The women giggled nervously at her words, and Margaret stepped aside with what Arcene assumed she thought of as a curtsy. Arcene stared at the big reveal, a white satin sleeveless gown, out of place amid the gloom and air of neglect. "For you m'lady," said one woman, grinning, the black gaps in her teeth reminding Arcene of the time when she had fallen down a badger hole and knocked out her teeth on a rock.
"For me? It is pretty, but why?" Arcene admired the dress — it wasn't something she would normally wear but it was very nice.
"It was kept for best," interrupted Margaret. "There ain't much like this left but the young masters said we was to be giving it to you and for you to be wearing it for The Feast in your honor tonight."
"A feast? For me? Oh, there's no need for any of that," said Arcene, waving away the notion. It sounded like fun though, so she didn't protest too much.
"Oh, it will be wonderful," said Margaret, face lit up, getting nods of approval from the other women. "We love our Feasts, don't we gals?" More murmurs of agreement. Margaret handed the gown to Arcene with the utmost care. Arcene took it and placed it flat on the bed.
She turned to find the women still at the doorway. They were waiting for something; Arcene had no idea what.
"Shall we dress you ma'am? Arcene," Margaret added.
"Oh, no, that's fine, I can do it myself. When is this feast? Soon?"
"When it's dark," blurted the woman with the worst dental hygiene, who then put a hand to her mouth as if she wasn't allowed to speak. She got angry stares from the others but continued. "We don't do Feasting until dark, it's... Well, it's how we always done it, right girls?" The women nodded.
Are they capitalizing feast? They are. "Okay, well, say thanks to Fionn and Flynn, and I guess I'll see you later. You going to 'The Feast' too?"
"Yes m'lady. Everyone goes to Feasts, it's the law."
"Cool, see you later then." Arcene gave a broad smile and waved.
Margaret paused as the others curtsied and left, saying, "I'll come back later when it's time, just to check before Master Whip escorts you down to do the Feasting. I ain't never seen anyone like you before, you pretty."
"Um, thank you Margaret, you're, er, nice too." That sounded all right, didn't it?
Margaret did her idea of a curtsy once more and backed away down the corridor.
These people are completely bonkers. Arcene stared at the dress on the bed and wondered what "The Feast" would be like. She frowned when she thought of eating meat in a white silk dress — it didn't bode well for the dress.
Knock, Knock
Whip's knuckle was mid-air when Arcene opened the door. Shock registered on his face as he looked her up then down.
"What? It's all right isn't it? I usually wear socks and a kilt." Arcene squirmed in the tight-fitting dress — she'd thought she looked pretty, but after Whip's reaction she wasn't so sure. And why did she care anyway?
Stupid dress, stupid Whip, stupid twins and stupid castle.
"All right? I'm lost for words. You look radiant, the most beautiful creature in the entire world."
Arcene put a hand to her neck, sure she was blushing, unable to contain her pleasure at the compliment. What is wrong with me? Why would I care what Whip thinks? Then it hit Arcene: the realization she'd never had such a compliment before, not one so gushing. This was what everyone wanted, wasn't it, to be told you were beautiful, special? Since when had she sought the recognition of others? She had always been confident in herself, never needed such trivial things as approval, especially from those she didn't even know.
"Arcene?" said Whip, giving her a curious look.
"Sorry, please come in, and thank you for the compliment. You sure I look okay?"
"More than okay, you will be fighting off the men I am sure. Especially the twins."
"Ah."
"Hmm."
"About that. They are, um, you know, stable, aren't they? Am I going to have a problem with them?"
"Oh, yes." Whip nodded.
"Yes, they are stable, or yes I will have a problem?"
"You will have a problem, they are not stable. But I can help, I want to help. More of this later, we have a Feast to attend in your honor and I am to take you to Master Fionn and Master Flynn. They wish to both escort you to this special event."
"Both? Well, okay." Arcene knew it wasn't the time or the place to get into a deep conversation, and if she was honest with herself then she felt like Whip was manipulating her, or at least intended to. He didn't know her, if he did then he would think twice about ever trying to cross her.
Arcene was full of fun, always on the hunt for excitement and the good things in life, but there was a darkness at her core, born out of the struggle to survive and encounters with the depths to which people could sink when no one held them responsible for their actions. She would not, under any circumstances, be used, abused or confused with somebody that would stand back and let herself or her friends be manipulated or harmed in any way.
Arcene gave Whip her best smile and said, "Shall we?" Whip nodded, a slight frown showing for a second before he caught it and exchanged it for a smile. He was a clever one and no mistake. "Come on Leel, we're going to a party."
Woof.
Leel stretched, muscles rippling, making Arcene smile as she knew the dog was showing off and warning that the man better not mess with either her or Arcene. She took a sad last look at the fire then trotted over and sat next to Arcene, showing her indifference to Whip by ignoring him totally.
"You are bringing the dog?"
"Where I go Leel goes."
"So be it. Please, take my arm." Whip offered a suit-clad limb and Arcene placed her bare skin through the crook.
They went to find the twins.
They Have Issues
Whip, who had dressed for The Feast in a simple dark suit with minimal signs of wear, kept stealing glances at Arcene as he led her to wherever it was the twins waited. Arcene got the distinct impression Whip seldom had such a hands-on role in the goings-on of the castle and caught him fading a little now and then, as if he was unused to being present in front of people, but often hid away in the shadows like a... like a ghost.
Arcene shuddered. He wasn't, was he? Could he be a ghost? No, that was silly, right?
"Are you all right my dear? I apologize for the temperature, but it is a fine evening outside and you will be warm soon enough. Plus, the twins do like to keep their quarters well-heated."
"That's not the case for everyone though, is it Whip? The girl Margaret, who I saw earlier, she seemed almost obsessed with the fire."
"You are correct. As you can imagine, there is an issue with firewood."
"About that. You haven't told me much of anything concerning the castle, not that there's been much time." Arcene realized she hadn't actually spent more than a few minutes with Whip although she felt like it had been longer, but there had been the walk to the castle, then the twins interrupted and... well, that was it. How strange.
"Haha. I have that effect on people. They often feel like they have been with me longer than they have. It's because... No need to go into that now, you know already, don't you?"
"About the fading in and out? Yeah, I saw it. But nobody else does?"
"No. As I have already mentioned, the people here are not the most astute."
Arcene tried to keep up with Whip, which she was finding hard in the tight dress as it wasn't designed for walking, more for standing about and probably getting your hand kissed. "About the wood situation Whip, there are loads of trees all around the castle, what's the problem? Got no axes or worship trees do you? Ah, that's it," Arcene was sure she was on to something, "you lot worship trees. You like to hug them and talk to them and think they are like people. Trust me, they may have their own energy in The Noise but they aren't people. And anyway, you could just wait until there is dead wood and burn that."
"Oh dear, you have got the wrong end of the stick, haha, entirely my dear. No, it's nothing to do with that. You see, we have been behind these walls for a long time. I have been here the longest, the first born as a matter of fact, but there have been endless generations since, all born within the confines of the castle, and well, things have changed over all those years. Me too. We can't go outside. We don't go outside." Whip stopped and gave Arcene a hard stare. "Do you understand?"
Arcene saw more than Whip wanted to share behind his eyes. It was as if he were pleading for help, wanted a way out, or change at the least, and had no real idea how to go about it. He thought she was the answer, that was the truth of it. He wanted help. Arcene nodded. "I understand. You're stuck, all of you, but you most of all. Am I right?"
Whip smiled, or what Arcene thought he believed to be a smile at any rate. "You are correct. Now, before we meet the twins again I must warn you about this evening. I doubt it will be what you are accustomed to, and it will come as a shock, so please—"
"Whip, there you are. Come on man, this is no time to dally. What on earth have you been doing?"
"Please excuse me Master Flynn, I was merely escorting the young lady to—"
Flynn held up a hand, stopping Whip mid-sentence the moment he turned his attention to Arcene. His jaw almost hit the floor, and he adjusted his trousers in a way that Arcene did not like in the slightest. Flynn smiled, brushed a curl behind an ear and straightened up. Whip was ignored as though he wasn't there, which wasn't far from the truth.
Arcene watched as he faded into the background. Probably too much for him, she thought. He's not used to having to deal with people. Don't blame him.
Arcene realized her hand was being lifted when she turned to Leel to tell her to stop growling. Flynn was bending down as he raised her hand, lips puckered like a fish. "Quiet Leel." Flynn paused. "Sorry, carry on." Arcene spoke with her most regal voice, like she did when she used the flip-talker back home — it always made her want to sound like the posh people she'd seen in the movies made so long ago.
Flynn kissed her hand, then straightened. "M'lady, would you care to accompany me to The Feast? It is in your honor. It isn't often that we have guests." He stared at her, full of hope.
"That would be wonderful, I am honored." Arcene stifled a laugh trying to force its way out like water from a broken bucket. As she stared into the dry, red-rimmed eyes of a man she saw through The Noise was ancient yet had learned nothing in all his years, she couldn't help but think of him as a warped reflection of herself: trapped in a body and unable to age as was right. But in his case it was different: he was too full of his own self-importance to consider the needs of others, too caught up in his own self to accept what was right or wrong. Bottom line? Not a nice guy, just like his brother.
Speaking of brothers.
Arcene watched as Fionn came marching down the corridor, pace increasing when he saw his twin held her hand.
"Flynn!" shouted Fionn. "You were supposed to wait in our quarters. We are not to go chasing about the castle like common peasants. We are rulers, we are to be treated as such."
"Yes, yes," said Flynn, as he released Arcene's hand reluctantly.
Fionn practically shoved his brother out of the way and the whole hand raising and kissing was repeated. Leel didn't bother to growl; a look from Arcene told her to keep quiet for now.
"You look radiant, like an angel," said Fionn, getting a frown from his brother for stealing away compliments he wished to give.
"Thank you kind sir, you are both too lovely." How am I keeping a straight face? These two are right idiots.
Flynn and Fionn jostled for position and Whip came back into the equation as if popping into existence — the twins didn't question where he had been.
"Ah, Whip. Lead the way to our quarters, we are almost ready and we would like to show Arcene how we live here at the castle."
"How we live? Yes, of course Master Flynn, it would be my pleasure. This way please." Whip stepped forward, leading the little group.
"We know where it is Whip, no need to tell us the way," said Fionn.
"But you just... Oh, never mind. This way please."
No wonder he tries not to get involved, these two are about as dumb as a bag of rocks, and less useful. Arcene followed Whip down the corridor, getting squashed by Fionn and Flynn who refused to give up space to the other even though the corridor was too narrow to comfortably walk three-abreast. Leel didn't help by "accidentally" nudging each twin in the bum as she jostled to stay close to Arcene.
"It was our mother's," said Fionn.
"Was it? Er, what was?"
"The dress," said Flynn. "She's dead now. And Father isn't well, is he Fionn?"
"No, he isn't well at all. Do you like it?"
"What, that your father isn't well?" asked Arcene, confused by the to-and-fro of the twins' speech.
"The dress. Are you stupid or something?"
Arcene stopped dead in her tracks. The twins continued to walk a few paces before they realized she wasn't there. They turned. Whip stopped ahead and rushed back to see what the hold-up was.
"Did you call me stupid?" Arcene could barely get her words out. Her hand reached up past her head before she remembered she didn't have her sword — lucky for the twins. Arcene saw shock register on the faces of the two men, fear too. This was probably a first for them, but they had better watch their step. Guest or no guest, Arcene would not be spoken down to by such imbeciles.
"N... no, I... did not," said Fionn. "I asked if you were. What's the matter with her Whip? This is the second time she has failed to show us the proper respect."
"As I said earlier Master Fionn, she is not from the castle. Things are different the other side of the wall. She does not know who you are."
"You don't call me stupid. I am your guest and I should be treated as such, not spoken to like a child." Arcene saw panic in Whip's eyes: he didn't want her to ruin the chance of change, not like this anyway.
The twins were oblivious to the fact that Arcene could snap their necks like twigs before they even knew what was happening, but her words were enough to cut through their soft facade of bravado, making them question their roles and the way they presented themselves. They lost their air of superiority for a moment before composing themselves. The jutting chin and the haughty attitude returned.
"We may have overestimated her value to us brother," said Flynn. "We almost let her come between us, cause trouble, we must be more careful."
"We must," agreed Fionn. "She is just a girl and—"
"Just a girl! I'll chop off your chins and feed them to Leel and—"
"Come now Arcene, let us not get carried away.
I do believe the excitement of the evening is getting to us all. Shall we?" Whip gestured to the door at the end of the hall, presumably the quarters of the twins.
"Yes, yes, fine," said a twin. Arcene had forgotten which was which again.
Arcene nodded and let herself relax. It wasn't their fault, they weren't used to having anybody do anything but cower in their presence.
"Good," said Whip, and led the now quiet group to the door.
Dogs Have Feelings Too
Whip pulled on the handles to the double doors and heat hit Arcene like she'd stepped into a hot spring. He hadn't been kidding when he said the twins liked it warm. Perks of the job, she supposed.
Don't get so angry with them, you call them stupid in your mind, they just haven't got the sense to keep their opinions to themselves.
The heat made Arcene feel like she was walking into her own funeral pyre as she stepped over the threshold after Fionn and Flynn. One of them went to close the door. Arcene caught herself before she smacked him about the head, placed her hand gently on his arm instead, and said, "Leel isn't in yet. Look."
Fionn, it was him she was sure, poked his head around the door to see Leel sat with her special sad face in full force. Fionn just shrugged and said, "It's a dog. We don't have dogs in our room."
"For me?" asked Arcene, pouting her lip and tilting her hip. Oh no, I have sold out to a fool.
"Fine," sighed Fionn, and opened the door wide.
Leel trotted inside, gave him a quick stare, then went to sniff the room, doing a thorough job.
"Thanks," said Arcene. At the words Fionn melted, the scowl replaced with a smile. However they acted, tried to be superior, it was clear that they had little female company and were rather overwhelmed with her presence — she intended to keep it like that. No way were they going to boss her about. She was a guest and you treated guests well: with proper respect.
Flynn stepped up beside his brother, Whip forgotten — he'd joined Leel, who sat by the fire panting but refusing to move away as that wasn't what you did when there was a fire.
Lucky things.