“Apocalypse?” I half asked, half whispered the strange, new word between my lips. What was an apocalypse?
Ria cleared her throat and said, “Norma, you’re talking too much. Why don’t you tell Lady Lilly what’s for lunch? She seems interested.”
Norma said, “Of course. Of course, my lady. Today, we’re having burgers and deep fried potato chips, with green salad.”
I blinked. Burgers? Deep fried potato chips? Green salad? God, I had no idea what those food items were but I felt my mouth watering already.
I asked, “What are they?”
Norma cocked her head to one side for a moment, as if in deep thought. She said, “Hmm… Let me see now… A burger is a burger. It has two pieces of bread we call buns and in between those buns are lettuce, tomato, cheese, grilled bacon, sliced pineapple, and meat, which for today you have a choice of chicken or steak. Ah, there is tomato sauce and mayonnaise, too. As for deep-fried potatoes, that is just chunks of potatoes deep-fried in oil, and the salad is greens with dressings.”
I listened carefully, though I must admit that everything sounded so new, interesting, and delicious. In fact, I was drooling just from Norma describing them to me.
Norma must have seen the spark in my eyes because she chuckled and asked, “Which meat would you like in your burger, my lady? Chicken or steak?”
Suddenly, my eyes sparkled in delight. This would be the first time that I had the opportunity to make a choice where food was concerned, and to be sure, it was exciting.
I licked my lips. “I’m not sure…” I said uncertainly.
Which should I have? Oh, the decision.
Ria said, “Why not both, my lady? Since we’re working on fattening you up, two burgers should do the trick in getting you started.”
Norma eyes brightened. “Are we fattening Lady Lilly up?”
Ria nodded in the positive while I blushed. “On Lord Aslan’s order. He wants a bit more meat on her bones.”
Ria’s words got me going quite red in the face. God, she made it sound as though I was just another of Aslan’s meal items, and who wouldn’t be frightened at hearing something like that?
I thought Norma’s eyes were glinting, which of course, didn’t sit well with me. The chef said, as she gleefully rubbed her hands together like she had an evil plan brewing in her head, “Of course, we can’t disappoint our master. You are indeed too skinny for my liking, Lady Lilly, and as a chef, I must prepare for you the healthiest and most delicious meals.” She chuckled. “After all, you are Lord Aslan’s beauty, the one who could possibly save—”
“Norma. Again, you speak too much,” Ria interrupted.
Norma chuckled as she said, “Ah, sorry. Old habits.” She turned to me then. “Yes, it’s decided, then. Two burgers for your lunch today, my lady.”
With that, she gave me a great big hug and told me that she was glad that I was finally here, and that everything was going to work out this time, which doubly confused me.
As Ria and I walked out the door, I wondered what Norma meant with “everything was going to work out this time.” And how did that have anything to do with me being here?
I was still thinking about the possible meaning of Norma’s words when Ria announced, “And here we are, my lady, the castle’s library.”
I raised my eyes to see that the door was once again huge, and as Ria led me inside, I gasped in awe. The library was enormous, with thousands of books neatly stacked on shelves. There were even more up on the first and second floor. Along the center of the room were tables and chairs, I assumed for people to relax and read at.
“Oh, wow,” I expressed, my eyes wide. “It’s big, and there are so many books.”
I had never been to the library in the manor back in the village, but I had asked Mother what the place was like. She had told me that it was three times the size of our bedroom in the basement. Compared to this castle library, that was indeed very small, and it was supposedly the one and only library in the whole of the village, where only the nobles and elites were allowed in.
“Would you like to browse around, my lady?” Ria asked. “You can check the book out and take it to your room to read.”
I blinked. Check the book out?
Ria must have understood my mystified expression because she said, “It’s our system, my lady, even in the castle. Anyone can check the books out for a period of two weeks to read. At the end of that period, you either return the book or check it out again, if you haven’t finished reading. It’s to keep track of the books.”
I nodded in understanding. It made sense, considering there were so many books there. Of course, they’d need a system to keep track of everything.
I said, “I would like to check some books out, Ria. Do I talk to this librarian person?”
Ria nodded. “I’ll introduce you to her, then, and sign you up to our system.”
I nodded with a grin, and as Ria led me to sign up for the library system, I couldn’t help myself, but stared with wide eyes at my surroundings, marveling at the thousands of books. Surely, there’d be books on the history of the Forbidden Forest Kingdom? And surely, there would be a book or two about the village on the other side of the realm? Especially considering how advanced this kingdom was, there should be at least historical data?
Of course, I didn’t miss the fact that many people with different types of animal ears were watching me. It was undoubtedly nerve-racking to gain so much attention. I gave them, those I happened to make eye contact with, a nervous smile. Oddly enough, and to my relief, they nodded and smiled at me in return. A group of young girls even giggled and waved as they watched me.
I asked, “Ria, why is everyone staring at me?” Then I wondered if it was because I didn’t have any animal ears like them? I wondered, too, if this realm had any normal humans, like me, around. I mean, not those from the other side like me or Paul, but humans without animal ears that originated from this realm.
Ria said, “You’re new here, so they’ll be curious about you. Of course, Lord Aslan has yet to introduce you to everyone, so that makes it worse—the attention and curiosity from everyone, I mean.” She chuckled. “It can’t be helped, since you are Lord Aslan’s beauty from the other side, after all.”
“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t understand what Ria meant. Norma had referred to me as “Aslan’s beauty” and now Ria as well. What did that mean? Then, of course, I wondered why Aslan needed to introduce me to everyone? Sure, I understood that he was king here in the Forbidden Forest Kingdom, but what did I have to do with him and the people here?
“Here we are, my lady, the library reception,” Ria said as we came to a stop at a desk where two women with rabbit ears and one with elf ears stood. The two women with rabbit ears were busy talking to other people whom I assumed were checking books out, while the one with elf ears was intensely watching me, which made me nervous.
“The people behind the desk are the librarians,” Ria continued saying. “They can check your books out for you, and of course, they can help answer any questions you have regarding finding books.”
“I see,” I said, trying hard to avoid that gaze from behind the front desk.
Ria then turned to the elf librarian, the one staring at me, and said, “Hello, Tammy. How’s your day so far?”
Tammy the librarian said, “Good.” She turned to me and grinned widely. “And you must be Lord Aslan’s beauty?”
Again, Lord Aslan’s beauty. I wondered if that was the name they had given me? I didn’t know.
“My name is Lilly,” I said. “Please, just call me Lilly.”
Tammy went bright red in the face. She shook her head in the negative, her eyes expressing a sort of horror. “No. No,” she said. “You’re Lord Aslan’s beauty. We must address you as Lady Lilly.”
“Oh,” I said, furrowing my brows.
Tammy said, “Lady Lilly, I’m so glad you’re finally here. Norma and I talked last night, you know, and we both agreed on
the fact that this time, things will work out and our master Lord Aslan and our kingdom will—”
“Tammy, Lady Lilly would like to check some books out,” Ria interrupted.
Tammy looked flustered for a moment and then chuckled. She said, “Sorry, here I am going on about stuff we talked about last night. Old habits. Would you like to check some books out, my lady?”
I thought that Tammy had similar behavior to Norma. Come to think of it, she looked a lot like Norma, too, with that silky blonde hair and bright blue eyes, along with that cheerful smile. Not to mentioned the elf ears.
I asked, “Are you, by any chance, related to Norma the chef?”
Tammy chuckled as she clasped her hands together. “Bingo! We’re siblings, my lady. Norma is my older sister.”
I smiled. “You two look alike,” I said.
“Yes,” Ria said. “And both have the habit of saying unnecessary things.”
Tammy grinned brightly, and then said, “And don’t forget, we like to have tea and a little chitchat, too.”
Ria said, “More like being too nosey and liking to gossip.”
Tammy frowned. “How rude, Ria. We are nothing like that at all.” She cocked her head to one side. “More like we like to be in the know. We like to be updated on the latest news, you know.” She turned to me, then. “So? How do you find our handsome master? He’s kind, right?”
I blinked. Handsome? I wouldn’t assign that word to Aslan. He was a beast, after all. Grotesque, yes, especially his mask. As to kind? I wasn’t sure yet. After all, I had only just met him last night, when I had been sacrificed. Despite that he had decided to spare my life, he did mention that I looked delicious and that he wanted to taste me. The very thought brought forward a shiver of trepidation down my spine. To Aslan, I was still food, wasn’t I?
“What’s the matter?” Tammy asked, her eyes intense on my face.
I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said.
Ria said, “How about we sign Lady Lilly up in the system?”
It looked like Tammy wanted to ask me further questions about Aslan but decided against it. She nodded her head and said, “All right, then. Let’s get you signed up.” She pulled out a small flat piece of hardware with a bright, colorful screen. Then she started touching on the little square button-like pictures with her fingertips and thumbs on that screen. She was fast, which amazed me.
I turned to Ria and said, “What is that?”
“Ah, that’s a tablet, my lady,” Ria explained. “Tammy is inputting your information into our library system.”
“Tablet,” I said in awe. As in, a piece of hardware used for inscription, I supposed, like a tombstone. But this realm’s tablet was very sleek and thin and simply beautiful to look at, especially with the bright screen.
Tammy chuckled. “Would you like to see, my lady?”
When I nodded my head, Tammy slid the tablet closer to me over the desk, and as she continued touching on this and that and changing the picture of the screen, I watched in awe.
“Now then, your last name please, Lady Lilly,” Tammy said.
I asked, “Last name? What’s that?”
I noted Tammy and Ria looked surprised at my question. They then eyed each other, and Tammy said, “Your last name, or surname, is the name that belonged to your family. It is originated from your father’s side and it passes on to you. Err… How do I explain this?”
Ria said, “Everyone is born with a first and surname name, my lady. Like Tammy Wilson and Norma Wilson. They have the surname Wilson, as that is their family’s name. While I’m now Ria Larson, as Larson is my husband’s family name. That is Larson is Paul’s family name. Do you perhaps not have a surname name, my lady?”
I shook my head in the negative. I said, “Mother gave me the name Lilly. She has never given me a surname name.”
“Oh,” Tammy said. I thought she look rather shocked.
Ria asked, “What about your father’s family name?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have his surname,” I said. In fact, I didn’t want to have his surname. I wanted nothing to do with that side of the family, the ones who had sacrificed me to Aslan.
Ria said, “Well, in that case, we’ll just have to register you under Lord Aslan’s last name, right, Tammy?”
Tammy looked pleased at the suggestion. “Of course, that’s right.” She chuckled merrily. “Since you’re Lord Aslan’s beauty, anyway.” She started doing her things furiously, with a wide smile on her face. “Name, Lady Lilly McTavish, Lord Aslan’s Beauty. There. Date of birth?” She looked at me expectantly.
I licked my lips nervously. God, this registration was harder than I had thought. I said, “I’m eighteen years old. In the village, I was born on the ninth day of the nine-moon of the year nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of God.”
I noted that once again, Ria and Tammy made eye contact. I didn’t miss the slight look of terror in their gaze either. What was going on?
Tammy said, her voice a little hoarse for my liking, “Born on the ninth of September of the year 9999 of God.” She chuckled nervously. “What do you know, the other side’s calendar is the same as ours. I suppose it is almost universal?”
Ria said, “It is rare for someone to be born on such a, err…date with so many nines.”
Tammy nodded furiously. “That’s right. The number nine is not so auspicious in our realm, my lady, especially if you also happen to be born during the hour of nine in the morning or at night.”
“Why is that?” I asked in curiosity.
Ria said, “Written in our language, it looks like a loop that goes around in an endless cycle.”
“I see,” I said. So, I was born on an inauspicious date? Then again, I knew that when I wrote down my date of birth in a certain style, it did look like an endless loop.
After Tammy had signed me into the library system, she took me for a tour of the place and showed me all the different genres of the books and where they were located. Apparently, there was a sort of numbering system for each genre, and there were so many different genres, I was very excited. When we were in the history department, I picked up a few books and flicked through the pages.
Ria asked, “Can you read our language, my lady?”
I nodded my head without hesitation. I smiled and then said, “Mother taught me how to read and write, so it’s not a problem.”
I noted Ria looking at Tammy for a moment, and then Tammy said, “But you’re from the other side of the realm, my lady. How is it possible that you can read our language?”
I blinked in confusion. “But we have the same language, don’t we? I mean, I can understand you and I’m conversing with you.”
Ria shook her head. “Paul didn’t understand our language, nor did he know how to read our books. He only knew of the language from the other side. It was very complicated conversing with him when he first arrived.”
I was even more confused now. I licked my lips, feeling more than a little nervous at hearing Ria’s explanation of Paul’s situation. What was going on?
I said, “But I always spoke to Mother in this language when she was alive.”
Tammy said, “My lady, please don’t think that I’m rude, but I must ask you this very important question.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Yes?”
“How many letters are in the alphabet?”
I chuckled, my cheeks blushing hot with embarrassment. God, why did she have to ask me that question? It was hard to come up with a number from the top of my head.
I said, “Well, I can’t possibly say, since Mother told me I was slow and that I have many more to learn, which I will when I have the chance, if you know what I mean.” I chuckled nervously.
Ria and Tammy were looking at each other again. Their eyes told me that they were suspicious of something.
Ria said, “How many letters are in the alphabet in the village’s language, my lady?”
I said, avoiding their gaze, “Some
five thousand, perhaps? God, I just can’t remember. I mean, I know I’m slow but…I suppose these things do take time.” I chuckled nervously again. “I mean, Mother told me that it took her until she was twenty-five to master the five thousand letters of the alphabet. She did say it’s easier when you group them into different regions or something along that line.”
Suddenly, I heard Tammy chuckling, which drew my attention to her.
Ria said, her eyes bright, “At what age did you manage to master those five thousand letters of the alphabet, my lady?”
I lowered my eyes and said, “I was fourteen. I couldn’t learn anymore because Mother passed away and…”
The thought of my mother made my heart ache and tears started brewing in my eyes.
Ria said, “I’m so sorry, my lady.”
I sniffed and said, “What for?”
“Well, to ask you such a question and your mother…”
I shook my head. “No. It’s fine. She passed away a while back, and I did mourn for her for four years.” I chuckled. “I had enough time mourning for her, so it’s fine.”
Ria said, “You’re a strong girl, my lady, to be able to handle something like that so young.”
Tammy nodded her head furiously. “And very intelligent, too, to have learned some five thousand letters of the alphabet by the time you were fourteen. That’s amazing.”
Ria nodded her head. “Did you know, my lady, that from what I’ve heard from Paul, who is rather well-educated back on the other side of the realm, that your language only has some thirty-two letters in the alphabet?”
I blinked. “Only thirty-two?”
Tammy nodded her head. “Yes, that’s right. We have the data of about fifty percent of the five realms’ alphabets in our library system, my lady. If you’re interested, I’d be only too pleased to help you with it. Of course, it needs the approval from Lord Aslan himself, since there’re only a few people who can access it.”
Ria said, “And our alphabet, which is considered almost universal in our Aurora Realm—which by the way has nine different kingdoms—has only twenty-six letters.”
“Only twenty-six?” I asked. “But…”
The Beast and I: Volume 1 Page 7