by A. Kingsley
Clare too got this card, but along with the card, was a thin, dainty chain with a hook on the end. Attached to the bottom was her gem that he had borrowed from her room. Her magic necklace was done. He helped fasten it against her chest, smiling warmly at her ecstatic reaction, which was to embrace him in a warm and tight hug. Everyone else thanked him for the letters, most vowing to read something so sentimental later, when they were alone.
Gracielle, had bought everyone sweaters in their favorite color, Maximus gave out personalized mugs, Julius had gotten everyone books and Sage had bought them adornments for their favorite weapons, aside from Antoine, Phoebe, Esmeralda and Clare, who she gave handmade jewelry from the marketplace to.
Phoebe and Esmeralda did not have time in between their duties to buy or give gifts, so they did not give, only receive with thanks.
Cassius, who claimed himself the worst gift giver, went last. “I’ve never really given out real gifts before. I had to ask Gracielle for some ideas.” He pulled out a cloth bag and asked everyone to open their palm. He dropped a few pieces of candy from the local marketplace inside each palm. Candy was a rare delicacy in the winter even for royals, yet he had managed to acquire it. Antoine wasn’t allowed to leave the castle, but Cassius could, he had gone out a few weeks back when Clare was busy with nursing. “My mum would give me candy every holiday, I hope you enjoy them,” he said shyly. They certainly did, they thanked him greatly.
The candy was gone in seconds.
After the candy was given out, everyone but Cassius and Antoine traveled to the temple to pray. It was outside, so Antoine was not allowed to go and Cassius felt bad leaving him alone, plus he hated to pray, so he stayed inside. “Thank you for the letter,” he said when they were alone, both lying on separate sofas. “I don’t deserve anything from you. I’m part of the reason that you’re trapped inside, you were too nice to say that I reminded you of a wolf, hard around the edges, but loyal with a big heart that just needed to be unlocked. Maybe it was an insult considering I come from the family of vulture’s and the Demetrias’s are the wolves,” he laughed, “but I’m grateful anyways.”
“Stop blaming yourself for your father’s actions, Cassius. I’m actually enjoying my time here despite missing my family. And thank you for the candy, I’ve actually never had a piece of hard candy, I’ve only had handmade desserts. Oh and it wasn’t an insult, but am I really doing my job if I don’t annoy you just a tad?”
“Really you’ve never had a piece? Well I am glad you got to try it and that I could bring you some. You’re right though, everyone seems to like to poke fun at me. All in good spirits of course, so I don’t mind. Are you upset that you can’t visit the temple today?”
“Not really, I’ve never been big on prayer, I only did it because my mum told me to,” Antoine admitted.
“Same, but it was my father,” Cassius groaned.
“Common ground!” Antoine said enthusiastically. Having Cassius as a good mate was something that he had always wanted, ever since he had become close to Clare. Now they were finally becoming closer. Even if Cassius wouldn’t admit it, Antoine could tell that the prince cared about him.
The rest of the holiday went swimmingly, there was lots more eating and conversing. With a few more days of December to follow, the same routine ensued, except this time Clare and Antoine did not kiss as she tried to focus more on Cassius. The makeshift family rang in the new year together and all was well. For now.
Winter and a cross
The weather in December had been tolerable, but the weather in January was almost unbearable. Snow piled up so high that the residents of the Pax palace could not see out of the windows or the doors on the first floor. If they wanted to leave, it would be hard to do so. Cassius had been missing Cisily, he thought about asking Gracielle if her and Theo would be allowed over, but he knew for Antoine’s safety, the answer would be no.
His time training with Sage had got cut short because they could only duel inside due to the snow and they had to make sure that Gracielle wasn’t around to scold them.
Training with Clare wasn’t really safe either as if the girl’s magic erupted, the blast would wreck the furniture. But every day her control was getting stronger, especially with the necklace around her neck. She was able to look at blood without her insides burning and she was able to see death without her brain spinning and her fingers itching. Between her work in the hospital and her work with Cassius, blood and injuries hardly triggered her and she was now able to perform her magic discreetly, as long as she had the rose quartz necklace on. It was usually always on her neck, except for when she had a long or stressful day, she claimed it weighed her down.
Once she had gotten in the habit of self control, she wrote to Natalia and the woman wrote her back quickly. Natalia expressed that as soon as Antoine was safe, she would be glad to come visit to see the girl’s self control.
The members of the Pax palace did their usual activities to keep busy, more letters went in and out, but due to the snow, company was less frequent and letters often got delayed. Antoine was beginning to itch to feel the sun on his skin. He would let the sun burn him if it meant that he could freely go outside.
As January dragged on and the middle of the month arrived, Clare had an idea. She couldn’t stand to read the local newspapers, that were filled with the news of poverty and death. She skipped into the sitting room one morning, fully dressed in her warmest, fanciest, winter clothes. Antoine, Sage, and Cassius stopped to stare at her. Two layers of white cloth hugged her legs. Over the white cloth was a blush pink ruffled dress that stopped just at her covered ankles and covered her arms until it reached her wrists. She wore her travel boots, which were white with pink ribbon. The rose quartz was tucked into her dress. To go over her dress, she was wearing the warmest white jacket that she owned. Her hands were gloved in pink satin. She wore pink fluffy earmuffs and her ginger hair was pulled into a tight ponytail at the top of her head, two strands of hair framed her face. Her beauty was almost blinding, but her kindness outshone her looks. She held a picnic basket in her gloved hands. “Cassius get dressed. We are going into town!” Clare exclaimed.
“No you’re not,” Sage said defiantly as she stood up. “One, I’m offended that I’m not invited and two there is a blizzard coming. You’re not leaving, you’ll get frostbite.”
“Well the last time that I checked Sage, you’re not the boss of me, mum has already given me permission. And you’re not invited because this is good publicity for Cassius. Our people will take a liking to him if they see him with me and just me. They’ll get to see his kindness,” she looked over to Cassius who seemed shocked that she would call him kind. “You’ll get to keep Antoine company.” She gestured to the boy who had his head buried into the book that he was reading.
“Yes, he looks like he could use my company,” Sage said sarcastically as she nudged him with her foot. He looked up startled. His eyes glanced around the room and eventually they landed upon Clare. “You look beautiful Clare,” he said. A grin spread across her face and she mouthed a sweet ‘thank you’.
Cassius was convinced, she didn’t have to beg him. Though he wasn’t a big fan of going out into the cold, her people needed to like him too. Especially incase a war broke out. It was best for them to know that he had nothing to do with it. He thought of his mother, when she begged for him not to go out into the cold. He knew that for her, he would dress as warm as he could. It wasn’t nearly as snowy in Excidium, but Cassius had bought appropriate clothes for the cold weather while he lived in the palace. He knew his mum would have been weary, but if Gracielle thought it was safe, then he knew it would be alright. He got dressed in his warmest winter outfit. A pair of tights, which he was ashamed to wear, were placed underneath his black trousers for warmth. He wore two layers of socks and the warmest black boots that he owned. He wore a pitch black sweater and overtop, a fluffy black coat. He fastened the cape that he bought at the market around his neck and placed his crown on the top of
his head. When he walked out into the sitting room, he raised an eyebrow at Clare’s peculiar facial expression.
She looked at him in amazement, she was going to compliment him, but instead, she dashed right past him. “I forgot my crown,” she shouted. Royals didn’t wear their crown upon their heads when no one was around, so it had been a while since she had worn it.
Upon her return, the white and silver flowered crown was placed on the top of her head and her engagement ring was on her finger. She checked to make sure that his ring was on his finger and when she was sure that he had remembered, she handed him his picnic basket which was stuffed to the brim with food. “I’m leaving now, goodbye mum!” she shouted.
The woman hurried from the kitchen to say goodbye to the two of them. She squinted her eyes, she noticed that Cassius had grown a bit of scruff. “Oh how grown up my babies are,” she said as she kissed Clare and Cassius on the tops of their heads, she had to go on the tips of her toes to reach Cassius’s hair, he had even bent down to help her. “You two be safe and if the storm gets to the point where you can’t see, you wait it out in the town. You understand me?”
“Yes mum.”
“Yes Gracielle,” Cassius said. He looked past Gracielle to see Sage, she glared at him. He laughed and then waved goodbye, specifically to Antoine, before opening the door for Clare.
The snow that had once blocked the door, was cleared and a path was made for them that lead from the door to the gate. Only one pitch black horse waited for them on this occasion. Cassius helped Clare mount the horse and once she was seated comfortably at the rear, basket in hand, he hopped in front of her. She leaned comfortably against him, her arms around his waist. His hands were gripping the reigns, his basket was in between his thighs. He looked back to see Clare and smiled at the white flakes of snow in her hair. “What are in those baskets anyways?” he asked.
“Bread, cheese, a few helpings of cooked duck and some sweets.”
“You had a bloody brilliant idea you know. I’m glad I am engaged to someone kinder than I am.”
“You would have done this too,” she said.
“Not without my mum's encouragement. No one told you to do this Clare. Your kindness isn’t artificial. It’s true and blossoms more with each passing day.”
The nearest village wasn’t too far from the palace. Cassius kept a lookout for any spies from his kingdoms. If the spies wanted to come, then they would welcome them with open arms because they spies would see Cassius and Clare together and happy. Then after their realization, they would call off Antoine’s execution and retreat from their mission. But there were no spies present.
Their arrival to the closest village was welcomed. As her bright orange hair came into sight and the face of the princess was visible, hungry villagers, skinny and weak, scrambled out from the warmth of shelter and stood hopeful, their hands out in hope for food. This winter had been worse than others and the poorest villages had been struggling the most. “Hello everyone, it’s good to see you! We’ve brought food!” Clare announced to the people.
There were happy smiles and cries of excitement from those who hadn’t eaten in days. Clare caught a few uneasy stares looking at Cassius.
The two royals dismounted the horse, each holding a basket in their hands. Cassius greeted the people with a wave of his free hand and the softest smile that he could muster. The food was dispersed between the crowd as evenly as possible. The bread and cheese were divided into quarters and the dessert and meat were cut up into small slices. As the crowd grew, the two royals couldn’t keep up with the demand. The food was gone faster than they had anticipated and Clare’s heart broke as she stared out at the hungry faces of children, who were still holding out their empty hands.
She looked down the street to see the nicer houses on the hill where the wealthy lived, they must have been cozy, thriving in the time of hunger and famine. She wished that she couldn’t relate to that feeling. Though she didn’t wish to suffer, she felt awful for having been born with a golden spoon. The Princess turned her head back to the crowd and as she scanned the area, she noticed a restaurant down the block. “We will be right back, please don’t leave,” she called out to the villagers.
Cassius took her hand and followed her through the crowd, “Clare what are you doing?” he asked her, his voice warm.
“I’m getting more food. I’m not just going to let our money sit in its place when it could be of good use.”
“And what if Gracielle is mad? What if she notices it’s missing when she needs it?”
“Then I’ll accept her punishment, but she’s a pretty understanding woman. I don’t think she’d mind me doing this. If Adria could come over one day, I bet you they would get along well.” She noticed his face go blank. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “she’ll be okay, Cassius.”
A woman stood at the door of an almost empty shop. Each table inside of the restaurant was wooden, with silverware and a menu, but no customers. The restaurant had been slow because of the storms, not a lot of people were leaving their homes and when they ate well, they bought from the market because it was cheaper. When the shop did get business, they received a lot of to go orders. Clare could see the worry of going out of business disappear from the woman’s eyes when she registered that the princess and the prince walked through her doors. She scrambled forward and dropped to her knees, her head bowed in respect.
“Save that for the Goddesses please. I appreciate your praise, but you may rise,” Clare said.
The woman stood up from the floor and handed them a menu. The items listed were not extravagant dishes, but they were cheap and from what she had heard as she walked in, delicious.
“We will take two of each meal please,” Clare said.
“Are you sure?” the woman asked, she had tears in her eyes. This purchase was going to save her business. She had almost offered for them not to pay, but her business needed the money. Clare and Cassius would have refused her anyways. They had ordered forty eight dishes in total.
“‘I’m positive about this purchase. Do you have any staff to help us carry the dishes out? They are for the people,” Clare said.
“A few. Let me get them out here.” The woman ran into the back room and came back with four young boys, they were all around the age of twelve or thirteen. They were fairly skinny, but not as skinny as the other villagers outside, they were allowed to eat all of the kitchen’s leftovers at the end of the night. The boys stared at the royalty in shock.
Clare and Cassius waved to them.
“Can I hug you?” one of the boys blurted out. Clare nodded, but Cassius looked hesitant, afraid he may be carrying sickness, but when he saw the enthusiasm on Clare’s face, he nodded. He was surprised when the young boy ran past her and hugged his waist. He had not been expecting it.
His hand moved to the boy's hair and he ruffled it. Clearing his throat, he spoke, “you’re going to be a lot of help to us. Thank you,” Cassius told the boy.
The boy pulled away and gave Clare a hug for courtesy, he moved back to the others who were still in shock. The room’s silence was broken by a chef yelling orders in the kitchen. While they waited, the owner handed them each a hot mug of tea and some of her home made biscuits.
The boys joined them while they ate. They were pretty quiet until the one with the dark mocha hair, who had hugged them, spoke. “I hugged you because you reminded me of my brother. He passed away this winter,” the boy said as he chewed sadly on his biscuit. One of the other boys put an arm around his shoulder for comfort. Cassius’s mouth hung open. After he chose his words carefully, he began to speak, “I’m sorry to hear about your brother. What is your name? They say not to talk to strangers, but if you are lonely, you can write to me. Address it to the Pax Palace, I’m staying there right now. I don’t mean to replace him, but if you ever need some advice, I’ll try my best to help.” Cassius had a soft spot for children, he always wished to give them all the things that he never had. One day, far away
, he hoped to have children of his own.
“My name is Cruz,” the boy said shyly. “Thank you Prince Cassius. Maybe I’ll write to you.”
Clare leaned across the table, her eyes watery, “what can I do to help the people in the village? I don’t want them to suffer.”
“You could bring food packages and maybe do some home inspections if you have enough guards. It would help us fix some of our broken appliances. If you could also spare any blankets or warm clothes everyone would appreciate them. Thank you for asking Princess Clare,” the oldest boy said.
“Of course, I’ll tell your ideas to my mum at once. I assure you that more blankets will be coming your way as soon as possible and as for the other ideas, they’ll take more time, but I think we’ll be able to implement them.” ‘No more promises,’ she told herself. ‘You can only promise blankets because that’s something that you can do yourself even if everyone else bails.’
Cassius and Cruz continued to chat with one another. The boy asked about the prince's life and he told him about his old daily routine at Exicidum, leaving out the horrors that he faced there. He then told him about his new routine at the Pax palace. The boy told Cassius his routine on their farm that was currently covered in snow. He had two siblings who he helped take care of so his mother would be able to work. He helped retrieve the eggs and wash the animals, he made food and bathed his siblings everyday. Cassius was quite impressed with the boy and he complimented his strength. The two of them moved onto talking about Cruz’s school crushes. Cassius did his best to give him advice while Clare chatted with the other boys about the condition of the village.
Their conversation was interrupted by the owner. She came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face. “Some of the food is ready. Let’s get it out to the people while it's hot. Boys, you grab the plates, I'll grab a bucket of silverware.” She looked to the prince and the princess, while she didn’t want to command them, they had a job to do as well.