This is the second half to a short posted six months ago- oops! also it was accidentally posted in Novels- oops again! I'll move it once I have the power to. In any case, it can be found here:http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/work.php?id=96110Sorry about the length, but I couldn't chop it again!
--
The first course was leek and potato soup. Nathaniel had appeared, claiming that he had had to deal with the horses and then change. He was sat opposite Alicia, which was only natural, but the princess was far more interested in gossiping with Genevieve. Gen had found the yellow dress and pinned her hair into something resembling a respectable arrangement, and talking and giggling with Alicia, she seemed almost girly.
Charlie thought, therefore, her mother would have nothing to complain about, and the two generations were engaged in separate conversations until Charlie’s ears pricked at something passing his aunt’s lips. “Of course, Genevieve failed three of her subjects this year.”
Gen stared into her soup bowl.
“And will Madame Avery allow you to retake those?” asked Anneliese, and took a sip of her soup.
Gen nodded. “After the summer. I’m to study for them over the next months and resit.”
“And if you fail them again?” Anneliese appraised her with a raised eyebrow. “Will you be following in your cousin’s footsteps and repeating your final year?”
“Well, I don’t technically need to graduate from Avery’s. There’s no requirement, not like there is with a knighthood.”
“Of course you’ll pass, Genevieve,” said Bernard gruffly.
“I disagree with Cordelia Avery’s methods, but I believe she has the right of it, that it is imperative you girls be taught correct protocol in a formal setting. Genevieve, how do you propose to be countess if you fail these exams?”
“I have a very able cousin to help me,” she said stubbornly.
“And we’ll make sure she has a very able husband,” said Aunt Helen. “Do not fear, Your Majesty, we will not leave Iron Holdings in incapable hands.”
There was the ear-splitting noise of Genevieve’s chair on the marble. “If you’ll excuse me.” And she stormed out of the dining room.
Charlie moved his own chair back quietly. “Uncle, Your Majesty, if I may be excused to bring Genevieve to her senses?”
Bernard nodded. “Quickly, please.”
--
He found Genevieve standing on the veranda of the East Wing, her hair fallen out of its bun completely, throwing pebbles at the field beyond.
“Are you planning on killing a field mouse?” he asked, leaning against one of the pillars.
“They just make me so angry!” she said, throwing another one.
“Field mice?”
She turned and gave him a tiny smile and collapsed against a column, all her rage gone. “What do they want from us?”
“To be entirely different people to the ones we are,” Charlie said with a shrug.
“Why can’t they just accept that’s not going to happen? I mean… you will help me to rule Iron Holdings, won’t you?”
“Of course,” said Charlie. He had never imagined doing anything else with his future.
“Then what’s the problem? You’re so good with that sort of thing. But instead they want me married off to someone I don’t even like…” Gen’s eyes were damp.
“It’s only the heat of the moment, Gen. They love you too much to make you unhappy. They might surprise you.”
“But what if they don’t?” Her voice was in danger of breaking. Charlie went and put an arm over her shoulders.
“We’ll work out what to do if it comes to that. But not tonight. Don’t cry. Come on. Oh that dear sweet potato-“ He began into their favourite song as children and Gen laughed.
“Let’s go inside and prove our worth, shall we?” he said and Genevieve nodded, linking arms with him again.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” she whispered as they re-entered the dining room.
--
The main course was duck in orange, with roast potatoes and peas shelled that morning, served with a wine so red it was purple and made Charlie shiver with each sip.
“I hear the graduation party is to be held in the Royal Palace this year,” said Helen. “You must be very excited, Your Highness.”
“Oh, yes,” Alicia said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’s a week after my brother’s sixteenth birthday, you are of course welcome to stay in the palace in the intervening time.”
“Of course I doubt you got much competition,” Aunt Helen said, glancing at Genevieve, who had not looked up from her plate since coming back to the dining room. “I don’t think Genevieve did any preparations at all.”
“Why should I have?” Genevieve stabbed a potato viciously. “We all knew Alicia would win.”
“Apart from Astrid,” Nathaniel said, staring into the centre of the table. Alicia shot him a sideways look and Charlie attempted to understand it all.
“Astrid Race, isn’t it?” Bernard asked. “The Hazel girl?”
“Yes,” said Charlie.
“Seems like a sweet girl but a little… insipid. Bland.”
“She’s my closest friend.” There was a warning lacing the edges of Alicia’s words.
Her mother chose to ignore this, cutting herself a new morsel of pork. “I know exactly what you mean, Bernard. Still, she’s very talented. It’s a shame such talent would be wasted in a place such as the Hazel Peninsula that barely needs any governing at all.”
“You need personality to govern any large area.” Uncle Bernard puffed his chest out as if to prove that he was brimming with personality himself.
Anneliese smiled. “Yes. Thank goodness it’s Alicia and not Astrid ascending the throne.”
Alicia delicately put her knife and fork together. “I’m just going to step outside for some air, Mother, Your Grace, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Uncle Bernard said and without knowing it, Charlie pushed his chair back and stood up. Alicia stared at him.
“I’ll accompany you,” he said. “I wouldn’t want you getting lost.”
--
Alicia smelt of magnolia. As they walked in silence, her heels clipping on the stone, he couldn’t decide where the smell came from, from her long loose hair or the sky blue silk of her dress or her nearly translucent skin. They went to the front door which Alicia threw open and held her arms up, inhaling the air as if she had been in prison for a decade.
“Sorry,” she said a little sheepishly, turning to look at Charlie.
“That’s alright. You’re a princess, no one can say a word against you for leaving a meal you weren’t enjoying.”
“Oh, but the food was delicious!” Alicia laughed. It was a very clear sound, like tapping a glass with a spoon. “Let’s sit.” She did so, on one of the steps. “It’s just my mother really does get insufferable. She acts as if I am to be… superior to everyone. She knows I hurt Astrid’s feelings when I won, and I didn’t mean to, but she just seems so delighted.”
“She’s just proud of you.”
She smiled. “How are you, anyway, Charlie? How’s your training going?”
It was all Charlie could do not to snort. “As well as could be hoped.”
The princess cast a grey eye over him. “You know, if you wanted, I could write to the Masters. Tell them you completed some great feat for me and I demand you be knighted immediately.”
“Such as what?”
“I don’t know. You saved me from a dragon or something.” She laughed and this time, Charlie joined in.
“I could never lie like that. I’m an awful liar. But if you ever are captured by a dragon, I’d be happy to help.”
Alicia smiled. “Pity there’s no dragons left. We’ll have to think of something else.” She looped her arm through his, as familiar as Gen. “Thank you, Charlie.”
“For what?”
“Cheering me up.”
“But I didn’t do anything!”
“You always know the right thing to say, that’s all. I think I’m ready to go back inside now.”
--
The dessert was a strawberry trifle, full of liquor and cream. Charlie felt sick just looking at it as his footman laid it down in front of him. After the other huge and filling courses, and cheese to follow, he only picked at it, while Gen devoured it.
“When do you suppose the Princess will be betrothed, Your Majesty?” asked Aunt Helen. Charlie looked at Nathaniel who appeared rather ill, although whether it was the dessert or the conversation it was difficult to tell.
“Oh, as soon after graduation as possible. I was myself betrothed to Sinclair at sixteen, and I personally find eighteen to be very old. But with new developments.” She sighed and ate the tiniest bit of cream. “And then the wedding will be about a year afterwards, I would say. Time enough for lots of children.” She patted her daughter on the hand. Alicia smiled, but it was hollow, not the smile Charlie had just seen outside. “I assume a similar arrangement will be made for Genevieve?”
“I don’t wish to discuss my marriage right now if it pleases Your Majesty.” Gen was monotone.
“Well.” That was all the Queen had to say. Bernard cleared his throat.
“Nathaniel, I’m sure you have your plans made then, in conjunction with this graduation of the girls.”
“I’m training Charlie until after Winter Festival. Once he passes his exams, then we can start thinking about other plans.”
“Oh, but Nat, you’ll be in the palace, won’t you?” Alicia was frowning at Nathaniel’s reluctance.
“Possibly. We’ll have to see how our schedule proceeds.”
“You’ll have to be careful,” Aunt Helen chirped, “after the betrothal we couldn’t have any harm coming to our future-“
Nathaniel stood up very abruptly. “Excuse me, I just remembered that I have some rather urgent business to attend to.” And he walked away.
Silence followed in his wake. Grateful for a chance to leave his trifle alone, Charlie stood up for a third time. “In fact, I just remembered- knight business, he will require my squire’s assistance.”
“What sort of business?” Alicia was outraged.
“Ah, that would be breaking our knight’s code of honour. Or at least… his knight’s code of honour and my code of squire or- if you’ll excuse me.” He could feel his face going red- it always went the colour most likely to clash with his hair, and careful not to stumble over the rug, he rushed out the door.
There was only one place Nathaniel was likely to go, and that was the yard at the back where he had taught Gen how to use a sword and a crossbow while Charlie sat by with a book. Charlie twisted his way down corridors and found Nathaniel, practicing his forms perfectly with a wooden sword against a straw dummy.
Charlie picked up another practice sword- he liked practice swords, they were so light- and met Nathaniel’s blade. The match was over in seven passes. Nathaniel leant on his sword.
“I think you’re actually getting worse at fighting.”
“And I think you’re actually getting worse at handling social situations. What was that about?”
Nathaniel spun in the air, slashed an imaginary enemy. “I hate them talking like that. Like I’m not there. Like I don’t have a voice in this.”
“But… they wouldn’t be talking about it if you hadn’t started courting Alicia.”
“And what if I wanted to stop courting her?” He stabbed the dummy and froze. Charlie stepped around so he could look Nathaniel in the eye. His friend, although winning every match in the yard, against both Charlie and his invisible foes (who had probably put up more of a match than Charlie) had never looked quite so defeated.
“What?” Charlie asked softly.
Nathaniel pulled the sword tip out of the dummy and dropped it. He turned very slowly to face Charlie.
“Don’t,” he said, his blue eyes full of panic. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“I won’t. But if you don’t want to-“
“She’s a princess, Charlie. I don’t have much of a choice to back down now. Everybody is just waiting for the two of us to announce our engagement- you included.”
“Because we all assume that you’re madly in love with one another! You certainly act like it!”
Nathaniel shrugged and wiped the sword. “I’m not sure… when it stopped being real. It’s still real for her but I… that’s not the life I want. I thought it was, but it’s not. But I have no idea how to stop it now.”
Charlie saw how hurt he was and was quiet. “We need to go back inside,” Charlie told him at last.
“I can’t.”
“So you’re going to live in this yard for the rest of your life?” Charlie raised his eyebrows. “Inside. Come.”
“No.” Nathaniel wiped his face, and Charlie saw that his eyes were wet. “I don’t want to face them again.”
“Oh please. Samina’s bravest knight, scared of my uncle and aunt? I will admit that the Queen scares me to death, but you can handle her. Besides, there’s just one more course. Then you can ride home to Brushbridge if you want and not worry about it. I’ll tell them all that your urgent knight business was a quest that couldn’t wait.”
Nathaniel smiled. “And you didn’t come because…”
“Because I’d slow you down of course- Nathaniel Bolt, I sincerely hope you never plan on taking me on any actual quests.”
They both laughed. Nathaniel drew his arm over his eyes. “I want to be a knight, not a prince. If I marry Alicia, I’ll never be happy.”
Charlie took the sword off him and laid it down. “Tonight’s not the night to think about that. You have months before any decisions are made. Now, inside. Just one more course,” he told Nathaniel, placing a hand on his back to lead him back to the dining room. “Just one more.”
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