Love Potion

The Harpy's Song

That night's banquet was the finest food I have ever had. My stomach had never felt so pleased. I gorged on pink, buttery mashed potato and honeyed meats that fell off the bone and piles of garlic rolls and crunchy chips and jugs of crocoper juice and vegetables roasted to the point they were unhealthy... I made bawdy humour with my friends, friends, my bedchamber and the boys, and it was only much later on did I realise I hadn't once thought of Viper during it - indeed, he visited my mind only along with my misery. But I feasted that night, and was only proud of my poor podgy belly for stomaching it. And, as soon as pudding arrived I found I had a whole secret room in me to fit it: this was crispy fruit pies and profiterole mountains and chocolate bread and butter pudding and bowls of ice cream and steaming treacle tart and a jelly shaped like a palace...

Majestio sat at the end of the hall with the teachers, in the grandest-looking throne beside Hwelpum, and he told us all of tales of his victories, his battle with the bull monster Hornscrunkle, the fight of the Poison-Nailed Lady, the epic scrimmage for the Shadow Man, whom he had beaten only by studying the roll of the sun and the way his shadow pointed a half degree off... he seemed more delightful, strong and courageous with every word. I gazed at him like a celebrity and doted in the same way. I would try and get a signature from him whenever possible - maybe I would even tell him my name...

Anyway. The evening was long and the conversation was good. When Majestio wasn't talking to all of us, he made humour with the other teachers. They seemed joyous to meet him. At least, all but Master Muet, Caesus and Spigte (I couldn't tell of Hwelpum), who seemed wary of his presence, and treated him only courteously. I thought it a strange way to feel about such a fantastic man. There wasn't a bad thing about him. Perhaps that was what they didn't like. On a very different hand, Master Stammings was giggling loudly at an apparently hilarious story he was telling, and kept on splashing wine down her front. 

After the banquet we made parlour games, and watched a few tricks from Majestio, where he spelt out 'marvel' in the air or swung from the sconces and winked at a cupid in the painting on the ceiling or let students throw knives at him as he dodged with his supreme anticipation specialty. I went to bed densely, slumberly happy, and thought about Majestio as I slipped into dreamland. There he visited too, where he threw a tea party with teacups the size of houses, and poured the castle-teapot with one hand, grinning profusely.

I woke up to be greeted to the blissful truth that a real, handsome superhero, Majestio, was actually staying with us; for once I didn't wish to go back to sleep. I remembered the Marvel Ball was in just a month, being the whole reason Majestio came to stay - it was on Valentines' day, actually - no doubt, proposals to the ball would be happening left and right from now. Not for me, of course... but I so dreamed about it. What would it be like, to have a kind, pretty boy request a night with him at a magical ball... it's more than magical. 

And who would be that pretty boy? Several faces came to mind, I realised, but some of them were quickly squandered, for they were just... accidents of the mind. The face I wondered on most was dark, and square-jawed, and with a slightly wonky but strong scarred nose in its centre, and thick lips, and small, dark eyes. I had been thinking about Kenzie a lot recently, actually - toying with the idea of him, making up fantasies. Just a bit of fun. I knew it was all daydreams. Did I really fancy him? I think I did, actually. But could it work? He would have to like me, for one. He did take me on that thieving trip... my, oh my! Could the truth really be, he liked me? It was an affectionate possibility. Tatiana really wouldn't be happy, though, no matter how much she sucks on Muskett's tongue. But I shouldn't care about Tatiana. I didn't - I only worried about this never-ending relationship of theirs, constantly teetering from furious love to just fury. It always seemed to tip back. But maybe I could be the balance to that seesaw?

But anyway! I really must get up. I've been dreaming in bed for ten minutes.

It was a Saturday, meaning that we didn't have to be in our uniforms, and the only work we needed to do was the homework we had all put off until now. I also had a study session at half past three.

First was breakfast, where Majestio was already sitting in the same throne at the end of the room, and the teachers were all there, too. I thought, basically every meal will be a celebration as long as Majestio was staying. I think Hwelpum said it would be as long as a month, until the wondrous Marvel Ball and a little after, until the holidays. This morning Majestio was not in his costume, but in a fanciful magist suit, which looked even handsomer on him. It was lavish pale sea-blue, made of patterned satin and going well with his silver hair.

I watched him all of breakfast. I only looked away when I swore those pale blue eyes actually glinted in my direction; surely I imagined it.

I caught up on homework after that, which was a sick and laborious three hours. I went to have a shower, and on my way there saw Tatiana and Muskett giggling and tripping out of the boy's bathhouse, both in towels and dripping wet. When they saw me they giggled even louder, and stumbled away. Shower sex, question mark? Goodness.

In the bathhouse, I saw Hester Lullaby enter one of the showers. I went silently into a stall far away from her - hopefully she didn't notice me. 

And clearly she didn't, for as she ran her water, started to truly sing! Sing, I tell you! I was sure if she knew she wasn't alone, she would never. 

It was a beautiful and delicate song, most unlike herself, but her voice was just as beautiful and just as delicate; I never knew such a melodious sound could come from such a monstrous girl; it was dainty and sweet and careful as a macaron. I could imagine it being sung by a beautiful kidnapped lady on a pirate ship. It went like this:

When I was a girl I set to sea,
As far from land as I could be.
Well, the waves did roll and the wind did blow,
And it's off too sea... we all must go.

On a Sunday morning we set sail, 
And it was blown with an awful gale.
Then we a-spied a mermaid fair,
With eyes of blue... and golden hair.

Now mermaid girls ain't got no combs,
They comb their hair with codfish bones.
And mermaid girls ain't go no frills, 
They tie their hair... with codfish gills.

And then our gallon ship went round,
And then our gallon ship went down.
And now we lie, so far below, 
To the bottom of the sea... we all must go.

I enjoyed the song until she left, never having run my water. After our last encounter, I didn't much want her to know I now listened to her secretly sing. But, I alone pleasanted in the hundred unexpecteds in this girl, and the tender delicacy of her tongue. I wished I could befriend her... but I thought that chance was slender.

After that I went to the woods and fields with my friends, and we played games, and then we returned to the castle in time for tea.