The Exiled Gem

The Independence Day March

'Mabel! Mabel, get up!' Betty was shouting right into her ear. She had the annoying habit to do so, but Alexandra had become used to it by now, so she turned to the other side and mumbled something that could have been "go burn your skirts". Her one month stay in the Shelter had had its toll on Alexandra's language which was now vibrant enough to make Nurses go haywire.

'GET UP!' Betty shouted, making her sit up in a second.

'What? What - what is it?' Alexandra asked, looking around. Were there terrorists? Was Idgard under attack? Was the Shelter on fire?

Apparently, none of them, because Betty was grinning widely.

'You know what is today?' She asked.

'What?' Alexandra groaned, rubbing her bleary eyes. 'And don't tell me we have to clean the wells or anything like that!' She warned.

'No, Silly! Though we should hurry with getting the waters!'

'Why?'

'Today,' said Betty, standing up and twirling away. 'Is...OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY!' She announced, getting excited as if it was her birthday. Alexandra groaned again.

'What?'

'INDEPENDENCE DAY!' Betty shouted, like Alexandra was hard of hearing. 'We were a part of Cartania till one and half century ago! Then it broke up - lot of bloodshed and war - but the Elder brother Cassius kept Cartania and the younger one, who's perpetually every Vedessan's favorite - Vitus, got Vedessa. Doveland's always been independent and there's Ethoris that broke away from Cartania too.' She ranted. Alexandra was in awe, she raised her eyebrows.

'How do you know so much?' She asked. Alexandra did know all of that herself, but it was because "History" was a subject she had studied. Betty meanwhile - was illiterate as an ostrich!

'They tell that tale. Through dramas and theatres - oh yes, there will a lot of them today. You see, we know how to make a festival.' Betty informed, smacking her lips. Perhaps a free feast was in the way too.

'So what? I'm going to stay in, lie low, and pretend that nothing's happening - because I don't like crowds!' Alexandra barked back. The last festival she had seen, had been for the welcome of a particular lady named Sabel. Festivals were inauspicious.

'Nooo!' Betty cried, dismayed, 'today there will a grand procession! The king, will ride throughout the town! And a grand March, and then a feast of course, but we have to see the King - uh, I mean the march. You can hate crowds - but you can't hate our king. Did I say Vitus was every Vedessan's favorite? That's long gone - we have our new favorite and it's this king. People expected him to be weak and inefficient. There were a lot of rumors about his childhood - oh but, that's the past. The March comes only once every year! And everyone loves the king - sorry, the March! But the King too! He is so charming and handsome! And strong! And skilled and ... and kind! Oh, he's divine!' Said Betty, looking up at the sky, hugging her neck and blushing.

Alexandra didn't know what to say. Whatever Betty had said before just leaked out of her brain with the last few sentences. She'd thought Betty was a no-nonsense and straight-forward girl ... but she seemed a bit too obsessed with this King. The mound of adjectives Betty had thrown in - charming - handsome - strong - skilled - kind.

Fine, agreeable!

Divine.

Spare me! 

Kings weren't divine. They were masked, strained and tired people who were expected to do everything right. In fact, they were supposed to be perfect and that was the sticky center of that protracted, royal mess: perfection didn't exist.