A Tale of Shadows - THE OUTDATED VERSION

Chapter 20 - The Announcement

The morning after, Melinda thought of the dream again, reminding herself of what she had to do. Once she had spent half an hour getting dressed, she went for a stroll to the area her concentration camps were in. That day, the sky was grey, and the withered branches of the cherry trees stood imposingly above her, yet to her, there was still something beautiful about it. As the winds of cold crawled up her spine, she pondered the words she would say when she came to her destination. Her mind could not focus on anything else, not that she wanted it to, but finding the proper words should not have been that important to her.

It was not long before she had reached her destination. When she opened the door, she saw that most of the prisoners' backs were turned away from her and that they were all eating the food they were given last night. The wealthy had recently had a feast, and they were lucky to be given every remaining scrap, although they were horrid in scent. Flies had gathered in the air, circling the rotten fruit, as well as anything even remotely sweet. The green paint on the walls had begun to peel off. At that moment, she could feel her soul age and her face stiffen as she turned away from the table, as though it would help repress the smells.

The forks scratched the surfaces of the plates as soon as she had begun to scan the room, creating a harmony most dreadful, piercing through her ears. She did not blink, observing everything with utmost care so that nothing would escape her notice. All of the captives seemed like one, with their rags and blank gazes and little miseries, however, not many moments had passed when she found the one she was looking for.

Randall was at the top of the table, eating with his head bent down until he heard her approaching. He quickly swallowed the last bite he took, tilting his head towards her. He saw that her facial expression was firm and that her stare was cold, as they tended to be, leaving him to wonder what was going through her head at the moment. She woke him up from his thoughts by beginning to speak.

"I am right to assume you have never heard of the affairs that have been happening in our kingdom as of late. Is that so?"

Randall raised an eyebrow. "How was I supposed to?"

"Of course, you did not, as was to be expected in such a situation, but these affairs are of great importance and therefore must be known to everyone."

"And what may these important affairs be?"

Melinda raised her hand. "I implore you not to talk until I am done. As I was saying, by the end of the year, this kingdom will have risen anew. You are aware of the fact that I intend to bring back the Xarian language, and it is rather clear that I have more to do concerning that matter. Although there are many suitors who would certainly be glad to have my hand in marriage, the ease with which I made the right choice renders them less significant. When I came to visit the prince of Eade, he was not at all reluctant about my proposal. Once the Winter Ball arrives, our kingdoms will unite, and what occurs afterwards will have been apparent all along."

Randall gasped. "That is horrifying!"

"You may have a right to issue your minor, feeble complaints as much as your heart desires. However, there are duties on which you must focus beforehand. I present a task to you and your friends," she said, taking folded music sheets out of a pocket of her dress and putting them into his hands.

"For now, this will be the sole task you will be presented with, but there are more to come. A ball, especially one as essential as this, must be hosted with utter perfection in mind," she continued while he was scowling. "Now farewell and commence your daily labour after this meal is over, everyone."

Randall watched her as she left the concentration camp, seeing red. The thought of George Maguire marrying a person such as her invaded his mind, not wanting to leave him alone. He clenched his hand into a fist, remembering all the times she did not deserve to have all that she had. The times were changing rapidly, and he could not fathom any of the changes. In this position, he was convinced that nothing was left for him to do but despair.

He returned inside after a woman with a bloated belly waved over to him. After seeing her appearance, he swallowed. There was a smile on her face, but he noticed that her lips were pressed a bit too tight for it to be a genuine smile. The bags under her eyes were large, and the eyes themselves were red. She looked years older than she was in reality, and he wondered about the father of her child and what he was doing and how he was feeling.

"I apologise for what I am about to tell you, Mister Carson, but there is something you have to know, for it concerns you personally," she said, her voice cracking.

Randall let out a heavy sigh. "What is this and how come is it about me?"

"Recently, I have been hearing about a change that is rather likely to happen. The people think that the case of the Jones family has been solved, but those are the same people who could never imagine what we are going through right now. Queen Melinda seems to be much displeased with them, especially with Finn, whom she is going to send here in a week's time if the rumours are to be believed. I do not hope for anything more than for that to be false."

"I feel that way too," Randall said before remembering something else. "Where did you learn to speak so formally?"

The woman stared at the floor before responding. "I thought you had recognised my face, yet I am not at all surprised, for although it has not been too long, the hardships I had experienced so far made some changes to my appearance. My name is Agatha Maxwell."

Randall raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here and not at Melinda's court?"

"There is evidence pointing towards me being a spy for Maria, which I am not, but I understand the presence of those wretched reports from her guards."

"I solemnly apologise," Randall mumbled.

Agatha let out a sweet laugh. "Your concern is flattering, sir, but I am not going to let myself be disturbed by merely stating the facts. There is way more to be disturbed about."

After a guard glared at them, they went to work with the rest of the captives, working until day turned to night without any sort of rest, doing their absolute best so that nothing would go wrong. He could not allow himself to think of anything outside of this situation, and everything he was informed of and the cruelties towards several workers he saw that day stirred ideas of revolution within him. When he looked at the man across from him, he knew that he was not alone when it came to that.