Under the Roses

129 - True Love's Truest Offering

ROME

The throne room was a mess.

There really wasn't a better way to describe it. Prince Ivan was kneeling on the dais, frozen, while his groomsmen and guards tried to bring him to his feet. The rest of the monarchs were scattered except for Queen Snow, who stood in the middle of the aisle, looking on with the oddest expression on her face. The crowd was reacting slowly. Half of them were standing, and the other half were still getting to their feet. Almost everyone was either looking around in confusion or yelling random things, or both.

"This is a mess!" said Austin, who apparently could only speak the obvious in situations like this, where nuanced thinking would be much more useful.

Rome had crept down from his hiding place in the corner of the alcove and made his way to stand behind Austin. "Yes, it's a mess. Come on."

Austin practically jumped out of his skin as he whirled around. His bright eyes were wide. "'Come on?' What?"

"I said, come on. Let's get out of here before it becomes even more of a mess, and things start getting dangerous." Rome reached for him.

Austin just stared. "But—what about Alice?"

Rome blinked. "You think your sister is here?"

"I know she's here; I saw her in the crowd." Austin looked around, then climbed up onto his chair. He was tall enough as it was, but with the extra two feet, he stood high above the rest of the crowd. Rome waited impatiently as Austin looked around, every single muscle in his body screaming at him to just grab Austin and go.

"There!" Austin said, hopping off the chair. "She's running off into the palace, I have to get her—"

Rome grabbed Austin's hand, pulling him back. "Stop it. I can feel...something here. It's bad." That was the best he could explain. There was something rolling in the pit of his stomach. It might have been just dread, but this was...different. It was a bad feeling, as if there was something there that he couldn't quite explain.

Austin's eyes had darkened. "That's why I need to get my sister." He started to pull away, and Rome tightened his grip on Austin's fingers.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

The voice was loud and booming, as commanding as Amabel's voice. They both stiffened and turned to look up at the dais, where a woman now stood. She'd probably come out of the crowd, though Rome hadn't noticed.

He knew her face. He knew her voice. He knew her.

Everyone knew her.

The Crimson Queen smiled. A shocked silence fell over the room. "Ten years ago, a most unfortunate event befell the kingdom of Ailthe. In one night, all of its citizens died. And now, ten years later, on this one night, its citizens will live again." She smiled again. "Enjoy your night, ladies and gentlemen." She spread her arms, and in the quiet stillness, Rome heard it.

Music.

It was soft, drifting out from somewhere deep in the palace. Then the sound of...feet. People moving, rushing around.

Dancing.

Rome stared at the spirits that appeared in front of him. They weren't like the spirits in the Otherworld, which had no body, no form. Here, in the Midworld, he could see them as they'd lived. The Ailthean royals spun around and around on the floor, ghostly skirts billowing around them as they moved. This was how they'd died. Dancing.

Rome glanced at Austin, who was still frozen like everyone else in the room. He was staring straight at the spirits, eyes wide. So was everyone else. So even they could see the spirits.