Justice for the Forest-Beasts

Chapter Fifteen - In which the Twins Give a Speech

Food and drinks lined the table on the farthest wall of the dining hall, filling the whole room with an enticing aroma that made Estelle's mouth water. Candied apples during festivals were great, but nothing would ever compare to the food the chefs cooked for formal events.

As the group hurried over towards the food tables, someone called out to them, "Yo! Estelle and Lucian!" Only one person in Branalum would be daring enough to call out to the twins in such an informal way. Estelle turned around and, sure enough, it had been Aravis, dressed head-to-toe in fancy clothes and grinning ear-to-ear.

"Oh, hello!" Estelle said.

"Hello!" Lucian signed.

Aravis didn't hesitate to become a member of the group, eating and dancing with Rain, Petra, and the twins. He even drank champagne alongside the others, which could be overlooked since it was such a formal event.

Sooner than they would have liked, it was time for the twins to give their speeches and play their instruments in the Grand Hall. The group weaved through people to make their way to the Grand Hall, and the twins had to separate from their friends. The musicians that had been on stage before had all left, and a servant was gesturing for the twins to take the stage.

"As soon as we're done, meet us in the entranceway," Estelle quickly told Rain, Petra, and Aravis before she and Lucian hurried onstage.

"Ok, we will!" Petra called out to them.

The twins held hands as they walked up the stairs on the right side of the stage, then stood in front of the two microphones at the very front of the stage. It almost felt like a mockery, placing a microphone in front of Lucian even though the whole kingdom was well aware he would not be speaking. Adrenaline got Estelle's heart pounding and her palms sweating, as she looked out at her audience. She always felt a bit jittery onstage, especially in front of such large crowds. Estelle was brought back from her thoughts as Lucian let go of her hand. He took a hesitant step back from his microphone, realizing that it was picking up his anxious noises.

"Hello everyone, thank you so much for gathering here today," Estelle greeted the crowd happily, reaching into her pocket to find her notes for her speech. She hardly ever needed her notes, but she made them just in case.

The Grand Hall quickly became quiet, as faces turned towards the stage. Estelle could see Lucian tense up beside her, but there was nothing she could do. "Like every year, we've each prepared a small speech. Normally, I'd thank you all and wish you all a great year, but I think I've finally begun to truly look at our kingdom, beyond all of its beauty and riches. I've realized that Branalum is ugly. So, so, very ugly. The things I've witnessed in this kingdom are atrocious, and I will not just stand by idly while people in our country are being subjected to all of this prejudice and disparity."

Estelle scanned the crowd, trying to find her parents. She couldn't find them, but she found it amusing to imagine that Samara was enraged and glaring. Estelle continued, "Growing up, the only non-humans I ever saw were our servants and Royal Guards. I learned eventually that this is because all of the other non-humans are living in poverty far from the castle, and it is not because there are simply a lot of humans around here. Lucian and I have seen how things are in the north, and it is nothing like it is here. There's diversity, and everyone is happy with that diversity. It is common for non-humans to know how to sign, and they know how to accommodate each other. But here, we are not nearly as inclusive or empathetic. Lucian, Branalum's prince, cannot communicate with the majority of you people. Truly, how many people here know how to speak sign language? Go ahead, raise your hands." Estelle paused, and a few people hesitantly raised their hands. Estelle almost smiled, seeing Rain, Aravis, and Petra with their hands held high. "Look around at how frighteningly few of you have your hands raised. Even more humiliating still, our own mother does not know how to sign. Our beloved Queen can barely communicate with her own son. No wonder he and I were put in the care of a warlock servant. A complete stranger was more willing to learn how to communicate with Lucian than our own mother, the lady who rules this country.

"Now, I do apologize that this speech is going on so long, folks. Truly, I am stalling because I'm a bit nervous that the Queen is going to beat me half to death once we step offstage. But, alas, I will end my speech here, and pass on the microphone to my dearest brother." Estelle gave a small curtsy, then returned her paper to her pocket. She looked over at Lucian, who was staring at her with wide eyes, as if she'd committed murder rather than given a speech.

Regardless, Lucian turned to the crowd again. He always found it humiliating to give speeches, but Samara made him do them anyway. He'd have to sign to the audience, while Estelle translated aloud. It truly always felt like a nuisance to Estelle, having to give two speeches. When she was younger, she'd complained to Harriet about it. But Harriet gave Estelle a short lesson—one that she remembered long after. She'd told her that Estelle had a point, seeing the situation as unfair. But she also needed to look at it from Lucian's point of view. He struggled to give speeches, and there was nothing he could do about not being able to speak aloud to his audience. It might've been extra work for Estelle, but her help allowed Lucian to communicate to the people.

Lucian began to sign to the audience, his movements nervous and shaky, "My speech is not as fancy or empowering as my sister's. I'm very sorry." He quickly noticed that Estelle was not translating Lucian's speech, and his body language only turned more nervous. The anxious noises he made were rather loud, tears began welling up in his eyes, and he struggled to sign to the audience at all. Regardless, Estelle stood almost completely still, looking out at the audience with a blank expression. The people seemed confused, waiting expectantly for Estelle to begin interpreting. Hesitantly, Lucian continued, "I wanted to thank everyone for coming today. Thank you for the food, the drinks, the music, and the fun. I hope that this year brings great fortune, and that the gods bring joy and amazing luck. I suppose I'll end my speech here, because I don't expect people to pay attention to a speech they don't understand for very long." He glanced over at Estelle once more, then bowed awkwardly.

"I hope you all enjoyed Lucian's awfully scandalous speech," Estelle told the audience when he'd stopped signing, "Now, before we go, we've prepared a few songs to perform for you all. We do hope you enjoy them, just as much as you enjoyed our speeches."

The twins didn't need to go far at all to reach their instruments, as they'd already been placed onstage for them both. Estelle sat down at her piano, watching as Lucian gingerly picked up his violin and rested it on his shoulder, holding the bow with his other hand. Lucian made eye contact with Estelle and gave her a quick nod, silently telling her that he was ready.

Estelle took a deep breath as she lightly tapped her foot three times to warn Lucian that she was about to start. With the warning's help, Lucian quickly and seamlessly joined in.

To Estelle, the sound of a piano was almost as beautiful as the sound of Marius's ocarina. Even prettier than the piano, though, was Lucian playing the violin. When the twins were just children, he'd complained that playing the violin was harder than playing the piano, but he'd grown to be far better than Estelle at both the violin and the piano.

Together, the twins played three rather quick songs. At least, they felt short to Estelle. Time always seemed to move faster when she was onstage. When the last song came to an end, Lucian set down his violin. He and Estelle met in the center of the stage, where they held hands and bowed. Estelle loved looking out at a room full of people, all clapping for her and Lucian.