Justice for the Forest-Beasts

Chapter Nineteen - In Which the Twins Take the Stage

Before Estelle knew it, the fifth performer entered the stage and began his solo music act. "Come on," Estelle whispered, taking Lucian's hand and standing up. They had to go backstage to prepare and make sure the announcer knew that they were both present.

The twins quietly snuck out of the audience and through the open door on the right side of the stage, which led backstage. It was extremely dark there, and filled with members of the stage crew, who the twins waited with. Some members were rushing about, while others were completely still. The backstage area was filled with instruments, props, costumes, lights, and microphones. Some of the mechanisms weren't anything that the twins could even recognize. The whole room was so dusty that it made Estelle want to sneeze, and the wooden floorboards creaked obnoxiously whenever anyone would walk.

"Ready?" Lucian signed to Estelle. It had taken a moment for Estelle's eyes to adjust to the darkness, but there was enough light to allow Estelle to see Lucian's hands and read what he was signing.

Estelle was nervous, but she gave Lucian a firm nod. It felt as if there was a bowling ball in her stomach, weighing down all of her organs and making them flip and churn whenever she moved. Estelle's hands were shaky, and she could feel the sweat on her face, the back of her neck, and her armpits. Despite her nervousness, Estelle did feel excited to be on stage again.

The twins could hear the act onstage come to an end. They listened to the audience's applause, while the performer gave his bows and left the stage with a prideful stride. The announcer quickly entered the stage, and Estelle and Lucian got ready for their own entrance, listening to the announcer's voice boom throughout the amphitheater, "We're changing paces now, ladies and gentlemen! Please, welcome to the stage, Princess Estelle and Prince Lucian of Branalum!"

The announcer hurried offstage and gestured for the twins to go ahead. The audience erupted into cheers, after only seeing the twins step onstage. They walked out into the center of the stage, marked with a white cross made out of what seemed to be duct tape.

"Hello, everybody," Estelle greeted the audience. As she spoke, Lucian translated her words into sign language. It wasn't a necessary job, but it gave Lucian something to do. "We're so sorry to interrupt all of these beautiful performances, but we have a short message for you all. As some of you know, I gave a speech at our birthday party last night, and I explained my realization that Branalum is a truly uncivilized country. I don't wish to go further into detail about that now. Instead of expressing that I am aware of these issues, I would like to help rid this country of them. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, I will be leading a protest inside the castle's northern bailey. Please, spread the message. If you know anyone who would like to help take part in our movement, let them know. It will be important for people who are considered minorities to take part in this movement, as those are the people we're fighting for."

Estelle bowed, and Lucian quickly followed along.

"That's all I wanted to say," Estelle said, almost coming across as sheepish, "We will take our leave now, so that the performances may continue. Thank you for listening, everyone."

The twins hurried offstage, receiving mixed reactions from the audience. Some people clapped and cheered, while others booed loudly. But they all came to a gradual silence when the announcer reappeared.

"That's a good start," Lucian signed to Estelle, once the two of them were backstage again.

Estelle smiled softly as she signed back, "I plan to start small."

The two joined the audience again, quickly and quietly returning to their seats beside Rain, Petra, and Aravis. Estelle felt as though there was still a quiet murmur throughout the audience, with everyone whispering about her and Lucian.

"What was all that?" Aravis signed to the twins, with an impressed expression that was so exaggerated that it came off as sarcastic.

"Was it that bad?" Estelle signed.

Aravis hesitated, then signed, "No, it was fine."

"Do you think anyone will come?" Rain signed.

Lucian shook his head, while Estelle shrugged.

Petra gestured for everyone to stop signing to each other, as the next performance was starting. The group watched the next few performances, before Aravis quietly excused himself, explaining that he needed to meet his friends at the tavern. He hurried his way out of the amphitheater. The twins, Rain, and Petra didn't stay long after Aravis left, and they planned to return to the castle. As they approached the castle's main entrance, they found a crowd that completely blocked the entrance. The people were accompanied by two emergency carriages, each drawn by a large horse wearing reflective armor.

"Come on," Estelle said to the others, quickening her pace so she could try to figure out what was happening.

The entrance to the castle was open, and everyone was crowding around to see what was happening inside. There were police, doctors, and Royal Guards, all trying to make their way in and out of the castle. The Royal Guards were doing all they could to push people away from the entrance.

The twins, Rain, and Petra became one with the crowd as they approached the castle.

"Hey, what's going on?" Petra asked one of the nearby people.

"It's the Queen," the person answered, "I don't know what's going on, but I think she's hurt."

Petra turned to the twins, as if to see their reactions to the news. Estelle looked scared, but Lucian's fear only appeared in his furrowed brows and his eyes that surveyed the area urgently.

Estelle took Lucian's hand, getting his attention. Without warning, she began pushing through the crowd with him right behind her. Rain tried to follow the twins, but Petra grabbed xyr wrist and told xem not to go. The twins barely managed to maneuver their way through the crowd, before they hurried into the castle, passing right by the Royal Guards who didn't do anything to stop them. There were doctors at the top of the grand staircase, and they were slowly beginning their descent down the marble steps. They were carefully carrying Samara between them on a stretcher. She seemed to be completely passed out, with closed eyes and a limp head. Two doctors stood at the bottom of the staircase, monitoring the doctors with the stretcher. They'd both clearly seen the twins, but did not say anything to them. Estelle figured that, if the doctors didn't know who she and Lucian were, the Royal Guards would have escorted them immediately.

"What happened?" Estelle asked one of the doctors at the bottom of the staircase, her tone confident and demanding.

"A maid came to us, asking for help because the Queen collapsed, Your Royal Highness," the doctor quickly explained.

The other doctor gestured for the twins to come over, and they hardly hesitated to obey.

"Your Royal Highnesses, do you have a moment?" the doctor asked in a hushed voice, "I'd like to explain to you what happened to the Queen in private. I think you have a right to know," he said.

"Yes, of course," Estelle said, "I'll take us to the tea room."

"Great, thank you," the doctor said. He made a quick gesture to the other doctor, as Estelle led him and Lucian out of the entrance and into the tea room.