Kingdom of Shadows and Lies

Chapter Three

Colette

Standing on the outskirts of the village, the jovial sounds of laughter float to my ears. An upbeat song is being played on a guitar, with the faint sound of a flute in the background, people are giddily singing along as they celebrate the first day of summer. The smell of honeyed meats and citrus crepes infiltrates my nostrils. I breathe in deeply, taking in the fresh air with a slight undertone of sweat. I can feel the faint rumble under the soles of my sandals as people dance. My senses are completely overwhelmed.

I take a hold of Xavier's arm and pull. "Come on, Emile." I smirk as we stumble past a rickety little cottage and begin to get lost amongst the throng of revellers.

I look back and grin when I see Sebastien standing awkwardly by the side of the house. I roll my eyes and reach back to grab a hold of his hand, pulling him along with us. "You too, Sebastien. Can't have you missing out on all the fun!" I laugh, throwing my head back as we get swept up in the festivities.

I pull Xavier and Sebastien towards music, pushing past villagers to get to a small band that has been set up in the middle of the plaza. Nobody gives us a second glance, not recognising their Prince and Princess in civilian clothing. No one even pays attention to Sebastien–who is unable or unwilling to shake his stiff stature–the possibility of a royal guard amongst their midst the last thought on their mind.

Letting go of them, I start dancing, swaying my hips to the rhythm. I nod as Xavier leans down and shouts to be heard over the revellers that he's going to get us some refreshments.

Turning back to Sebastien, I laugh when I notice his expression, torn up about whether he should go with Xavier or stay with me. "Oh calm down, Sebastien, he can look after himself. Besides, the stalls are just over there." I point to where Xavier is walking to, pulling out his coin purse–still very much within our line of sight.

Sebastien looks back down at me. "Yes, Prin- Marie."

I groan, shaking my head at his formalities. Looking up at him through my lashes, I notice the way the firelight catches his fair skin–such a contrast to my own–lighting up the faint smatter of freckles across his thin nose. The flickering shadows make his deep brown eyes appear almost black.

Xavier reappears with our drinks just as I am reaching out my hand.

A ceramic cup is thrust into my hand, and a second later one appears in Sebastien's as well.

"All they had was cider," Xavier says, standing between Sebastien and I. He takes a sip of his own drink and grimaces. "Not the nicest of stuff, but it will do the trick."

I take a small sniff of the concoction, scrunching my nose at the smell of sour apples.

As I take a sip, trying my best to keep my expression neutral, I take a look around the plaza. Most of the people here are lower class, with a few middle class citizens sprinkled here and there. It is very unlikely that there would be any upper class individuals at this festival, and there certainly wouldn't be anyone else from the Court.

I can understand; whilst I enjoy dressing up as a villager from time to time, and going out and mingling with the rest of society, I wouldn't want anyone knowing about it. It's a fun way to escape the pressures of Court life for a few hours, but keeping up appearances is important.

Sebastien is swirling around his cider, quite obviously not wanting to drink it.

"You are allowed to drink it." I say, nodding to his cup.

"Oh...of course." He makes no movement to take a sip.

I wonder what it must be like for him. Being a guard, he most likely comes from a lower class family, and yet he spends his days amongst royalty. It is an interesting position, being a part of the royal guard; a very honourable occupation, with a salary handsome enough to provide all the necessary comforts for their family. However, the royal guard is considered to be in a class of their own, a class lower than lower class, as they are in service to the crown, and are almost not considered people, but objects at our disposal.