Soul Savior

Chapter IV. Aburricioso

After a few months, Cruz was still staying with us, and we were still mostly mopey. Political leaders of other nations were constantly visiting, most of them older people who chatted a little with my mom and who would look at me sadly and say "I am so sorry for your loss", then try to strike up deals with Mom. Oftentimes I heard things like "your country is weak, now that you've lost your king", to which my mom would often reply "even without my country, I can rule without my husband".

There were a few times where one of these leaders, usually royals, would bring their kid who was around my age. They'd smile and tell us to "get along' while "the adults talked serious". I thought it was ridiculous. Firstly, I knew what they were trying to do, and secondly, the way they talked to us was like we were three years old, quite the insult. Usually the other teen and I would mutually fume about how ridiculous the entire situation was, and then sit and do things on our phones, rarely talking to each other. Sometimes we'd have small conversations, and rarer still were the conversations worth having. None of which led to any dreaming for the kind of relationship their parents expected. A couple of times they would admit that their romantic orientation was something that meant they wouldn't be attracted to me, and apologize claiming that I was still "very pretty".

Really, I just hoped that they'd all go away. I was tired of talking to people I had no interest in, and I was tired of stiff adults who made my family's tragedy seem like a business opportunity.

"When are they going to stop coming, Mom?" I asked one day while we were in the library.

"Soon, I hope." She sighed. "Still, we have more guests today, so be polite, both of you. Stay strong."

"Same for you, since you're the one who has to talk to the adults." Cruz gave my mom a pitying look. It was hard for all three of us, but Cruz thought that they suffered the least.

"Don't pity me too much, they have their own princess."

"She's going to turn out straight, just watch." I muttered to Cruz, who nodded.

"Actually, her parents don't want her to court you. Their country is a lot less tolerating than ours, and frankly, they're a bit frustrated with our leniency. They're hoping to 'convert' us, I think, now that I'm the only monarch." My mother groaned, getting up to leave the library.

"Good luck." I grumbled, now more frustrated with the predicament.

"Do they know your mom is genderfluid?" Cruz whispered.

"Probably, they probably want to try to 'fix' her too." I rolled my eyes. Why were some foreigners so ridiculous?

We sulked in the library for a bit later, before we heard a knock at the library door.

"The royal family of Aburricioso* has arrived, and would like to meet with Princess Calixta." A servant called.

"May Duchex Cruz come along?" I asked, not wanting to leave Cruz.

We heard mumbles and static from a radio, before they responded. "The Duchex may come."

So, we headed out, lead by the servant to the other royal family.

"I present to you, the Princess and a Duchex of Orozon**, Calixta and Cruz." They announced as we entered the room.

"Very nice to meet you, Princess, Duchess." The king of Aburricioso greeted, looking at us, seeming to observe us. The queen nodded, looking judgemental and bored. Their daughter, however, looked very uncomfortable, and offered us a weak smile.

Noticing at the way that the king and queen looked at Cruz and I, I began to get very uncomfortable, especially considering the blatant ignorance of Cruz's title.

"Actually, sir, Cruz is a Duchex, not a Duchess." I corrected, gently, trying to remain respectful. My mother cast me a proud smile.

He stared at me in confusion, before brushing me off.

"You're just a child, Prince Anecleto. Why don't you take our daughter, Princess Silvia", the princess seemed to squirm once her name was said, "off somewhere, while we adults talk business, okay?" The queen said, seeming annoyed by my very presence.

I felt a cold anger in my stomach upon hearing the dead name. "I am not a prince, Your Majesty. I am Princess Calixta." I corrected, trying to sound calm.

"Mija***, go ahead and take their child with you and the Duchex. Have fun while we talk business." My mother interjected, and I knew that she just wanted to avoid a major dispute.

"Yes, Mother." I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. I turned to leave, gesturing for Silvia to follow, and so she and Cruz did. When I opened the door, I jumped, as I had nearly bumped into the sorcerer, Trinidad.

"Oh, hello Trinidad. I apologize, I didn't know you were there."

They eyed the three of us, then looked above us to look at my mother and the other king and queen. "The apologies are mine, Princess." They said somewhat quietly, in their low, rumbling voice. Their voice was a lot deeper than usual, when they talked quietly. "Your Majesty, you wanted me to be here?" Their voice was a regular volume again, and much less threatening. My mother nodded, only looking at Trinidad for a few seconds. Trinidad glanced at us, gave a small curtsy, and walked past us to my mother.

Once we were a fair distance away, Silvia began to speak.

"That's your sorcerer? They're a bit frightening." She was being quiet, and her voice was small and fluttery.

"Yeah, that's Trinidad, magic and a little scary. By the way, they're-" I was about to correct her usage of pronouns before I realized she had used the correct ones. I turned to look at her, and noticed Cruz's face was as shocked as mine.

"I'm sorry, did you say 'they' when referring to Trinidad?" Cruz asked in surprise, the slightest of admiration in their voice.

Silvia nodded awkwardly, casting her glance away from us.

"I thought you didn't believe in 'they' in your country?" I asked, then immediately regretted it. Was I being culturally insensitive?

Silvia nodded sadly. "Well, my parents don't, but... I do."

"That's odd, isn't everyone in Aburricioso expected to be a boy or a girl?" Cruz asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, well...  I suppose you could say I'm a bit of a rebel, as I'm not."

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*Aburricioso is a combination of "aburrido" (Spanish for boring) and "gracioso" (Spanish for ridiculous in a funny way)

**Orozon is a combination of "oro" (Spanish for gold) and "corazon" (Spanish for heart)

*** "Mija" is "my daughter" in Spanish