Destined

Chapter 16-Mischief

October 23rd, year 964 A.R.E

"Alydia!" Cecelia peeped inside the ballroom, beckoning for our sister to look in her direction. "Come!"

Alydia's ears perked up, and I caught the mischievous exchange that flicked between their eyes.

"Alydia, it's your line," Dame Lila prodded. "From the beginning of 'Where does your journey take you', if you please!"

Right on cue, Cecelia protested before Alydia could even open her mouth to do so for herself. "Begging your pardon Ma'am, but it's quite urgent. Edith is quite ill you know, and she's been calling for Alydia since the morning. But all of the other teachers have been heartless, and haven't allowed her to visit. And what if Edith took a turn for the worse, and she never saw Alydia at all? Dame Lila, you're one of most compassionate people I know. You would never allow a poor kitchen girl's dying wish to go unfulfilled, would you?" Cecelia spoke so convincingly, that it made up for the fact that there hadn't been a single report of Edith even coughing that morning. Of course, Cecelia was clearly manipulating our teacher, knowing full well that any mention of illness was Dame Lila's weakness.

"Why, of course not! That would have been as cruel as keeping me and my poor Arnold apart in his final hours," Dame Lila cried, whipping out a handkerchief, and dabbing at eyes she only imagined as teary. "Of course she may go. And Alydia dear, send my dearest wishes for your friend's speedy recovery."

"Thank you, Dame Lila," Alydia said, not taking nearly enough care to appear anxious.

Fortunately for her, however, Cecelia covered for her quite nicely. "Yes, thank you. And Fairies bless you! Poor Ginger—her younger sister—has been at her wit's end all day." Cecelia swallowed hard, working the veins in her neck to a fault. Then she grabbed Alydia's hand and they rushed from the room, while my irises spiraled towards not ceiling, not once, but three times. These were the times when Cecelia was a better actress than she had any right to be. Why couldn't she be this skilled during a proper performance?

It was an easy answer—she insisted on being a pain in the rear.

"So tragic, isn't it," Dame Lila wisped, mopping her pink handkerchief at her eyes again, "how the young become ill so easily? Just look at what happened to poor Lady Vorantan. She suffered from the Wills, no less—and just at the age of fifteen!"

"Tragic," I agreed drily, wanting to grasp the frilly pink puffs of her sleeves, and shake her into realizing that she had been duped. The irony that she, one of the most skilled performers of her generation, couldn't recognize a juvenile skit when she saw one, could not be overstated. It was more than just a disgrace on her part, since she was such a great actress and teacher herself.

The moment the lesson was over, I exited the room quickly, knowing that Cecelia and Alydia were undoubtedly up to mischief at this point. I was determined to put an end to it, and hopefully knock some sense into Alydia, and prevent her from the next prank Cecelia was scheming for the both of them.

Goodness, when would they learn? It seemed Cecelia never would, but redeeming Alydia was still a possibility. Even though she, Cecelia, and their corresponding cousins had an impossibly high prank count, it was still possible that one of the "Royal Terrors"—as they had been dubbed by the aggravated castle staff, could mature and see the error of her ways.

I headed straight for the kitchens, which was a favorite among the Terrors' areas to plague with trouble. It was the right hunch, too, because I heard the sounds of a commotion from the moment I reached the corridor.

"Your Highness, one more time and we'll report to the king!"

"What have you done?"

"Please, don't! We didn't mean to take it that far. It was an accident! Please forgive me!"