The Falling Kingdoms: The Hidden Coffins

Chapter Twenty Two: The Town Festival

The whole town was decorated with Chinese lanterns, paintings and beautiful people on the weekend. It was the King's birthday. The celebration was vast and wild. It was just like a festival in town. The King's sister, the Queen of the Angevine's Kingdom — Mercia Christopher Delsvine was also invited. I was subtly finding more and more about the kingdoms day by day. I already knew there were four kingdoms. Now, I knew their names as well — The Nadine's, The Angevine's, The Delsvine's and The Gemsline's. As I heard, the queen was eager to meet me. She was one of those archangels who protected my mother in times of her pregnancy. I was eager to meet her as well.
As Leonie and I walked towards the center of the town where the main festival was going on, we were delighted to see all the different kinds of dances and music playing everywhere. On my right, a girl wearing a long white dress sat on a chair gracefully playing her cello. A few yards away, small girls wearing red skirts danced in unison on the sound of tabla. Leonie giggled and sprinted towards those girls, copying their moves for a while as my mouth formed a grin. I moved forward, watching a huge painting of the King hung on the clock tower. The art was extraordinary.

"Leonie!" I called her out. "I'm going forward."

"Sure," she shouted back, still dancing with the little girls.

I shook my head at her and held my delicate peach gown with my fingers, strolling ahead.

There was silence for a while as now the painters and sketchers were in sight. Naked models posed on the left side as the painters painted them and the sketchers drew them on their sheets. I saw this one girl, her body pale and beautiful and her snow blonde, wavy hair reaching her knees. She looked extremely pretty with the confident in her eyes. Watching these artists live was a great experience. On the right side, the painters were painting with the imagination glistening in their minds. I went and stood near a middle aged man painting eyes of a woman.

"Who is she?" I questioned him, staring deep into the sea green eyes. The eyes were magnetic, sure but the way they were painted made me feel as if they were staring right back at me. The eyes had unconditional love buried in them and it seemed like she had it only for one.

"My wife, Fleur." He replied without even looking at me. I was impressed at how he said her name with so much adore.

"Where's she?"

"Up in the sky, below the oceans, maybe in that fire," he pointed his chin towards the bon fire some young guys were sitting around, saying this. My eyebrows furrowed at the sorrow I could see on his wrinkled face.

"Do the dead ever come back?" My voice was only a small whisper now.

"Not if they find peace living in the elements."

I nodded at his answer, moving ahead and still thinking about his answer. My journey towards the center now remained only little. I turned back and looked for Leonie but I had left her long behind. Pressing my lips together in the disappointment of being alone, I kept going.

Soon, I reached the center that was also decorated and lightened up. In the front, there was put a huge throne for the King to sit and beside that, a similar smaller throne set for the Angelive's Queen. Rest of the chairs were for the ministers, I supposed. But they were all empty right now. The Queen hasn't arrived yet.

Before the thrones, a few young girls wearing white feather dresses were doing ballet. Their body movements were ecstatic. I walked in the direction they were facing and stood, grinning ear to ear watching them dance. My eyes widened as I noticed the girl in the middle was Tiara. She looked stunning doing that dance. A moment later, her eyes met with me and she smiled back at me, continuing the motion.