BEROYALED

THE PREMONITION

I was sitting at my father's bedside as I watched the machines connected to him through tubes pump life into him. The bullet dug into one of his lungs. But it wasn't just his lungs. The car crashed when the culprit who was also the driver was shot in the head right away. Pa obtained an injury on his head.

I remember the last time I was in a hospital. That was after I passed out in the middle of the street when I bumped into Simon who I thought was already at the farthest island of this country. The doctor said I was over fatigued that I passed out. To hell with that. I was just damn straight frightened to the things I was imagining that moment.

I remember when Jeremy visited me while I was in the hospital for three days. He brought me fresh flowers and fed me tangerines. Sometimes he'd tell me stories about the old Federal Isles. It's kind of strange and offending to have a foreigner tell you stories of your origins. But I couldn't complain. I loved hearing his stories and aside from that, there's not really many traces left of the old nation that stood here before us. I had knowledge little to none about the Federal Isles of the Philippines.

He told me about festivals. He said every household's table anywhere you go had a whole roasted pig and many other food specialties the Filipinos were known of. And all their doors would be open to anyone who wants to taste their spaghetti or just anyone who was hungry. Even beggars were served on porcelain plates and treated as guest. Every kitchen would be busy chopping spices and hot with the stove burning the whole day. Then when the night came, the festive noise of every household wouldn't fade just yet. Filipinos would take turns singing their favorite songs from a karaoke machine while some forms their own circles, a shot glass, ice and a bottle of rum in the middle, and share good company and conversation. If there wasn't a karaoke machine they'd strum their guitars and play their own songs by themselves.

"Festive." I muttered after hearing it.

"It's called a festival for a reason." Jeremy finishes peeling my orange and puts it in my mouth trying to feed me. But I could eat by myself so I took it away from him and fed myself. "Your highness should bring back these festivals, you know." I stuffed my mouth with three more wedges of orange. The juice flooded inside my mouth and burned sweet in my throat I coughed. Jeremy opened me a bottle of water and handed it to me. "Slowly now." He said as I washed down the burn in my throat.

"I hold no power to legislate." I coughed. "Besides, you said those festivals were celebrated in honor of their town's patron saint. We don't have religions here in Nerio."

He looked at me for a while, confused before sitting down at the edge of my bed. "But... you're the princess, Highness."

"Just the princess." I stressed. "My mother teaches me eloquence, elegance, etiquettes of entertaining our royal guests. I have to know the names of each and every big personality from all over the world. I have a separate lesson just to learn how to be a proper princess. But really I'm just an asset they could give away for marriage to gain allegiance or—"

"To avoid a war... Highness." He trailed off. "Sometimes."

I threw dagger eyes at him with my foul mood. "What do you know foreigner?"

"Nothing, Highness—nothing at all." He said fiddling his fingers with the peelings of orange. He had his eyes on it and his confidence significantly dropped. He seemed pretty upset himself. And sorry.

"I'm tired. Leave me." I ordered and pulled my blankets that he was sitting on. He moved aside and apologized as I posture myself to my comfortable sleeping position and turned my back on him.