Mixed Blood

Chapter 9- The Kingdom is Always Right

Bella awoke the next morning with remnants of her makeup from the last night. She remembered all the fantastical events that she couldn't even have dreamed of. She remembered Hal holding her close, El twirling her dramatically, and Pierce being rejected by El.

Consuella came into Bella's room a few minutes after she had awoken. She sat down on Bella's bed, and as all mothers do, she asked questions.

"Who were your friends last night?" She asked.

"I don't know, I'd never met them before." Bella answered trying not to be suspicious.

"Really? You talked all night with strangers?" Consuella asked sheepishly.

"Yes." Bella answered simply.

"Well that's not true." Consuella said.

These four words hit Bella hard. If her mother knew it could mean awful things for her, El, Hal, Pierce, and Kirra. She was filled with fear but trying her best not to show it.

"But I'll let your secrets be yours." Consuella said with a smile.

Bella just smiled, unsure how to respond. Soon after her mother left her room to attend to other affairs.

Bella grabbed one of her everyday gown from her wardrobe and put it on, getting ready for another monotonous day of school. She used to love school but now it just didn't seem real in compare to what the peasants were suffering through.

Bella had been very tired from all the festivities the night before, so she woke up late. Since she was running late she didn't have time for a proper breakfast and just grabbed a biscuit on her way out the door.

She said a quick good bye to her parents before heading out.

She made her way towards school, thinking about how her life had been flipped upside down in a matter of days.

She arrived at the school to see El writing in her journal as usual. Though instead of seeing the usual determined look on Elysia's face she saw a tear fall and be wiped away just as quick as it had fallen. Bella didn't want to embarrass El so she ignored it and pretended like she hadn't seen it.

"Hi El, after school are we going to Hal's?" Bella asked.

"You go ahead, I don't feel like it today. I can't handle to see Pierce." El told her sadly.

"El he likes you, I thought this was what you wanted." Bella said, confused.

"Wanted. Past tense. That was a brief infatuation, it meant nothing. That's not what love is. Love is selfless." El said confidently.

Bella left the conversation at that, not wanting to upset Elysia. Bella didn't want to go to Hal's alone, so she decided she wouldn't go either. She would return to her home after school, the home where only her mother truly cared for her.

Their day at school was long and boring. In future class they learned about the great generation which would bring incredible peace to the kingdom. Bella realized it was all just a ploy. A ploy to get them to think that they could create peace. There was no way they could create peace in a messed up society like this one. Bella finally realized that they weren't even real prophecies. She had always wondered why they were so vague, and this was why.

She wanted to do something about it. She wanted to tell the others. She realized that El had known this all along and tried convincing others but it hadn't worked, so why would it be any different with Bella.

They could only realize the flaw in their society if they saw the peasants first hand. That was something she knew would never happen.

But Arabella couldn't deal with the judgement. They judged the peasants simply for how they were born. The royals had done nothing to get were they are, but the peasants had to do everything just to stay alive,
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"Where's your boyfriend?" One of the gangly, royal boys asked Bella.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bella answered honestly.

"The boy you danced with at the Ball." He said, as if it were obvious.

"I danced with dozens of boys." Bella said, trying to avoid the question now that she knew who he was referring to.

"You know which one." He said, getting annoyed by her evasion of the question.

"I don't know. I don't know who he is, he wore a mask you know." Bella said before walking away, she didn't want to talk to this boy who was obviously jealous.

'Is he my boyfriend?' Bella thought. She knew what she wanted him to be, but she didn't know what he wanted.
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El and Bella talked through out the day and on the way home about the previous night. They discussed the beautiful dresses, the sweet moments, the sad moments, and the dirty looks they had gotten.

While they were walking home they saw a girl crying in the street. She was a peasant, yet somehow she had made it onto royal streets, the security was much tighter around the royal streets because while peasants may want to get into the kingdom, royals don't want anything to do with the peasants. Or so they thought.

The girl only had one hand. But other than her one deformity she was perfectly healthy and beautiful. She had dull red hair and sharp blue eyes that were red from tears. She had pale skin with freckles all over her face.

She was sobbing, begging someone. She was on her knees in front of a royal officer. The two girls heard her say something about the sacrifice and something about her mother needing her.

"She was drafted." El said, inferring from what the girl had said.

"It's so awful." Bella said, the tears almost spilling over.

The officer began to drag the girl away towards the village. She sobbed, she stiffened in the grasp of the officer, trying not to give up. But she had to accept her fate.

The kingdom is always right.