CHAPTER: 12
1012 Words
"Well, what is this ceremony all about? Alex does not want to tell me a thing!" Vienna said.
Mistress Deborah cleared her throat noisily again, took the kettle down, and poured the water into a big white bowl. "That is because he is a boy and he would rather eat and fight than explain such ordinary things as details. He does not want to be responsible."
Alex responded to that by shoving another cookie into his mouth.
Mistress Deborah motioned for Vienna. "Come and sit. I will tell you what I can. First of all, this ceremony is held every spring. It is sponsored by the royal family."
Vienna winced as Deborah picked her way through a tangle in her hair. It smelled from the pond, a damp odor as if there were moldy leaves hidden in it.
"Every ceremony is the same," Deborah continued. "Young women who are of age are brought in from all the villages. They are all volunteers, proud to represent their families. Dressed in their gowns, they are assembled in the town square to be honored. The villagers gather to celebrate the occasion. Then the royals come out and give a speech and make offerings. The girls are then inspected, and the royals could ask them a question or two. Then the royals have to decide. This used to be the king's job, but now that he is of age, Prince Damien Jackson will choose one of the maidens to take as a gift ."
Vienna turned to gape at Mistress Deborah as she combed her hair.
"In exchange," Deborah continued, "the citizens are given livestock and enough grain and seed for crops to last until the next ceremony."
Vienna kept gawking at her open-mouthed.
Mistress Deborah looked a bit worried as she eyed Vienna. "Yes, darling? Do you have any questions?"
"I am sorry." Vienna swallowed hard. "But a better word would be... Sacrifice, and not a gift, wouldn't it?"
Mistress Deborah sighed. "Yes, it could be called that."
Alex chuckled, and Vienna glared at him. Deborah finished combing and had her lean back in the chair. She poured warm water over Vienna's hair, which would have been pure heaven if Vienna was not too busy pondering over Deborah's words. She was too terrified.
"We have come to value the tradition over the years," Deborah said. "No one suffers. The girl's come willingly. It is considered a great honor to be the chosen one."
Vienna blinked up at her as she applied shampoo through her hair. "An honor to die?"
"The chosen one does not die, not in the literal sense." Mistress Deborah pursed her lips. "She goes to live with the royals inside the castle walls. The girl will never return to her family, and they are forbidden from seeing her again. The girl sacrifices her old life. The villagers celebrate it as a gift, a new birth."
Vienna frowned, remembering the prince's words. 'Remember to say yes.' "But what happens to her after the ceremony? And inside the castle?" she asked Mistress Deborah.
"Well..." Deborah combed some thick, creamy solution through Vienna's hair. "We don't really know."
Alex watched them carefully while Deborah rinsed Vienna's hair.
"How can you not know?" The question came out sounding a bit hysterical.
Deborah quickly wrapped a towel around Vienna's hair and helped her up. "We never see the girl again. So we cannot ask them, can we?"
"And what do the royals say about it?" Vienna asked.
Alex and Deborah shot each other a look. "You will hear it for yourself at the ceremony," Deborah answered.
"Is he going to ask me to be the sacrifice?" Vienna turned toward Alex. "The prince? Because he told me to say yes."
Alex nodded. "He needs to get you inside the castle."
"But, why?"
"I cannot tell you that. But I can assure you as much that when he asks you, you have the right to say no. All the young women do. You have a choice." Alex raised his eyes to meet Vienna's. "Just like you had a choice about whether to come to the kingdom at all."
"And what do you know about it, huh? You have not told me a thing!" Alex's refusal to elaborate on anything, coupled with how evasive they all were being about the ceremony, had Vienna on more than on edge.
Alex shrugged. It was maddening, for her.
"I am done with games," Vienna said as she started towel drying her hair in earnest. "I am ready to make good an escape, straight back to the lake."
"It is not my prerogative to answer your questions," Alex objected. "You can come to the sacred ceremony and see for yourself. It is why you are here. If you do not accept the prince, some other poor girl is going to have to go in your place."
"You said that before. But you also said being chosen as a gift for the prince was an honor. Which is it?" Vienna asked.
"It is an honor." Alex's brow furrowed. "But you have a distinct advantage over the others."
Vienna gaped at him. "What does that mean?"
"You have got a better chance at... adjusting to life inside the castle," Alex said.
Vienna stood up. "Tell me why right now, or I am going to leave."
Alex sighed. "Because the royals will not touch you. They cannot."
"What does that mean?" Vienna asked.
Mistress Deborah patted her hand. "You are special, dear. Don't you remember?"
Vienna tugged her hand away from Deborah. "No, I do not remember. I have no idea what you are talking about."
Vienna then moved quickly toward the door, to hell with wet hair and bathrobe, she thought.
Alex beat her to it, blocking her exit with his large frame. "Not so fast. You will want to see this through."
"You people are crazy," Vienna said. It was as if the spell the handsome boy, or the supposed prince, and that crazy letter had cast on Vienna were broken.
A/N: To be continued...
- Writer
