Retrieve the Kingdom

One Step Ahead

Belle and Phoebe were left in her room as Andrei left the mansion. It was already night. “Are you sure your aunt wouldn’t be mad about this?” Phoebe asked once again, confirming that Belle is sure about staying a bit for the night. “I am sure she wouldn’t if it’s about saving Hawthorne and putting a stop to this madness and tyranny.”

“I am really sure your aunt is pushing you to do this, are you sure you aren’t doing this because they forced you to?” Phoebe gets the notebook she always with, consisting of her plans and things she knows. She looked at Belle who shook her head, “Before, I was innocent and blind about it. Of course, I am still young and I live in Lalonde. My aunt has no child and she is not eligible anymore of running even a governor and even her husband was dead, she can’t marry another man just to reach her goals.”

“I mean, it’s a great idea if it means to save her hometown.” Belle sighs, “It’s easy to say than done, Phoebe. My aunt is loyal to my uncle, it is even one of the strong reasons why she seeks justice for Hawthorne.” It piqued Phoebe’s curiosity, “Would you mind if you tell me?”

“My uncle is the leader of Hawthorne.” Phoebe was shocked, she wants to know more about it. “When these are starting to happen, my uncle fought back and tried to save his people. He can’t do any big impact on it. He is just a mere province leader and he is fighting back against the king. The worst is, the king has a close relation to the people of Hawthorne, which made my uncle’s fate faster to come.”

Phoebe kept listening, she pats Belle’s back as the braided girl rests her head on the wall. “As my uncle suffers from the words of his people and died behind the scene, the king elects a better province leader. It was the greatest blow as his pawn in Hawthorne starts to do his small tyranny there.”

“What about your aunt? Why didn’t they killed her?” Belle looks at her, “She and uncle have some issues at that time, which made his suffering more devastating. It was like everything is against him and he deserves nothing, that’s why he is better off the facade of these events. That’s the news about that particular thing, but my aunt suspects something happened more than that.

My aunt knows my uncle don’t just give up, he was the strongest man, maybe not by strength, but by his emotions. He wouldn’t just whine, the most probable thing he could do is attacking the king or even planning to attack him. But, it was only an imagination. A theory of what really happened behind the valleys of Hawthorne.

Day by day, my aunt is still aching at it. It was the only thing she can do to at least make things worth it. To make my uncle’s desires and death worth it. She can’t blatantly ask for someone’s help or even make devastating moves. She doesn’t want this chance worth it, if she isn’t alive anymore, everything that my uncle started will just fall into ashes.”

“That’s…” Phoebe can’t find the exact words to describe the very first event to make Hawthorne fall, it was a full blow, even it’s just the start of all of this problem. Theories and questions start to fill her mind, she started to write on her notebook which Belle noticed. 

“What are you doing?” She asked, which made Phoebe turn to her. The stressed young lady sighs. “This is my trusty notebook. I call it Pat. This where I write everything when my mind is already full.” Belle was a bit embarrassed. “I am sorry if I said too much.”

Phoebe shook her head, “It’s fine, this is the thing I am gonna tell you about also. In this notebook, this is where I am planning to fix this problem, like an investigator. Hearing what happened to you made me more inspired to continue solving this and possibly, overthrow the king.”

“So, you already have a plan to take the king out of his throne.” Phoebe thinks as she shrugged, “I still have a vague plan, the goal is clear, but the path is foggy. I am letting let the situation flow and let the problem show itself to me. I know Alvi will be with me, he will be with our goals.”

“I hope… You know… I started to lose hope to the gods and goddesses, these massive devastating things are too much that they can’t ignore it.” Belle sighs as she looks at the ground, some tears are already flowing down her cheek. “I am sure they have a plan, Belle, I am sure they have.” 

The week passed by, but it was a heavy passage of time for Phoebe. She can’t sleep well at night with the thoughts of a group of people suffering because of her uncle is just too much for her. Also, the information she knew from her uncle Bermin, everything merges in her mind. She even dreams of being in Hawthorne even she hasn’t gone there yet.

Phoebe went to school sleepy, she has been like this for 3 days in a row. As she went down the carriage, her foot behind her slipped. Her body falls and she thought she will be dead. But something stopped her fall as she opens her eyes. 

It was Andrei, he is holding her shoulder, he looks so concerned. “Phoebe, hey, hey. Are you alright?” Her body responded for her as she yawns, which made Andrei make a ‘tsk’ sound. “You didn’t sleep well, didn’t you?”

“Hey, what happened to Phoebe?” Belle approached them as Andrei looks at her. “Your best friend is abusing herself, she almost had her long time sleep if I didn’t catch her. Though maybe I shouldn’t, so she will have her rest…”

“Stop joking like that, Andrei, it’s not funny.” Belle pushed him away as she tends on Phoebe, “Hey, are you okay?” Phoebe nods as things start to sink in her. “I-I am sorry… I didn’t sleep immediately last night.” She yawns again.

“Maybe you can take a rest this weekend, take all the rest you got.” Belle gently pulled her as they went into the campus. “I will go back to my parents back in Oliver, you know…” Belle groans, “I am sure they can understand it, they are your family anyway,” she sighs, “I shouldn’t have said anything to you that night.” 

“What thing?” Andrei butts in their conversation. “Don’t mind that, it’s just… A girl talk, okay?” The prince let it pass as both of the girls looked at the eyes of each other and they were both nervous for a moment there. “Anyway, I gotta go first to you guys, our homeroom professor calls us early this time.” He waves his left hand as he jogs all the way to the 2nd year’s floor. 

Phoebe and Belle decided to sit under a tree planted on a huge circular concrete pot. “On a serious note though, maybe I shouldn’t have said those things.” Phoebe shook her head, “It’s fine, Belle. We have the same reasons and thinking, it’s time to work together, especially your aunt wants justice to be served so much.”

“Well, my aunt wants to meet you anyway, but since you are coming home on weekends, maybe someday you two can meet.” Phoebe looks at her, “Why would she want to meet me?” 

“Well, she said that a 16-year-old like you is surprising to have an ideology already. That’s what she said, maybe she isn’t fond of it in her generation.” Phoebe giggles, “Well, generations are different from each other. And the younger that you know things, you will do more productive things in your life.” 

“Well, I wasn’t planning to take the Politics path, you know. When I was 16 like you, I was just planning to take another year for sewing and designs and I will have my family. But over the years that my aunt is educating me about what is happening in our kingdom, the chances of making that first dream happen is getting low. Until a year later, I decided to take pre-joint high school classes and here I am.” 

“I am glad you chose it, I wouldn’t have a friend that would tell me more about what is happening in Eshecaea.” They both giggle as they noticed that it is near class, they decided to go to their class and took their respective seats.

Minutes of waiting, their homeroom professor arrived. They greeted him, Phoebe notices that the professor was enthusiastic more than ever.

“Good morning, my class. You know what day it is today!” He said as Phoebe tries to remember something special about this day. Her classmates answered him, “Yes! Right, it is the class election day. Some professors already conducted it, but I let my time be your free time after the election of our officers.”

“Oh right, it’s the class election day… How could I forgot about it…” Phoebe groans quietly and whispers to herself. Belle comforts her, “It’s fine, it’s just a small event and you won’t have a problem not remembering it.”

“In our election, we will be electing 4 officers in our class, the two class leaders, the secretary, and the unique officer in this path, the class councilor.” He writes everything on their board with his chalk as he looks at his students. “The school gave you an allowance of a week to observe your classmates and see who deserves any of them. The role of class leaders is obviously, to lead you to everything that needs the whole class teamwork, just like Inter-Path Clash, and others I won’t spoil for now.”

The things that their professor is saying is making Phoebe more curious, but it was wiped off as the election begins. “Who would you like to nominate?” Two students raised their hands, “Yes, Clemence?” 

“I would like to nominate Phoebe as the class leader.” In an instance, Phoebe froze and her eyes widen. The professor wrote her name, she didn’t mishear anything. She was the only Phoebe in the class, so it is really her. Belle was excited about it. “Hey, don’t be nervous, Phoebe. It will be alright.”

Phoebe nods as she breathes. “I nominate Cledwyn, sir.” The professor nods as he wrote his name. “Is there anyone who will nominate someone here? Are you sure? No one? Because if none, these two will win by default.”

A student raised her hand. “Oh, yes, miss Eloise.” She stands as Phoebe can see in the distance she was trembling. “C-can I… Nominate myself, sir?” The professor nods, “Of course, of course. You may sit now.” He wrote her name at the board, “Is there anyone who will add another choice here? None?” The silence ensues for a minute as the professor decided to second the motion. 

“Raise your hands to vote for Phoebe.” The black-haired girl closes her eyes and didn’t raise her hand even a single inch. This wasn’t her plan, and if she wins this, she doesn’t know what she will do.

The professor wrote a number on the board. “How about, Cledwyn?” Phoebe is still closing her eyes as Belle shakes her. “Hey, votes for you are done.” She said as Phoebe looks at the board, but she didn’t notice what’s next to her name. 

“How about Eloise?” She immediately raises her hand, there are only three of them raising their hands, Eloise, her, and Fedor. She felt a bit of pity for the girl as she looks at the ground, hiding her face from embarrassment. 

“It is decided, the new class leaders of first-year Politics Path are Phoebe and Cledwyn!” The class claps as Belle hugged Phoebe in excitement. The election continues as the professor declares Kyran as their secretary and Gerald as the class councilor.

“Congratulations to our new officers.” The four went in the front as they take their vows of responsibility and obligation. Before going back to the seat, the other class leader, Cledwyn, whispered to her. 

“I am one step ahead of you.”