Aligeri - Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Twins

The next morning, Guy awoke refreshed and ready for the day with excitement bubbling within him. Today was the day he was going to meet Princess Ruby! And he was going to take her to the midsummer festival! It was going to be great! Dressing nicely and making sure he had his money and his sword, he traveled out of the inn.

Meanwhile, Clarice had gotten up early, awake and lively as well. She had taken to cleaning up the shop a little since she didn't really have much else to do, sweeping and smiling. It was a beautiful day outside, and she had a feeling that it was going to be a good day. It just seemed nice and cheery outside.

While she was cleaning, the shop bell rang, signaling that someone had entered the store.

"Clarice?" called Alyx's voice. "Are you in?"

As soon as Clarice heard Alyx's voice, she came into view, a smile on her face.

"Oh! Good morning, Alyx! It's nice to see you!" she said, obviously in a rather good mood. He smiled back, a little bashfully.

"I was wondering if you were busy today. I thought we might go to the cliffs again. The weather is perfect."

"Oh, I don't think I'm busy, and I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind if I went out with you for a while!" Clarice replied, seeming even happier that he had asked her. "But he's asleep, if I could just leave a note or something... let me see..."

Quickly, Clarice rummaged around, looking for something she could use to write a note for her brother, to let him know where she was going to go. Finally, she found a quill and some paper, quickly scrawled out that she was going out with Alyx and that she hoped he didn't mind. Then, she left it somewhere where he'd be able to find it.

"Whenever you're ready," Alyx said as he leaned against the wall, waiting. He was very excited, even if he didn't show it. It had taken a lot of courage for him to come out and visit Clarice. He was still a little anxious around her.

Clarice walked up to him once she had finished.

"Alright, I'm ready!" she announced. When they went outside together, Clarice took a deep breath.

"The weather really is perfect today..."

"Watch out!"

It was a frightening moment of déjà vu as Prince Kyne went barreling down the street on his horse, once again almost trampling them. Wherever he was storming off to, he didn't seem happy. Alyx wisely held his tongue this time, at least until he was out of ear shot.

"I really don't like that man..."

Well, that had definitely caused Clarice's heart to skip a few beats as they nearly got trampled – again. Once he was gone, Clarice shook her head.

"He really needs to pay attention to where he's going! Especially on a horse!" she commented, then sighed. Putting on a smile, she said, "Well, let's try to enjoy the rest of our day. Hopefully we'll survive it."

She laughed a little, saying the last part jokingly. Alyx laughed a little too, but it still made him nervous. He just got bad feelings from Kyne...

Over at Feles' shop, she had finished making the ring for Guy. Now all she had to do was wait for the prince to come pick it up. She was just setting her kettle on the fire when the door burst open. She didn't even look up, knowing exactly who it was.

"What's troubling you, Prince Kyne?"

"You are!" the angry prince accused. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

"Oh? And what exactly do you believe I am up to?"

Kyne's eyes narrowed.

"You're working spells against me, trying to hinder my chances with the princess!"

"That's a rather bold accusation, don't you think? What proof have you?"

"Enough to make my case to the king and queen! We'll see how long you continue your curses in this town, witch!"

And allowing no more argument, he stormed out. Feles just stared after him, shaking her head.

BAM!

Guy, who was just about to enter the shop, ran smack into prince Kyne and stumbled backwards. Luckily, he was able to balance himself. Really, Kyne was the one who ran into him, since he had stormed out as soon as Guy turned to go in. Either way, Guy apologized.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry! I should be more careful."

"Indeed, you should," Kyne snarled as he continued on his way. Feles walked over to greet Guy.

"He's going to be more trouble than I anticipated," she sighed.

Once Kyne was out of sight, Guy made a mocking face, making it look as "Kyne-ish" as he could. "Indeed, you should," he mimicked, then stuck his tongue out in the direction Kyne had gone. "Sir Creeps A-Lot."

When he saw Feles, he asked, "What had he come in for? He didn't seem very happy... not like he ever really does..."

"He's trying to get me exiled from Celest, or something along those lines," the wise woman explained as she led him inside. "He thinks I'm casting spells to directly hinder his chances with Princess Ruby."

Guy made a face.

"Well..."

He was going to say that that was a silly thing, but knowing how creepy the prince was, he decided to say, "You wouldn't do a thing like that..."

"I just wish I knew exactly what his so-called evidence is," Feles said. "But I can deal with him later. You have a date with the princess, and items to pick up."

"Oh yeah! I was in a hurry!" Guy exclaimed, having forgotten after suddenly bumping into a person that creeped him out. Guy smiled.

"Thank you for making that ring for me, Feles. It really was a great idea!"

"You're welcome."

Feles handed him the ring as well as a couple of small vials.

"Those are some of the magesbane potions I made the other day," she explained. "If you need protection from magic, just drink one, and you'll be protected for a full day. Just know that if you do drink one, your ring won't work until the potion wears off."

Guy nodded.

"Okie dokie!" He looked at the items for a few seconds, slipped the ring on and put the vials in his pocket, and then said, "Alright, so I go to the palace and um...wait for the princess, right?"

He looked excited but a little nervous. Feles chuckled.

"Yes, you go to the palace and wait for the princess. Then, you'll want to head straight for the forest. Kit wanted me to tell you that he'd meet you in the clearing just before the wood line so he could lead you and Princess Ruby to the midsummer festival."

Guy nodded.

"Okay, thank you! I'll talk to you again soon!"

And with that, he walked off towards the palace, reminding himself to act like himself, but be a little more... well, princely, like he usually did at home around guests. He still wanted to seem like royalty, after all. Just... not as stuffy.

It didn't take him terribly long, and soon the prince was at the palace, waiting for the princess so he could take her to the midsummer festival. The king was waiting in the room with him as the queen went off to fetch her daughter. When they were alone, the king cleared his throat and turned towards Guy.

"So... Prince Guy, what exactly are you and my daughter planning on doing today?"

"Well..." started Guy. "At first, I had thought, after taking a walk around the land that surrounds the city, that we could just go to a nice and quiet place overlooking some of the land and talk, get to know each other better."

Pausing, he smiled softly.

"But a few days ago, I was invited, or rather, we were invited to join in on the midsummer festival. It sounded like it would be great fun, and it seemed like quite an honor to be invited, so I figured that we could go attend the festival."

"Hm..." the king responded with a nod, and at just that moment the queen returned with Ruby close behind. The princess was wearing a simple, yet elegant, white dress with green trim that looked like vines. She curtsied before her father and Guy, and then, looking at the prince, smiled.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Guy," she said politely, her voice soft and gentle, like the ringing of a tiny bell. "I am ready for our outing."

Guy had to struggle to keep his excitement under control as he laid eyes on the princess. When she addressed him, he bowed before her and the queen, but didn't take his eyes off of her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Princess Ruby."

Her voice was beautiful, of course, her appearance was even more elegant. It was very hard not to let his polite smile turn into a broad, goofy one.
Err... oh great, now what do I say?! I've never been so good with formal... declarations that I'm going to leave... please someone else say something... Guy whined in his head as he straightened himself up from the bow and heard her comment about how she was ready for their day together.

"Well now," the queen said. "We won't make your day any shorter. Get going, both of you, and enjoy yourselves."

She gave them both a smile that was sweet and motherly, almost breaking the formal atmosphere. Ruby giggled slightly and walked to stand beside Guy, ready to go as she had said she was. Guy smiled a little more, a little less tense after those simple actions. When the two started off, Guy said to Ruby, "I hope that you enjoy your day with me, princess. I've really been looking forward to getting to know you better."

She giggled again as he said this.

"Well, you can start by calling me Ruby. Everyone calls me princess... except for Miss Mimosa. It's so formal."

Ruby looked around as they made their way to the clearing.

"So, what are we going to do today?"

Guy completely beamed as she said this. It seemed like they would be getting along fine.

"I know what you mean! Titles really are formal. I'll call you Ruby, then. You can call me Guy if you like."

Then, with a pause he answered, "And we're going to the midsummer festival. Kit invited us, and so we're going to meet him at the clearing in front of the forest."

"He did?" she asked, sounding very excited. "How nice of him! He's invited me and my parents several times before, but something always came up. I've always wanted to go."

They reached the clearing just as the town clock struck ten. The morning was starting to grow warm and humid, and up ahead by the wood line, curled up taking a nap, was Kit in his fox form, waiting for them.

Once Guy saw Kit, and then saw him asleep, he paused.

"Hmmm... how should I wake him up? I don't want to startle him..." Guy said, not really aiming it anywhere, although he did look at Ruby with an indecisive look on his face.

"I'll wake him," Ruby offer, kneeling beside the sleeping sprite. She scratched the fox behind his ear, and as his hind leg started twitching he opened one eye slowly. Seeing who it was, he yawned, and then turn back into his usual form.

"Sorry," Kit said as he yawned again. "I was up late helping Mum and Da finish up preparations for the feast."

Guy smiled at Kit, glad to see his little friend awake and "lively."

"Oh, no worries, Kit. I'm sorry you couldn't get a little more rest."

With a pause, he added, "Thanks again for the invitation."

He was obviously very excited as well, and was also really curious to see what the festival would be like. Kit smiled, rising to his feet.

"I'm glad you could both make it. So, let's be on our way. We've the first part of the feast out for lunch. There are games too, if you want to try those out (although they were designed for sprites and not humans, so you may have some trouble). Just follow me and we'll be there in no time!"

The sprite started marching into the forest. Ruby tugged gently on Guy's shoulder.

"Come on!" she said excitedly.

"Yay! On to the festival!" Guy cheered happily as he followed after Kit with Ruby. He couldn't believe that he was actually going to party with the princess AND the sprites! Kit led them through the forest, following no path as he marched onward. After several minutes, they started to hear laughing and music, signs that they were getting close.

"We've got lots of food I'm sure you've never tried before," the sprite said as they went along. "Like eggs the size of your head, star fruit, and oranges!"

"Oh! I've never had an orange before!" Ruby squealed happily. "I've heard they're very good."

"What's a star fruit?" Guy asked curiously, then looked at Ruby. "I've never had an orange either, but I've heard that they're good, too!"

He smiled, getting even more excited with every step.

"A star fruit is a fruit that looks like a star when you cut it," Kit explained. "I don't like them that much, but they smell really good."

He pushed aside some low brush to reveal the festival in progress. It was dazzling! Decorations made from vines and flowers grew all over the place in unusual patterns, creating canopies, curtains, and arches. A small five sprite band sat on a platform playing varied and strange instruments in a catchy melody that just begged to be danced to, and of course that's what many other sprites were doing. Still others were seated in various spots around the huge clearing with silver platters in hand, all laden with an assortment of delicious foods.

"Whoa!" Guy looked simply amazed, amazed and excited and happy to be there. There was dancing, a band, scrumptious looking foods, and everyone seemed to be having a merry time.

Ellen was sitting in the clearing, looking around at everyone having a really good time. She wasn't as... enthusiastic as most of the sprites there, but that was just because she never really got TOO excited about anything. She was, to tell the truth, a little nervous, like usual, but she was still having a pretty good time. She had a plate with her that was a little over half eaten, and she was taking her time with the platter. It really was very good.

"Hey kiddo," Chay said merrily as he sat down beside her with his second plate of food. "You think maybe later you could dance with me?"

Chay loved the food here and had an uncanny ability to put a lot more away than one would expect someone so small to be able to. Ellen smiled at him as he sat down beside her, then nodded at the question he directed towards her.

"Alright, I'll dance with you, Chay."

She seemed a little happy that he had asked, but there was a slight hesitation, as if she wasn't sure that nothing bad would happen – she didn't really dance very often. At least she had accepted, though. Yes, she was definitely in a good mood. She wasn't clinging or acting all that unsure of herself. If there was any time that she was going to act as carefree as someone like her could be, then that was the midsummer festival.

"Just let me know when you're ready," he said with a smile, happy that she had agreed. Meanwhile, the human guests had managed to catch quite a bit of attention, though most of the sprites just smiled and greeted them as if they had been there every year. Ruby was very interested in trying out the food that had been set out, and eagerly pulled Guy along to get some. Guy laughed and let himself be pulled along by the princess. When they got to the food, Guy wasn't sure what he wanted to get – it all looked so good!

Ellen nodded to Chay's statement.

"After we finish eating?"

"Sounds good to me!" Chay beamed. "Hey look! Guy and Princess Ruby are here!"

He pointed over at the pair trying to decide on what to eat. The princess had picked out a little bit of several items, and she was already running out of room on her plate. Ellen looked over at the said pair and smiled a little. They looked like they were having a nice time so far. She also noticed the mixed reactions that they were receiving from the sprites (although none of them were really all that bad), as she finished off the rest of her food.

Finally, Guy had made up his mind and had started filling up his plate. Since he had planned it all out, though, it didn't take too long for it to run out of room, as well. When they had gotten their food, he looked around.

"So where should we sit..."

"Do you know any other sprites?" Ruby asked. "If you have other friends, we could sit with them, unless you'd rather sit somewhere else."

"Oh! I know a few, umm..."

Guy looked around, trying to see if he could find the two he met before.

"There they are! Chay and Ellen! I met them a few days ago. Let's go sit with them!"

Ruby giggled and she nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I haven't met them yet. They won't mind if we join them, will they?"

"Oh, I'm sure that they won't, and if they do, we could always find another place to sit, right?" Guy said optimistically before the two headed over to the sprites. "Hi guys! Mind if we sit with you?"

"Go right ahead!" Chay encouraged. "It's nice to see you here. Guy, wasn't it?"

The sprite smiled at them both before looking over at Ellen to see how she was doing. Ellen nodded at them, looking a little more timid than she had, but trying to keep herself in bright spirits. Guy smiled and sat.

"Yep! Guy Aylmer! And it's definitely good to be here! I was so glad that we were invited," he agreed as the two took a seat with the sprites. Ruby sat down near Ellen and extended her hand to her, smiling gently.

"I'm Ruby Saffir," she introduced herself. "Princess of Celest. What's your name?"

Ellen hesitated for a second, but shook the princess' hand with her small one, her large eyes peering up at her through her hair which had fallen in her face slightly.

"N-nice to meet you, R-Ruby," she answered, then hesitated again before continuing. "M-my n-name is E-Ellen."

Ruby continued to smile as Chay waved at her.

"And I'm Chay," he said. "Ellen and I helped Alyx bake your birthday cake. Did you like it?"

"Oh yes! Very much! I especially liked the decorations. I love apple blossoms!"

The princess was in a very good mood as she started to eat. After a moment, she turned to Guy again.

"So how is it you know these two? Honestly, I didn't really expect you to be acquainted with anyone other than Kit."

Guy grinned widely.

"I was baking some bread with Alyx a few days ago, and then they came in and had some of it! They were friends of Alyx, and Alyx is my friend, too! My best friend, in fact. He was so nice to me..."

Guy sighed happily as he ate and thought about the fun adventures he had had with Alyx.

"If it isn't too late when we leave, I'd like to thank him for the cake, if you don't mind. It really was beautiful, and very delicious."

Guy smiled and nodded. "Alright! We'll see if we can catch him when we leave tonight!"

Chay had finished his meal and looked over at Ellen again.

"Are you ready to dance?" he asked. When she heard Chay, Ellen looked over, and then seemed to instantly brighten. She nodded enthusiastically, saying, "Yes! I'm ready, if you are!"

Chay jumped to his feet and led Ellen to the dance floor just as Ruby's eyes lit up.

"Let's go dance too!" she said to Guy. "This song sounds lovely!"

Guy smiled and jumped up excitedly, holding out his hand to help her up and lead her to the dance floor.

"Truthfully," he said lightly. "I was hoping that you'd ask!"

She laughed as she let him lead.

"Most of the time, the gentleman asks the lady to dance. It's cute that you don't mind the reverse."

Guy grinned widely and laughed a little.

"I've been told I'm a little backwards," he joked. When they got to the dance floor and started getting into the song and enjoying themselves as they danced, it was a little funny to see the prince danced, considering he personality. Guy just didn't seem like the kind of person who could dance well at all, prince or not. Sure, he looked like he would love to dance, anytime, but also the kind that would seem absolutely silly as he danced. It was surprising that he was actually pretty good.

Ellen wasn't doing too bad herself, and was really enjoying herself now. Just as the current song was ending, Chay was tapped on the shoulder.

"Mind if I have a turn?" Kit asked, once again suppressing his grin to keep from showing his teeth. Chay tried not to show that he'd rather not, but (since Kit was the prince) stepped aside to allow him to dance with Ellen. Ellen smiled at Kit (a little timidly, but a lot more open than usual), and although she seemed a little nervous to dance with him, she didn't really seem to not want to dance with him or anything.

"Hello, Kit," she greeted politely and cheerfully as he stepped in to dance with her.

"Hello, Ellen," he replied in return, giving her a smile that, although his teeth did show this time, was surprisingly affectionate. He led her in the dance with a comfortable ease, and he continued to smile throughout.

The festival went on for hours and hours, during which Kit and Chay seemed to be growing increasingly antagonistic towards each other, especially with regards to Ellen. As soon as Kit finished dancing with her, Chay coaxed her away to play some of the games, or at least watch him compete. As a result, Kit made a point to enter every game Chay did, trying to best him in each one (and for the most part, he succeeded). So Chay talked Ellen into getting platters for dinner. Kit, of course, asked if he could join them, and not wanting to seem rude, Chay conceded. It was almost sun set, and the tension between them was practically tangible. Luckily, Guy and Ruby didn't have to deal with any of this, and were able to enjoy the festival without them.

"It's almost dark," Ruby pointed out. "I should be getting home soon. Ever since the banquet, Mother and Father have been very worried about me staying out too late..."

As the festival progressed, Ellen tried to stay chipper, but couldn't help but feel lost and a little intimidated by the increasing competition between Kit and Chay. Eventually, she was just getting exhausted from watching them go at it... whatever it was.

Guy looked at Ruby and nodded.

"I understand, it's good that they care about your safety. At least we had fun today, right? We should get going so we could pay a visit Alyx before returning you to the castle."

Smiling, he added, "Does that sound good?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yes, that sounds like a plan. Now, where did Kit go? He'll need to lead us back."

"Oh... hmm... where did he go? The last I saw him he was dancing with Ellen... and that was a while ago..." Guy thought aloud, then looked around, trying to spot the sprite. There had been a lot of activities, and he was the sprite prince, so he had probably participated in a lot of them, so he could really be anywhere at the moment. He hoped it wouldn't take too long to find him.

"Don't worry about finding him," someone suddenly said. "He's a bit busy at the moment. I'll lead you back to town."

It was Queen Vesper who had spoken. She had noticed the small competition her son had begun, so she decided it would be best not to get Guy and Ruby involved and ruin their night. She smiled at them both, beckoning them to follow.

"Ah! Alright, thank you very much!" Guy said happily as the queen spoke to them. Looking at Ruby for a moment, he started walking with her after the queen. Vesper took them to the edge of the forest and bid them farewell before she headed back towards the midsummer festival. Ruby took a deep breath as she looked up at the orange and violet sky.

"That was fantastic," she said to Guy. "Thank you very much for taking me to the festival. Let's go thank that friend of yours now."

The prince beamed.

"I'm glad you had fun! I know that I enjoyed myself, too."

And off to find Alyx. He hoped that he was at his shop, because if he wasn't, Guy had absolutely no idea where he might be. As they walked, he decided to start some conversation.

"So, Ruby, tell me a little about yourself! What do you like to do for fun on a regular basis?"

"Read, and garden," Ruby answered. "I like spending time outside."

"Being outside is a lot nicer than being inside all day. I like taking walks around the castle back home as often as I can," he said with a nod.

As they were heading towards the bakery, so were Alyx and Clarice. They had spent the entire day at the cliffs, deciding to take a picnic along for lunch and dinner so they could get as much practice as possible. It had been tremendous fun, the most Alyx had ever had. Clarice was in a fantastic mood after having a wonderful day with Alyx, and as they headed home, she said, "I'm so glad that you came and asked me to come this morning. I had a wonderful time!"

"Yeah?" Alyx laughed. "Me too. It's nice to be able to go to the cliffs with someone, instead of just being alone."

He meant, of course, flying, but being back in town, he didn't want to say it out loud. They were almost back to the bakery when he spotted Guy and the princess in the distance.

"It looks like Guy's having a good day too."

Clarice nodded, then smiled when she saw the others. They did look rather happy, from what she could see.

As they were walking, Guy noticed in the distance two people, and as he examined the figures, he realized that he knew them.

"Oh! There's Alyx!" he pointed out to Ruby. The princess giggled excitedly and quickened her pace so they would meet them sooner. The two groups met almost directly in front of the bakery, and Ruby was the first to speak.

"You must be Alyx," she said to the baker. "I wanted to thank you for the lovely cake you made for my birthday. It was delicious."

Alyx smiled a bit uncomfortably, and bowed his head in respect.

"You're welcome, your highness. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Clarice looked from Alyx to the princess. She really was very beautiful; she had only seen her from far away at the banquet, and of course she looked much better once she could get a good view of her. Clarice smiled politely at them. Guy was waving happily at the pair from behind the princess. Naturally, something had to break this moment.

"Princess Ruby!"

From the direction of the palace came marching a small group of guards, looking more serious than what their job required. They marched up to the group and stopped beside them.

"The queen and king have requested that you return immediately to the palace," the head of the guard said. Ruby looked at him in confusion.

"Why? It is not yet dark..."

"Your parents have had to go over some grave matters, and as a result there is going to be an execution at dusk. They want you home."

Clarice looked over at Alyx in worry at the news.

"An execution?!" Guy exclaimed, startled as well. Who was going to be executed?! Somehow, he had a feeling that this was going to be something terribly, horribly wrong. Not like an execution was ever a pleasant matter, of course.

"We're sorry to cut your day short, Princess," the guard continued. "But we must do as ordered."

Ruby pouted, but nodded and left with the guards, looking back at the others longingly until they were out of sight. Alyx chewed on his lip nervously.

"I don't like this. It feels... somehow unnatural..."

"I know what you mean..." Guy sighed, and Clarice shook her head.

"And I don't think anything all that dramatic has happened today... I mean, we were gone, but this morning nothing had happened, and now that we're back nobody seems to be really talking about it, at least not that I've noticed..." she added.

"We should go ask Feles what's going on," Alyx suggested. "If anything, she should know. She is Celest's wise woman, after all."

He started towards her shop, just as another unusual event occurred: dashing right between Guy's legs shot a hare and a fox, and before anyone could ask questions, the sprites turned back into their normal forms, just as Kit pounced Chay. The two of them continued to wrestle, completely ignoring the others around them.

Guy nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good id... wha?!"

Guy nearly jumped when the animals dashed through his legs, but then stared, rather confused as they turned into Kit and Chay. Wrestling. Okay, if that was just friendly fire, they had come a pretty long way just to do that.

"Back off, you spoiled pup!" Chay shouted at his adversary. "Find a mate within your own species!"

"Speak for yourself, rodent!" Kit growled back. "There's a reason humans call your kind vermin!"

The young men rolled right into Clarice, but didn't stop struggling with each other.

"You two!" Clarice said, startled at how they were acting. "Stop fighting with each other!"

She would've gotten down and separated them, but truthfully, she was a little afraid to. The two didn't seem very happy... not at all.

"A mate?" Guy echoed, his eyes getting wide. What exactly WERE they arguing about? Or rather... who? This was actually kind of interesting. Of course, them yelling at each other wasn't exactly a good thing.

Alyx stopped heading towards Feles' shop, turning around and grabbing both sprites by the back of the neck, pulling them apart.

"Stop it!" he said sternly to them. "Don't fight over a girl. It's petty."

Both sprites stopped squirming, but they continued to glare at each other. Alyx looked at the others.

"The lights are out in her shop, so she's either sleeping, or not home."

Clarice looked disappointed. Where could Feles have gone? If she was going to say anything, she never did, because shortly after Alyx had said the news, Ellen came running up, looking very worried, and that she had possibly been crying not long before.

When she saw everyone, and then Chay and Kit, she looked a little relieved as she stopped and started to catch her breath.

"Chay... Kit..." she panted out in relief. She was obviously just glad that she had found them.

"If I put you two down, will you behave?" Alyx asked Chay and Kit. They nodded as best as they could, and the baker gently set them down. Both seemed very embarrassed about their actions, especially now that Ellen was there.

Crowds of townspeople were starting to pour into the streets, and a platform had been erected in front of the palace gates, and from the looks of it, there was going to be a burning.

Guy's eyes went wide as all the commotion started. He put a hand over his face and shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts he was having.

"No... it... it can't be..."

He had just remembered the conversation he had had with Feles that morning. Kyne running out of her shop angrily, Feles saying that he was trying to get her exiled, or 'something along those lines.' Alyx noticed Guy's reaction, and his unease increased.

"What... what do you mean?" he asked. "Guy, do you know something about this?"

"I-I don't know, but I think..." Guy started, trying to unsuccessfully calm himself. It just all added up too well, especially since Feles hadn't been home.

"Alyx... I think that Feles is going to be executed..."

Alyx reacted with silent shock, eyes widening as he gasped. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't want to believe the possibility that he could be right. So, he just stood there in complete silence, looking towards the bonfire that was being prepared.

Guy's fists clenched.

"That... that Kyne. It's all HIS doing!"

Guy seemed very angry, and at the moment, he really wanted to attack that other prince. He knew better than that, of course. They needed to stop this...but he knew that they couldn't, and that made him even more upset. There was no way they could prove her innocence for whatever it was she was being accused of, and if they tried, they'd all probably be accused of helping her with... whatever.

Ellen was shocked and confused as she listened to the conversation. Feles was going to be executed? Why? What did she ever do wrong?!

The executioner was making the announcement of the crime, and as sadly predicted, it was Feles to be executed. From where they were, it was difficult to hear exactly what was being said, but it seemed that she was being accused of not only being the one who had caused the bestial aligeri attacks, but also of using other malevolent magic against the suitors and (even more astounding) the royal family. For her part, Feles seemed completely calm, even as they were tying her to the stake.

Guy didn't know what to do, and he didn't know what to say, either. He did know that he couldn't watch this happen; it would be too hard. Feles looked so calm and didn't look worried at all. He really wished that he could be more like that. The prince looked over at Alyx, questioningly. What did the baker want to do?

But Alyx just slid slowly to the ground, shoulders shaking as he tried not to break down entirely. Feles had been his family; he'd known her all his life, and until he met Clarice and Guy, she was the only person who had ever understood what he was. He couldn't watch, but out of the corner of his eye he could see that the fire had been lit.

Chay and Kit were just as distressed. Though they didn't say anything, Feles had been their primary connection to Celest, and she was probably the only reason anyone in the town tolerated sprites at all. Now that connection had been severed.

Ellen was already crying and covering her face with her hands, not letting herself watch.

Clarice, trying to stay as calm as she could, even though she was shaking slightly, lowered herself next to Alyx and slowly putting one arm around his shoulders, trying to comfort him a little. She couldn't tell him it was alright, because that would probably make him angry, but she could give him a shoulder to cry on if he needed one.

It was hard to tell how long they'd been there, Alyx determined not to cry, all of the sprites shedding tears, and Clarice and Guy trying to figure out what to do when suddenly, a loud thunder crack shook the ground. By now, the bonfire was starting to die down, but something had happened that was causing the crowds to panic.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Alyx looked up towards the platform. He was even more shocked than before at was he saw. A strange, winged beast was circling above the platform, its female rider disturbingly familiar. It landed on top of a nearby roof, and until the woman spoke, Alyx wouldn't have believed what he was seeing. She looked angrily down at the crowds and cried out:

"How dare you kill my sister!"