Alexis walked down to breakfast a week later to find Lady Zelda holding forth a monologue on how young ladies used to behave in her time,in sharp contradiction to the ones today.Alexis raised an eyebrow at Andra who merely gave her a wan smile before muttering "Yes,Aunt Zelda".
"Good Morning,Lady Zelda"said Alexis formally as she sat down.Lady Zelda merely nodded at her coldly and pointedly turned to her niece again"as i was saying my dear.."
Alexis helped herself to her meal in unconcerned silence.Zelda Castaleno's rudeness and disdain had never really bothered her much,since she considered the woman brainless and decorative,without a single original thought to her head.the fact that she thoroughly disapproved of Alexis joining Andra for meals because she was a mere servant was just one more slight she had heaped on Alexis all her life.however Andra,in general biddable,had put her foot down firmly ,when ,after the Queen"s death,Zelda had tried to relegate Alexis to the kitchens.But to Alexis' mild surprise,Andra had refused to consider the idea,even in the face of hysterics,temper,disdain and outright blackmail.
Alexis,becoming tired of all the drama,had indeed suggested that for the sake of peace she should retire to the kitchens,when Icarus,getting wind of the matter,had in his peremptory way decreed that Alexis should continue to hold her place at the table.Zelda was too much used to bowing to the wishes of the head of the house,whoever it was at the moment, all her life to consider raising any further objections.but it was Andra who helped her put a decent face on it by saying in her soft voice,"Dear Aunt Zelda,you know that Mother would have wished it.she loved and trusted Alexis so".That had settled the matter,because Zelda had held Juno in very sincere affection.
So now there was uneasy peace between them,Zelda confining herself to snide remarks which Alexis was able to easily ignore.Zelda was droning on .a stray word caught Alexis' attention."who is getting married?"she asked and was stared at balefully by Zelda.Andra explained wearily"aunt thinks i should be getting married now"
"It is time",pronounced Zelda majestically"if your dear mother had been alive she would have taken care of the matter by now.as your aunt who is in loco parentis to you in a way,i consider it my duty to begin to seriously finalise a groom for you.now,the prince of Agaeator is quite good looking..."
"The prince of Agaeator..you mean Peleus?but he is a reptile"Alexis exclaimed involuntarily.
"Indeed?an pray what may you be meaning by that?"asked Zelda in chilly accents
"I should have said a pig"said Alexis thoughtfully"not only in the way he eats,but also a certain piggish look near the eyes.but most importantly"she continued as Andra giggled"He has the courage of a wet hen and the honour of a rat"
Zelda swelled up majestically"He is the Desecdant of Anatolians.They have ruled Agaeator for nine hundred years!Do you know what that means?"
"Too much inbreeding?"asked Alexis with a kind of bright interest and Zelda went crimson
"What would you know about breeding,you dirt!"she hissed"your parents were common farm labourers!if it hadn't been for my poor dear sister you would not have been sitting here,at the table with a princess,giving yourself airs,talking like that about your betters!you would have been raised in some hovel and would have been a maid at some inn... or worse!"
Andra got up hastily and said "we have a lot of work today,so we will just leave.Come Alexis,please"
The please was said very pleadingly indeed,so Alexis who had been about to retaliate,bit back angry words and allowed herself to be led away.after a short silence in which Andra looked ready to burst into tears,Alexis asked thoughtfully"Do you think i should have asked her to elaborate on the worse?"
Andra broke into laughter and hugged Alexis"thank god you didnt!".
"it was probably for the beat,although she is quite fascinating when she gets going you know.what brought on the attack?"
"You mean the marriage thing?"Andra asked despondently"well i said i wanted to go to the festival today and that set her off.from being a bad daughter who wouldn't even mourn her mother for a full year,to being fast,and being headstrong for not marrying some twit in a imperial,i ran the entire gamut"
"I thought you dint want to go this year"Alexis said hesitantly
Andra turned away from her in impatience.they had reached the castle gardens by then and were walking down a path lined with tall trees an either side."Im tired of everything"she said with a petulance unusual in her"Tired of all these restrictions,tired of being born in a family which binds me down from doing normal things,tired of always always having to do the right things,tired of convention,tired,tired,tired!"
Alexis was silent for a moment"what normal things?"she asked hesitantly at last
"Dancing around the fire at night"responded Andra immediately"and swimming in the river alone,and being able to curse when someone makes me angry,and walking to the market place without the guards,and kicking the ..the backside of that idiot Peleus when he looks at me...and oh Alexis,all manner of things!"
"Oh kay"said Alexis"well you have evidently given this some thought.lets make a list of all the things you want to do and then do them one at a time.we need to teach you some proper swear words though.for example,instead of back side you should say.."
"Oh hush"said Andra laughing as Alexis grinned at her.then she sighed"i know its all impossible.No Alexis"she said as Alexis started to protest"oh maybe we can do all those things once,and it would be like a great adventure but it will never be a part of normal life for me"
Alexis was quiet for a moment and then said "maybe not.but maybe if you do those things only once in a while then it can always be like an adventure,they will never be mundane things for you.that is an idea to consider...anyway,we are definitely going to the festival today!"
"Cant Alexis"sighed Andra"Aunt Zelda is right,people will talk.And with Icarus already causing so much disapproval..."
"So we will go incognito"said Alexis with her eyes sparkling"it will be so much fun Andra.we can wear veils and no one will recognise us.and it will show how much fun being jostled about in a common crowd really is!"
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There was a famous legend regarding the kingdom of Castalia.A thousand years ago,when Castalia was merely a vast wasteland,made up of deserts and barren mountains,the Goddess Diane fell in love with a mortal.She tried to woo him with her wiles and beauty,but he was happily married and he spurned her love.Enraged and insulted by this slight,she killed the mortal's wife and separated his spirit from his body.Then she left his body chained to the highest mountain peak of Castalia and his spirit to roam about the desolate deserts.The only way the chains could be broken to free the body and reunite the spirit with it would be to sever the chains with Diane's own dagger.The dagger was a gift to her from Zeus,and was said to be imbibed with the essence of his thunderbolts.
For several years the spirit of the mortal roamed the wasteland,lost and angry.And then one day came a young man.He was the son of the mortal man and had come to free his father from the curse.He dug an enormous hole and filled it with wood.Then he spread a sheet of iron over the hole and covered it with the fine desert sand.he lit a fire underneath and stoked it until it was red hot.For seven days and six nights he kept the fire going and on the seventh night,when Diane was sailing across the skies she caught site of the red glow and sailed closer in curiousity.And as soon as she was right above the glow,the young man doused the fire.The sand cooled and became glass and Diane's reflection was trapped inside.The Goddess was very angry and raged and cursed him but to no avail.she could not break free of the glass.Then she begged and pleaded with the young man to set her free,offering all kinds of immortal delights.But he held firm and demanded his father freedom.So in the end,Diane had to give up her precious dagger and the young man rescued his father's body and reunited it with his spirit.
Then Diane owned herself to be defeated,and offered to make the wasteland a land of rich,fertile beauty and to make them its Kings.In addition she said"The Dagger now belongs to your family.As long as it is handed down father to son,generation after generation,nothing and no one can defeat Castalia.The dagger cannot be used against your family but will be deadly against all your enemies.However,if it is ever stolen,or is lost,then its protection will be withdrawn,and Castalia will be vulnerable once more"
The mortal man's name was Andreas Castaleno and he was the first King of Castalia.
To celebrate the harvest and the Legend,every year a festival was held in Castalia which lasted seven days and seven nights.It was to this festival that Alexis and Andra were going.
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