Two: Tea Party Terrors

Grammar checked + beta read. Enjoy!

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There were various gardens throughout the kingdom of Collosicus, plenty of them only a half-mile walk from the castle itself. Yet, where Evangeline and Anastasia were posed to meet King Ragnar was one of the quietest and most well-hidden gardens, there was.

Hidden inside the northwestern part of the castle, there was a glass enclosure that held a garden, one that others may describe as majestic. When the sun shined through the glass rooftop, it cast a calming glow in the garden. There was a singular table with a couple of chairs in the midst of the garden with various plants, including flowers and burniberry bushes, that settled around the enclosed space.

Evangeline had opened the door to the garden and allowed Anastasia to follow inside where there seemed to arise a tension, like one of the enemies. King Ragnar was standing, taking a sip of tea as he waited for Anastasia to sit with him.

"Hello, my one and only daughter. I am glad we will have this opportunity to chat."

Once he sat down at a little table, Anastasia followed. The only one standing, as of the moment, in the garden was Evangeline.

"So, father, what is it you wanted to discuss with me?" Anastasia's eyes glanced from King Ragnar and then to Evangeline. Evangeline only let out a quiet breath, hoping things would go smoothly between the monarch and his daughter. However, their chats never seemed to follow the idea of serenity.

The truth was that King Ragnar and Anastasia did not have a good relationship; the expectations of Anastasia, assuming that she would take over Collosicus at some time in the future, but loads of pressure on her. It was clear that Anastasia had no say in their decisions upon her.

What King Ragnar didn't know, as opposed to what Evangeline did, was that Anastasia had no interest in ruling the kingdom or sit on the throne as Queen. She wanted to spend her life as a dress designer in the village, along with the other civilian tradesmen.

"Can't I have a lovely mid-afternoon tea party with my daughter?" To his response, Anastasia visibly slanted her eyes with suspicion implanted in her pupils. Evangeline could feel the waves of hesitancy rolling off Anastasia, like that of the sea washing against the shoreline.

"Well, from my many recounts of our so-called tea parties, they have generally been a lecture or a demand of some sort."

"Now, how dare you assume that of me? That is reckless, Anastasia."

"But it is true!" shouted Anastasia.

King Ragnar scoffed in disbelief before taking a furious sip of tea in a visible attempt to calm the anger that seemingly lies just below the surface, ready to bubble over at any time. Managing to calm himself, King Ragnar said, "Anastasia, my daughter, I will not argue with you."

"Then what is it you wish to discuss with me, father?" She spat out the last word with venom hidden underneath her teeth. Almost like a cobra attempting to strike its prey.

"Look at Evangeline, she wouldn't dare have such disobedience." Evangeline was slightly taken aback by the comment, causing her to stumble backward, placing her weight on her back foot. How could he drag her into such antics between him and his daughter?

"Father!" Anastasia seethed as she grasped the fringes of her dress with her left hand and clenches a cup of tea in her right. "She has nothing to do with this. She's simply a fly on the wall."

"You're right," King Ragnar concluded, taking another sip of tea.

"Then let's stop kicking the rock around. What do you want to 'discuss' with me?"

"My daughter, my pride and joy, your mother, and I believe it is time for you to accept the crown. We believe you are ready to lead the kingdom." Anastasia dropped her teacup in surprise, and what was once a brilliant white dress now had stains upon it. Porcelain shattered on the garden's grass floor as anger seemingly rose from Anastasia.

"Father, that is, well, that is blasphemy! I'm twenty-three years young!"

"And princes and princesses younger than you were crowned, some as young as 14."

"Because their parents bloody died!" Anastasia shouted furiously, a vein popping out of her forehead. She stood up abruptly, turning her back and storming out of the garden. Evangeline hastily followed behind her.

The last thing Evangeline heard, as she exited the garden, were King Ragnar's final warnings to the princess, "You cannot keep running away from your responsibilities, Anastasia! You will take this crown!"

As Evangeline took long strides to keep up with a fuming Anastasia, she found herself feeling guilty at what she had witnessed. King Ragnar was known to be rather strict, known for keeping the kingdom well ordered. What was not portrayed to outsiders was how harsh he was with Anastasia and Queen Liesel. He always called it tough love.

On the outside, to the commoners and the military, the royal family was picture perfect, but on the inside, cracks ran deep, slowly tearing the family apart. The senior staff did the best they could to shore the royal family up and keep the internal squabbles from the public.

"Did you see what he said to me, Eva? That bastard. He knows I'm not ready to take the crown. Why is he forcing me to take it?"

Anastasia turned around suddenly, stopping in her tracks, her eyes brimming with tears as she took in a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. However, Evangeline could see the troubles that lie beneath the surface; Anastasia was beyond hurt. She was terrorized, and thoughts swarmed her mind like a thousand stallions running across the plains.

"I did, Princess Anastasia," Evangeline frowned as her hands entangled themselves together. She took in a shallow breath.

"For the billionth time, stop calling me 'Princess Anastasia', it is simply Anastasia! A-N-A-S-T-A-S-I-A." Evangeline cringed slightly as Anastasia's voice bounced around the hallway.

One thing about Evangeline was she did not enjoy being yelled at; behind the hard exterior, she had a secret fear of voices being raised at her. She wasn't quite sure why, but it was something she had known since she awoke at the castle gates.

"My apologies, Anastasia." Evangeline bowed in Anastasia's direction. Anastasia let out a groan before flipping her hair around as she continued to storm off in the opposite direction of the gardens. To be more specific, she headed in the direction of her bedroom. Evangeline knew it was a safe space where Anastasia could feel free to do whatever she wished.

While walking, Evangeline noted to herself that King Ragnar was correct in one assessment; princes' and princesses Anastasia's age were starting to take over their respected kingdoms within the continent of Aagara.

Coming to a sudden stop, in front of Anastasia's room, Evangeline could feel Anastasia's gaze as she looked at her with pleading eyes.

"I just need some time alone, Eva," Anastasia whispered as she rubbed a small bead of sweat off of her forehead. Evangeline can tell that she was distraught, hell a bloody blind man could tell that much. From the shaky posture, the sweaty forehead, and the torn thoughts that swept about her head, Anastasia was, without a doubt, in peril.

"Princess Anas--- Anastasia, you know I must not leave you alone for your safety."

"Then wait outside my room for all I care! I need my time alone!" Anastasia opened her bedroom door and closed it in a matter of seconds. The sound echoed throughout the castle, probably so loud that the entire kingdom heard it.

Evangeline peeked around curiously, unsure of what to do. Anastasia did say to stand outside her room, and it appeared that there was little use in trying to argue with her. Evangeline hesitantly reached for the door handle, her hand hovering for a mere second. She then touched the handle and attempted to turn it. However, she found that it was locked tight. She debated using a master key that had been obtained from the king's head butler to unlock the door in emergencies. Yet, doing so would only infuriate Anastasia even more.

"Leave me alone, Eva! Please!" Anastasia's voice blasted from inside the room. Evangeline sunk slightly into her skin, her eyes cast down towards her feet and her posture slumped in defeat.

So Evangeline did the best she could, and she sat beside the door, awaiting potential danger that might present itself to Anastasia.

There she sat for several hours. Evangeline counted four in her head.

The maids attempted to bring food, but Anastasia refused, unwilling to open the door.

Eventually, day turned to night, and Evangeline found herself to be tired from all the sitting around doing nothing. She was left with only her thoughts to keep her company.

Her sunken heart became elated when she saw two guards walking toward her, marking the end of her shift to protect Anastasia. Each one was carrying a spear and was also suited in twinkling, silver armor.

"Miss Evangeline," a guard said.

Evangeline bowed before casting a look in the direction of Anastasia's bedroom. "She is still in a foul mood; it would be best not to disturb her."

"Understood, thank you, Miss Evangeline." replied one of the guards as both line up on either side of the door.

Evangeline started heading to her bedroom before her eyes widen in panic. How could she forget? She took in a shallow breath, trying to calm down the panic that bubbled below the surface of her skin. She had a lesson with Fletcher in, well, gods know how long!

And so off she sprinted towards the battlegrounds in the hope of gaining more knowledge in her craft, as well as sparring with someone many levels above her.

Yet, as the clock tower rang one single time, she knew she was late. And, by gods, being late was never a good thing when it came to fletcher.

-~-~-~-

Evangeline lay in a grassy field alone, staring up at the clear, darkening sky, with not another soul in the vicinity. Numerous thoughts ran through her mind, but she couldn't seem to focus on any singular one.

"Tara!" a voice called out, and Evangeline couldn't help but stir slightly, not appreciating the disturbance in her moment of peace. She rose slowly from her resting position, and, within a moment of focusing her eyes, she could make out the figure of a person. Who? Well, she couldn't quite decipher.

Within a couple of seconds, she could make out a young man, roughly the same age, approaching her. In his left hand lay a bo and back a satchel with arrows. His striking blue eyes punctured through Evangeline's body, and she couldn't help but let a shiver dissipate throughout her spine.

The young man that approached Evangeline was familiar, but she wouldn't quite put a name to his face. It was as though she knew him quite well, but there was a block there, making him hazy.

"You're disturbing my break." Evangeline huffed as she placed her palms on the ground, pushing herself upwards.

"There is no such thing as a break when you need to train."

"Well," Evangeline clicked her teeth together and gave a slight glare in his direction," I already trained this morning, and I have no interest in doing more before my rounds at dawn."

"But you promised me you would spar!"

"With swords," she threw her hands forward violently, motioning towards the bow in his hand, "I only spar with only swords."

"Well, there is always time to learn a new skill," the young man said as he was finally standing in front of Evangeline, a smile on his youthful face.

Evangeline stared at him for a long second before turning her shoulder and letting out a 'hmph'.

"No thank you."

The young man's smile deteriorated as the light in his eyes dropped down a level; he was no longer beaming with the same energy. Evangeline's annoyance fizzled, as she couldn't help but feel bad for the young man. He was so energetic and radiated positivity. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Fine. What is it you wish to do?"

"Distance contest?" The young man proposed and Evangeline shrugged her shoulders with agreement. It seemed to be entertaining enough. Something competitive but not too taxing on her body before rounds. The only difficult thing would be lining her eyesight within the darkness, settling upon the village. However, elves had good night's sight, so it wouldn't be too difficult to see their target.

"Okay, how about we start there?" Evangeline pointed to a spot in the open field not too far away from where the two stood. The young man agreed with a swift nod, and the two walked over to the spot Evangeline pointed out.

The young man took an arrow out of his satchel and placed it delicately along the string of the bow. He pulled back, apparently focusing on adjusting his eyesight, and aims in the direction of the open field. His hand released from the string, and the arrow whizzed through the air, catching flight between the low-hanging clouds. It then landed sharply on the ground, penetrating the earth, making the dirt fly up into the air from the contact. The arrow stood right in front of the tree line, perhaps only a few yards away from the edge of the forest.

"Well played," Evangeline stated as she peeked back at the young man. The longer she looked at him, the more feelings of frustration started to overtake her body. She simply couldn't remember his name for the life of her.

"Thanks, Tara," the young man said, and he handed Evangeline the bow. However, her eyebrow rose at the name 'Tara'; that wasn't her name, was it? While it sounded incredibly foreign to her, there was also a tiny bit of familiarity.

"Tara," she whispered to herself, feeling the letters flicker off the tip of her tongue.

"Are you okay, Tarnua?"

Evangeline flipped a piece of her hair out of her face before nodding her head rather quickly, attempting to pull away any sort of emotion that might be flickering along her face.

"I'm fine. Just give me an arrow."

The young man gave Evangeline an arrow, and she loaded it onto the bow. She set herself to the side and drew the string back, closing one of her eyes in an attempt to focus on where she wanted to shoot. Her one eye focused after a couple of seconds. Where she geared her attention was the movement in a tree right along the forest border.

After a bit more sightseeing, she could spot the frame of a Galarian chipmunk gnawing on a piece of fruit.

Without a moment's rest, she let the arrow fly from her fingers, and it swirled effortlessly through the sky, casting a gust of wind to fly between its sharp edge and body. It then pierced the chipmunk in the body; the small animal let out a high-pitched squeal before the life in its eyes disappeared into nothingness.

"Show off," the young man scowled as he stole the bow out of Evangeline's hands, giving her a playful glare in the process.

"You're the one that challenged me," Evangeline smirked, and the young man took a free hand, pushing a piece of hair out of his eyes. His hair was quite long for a man, falling just above his shoulders; she only now noticed a small feathered pin that was on the top right side of his head. The feather was white and the body of the pin was blue, crystalline almost.

"Tell me, Tarnua," the young man turned to Evangeline and gave a wicked smile, revealing his sharp canines. They looked like that of a predator, ready to tear through any prey presented in front of them. "What is my name?"

"What?" Evangeline asked, as her eyes are forced upward, confusion echoing along her face. Her eyebrows clenched inward, as her mouth fell into a frown. Evangeline's green eyes, which typically sparkled with energy, were now dulled by confusion. What sort of question was that?

"You heard me. Or should I say, Evangeline? What is my name? Or do you not remember?"

"I do remember," Evangeline stammered stubbornly, but the threatening look in the young man's eyes made her heart freeze for a second. She should remember it was on the tip of her tongue. However, she couldn't seem to put a name on the young man's face.

"I suspect that to be false." His eyes were cast downward as he shook his head. "You get the privilege of not remembering us, not knowing our names, faces, or who your family even is."

"I do know!" Evangeline snapped as her hands are balled into fists, baring two canines of her own in an attempt to show dominance.

"Stop lying, you traitor!" The young man yelled, his hand clenching the bow. "You don't know, and you don't want to know."

He looked at Evangeline with pain echoing in his pupils. Tears started to well at the corners of his eyes.

"Because you have a perfect life now. You get to be surrounded by royalty, eat properly, have a solid roof over your head, unlimited money to spend, and you don't care to remember who your real family is."

"I've tried," Evangeline spat out as she threw her hands into the air, angry tears starting to stream down her face. "I've tried so hard. The doctors have looked at me. I've had psychics, hypnotists, psychologists, and it doesn't matter!"

"You'll remember one-day Tarnua, and you'll remember just how much of a monster you are."