Two Halves of a Whole

or

A Meeting of Chance from a Different Perspective

“I am not wearing that thing,” Alexander said, crossing his arms and glaring out the window. His hazel eyes, usually full of playful mischief, were now glittering in disbelief, and his mouth twisted downward in disgust.

The maid gave him a helpless look, feeling much too old for this sort of thing. “But your mother requested you be at the party, and she specifically asked that you wear this.”

He turned to her, gave the clothing in her hand a baleful look, and made no motion to grab it from her.

“It’s the latest fashion in Astaire,” she added, hoping that he would just accept it as was, but knowing in the pit of her stomach that he would rather sit in a lecture about the process of harvesting wheat by Sir Noctis than wear something so pointedly hideous.

“It has ruffles,” he remarked, his expression never changing.

“I’m sure it’ll look fine when you actually wear it,” she said. Inside, she was cringing, knowing that the monstrosity wouldn’t make a pig look regal.

“Would you wear it?” he asked.

She quickly hid a chuckle behind her hand, but he saw, and his gaze changed to the one she was used to seeing. “Of-of course,” she covered.

“I do believe, darling Ingrid, that you are…lying…to me,” he said, circling her with a speculative expression on his face.

She, of course, denied such a thing. And somehow, she found herself wearing the absurd and horrendous piece of clothing that she’d never wish on her worst enemy. The two of them cracked up over the ruffles and overall pink color of the monstrosity.

When Francine walked in moments later to find the maid wearing the outfit her son was supposed to wear, her eyes widened. “Did I get my orders messed up?” she asked, confused. “Ingrid, I wanted Alexander to wear that, not you.”

“Y-yes, my queen,” the maid squeaked, rushing to get out of the shirt she had put on over her dress.

“But…seeing how it looks on you, I expect it won’t look much better on my sweet boy.” Francine sighed and, after a moment, said, “Wear what you want, Alexander, but we will be expecting you at the party, dear. All the ladies of court are asking about you.”

Alex rolled his eyes, but he replied in a pleasant voice. “I’m sure they are, Mother. But I’ve seen enough of the ladies and princesses who stay at the castle. Why do I want to see more of them, much less be at a party full of them. All they do is giggle and talk about such petty things.”

Francine patted her son’s cheek affectionately. “And I love you for putting up with it all. Don’t forget, now. I know how your mind wanders.” With that, she left the room, muttering about how she worried for the future of Astaire when they came up with such disgusting designs and called them the latest fashion. It was simply dreadful.

Alex and Ingrid gazed at each other for a moment before bursting into peals of giggles. Then, Ingrid left, taking the horrendous garment of clothing with her to either burn or take apart to make into a fashionable girl’s dress. Alex lay on his bed, hands clasped behind his head as he gazed out the window.

“She only wants me to go to this party because Father’s probably been pushing for her to find me a suitable wife. Funny, considering he made a law saying I could only marry a princess. I wonder if he’s losing his mind. That’s a comforting thought.”

“It’s you who’s losing his mind,” Penelope said from his doorway.

He surveyed his older sister warily, taking in her brown hair, so very much like his own, and her blue-green eyes…ah, she was up to something. The last time she had that expression on her face, he had been forced to tie up Victoria’s favorite doll and hang it from the stairwell, just out of her reach. True, it had been a ridiculously fun prank. Actually, it was rather hilarious—seeing Victoria jump and scream about little Lizzy-Beth choking to death, never mind that it was only a doll and not human.

He sat up on his bed and motioned her nearer. “Am I, darling sister? It must have been your beauty that has so captivated me and turned me into a blundering fool.”

She fluttered her eyelashes and raised a hand to her heart. “Say it isn’t so, dear brother, or I shall go mad with grief.”

The two of them laughed. Nobody else understood why they so often said those words, but the truth was in a book they had picked up from their mother’s reading room and had made a play of reading the main characters’ parts. When they got to one specific part, though, they found they couldn’t continue due to their laughter. From that point on, they quoted the part whenever the chance arose.

If they had continued, though, they would’ve found the ending far more entertaining. The two lovers killed themselves because they were “so deeply in love” and could not go on living if they were separated (which was what their parents were trying to do). It was a ghastly take on Romeo and Juliet without any of the sword-fights or comedy that Shakespeare had implemented to keep the attention from fading, and it really was about siblings, too—hence, why their parents wanted them separated. Truly, it was a horrible book, and, had they been older, it would’ve been disgusting to them. Now, however, they found it to be hysterical.

“But what is it that you want, Penelope?” Alexander asked, cocking his head in curiosity.

Her eyes glittered with mischief. “Mother wants you to come to the party because Father requested it.”

He had already thought as much, but he feigned surprise to egg her on. “No…”

She sat on his bed, her eyes still glittering. “Oh yes, and it gets even better. Guess who he wants you to meet.” Her gaze was expectant.

Now this he hadn’t considered. In all honesty, he could care less about whom his father wanted him to meet, but he played along all the same. “Well, I heard that the young Lady of Westinhaur was quite the beauty.”

Penelope’s face scrunched in thought. “Lady of Westinhaur? Ah!” Her eyes narrowed. “In what sick, twisted life is she a beauty? Have you seen her face? She practically has a beard.”

Alex grinned. “But there are men who find that very attractive.” He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis and earned himself a shove from his sister.

“Disgusting! I need to eat soon, you know,” she said. “Now that image will be stuck in my head.”

“Will she be there?” Alex asked.

“Who—no! Alexander! I’m trying to be serious here.” Yet, even as she said that, a smile was threatening to take over her face.

“You can’t come between us and our love!” he shouted in feigned indignation.

“She’s engaged to the Lord of Yale,” she replied matter-of-factly.

He fell silent, flabbergasted. “Now, that is a disturbing thought.”

“I knew you’d like it.” A grin equal to his own played on her lips.

“Well, they are certainly a match,” he stated, thoughtful.

A bearded lady and a hairy lord: what would the children look like? Imagining little ape-like creatures roaming the castle, tearing apart the rooms, terrifying the maids—it was far too much, and he couldn’t help laughing.

Penelope raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was thinking, but then thinking the better of it. Alexander’s mind was a maze of tangled, gnarled, and sometimes sinister twists and turns to which only he could ever escape unscathed. Despite all their fooling around, she knew that there was much more to him than what he was openly displaying. Everything he said and did was thought out quickly and precisely. Every plan he made had at least two back-up plans, and it happened in an instant. In truth, he was truly frightening.

Catching her thoughts, she cleared her throat to again catch his attention. “But all joking aside, Father wants you to meet Cinderella of Nasarette, the daughter of Victor and-”

“Felicity of Nasarette,” Alexander cut in. “Yes, I know. I think Mother’s talked enough about that woman for me to remember her name even in the direst situation.” A mocking smile played on his lips. “So, because Father refused to marry the woman, he wants to make amends by marrying me to her daughter. What, is he afraid of death, so he’s trying to make amends with his past? Is he worried that he’ll be judged and proven unworthy?” A snort of derision, then, “he should be.”

Penelope gaped at her brother. It was times like these that she could feel what stirred beneath that nonchalant expression.

Alex stood and strode to his window, gazing down at the hedge maze below and tracing the right path with his eyes. A thousand thoughts were racing through his head, prevalent among them being the ones against his father. The man wanted him to marry a princess, didn’t he? He made that idiotic law so that his son would be less foolhardy in his marriage decision. While Alexander understood this, he didn’t agree with it. If his father wanted his heir to marry a princess or a silly little girl, then he would cease to be the man’s heir.

“Alexander?” Penelope said softly.

A smile crossed his face, and he turned to her, noting that the worry that clouded her vision disappeared instantly. “Well, I must disappoint dearest Father again. I’m not going.”

Penelope’s mouth fell open and she let out a cry of disbelief. “You have to go!”

Crossing his arms, he cocked his head, causing strands of brown to fall into his eyes. He’d have to tie it back. It was beginning to irritate him. “And why, dear sister, do I have to go?” he asked, repeating her words in the same tone she had used moments before.

A sinister smile spread across Penelope’s face, and Alex uncrossed his arms. His interest was piqued.

“Because, darling brother, I absolutely despise this girl. She thinks that the world will bend to her whims because she’s a beautiful child. She’s selfish and rotten to the core, and she irritates me with all this talk about marrying you.”

His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Marry me? She hasn’t even met me-”

“Ah, but she believes that it is destiny, Alexander. She’ll marry no one but you. Once you meet her, I’m sure you’ll fall deeply and truly in love with her. After all, she’s just far too perfect.” Her words dripped with sarcasm.

“Ha!”

“And everyone at court believes her. Ever since her father left for war, she’s been coming here with that dreadful stepmother and stepsister of hers. Victoria and Miranda won’t leave her side. It’s disturbing.”

Alexander’s eyes widened. “Ah,” he said, a knowing smile on his face.

Penelope frowned, not getting the response she’d been expecting. “What?”

“You’re jealous of her.”

Clenching a fist at her side, Penelope glared at him. “I am not jealous. I’m irritated. She’s acting like she’s already married you.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” he asked.

“I want you to avoid her at all costs,” she replied.

He laughed. “I’m glad we’re in agreement. I already told you that I don’t want to attend this tea party.”

“Then, you knew-”

“That Father was planning something? Yes. I’m surprised it took so long for you to realize it.”

She pouted. “Not everyone is as clever as you.” Her words were said sarcastically, but…

“Yes, that would be a terrible thing,” he agreed. “Then I’d never outsmart anybody.”

She shook her head and walked out of his room before reappearing in the doorway. “Then you’re not coming?”

He raised a hand. “I shall be as elusive as the end of a rainbow.”

But it wasn’t long before he became bored. He could only find a small number of games to play by himself to keep occupied. Glancing at the bed, he considered just going to bed early, but he wasn’t tired. Then…the maze? Again, he looked out the window, but his attention quickly waned. No, not nearly interesting enough. Well, this was a castle, wasn’t it? What were the odds of running into that Cinderella character in a large, sprawling castle? He could sneak around, take a quick gander at what was going on, and disappear before anybody noticed.

A smile appeared on his face. There were hidden doorways leading into and out of rooms and corridors. If anything happened, he could disappear faster than the girl would be able to tell her friends of seeing him. That decided, he snuck down the stairwell and moved a picture before creeping into the doorway beyond it. The picture fell back to its previous position, giving away no hint of the secret that lay behind it.

Alexander had found thirteen secret passages, but he was sure that there were more in the older sections of the castle that were never used anymore. His mother refused to let him go to the ancient wing, saying that the spirits of their ancestors resided in that area and didn’t welcome company. He tried to persuade her otherwise, but she was highly superstitious of such things and believed that the dead wouldn’t interact with the living so long as they were provided a place to stay. Only the head maid was allowed in the ancient wing and only to clean it once a week. She never spoke of what she saw there, but he was sure that there were no ghosts.

Moving the portrait at the end of the doorway, he glanced around furtively and, deciding that it was clear, quickly raced from behind it and hid in a shadowy part of the hallway. Ah, guests were arriving. Would the Lady of Westinhaur be coming? She was always good for a laugh.

But it wasn’t Lady Lucille who came through the castle entrance. Instead, the girls of the court came along with two girls he hadn’t seen before—one with red hair and green eyes, the other with blonde hair and blue eyes. The ruffles and lace adorning their dresses made them seem more like glorified peacocks ruffling their feathers than young girls. So, even the nobles kept up with the latest fashions in Astaire? A shadow passed over them, and he lifted his mocking gaze from the two to study a third girl he hadn’t noticed. She was plain—brown hair, brown eyes—dull. Even her dress paled in comparison to the ones the other two wore. And yet, he couldn’t lift his gaze from her.

She interested him.

The other two girls threw irate gazes at the third one, and they hurried on ahead while the girl in the blue dress meandered slowly down the hall until she stopped altogether and studied a painting.

Wait!

That was the painting that hid the passageway. That was his escape! He paused and glanced around, suspicious. The ladies of court should’ve already been here by now. Sure enough, the hallway was empty save for him, the strange girl, and a few servants. A smile crossed his face. Well, if anything, he could toy with this girl for the time being. She’d relieve him of his boredom at least, even if she was plain and looked more boring than a box of rocks. He’d just wait until she started walking again.

“You must be new the castle,” he said, stepping out the shadows and quickly catching up to her pace.

She jumped, frightened, and glanced at him. Then, he was truly taken aback. He had never seen a girl look at him with such awe. But it wasn’t just him she was looking at in this manner, he realized. No, she was looking at the entire castle with that expression on her face. It made him feel self-conscious and flattered at the same time, but these emotions were never visible to her. All she saw was the smile that was almost always on his face—what he hid his true thoughts behind.

“Do I pass?” he asked, cocking his head in a jesting manner.

She became flustered, gasping and lowering her head slightly. “I apologize for my rude behavior,” she said in a soft voice.

How could she have such a soft voice? It didn’t fit her at all. That voice belonged to a girl who was beautiful…like Cinderella. But he had the fleeting suspicion that Cinderella had been one of the two peacock girls from earlier. He had recalled seeing her before—the blonde girl with blue eyes. She had been at the castle five years ago.

“And yes, I am new to the castle. How did you guess?” the plain girl continued.

Alex laughed. How could he not guess? She was staring at it as if she had washed ashore on a new land—one with candy buildings, sugar trees, and chocolate rivers, lakes and streams. “Everyone asks me that, and you’re the first person who’s ever apologized for looking at me.” A horrified expression crossed her face, and he couldn’t help but laugh. And, like always, he made something up on the spot. “When people enter the castle for the first time, they look at everything as if they’re trying to encrypt it in their minds. It’s as if they’re afraid that they’ll never come here again, and they want to see everything while they can. But at the same time, they are also gazing at everything with wonder, like a newborn baby gazing out at the world.”

Of course, these were all lies. Most people hardly stared at their surroundings like she had—hardly stared at him… Most girls fluttered their eyelashes or gave coy looks. They sickened him with their fake laughter and feigned interest in what he was talking about. All that they wanted was to be the next Queen of Exultia. He was supposed to marry a princess, but that didn’t stop the noble girls from giggling like fools every time they saw him.

Then, she smiled, and he found that he could no longer think of her as plain. True, she wasn’t a beauty, but there was something about her that made her appear far from plain.

“So poetic,” she said in that soft voice of hers, “but I was doing none of the things you described.”

He no longer found her boring as a box of rocks, either. Perhaps boxes of rocks weren’t boring? “Really then, pray tell, what were you doing?”

She pointed to the painting that hid his escape route. Had she discovered it? “Do you see that portrait there?” she asked, glancing at him worriedly.

He nodded, thoughtful. She must’ve found it! “What of it? Do you want to steal it?”

The look she gave him made him smile. “No, I don’t want to steal it. I was thinking of how long that woman must’ve been sitting before the painter finished her. I was wondering what was going though her thoughts and his thoughts as well.”

That was it? That was what had her standing there, staring at his hiding place? He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that knowledge. Instead, he said, “She was thinking of what she was having for supper. Mystery solved.” Then, he waited for her to react.

Sure enough, she didn’t disappoint. Her mouth opened in shock, and he laughed again. Ah, it was far too much fun to tease this girl!

“How can you say that?” she demanded.

“Well, she looks to be in pain at the same time as she’s smiling, so she must be hungry and thinking about supper.”

Her gaze darkened in skepticism.

“Why? What do you think?” he asked.

She was stumped now. She stood there, looking at the painting in the same manner as she had moments before. Then, she spoke. “She came from a faraway land…”

This time, he couldn’t bring himself to smile as she continued. He hadn’t expected her to know about his ancestor’s past.

“…where she was loved by everyone. But she fell in love with the Prince of Exultia, and they moved far away from her family. It’s a smile of happiness and regret, of bliss and longing, love and loneliness. It’s…bittersweet.”

Now who was being poetic? That was far more clever and believable than his reason had been. True, he had merely been joking—trying to get a rise out of her—but still. She made him look like a fool. In that moment, he didn’t like this not-quite-plain-but-not-pretty girl. And, as the twisted maze in his head continued spiraling with thoughts, a weak smile came to his face. “Who are you?”

“Drusilla of Nasarette,” she replied.

His mind blanked for a moment. Where had he heard that before? Then, everything came back full force, and he snapped his fingers, his smile once again bright and pleasant. “That’s right! Victor got remarried. You’re the daughter of…” What was that woman’s name? She had been from Dreary…with that dreadful Lord Robert who had placed a heavy tax burden on the people of that town to pay for his drinking and gambling. Such an ugly man—she looked a bit like him. They had two children…what was that woman’s name? Nadine! “Nadine!” he exclaimed.

She nodded slowly, gazing at him expectantly. “And you are?”

So she wasn’t as clever as he first thought. He laughed in relief. “I’m surprised you knew about Marianne but knew nothing of me!” With the words “Not as clever as me” dancing in his head, he swept into an elegant, practiced bow. “I am Alexander, Prince of Exultia.”

Then, he watched as she paled. Ah yes. She’d be far too much fun to play with.

Although his father was pressuring him to join them on the front lines of this battle, he found that he couldn’t care less about it. He had somebody new to play with—somebody who was much more intelligent than Penelope, yet so much less at the same time. What was that called? Ah, yes, naïveté. And so, unlike in OSTSG, Alexander decided to stay and play. After all, she proved to be almost as clever as him. They said that birds of a feather stuck together…and stick to her he would.

She was his toy. Until he grew bored of her, he wouldn’t leave her alone.

Author’s Note: Okay, yes, I know that I should be updating KoT, and I have been writing on it, but I need to be in a certain mood to write it well, and I need to have a certain amount of time set aside when I’m in the “zone of writing,” or else a dumb cow blocks the track of the muse train, and the whole thing crumbles into a big mess. Plus, there are summer classes and my laptop’s hard drive died. This wasn’t a crash. In the middle of the night two months ago, I woke up to an ominous “click click” sound. It will forever haunt my memory.

A good majority of stories (craptastic and good ones) were on that hard drive, and I didn’t back them up. This is a warning to all writers out there. Back up your stories! Back them up in three different places at least (in case something happens to a few of your back-ups). I had written the next chapter for The Sparrow and the Wolf on there, and now it’s gone. My crash zapped me of all my creative power because I was sitting there, thinking of everything I had lost.

KoT is safe, though. I was writing that intermittently at college. And I’ve also gotten past the bit of a dry spell I was having in that story, too. So, it should be up when I can actually finish the chapter. I’m about half-way done with it. Anyway…why did I write this?

Well, I was reading through my old stories (the ones that I had saved previously to a thumb drive—sadly, may weren’t spared from the carnage that took my laptop), and I realized…there aren’t enough interactions between Alex and Dru. Of course, I can’t fix that in OSTSG because that’s one of the major obstacles Dru faces in the story. However, I can tweak a few things here and there. So, this is a “what if.” Also, I’ll put in a few other interesting little factoids between the little stories. So, it should be interesting if you like Dru and Alex.

And unlike OSTSG, this will have minimal drama. It’s mostly about Alex. Actually, it was pretty hard to make this chapter because of the differences in my writing style from back then to now. I think I’ve grown as a writer, but I’m not completely sure. Still, though, this is my fun pet project to distract me from the pressures of Inorganic Chem. And I thought Orgo was hard? Ha! Then there’s also Microbio (class and lab) and studying for the OAT. I’m far too busy…