by Shelby Hild
I can’t do this, she thought. Her gaze moved over to Brayleigh and her forced smile faltered. The other woman seemed just as relaxed as the prince was. She’s right. I’m not suited to this at all.
Her mind twisted until she was looking at Brayleigh in a vision. The woman stood tall in what looked to be armor. Everyone was in similar outfits. She was older, her face thinner and grimmer. She stood tall, though, and as proud as ever.
“This is a moment we’ve prepared for all our lives,” she said to the crowd. “A moment we hoped would never come. But as I stand before you, before the people of Libros, I’ve never been more proud of my home.”
She raised a sword in the air and called, “For Etilidus!” The people called back until it rang though the air like bells echoing on a clear morning.
“Lady Vivilyn,” a voice called her back to reality. “We’re beginning to load the rail.”
A shiver moved through Vivilyn’s body.
What a way to start the group date, she thought as she rejoined the line of women preparing to head out. She tried to push the vision out of her mind, and hoped she’d hidden it well.
They loaded the rail quickly. Everyone seemed excited to be off and eager to see what the day would bring them. As each lady stepped onto the rail, they were given a number.
“Eight,” Vivilyn repeated to herself as she continued forward. She was led through another door to the right and after going through it, a man stood behind a counter to her left side working on mixing drinks. As she moved beyond the counter, she saw chairs in groups of four, two facing each other with a table in between. On the headrest of each chair was a large red number.
Vivilyn continued forward until she saw the chair with an eight. It faced towards the counter where the man was mixing drinks.
“No,” Brayleigh said as Vivilyn sat down across from her. “I will not spend this whole ride with you.” She stood up and went to the drink counter.
“I miss all of the sashes,” a brown-eyed, blonde girl said as she sat down next to Vivilyn in the chair labeled nine. “It made it so much easier to tell who everyone is. I can’t wait for the numbers to lessen so it’ll be easier to keep track of who is who. I’m shocked any of the public is getting favorites already. I mean, what’s the likelihood that who they decide to root for will still be here in a few months?”
“You’re just jealous that your name wasn’t out there, Sarah,” Macy said as she sat in the chair across from Sarah. “I mean even Vivilyn had a few signs. You didn’t have any.”
“I’m sure it was just an oversight,” Lady Sarah Ren of Shreville shrugged. “The public wasn’t sure who would be chosen for this date. I mean, there were signs for Darissa. Seriously? She’s not even here.”
Brayleigh returned and just stared at Macy until the other girl stood up and let her slide in.
“What’s that?” Vivilyn asked as silence descended among the group. She gestured to the cup in Brayleigh’s hand.
Without moving her head, Brayleigh looked down at the cup and then up at Vivilyn. One eyebrow raised before she answered.
“A drink,” Brayleigh said in a tone that made it obvious she thought Vivilyn had asked a dumb question.
The other two girls laughed as though it was the funniest response ever, while Vivilyn’s cheeks grew hot.
“What’s so funny over here?” Prince Aiden said as he started to walk by.
“Brayleigh just told a joke,” Macy said. She held her hand over her mouth as she spoke.
“It wasn’t that funny,” Brayleigh said with a wave of her hand. She flipped her hair with the hand that wasn’t holding her drink. “I saw they have some blackberry wine over there. It’s just as good as you said it would be.”
She raised the drink up slightly with a half-smile.
“I’m glad you enjoy it,” the prince said. “It’s my favorite.”
“I know,” Brayleigh said with a smirk. She held the drink up to her mouth and looked into his eyes as she took a small sip.
“How long until we get there?” Vivilyn asked. Brayleigh dropped the smirk as soon as the prince shifted his attention to Vivilyn.
“Not too long,” he said with a large smile. “We will be there before midday.” Vivilyn smiled back at him as he answered. “Would you like something to drink?” he offered the four of them. “I mean, Lady Brayleigh already has one, but would any of you like something?”
“No, thank you,” Macy and Sarah said.
“I’m not sure,” Vivilyn said. “But I would like to look at what’s available.” Sarah stood up to let Vivilyn by.
Almost as soon as they started walking towards the drink counter, the rail began to move. Aiden set his hand on the small of Vivilyn’s back as she almost lost her balance. It was a strange sensation to be standing while the rail moved in the opposite direction. Even in the carriages, she always managed to sit facing the same direction it was going.
“Careful,” he said as she fell back towards him. “It’s a little more difficult to balance here than a tree, huh?” Vivilyn laughed and looked back at him.
“I mean, a tree is rooted in place,” she replied. She couldn’t help but notice the warmth of his hand on her back.
“Very true,” Aiden said as they started walking again. They arrived at the drink counter quickly and the man standing there stopped talking to another man, one dressed in all black, on the other side. “Can we have a sampler tray of just a bunch of different drinks?” The prince asked.
“Of course, Prince Aiden.” The man went to work setting out glasses for the two of them.
“I’m so excited for the beach,” Vivilyn said with a smile as she looked up into Prince Aiden’s silver eyes. “I’ve never been to one before.” Aiden pushed his hands through his hair.
“You’ve never been to the beach? But it’s closer to Treelyn than Ettravil.”
“Only a little bit, but we’ve never really had the time or money to spare for special trips,” Vivilyn said, she looked back at the other women. “Not like any of them.” Vivilyn looked back at the prince. “Goodness, any extra money we’ve made through the years has gone to someday owning our place. We’ve only ever rented.”
“Well, then I’m glad to be able to show you a beach for the first time,” Prince Aiden looked to his side thoughtfully for a moment. “I hope that I can show you many other firsts." He said it quietly as though more to himself than to her."
When he looked back at her, there was a bit of an extra sparkle in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. He quickly added, "That's one of the great things about the Trials, being there to help people experience new things.”
“Your drinks, Prince Aiden,” the man said as he slid a tray with twelve glasses on it.
Prince Aiden grabbed two glasses with a yellow liquid in it. And he handed one to Vivilyn.
“This is lemonade,” he said as Vivilyn sniffed it.
“Oh, I love lemonade.”
“You’ve had it before,” he sighed slightly as he gestured to another glass. "You've probably had orange juice before?" He looked at her, one eye slightly squinted with his head tilted towards her a small amount. When Vivilyn nodded, still smiling, he moved to another glass. "How about papaya juice?"
"Papaya? What is that?" Vivilyn lifted the glass Prince Aiden indicated and sniffed it. "Eh, that does not smell very good." She tried to set the glass back down, but the prince looked at her with his silver eyes wide.
"Just try it," he said as he picked up the matching glass. "It tastes better than it smells." Vivilyn lifted the glass to her lips, trying not to smell the juice as she took a small sip. "See?"
It was sweet, but not overly sweet. The texture, though, reminded her of carrot juice.
In front of her, the world began to shift again. The vision began with Magnar standing in front of her with a glass of juice. It was a similar color to orange juice, maybe a bit darker, and it was thick.
"What is it, Papa?" Vivilyn asked, standing on her tiptoes in hope of getting a
closer look at the oddly colored drink. Her stomach, which hadn't been feeling properly for the better part of an hour, grumbled unhappily.
"Carrot juice, darling," he said, kneeling down next to her. "The Bakers got this new machine that can blend things up really well as a gift for helping one of the cooks at the palace in Ettravil. They offered to blend some fruits and vegetables up for us. Would you like to try some?"
"I'm not so sure," young Vivilyn said. She wrinkled her nose. "It looks a little funky."
"What did we say about not trying things?" Suzetta said from the other side of the counter. Duncan was already slurping down an entire cup of the juice next to their mother.
"How can we know if we like it if we never try it?” Vivilyn quoted her mother. “Our next favorite thing might be the last thing we refused to try." Magnar tilted the cup towards her and the smell hit her nose before she hesitantly took the cup from him.
The juice barely touched her lips before she threw up all over her father.
"Well, I guess carrot juice isn't for her," Duncan said practically, as the vision started to fade away. “More for me!”
Her vision didn't go back to normal though. Instead, it shifted to a dark room where only shapes were visible.
"Do you have it?" A voice said.
"One finger shaped carrot at your service," a voice so familiar to Vivilyn she could almost see its owner's face.
"And the other part?"
"Family heirloom and red gel? Check and check."
"Very good."
"Vivilyn," the prince's voice cut in. "Hello?"
Vivilyn blinked rapidly and shook her head.
"Are you okay?" The prince asked. His hand was on her shoulder, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath in her eyelashes.
"Y-Yes. I think so," she said, taking a deep breath.
"You lost all your color," he said, stepping back. "I thought you were going to be sick for a moment.”
"I…" Vivilyn started then closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened them, Prince Aiden gazed at her, his silver eyes wide with concern. "I'm sorry, this just… it reminded me of a juice I had when I was really little." Vivilyn set the glass back down. "I did get sick then."
The prince reached over to her glass and slid it to the back of the tray, before responding, "Then, let's not have you try any more of that."
The prince had her try one more, a margarita, before Lady Clara of Riverton strode up and asked the prince to help her decide on a drink. Vivilyn curtseyed and walked back to her chair with the lemonade firmly in her hand, her legs a little shaky as her stomach continued to twist uncomfortably.
She sat in her chair and took three deep breaths in an attempt to settle her stomach.
“Are you going to be sick?” Brayleigh asked from across the table.
“What does it matter to you?” Vivilyn asked. Brayleigh gestured towards the table with her still full glass.
“If you’re going to be sick, I don’t want to be in vomit range.”
“Vomit range?” Sarah said, looking over at Vivilyn. “Do I need to move?”
“I’m not going to be sick,” Vivilyn said firmly.
The four women went mostly silent, just staring out of the window as the rest of the rail buzzed with excited talk. Every so often one of the cameramen would walk by and pause to video them all pensively looking out of the window.
I hope they don’t show us being so boring, Vivilyn thought as the cameraman moved on.
It was easy to tell where Prince Aiden was in the rail. The girls he was speaking with would be louder than any other group.
After what felt like three weeks sitting on the rail, Vivilyn felt the vibrations of it start to slow. Although when she looked through the window to the sun, she realized it hadn’t been more than an hour.
“Ladies, Ladies,” Adontus’ voice echoed from the front of the rail. “We have arrived.” All the women watched as Prince Aiden exited through the door. “If you could all gather your items and make your way down the stairs. From there, you will find food and drinks. More importantly, you will find the largest private beach in the kingdom, all for your appreciation. It is all for you to enjoy throughout the day, except for the pier in the distance. There will be a surprise there this evening.
“Have fun and be sure to get your time with His Handsomeness,” Adontus winked as he spoke, before turning around and going through the same door the prince had.
All the women stood up and began slowly moving towards the door. Only one woman was being let out at a time, so Vivilyn stood a few steps behind Macy as they all made their way to the exit of the Rail.
Prince Aiden stood at the bottom of the steps and reached up to help Vivilyn with the last few steps down, as she assumed he’d done for all the women who’d exited before her. He smiled up at her as she set her hand in his for the final few steps. She felt her face warm up as her foot hit the ground.
It was as though everything around Vivilyn and Aiden froze. No one else existed. Her heart fluttered in her chest. In the distance, a bird cawed. Vivilyn thought she could hear the rushing tide coming in and out, in and out, but she couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t just the blood rushing through her ears.
The sun warmed her shoulders and the top of her head.
Something wet hit Vivilyn from behind, soaking the back of her shirt and shorts. Someone squealed. Prince Aiden dropped Vivilyn’s hand before he ran back a bit to the side to catch someone just as she slipped off the side of the steps.
Vivilyn turned around to see Brayleigh in Aiden’s arms, her empty glass dangling from her hands. Brayleigh smirked toward Vivilyn right before the cameras turned to face all three of them.
“Oh my gosh,” Brayleigh said as Aiden set her back on her feet. “I am so sorry, Vivilyn. Please let me help.” Brayleigh started pulling at Vivilyn’s shirt as though she was trying to stop the blackberry wine from seeping onto Vivilyn’s already sticky skin. The wine spread across the back of her shirt as Brayleigh “helped.”
Vivilyn attempted to move out of Brayleigh’s grip before the stain covered her entire back.
“It’s fine,” Vivilyn said, trying to force her mouth back into a smile. “It’s a good thing I was already planning on getting into the water.”
“I’m sure we can find something to cover this up,” Brayleigh said. Her face looked concerned, but her eyes were bright as though she struggled to contain laughter.
“It’s fine, really.”
“I have an idea,” Aiden said, then looked up to see how many of the women still needed to get off the rail, but most had exited in the moments since Brayleigh ‘fell.’
“Take off your shoes,” he stated. His smile seemed to reflect in the sunlight. Once she complied, he grabbed her hand and started running across the sand with a grin. “Come on!”
Brayleigh didn’t have to come along, but Vivilyn heard the other woman huff loudly in frustration before chasing after them.
Sand was all around them. Up ahead, they were fast approaching the shoreline.
It took them no time at all to reach the water. It moved in and out with a steady and comforting regularity. They stopped running for a few moments, allowing the cold water to lap at their feet.
“Who cares about stains if all of your clothes are wet?” Prince Aiden laughed. He attempted to run farther into the water, still fully clothed with his short sleeved, white button down shirt and blue shorts meant for swimming. “And who needs swimsuits when you have clothes?” His running was heavily hindered by the water and Vivilyn couldn’t help but giggle as a small wave tripped him so that he fell forward into the water.
His clothes were absolutely drenched, but he didn’t seem to feel the cold of the water. His now see-through shirt clung tightly to his skin, revealing well-honed muscles.
“What are you doing?” Vivilyn said through her laughter. Prince Aiden looked up at her, his silver eyes glistening brilliantly in the sun. He put the bottom of his hand on the v
ery top of the moving water. Half of his mouth rose into a smile.
“Oh, you know,” he said before creating his own wave with his hand, drenching Vivilyn’s front half with the cold water. “Just splashing around.”
Vivilyn gasped as the water soaked through to her skin. It didn’t feel any more pleasant than when the wine hit the back of her, but at least her clothing now seemed equally wet on the front and back.
“You have to come all the way in now, like me,” he said, standing back up. It obviously wasn’t very deep, but somehow the prince had remained under the water from his neck. Now that he stood, it was just around his lower thighs. When he reached a hand out, Vivilyn grinned as she rolled her eyes slightly. She moved out, braving the cold water enough to set her hand in his.
“How does the cold not bother you?” she asked as he pulled her closer to him.
He took a few steps with her deeper into the water before he said, “If you focus on the cold then that’s all you’ll notice. I’d rather concentrate on the positives. Like the sun above our heads, the waves moving in and out, and you here by my side.” Vivilyn smiled as he squeezed her hand.
“Prince Aiden,” Brayleigh’s voice called from the shore. They weren’t that far into the water, but the movement of the water and the birds above her head called so loudly that it felt as though Brayleigh was worlds away. Splashing came from the direction Brayleigh called from.
“Before they get here,” Aiden said as he turned Vivilyn to face another part of the shore, “I wanted to show you this.”
The dunes on the beach seemed to roll in mimicry of the water. Not too far away, waves pounded loudly on smooth, brown rocks and in the distance, a solid section of a wall began that looked similar to caves in a mountain. Even further beyond, Vivilyn could see the pier peeking into the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” she said as she looked back over to Aiden. The loud splashes of people wading over towards Aiden and Vivilyn reached her ears. She turned back just in time to see a large orange and yellow bird fly from the sand and away from them, towards the sun. “What was that?”
“What?” Aiden asked.
“The bird,” Vivilyn said. “I don’t think I’ve seen one like that before.”
