The Greatest Queen

The next day, March was confined to bed. August shoved all kinds of medication down his throat and Princess Ceci wrapped him up in her kindest magic.

And though she still slept and woke at the same time as always, Princess Ceci found herself caught in a daze. There was fatigue in her spirit that refused to let up. She wandered the halls of the castle, trying to find her bearings but failed.

December was still there in the garden, trimming the hedges like the day before and probably the day after as well. The birds chirped to her arrival and Ceci didn't realize that she lost awareness of herself until December snapped her out of her daze, "Highness. You're here." He turned around from working on the bushes and his smile was as loving and as sweet as always.

In the morning, the sun beamed down upon him. His lock glowed a shimmering golden hue. To her, he was the sun. Ceci didn't want to live a life without December.

But she could no longer ignore the dark circles under his eyes, "December. Did you…not sleep?"

December's looked apologetic and rubbed the back of his neck, "Well…you know. It was a bit hectic yesterday."

It sounded like an excuse but Ceci let it slide. December could use all the excuses in the world if he wished. "It's okay if you take today off. I will allow it."

But December shook his head and refused the offer, "Really, Highness. It's fine. I would feel empty without being here."

"Is that so…"

He inhaled but before he could respond, he was interrupted, "I've returned! Oh, good morning, Your Highness."

They turned around and saw April come around the corner. There was a paper bag in her hands with the familiar logo of their local coffee brand. "You know, I just had the funniest little feeling that you might be here so I bought you something too. And who knew! You really are here!" She giggled into her pale hand.

A cup of sweet coffee was offered to the Princess, which she took readily in hopes that caffeine might wake her from her stupor. It was still strange seeing April so frequently at the castle but Ceci supposed that a lot of strange things have been happening of late. Well, the Festival of Remembrance was approaching after all.

She joined April under the parasol at a quaint little table in the gardens. Ceci was feeling calm today. She watched December thank his wife for the coffee before turning his attention back to work. This was okay too. The Princess didn't mind just watching.

Lost in thought, she didn't even realize April had sat down at the table. "Are you excited about the Festival?"

A slow breeze tickled her face and Ceci found herself observing April closely. There was never anything particularly extraordinary about April but it didn't make her any less beautiful. "Yes."

If the Princess was lying, she wasn't able to tell.

But it was going to be okay either way, she told herself. The scene in front of her was proof. December was there to tend to the castle's gardens and Ceci's heart. April was there to remind her of normalcy. Everyone was fulfilling their role just fine, weren't they?

This as well, was just part of the main plot. The bitter taste of coffee assaulted her tongue and throat.

Cecilia never liked coffee, but she drank it anyway. The thought floated absently in Ceci's mind.

…

November woke up drenched in cold sweat. He rushed to the bathroom, bile scraping its way up his throat.

He wretched, abdomen contracting in painful heaves.

And even when all the contents of his stomach was emptied his body still quivered and twitched. The awful sound of hurling filled the apartment and the nausea that assaulted him was unrelenting.

Tears clouded his vision and November wanted to lay back down in bed. While Marilyn gave him more awareness and helped him get a grip of his sleep, November's dreams had hardly relented. He got up on shaky legs and decided he needed a shower to wash away the filth and the terrible images that assaulted his mind.

Arcadia was a world that was unkind.

But even when he wanted to hate it, he couldn't. Not when he was slowly coming to understand the nature of his very own existence.

Because the truth was, November wasn't Lorn. Not at all.

When he got out of the shower and returned to the living room, he caught sight of the abandoned homework thrown across his desk. He chuckled. How useless, he thought absently and wondered if he could add them to the burning pile for the Festival of Remembrance. But then chided himself for his own childishness.

He might not have been Lorn, but he was definitely molded after his personality.

He took a few steps towards his bedroom. Then paused, and turned back. November scooped up all his homework sheets and all the textbooks then marched over to the trash.

Loose pieces of paper fluttered around the floor.

November stared. And then turned around, only to return a second time and fished out the discarded textbooks. He frowned at their big boring covers and muttered a low apology.

Maybe not, after all.

He forced his thoughts off the books and went to get dressed instead. They were waiting for him at the orange building. And now that November had the power to summon his own Colored Dream, he felt like he was ready.

On the way, he hummed a lazy tune and thought about the conundrum of a name. He didn't feel like being referred to as a Month anymore but the name Lorn didn't feel like it was rightfully his. He was trying really hard to think of something new… But such a thing did not come so easily.

The sky was clear and the citizens of Arcadia were as pleasant as always, smiling and waving as November passed by. All of them were ignorant of the chaos that was about to descend on them come the Festival of Remembrance.

November chuckled to himself. He supposed that in the end, chaos was just a relative thing and that these pleasant citizens would remain ignorant as long as Ceci's magic continued to fester and enchant the world.

��

In a different time, the young Queen Cecilia sat by a gravesite. She would visit come every first of November, on the anniversary of his death. The pain was less sharp now. And for the most part, all she felt was distant bittersweet warm.

The sky was dense with storm clouds, as it often was in the autumn months in Arcadia with the winds gusting and strong. Cecilia had tied her hair up in a ponytail but it did not keep black strands from whipping her face.

Today she was tense with nerves and held her knees as she sat before the lonely gravestone. This time she brought a rare book as an offering, something from a distant eastern empire. "I hope you like it," she said.

The gravestone replied with silence.

Cecilia sighed. The nerves in her body refused to unwind.

She was a late bloomer, they said. With her dream core awakening at the age of fourteen. On the day of her awakening, they had gathered in the dim Room of Crystals to analyze her potential. Her new adviser, Erik, along with the other senior mages had given her a strange look.

"What is it?" She had demanded, her voice sharp to hide the anxious tremor she felt in her heart.

Even at an occasion as important as the Queen's awakening, Erik's light brown locks were a mess and he stood hunched, making his short height even shorter. Cecilia thought him unsightly but his advice was simple and sound.

He smiled at her but she didn't miss how his eyes were tense, "Ah…it's shouldn't be anything. We will need to thoroughly analyze the results first before reporting anything conclusive... I hope you understand, Your Majesty."

It'd be a lie to say she wasn't scared. But Cecilia was the Queen and wore a face of iron even at her tender age. "I see. Then make it quick. I want conclusive results by tomorrow evening, latest!"

One of the mages spoke out in outrage, "But Your Majesty, that's very unreasonable! Do you not understand the amount of time the procedure-"

She shot him an icy glare, challenging him to speak any further.

The mage faltered. He might have been easily triple the young queen's age but the little queen had already made a very clear demonstration of her authority. Her subjects were scared to defy her.

Erik bowed low, "Worry not Your Majesty. We will have results come tomorrow evening… We won't dare to waste your time…"

Although he had a cowardly disposition, Erik was good at quelling the queen's irritation. It was quite obvious why he was chosen as the new adviser.

Queen Cecilia swept her gaze across the rest of the mages, "Is there anything else?"

No one dared to say a word. Inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief. "Then good." She had left that room with confident strides but now seated before a quiet grave, Cecilia finally allowed her anxiety to show.

After all, she was only a fourteen-year-old girl. Any child would be both nervous and excited about their awakening. But Cecilia was the Queen and she wasn't allowed to show her weakness so readily. Her mother had taught her that.

She took a deep breath and then stood up, steeling her girlish fear into a stony face. Looking down upon the gravestone she forced a smile, "Wish me luck." It was already time to meet with those annoying senior mages again.

The gravestone stared back at her.

"..." She tried to imagine Lorn's voice and his smile. The gentle pat on her head.

She took another deep breath, willing the knots in her muscles to unwind. "Please watch over me, Lorn. I'll become Lunares's greatest Queen!"