Hangover Breakfast

*Belinda*

Belinda sat alone, lost in thought under the morning's soft glow. A gentle breeze whispered–a soft promise of warmth without heat. With a contented sigh, she closed her eyes and took a breath, savoring the subtle perfume of the day that lay ahead.

As the sound of the French doors clicked open, Belinda sat up straight. A patient smile was on her face that widened as the familiar sight of bright hair came into view.

Today Hidi was dressed in a full skirt and a fitted bodice, both in shades of baby blue. And her yellow locks had been tucked up into a crown braid. The braids were thick and healthy. Much like the giant looked this morning. Her lips already pulled up to show a toothy grin.

"Daughter." Belinda greeted, taking her hand. 

"Mother." The giant squeezed a gentle pump before taking a seat to her left.

"Am I the first here?"She peered around the garden with an eager eye before moving to eat a sausage. She then threw back her tea before motioning for another.

"Well?" Hidi raised a brow, her tone slightly heavy. "Hurry up."

"That…" A look of disapproval quickly darkened Julia's expression. But ever the professional, she pulled back her shoulders, regaining her posture and poise.

"Your majesty," Julia refilled her cup, but before she stepped back, it was empty again. Hidi again tipped the cup at her. Again, Julia flinched but poured more tea. 

As she poured, Hidi went for more food. Taking some toast, to slather butter and jelly on it. It was almost a gag-worth amount. 

Belinda had to resist the urge to pull her lip. But that was normal. Giants ate a lot. However, it didn't mean she didn't avert her gaze, all the same.

"So it seems." Belinda acknowledged turning back to peck at her eggs. Still untouched. She didn't want to start yet. Not until they arrived. But time was stretching on, and her food was getting cold.

Yet another thing to annoy me this morning. Belinda frowned with a look to the other chairs and tables. Still set up from yesterday. The sight of them was a dark reminder.

All that planning has been for nothing. Belinda flexed her jaw, but pushed out a short breath. Willing the bitterness away. She couldn't blame them for all leaving. A vampire in bloodlust was a serious matter.

Not for a giant, though. Belinda couldn't help but sigh with relief, coming back to see Hidi stuffing food into her mouth, unbothered. Yesterday's events barely registered to her. 

At least, that business, was still going well. And she lifted the corners of her lips into a small smile.

"I heard your friend Lady Poole has left." Belinda posed, moving to sip her tea. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she wasn't too distressed by-" 

Belinda motioned her manicured hand up in the air. "What happened yesterday."

"Lucy is a rather timid bird. So I don't take it to heart." And Hidi moved to take up a pancake. Covering it in syrup. 

Belinda again pressed her lips at the sight. Slightly envious of her appetite. Giants could eat half their weight in food before even thinking of cellulite.

Unlike her. Belinda grumbled silently, forcing down more tea. The cream, at least, was pleasant enough to stifle her hunger. For now. But said hunger was beginning to become unruly.

What is taking them so- 

At the sound of the door, both looked up. Belinda smiled in relief–until she saw them descend the stairs. Her smile faltered.

Nicoli stood in the suit she had ordered, his hair neatly parted and slicked back with pomade. Presentable enough. Yet Belinda couldn't ignore the dark circles under his eyes or the sluggish way he dragged his boots through the grass. His posture, his very presence, exuded exhaustion.

Alexander wasn't fairing any better. His wiry beard needed a trim, and his short hair stuck up wildly at the cowlick. Worse still, he hadn't even changed from last night's red and green suit–only the crisp white shirt was fresh, no doubt Johan's doing.

No, they both looked awful. Belinda pressed her lips together, uncertain who appeared worse–Nicoli, with his dazed stare, or Alexander, stumbling forward like a man barely upright.

Belinda clenched her jaw, then forced a smile as they reached the white table.

"Good morning!" Hidi gushed in her thick accent, clearly chipper to see more company. She patted the empty chair beside her loudly.

"Nicoli, come sit by me." She urged a beaming grin.

"That…" Nicoli paused, as if to protest, but then stopped. He shrugged. 

"Sure, why not." And like that, Nicoli plonked himself down into the chair, leaving both women momentarily taken aback. Both blinked in surprise at his sudden obedience. 

But before they could even process the abruptness of it all, the giant's mood shifted. Her face instantly broke out into a radiant smile- a genuine warmth in her expression that was hard to ignore.

"Here, let me make you a plate." Hidi volunteered happily, scooping large helpings of sausage, toast, and scrambled eggs to pile up on his plate. She was giving him a giant's portion. It was too much.

Belinda frowned a little at the sight, finding a need to chime in, else make her son sick.

 "Hidi, that is-" but the words died in her throat as a certain smell wafted over her.

A servant approached Alexander, bearing a tray with a single mug on it, its contents still steaming in the morning air. The strong scent of earthiness mixed with acidity told her what it was, and she furrowed her brow as the servant placed the drink before him.

"Is that… coffee?" Belinda noted stiffening in her chair. 

Alexander took the cup, thanking the servant quietly before pausing mid-sip.

"It is." 

"Oh." Was all Belinda could push out before pressing in her lips again. She had to force down a swallow, to compose herself again. She turned to Nicoli, instead.

"Good morning, honey." She beamed, pushing up a motherly smile. All sweet and light as if to lift him but default. It didn't work.

Nicoli just shrugged.

"Morning." The boy lifted his fork to poke at the food. His sapphire eyes looked at, but did not see the fluffy eggs. Only harpooning the fluffy mess with careless precision. As if he wasn't hungry at all.

Belinda's lips tightened as unease settled in, but she exhaled slowly, steadying herself..

"Honey, are you not hungry?" She went pleasantly, keeping her tone light and airy. "Perhaps you want something else to eat?" 

And as if asked, she lifted her hand for Julia to come over, ready to get him something new. 

But the boy shook his shaky mane, putting the fork down to sit back. His head lolls up to the sky to stare at a lazy white cloud drifting overhead.

"No," Nicoli replied before yawning. "I'm just thinking of stuff."

"Stuff?" Belinda blinked, waiting to hear more. But the boy just looked down at his food before giving a low sigh. His sapphire eyes growing unfocused. Distracted. He didn't even seem to be present at all. 

Something was wrong.

Was it from yesterday? Belinda could only assume so. She clenched her jaw tight at the thought. But forced out a breath. Renewing her smile.

"Eat something, Nicoli." She urged pushing the plate closer.

"You'll need the energy to keep up with today. As you'll be very busy." 

"Busy?" Nicoli seemed to finally stir at that, pushing up a brow. "Why?"

"Why, because-" She had to laugh. Did he already forget? "You still need to keep your promise."

"Promise?"

"You are to take her majesty through the maze."

"Is that offer still up?" Hidi flicked her head up to catch Belinda's gaze. Her green eyes then set alight with excitement. And that was all it took to get her sitting straight to start clapping. 

"Oh, ja! How fun! I should very much like to-"

"Seriously?" Nicoli scuffed incredulously, looking after her. "But what about breakfast-" 

"Are you going to eat, then?" Belinda raised a brow, pointedly. Her eyes glanced to his still untouched food- the mess of scrambled eggs all over the plate. As if daring him to challenge that. 

"But I'm not…" Here, Nicoli opened his mouth to speak, but Belinda didn't waver her stare. She meant it. And seeming to sense her mood for what it was, he thought better of it.

In the end, he closed his mouth with a huff. Pushing up from the table.

"Let's get it over with." Nicoli gruffed, moving to turn.

"Come on." He didn't even wait for Hidi to get up from her chair before turning for the entrance of the maze.

"Nicoli!" Belinda pouted in displeasure. Whatever was getting into her sweet boy? His attitude was atrocious as of late.

But to her relief, it didn't phase the giant at all. Rather, she seemed delighted by his sourpuss behavior.

"We will." Hidi chirped lightly, giving a quick bow. And then she was at Nicoli's side in an instant. Herself giddy. A smile of pure bliss bunching up her cheeks as if she couldn't be any happier to walk beside him.

For a moment, Belinda's spirits lifted at the sight, but it was short-lived. The strong, biting smell of the bitter drink wafted up into her nostrils, and her stomach lurched involuntarily, yanking her back to the present moment. It was a harsh reminder of the truth, and she couldn't escape it, no matter how hard she tried.

Belinda swallowed, waiting until before they were lost behind the walls of green before she turned back to the table. 

Her eyes regarded the mug quietly.

"I'm surprised we had any."

"Surprised about what?" Alexander lifted the cup again to drink.

"That we had coffee." 

Belinda watched him sip before resting the mug again. Her eyes lingered on the mug as a steam curled into the air, its acidity sharp in her nostrils. Triggering her memory.

There was once a time I looked forward to the smell. Belinda had almost forgotten. It had been so long since she smelt it. Years and years ago. When they were all still friends. 

Before she did that. Belinda swallowed, pushing the memory down just as Alexander finished the mug with one gulp.

"I made an order for Anastasia and her entourage," He explained, looking after the empty mug. A distant smile filled his lips as he spoke softly.

"But I seem to have missed it more than I thought. I had a sudden urge to have some today."

"I see." Belinda moved to pick up her tea. She let it linger around her nose to wash out the overpowering coffee beans. It wasn't as effective, but it helped. Giving her some strength to press on.

"You didn't return to our room last night. " Belinda ventured softer now. Her voice almost wavering with the relief she had struggled off until they were together again.

"I was worried."

And she moved to take up his hand. But just as she did, she felt it. For a moment, his hand seemed to pull back, as if trying to escape her touch. 

But just as quickly as it began, the resistance faded, and he relaxed, turning to hold her fingers. His grip was gentle but sure, and his touch tender as his fingers traced lightly over her nails. The moment was brief, but the unspoken words that passed between them hung heavily in the air.

"You didn't need to worry. You know that."

"Doesn't mean I won't." Belinda swallowed thickly, taking in a breath. 

He's grown wrinkles between his brows. Belinda noticed watching him quietly. It was like new ones formed over the night. And they were starting to add up. His face was catching up with his age nowadays. Eventually, his body would too.

But he still thinks he can go on as before. Belinda felt her chest pull at the thought. 

"Don't wear yourself down, my love." She warned softly. "You are not as young as you used to be."

"I'm fine. I promise." Alexander stretched his arms over his head before a silly grin pushed back his thick beard. As if that could displace all her worries.

"See, fit as a fiddle." He went lightly, a laugh in his tone. 

But Belinda shook her head. All too familiar with the act. 

"No, Alexander. How you are acting right now reminds me of how it was when she became sick."

Belinda wrapped her hands around the cup, seeking warmth but finding only cold. The chill seeped through her skin, just as it had back then–when she first realized how much Alexander was slipping away.

"You didn't sleep then either. Almost made yourself sick with worry. Practically became skin and bones. If it wasn't for me nursing you back to health. That girl would have lost both a mother and a Father."

Belinda shut her eyes, and for a moment, it wasn't this table before her, but a dimly lit room. A younger Alexander sat hunched over, untouched food before him, hollow-eyed and drowning in silence. She had seen this before, this slow unraveling of him. 

All because of Parsul-

When she died, he could barely stand it. Her death almost killed him. Maybe a part of him wanted that. 

But Belinda refused. She couldn't watch him let himself slip away. She loved him too much. Even when he left her, Belinda couldn't hold it against him.

And I still don't, she thought. But that didn't make it hurt any less. With a slow breath, she opened her eyes, letting them settle on the tree outside, grounding herself in the present. A bird landed on a branch, its feathers a vibrant red.

 The color struck her–not because of its beauty, but because it always reminded her of someone. Of betrayal. Of a past she longed to bury.

But some things never truly fade. Belinda sipped again. Swallowing the thick and cold liquid to fall flat into her stomach. Before Alexander shifted.

Alexander cradled his cup with a sad smile. "I wasn't thinking back then."

Belinda nodded but looked away. She hated that smile and hated the reason for it. But in that hate, she felt pity. 

He was just as much a victim as she was. They both were.

"She wasn't meant for this climate, Alexander. None of them are in the long run. It would have happened. Eventually."

"No. She was just weak after birth. If I had only tried-" 

"Tried what? It was a common cold, Alexander. What do you think you could have done?" 

"I…you never know." 

"Alexander," Belinda shook her head once more. She then moved to take his hand. He didn't flinch this time but looked down at it. His blue eyes seemed so dark now.

Belinda wished they would never be so again. But it didn't seem ever to leave- not for long. No matter how much she tried to prove her love or show she was here. He always fell back. And Belinda was slowly feeling it wear her down at last.

"Some things won't work no matter how hard you try. No matter how much love you give, it never reaches."

Belinda blinked her eyes to dry a tear before smiling gently at him.

"Just eat something and get some sleep." 

Belinda then pushed toast onto his plate. A slight peace offering of hers. And it didn't go unnoticed. Alexander took it, before lifting the sides of his lips a little. 

"I thought you'd be madder, considering." 

"Oh I am!" Belinda didn't hesitate to bite back. But just as quickly, she lowered her shoulders. "But it wasn't all a loss." 

And Belinda looked back to where the children were. Curious about how far they were inside the maze by now.

"Their marriage is set. I've already sent the contract out to Bratha this morning." 

Alexander scuffed. 

"I don't even get to see it?" 

Belinda only tapped his hand playfully.

"I'll tell you the highlights later." She promised, shifting a curl around her finger. She wanted him to notice the new earrings she wore, to hear him compliment her.

But Alexander seemed to be thinking of something else. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"I wonder if he'll love her back." He moved to take a bite. "Hildenberg and Nicoli."

Belinda smiled a little, hearing his concern. It made her happy to know he cared so much for his happiness. But that was all the more reason she knew she had made the right choice. 

"With time, he will," Belinda noted, drifting her gaze back to the bird. Watching it groom its feathers. It plucked out one to fall. The color contrasted violently against all the green. 

"Just like us?" Alexander, meanwhile, went to reach for a sausage. His appetite was coming back now. "Isn't that what we did?" 

"Yes," Belinda answered, just as the red bird flew to the air. It soared, vanishing into the abyss of blue–leaving nothing behind. But a single feather. 

Belinda's gaze drifted downward, fixing on the lone feather. Even after the bird had gone, it had left its mark. Just like the past–never fully gone, always leaving traces. She tightened her grip on her teacup, as if holding onto something solid could keep her from slipping back into old sorrow.

"Just like us," she murmured, her voice heavy with resignation. She raised the cup to her lips, hoping its warmth might chase away the cold lodged deep in her chest. But as the liquid slid down her throat, all she tasted was the biting chill of reality.