The Toils (Book One)

II. The Afterparty

Everyone had moved inside by time dusk gave way to the cool night sky.
A table had been set up next to the spiral staircase, and the food collected by the guardsmen earlier in the day had been divvied up for each of the villages - giving the kitchen staff a wider variety to work with for the evening feast, a feast that was now well underway.
Ritty and Antonia found themselves swamped with well wishers at the hightable and Maya and Magnus watched on from a table on the far side of the room.
"What are we gonna do when your mother comes looking for you?", Maya looked up to her niece.
"She's not going to come here", Magnus said, still gazing hard at Ritty and Antonia, group of people clamoured around them desperately - commoners dressed in their finest rags, the disparity between their clothing at those of the Royals was pretty thin.
"Why not?", Maya poked her niece in the ribs with her knuckles.
"Ow", Magnus rubbed her ribs and brought her attention to Maya, "Because we fought, she made it clear I wasn't allowed home if I left".
Maya thought on it for a minute, "She is right to be scared".
"So why'd you want me here?", Magnus asked.
"You're stronger than she gives you credit for... Maybe more than you give yourself credit for".
"I pick tomatoes out of the garden", Magnus half scoffed, "I'm hardly her", Magnus nodded toward Antonia.
"You don't need to be her. We already have her. I need you to be you.. The girl I watched grow up playing with sticks for swords, and reading as many books as you could lay hands on", Maya grabbed Magnus' hand and squeezed.
"I haven't read anything in a while", Magnus shrugged.
"You're here now, and there's more books on the third floor than you could even imagine".
Maya stook and let go of her nieces hand, "I'm going to do some rounds", She smiled, and ambled off into the thick of the crowd.
The chinting of glasses was almost ear piercingly loud, but Maya pressed on, wriggling through bodies until she found her way to Ritty at the high table.
"What's her name again?", Ritty asked pointing to Magnus.
"Magnus", Maya answered, leaning over the table to Ritty and Antonia.
"She come for the funeral?", Ritty probed.
"I'm giving her some training", Maya half smiled, a kindly, self-explanatory smile that made every wrinkle on her frail face more pronounced in the candle light.
"You okay?", Ritty furrowed his brow.
"I'm tired, sir", Maya sighed, "and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to get up and down those stairs", she pointed behind Ritty and Antonia to the large spiral staircase.
"Don't say that", Antonia tittered, "You know we'll look after you, right?".
"I know, Maam, but nonetheless, there needs to be another King-By-Proxy ready to go, after me", Maya said somewhat naively.
Neither Ritty nor Antonia felt like pointing out Randalls overt hostility toward Maya (jealousy, they thought, that King Ritty I had never chosen him as KPB).
Wanting to dissfuse the tension, Antonia whispered to Rittty - "I'm going to refesh the drinks, then maybe we can do a toast, or something".
Ritty nodded and Antonia moved away from the table.
"This won't last forever, you know?", Ritty spoke to Maya once more.
"No, it never does. It always resolves itself... Still. I dont like the idea of it getting rough once again", Maya looked over the crowd, happy, drunk and full of food, "It's probably the first time any of them have enjoyed a party like this".
"Maya", Ritty spoke deeply, "You know you can talk to me, if you're scared".
"I am scared, Sir, but talking won't to anything to alleviate this".
"There's nothing we can do but wait", Ritty countered.
"Beg my rudeness, Sir, but you're rarely here", She turned to face him, "You haven't seen the lines in the sand... I'm aware of how much disdain the council has for me... they have it for you, too. They know how to get what they want, and get rid of what they don't want".
"And what is it they want?", Ritty found himself intrigued.
"Power", Maya said simply, "Power for Randall, and power for Conan".
"Maya, you're not thinking straight", Ritty waved her words out of the air, "You're upset... We all are... Perhaps we should talk more about this tomorrow, after a long nights sleep".
Maya stared up at him, looking on the edge of snapping, but she sighed deeply.
"Yes, sir", She tapped the table a few times, and walked away, swallowed into the crowd.
Antonia had reappeared by his side, three mugs of beer set down on the table in front of her.
"What was that about?", She asked him.
"I-...I really don't know, at all", Ritty looked up at her bewildered.
The two stood in dense silence, the sounds of chatter and clinking overpowering as they watched Maya tottle across the room and to Agnes and Dorris standing and chatting next to the corridor.
"You wanna go or should I?", Antonia looked down to Ritty and asked.
"You go, they don't know you yet".
Antonia cleared her throat, and clinked her mug with her long, chipped, nails.
"Excuse me!", She called loudly, "If I could call you all to attention for a minute".
The chatter died down, and the crowd pulled their heads to the direction of the high table.
"Thanks", She continued, "I just wanted to say, it's been nice meeting a lot of you for the first time. Naturally, I'd've rathered it been on a happier day, I think we all would've. But, it couldn't be. Obviously the workings of the world are larger than you or I, and the circumstances... I didn't know the King well... Despite having been with Ritty for eight, or nine years, I never knew his mother, and I didn't really get to know his father", Ritty listened, sipping his beer.
"We can't control what happens, but we can do our best. I wanted to thank the staff in the kitchens, for taking their hits, today was already stressfull but they've managed to keep it going into the night", She tipped her glass in the direction of the corridor leading to the kitchens, "And all who've stuck around throughout today, to see us married and to spend the evening with us.
If anyone else wants to come and speak, I'd love it - perhaps our King-By-Proxy, and my new brother-in-law, Conan, could start us off". Antonia beckoned Conan from the middle of the crowd forward. He looked confused, nodding his head as he walked to the hightable.
Antonia handed him the third mug of beer as he stood staring into the crowd.
"Erm.. Thanks? Er, obviously, congratualtions to my younger brother. I'm glad you found eachother before dad died, because we all know you're married because you love each other, and not because it's required. I don't really know what else to say, other than thanks to the Kitchen staff from me, as well, you guys have done great", he turned to face Antonia and Ritty, and clicked his mug against theirs, and took a hefty swig of beer.
Maya skulked to the table, creaking in her bones, Conan squishing past her, mug slopping beer on the floor.
Maya gave Antonia a kiss on the cheek before addressing the crowd.
"Today is important. The following twelve months, will also be important. We have our King-By-Proxy, but I believe here, at this high-table, we have our King. I've served under two Kings. The end of our beloved King Richard, and King Ritty I. I've gone to Moteuka and talked with their leader. I've spent time in your villages, helped you pick the food that feeds your neighbours and friends. I have seen what this Kingdom needs in order to move forward. It needs a leader. Two, leaders. Two people who can navigate the continent and bring people together, a goal two Kings have desperately tried to chase, but neither could achieve. I believe those leaders are here. Should fate allow for it, we will have those leaders quite soon. To Ritty and Antonia, I wish you the best of fortunes", she smiled meakly toward Ritty, but his eyes were in the crowd, eyeing Randall closely.
Randalls dirty hair was pulled backward, exposing his contorted face to the candlelight.
Maya left the high-table, and slowly ambled to return to Magnus, who was deep into a lamb sandwich.