After patting the granddaughter's shoulder, Alasdair turned around with a bright face. "My children! Brothers and sisters! Let tonight be a night of joy for House Crimsonmane. Eat to your heart's content! Fill your bellies with delicious meat and wine. Tonight, we celebrate Alicia's return to being part of the Crimsonmane. Soon, House Crimsonmane shall regain its former glory!"
All people applauded the patriarch's oration. They went to the dining hall with joyous hearts.
There was no utter confrontation thus far. Now, with the situation beyond her expectations, to convict the whole house that she could not use Orb to serve the family's biddings would be more challenging than expected.
The rousing festivity freshened the whole palace. Cooks came out from the kitchen with appetising dishes. When Alicia reached her seat, in front of her were already a dozen of whole-roasted pork, served line up along the dining table. Living as a patrician family in Trinketshore, Alicia had never partied with so many people as now. It was so crowded, that she felt almost breathless. Seeing the number of her kins beyond her number of fingers almost made her anxious. Thinking that sitting still throughout the feast until there was someone kind enough to converse with her also made her cringe beyond measure.
Of course, since she was the highlight of the party, a few relatives approached her with warm greetings—asking questions and small talk as if they were intimate since the world's creation. "Hey, Alicia, come on! Tell us how you got that pure Arcane might!", "How do you feel after obtaining such a godsend boon, hen?", "Alicia, you look absolutely gorgeous since we last met!", "How's the food, Alicia?", "What's with yon wee serving? Come on, Alicia, have another!"
All those attentions made her fretful instead.
However, not everyone gave their efforts to make her feel at home. Some who did not hide in hypocrisy stared right into her eyes. Most of them were from Ulysses's side. Still sensing her presence was not welcomed, she preferred to act in her father's manner, keeping her temper as if not having any clue. No unnecessary assumptions.
Suddenly, Alasdair exclaimed from the end of the dining table. "Alicia, my dear grandchild! How is the dish?"
"I-it's ... really delicate, grandpa. The skin looks smooth but crispy. And then the meat... it's tender and juicy." Alicia's heart raced like a galloping horse when cogitating an appropriate compliment. "Perhaps this is the most delicious pork I have ever eaten."
Even though to her true notion, she did not find any significant differences between Alasdair's Villa's special roasted pork and the regular grills she often ate at Howlett's. Crispy skin, tender and juicy meat, savory taste, perfect seasoning. What was there to differ? That was the roasted pork in general! Fate did not choose Alicia to be a decent culinary curator, it appeared.
"Splendid!" cheered her grandfather. "I'm glad you love it. No matter how wealthy you are in Trinketshore, you will never have any quality roasted meat as you have here!"
The girl just chuckled.
Alasdair uttered again, "Enjoy your celebration, Alicia, for later, we want to witness your pure Arcane might!"
***
After finishing the dinner, Alicia and Leith decided to walk around the villa. Some groups of kin kept approaching them both, asking them to have pointless courtesies. Short conversation after short conversation, they left one group only to be approached by another. Alicia tried to go with the flow, but still, she could not keep her intimate face all the time.
"Leith, I want to find fresh air." Alicia stepped to the outer porch to waste her saturation.
"I thought you never ask."
The star expanse bloomed wide throughout the cosmos. This is the true splendor at the villa, not every scintillating composition inside it, nor the jewelry pieces from the prudish Crimonmanes. At last, Alicia found tranquility after walking the garden, looking at the stars and the sparkling view of Eidyn from distance.
The girl started to pour her heart out to her brother. "I can't be wonted to this," she said. "Besides Whucksmire and grandfather, all those interactions seemed to be far-fetched."
"Aye, what can I say? Grandpa must be ordering them to make you comfortable in your family again," replied Leith. "But you're right. It's easier to just be honest."
"I don't ever expect them to just accept me for granted. Everything in this party seems... fake."
"So, you'll wander around the park until they find you?"
"Perhaps I will. At least until the time is right to discuss that pure Arcane matter."
Who would have thought being lulled by the serene night could drain an hour of their life without them noticing? The head butler dwarf approached the Crimsonmane siblings, who were relaxing in one of the gazebos.
"There you are. Why don't you blend with the others?"
"Oh, hello, Whucskmire. Ah, I don't know. Too many men with 'masks' in the room, is why," answered Leith.
Whucksmire laughed, "I understand. But this surely applies only to miss Crimsonmane herself, innit?"
Alicia could only sigh. "I'm sorry, Whucksmire. I'm just not used to dealing with them after not seeing each other for a long time."
"Oh, don't apologise." The head butler entered the seized gazebo. "They are not used to your presence either. I can tell. Everything requires a process. Over time, the kinship between all of you shall restore like it used to be."
"I hope so—if it goes well," muttered the girl.
"Goes well?"
"Ah, nothing, Whucksmire. Forget about it."
"If that so, I hope you will kindly follow me to the family meeting room. Lord Alasdair is calling for you."
"Already? But we're just resting here," Leith suspired.
Alicia made up her mind to get up and return to the mansion. "Excellent. It's time to conclude this matter."
***
"We have heard that the Silent Divine have chosen you to carry the pure Arcane," Alsdair spoke aloud while sitting in the main hall. "If you would be so kind to us, enlighten us with but the fraction of Divine Grace, my grandchild!"
Alicia gulped. The awaiting moment had arrived. In her palm, held a handle of a small container titivated with magic inscriptions and unique trinkets. She opened the container's seal and revealed to them a blue light flowing out, projecting the beauty of the universe inside a chamber. Everyone with eyes was stunned by the sublimity of the substance, akin to stare the morning sun flowing blue and red radiance.
Only a few had ever witnessed the pure Arcane. Shivers came to the servants who dared to sneak peek, even Whucksmire knelt to the floor and pray in a mutter. "O Silent Divine, let me leave this realm in peace, for I have seen your shade behind that pure might!"
Alicia retained her focus so that Orb stayed fly around her. A thought came to her mind to bring a demonstration, perhaps mild horseplay or anything alike. She scanned the people, then chose for herself a target. Alicia flowed the Arcane from Orb and then deliberately blast that person right in her heart! The entire mass was immediately shocked to hear the thud of someone falling.
A moment before the person had the desire to ask the intention behind her doing, he saw his entire body bathed in Arcane light. He felt stronger and more alive in a drastic way. His view then switched to Alicia surprised yet full of amazement. However, he could not keep his blessedness forever. Alicia decided to retract all the Arcane essence from the person back to her before he became lulled by it. Now, he felt a part of him was gone. "Oh, come on!" he exclaimed while joking. Alicia wrapped up the show by putting Orb back in the container, and sure enough, where there was a show, there were ovations.
Alasdair ignited the thunderous applause to his granddaughter. "Marvelous! That is truly the pure Arcane! My Granddaughter is the true Arcane wielder! My family, the Silent Divine smiles upon us!"
He rose again from his seat and walk closer to his granddaughter. "Thanks to you, House Crimsonmane shall return to its heydays. We will rule again the wizarding realm of Camelot, even the whole Europa. We all put to you our greatest hope, my dear grandchild."
The expression on Alicia's face suddenly changed.
"I see. Is that the reason you invite me here? To entice me to take control of the country with Orb's power?"
"That sure sounds too malicious when you put it that way," answered the patriarch. "No, my grandchild, we will not launch a coup. As a matter of fact, we don't have to do all that. By knowing that pure Arcane dwells amongst Crimsonmane, the people, even the kingdom are going to depend on us, indirectly!"
"That way, your voice can be more influential and involved in politics and government like the House Crimsonmane used to. Yes, my family already told me all of it."
"They did? Well, that's great, is it not? I don't have to tell you at length anymore. Maybe you don't feel our struggle back in Trinketshore, but believe in me, your power would be a great help for our family to reach out to more people in Camelot or Europa, the whole world if we must!" Alasdair cried out with excitement. "Arcane is the rarest magic source there is. House Crimsonmane could be the extension to channel that power. Stopping wars. Creating peace in the land. Making everything sufficient. Tell me, Alicia. Are those not noble duties?"
Pay attention to that. Even the grandfather figure so dear to her could speak something too unsettling with forthright. Spreading the banner of a new royal dynasty was only a blow to the gossip breeze that sickened many people. Lots of men wanted to rule, but almost none remembered their sweet promises. Those were already daily bread for the people who lived in Alicia's time.
"I appreciate your goodwill, grandpa." Alicia was ready to cast her ultimate sentence. "However, you have to forgive me, for I and Orb won't commit to our House's agenda."
The meeting room slowly grew stifling. Whispers intertwined in response to the answer of the Arcane-wielding girl. Alasdair was taken aback for a while, but he made efforts to breathe calmly.
The grandfather persuaded his grandchild. "Alicia. We did have a terrible track record with you. We are not your best family of the year either. But it is for the best to relieve our grudges between us. Let's become one again, unite, cooperate as a whole family."
Alicia responded to her grandfather again, saying, "This is not about the past anymore, grandpa. Truly, I am really glad and longing to be with you again, apart from the bitter past. But Orb's might is not used for the benefit of one side. Divine Silent does not choose me for it."
"Then for what He chooses you, then?"
Alicia seemed struggling to answer his question, shown by her body sign. "I don't quite understand the will of the Divine. But I believe, grandpa, pure Arcane is used to free the people from the chain of the world. Saving the realm from the darkness without making them submit to anything, not shackle them to another master. And for that, I've found my place in the Magisterium, which once was mama's place too."
Alicia's countenance stayed steadfast. Likewise with her father, Donar. Whereas her brother tensed up like he could not stand the reaction of the whole house, and how it impacted his sister. Moreover, they were now underground, which only the Crimsonmane wizards were allowed to enter. The servants actually should not pass. Whucksmire did not dare to pass his feet across the door threshold, even though it was an inch away —unless he was told to. If every Crimsonmane did not desire to take the glasses girl's pleas with a sincere heart, silencing her along with her little family was not a difficult matter.
"So, you put your trust more in Magisterium to lend your power to them than your own family?" guessed the grandfather. His countenance was also changed.
"What? That's not what I meant, grandpa!" Alicia denied. "I am ready to help my family if you ever need me. Anything but your political agenda. I don't fully side with Magisterium, but it is a collective organisation of magicians from various countries. As for now, Magisterium is the most neutral vessel because they have no purpose but to keep the balance of the world of thaumaturgy. Believe me, grandfather. Magisterium needs Arcane more than this family!"
Alasdair, again, racked his brains to convince his granddaughter. But he was almost losing his patience. "Listen, Alicia, if you want me to tell my honest opinion, those state officials and Magisterium mages are no longer reliable. Taking the initiative for the common good is better than waiting for the certainty of the king or a group of obscure Magisterium experts in ruling and causing more chaos. No need to rush into a decision. For the sake of celebrating your return to us, I will give you some time to think this through."
"Time? I don't need any more time!" The Crimsonmane Girl subconsciously raised her voice. "Look at all of you! Even without Arcane you can still eat city roast pork and sleep on a comfortable bed. What else do you want to achieve with Arcane might? Your endless, greedy lust? Do you want to save people out there? Where were you when I was being chased by a necromancer and I had to stop his terror acts in the city centre? Eidyn is only a few kilometers from this villa, and I didn't find a single Crimsonmane saving the citizens other than Leith and Papa!"
Leith tried to grab his brother to restrain himself, "Alicia watch your tone!" he whispered, but Alicia ignored her brother's warning.
Alicia continued, "You don't need Orb to truly help Camelot. Crimsonmane's influence as elite mages is already quite large here. Please, don't make yourself into the second Roma. Nobody wants that."
A bold statement. The truth did hurt. All Crimsonmane mages already had their heartache. Her words were enough to make the whole family look at her cynically. Those red faces of the Crimsonmane fiery horses were well described. They clenched their fists too strong, to the point of almost tearing the muscle fibres of their palms.
"Donar and Leith instigated you, didn't they?" asked the patriarch once more.
"This all comes from me alone, grandfather."
"Damn Crimsonmane brat! We went to great lengths to be nice to you, you bastard! Is this how you thank us?" Ulysses Crimsone shrieked from the back row, supported by a sharp glance from other Crimsonmanes around him, who were even more violent than the ones on the other side.
As it turned out, being still while watching with nefarious eyes was a form of courtesy from Ulysses's side of Crimsonmane family.
"I knew it would not work. Father, you listened to Penelope more than anyone else. But I am your biological son!" he nagged again. Penelope was also annoyed with Alicia, but she could not let the wicked Ulysses escape her "penned grudge record". The two sides ended up in another dispute.
Before causing another commotion, Alasdair intervened by raising his hand. He once again saw Alicia's face. Alicia looked back at him. His wrinkled face was full of disappointment. "After all this preparation, in the end you rejected us. I may have been too mean to you back then…." The patriarch's eyes which were sunk in wrinkles suddenly pierced Alicia. She was pushed by herself!
"… Or," continued Alasdair again, "I was too kind to you, to let you live."
The gaze lasted only a moment, before he continued to his other relatives, "The party is over. I think ... I think I'll go back to my room and rest. Go back to your respective residences," he said as he left the chair.
Alasdair walked past his granddaughter without a glance or a word of farewell. The old mage with his magical aura disappeared into the murky hallway. A bad conclusion. Alicia had expected this, but why the Divine was so mean to her, she still could not prepare for the anguish that hit her heart!
Alicia saw the other relatives didn't move an inch from their position. They were reluctant to go out with the betrayer of the family.
"Alicia, what was that?" Penelope's voice aired, breaking the silence for a moment. "You shouldn't have to be so harsh on your grandfather. To all of us! Have you forgotten, the Crimsonmanes are indeed destined to be the driving horses of Divine's will? Why do you see us as a bunch of narrow-minded greedy mages?"
The innocent Alicia easily felt bad. "I-I'm sorry. I—"
"Don't apologize to me," said Penelope. "You should weigh this matter again carefully, then come back to apologize to your grandfather."
Ulysses pushed his way through the crowd of red horses and walked in front of them. "No need to apologise." He took out his wand, "Let us all seize the ball."
"Do not even try!" Donar immediately pulled the girl back and pointed his wand as well.
Penelope begged her husband to withstand the incoming blind attacks from Ulysses' side. Her husband agreed. Most of Penelope's side had already put their sticks on Ulysses' head as well as the other wizards.
"Don't act foolish, Ulysses!" Penelope said. "There must be no bloodshed in this place!"
"Like I give a fuck! Even if the Eternal Empire chases us for murder, it doesn't matter as long as the Arcane is in our hands!"
"If that girl dies, no one can save us from anything. None of us are chosen by Arcane!"
All heads are getting more flaming. Ulysses lowered his wand slowly and spat on the floor, in front of Donar.
"Why are you still here?" Florence Crimsonmane, Ulysses' wife shouted at them. "Go back to your Magisterium lair. There's no point in you being in the Crimsonmane house again, traitor!"
"Come on, hurry up! Don't waste my time waiting for you to vanish from this villa. I want to go home too!" cried the other kins.
Ulysses, who had his back to Donar, turned his neck slightly and stopped. "There's always a way to use Arcane without a snotty brat like you, Alicia. Be grateful to those who pity you. I hope ye don't waste this third chance with yer stoter heid!"
Donar held his daughter's shoulder. "Let's go home, hen."
The gloomy Alicia held her father's hand tightly and turned to leave the Crimsonmane family in the meeting room.
As the family headed for the exit, they were reunited with Whucksmire.
"The party is over?" he asked, "I saw Lord Alasdair going to his room with a dreich coupon—so you would say." The head butler chuckled. "Maybe he just looks tired."
"Yeah, a tiring party, Whucksmire. We're going home too. Good night," Donar replied.
"Of course, Lord Donar, Master Leith, and Miss Alicia. I really look forward to your next visit, especially for Miss Alicia, I would like to hear her life stories." Whucksmire let out a genuine old grin.
Of course, he had absolutely no idea what had just happened. Donar did not say a word, but Alicia did not want to leave Whucksmire with hanging answers let alone false promises.
Alicia turned and hugged the butler tightly.
"MISS ALICIA! You don't have to be like that. You can see me any time from now on, can't you?"
"I'll never come back here, Whucksmire," Alicia replied plainly. Whucksmire could see the girl's moist eyes behind his round glasses, the same eyes he had seen ten years ago when little Alicia left the Crimsonmane villa. "Thank you for being one of the good memories in this house until now. Take good care of yourself."
Alicia let go of her arm, walked out, and disappeared into the carriage's embrace, to Eidyn's yellowish melancholy glow.
Whucksmire stared into the void behind a pair of wide, gaping doors. He lost his poetic abilities for his beloved mistress. []