The Letter V

“I’d like to propose a toast,” said Queen Marion, rising from her seat delicately and lifting her glass of wine into the air.

All eyes at the dining table were on her. As they realized, they in turn picked up their glasses of drink in anticipation for what the Queen had to say. Nathan doubted very much that they would actually be listening - the food had been set on the table, and all anyone could think about was how good the meat smelled.

“We have so much to be thankful for today,” the Queen continued, moving her gaze through the crowd as though she was talking to each of them, all at once, “Our lovely son, Prince Nathan, has returned from his tour in military service. We thank him for his patriotism.”

She raised her glass to take a sip. The table rang with a chorus of “Hear, hear!” as the rest of the guests followed suit. Nathan eyed his goblet of wine suspiciously, unsure of whether it was appropriate that he drink in celebration of himself.

The Queen stayed standing - whether it was because she had more to say or because she liked the attention, Nathan couldn’t be sure. “We also have another celebration upcoming in one week,” she added, delicately cradling her glass in her hands so as to show off all of the jewelry she wore. “Our eldest son, Edmund, will be wedding Lady Penelope Wildorf, of the Wildorf empire. Such a lovely, powerful couple. Best wishes to them and their future.”

The chorus of “hear, hear” echoed through the room. Nathan was grateful for the alcohol - it wasn’t nearly enough to allow him to tolerate his family.

“And finally, to my lovely husband, King Charles II, for his tireless devotion to the people of Geneveira!”

“Hear, hear!”

Thank god, Nathan thought, and he downed the rest of the wine in his glass. It tasted thick, metallic, nearly like blood. He couldn’t stand the taste of red wine, but he drank it anyway. It was a welcome distraction where there weren’t many to be found.

At his end of the massive dining table - there were three others, looped around theirs in a U-shape - sat the majority of the royal family. At the head of the table, naturally, was the King - Charles Morganstern II.

Nate had always regarded his father with a deserved, but distant, respect. Charles was never particularly active in his children’s lives, nor did he ever appear particularly interested in them, but he was never cross with them. He was a large man, a man who had lived the life of a royal since he had been born. His hair was gray and thinning under his crown - the Queen had forced him to wear a circlet around his head during public appearances - and his complexion was pale but weathered. He clearly had done no manual labor in his life, Nathan realized. He knew of his father’s ghastly reputation as a politician, but as a father he remained mediocre, at worst.

To the King’s right hand side was his Queen. Queen Marion had been a great beauty in her youth - only the best for the Morganstern line - but had since become a small, weak woman buried in the rarest jewels. She had always been thin, with tightly-wound brown hair that was always pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were a striking emerald green, set like jewels in a sharp, pointed face - it was clear to see which of the two that Edmund and Nathan had taken after, appearance wise. They both had the stature and strength of their father, with the unearthly beauty of their mother.

To the King’s left sat Edmund and Penelope. Edmund’s unruly hair was again pulled back at his neck. He looked dreadfully uncomfortable, shifting back and forth in his jacket, pulling at his lapels like a child. He had never become fully accustomed to dress clothes, and because of this he looked uncomfortable at nearly every public appearance he’d been to sober. Penelope sat at his side, wrapped in a luxurious red dress that draped over her shoulders and exposed her collarbone - her white-blonde hair was pulled up and tamed with a jeweled comb, making her look every part the royal she would eventually be.

Nathan had been placed between the Queen and his youngest brother, Roman. Roman was still a boy, not quite old enough to be considered a man. He looked much like Nathan had before he had left for school - tall, lanky, like he hadn’t grown into his limbs. He had his brother’s looks, yet there was something about him that seemed to differ from his brothers. He had an affinity for art, music, anything creative that he could absorb.

Yet he could still wear a proper jacket, unlike the future king across from him.

Once the Queen had taken her seat again, the sound in the dining hall started to flow. It was a natual babble of a thousand conversations that Nathan had heard before - “How’s business at the Southern Gate?”, or “My, what a lovely turkey breast!”, or “Say, didn’t we meet last year at the gala?” It was all painfully repetitive, and Nathan had a difficult time feigning interest.

The Queen picked up her silverware, eyeing her food disdainfully. “You are looking positively radiant, Penelope,” she remarked, eyeing the blonde across from her. “It’s quite a departure from what we all are accustomed to.”

Penelope grinned, flashing her dazzling smile. “Thank you very much, your Highness,” she gushed, daintily taking a sip of her wine. “I’m terribly excited for the wedding, I just couldn’t help trying on some of the pieces you recommended.”

And with that, the women descended into talk of the details of the upcoming ceremony.

Nathan stared at his empty glass, wishing that it would refill with wine on its own. He glanced around for a servant to do so, only to realize they were all floating about the room, waiting on the other guests. He made a half-hearted effort to wave one down, only to decide that one would be round eventually. He decided to take a bite of the bread while he was waiting.

“And, of course, there will be many eligible women there. Nathan will need to be looking for a suitable wife soon, of course -”

Nathan promptly choked on the food in his mouth. A few of the people around him, including the Queen, turned to see the commotion. Nathan hit his fist on the table in an attempt to regain his composure, but instead let out a strangled cough once more.

In a flash, a servant had appeared behind him. “More wine, your Highness?” a familiar voice said.

The prince’s head snapped around to see who had addressed him. Blast, he thought. Of all the servants to approach, it had to be Violet. She was dressed like all of the other servants, but her golden hair was poking out of her plait in unruly tendrils. Her eyes were hypnotising him, stealing the words from his mouth and the thoughts from his brain.

“I-” He cleared his throat, finally rid of the food. “Yes, thank you.”

He watched as Violet deftly picked up his glass, poured the serving of wine - thick and red, like blood - before returning it gracefully to its spot.

Just then, Penelope glanced up across the table, noticing the presence of the servant at Nathan’s shoulder. “Oh! Violet, hello!”

Nathan noticed a blush of embarrassment spread across Violet’s cheeks. She ducked her head down shyly and offered Penelope a small smile. She offered Penelope a small curtsey. “Good evening, Lady Penelope.” She turned back toward Nathan, but didn’t make eye contact. “Your Highness,” she said quietly, and then turned away.

Just as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone, off to tend to another guest. Nathan watched her leave for just a moment longer than he should have, fascinated by the grace with which she moved.

“I quite like her,” Penelope mused out loud, poking at a piece of meat on her plate.

Edmund raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry - who?”

Penelope took a bite of the food before smiling contentedly. “Violet, that handmaid. She seems very sweet, don’t you think?”

Her fiance looked like he wasn’t sure how to answer that.

“Well, Nathan, what do you think?”

Nathan’s eyes went wide at the idea of being brought into the conversation. “About what?”

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Violet, the girl who filled your cup. She’s quite lovely, don’t you agree?”

He cleared his throat a few times in an attempt to dodge the question before settling on taking a sip of wine to buy time. No, that was a mistake, it tasted like metal. “I h-hadn’t noticed,” he lied, glancing around to see if anyone other than Penelope was paying attention. Thankfully, it didn’t seem as though there was.

Penelope shrugged it off. “I think she’s lovely. She’s been very kind to me since my arrival, I think that’s worth something.”

“We’ve been over this, it’s her job to be nice to you,” Edmund said, looking like he’d rather be literally anywhere but where he was.

“I know that,” she snapped, rather abruptly. “I was making conversation.”

The others returned to babbling about politics, weather, whatever they could think of - but Nathan couldn’t pay attention. Instead, he was glancing discreetly around the room, following the golden braid around as she glided effortlessly between the tables with a decanter of wine, offering to fill glasses wherever she was needed. She wove her way through the crowd of people as though she were an expert, maneuvering around even the most sudden of movements made by the guests. She anticipated them all without a mistake, like it was natural.

As the babble of the crowd faded in his mind, he was plunged into a memory that he’d forgotten ages ago.

“You can’t catch me!” a young Violet teased from across the field, running at full speed through the tall grass. It tickled her knees as she ran, but she didn’t care, instead reveling in the feeling of the bare grass between her toes.

Nathan had no trouble gaining ground, running as fast as his lanky legs would carry him. “Wanna bet?”

Violet let out an excited squeal as she approached a massive bank of trees - it was next to the pond in the palace grounds, towering over the water and casting a cool shade over the area around it. She picked the one nearest her, the one with the low-hanging branches that she’d climbed a thousand times, and turned around.

She glanced back behind her, and as she saw Nathan approaching, her eyes widened in surprise. Nathan grinned, excited - there was nowhere for her to go, not anymore.

In an instant, she started up the tree, climbing faster than Nathan could believe. She moved so gracefully, like it was nothing, even though she wore a gown that could have easily entangled her legs. He yanked himself out of his trance and started up the tree behind her, taking the branches as quickly as he could, reaching as far out as his limbs would take him.

He heard a giggle to his right, only to see Violet perched happily on an overhanging branch. She was swinging her feet happily, staring off into the water below her.

Rolling his eyes, Nate pulled himself up onto the same branch, sliding over next to her. He noticed the branch sway under his weight, but it seemed sturdy enough, he thought. He turned to look at Violet, amazed at what she looked like. She had a head full of golden curls that hung around her head like a halo - it was pulled back into a braid, tied with a purple ribbon, but there were tendrils that had escaped and framed her face. Nathan watched as she marvelled at the world below her, light reflecting off the surface of the water and dancing across her face.

He knew now would be the moment - he needed to muster up the courage now, while they were alone and secluded, before he lost the nerve again.

“Look, Vi, there’s something I need to -”

“I’m really glad we’re friends, Nate. Who else can I outrun in a dress?”

He wanted to finish the sentence, only he found that suddenly he couldn’t. How was he supposed to tell Vi that he was going away? It’s not like it was his choice – it was his parents’. It was for the good of the country. Only it meant leaving his best friend behind.

Nate offered a half-smile. “You don’t suppose I could just be letting you win?”

Violet wrinkled her nose, turning to look at him instead of at the water. “And why would you do that?”

Nate was suddenly very aware at how close she was sitting to him. They both had set their hands on the branch they were sitting on, so close that their fingertips just barely grazed each other. He could feel her breath on his face – sweet, like raspberries, like the dessert they had stolen from the kitchen moments ago. Her enchanting eyes were looking up at him expectantly, filled with humor, and her cheeks were rosy from the effort of running through the field. It took his breath away to see her there, in the shaded light, with the streaks of sunlight dancing off of her. He felt a surge in his chest, of something he had never felt before.

“Vi?”

“Mmm?”

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like… to kiss?”

Violet furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, her gaze flickering between Nate’s eyes and his lips. “Occasionally. Why do you ask?”

Only Nate didn’t have an answer, because he was too busy staring at her perfect pink lips to pay attention. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning in, closing his eyes, listening to the blood pounding through his veins…

SNAP.

In an instant, the two of them were falling, falling, and then hit the surface of the water with a loud splash.

“Don’t you agree, Nathan?” the Queen asked impatiently, tapping on the table next to his hand, startling him out of his thoughts.

Nathan jumped visibly, still on edge from the sudden memory. He glanced between the others at his area of the table, who were all watching him expectantly. He suddenly felt slightly lightheaded, nauseous.

Clearing his throat, he stood up suddenly. “Pardon me, I – I’ll be back in a moment,” he said hurriedly, and took off before his mother could protest.

In the distance he heard her say: “Well, I’m sure there will be many charming young women for him at the wedding.”

Once he was out of the dining hall, despite the numerous attempts to engage him in polite conversation from the party guests, Nathan planted his back against the wall in order to brace himself. He had certainly repressed that memory of Violet for a long, long time - he had been a boy then, and so many other things in his life had changed that he hadn’t even thought of it twice since it happened. Oh, he was a fool for thinking that way of her.

“Prince Nathan?” a voice asked from the doorway that made his heart skip. “Are you alright?”

He turned, wide-eyed, to see Violet exiting the room with an empty decanter. She was, no doubt, on her way to have it refilled - but having spotted Nathan looking panicked in the hallway, she stopped. Concern was painted on her face, only hers was genuine.

God, she was nowhere, and then suddenly she was everywhere.

Leaning in, closer, closer…

“Fine,” Nathan blurted, running a hand through his hair. “I-I’m alright, thank you.” He sighed deeply, looking somewhere, anywhere, for divine inspiration, or perhaps for someone to strike him down where he stood. “I should… probably go back.”

Violet nodded, eyeing him warily. “Alright. Have a good evening… Nate.”

Nathan watched her go, and couldn’t help the thought that crossed his mind: what was she doing to him?