Long live

A young girl stood in front of two coffins, her eyes misty but she held her tears in. At the age of 7 already losing both her parents, her skin pale, her lips dry; Alice stared at her parents lifeless bodies with a soft but stern expression, love and sadness in her icy blue eyes combining into a very deadly pair.

Her long black hair let loose, messed up and twisted as her black knee-length dress flowed quietly against the breeze. Her pale hand extended, wanting to touch her mother one more time. She slowly caressed her mother’s cheek, skin cold and incredibly pale.

A tap on her shoulder made her slightly twist her head, acknowledging whoever wanted to speak to her. There stood two of her most beloved servants, one of the people who actually cared about her parents, a lovely old pair.

Curiosity filled her mind when she saw a young child probably the same age as she was stood behind them, short brown hair, jade green eyes filled with mischief yet, a shy smile adorned her face; Alice just couldn’t help but smile back.

“Alice, my dear, this is our daughter, Lila. From now on she’ll be keeping you company.”

Alice frowned, her eye brows knitting together in confusion, “Why?” Her voice a little raspy, she hasn’t used it in a while.

The old man smiled as he gently took his wife’s’ hand in his, “She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your parents,” smiling sadly at the beautifully carved coffins, “Besides, playing alone wouldn’t be fun, wouldn’t it?”

Alice turned her head to her parents coffins once again, expression once again gentle. She sighed and took a few steps back, turning fully to see the pair and with a tired smile she said, “I suppose not.”

Alice took out her hand as a silent invitation; the young brunette slowly widened as she jumped in front of her parents and took a pale hand in hers grinning brightly, “It’s very nice to meet you.”
The raven cocked her head to the side, surprised by the gentle tone the other used despite her over-excited behavior. Regaining her composure, Alice gave another tired smile, “And you, too.”

--

“Alice, oy, Alice!”

The raven snapped out of her trance, momentarily startled but relaxed when she remembered that she was in a café with her best friend. “Hm?” She asked, drowsy.

“You’ve been staring at me smiling like an idiot for over five minutes, it’s getting creepy.” The brunette said skeptically as she sipped her morning tea.

Alice laughed cheerily, “Just thinkin’ of the day we first met,” She smiled halfheartedly, “Who knew I’d turn out to be the mischievous one and you’d turn out to be the gentle one.”

“Hn, who knew?” Lila said slightly confused at her best friends’ behavior.

“I hate people who are too happy.” She said suddenly as her finger smoothly caresses the rough wood of the café table.

“Aren’t you overly happy as well, Alice?” The younger asked, a delicate eyebrow raised.

The other merely grinned, fingers leaving the surface of the wood to ruffle her own hair, slightly messing it up, “I never said I liked myself.”

Icy blue stared at jade, a storm and an ocean. Somehow, Lila realized the loneliness in the ravens eyes, a plead of savior, She supposed? The brunette merely sighs and smiles, ignoring it, “Such a weird girl.” She muttered under her breath.

“I lied, by the way.” Alice said, tapping her cup.

“About?” Lila asked as she breathed in the smell of her tea; Lilac.

“I knew from the start, that you would be gentle. I was the one who changed. ” The elder closed her eyes, unexpectedly tired.

The other opened her mouth to reply but Alice’s phone cut her off, the ravens' ring tone echoing inside the almost empty café. Lila observed as a pale hand gently took the phone, the same hand that once took hers.

“You haven’t changed at all.” She muttered as quietly as possible, making sure her companion didn’t hear her before she began to once again, sip her tea. Her shoulders relaxed as she leaned back to the chair, eyes slowly drifting closed.

Alice grabbed the thin phone in her hand, pressing the green button before firmly placing it against her ear, “Hello?” She greeted.

“Mistress, we need you back in the castle immediately. A guest will be arriving shortly.” A stern voice said over the phone.

“I see,” She said, sipping on her now cold coffee, “and who might that guest be, Robert?”

The chief of security stayed silent for a second before he took a deep breath and replied, “The cap’n, Mistress.”

The mistress frowns, Captain J. Rogers, a stern man loyal to his country. That very captain has been coming every single week to propose a marriage with her, annoying her till’ no end. The captain was a charming man, handsome too. It’s just; there was something about the guy that she was uneasy about. Besides, Alice certainly does not want to marry a person whom she does not love.

Alice scoffed, “Him again? Tell Mr. Captain to stop coming, I will not consider the marriage. I do not love him. How many times should I say that?”

“But mistress-“

“No means NO!” She said roughly, her temper getting the better of her. She started to massage her forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on.

Lila clicked her tongue, the brunette had one eye cracked open and a frown, showing clearly that she was disappointed at the raven.

Alice stared at her friend, glaring slightly before her expression softened, tired and defeated. With an annoyed sigh she began speaking once again, “Fine. But he better not get all touchy feely.” She barked out at the guard who only answered with a simpe ‘Roger’ before completely hanging up.

“Want me to come with you?” Lila asked as she watched as the other began to collect her stuff and shove it randomly in her bag.

“No, I’ll be fine. Can you just go to Brian and get the paperwork from him? Robert probably needs them.” Alice replied smiling tiredly at the brunette, checking her watch and getting her car keys.

“Alright, be careful,” She said, looking at the raven worriedly, “Get some rest afterwards, okay?”

Alice walked to the door, only replying her friend with a slight grunt and a wave goodbye. Lila watched until she was completely out of sight, ‘I have a bad feeling about this.’