Hollow Kingdom

Belle looked very much like her mother when she was angry. Her nose would scrunch up and her eyes were almost shooting daggers.

"I don't understand what I've done wrong," Alec grumbled. "You're making her feel terribly unwelcome. She'll never come visit us again."

"I don't want her here, Alec," Belle snapped. "She's nothing but a distraction to you. You're only lying to yourself."

Alec rolled his eyes and stood, about to leave, but Belle blocked his path.

"Did you just try to walk away from me?" she demanded.

"Yes," Alec replied nonchalantly.

Belle scowled in frustration. Next thing Alec knew, Belle had balled her hand into a fist and threw a punch that collided with Alec's jaw. It hurt, but not as much as it seemed to hurt Belle's hand. She yelped in pain and held her hand to her chest, suddenly falling to her knees and bursting into uncontrollable sobs. Alec frowned and sat on the floor next to her, pulling his younger sister in and holding her until she could find a way to speak again.

"I- I want my f-father," she sniffed. "I want D-Daniel. I want everything to go back to n-normal."

"Nothing is every going to be normal again," Alec mumbled. "You know, Belle, Lily didn't personally hang Daniel. Nor did she banish our father. I doubt she has any idea either of those things even happened."

"Of course she knows," Belle argued, voice cracking. "Don't let your feelings cloud your vision."

"There's no feelings," Alec frowned.

"You're lucky you're popular enough to be this stupid," Belle snapped, shoving away from him and storming to the stairs.

Alec heard the shop door slam shut, shaking the entire building. Not that it took much effort. Alec could probably lean against the old wooden wall and break a hole through it. He rubbed his jaw where Belle had punched him as he moved back to the room where Lily was sitting with Evan and Prissy. Prissy was glaring at Lily, while Evan had a dazed look on his face. He'd been like that ever since he returned from the palace at an odd hour in the morning, like he's just woken up from a bad dream and was trying to make sense of it. Lily was staying close to Evan, glancing at Prissy every now and then and finding that the girl was indeed still staring at her. She seemed relieved to see Alec, then concerned when she saw that he had a brand new injury to add to his collection.

"Don't worry about it," he said quickly, before anyone asked.

He sat down on the other side of Evan, who had seemingly just noticed him. When Evan turned his head, Alec caught sight of a small mark on his neck. He reached over and pulled his friend's collar aside, raising an eyebrow. Evan flinched away and covered it again, turning a bit red.

"Really, Evan?" Alec smirked. "'Just friends', are you?"

"She made me an offer I found difficult to refuse," Evan mumbled, trying not to look at Lily.

"Is that where you were all night, then?" Alec asked.

"I'll have you know, we spent most of it doing nothing more than talking," Evan informed him. "Angie had a lot to say."

"Angie?" Lily frowned.

"Excuse me," Evan said, blushing. "Queen Angelique. I apologize. She told me to call her Angie, but I'd forgotten that I wasn't in the privacy of-"

"She told you to call her Angie?" Lily repeated, shocked.

"Well... Yes... Is that bad?"

"No," Lily reassured him. "It's just.... unlike her."

Evan shrugged it off, and Prissy took the opportunity of silence to speak again.

"Friends with the queen," Prissy scoffed, eyes still glued to Lily. "No one is friends with the queen. She doesn't keep friends. Just accessories."

"Pardon?" Lily frowned.

"You're not pretty, either," Prissy said.

"Priscilla," Alec warned. "We all know you don't have your father's permission to be here. Don't make me do something to upset him."

Prissy stood up in a huff and stormed out the door much like Belle did, though Alec wasn't quite as sad to see her go. The girl could be wonderful, but her jealousy was turning her into something almost intolerable.

"Excuse her," Evan told Lily. "She's a little fond of Alec. She's a little fond of Alec. Doesn't like the competition."

"There is no competition," Alec argued.

"We're just friends," Lily added.

"If you say so," Evan smirked.

Lily shifted in her seat awkwardly as Evan stood up, almost accidentally stepping on Erwin on his way out of the room. For a moment, Alec thought Erwin was going to speak in front of Lily, but the ferret just squeaked and scurried out the door after Evan. Alec let out a relieved sigh. Explaining Erwin wasn't going to be easy. He and Lily sat in silence for a little while, until she finally spoke.

"I should go," she said. "How is your arm feeling?"

"Fine," Alec said. "It takes a lot to really hurt me. I heal quickly."

"Good," Lily said, smiling softly.

She went silent for a few more moments, then stood up a little too suddenly. Alec stood and caught her when she got a little dizzy, helping her back up on her feet. For a second, she looked like she was confused about everything on this planet. Then she surprised Alec, pulling him down and kissing him.

The last time Alec had been any kind of intimate with Lily, neither of them were anywhere near sober, nor did they know the other was. This kiss was much different, and much more memorable. Alec kept a tight hold around Lily's waist, like he'd been craving the opportunity without even knowing it. The kiss lingered for longer than either of them expected, until Lily finally pulled away and looked up at him with a dazed, somewhat relieved expression.

"What was all that?" Alec muttered.

"I don't know," she said breathlessly. "I really should go."

She stepped back and picked up her things, heading towards the door. Alec followed her out. He thought about offering to walk her home, but she looked like she needed the time alone to think. After a brief goodbye, she started walking, only to stop in her tracks and turn around.

"Evan will surely be returning to see Angie," she said, lowering her voice so no one else could hear. "If you want... You could accompany him."

"You know, I'm not really a companion to any Duke," Alec said softly.

"I knew that from the moment I first saw you, Spaulding," Lily said, a slight grin playing on her lips. "Don't seem so surprised when someone enjoys your company solely because of the man you are."

Alec cracked a smile. "Well, I'm rather busy, but I suppose I could shift things around and make a little time if you really want to see me."

Lily rolled her eyes and lightly poked him where he was wounded, but she was smiling. She just nodded before continuing on her way again, her steps quicker than usual.