Hollow Kingdom

Lily paced restlessly in front of Angie's door. She had been too frazzled when she had first returned the day before to ask her about what was happening throughout the kingdom, but she knew she couldn't wait forever. She squared her shoulders and opened the door.

Angie was sitting in front of her gilded mirror, appraising her appearance critically in the glass. She smiled at Lily when she appeared in the reflection behind her.

"Lily, darling! Are you feeling all right? You seemed a bit pale and out of sorts last night."

"Yes, I'm feeling better," Lily lied.

"Be honest, do you think this lip color is too dark?"

"You look perfect," Lily murmured. "You always do. Angie, I needed to ask you about something."

"What's on your mind, little sister?"

"I went beyond the wall yesterday; out of Little Aveling."

She watched Angie carefully, monitoring her every movement. Angie had always been good about hiding her feelings; they both had. It was a skill orphans needed. But Lily knew Angie almost as well as she knew herself. If she was paying attention, she could spot subtle reactions from her friend that others might miss. She hoped Angie would carry on doing her hair and not bat an eye at this announcement, but her hands stilled ever so briefly and there was a distinct flash of something hard in her dove grey eyes. Lily's stomach lurched.

"So what did you want to ask me?" Angie asked, her tone breezy and casual.

"A lot of the shops are closed, and the houses are rundown. The people even more so. And there are guards everywhere. I stopped two of them from beating a man and his child for allegedly not paying enough taxes."

"My, how terribly distressing. I certainly never gave the guards permission to hit children."

"But you did order them to patrol the city?"

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not something you need to concern yourself with, my sweet sister. You're here to live a happy, safe life. I'm just making sure that happens. There are rumors circulating, about an uprising against me." Angie's lips turned down in a pout. "I'm just trying to keep us safe."

"Surely we're safe enough inside the castle? Is this show of force really necessary?"

"Lily you should know better than anyone that an aggressive show of force is the only chance we have of protecting ourselves."

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Satbury is here for you." A serving girl stuck her head into the room.

"Wonderful. I was worried he wouldn't come." She stood and studied herself in the mirror again before giving a nod of approval. She turned to Lily.

"We'll discuss all of this later," she said. "I have a nervous Duke to woo. Wish me luck."

"You don't need it," Lily said quietly. Angie smiled slightly as she swept from the room. Lily stayed where she was for a few minutes, staring blankly at her own reflection. She didn't know what to make of any of this. She knew Angie wasn't pleased that Lily had left the walls of Little Aveling. She'd clearly never admit it, but Lily knew she had seen a mixture of annoyance and and something akin to worry in her friend's eyes. That could only mean that Angie hadn't wanted Lily venturing beyond the gate, and the only reason for that would be if she knew Lily would see something she didn't like.

Then there was the matter of the guards following her more often. To keep her from wandering past the wall? To protect her from alleged rebels? Likely both. It was well known that Lady Belmont was the Queen's friend and Lady-in-Waiting. If Angie was worried about rebels and dissenters, then there was no doubt that she would try to ensure Lily's safety from them. They had always done their best to protect each other. Angie was the one who charmed, bribed, and lied their way out of trouble when she could. Lily was there to fight with a savage ferocity that her opponents never expected when Angie's charms failed.

So Lily couldn't understand why Angie had kept a possible revolution from her. Unless the reason behind the unrest was what Angie really wanted to keep Lily in the dark about. Growling in frustration, Lily stood and fled outside to the gardens. It suddenly seemed far too warm and stifling inside the castle walls. She sat beneath her favorite apple tree, plucking absently at the grass as blossoms drifted down from the tree to land in her hair and all over her dress. She jumped in surprise as something hopped into her lap and looked down to see the same ferret she had rescued from being eaten by Raz.

"Well hello there," she said, smiling. "Where on earth did you come from, handsome? Did you come looking for more toffee?"

The ferret's nose twitched and he nudged her hand. Laughing, Lily scooped him up and stood. "I'm afraid I don't have any on me right now, but let's see what we have in the kitchen, shall we?"

She cradled the ferret against her chest as she brushed blossoms off her gown and walked to the entrance the cooks used to get into the kitchens. She set him on the counter and rummaged through the cabinets in search of a snack.

"Ah, here we are. Madgie always keeps some of her special frosted cookies hidden away in here." She sat down at the counter and offered a cookie covered in blue icing to the ferret. As he munched happily she noticed something tied around his neck.

"What's this?" She gently pulled it over his head and found that it was a folded piece of paper tied with twine. Curious she unfolded it and was surprised to see a note with her name on it. It was from Alec.

Dear Lily,

I'm sorry for taking you beyond the walls. I should have prepared you better for what you might see. If you're feeling up to it, please meet me in the public gardens tonight. I'd like to see you again.

-Alec

"So you're with Alec, hmm? Did you sneak in all on your own, or did you accompany our illustrious Duke?" She smiled and stroked the top of his head. "You're certainly a clever little thing." She set another cookie in front of him as he brushed crumbs from his whiskers.

"Well if you're Alec's little friend, I suppose I'd best return you to him, don't you think?"

The ferret scrambled up her arm to perch on her shoulder as she returned to the gardens, making her way out of the royal gardens and into the public ones. She was smelling roses and singing a song to the ferret when Alec found them.

"I see you got my note."

Lily looked up. "Your furry friend here is most impressive."

"He thinks so. His name is Erwin."

"It was nice to meet you, Erwin." Lily lifted him off her shoulder and planted a kiss on his head before handing him back to Alec.

"Your voice is lovely," he remarked. Lily blushed and shrugged.

"It's okay," she said.

"Are you all right?" Alec asked. "I didn't expect us to see something like that. I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," Lily said, waving her hand. "It just...reminded me of something, that's all. You really didn't need to come check on me. I'm okay."

"Have you spoken with the queen?"

"Sort of." Lily frowned. "She was pretty vague about everything. She said the same as you; that there are rumors of a rebellion forming and she's trying to protect the castle."

Alec was quiet for a few moments, as if considering his next words. "Lily, I think they may be more than rumors."

"What?" She jerked back, looking at him in surprise. He nodded slowly.

"I've heard things to suggest that a rebellion is already formed, and trying to orchestrate a plan to overthrow the queen. It seems it's been in progress for some time."

Lily frowned and bit her lip. A full blown attack on Little Aveling wouldn't end well for anyone.

"Are you going to tell the queen any of this?"

Lily immediately shook her head. "No. It's still just talk, and besides, the castle is heavily guarded. I don't think Angie really needs to worry. Although I'll probably start putting together preparations in case there is a siege. I'll have to make sure all the servants can get out and avoid any fighting if something like that happens. I wouldn't want them getting caught in the crossfire. If all of Aegeara is like Aveling...I can see why people are unhappy. But surely all of this can be resolved without war and any more bloodshed."

Alec nodded again, looking oddly pensive. "You really care about the people, don't you?"

"I know what it feels like to have no one care about you," Lily said softly. Then she forced a smile. "Let's talk about something else for a while."

"Of course."

They sat on the edge of one of the fountains and reminisced about when they'd known each other as children. Erwin sat in Lily's lap while she pet him and fed him bits of cookie.

"That ferret is going to get fat if he keeps spending time here," Alec said with a smirk. Lily got the distinct impression that Erwin glared at him.

"He will not get fat," Lily insisted. "He's absolutely perfect."

"Lily please, his ego is big enough."

She laughed and nuzzled Erwin's nose. "I should be getting to bed," she said. "Will I see you again soon?"

"Definitely."

She smiled softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Good night, Alec. Bye, Erwin."

"Good night, Lily."