It snowed after all. It seemed like that sunny day was all but a dream in the three princesses' heads, or they had imagined it, for that fateful picnic, that fateful horse ride felt like a fleeting memory to them and not their yesterday's schedule. Because like every other day of the month, it was snowing again, terribly and harshly.
The snow came in all its might, piling up till the waist. The sun was nowhere to be seen, let alone a single blade of grass. Everything screamed of sadness and sorrow. As if the whole world was mourning. Maybe it was.
But what was for sure was that the three sisters were most definitely in mourning.
The whole Queendom was in silence and grief. From her carriage, Marona watched as the people of Hallowywoods all stood in the streets dressed in black, some of them sniffling while some sobbing as the carriage rolled across the street. It was a long ceremony, of course, given that the Queen of the Queendom was dead. The power house of this nation. The beating heart.
Watching the people cry for their Queen was too much for Marona, making her pull the curtain over and bury herself deeper in her seat. Releasing a deep sigh, Marona shut her eyes, trying to recall her fond memories with her mother, but all she could think about was the horrible secret her mother had revealed to her in her last breath.
What have you done mother?
She could hardly mourn. The thoughts about how she would deal with this problem occupied her mind so much she could hardly think about anything else. Even the condolence trumpets fell to deaf ears.
The parade queue began with a band of elite knights and behind them a set of soldiers that played the trumpets, and right behind them, the two carriages that held the coffins of the Queen andKing Consort.
And right behind them, after another band of marching soldiers, was Marona.
The line followed on in ranks, with Chiffery second and Zoronus third, and the ministers on horseback after that.
Ever since the princesses were told about the tragic news, they had shut themselves out, or more like Marona did. Their first reaction was to cry into each other's embrace as the reality of their situation sunk in. That they would never see their parents again, and that their last meeting would forever be one month ago, as they bid them goodbye on their journey.
When the bodies were brought, it was revealed that the Queen was still alive unlike her husband, but she wouldn't make it through the night. So like it was tradition, the Queen took her last breath in her throne room. But before that, she had held a private audience with each of her daughters in her bed chamber, leaving her responsibilities on them and preparing them for the cruel world at the same time.
That was the last they saw of their mother as she finally breathed her last while her ministers sank on their knees and cried out in agony, and the flags of mourning were waved all across the nation.
It was only after the Queen had passed away did Diana, the chief advisor, break the news to the whole throne room, which shook not only the ministers but the three princesses to the core.
The King and Queen of Hucklebee had passed away too.
The two friendliest neighbours had lost their rulers at once, and just like they had once celebrated the birth of their last born child together, now they were to mourn the death of their rulers together.
Fate really had a way to play these games.
Since the two nations were on friendly terms and had their pain in common, it was decided that a memorial service would be held together, to show solidarity and that they were still allies despite the broken hearts. And the memorial would take place at Welk Forest in the border of Hallowywoods, right before the funerals.
Having had to travel for a whole day with the fastest horse to attend the memorial, Prince Mimin and his brothers including the delegation attending the memorial were already present at the scene, the very place where the massacre took place.
With his hands fisted in his sides, Mimin sucked in a deep breath his eyes bloodshot, including that of his brothers. They were all dressed in black, their heads bowed as they waited for the arrival of the delegation from Hallowywoods.
"Are you alright brother?" Came the broken voice of Minder as he glanced at the younger, while Austin merely shook his head and sniffed. "I'll be."
The interaction went completely unnoticed by Mimin as he stood there in a daze, unable to let the reality sink in.
Father. Mother. They are gone. They are dead. And now everything is on me. The weight of Hucklebee, the responsibility of my brothers, the people, it's all on me.
How will I handle it? How will I, without your guidance, father?
Will I be able to succeed?
So much in a trance, Mimin didn't even notice that the delegation from Hallowywoods had already arrived, as the knights slowly helped the Crown Princess and her sisters dismount the carriages until a nudge from Minder pulled him back to earth.
And yet, as he craned his neck to take a look, all he could see was a mob that had circled the three sisters, offering them condolences and helping them take their place.
Perhaps now is not the time for introductions.
"Mimin," Came the hushed voice of Minder as he nudged his brother. "The Crown Princess has arrived. Aren't you supposed to greet her?"
"That will not be necessary now, Your Highness." Cut in Charles before Mimin can even reply, making the three brothers turn to him. It was Austin who asked the next question. "Why is that?"
Charles took a minute to reply as he watched the three women walk forward and stand in the front of the other aisle, opposite of Mimin and his brothers. And as he watched them, his heart went out for the young girls as he realised he could not read their faces like he could of his Princes.
For they weren't revealing their faces to the public.
Yes, the three princesses had come with black veils, shrouding their faces from the public as if afraid to become the public's scrutiny. And Charles knew all too well how that was.
They weren't prepared for this. Which only meant this was all too much for them. As the next rulers they had to stand tall, but for this once, it seemed like they wanted to mourn their parent's in peace, without the public judging them. So he gave the answer he knew best.
"They are mourning, just like you. The treaty shall not tarnish just because you didn't introduce yourself, so there's nothing to worry about."
Having had found Charles' answer reasonable, none of the brothers argued as they stood facing the front, while the three sisters stood on the other end, their hands clasped together in front of them.
It felt like hours passed until every single person had finally taken their positions, much to Marona's dissatisfaction. Because the ceremony was held at short notice, preparations had been done in a rush because of which everything was rather unorganised. At long last, the Priest walked forward and stood at the front, ready to deliver his sermon.
"Today, we stand here, in the middle of a dark forest, not for any other reason, but to commemorate the loss we all felt yesterday. The loss of a thousand hearts. The loss of our beloved Rulers. Queen Deelus Rebecca Cacbeth and Prince Atrad deNorma of Hallowywoods and King Alexander Ingram Karloi and Queen Eleanora Rihanaya of Hucklebee."
As the speech continued, Marona tuned herself out, her hands clasped tightly in front of her with her head bowed down. She was glad she had the veil on, for now no one could see what she was feeling or thinking. Because as much as she wanted to mourn, all she could think about was her mothers last words.
Mother. Oh mother… What have you left me with? How do you expect me to go on after what you told me?
How do I rule a nation this ill prepared?
"But don't forget." Marona suddenly recalled the Queen's final words as she clutched her hands in hers tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Your sisters will always be with you. They are your strength. They always have been. You will do just fine without me. With them by your side, nothing can stop you."
Slowly, Marona turned her head around to look at her sisters. Chiffery had her head as low as possible as her shoulders shook softly, trying her best to cry as quietly as possible without making a noise. Marona could notice her bite her lips under the black veil, her heart clenching at the sight.
Yet she did nothing. All she did was look at her right, at Zoronus. The girl was stoic as a stone.
Her face held no emotions under the veil, but as Marona looked closely, she noticed her hands were in tight fists, knuckles turning white and her lips pressed into a thin line. She was suppressing her emotions.
They were all hiding behind their veils. It provided them with the closure they were looking for. Marona had hoped they would find closure in each other, but after the first time they cried in each other's arms, something had changed. Like a wall had come in between them. They were all trying to deal with their problems on their own.
And like before, Marona did nothing to comfort her younger sisters. She turned back to the front, pretending to listen to the priest which was proving harder by the second. So she followed her sister's movements. She buried her head low as well.
The sermon came to an end, and one by one everyone prepared to pay their respects to the two large slabs of stones that were fixed in front of them in memory of the four rulers of the two nations. The first to go was Mimin, followed by his brothers.
As they made their way back, Mimin finally glanced at the three sisters, and his heart leaped. But it was not just him. Minder and Austin had noticed too.
As if time slowed down, the three brothers slowed their steps to take a closer look at the three sisters who slowly moved forward to pay their respects. But all they could see were their veiled faces.
Marona, Chiffery and Zoronus walked with confident steps before standing before the two slabs, reading the words engraved on them.
In memory of the heart of Hucklebee that was lost but will never be forgotten.
His Majesty the King Alexander Ingram Karloi
Her Majesty the Queen Eleanora Rihanaya
And the one on the right read:
In memory of the two suns of the nations that shall forever remain in our hearts.
Her majesty the Queen Deelus Rebecca Cacebeth
His Highness the King Consort Astrad deNorma
Without another word, Marona bent down to place the bouquet of white roses on her parent's memorial, before moving to the one for the King and Queen of Hucklebee, her sister's following her movements. Once that was done, Marona didn't waste another second, another glance before turning around and walking away, followed by her sisters.
And as she passed, she noticed the young Prince, Prince Mimin and his brothers staring openly at them, their eyes bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles.
Without batting an eye, Marona looked away, glad that she had her veil and wasn't a spectacle like these brothers.
And as Marona and her sisters passed by in a blink of an eye, Mimin and his brothers tried their best to get a single glimpse of their faces, only to come back empty handed. Why they were so curious, they didn't know.
Surely it wasn't just because they shared a common fate now, a common tragedy. Or was it? Or maybe more?
They didn't know. All they knew was that their hearts went out for them as they could relate to the same pain.
With that, the ceremony came to an end. The delegation from Hucklebee returned back, performing the final funeral ceremony of their former rulers, just like Hallowywoods was doing theirs. Once all that was over, the tears and the goodbyes, the three princesses returned back to the empty and dark castle, feeling its emptiness seep into them.
Reina, Chiffery's lady in waiting, placed a shawl over her lady, slowly ushering her up towards the Princess's side of the Castle, only to be stopped by Diana.
"Your Highness if I may, we still have matters that need your attention. So if you could-"
"I would like to be alone for a while." Came Chiffery's quick reply, making her sisters look at her. But the girl had her head bowed, her veil gone but she clutched the shawl like it was her life. Diana pressed her lips together, still adamant. "Your Highness, it's about your parent's death. I believe it's a matter long delayed already. We need to get to the bottom of it."
"But I-"
"Go."
All eyes turned to Marona who stared at the floor. When she realised that all attention was on her, she put on a smile before looking at Chiffery. "Go rest. We can discuss this once everyone is fully rested. You too, Zoe."
Diana didn't argue after that, having got an order from the next head. Without a word, Chiffery walked away, Reina in toe. Zoronus glanced at Marona one last time, her face a blank mask before she too walked away, Dany following behind.
"Your Highness-"
"Come with me Diana. Tell me what you have to say." Marona cut in, not waiting for the woman to reply as she headed towards her mother's wing of the castle, where her personal study was.
"Yes, Your Highness." Without another word, Diana followed suit.