Way of the Empire

6

Music cascaded into the room from the long c***k in the window.

"Ouch'', Lilibeth, distracted, had stabbed herself with the needle again. The celebration had commenced and Lilibeth was confined to her quarters as instructed by her mother. She sat on the run down mattress at the edge of the room. Not that the room was by any means large. She was basically at the foot of her mother's bed. The pile of face coverings served as company. She held the last one in her hand. Lilibeth finished stitching the edges of the mask and applied the glue before pressing it onto the metal. She didn't want the raw edges to scratch the man's face.

Perhaps he was a soldier. A friend of Anthony's that had suffered from the c*****e of the war, she thought. The music bounced off the walls of her room humming around her like angry bees. Her curiosity was overtaking her. If she snuck out for one minute, there was no way her mother would know. Unless that is, someone told her. But it was so busy, surely no one would notice, she thought. Lilibeth glanced down at the pile of masks on her bed. After all, she thought, it would be rude not to return the masks to Maudie. Grinning like a cat, she grabbed them and leapt for the door. Her mother looked at her from the doorway with raised eyebrows as soon as Lilibeth pulled it open.

"Now, just where do you think you're going?'' Lilibeth stammered. Her hand closed itself around the mask, and she raised her hands.

"Maudie! Maudie asked me to press these for her! I was going to bring them back since I finished. Finished pressing them. '' Lilibeth smiled.

"Why on earth does she need these things for? I do hope her son is okay.'' Her mother shooed her away and walked to the adjoining washroom holding her back. Lilibeth took a deep breath and closed the door slowly behind her. She watched as a few servants carried baskets outside and decided her best approach would be one in silence. She kept her head down and kept the coverings in front of her as she walked. No one spared her a glance as she approached the hall that housed Maudie's room. She knocked twice on the wood.

She rocked back and forth on her feet while she waited for the door to open. She had snuck around before but it was her fist time seeing a castle party. Maudie's voice came through muffled as she shuffled her way to the door. The lock switched with a loud click as Maudie appeared.

"Ah my dear, what can I do ya for,'' Maudie's plump face was tinged with pink as she held the door open.

"I finished pressing these...'' Lilibeth was unsure what to call them. She felt as if she was smuggling contraband. Maudie smiled and thanked her, taking the masks and hiding them behind her. Lilibeth bid her a quick goodnight before she could invite her in for tea. She delibritley slowed her steps as she walked away. Lilibeth waited for the click of the door shutting before she scampered over to an old passage way and ran up the steps. There was a hall with archways overlooking the courtyard. It had been mainly used by guards or servants to keep an eye on things or set up the decorations. Ever since they had commissioned a ladder a few years ago, it was rarely used. She had snuck up here a few times imaging what it would be like to see the courtyard decorated and lively. Lilibeth was confident there would be no guards as the party was full of soldiers. The music grew louder and louder. Each twinge grew more lively than the last. The hallway was deep. The only source of light coming from the hanging lanterns and candles that illuminated the courtyard. It looked like a sunset had poured in through the archways, casting silhouettes of light on the otherwise darkened path. The paper banners made giant shadows dance along the walls as they flitted with the wind. Lilibeth kept close to the shadows. The lively chatter of the villagers below blended with the music. Lilibeth smiled as she inched her way to the shadows of the archway and peered out down below at the crowd. Everyone was eating and dancing. The smell of roasted meat wafted in puffs of smoke. Her mouth watered. It had been so long since she last had meat.

The working girls from earlier were leaning against one of the cobblestone archways, each of them speaking to one of the younger soldiers. Lilibeth recognized them from the last group of soldiers to depart for the war from the training grounds last year. Lilibeth was four years older than the girls and two years older than the soldiers ,and yet she was the one hiding from her mother in a dark decrepit hallway. She moved herself from the scene and decided to focus on other activities happening below her. The women's skirts looked like spring flowers as they twirled to the music. After years of silence and solitude, life had seemingly returned to happiness. Everyone looked alive. A bliss both Lilibeth and the prince hoped would last.

Lilibeth sighed with longing as she overlooked the throng of villagers below. She could almost see herself spinning amongst the crowd.

''What's a party anyway. Just loud sounds...and a terrible crowd and...and...'' Lilibeth paused. There was truly nothing wrong with parties. Her biggest contradiction was that she would never be able to go to one.

"They all look lovely,' she said to herself whilst humming along to the song.

"They do.'' A low voice whispered back to her. Lilibeth flinched. A voice she had heard before. She looked around, her eyes locking on a muscular figure towering in the shadow of the archway next to hers. The man with the mask. Lilibeth smiled. A small smile.

"Why aren't you enjoying the festivities?'' Lilibeth asked.

"I could ask you the same.'' Lilibeth would never tire of hearing his voice. It was the same voice that had rescued her in the hallway.

"I'm just a servant. The feast was thrown in your honor. All the soldiers were invited.'' She hadn't recognized him. Prince Ero stared at the girl in the archway. Neither of them moved from their spot in the shadows.

"I would despise myself for putting a damper on their festivities with my current...adornment.'' He gestured to his face. "Perhaps I'll venture down once most of the men have had a few more drinks.'' Lilibeth was unknowingly inching her way closer to him.

''So you are a soldier,'' Lilibeth implied.

"Of sorts'', the man smiled.

"Forgive me for assuming, but aren't you rather aged to still be in training?'' Lilibeth looked up at him. If there was any doubt of him being inexperienced in the world, it was erased by the small lines adorning his face.

He laughed. A light chuckle before he cleared his throat. Lilibeth watched him smile. The mask didn't stop his face from moving. Lilibeth had noticed the light in his eyes. She wasn't quite sure what they reminded her of.

"A more advanced kind of training, I suppose,''. He smiled down at her. He opened his mouth to speak again when a loud commotion caught his attention. They watched as the crowd below separated. The soldiers that had been with the two servant girls had begun fighting. The two girls stood in the corner laughing whilst covering their faces. Lilibeth turned to speak to him, but he was gone. Lilibeth spun around, looking for him in every direction.

She took the fight as her cue to leave. She had spent too much time away, and surely her mother would be worried by now. Lilibeth headed down the stairs with a small smile on her face. A light flush covered her face as she went over tonight's excursions. She had never spoken to a man before. Not like tonight, one with manners and kindness in his voice when he spoke to her. No one had ever bothered to approach her before. At least not kindly. Lilibeth stood outside of her bedroom with her back pressed against the door. She toyed with the ribbons on the front of her dress. A deep sigh left her mouth. She heard angry voices coming her way and dipped into her room. She lightly closed the door behind as they passed by screaming at each other.

"It certainly took you long enough." Her mother sat on her bed in the center of the room. Her scowl ever permanent on her face.

" Maudie and I chatted for a little bit." Her mother huffed and mumbled something Lilibeth couldn't make out and left it at that. She tucked herself into bed remembering that lovely voice she had heard. She had heard it earlier with the prince and then again on the balcony. Wait a minute, Lilibeth sat up in her bed. Her mother's snoring aligned with the music and filled the silence. The only possible way she heard the same voice two different times was if they came from the same person. Had Lilibeth spoken to the prince?