Tangled Autumn

Halloween Costume

     Silence. The rest of the Castle was alive with movement and noise, servants scurrying to and fro like a colony of ants but in the highest room of a tower at the back, five children didn't speak a word  

     Fingers drummed on the arm of a chair. Someone yawned. Someone else sighed. A grandfather clock chimed the hour in the hallway.

     "Urgh," one of the children - a girl named Heather - groaned. The young Princess face-planted the soft, purple pillows under her arms, "I have no ideas." She lay on her front, sprawled out across a pile of cushion she on the floor with her feet in the air.

     "Why is this so hard?" the Princess' best friend - a second girl called Fern - whined. Dragging her hands over her face, she sighed heavily. She was lying on Heather's bed, her feet resting on the pillows and her head up against the footboard, staring up at the constellations and phases of the moon painted upon the canopy of Heather's four-poster bed. Vivienne-Rose - Fern's little sister - sat cross-legged to her right, playing with her stuffed raccoon toy.

     "I know!" Adrian agreed. He was Heather's twin brother - making him a Prince. He lifted his hand from where it rested on the arm of the couch the sit his cheek in it. "I bet our parents know what they're going to be, Mom does for definite,"

     "I'd be surprised if she doesn't," the final child in the group inputted. His name was Jordan and he was Fern's younger brother but Vivienne-Rose's older brother. Both boys sat on the plush couch by the fireplace, claiming either arm of it each. Jordan grinned as he continued, "Probably designed Mom, Dad and Uncle Eugene's costumes as well."

     Heather tilted her head, "Hmm, I wonder what they'll be..."

     Fern sat up on her side to say, "How about we worry about our own costumes for now Heather?"

     "Yeah, good idea," Heather agreed, nodding, "Save the curiosity for the Ball and the concentration for now," she told herself.

     "Morning all!"

     "Grandma!" Heather and Adrian cried, jumping up and running to hug the woman who just walked in.

     "Good morning Arianna," Fern and Adrian chorused while Vivienne-Rose waved and chirped "Hi!"

     "Hello sweeties. How are we all doing?" Queen Arianna greeted, squeezing her grandchildren then stroking a hand through Jordan's hair before sitting on the bed next to Fern.

     The young girl sat up, stretching one leg out in front of her and resting her hands on the other which was bent upwards, "We're trying to decide what our costumes should be for the Halloween Ball this weekend."

     "Ah I see. Well you'd better get thinking - there's only a few days left. I was just down by the throne room myself and - as usual - Mom hasn't shied away from a celebration," she smiled, nodding at Adrian and Heather, "I'm sure it's going to look wonderful."

     "What are you and Grandfather going to be?" Heather asked, going to sit on the ottoman at the end of her bed,

     "Oh no, can't  tell you that Petal. You'll find out at the Ball, don't want to ruin the surprise now do we?" Arianna grinned, tapping Heather's nose.

     Adrian sighed and sat on the arm of the couch beside Jordan, "But we still don't have a clue of what our costumes are going to be."

     Raising a hand to her lips, Arianna hummed in thought. "Well there's vampires, skeletons, zombies, pumpkins and the like,"

     "Viv you can be the pumpkin," Jordan joked. Vivienne scowled and crossed her arms, shaking her head.

     Furrowing her brows, Fern said, "No - they're all too obvious."