Collective

Althea

Althea stood outside her father's stall at the market, watching the people and horses jaunt merrily by. People laughed and talked loudly on the busy street, and she felt a sense of calm from all of the strangers non-appraising looks at her, none of them judging her, none of them giving her anything more than a cursory glance. In contrast to the happy townspeople, to her left she could see the disapproving gaze of Madam Mirkle in the next stall over, out of the corner of her eye. Madam Mirkle always looked at Althea this way, as if she was a problem that needed solving. She wished she could say that over time it bothered her less, but the reality was she found it just as distressing as when it first began to happen. She counted in her head for the umpteenth time just that morning. Six hundred and fifty five days. Six hundred and fifty five days until none of it would matter anymore. She just had to get through the next six hundred and fifty five days.

A sudden gasp from the crowd around her made her start and jump out of her thoughts. A procession was slowly making its way down the crowded street, people jumping out of the way respectfully. Two two royal guards led two horses down the narrow street. Dust kicked from under the horses hooves, creating a cloud like effect around the carriage they pulled. The guards stood straight backed and walked stiffly, looking uncomfortable. Everyone in the vicinity either stopped where they were and openly stared, or began moving out of the area as quickly as they could.

It was rare to see a member of the royal family outside of the walls of the palace, much less out of the City altogether. Althea knew it was not a member of the immediate royal family or there would have been announcements and preparations, so it must be some more distant relative of the Queen. The procession came to a halt a few stalls away from hers, at Madam Clarol's stall, where the shelves were adorned with precious stones Madam Clarol's husband found down in the mines.

A finely dressed woman descended from the carriage in the middle of the street, approached the stall, and began to browse the stones, asking Madam Clarol questions here and there. Althea watched, encaptivated by her beautiful and extravagant clothes and her slow, almost lazy, way of moving. No one but the Royals could ever afford to move with such patience and grace. The ordinary people of the city moved with a sort of desperate quickness, as if they hoped that taking two steps where they could have taken one would allow them extra hours in the day.

Suddenly, Althea felt a presence at her side.

"Well look at that. Poor little Althea staring into her future," a mean voice taunted her.

Althea turned to see the china doll like face of Abigail Biancolette gazing at her own.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Abigail" Althea was wary, moving deliberately toward her stall.

Abigail laughed as if Althea had made a joke. Then she looked at Althea's face more closely. "Wait a second. You really don't know do you? You really have no idea who that woman is?"

"No clue, why?" Althea sensed something unpleasant coming her way.

Abigail smiled in grim delight, "Oh no one...no one at all. Unless of course you care who the head of the prisons is. Well technically of course her husband is the head of the prisons, but they say that she is so cruel and controlling that it is she who truly calls the shots." Abigail smiled cruelly, "They say she put a five year old girl in lock up for getting chocolate on her shirt...but don't worry, I'm sure that's just a rumor."

Althea looked at Abigail blankly. "As captivating as that little anecdote was, I don't know why you expect me to care."

Abigail smiled sweetly, "Well because that's who you'll be facing when you don't present your power on Offering Day of course! Maybe you should be introduced sooner, since you'll be working together so closely!" Abigail gave Althea what was probably meant to be a light shove, but since Abigail had succeeded in shocking Althea with the information she had imparted, it caught Althea completely off guard and sent her careening onto the street and directly into the horse attached to the Royal's carriage.