"Streamers, hanging lanterns, sent invitations. Food? Do we have the food?" Maria scanned her clipboard again. "What time is it? Are guests arriving yet?"
"Maria, calm down. The cooks and pastry chefs are all working on it. They have been since last night." Queen Clairese clasped her hands together. "Ah, and there's Bee."
"Good, good. Beatrice, was there anyone else behind you?" Maria glanced around nervously.
"A few. But don't worry Callie's party doesn't start for another..." Bee checked her watch. "Another thirty minutes."
"See, Maria, guests are arriving, food is preparing, everything is in order," Clairese comforted.
"Need me to help with anything?" Bee asked.
Maria checked her list again and looked around the outdoor setting. "Put some streamers in the tree?"
"You got it." Bee walked away.
"Thank you, dear!" Maria called after her. "Clarie, are you not worried? Upset, scared? I mean, today is the day you've been dreading since she was born."
"For the past seventeen years I've cried, begged, and pleaded for that wretched man to let the deal drop. I've wanted nothing more than to see my daughter free of this unknown weight on her shoulders. But he is as stubborn at the day I broke the engagement."
"Clarie..."
"I was so ignorant. I knew him better than anyone did; I should've have seen it coming. He wouldn't just let it go that easily..." the queen sucked in an unsteady breath. "But a war? And blackmail? I knew he wasn't the man I thought he was, but I wasn't aware he was that wicked."
Maria linked arms with Clairese and offered a friendly smile. "C'mon, the party is starting. Let's be in good spirits for Callie. She deserves to enjoy it before we tell her."
The queen nodded and straightened up, putting on a smile for the guests.
«<•>»
"Okay," Callie sighed walking from her room. Although she knew about the party, Maria refused to let her see it. "I'll go down, mingle long enough for it to be counted as an appearance, then slip away."
I would at lease stay for cake. Cake is always worth the wait.
"Don't they know I hate my birthday? Why even spend time on a celebration? Ever since he fell ill..." She shook herself. "No, Callie, you've gotta be positive. Maria has put a lot of effort into this party."
Callie, mustering all her happiness into a simple smile, walked into the party area in the castle courtyard. There she found it crowded with familiar faces. All her friends waved and applauded as she entered. Among the happy faces of her peers, were distant relatives that she barely remembered the names of. But that's okay because they knew her, and were prepared to tell her how big she's gotten.
"Happy birthday!!" the whole crowd cheered releasing small explosions of confetti.
Callie grinned and marveled at the area; Maria had done a great job.
Mark was right she did have so many people that honestly cared for her. Maybe in her time of sadness she forgot that, but she was definitely reminded.
The night began as Callie was swept away into the festivities. Games, a preformed play, eating, dancing– ballroom; none of that booty-shaking trash– and more eating, of course.
Yet everything has to end at some point. But before it did– PRESENTS!
"Here open this," Bee shoved a brightly printed box in her direction.
Callie shook it a bit. It rattled loudly. "Should I be scared?"
"Always," Bee said seriously, "-But not this time because it's your birthday!"
Callie laughed. She tore open the box to find the source of the mysterious rattling. Tied loosely with a lightly patterned brandishing ribbon, were a set of small spoons. Off to the side of the colorful box, was an equally obnoxious card.
'Callie,
You're cool.
I like eating ice cream with you and stabbing you. Wow, sounds like I'm buttering you up to kill you. This was supposed to be a nice card but oh well. I'm not rewriting this, because I only have one card. And don't think I'm spending another two dollars on one!
Sooo...
Happy birthday, Shortie♡'
"Lovely card, Bee," Callie commented.
"Thanks. I try." Bee patted herself on the back.
Soon after, another present was given to her by one of the unknown relatives. Inside the bag was a pale pink baby's outfit.
"Last time I saw you was sixteen years ago..." they muttered. "Since then you've gotten SO BIG!"
"Um... thank you...?" Callie placed the outfit back in the bag.
"Yeah. You can just regift it," they shot her a half-hearted smile.
"Right."
"This is awkward," Savanna commented. "I'll give you my gift. Close your eyes."
Skeptical, Callie asked, "Why do I need to close my eyes?"
"I ran out of wrapping for the whole thing."
"Whole thing...? Is it that big?"
"Don't ask."
Callie, a bit unwillingly, closed her eyes. As something was placed before her, she was told to open them. When she did, Callie found a lamely wrapped fork before her. Only the prongs were covered in a thin layer of Christmas wrapping.
"I wanted to give you something useful. Now you can affectively stab your enemies. Also, you can have a free soul-infested coffee at In a Cup." Savanna shot her a thumbs up.
And Callie was next handed two gifts. One from her mom and the other from Maria. Callie opened Maria's cylinder-shaped gift to find a white candle.
Oooh, I love, love, love candles! My favorite is vanilla laundry mountain oasis lemon spring. Because that's definitely a name for a candle. Yep. I didn't just mash generic candle names together. Definitely not.
"You remembered!" Callie gasped. The crowd of confused faces convinced her to explain. "I had a white mocha kiss candle that I absolutely loved, yet I completely used it. And here is another one. Thank you, Maria!"
"You're welcome, dear."
Next, it was her mother's gift. It was a small, wrapped, rectangular object. Under the paper Callie found box of matches. She looked at her mother with such confusion it was almost embarrassing.
"For the candle," her mother started before walking away with teary eyes.
Callie stared at the matches and just sighed.
«<•>»
Guests left, decorations were being taken down, food was swept away, and the party was over. Yet the day wasn't. There were still a few more surprises left.
"Callie, follow me." Maria lead her to her mother's room. There Queen Clairese stood with good posture and a straight expression. Maria left closing the door behind herself.
"Take a seat," Queen Clairese gestured to a sitting chair.
"Why-"
"Just-- take a seat please," Clairese interrupted.
Callie sat. "What is this about?"
"What do you know about Veronica's history?"
"Um... it's castle is pretty old. What, like, several decades or something old. And-"
"No. Not the place itself. The rulers of Veronica. What do you know about them?"
"Oh, sorry. I know less, honestly, about the really old ones. But I definitely know there was some sort of war when your parents were the rulers. And before that war there was a lot of poverty and junk. Then after the war things quickly developed and changed. Soon, technology advanced and education did with it. Along with that, clothing, dance, music, entertainment, all changed too. Look what can happen when we aren't fighting. Odd, huh?"
"No, no. You're off topic again. Go back to the war."
"Oh, we fought some other kingdom. What was it called...? That History of Kingdoms class was sooooo long ago-"
"I Tríti."
"Eye treaty? What are you saying?"
"I Tríti is the kingdom that we fought."
"Oh. If you knew why'd you ask?"
"I wanted to see how much you knew already."
"You calling me stupid?"
"No. Because not many people know this. I was proposed to by another man other than your father. His name was Henry. Henry, when I met him, was a nice gentleman. He opened doors for me, pulled out my chair, and got me gifts. For a a while I thought I loved him. Yet there was a whole other side to Henry. He was impulsive and demanding, stubborn and at times even abusive. But I didn't know any other relationship. I had never dated anyone before him. I thought this was okay. Well, until I met Charles– your father. He was a guard in training at Veronica. And I thought he was very handsome, yet I was with Henry at the time so we were just friends. Then I began spending more and more time with him. I watched him train, and he taught me to dance. Everyday I fell more in love with him, and out of love with Henry. But this made Henry inflamed anger. He knew I'd always been a romantic and dreamed of love and marriage. So, in order to salvage our relationship he proposed to me. Yet I wasn't the same. I had tasted real love and wasn't willing to give it up. So, in front of the whole of Veronica, and his messenger who had just arrived, I broke the engagement. I thought it was over, that I could now live the life I dreamt of. Yet Henry, as I knew him, got worse. He publicly declared war on Veronica and attacked us soon after my wedding with your father. The war lasted nine years until I found myself pregnant with you. You, Caleen George, were the savior of Veronica."
"I... I don't understand. How?"
"I made a deal with Henry. I told him his son... could... uh. He could have the throne of Veronica if you didn't fall in love before seventeen. I wanted you to have a chance at love like I did."
"Wait. You're saying you married me away when I was still in diapers! Are you serious?!"
"I..."
"No! Don't try to cover this up!"
"I gave you time and multiple chances."
"And don't try to act like that makes it okay! You sold me away to save yourself the trouble!"
"It doesn't make it okay, I know. But you saved so many lives through this sacrifice. Don't be selfish."
"SELFISH? You want to talk about selfish?! You married me away before I could even have a say! Heck, I couldn't even talk at the time! You did it so you could have a happy ending."
"Whatever you say can't change this. It's done now. You will marry Leo and that's final."
"Leo? He was in on this?"
"Unwillingly."
"I'm done. I'm done! I'm not even sure what to say. You managed to get worse. You barely raise me, and rarely speak to me. Now you're marring me to someone I don't love so you could get what you wanted."
"It's more-"
"No! For once let me get the last word. Let me get what I want."
Callie, before Clairese could utter anything more, got up and left the room slamming the door behind herself. She, without glancing back, locked her bedroom door and climbed out the window.
I did mention she had a few more surprises, right? Meaning there could be at least one or two more?
Callie didn't just find the normal limbs of the great oak tree. She found something more. Something beautiful. A gesture of apology. Of deep care. Of... love. Candle-holding lanterns hung gracefully from the tree's branching arms. The area smelled of white mocha kiss. Yet one candle wasn't lit yet.
Callie glanced down and spotted the box of matches in her pocket. She fished them out and removed a single match. Scraping it against the side of the box, it was set ablaze. Lighting the last candle, she found a letter which was previously concealed in shadows.
'Dear Callie,
I apologize. I messed up and I'm sorry. I should've been there and I wasn't. I found myself tricked by someone of my past. I let her convince me it was okay to do to you as you did to me. I understand if you don't forgive me.
Just remember, in life people mess up and it often hurts others. But it's wether they call it a mistake and try to make it okay again. Or if they call it a mishap and shove the situation aside.
Thanks to your family I've had the help I needed to set this up. I hope you like it and give me a second chance.
I hope you do, because I think we're a perfect match.
Apologies and love,
Your second suitor.'
"Arthur..."