Following the assassinations of many close relatives, King Lubin III became increasingly paranoid. He already didn't like going out in public, but his outings became even less frequent. After his mother was killed in her own heavily guarded home, he no longer felt safe in the city, so he planned to depart for Windsor Castle, making no more public appearances at all, at least for a while. However, his wife and their young adult sons, Lubin and Jared, insisted on staying at Buckingham Palace.
Jared was the younger of the two brothers. Being rather shy and quiet, he actively avoided making public appearances and had no interest in being a celebrity or taking part in Royal engagements. Jared's body was short and lean. He was rather pale, with shoulder-length brown hair, and his protruding brown eyes seemed perpetually worried. He rarely interacted with anyone outside family, and even among family, the only ones he enjoyed having around were Lloyd, Nanette, and his mother. Nanette had been wanting to introduce her friends to Jared for a while, and he had finally agreed to meet them.
"Hello, young ladies," Jared began, his voice soft but friendly. "I'm Jared, and I'd prefer you just call me that. I don't particularly care for titles or formalities. Nanette has told me wonderful things about the lot of you. It's good to finally meet, although I'm sorry for not being the most sociable."
Mia, Evangeline, Pwalvaserk, and Iminathi stood alongside Nanette, Lloyd, and Jared, waiting for Prince Lubin, who wished to personally guide a tour of Buckingham Palace. Soon arrived a tall, pale man with black hair, wearing a cat costume and a tiara, smoking a joint.
"There he is," Jared declared, his tone laced with cynicism. "Please allow me the honor of introducing my older brother, His Royal Highness The Prince Lubin Charles Henry George David William Edward John Alexander Richard James Eric Alfred Edgar Paul Harold Daniel Stephen Oliver Malcolm Donald Eustace Geoffrey Samuel Arthur Louis Reginald Michael Philip Thomas Bartholomew Jason Kenneth Nigel Douglas Joseph Robert Ernest Christopher Jonathan Peter Gregory Adam Zachary Nathaniel Gerald Lawrence Eugene Gabriel Vincent Raymond Andrew Patrick Spencer Russell Kevin Matthew Albert Joshua Brian Ronald Timothy Jacob Nicholas Frederick Anthony Benjamin Stanley Edmund Archibald Windsor, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Duke of Normandy, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland."
Lubin stood and stared, followed by a much delayed wave of his right hand. He turned to Nanette. "Who are these people?"
"My friends," said Nanette. "I told you about them."
"Oh, right. I remember now. There's the albino."
"That's Mia."
"Of course," said Lubin. "And the spastic one."
"Evangeline."
"Then there's the crippled alien."
"Pwalvaserk," said Nanette.
"And lastly—"
"Iminathi."
"Of course, the—Jared, what was the polite word for their kind?"
"Human," said Jared.
"Really?" asked Lubin. "All this time I thought I was a human. To think I'd been casually insulting myself without even knowing it."
"No, you are a human. And she's a human, too."
"I suppose next you're going to tell me the French are humans, too."
"Why do you hate the French?"
"Same reason I hate the Irish. They use letters wrong."
"You're functionally illiterate. By choice."
"At least I try. They just throw random letters where they don't belong."
"They're still humans."
"I don't believe you."
Lubin and Jared guided the girls around the Palace. Lloyd stayed behind them, watchfully scrutinizing Lubin's behavior.
"You fine young ladies are on a tour of the best house ever." Lubin took a flask from his pocket, imbibed the contents, and threw the flask through the nearest window. "But you know what's really exciting? Paintball!"
"That actually could be fun," said Pwalvaserk. "I doubt I'd be very good at it, though."
"It's not about winning or losing," said Lubin. "It's about having fun. Which reminds me, it's time for my medicine." He then took a small bag from his pocket containing a white powder. He poured it onto the adjacent table, lined it up, and snorted it. "Now I'm ready."
Jared, the voice of reason and restraint, interjected, "I really don't think Mother would want us playing paintball in the house. Do you remember what happened last time?"
Unperturbed, Lubin retorted, "Don't be such a pussy."
Jared, recognizing the futility of arguing further, conceded, "Fine. I won't get involved. But you'll be the one who has to explain yourself to Mother."
"You may have a point," Lubin relented.
"We could watch my model trains," Jared suggested. "One should be coming by any moment." True to his word, within moments, a model train made its appearance along a track running by the wall. Jared's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "And there it is," he said with pride. "Right on schedule."
Lubin, however, couldn't hide his disdain. "Nobody cares about model trains," he remarked dismissively.
Jared simply responded, "I do," with a sense of quiet determination.
"Why don't we try something that we can all enjoy?" asked Nanette.
"How about a tickle fight?" Lubin asked, picking up Nanette and tickling her. She laughed out loud, and while she seemed fine, Lloyd was very uneasy about the frequency with which Lubin reached under her dress. Mia also found it suspicious, and she prepared to draw her gun. Lloyd gently grabbed her arm and shook his head.
"Lubin, could I have a word with you?" asked Lloyd.
"How many words?"
"Please put my little sister down. I need to speak with you. Alone."
Lubin complied and walked away with Lloyd. They returned soon after.
"All right then," Lubin said somewhat nervously. "No tickle fights."
Nanette, oblivious to the underlying tension, inquired innocently, "Why not?"
Lubin hesitated before responding, "Because your brother feels we should try something else."
Throughout the tour and various activities, Mia wanted to study the layout of the building, but often instead found herself studying Lubin's behavior. He seemed to delight in finding opportunities to look up Nanette's dress or smell her body, and appeared to seek any excuse for physical contact with her. Mia was disturbed by this, uncomfortably reminding her of her father. Again, momentarily considering the idea of drawing her gun and killing him, she resisted the urge. It would only cause more problems than it would solve. Lloyd glanced over to her, and then to Nanette, and finally to Lubin.
"Lubin, I need to discuss something with you," Lloyd announced with a tone of authority. "Alone. Now."
Lubin's response was a groan of reluctance, but he followed Lloyd for a private conversation. After a brief exchange, Lubin and Lloyd rejoined the group, and Lubin made an announcement. "We'll have to end the tour here."
"But why?" asked Nanette. "It's been fun!"
"The Prince of Wales has some important business to attend to," Lloyd answered.
"I hate whales," said Lubin. "They're not fish, so why do they insist on living a lie?"
Jared clarified the situation, "He was referring to you."
"Oh, right, of course. Yes, well, we have got to go." Lubin turned to Nanette. "Perhaps another time?"
"Your important business requires your immediate attention," Lloyd commanded rather sternly. "You shouldn't let us waste any more of your time."
Jared offered a parting sentiment, "It's been nice. I must accompany my brother. Everyone, take care."
All guests were directed to leave and were escorted out of the building.
"Nanette and I must go home," Lloyd announced.
"Fine," Nanette grumbled.
Lloyd and Nanette departed promptly for their home, while Mia, Evangeline, Iminathi, and Pwalvaserk were left by themselves. They all felt rather awkward, but nobody seemed quite sure what to do. They ended up just standing in a circle for a while, speaking softly to each other and making small talk. Eventually, Mia and Evangeline parted ways with Iminathi and Pwalvaserk to return home.
The following day, from Windsor Castle, King Lubin III announced that effective immediately, all public funding for education, infrastructure, and healthcare would be eliminated in order to allocate additional funding for the military. The announcement reverberated like a thunderclap, igniting a powder keg of discontent among the citizenry. In the heart of London, the historic Trafalgar Square became the epicenter of dissent. Large throngs of protesters, a cacophony of voices united in defiance, flooded the iconic space, banners unfurled, slogans emblazoned upon them like battle cries. Mia, though sympathizing with the cause, wanted to avoid attracting attention and thus initially did not plan on attending. However, Evangeline started working on a sign.
"What's that for?" asked Mia.
"The big protest in Trafalgar Square," said Evangeline.
"I thought you didn't like crowds or loud noises."
"Loud noises. That's why I'm bringing my headphones."
"And how are you going to stay alert about your surroundings?"
"Stay alert. I figured you'd be handling that."
"Oh. I wasn't really planning on going. However, if this really means that much to you, I'll go, if only to keep you safe."
"I don't want to burden you," said Evangeline. "But I figure that given our connections, we have a moral duty to at least try to persuade Lloyd and Nanette to address concerns to the King, because as members of the family, they have the capacity to arrange an audience. And they live at Clarence House, which isn't far from Trafalgar Square, so if we're to visit them, it just makes sense to also visit Trafalgar Square."
"I can't argue with that logic," Mia replied.
Mia prepared a backpack full of supplies she figured would be useful in a worst-case scenario. Given the less than favorable outcome of many recent protests against military action, Mia was deeply worried. However, this was clearly important to Evangeline, so Mia figured she would just have to be prepared. It was rare for Evangeline to be so passionate about something, but when she was, she was seriously committed to it. The next day, as Mia and Evangeline approached Clarence House, they were stopped by soldiers, before Lloyd told the soldiers to stand down. It was fairly routine by this point. Lloyd and Nanette were standing by a waiting limousine.
"Whatever you want, make it quick," said Lloyd.
"Where are you going?" Evangeline asked, taking off her headphones.
"Windsor Castle," Nanette answered enthusiastically.
"Windsor Castle. Why?" Evangeline asked.
Nanette pointed in the general direction of Trafalgar Square. "Those peasants want handouts or something."
"Well, you're a lost cause," Mia commented before turning away from Nanette to face Lloyd. "I presume that while there, you will be in the company of the King?"
"That's right," said Lloyd. "Let me guess, you want us to plead for the King to listen to reason, right?"
"Quite right," said Mia.
"I'll try, but if the King listened to reason, there wouldn't be a King, would there?" Lloyd smirked. "Bye now!"
As Lloyd and Nanette left in their limousine, Mia and Evangeline walked to Trafalgar Square. There were tens of thousands of people there, and among them was Iminathi, who hurried over to them when she saw them.
"How good it is to see you two here!" Iminathi exclaimed. "I was hoping you'd show up."
"What are you doing here?" Mia inquired.
"My parents sent me money and asked me to provide refreshments to protesters," Iminathi explained with a sense of determination. "So that's what I've been doing. I asked Pwalvaserk to join me, but she declined because of her limited mobility, which is fair, and I don't blame her. I tried to visit Nanette, but I was stopped by a soldier who threatened to rape me with a bayonet if I stepped any closer, and I was reminded why I never try to visit Nanette by myself."
"I don't even know what to say," Evangeline replied. "How are you feeling?"
Iminathi's tone was tinged with a sense of resignation born from years of navigating prejudice and discrimination. "It was nothing out of the ordinary for me," she admitted with a weary sigh. "I've grown accustomed to such encounters. I'll be fine."
"If you say so," said Mia. "But if you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen."
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine, really," Iminathi insisted. "However, I was getting ready to leave soon."
"Leave soon. Why?" Evangeline asked.
"My parents were able to get a rare bit of time off from work, and I wanted to be with them. But it would mean a lot with me if the two of you could continue what I was doing and help out here."
"Help out here," Evangeline echoed. "I'd love to. I came here hoping to help in whatever way I can. Mia?"
"Sure, I guess," said Mia.
"Thank you," said Iminathi. "If you need help with anything, just ask the other volunteers."
"Take care," said Mia.
"Have fun," said Evangeline.
"Be safe, you two," said Iminathi.
Overall, the gathering was rather peaceful, but as the military presence swelled around the perimeter of the square, the mood shifted. The atmosphere grew palpably tense, a simmering undercurrent of apprehension weaving its way through the crowd. The protesters, undeterred by the show of force, approached the soldiers with a mixture of defiance and desperation, their voices raised in a chorus of pleas for reason and compassion.
When one protester tried to reach out, extending an open embrace to a stoic soldier, the soldier recoiled, delivering a swift, forceful blow that sent the protester sprawling to the ground. The sharp crack of bone against pavement echoed through the square. Soon, more of the protesters approached the soldiers, yelling, waving, and pushing back. Panic erupted like wildfire, spreading through the crowd with alarming speed, as the first shot rang out, tearing through the air with a deafening roar and shattering the fragile illusion of peace.
Mia's heart pounded in her chest, the sound of gunfire echoing in her ears as she clung to Evangeline, their hands trembling with fear. In the midst of the tumult, Evangeline's panicked movements caused her to lose her headphones. Mia and Evangeline clung to each other, their hearts racing in tandem as they navigated the chaos that swirled around them. As the soldiers opened fire on the crowd, protesters rushed them, and as some of the soldiers were trampled and disarmed, a few of the protesters returned fire.
Mia used her umbrella to shield herself and Evangeline from gunfire as they fled. They narrowly avoided being trampled and hid in the National Gallery nearby. While it was officially closed due to the demonstrations, doors and windows had been broken open. Once they felt they were safely hidden, Mia and Evangeline sat and held onto each other, hoping to wait out the conflict.
"I'm scared," Evangeline cried.
"Don't worry." Mia was trying her best to stay calm for Evangeline's sake.
"We're going to die, aren't we?"
"No, we'll be fine. I promise."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better. There's no way out."
Outside, the sky lit up with a blinding flash of light as white phosphorus munitions rained down upon the crowd, their fiery descent casting grotesque shadows upon the walls of the National Gallery. The acrid stench of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood and the pungent aroma of smoke. Amidst the cacophony of screams and shouts, the rumble of incoming tanks reverberated through the streets.
Evangeline squeezed Mia tightly. Crying and trembling, Evangeline started hyperventilating, and then fainted in Mia's arms. Mia was confused, as Evangeline's body, momentarily limp, turned tense. Evangeline coughed and urinated as she convulsed from muscle spasms. Mia was terrified, but before she could even figure out what was happening, it was over. Evangeline's heavily dilated pupils scanned her surroundings. Dazed and confused, Evangeline slowly regained consciousness. A crying person was holding her. That was Mia, who kept repeating a name, "Evangeline." That was her name. She was Evangeline.
"Hi," said Evangeline.
"Evangeline!" Mia cried, her voice choked with emotion.
"I am Evangeline," she replied, as if to reassure herself.
"You are Evangeline," Mia confirmed, her voice full of love and support.
"I think I peed on you. Sorry."
"I don't care," Mia cried, hugging Evangeline. "It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I love you. I love you so much."
"Where are we?"
"Don't worry about that right now. I think you were having a seizure."
"Oh," said Evangeline. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Oh. Sorry."
Mia chuckled, and Evangeline smiled. Mia pointed out the pacifier that Evangeline was wearing on a necklace, and offered it to her. Evangeline took the pacifier in her mouth and sucked on it, while Mia continued holding her. In an effort to keep Evangeline calm, Mia softly sang Báidín Fheilimí while gently rocking her. Evangeline was drowsy and aching, but Mia remained alert. As the military forced the crowd to disperse, many exhibits in the Gallery fell, and there were partial collapses in some areas, but the building remained standing. Throughout all of this, Mia and Evangeline tightly held each other, until finally, the military forces withdrew, and it was silent.
"I love you, Evangeline. I want you to know that," Mia whispered, her voice filled with emotion.
"Know that," Evangeline replied. "I love you, too."
"Whatever happens, I need you to live." Mia took off her backpack and opened it, and from the contents assembled an assault rifle.
Evangeline was understandably shocked. "Why do you have that?"
Mia's response was grave and resolute. "You don't want to know how many answers that question has." Mia stood and reached out for Evangeline. "Can you stand?"
Evangeline took Mia's hand and pulled herself up, but her movements were unsteady. "I think so, but I might need help." Her limbs were heavy with fatigue.
Mia wrapped an arm around Evangeline to support her. "I can help you with that. Hold my umbrella. I'll keep you safe at any and all costs."