An Almost, Kinda Vacation

Our first full day in Bridd Palace was the first time I had a chance to take a breath in this world. Breakfast and lunch were brought to our rooms by palace servants. Actually, the breakfast delivery was what woke me up. I was sleeping wayyyyy in. The room had multiple beds, one of which Marie used, but I slept in the largest one (princess privilege). It was about the same size as mine back home.

Well, back home here. The one in my apartment was so small it barely qualified as a bed.

I still wasn’t any closer to understanding the deal with this world or why I was here, but with the spring sun shining over the guest room terrace, birds chirping around, and the gentle breeze keeping it cool, it wasn’t at the forefront of my mind. The room we’d been provided felt like a high-class resort — not that I’d really know, though. I’d never stayed in one.

I relaxed. This is the life. No monsters trying to kill me, no marriage meetings to attend, nobody staring at my chest. Just me, Marie, and the open sky. Even my days off in my apartment weren’t this good.

The Dawn of Spring was to start tomorrow. Until then, I decided I would try to just chill as much as possible. Marie and I leisurely ate lunch on the terrace and then had tea, chatting about Andraste and how different it was from home. Notably, the overwhelming presence of stone, alongside the open-air design and natural feeling, gave the palace the impression of a nice hike up a mountain. We spent the afternoon wandering around the grounds after getting permission from the servants.

Dinner was not room service, however. We would be having a celebratory dinner with the Emperor and the twins, in the same grand open hall where we had met him. Oh great, not another one of these. Dear God, please let there be only one spoon.

There was more than one spoon.

At the table I had first seen Emperor Caestra sitting at, my two maids and I were seated across from the Caestra family. Finley and Diana were in much more casual clothes now, wearing the same comfortable-looking shirts and robes with blue accents, despite being different genders. No dress for Diana? The Emperor also wore something casual, though his outfit was embellished with golden accessories here and there.

Luckily, I had Marie to give utensil-based hints again. She may have been here to serve me, but while in the care of the Empire, she was a guest. So, she and the other maids got to enjoy the meal with us, too.

Dinner was lively with the twins there, as they engaged in a (loud) argument about who could dispatch more Scourge in 30 seconds. In the middle of the second course — some kind of meat pie — I mustered up the courage to ask the Emperor a question.

“So, what did my father tell you when he said I’d be coming?” I was curious to know how he talked about me to other important people.

Emperor Caestra, who had been happily watching and reacting to the twins’ conversation, fell silent, his face dropping. “That’s just the thing, dear lady, he didn’t. The last time we met in person was… My, must be years at this point.”

He’s sad about that?

With a pained smile, he continued, “We’ve tried our best to reach out to your family, but alas, King Lumineuse always seems to have something else going on.”

Hold the phone, dude. My dad said you all were, like, evil.

“But I was truly happy to see the missive that said you would be coming out to our most joyous celebration! I hope your accommodations here have been suitable.” He enthusiastically looked at me.

“It’s been wonderful, truly. This palace is incredible. Marie and I particularly enjoyed the weather out on the terrace.” I wasn’t lying in the slightest. The past day had been the most relaxing I’d had in quite some time, in this world or any other.

I had other things on my mind, though. Dad said these guys were dangerous. That they were a problem. He made it sound like sending me over to help smooth relations was some giant favor. But this guy said he’s been trying to reach out to Dad for like, years. This isn’t adding up. I resolved to ask Marie about it later, not wanting to sour the warm atmosphere of the evening meal.

Back in our room, Marie and I settled in for the evening. We took our bath together, in the wide, spacious bathhouse that accompanied our room. I even tried my hand at helping wash her hair, for a change, though I don’t believe I did it well. I wasn’t sure about bathing together at first, but when we got ready, I noticed I didn’t really feel anything weird. It was impossible to think of Marie in that way. She’s already seen me naked, anyway. It’s basically half her job.

While we soaked in the steamy pool, I considered asking her about what the Emperor was talking about earlier. What stopped me, though, was Marie’s blissful, serene expression as she leaned against the back of the bath.

Right. It’s not every day the maid gets to play the master, is it? I joined her in simply enjoying the water, letting the fears and anxieties of the past few days melt away.

~~~~~~

We awoke bright and early the next morning to get ready for the festival. Marie opened up the giant wardrobe suitcase that held some of my things and pulled out an adorable A-line piece with springtime flowers embroidered all along the seams and across the chest. I actually let out a gasp when I saw it. A themed dress!? Amazing!

Wait, no. I mean, whatever, I guess. Cool. Yeah.

A knock at the door came while Marie helped me slip the dress on.

I cried out to protect my privacy, still getting dressed. “Hang on- I mean, ah, please wait a moment!”

After Marie and I determined that I was festival-ready, she went over and opened the door. Behind it waited two finely dressed Andrastian royals, ready to escort us to the Dawn of Spring.

The twins were in matching finery of grassy green coats and brown leather pants with cream-colored cloaks. They weren’t exactly the same, though: Diana wore a few pieces of bright grey armor over her torso, shoulders, and arms, while Finley had on a more formal tunic with delicate lines and buttons all over.

“Finley! Diana! You look wonderful.” The words escaped from my mouth in shock before I could stop them.

Diana nudged Finley. “Brother, the goddess is speaking. Prostrate yourself.”

He smiled and gave a gentle bow. “Not as lovely as you, princess.”

“We have Marie to thank for that,” I confessed with a blush.

Diana turned around and waved us on, eager to get going. “Come on, then. We’ve got a festival to get to.”

Marie and I followed the royal twins out through the guest wing, soon joined by Sir Robert and Margot, to an Andrastian carriage waiting for us at the front. It was thankfully a short trip to the festival grounds. I would not have been able to walk, though — Marie had chosen a set of heels that were different from what I had slowly gotten used to, almost like sandals. I had stumbled on the way out of the guest room, but Marie grabbed me and steadied me before Finley and Diana could notice.

We heard the festival long before we saw it. As the carriage rolled closer to the grounds, the sounds of mirth and merriment of thousands of people, along with singing and musical instruments — I think it's called a ‘lute’? — filled our ears. The streets became more and more crowded until it was impossible to move the carriage through, even with Finley and Diana popping their heads out to try and command people aside. In fact, their involvement may have had the opposite effect, as when the people saw the twins, they went wild. These two are actually like celebrities. Thank God there’s no paparazzi.

Eventually, seeing that the throngs of people were only getting thicker, Diana signaled for the carriage to stop. Behind us, a carriage of Andrastian knights unloaded and began to clear a path through the crowds. My maids and I followed the twins out behind the knight escort. My legs shook. It was a lot to take in, and I was really awful with crowds.

After a few minutes of cutting through the rabble, we came upon the plaza for the Dawn of Spring. Next to the flags from a few days ago was now a massive banner that had words I did not understand whatsoever on it. It read: “tighinn an latha,” and beneath that “Dawn of Spring.”

Finley stopped at the entrance and turned around. With a giant smile, he announced, “Welcome, fair lady, to tighinn an latha!” Then, Diana joined in. Together, they cheerfully shouted, “The Dawn of Spring!”

I hope they have funnel cakes.