3. The White Plaza

“ Welcome, welcome my dear orphans to the great city-state of Harebell! “
The lady begins to say with a clear, fake enthusiasm.

“ The great court and its leaders hope you travelled without any trouble and that your stay here will be the most pleasant! “
She continues after smiling widely at each group.

“ I am one of the many guides who had the honor to be chosen to lead you through this year’s ceremony.
We will be received shortly at Harebell’s prestigious tribunals. “

She wipes her lips with a thin white tissue.

“ As you are all aware of, you are currently shackled together; the court and guides do not wish to make you feel like prisoners at all!
The streets of Harebell are vast and many and, we simply do not want to lose any of you, as you would certainly be missed by your loving caretakers and by ourselves. “

I can’t even picture the Apron Lady showing a single hint of care, or any kind of love, if she ever felt any in her life.
All I can see and hear while thinking about her are the sounds of bones cracking and her white apron tainted red by our blood.
They don’t have a clue about the reality of the living conditions in the Petals.

“ As for the rules now, you are forbidden to talk to any citizen of Harebell or any of its representatives.
Doing so will result in your arrest and you will be forced to work in the mines of Scabiosa for the rest of your lives.
Be aware that talking to any leader directly is strictly forbidden and you will be immediately detuned and thrown down Harebell’s surrounding abyss. “

The mines of Scabiosa?

“ We would be deeply saddened by your loss and do not, under any circumstances, wish for it, as you are all loved.
That said, I will now assign to each of your groups a personal guide. “

With a gesture of her hands, all the Tailors walk towards the exits and are replaced by well-dressed men and women.
They have their faces unhidden compared to the Tailors and are wearing tall banners attached to their backs. Each banner is different for each group.
Ours has the letter N drawn on it, overlapping with a drawing of our orphanage.

A man, bent by age it seems, approaches our group and positions himself in front of Mayth.
With a slow, calm voice, he begins to say:

“ Hello orphans, I am your guide for the day. I will ask you to follow me closely and to keep your hands to yourself. “

With a wave from his wrist, the guide signals the beginning of our march in the direction of the tribunals of Harebell.

We are the first group to exit the lobby and are followed closely by the others. After a while, we all split in different directions and we’re now alone with our guide.
I recognize the street we walk in… Our next stop will be at the White Plaza’s blocked gateway.

“ Hey Jurny, what are those gates for? “
Mary asks me, her head leaning over Apry’s shoulders.

“ The place we’re going to is a restricted area for the few stringed like us and the poor citizens that cannot afford to add strings to their throat box. Its access is blocked by this gate that they call a Box Overseer, if I remember correctly. “
I respond.

“ How can they check how many strings our music box has?
There aren’t any guards around… Or anything that could allow someone to inspect it. “
Febry says, looking around to search for hints of a detection device.

The guide steps on the white threshold painted on the ground and grabs a device attached by a sort of pipe directly to the gate.
He positions the tip of the device, which looks like a funnel, directly on his throat box.

Once his note is played, the gate opens, letting us through.

As we pass, Febry inspects the mechanism as much as he can in the short time he has.
Damn, his eyes are so intensely focused that they could burn through the metal right now.
Unfortunately for him, we walk too fast through them and, as we do, they close behind us.
He lowers his head, disappointed.

The citizens are coming from everywhere. They all play their note to every passing folk they meet to greet them, adding unnecessary layers to the already obnoxious lullaby.

One of them bumps into Mayth as we try to get through the White Plaza.
He furiously gazes at her and plays his note swiftly to make his annoyance known to her.

I can’t see her from where I am, but I bet she’s got her teeth gritted like crazy right now; what I would do to see her face!

The guide apologizes to the citizen and we resume our march.
The various market stalls surround the grand statue of Harebell’s leaders;
the odors of grilled harebell, harebell stew, and harebell steak they produce are a torture to us.

“ Hey Jur, what is that big statue? Why is one of the figures on it missing its head? “
Mary asks me her head aside Apry’s arm now.

I try to look at the statue, but it is hidden behind two stalls, preventing me from seeing anything more than the overall shape of it.

“ Well, the statue is supposed to represent Harebell’s leaders. Although I don’t know why one of them is missing their head, I don’t recall seeing that last year… “

Vandalism? Harebell’s punishments are way too harsh for anyone to even think about doing such a thing. I can’t see properly, so I can’t figure out if it’s the case or not.

“ So there are multiple leaders? “

“ Yes, there are five. Sorry, but I only remember the names of three of them: Earl Scabiosa, Lord Ursin, and of course, Lady Harebell. “

I know I’ve heard the others’ names before, but I’ve forgotten them.

“ There’s also Lady Sylvestr! She’s the most beautiful! Or so I’ve read… “
Febry shouts from the front.

“ That makes four. Who’s the fifth one then? “
Mary asks.

“ Myrrhis. “
Apry says coldly.

“ Countess Myrrhis of the city-state named after her. “
She continues.

Someone’s moody.

“ Did she do something to you for you to spit her name like that? “
I ask, laughing.

“ No. I’m in the middle of you two and you won’t stop talking since we set foot on Harebell.
As much as I like both of you, it’s getting on my nerves quite a bit! “

“ Sorry Apry… We didn’t choose where to be in the line… “
Mary says.

“ It’s alright, just… “

She sighs.

“ I know you have a lot to ask and all… But, can you try to wait for us to be at the orphanage to ask them please? “

“ Sure… Sorry again… “

I don’t react to that. My tongue is tired from answering all of Mary’s questions anyway;
I should even thank Apry for reacting the way she did.

We focus back on, well, walking, when I feel a pull from behind.
I turn my head to look at what Nolvem’s doing and I see her stuffing dry oats she took from a stall into her pockets.

There’s no way! She’s going to get us all detuned and thrown into the pit!
I can’t believe that this stupid girl, even whilst being shackled, is trying to get into trouble!

I turn my shoulders to her and try to keep walking straight.

“ Nol, I swear on my life! If- “

She stops walking, her eyes aiming at something afar, above the market stalls.
Her mouth opens slightly and her eyes open widely.

The whole line is forced to stop.

“ Why did we stop?! “
Mary says, afraid.

All the monthlings turn to Nolvem.

“ Even fucking walkin’ ya cannot do it peacefully! Ya really need to be causin’ a scene anywhere!? “
Mayth yells.

“ Look “

Nolvem points at an empty balcony with its windows closed.
We all look, confused.

“ She is the most magnificent being I have ever seen. She is our savior, the redemption of our long suffering.
The answer to our mourning cries. She is cleansed from any evil, her moves are grace and bear only kindness and care for our sake.
The white is turning red! A Red Queen freed from the music boxes! “

Alright, well, she totally lost it. I don’t even know what to do with her. I cannot think of any joke or any slurs I could say to put her back on track.
The absurdity of what I just saw is leaving me standing like an idiot.

The citizens that could witness what just happened are whispering among themselves.
Some are laughing and others try to find what she’s looking at.

The guide furiously walks to her.
He grabs her cheeks.

“ Another word from your filthy mouth, another step to slow us down, and I’ll get you arrested by the white guards, you hear me!
We don’t have time for your fabulations and your insanity! Now walk and shut your mouth! “

Nolvem nods in acceptance trembling in fear. He releases her and quickly gets back at the front of the line.
He pushes Mayth forward and makes us walk twice as fast as before.

Our feet hurt from walking so fast for such a long time, but we finally arrive at the grand doors leading to the tribunals.
They open, and the only decent sight in this city is finally cast before our eyes.

The harebell fields. Giant white patches of harebells, scattered so far in the distance that we cannot see their end.
A gentle, humid mist floats above it, making each flower shine with the sun’s rays.
At the center of the fields, the tribunals of Harebell with their ornate stairs.

This field feeds every inhabitant of the city-state as well as us. Flowers don’t lie or hurt, they feed us and are pleasing to the sight.
It’s the only thing worth looking at, and the only thing I love in this cursed life of mine.
Marc and I shared this love for those flowers.
We could talk and draw the fields for hours in our room when we were younger.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm down and resist the urge to strangle this fucking princess to death.
My mind would be at peace doing so, I know it. Though my instincts are telling me to let her live somehow.
I’ve only survived this long because of my instincts, so… I will listen to them, for I must survive just a bit longer.