Tales after Dusk 05

She turns back to the King and lies easily, "I can assure you, your highness, that none of us have been in a prison, nor have I ever broken anyone out of prison."

The King looks over at Basil and Thorne as they walk down the carpet to stand next to Alecta; each of them bows gracefully. Alecta can almost sense Thorne's nervousness as he stands before his parents, hoping for once that they don't recognize him from the night before.

"Well, Lady Remington, Baron Remington and Lord Montage, you have my sincerest of apologizes for this misunderstanding," he continues, addressing the Commander, "See to it that your guard gets reprimanded for his behavior. I do not want him to ever set foot in this castle again, understand?"

The Commander bows before turning and shoving Milton out of the room.

Alecta, still with a short tone, curtseys to the King, "Thank you, your majesty. We will be leaving at once." She spins on her heels, furiousness emanating from her body as she begins to walk out of the room. Catching Basil and Thorne off guard, they bow to the King and begin to follow their friend when they are all stopped.

"Lady Remington," the King calls to her.

She stops in her tracks. Pausing a moment, as if to gather her patience, she finally turns back around, "Yes, your highness?"

The King rises from his throne, followed by the Queen. They take the few steps down to the carpet and cross it so that they can stand before her, face to face. Despite the fact that they are his parents, Thorne finds their behavior extremely out of the ordinary. Alecta is one convincing actress.

"Lady Remington," he says softer, extending his hand.

She visibly sizes him up before reluctantly placing her hand in his. The King covers it with his other hand, continuing, "I am very sorry for all of this. How that guard conducted himself is not how those in Briartown act. We are flattered that you and your friends came all this way simply to see the wedding of my son. Please, accept my apologies."

Alecta clenches her jaw a bit before softly nodding in acceptance. The King smiles and squeezes her hand a little before letting go.

"Please, stay and give our little town a second chance," the Queen speaks up, "the day after tomorrow is my son's engagement party. It is a private affair, only the most important people will be there—I'd like to invite you and your friends to attend, as my guests."

After a brief pause, Alecta curtseys to the Queen, "Thank you, my Lady, it would be an honor."

The King chuckles, clasping his hands together, "Very well then, it is settled. Have you found a place to stay yet?"

"I am afraid, your highness," Basil answers for them, "that well we managed to find lodging for last night, it wasn't exactly up to the standards that we are used to."

He nods, talking to Basil as they begin walking out of the room, "There is a manor across the road from the castle; when we have out of town guests, they always stay there. I trust you will find it much more accommodating. I shall send word for them to expect your party."

"That is magnificent, thank you very much," Basil says gratefully.

The King smiles and nods to them, "Wonderful, then we shall see all of you at the engagement party."

...

True to his word, the manor is fit for royalty. The building forms a rectangle around a lovely, private garden in the middle. Standing two stories above ground, the basement is full of servant's quarters while the first floor is comprised of drawing rooms, living rooms, a library, a large and small dining room and a kitchen. The second floor is full of bedrooms.

They walk up the grand staircase, followed by Aiken, Kane and Jasper who are carrying their trunks. Alecta wants to say something to Thorne but she is forced to keep her mouth shut as they follow the servant down the hall to the first bedroom.

"Will this one work for you, miss?" She says softly to Alecta.

Alecta enters the grand room; decorated in the finest of silks in every color imaginable, the room has windows facing the castle. She keeps her excitement to a minimum. Running her hand across the back of the bright red couch in the seating area before the fireplace, she takes another look around before answering, "Yes, this will work just as well as any. Thank you."

The servant curtseys before exiting the room and leaving with Basil and Thorne to show them to their quarters. Through the open door she watches Aiken and Jasper trail behind them but Kane enters the room with a chest and sets it down on the floor. Peering out of the door for a moment, he turns and walks to her.

"I wish I would have been there for the show—you must have given one hell of a performance for the King and Queen to offer this place for us to stay in," he smiles brightly at her. When he catches a glimpse of her wrists, he tenderly takes one in his hand and shakes his head, "You do tend to over commit, though."

"I do what is necessary to make it believable," she flinches slightly, her bruises starting to darken. "The show must go on. I can't imagine Aiken is going to appreciate following Thorne around."

He laughs softly, "Yes well, he is looking forward to his Robin Hood. Now, what are your thoughts?"

Alecta sits down gracefully on the edge of the couch, "The day after tomorrow is the engagement party. Thorne, Basil and I will attend; I will need you and Aiken on look out and Jasper in the shadows. I have no doubt that Carabosse will show. I am sure she will offer a sarcastic congratulations to the bride and groom. It is imperative that we be forewarned of her arrival before she appears; Thorne and I can have no contact in front of her, that way she doesn't know who it is that woke him. After she leaves, Jasper will follow her so that we know the location of whatever hole she lives in. The rest of us remain at the party as if nothing happened, until Jasper returns. Then we stake out her place."

Just as she pauses, the door cracks open. Basil, Thorne, Aiken and Jasper all come filing in before any of the servants can see them.

"What do we do then?" Kane asks.

Alecta shakes her head, "I think that is your area of expertise. I don't know what the memories look like or how we get them back into the minds of the townsfolk."

"Hmm," Kane says, "Let me think on it a little."

"Are you ready?" Jasper asks Kane, "We need to catch the Desert Beauty before the sun goes down."

"Yes, let's get a move on," Kane replies, rising from the couch. He and Jasper slip out of the door.

Aiken flops onto the couch, "Dinner will be ready in two hours," he says slightly mockingly, "my lady. I am lucky though—my tiny closet of a room in the basement has a window that looks out onto the street."

Alecta pats him on the arm, "Robin Hood," she reminds him. Aiken perks up a little at the thought of it, and thankfully takes a glass of brandy from Basil when he joins the group. Alecta walks over to Thorne, who hovers somewhat awkwardly near the door.

"I knew Basil had a gift with a pair of scissors but I never would have imagined..." she stops before him, getting caught up in his bright green eyes. "I know you're upset about losing the hair and the beard but I must be honest, you look...handsome."

Thorne smiles a little, "Thank you, cousin," he laughs.

She rolls her eyes and walks over to the windowsill seat overlooking the castle and sits down. Thorne joins her.

"It is very odd, looking from the outside," he says softly. His brows furrow and he gently takes her hands in his, looking at her wrists, "Are you all right?" There is an odd worried tone in his voice.

"I will be fine," she replies, "Are you all right? That was a lot to process and take in, in such a short amount of time. I am sure the party will be very difficult for you."

He nods slowly, still holding onto her hands, "I felt so...I can't describe it. Like a stranger, an intruder. My own father looked into my eyes and didn't recognize me."

She turns her hands over so that she is holding his; slightly surprised, he looks up at her. She squeezes his hands slightly, "I understand that feeling, sort of. I know what it is like to feel so out of place, like you don't belong anywhere. You just need to remember that you know who you are and we know who you are. You are not alone."

"What if it doesn't work? What if I am stuck being a regular person for the rest of my life?" Thorne says softly. Though he is desperate for things to return to normal, part of him wonders what it would be like to not be the Prince. He wonders what it would be like to be a thief, a criminal, what it would be like to spend his life with her.

"It will work," she says. With one last squeeze, she forces herself to let go of his hands and draw her own back into her lap, "before you know it you will be back on your throne and we will be out of your hair. Now, we need to go over what will happen at the engagement party."

Though she continues talking, Thorne only half listens. He is thankful for the excuse to look at her more; she is a woman of many faces, many talents, many personalities but he finds himself yearning to know the real Alecta. In her beautiful dress and with her hair perfectly done, she appears as regal as any other upper class woman he has met before. When she begins to act the part, he would never know that she was an imposter. She could easily pass for a Lady, or a Princess even...but how fair would that be?

Watching her beautiful lips form the words of their plan, Thorne finds himself falling in love with her, despite that they are from two different worlds. He knows his parents would never approve of him marrying a commoner let alone a criminal and though she has the capability of pretending to be a person they would approve of, Thorne finds himself opposed at asking her to lie for the rest of her life. He could simply give up—remain a commoner and let the faux Prince take his place; but Alecta and her friends have already risked a lot to set the plan into motion, he feels that he can't back down now. For the first time in his life he is faced with a hard decision and has no way to rectify it. The heart wants what the heart wants, and what his heart wants is Alecta.

...

Alecta's arm is draped over Thorne's as they, along with Basil and Aiken trailing behind, walk down the street to the town. With Alecta and Basil acting the part, Thorne is almost ashamed to finally feel more comfortable around them as he doesn't have to pretend to be anything other than the upper class he was brought up in. There aren't very many people in from out of town yet, at most a handful of middle class folks from Haven have made the trip to see the wedding. Alecta suspects that more will arrive tomorrow but for the time being they are getting eyed curiously from the edges of the street. Though Basil himself is a handsome man, Thorne almost blushes at the looks that he gets from some of the ladies. His new hair cut and shave have substantially made a difference in his appearance and though women used to swoon over him before he now realizes that it was more for his title than for his self.

He can't help but smile when he sees men suck in their guts as the trio walk by; as soon as a pair of eyes hits Alecta, depending on who they belong to they either show a hint of jealousy or a flash of desire. She is a gorgeous woman and none would ever suspect that she was an orphan turned criminal who is acting a part. They make a few stops at shops along the strip but their main destination is the tailor's at the very end. Despite his full workload, with every upper class member desperate to get a new outfit in time for the wedding, upon seeing the group walk into his store he pauses and makes it a point to greet them.

"Why, hello; you must be new to town?" He inquires of the group but his eyes are fixed on Alecta. He extends his hand to her.

With a brilliant smile she gently rests her fingertips into his palm, "Oh my, is it that obvious?"

The tailor kisses the back of her hand before slowly spinning her around, "As the premier tailor in town, I must admit that I know every beautiful woman here from the front...and the back..."

Alecta laughs musically at his joke, "Well, I hope you aren't too busy to get to know me a bit better. I am hoping you have time to put a gown together for me and evening wear for my companions. We have had the privilege of being invited to the Prince's engagement party."

The tailor finally lets go of her hand. With a soft frown, he says "I am sorry my dear but I have quite a full work load. Everyone wants to look their best for the wedding."

She puts on a disappointed pout, "What a shame. I packed a few gowns for our trip here but I didn't realize how many handsome, available men there were..." She walks over to the mirror, admiring her figure for a moment, "It just dawned on me, that a single woman such as myself couldn't expect to find a better husband anywhere else. I just didn't want to seem so...unavailable. All of my dresses are a bit too conservative. I was hoping to get something classy but with a little more...incentive," as she speaks she slowly tugs down the top of her dress until a respectable amount of cleavage shows. As if she doesn't think anyone is watching, she gives her shoulders a little shake to make sure that she is showing off a good amount but not too much. She turns back around, "Something more along the lines of this."

He coughs slightly, clearing his throat. With a huge smile, he replies, "I suppose I could make an exception."

She smiles somewhat innocently, "Oh really? That would be wonderful! I have a few sketches of what I was thinking. Would you be able to tailor the outfits for my cousin and my dearest friend too?" Alecta makes it a point to lean over to grab his hand, in a begging sort of way.

The tailor manages to tear his eyes away from her chest and turns to Thorne and Basil, "Why not?" He smiles at them, "I will need to get your measurements. If you give me just a moment I will be right back." Reluctantly he takes his hand back and walks into the back room.

"See, what did I tell you?" Basil says to Thorne, "She plays the part well, doesn't she?"

Alecta rolls her eyes, "It's hardly fair—men make it easy. Its women, now they are the problem."

"Don't let her fool you," Basil says again, "she's seduced just as many women as I have."

Thorne half chokes on his next breath, caught by surprise. Aiken gets a good laugh out of it, "I've seen her do it too. It's just not right but damned if it isn't the most glorious sight you'll ever see."

Alecta slaps his arm, "Hush now, don't spill all of my secrets."

Thorne stares at her in half shock, half disbelief. As the tailor comes back, Basil sidesteps Alecta, "Why don't I go first dear, then you can pick out your fabric."

"What a wonderful idea," she agrees, much to the tailor's disappointment. Draping her arm in Thorne's she leads him towards the back room, "Come, cousin, there are many decisions to be made."

Once they are in the backroom and out of earshot of the others, Alecta walks the length of the wall of neatly folded bolts of fabric, running her fingers along them. Thorne can't hold his tongue any longer.

"Women? Seriously?" He isn't even sure what to say on the subject.

She winks at him, "Don't be such a prude Thorne. I can charm the pants off of a statue if I want." She pulls a green velvet bolt out, walking over to Thorne so she can drape it over his shoulder, "I like this one for you, what do you think?"

"Women?" He replies.

Looking at him, she lets a smirk cross her face, "All right, yes it has been necessary for me to use my abilities on the fairer sex in the past. And if you must know, I don't enjoy it as much as I enjoy your gender." She raises an eyebrow, seeking to stir him up a bit.

"Oh, is that so," he says coyly, "it would have explained a lot."

She opens her mouth in shock at his quip, "Watch your tongue boy, or they won't let you back into the castle with a mouth like that. Besides, what is that supposed to mean."

He shrugs, "Well, look at me. I'm deadly handsome now, yet I get to be a cousin. At best." He repeats her words.

She snorts slightly, "Available, beautiful and single. That is what we must be, if we are to get the best information out of anyone."

"Still," he says, moving in a little closer, "a cousin? That kind of limits our interaction. Now, a former star crossed lover, on the other hand," reaching out, he twirls his finger in her hair, having backed her up against the wall of fabric.

Alecta feels her heart pound, confused by his sudden attraction to her. Unable to contain the shortness of her breath, she tries to put an end to their conversation, "A cousin will make it easier on both of us when we part ways and go back to our separate worlds."

Though her comment is a harsh bit of reality, it doesn't deter him as he leans forward, locked on to her eyes, "And what if I don't want to?" Before she can reply, he gently presses his lips to hers. Hungrily, almost desperately, she returns his sentiment. For a blissful moment they are lost in each other, separate from their own realities and together in the present.

Then, as if she were never there, she is gone. It takes Thorne a moment to realize that she has slipped from his arms, leaving him with the bolt of green velvet fabric. He looks around shocked, finally spotting her across the room as she examines a paisley purple and golden pattern. Like she could read the future, the tailor walks into the backroom.

"I am ready for you now, miss," he says sweetly.

Alecta turns around, smiling excitedly, "Wonderful. I would like it to be in this fabric," she says, carrying the bolt tightly to her chest. As she passes Thorne, their gaze meets. With a soft smile, she winks at him before she disappears into the front of the store.

The tailor draws out his measurements of her as long as he can, double checking a few spots twice. When he is finally done the sadness is visible in his eyes as she switches places with Thorne.

Alecta joins Basil in the small sitting area across from the measuring platform; Aiken, tired of the stuffiness of the shop, retreats outside.

"Did I ever tell you about the Countess Montage?" Basil says softly, watching Thorne.

"No," she is slow to reply, "was she another actor you worked with?"

"She was my fiancé," he says softly.

Shocked, Alecta turns to look at him for a moment, yet Basil keeps his eyes forward.

"One of my first marks, she was the widow of an Earl. I fell hard for her and she for I. It was almost a year—near our wedding date—that I finally told her the truth. I was tired of pretending to be someone that I wasn't and I told her everything, all of the jobs I had done, who I really was, the fact that I had been pretending to be an Earl."

"How did she take it?" Alecta asks curiously.

"Well, actually. She said that she didn't care who I was, all she cared about was that I was now with her. Things were going great, until I stopped pretending to be a pompous ass and started to behave like myself—you know how I am, I get drunk, I flirt, sometimes I get a bit rowdy," Alecta nods in agreement before he continues, "One night she came to me and said, 'Why are you acting so odd? You haven't been yourself lately.' It was then that I realized she never actually knew me in the first place. The person I truly was, wasn't the person she fell in love with." Basil sighs as Thorne gets his last measurement taken, "It broke my heart to leave her but I didn't have a choice. I guess what I am trying to say is that she deserved better—and so did I." He finally turns to look at Alecta.

Basil doesn't have to say any more as she completely understands his story. He can see that Alecta is beginning to fall for Thorne and he just worries that if she chooses to stay with him, she will spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone that she isn't. As Thorne turns around and steps off of the measuring platform, he smiles at Alecta. She puts a soft one on her face, though she isn't very happy at the moment.