We elves will drink thee under!
Fae oh!...Fae oh!
We elves will drink thee under!
Caspian banged open the front door to the summer house, our laughter and our repeated rowdy melody filling the quiet space. A few groans and rolling of eyes came from the guards in the shadows of the nooks in the walls, but we continued with our amusements. The crystal chandelier may have swung precariously above us a few times, but the lighting fixture never fell in our revelry—though, the colorful table Mother had once favored was no longer in working order. It would give the servants something to do tomorrow from their tedious, vocally whispered, boredom as of late.
Caspian and I linked an arm with each other and skipped round and round the broken table. Our laughter was merry, and our souls were light for one evening. The songs never ended, and neither did the wine bottles we had found in the kitchen. The staff had been prepared. Well done, ye fellows of mine!
My cousin and I hunched over ourselves in a fit of laughter, tears rolling down our faces when we couldn’t stop. We clinked our wine bottles in an agreement of a fabulous night. Neither of us first noticed when the ground vibrated under our feet; we simply started dancing again.
When I lost my footing, stumbling over my own feet, I threw my arms out to steady myself. The grin plastered to my face slowly melted away, though. A tremble of the ground had made me trip, not my own drunken self.
I set my wine bottle on the tiling, questioning breathlessly, “Caspian, do you feel that?”
“Feel what?” He was turning in fast circles and staring at the ceiling, waiting until he could spin no more, a crash inescapable just as he wanted.
“Stop moving, you twit. The ground is shaking.”
“You’re drunk.”
“As are you, but I’m right! Stop your confounded spinning and listen to me!”
His white head of hair gleamed under the chandelier’s light as he finally swung to a stop. My cousin’s unhidden dark blue eye instantly narrowed. He muttered in awe, “I think you’re right! The groundisshaking!”
“That’s what I said! But why is it shaking?” My nose crinkled as a memory tried to invade my intoxicated mind, something from my lessons years ago. “You know…I believe this is called an ‘earthquake.’ Grandmother Isabella taught me of these things.”
“I’ve never heard of such before.” Caspian scratched at his head. “Are you sure you have that right?”
“Princess Trixie is correct,” one of the guards inside the living area said behind me. “I’ve experienced these before many, many years ago. This is only a slight tremor, though. You have nothing to worry about. You may continue doing…whatever…it was that you were doing before. You are safe.”
I tipped my head to him in thanks. “We were celebrating my birthday, good sir. But I believe it’s time for me to retire before we break any more of Mother’s furniture.”
“That sounds like a wise choice, Your Highness.” He slipped back into the shadows so far I was unable to make out his features anymore. “And if I may make a suggestion?”
“Of course.” I waited patiently.
“Take the trashcan from the kitchen with you and place it next to your bed. I have a feeling you’ll be needing it shortly.” A short pause ensued. “Your Highness.”
I burped and then nodded. “Excellent advice.”
Caspian whined when I went to steal the trashcan from the kitchen, hollering after me, “It’s not even midnight yet!”
“Late enough for me, my friend!” The room was rotating just so. “The drink has made me weak. I’m going to bed before I’m sick in front of everyone.”
“Gross. Yes, go to bed then, weak one.”
I waved the empty trashcan at him as I passed back by on my search for the marble staircase that led to the promised land of my bedroom. “I guarantee you’ll be spitting up soon enough too, so shut your face before you embarrass yourself further.”
My cousin grunted, grumbling, “I’m going to sleep on the deck. Plenty of shrubs nearby to hide my shame.”
I chuckled and nodded. “Sleep well, my friend.”
Another grunt was all I received as he dragged his sorry elven ass out the back door—quickening his steps as soon as he hit fresh air, heading straight for a pretty shrub that was soon to be fouled.
I sighed and turned in a slow circle, my vision blurred from the booze. “Does anyone know where that confounded staircase is?”
One guard’s hand shot out of the dark and pointed to the left.
