Unlike most of the other male actors, King Rothbury, as he was known around the grounds, wore more clothes instead of less.His doublet and jerkin fell neatly over his hose-covered legs.Seeing him and his queen side by side, it was easy to believe they were two people pulled straight out of the Tudor era.
He was a handsome man.Lilian could see exactly where Hawk got his strong nose, angular jawline, and prominent frown.
It came as no surprise that Hawk also inherited his father’s off-putting personality.
The royal couple never once broke character as they thanked everyone for a job well done and welcomed another successful year.“Huzzahs” echoed from the crowd as everyone lifted their mugs and took a celebratory swig before the real festivities began.
The musicians started up a jaunty tune that sounded suspiciously like Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” and the square was quickly filled with laughter and conversation.Even after a long day of work, rehearsals, and heat, there were smiles plastered on everyone’s faces.
Lilian sat at a picnic table with Margo beside her and a beautiful pirate actress across from them.Alex Carrera had been an actress at the faire for almost as long as Lilian had been a volunteer.She was a few years younger but had already worked her way up to being one of the main figures among the faire elite.
She’d been acting for years, but last season was when everything shifted.Alex went off script and wove an entire story around her character, Misty Stormsail.She recruited the wenches from the shops and bars to join her crew, pulling them straight into the performance.After a swashbuckling pirate show, she was officially recognized as the Queen of the Pirates by the faire staff.
The legacy pirate king hadn’t been pleased about sharing the spotlight, but the Carlisles were so taken with the bit that it became a permanent addition to the faire.
Over the summer, Lilian had been required to take basic acting lessons for the faire.Alex had been her teacher, and they’d grown close while practicing accents and doing basic improv.Alex was a graduate student studying theater, and she had a way of making even the most insecure person feel at ease.
“So, how was setting up shop?”Alex asked, taking a swig of beer.She looked untouched by the heat.Her dark brown locks were still perfectly curled.Her makeup was unblemished, and there wasn’t a single drop of sweat visible on her face, even though she wore a coat of beautiful black velvet and had been walking around in leather boots all day.Some people had all the luck.
Lilian tried hard not to think too much about how she must look.Her frizzy straw-colored hair had been pulled back into a messy bun, but she was hyperaware of the sweat that speckled her neck and face.She hadn’t bothered with makeup, thank goodness, but she knew she smelled like a pig and her clothes probably did as well.
“It was a day full of excitement followed by deep, deep annoyance,” Lilian said, taking a swig from the ice cold can in front of her.She moaned as the liquid touched her tongue.There was nothing better than a cold beer after a long day of working outside.
Alex looked to Margo, who whispered, “Hawk Carlisle.”
The pirate queen made a face.“Ugh, so glad I don’t have to work with him.His dad is a piece of work too.”
Lilian’s eyes instinctively went back to the stage where the king, queen, and their royal staff sat.Handsome men dressed as guards stood on either side of the king, still looking stoic despite the celebration around them.That couldn’t have been fun.At least the ladies-in-waiting were laughing as they chatted among themselves.
Off to the side, among the elegant, patterned dresses and robes, was Hawk, sticking out like a sore thumb in his polo.He was still looking down at his clipboard while talking to someone dressed in a vintage faire T-shirt.
“He was supposed to get contractors to help raise the sign on my shop.But no one showed up, and then I had to go hunt him down to present my papers.Ugh, and the way he talks is so condescending.Like he’s some king!”Lilian took another long gulp of beer, but the beverage did little to wash away the foul taste in her mouth.
“Technically, he’s a prince,” Margo said, popping a greasy french fry into her mouth.
“Technically, he’s not anything,” Alex added.“Except an overpaid accountant.Sorry you have to deal with him, Lilian.”
Lilian picked at the plate of French fries in front of her.Hawk was annoying, sure, but she refused to let him bring down her entire mood.Soon, the faire would start, and she would be clearing her book stock while hanging out at one of the most magical places on the earth.One man wasn’t going to ruin that for her.No way.
Besides, she probably wouldn’t talk to Hawk that much.
Bytheendofthe day, she was exhausted.It was a relief when she finally pulled down the gravel driveway to her home.Well, herandher parents’ home.
A large sign announcingBrody Tractor Repairmarked the turning point for the gravel driveway.It would have been hard to miss the large industrial-sized red barn where her father ran his business and the field of farming equipment even in the dark.
Right next to it was the old-style ranch home where she’d grown up.Her parents had been born and raised in Tenison, Kansas.Two high school sweethearts who went to college for engineering and teaching.Her father used his degree to give back to the community, offering to repair their neighbors’ farm equipment at a discounted price, while her mother taught at the local school.
Behind the large barn was a smaller version of it, which once housed the business when it had just started.Her father had renovated it into a second living space for Lilian’s grandmother when she was still alive.The barndominium, he called it.When Lilian graduated college with no immediate plans for moving, she settled into the space.
Lilian sighed as she cut the engine.The lights were still on in her parents’ house.The idea of a hot dinner after working outside all day tugged at her, but so did the thought of a shower and crawling straight into bed.Her parents would bring the food to her if she didn’t stop by and say hi, though.
They always did.
Gathering what little energy she had left, she climbed up the front steps and let herself in.This would be a quick visit: grab food, say hi, then use the very real need for a shower as an excuse to disappear.No one wanted a smelly faire worker lingering around for too long.
“Hello,” she called out.
The television was blaring the local weather.It was the only thing her father liked to watch besides sports.To the town of farmers, it was a necessity to know if rain was coming or summer was hitting a peak heat wave.From the look of things, tomorrow was going to be another hot one.
