1 Cheers to the dead

The wall to ceiling door was swarmed with royal attendants.

"Don't push!" Someone in the crowd complained as they forced their way inside the throne room.

"Stop!" The royal attendants were crammed together, not knowing whose limb was whose.

Those who arrived earlier than the others managed to enter the room. They were huddled at the back of the room, standing shoulder to shoulder, craning their necks to see a better view. Others who were satisfied to just take a peek settled at the open windows. There were loud murmurs among them, greetings full of glee and excitement. The workers were elated what this meant to them, it was the first time a mere attendant was given a chance. A thought that was once ridiculous, was now possible. A tinge of hope growing, that maybe someday, their chance would come too. 

But in contrast to the spectators, the royal houses were bored. It was just another day for them.

There were six round table in the middle of the room, occupied by each royal houses. The tables were empty of foods, except for glasses filled with red wine--- which was mainly kept for tradition. 

The old man, who was kneeling right below the stairs, was wiping his clammy hands on his old shirt.

The old man was on his fifties, his age evidenced by the graying roots of his brown hair.

Lord Ziloh, who was sitting at the table of the house of Arquall, yawned at the spectacle.

Princess Alyssa saw him yawned, and she shook her head in disapproval.

Above the stairs, on the dais, were three seats---specifically for the main family.

The Queen was sitting at the biggest throne---at the center. The golden throne perfect for the golden Queen. The King was on her left, while the Princess was on her right. There was a table in front of the main family. And instead of glasses of wine, there was an empty flask and a jar.

The jar was filled with a blueish liquid that illuminated the whole room. The crowd was enchanted by the water, their eyes focused on the liquid.

Queen Kathy was aware of it, this liquid was the reason she is the Queen.

Princess Alyssa reached for her mother's cold hand. The Princess was not new to this event--- she saw it a hundred times. But it does not mean that she enjoyed it. She knew that this was necessary, but she never got used to how things would always--- splatter.

Queen Kathy glanced at her daughter. "It's okay. It's part of the process." 

"Yes, but it's not pretty." Alyssa exhaled through her mouth.

"It's the pain before birth." Queen Kathy tightened her hold on her daughter.

"I know." Alyssa nodded and ignored the piercing look from Ziloh. "It's just…messy."

"Your rebirth will not be messy." Queen Kathy caressed her daughter's cheek, reassuring her.

Even though the Princess was uncomfortable, the ceremony had to begin.

Queen Kathy poured the jar on the empty flask and filled it to the brim. A few spills on the table did not left the crowd's attention, even Princess Alyssa noticed it. The Queen just showed her power. To them, it was a sacred water, but to her, it was just--- water.

The crowd grew into silence.

The Queen stood up as she carried the glass filled with blueish liquid. She slowly descended down the stairs, the tap of her heels reverberated in the room.

The old man, who was kneeling on the floor, his head bowed to the floor---lifted his hands. As the Queen reached him, he offered his palms--- ready to receive the gift.

The Queen placed the flask into his hands.

When the old man lifted his head, excitement was all over his face, he cannot contain his emotion.

The old man acknowledged the Princess with a nod, beaming from ear to ear.

Alyssa smiled, nodding to the old man in encouragement.

The old man swallowed, taking control of his emotions.

"To the Queen." The old man lifted the flask in the air.

"To the Queen!" The royals in the room raised their glasses in response.

The old man gulped the liquid--- nonstop---he sucked every single drop out of the flask. The royals drank their red wine simultaneously.

Some attendants in the crowd licked their lips, wishing to have a taste of the water.

The old man did not become younger, nor became attractive, nor conjured things out of thin air.

No magic or whatsoever happened.

Instead, an attendant appeared to present a wooden tray to the Queen. The item was covered by a red silk, and the Queen set aside the red silk to reveal the obsidian dagger. She caressed the sharp edge until her ring finger touched its pointy tips, but no drop of blood leaked from the deep cut. Satisfied with the sharpness of the dagger, she offered it—tip first--- to the old man kneeling in front of her.

The old man accepted it with both hands. He marveled at its beauty; he never saw a beautiful knife like this. The only knife he used in his entire life was kitchen knives.

Kitchen knives tend to be common, just like him.

Princess Alyssa locked her eyes to the old man. She was aware of the piercing gaze of Ziloh. She must not show weakness in front of him. She will not be mocked. She is the crown princess of this kingdom.

The crowd was pounding their feet on the ground. The royals pounded their fist on their tables, some of the glasses smashed as it hit the floor. They encouraged what was to come.

But Ziloh, Lord of Arquall, was not cheering at all.

"To death!" The old man declared.

"To death!" The crowd echoed.

The old man did not need their encouragements at all. He firmed his grip on the hilt, then without hesitation--- he stabbed his chest.

The pounding slowly stopped into a halt---there were silence.

The old man pierced in the left side of his chest where the organ called heart is placed. Others pierced their chest over and over again before succeeding, but unlike the hundreds of people before him, he succeeded on his first attempt. 

Alyssa was proud of herself--- she did not flinch. It was thanks to the old man, it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. She tried to take note of the position of the dagger on his chest--- deep, and oozing with blood.

One month from now, she would like hers to be as beautiful as this.

But of course, the Queen was better. As the man choked from his own blood, she did not flinch. As the man fell face first on the ground, she smiled to the crowd. And as the pool of blood stained her baby blue gown, she stood straight and proud.

Envious of her mother's stature, Alyssa straightened her back. She looked amongst the crowd to show her supremacy.

She is the next Queen; they had to know that.

The old man convulsed on the floor and wheezed until the glint in his eyes went blank.

The time had come.

The crowd clapped in unison, and the royal houses clapped with them.

The ceremony was over.

The whole crowd dispersed into their own quarters to prepare for the celebration---the royal family included.

The room was now empty--- except for the body. The housekeepers arrived and dragged the body that left a trail of blood behind. The floor was faded from where the old man laid. It was cleaned hundreds of time before that the area turned white. The housekeepers returned, armed with cleaning tools. Maps and water with a strong detergent always did the trick.

They cleaned the floor until the bucket of water turned red.

***

A few clouds were on the vast blue sky, it was a clear day. It was sunny and bright, perfect for celebrations. The wind passed by the woods, caressing each leaves, making the trees dance.

The empty green field called cemetery was empty of tomb stones--- it was a graveyard for the royals and the cured.

The serene park was suddenly disturbed by an upbeat song. Livin' la vida loca was blasting on the open field, battered bass speakers were installed at the back of the car--- it was the fellow attendants' gift to the old man. 

The antique funeral car was furbished into a metallic red color. It was moving at a steady pace, slow enough so that the parade of people at its tail could follow.

They were walking leisurely in the park, enjoying the nature.

The main family was in front of the line, then the royal houses.

The Queen was not happy, the sound was more of a noise than a music.

Princess Alyssa was tapping a finger at her side, wearing a blank face. 

Other royals were chatting with each other.

The attendants, who were right behind the royals, were not just walking--- they were dancing to the beat of the song. They were wearing their funeral shirt in respect to the dead--- they were wearing the brightest attire they had. The royals too, were wearing bright clothes.

The funeral car suddenly stopped. Two men, who were wearing summer shirts and shorts, got out of the car. They unloaded the wood casket and carried it on each end. They carried the casket roughly--- it was too heavy for the two of them. The two men were struggling, but there was no sweat to prove it. One of them eventually lost his grip, and the casket dropped on the floor with a thud. But not concerned with its content, the man grabbed the two corners on his grip and waggled their way at the center of the field. 

A long rectangular table was waiting at the center of the field, the men tossed the casket on the table abruptly. 

The celebrators followed the casket on the field, a new pop song was playing at the background.

Princess Alyssa's hand was tapping at her side.

Each group placed a picnic blanket on the grass, some even had cushions and chairs with them. The food was provided by the chosen caterer of the dead.

A picnic basket was provided by the caterer. Upon opening, the basket was filled with different foods like chicken sandwiches, salads, and fruits. And of course, the party won't be complete without the champagne.

Everyone was laughing as they enjoyed their food.

Everybody from the palace was welcome to attend the occasion. And to be honest, the only reason some attended was because of the food. Finally, they thought, a food that they do not need to prepare.

Too prestigious for a picnic blanket, the royals were sitting at the foldable chairs and eating on the foldable tables--- a special buffet was prepared for them too.

Queen Kathy and Princess Alyssa observed the celebration more closely than normal.

"Yours would be grander." Kathy declared, ignoring the noise in the background.

"I think simple is the new grand these days." Alyssa countered.

"No, I want as many people as possible on your rebirth."

Queen Kathy only wanted the best for her daughter. And as a Queen, she could give anything to her.

"No. the fewer to attend the better."

"Hmmm…let see about that." Queen Kathy gave a knowing smile to her daughter.

Alyssa sighted. She knew this, she could never win on things like this with her mother. Her mother thought that Alyssa liked the attention of the crowd as much as she does. But sometimes, she wishes her mother knew how much she wanted those prying eyes away from her.

The King was running into their direction.

"Hey, the dish is prepared." The King said to Queen Kathy.

"Oh," Queen Kathy looked sideways to her daughter.

Alyssa waved her hands. "Just go."

Everybody was eating, enjoying the festivities. Even the Queen joined the buffet---except for Alyssa.

The caterers prepared a long table in front of the casket and placed a buffet of special foods. No one touched the foods on that table--- it was an offering to the dead.

Alyssa sat alone with a smile on her face. She was wearing a yellow Sunday dress, perfect for the event. Everyone was looking at her funny because she did not run for the gourmet foods. Everybody knew that she was still a vegetarian, but people still look at her in a weird way.

There is one known side effect of the rebirth, you would crave brains. Yes, the literal brains of the chicken, pigs, and cows. Alyssa tried to eat them when she was younger because her mother loved them so much. But she got sick and did not eat them ever since. She did not think about it too much as she expects that the cravings would come naturally to her on her rebirth anyway. But the public, she concluded, was very bothered by it, making her bothered too.

While everyone was filling their stomach, Ziloh sauntered towards Alyssa.

"Princess Alyssa of Kingdom Nowar." He bowed mockingly.

"Lord Ziloh of Arquall" She greeted in return.

"I see you have no appetite for the festivity. Do you want me to spoon feed you?"

"Whatever." Alyssa rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm just teasing, you know that. I know you're a vegetarian." He smirked, emphasizing the last word.

"Leave me alone Ziloh. Go eat your brains out."

But it had the opposite effect, he sat beside her and revealed his real intentions.

"You did not flinch earlier." He rested his head on his left hand as he stared at her side profile.

"I never flinch." Alyssa caught his strong musky scent, with a tinge of metallic underneath it.

"You did not turn away." He inched closer to her.

"I never turn away—can you give me space?" Alyssa moved a little to the side.

But Ziloh just followed.

Ziloh lay hold of her chin to meet his eyes.

Alyssa stared back.

Ziloh's eyes were black with a hint of red around his pupil.

Ziloh leaned in closer until their noses touched. "That's my queen." He smirked. "A good liar."

"I'm not your queen nor a liar!" She screamed-whispered.

"Let's see about that." He stood up and joined the crowd, eyeing the buffet.

Time passed by, it was already sunset and people were starting to get drunk. Alyssa enjoyed the view, as she always did. She liked seeing the other side of the older people. Especially the stiff and proper one, they were the funniest to observe. Thankfully, she was spared from her own ridiculousness as she was still technically, a minor. That would change a month from now though.

There was a faint knock.

"Did you hear something?" Someone from the crowd asked.

People stood still. The only sound was the bad music on the background and some drunkards giggling.

"Shhhh!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

The music suddenly stopped as the drunkards struggled not to laugh.

"Be quiet!"

There was another knock, and it was louder this time.

Alyssa stood from her seat as she walked closer to the casket.

It was a rattling and a loud bang this time.

Then the casket slowly creaked open--- and the old man emerged.

Alyssa eased a step closer to him, the table the only barrier between them.

"Barn." She whispered. "Do you remember me?"

Barn bared his teeth in front of her.

Alyssa inhaled his rotten breath.

The old man's instinct called him to look at the table in front of him. He struggled and tripped as he ran onto it.

At first, he got a taste. A bite to test what was in front of him. Then it became messy, he grabbed a fistful of raw animal brains with both of his hands as he shoveled it into his mouth.

The crowd cheered as he filled his mouth one after another.

"Barny...It's me, Alyssa." Alyssa pressed on.

Barn finally looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He took every step limply and walked around--- closing the distance between them.

Barn tilted his head from side to side, processing what was in front of him--- smudges of blood and crumbles of meat smeared on his mouth. 

"Barn...y? It's Alyssa."

And then, suddenly, Barn grabbed both side of Alyssa's head as he bared his teeth onto her forehead.

"Noooo!" The Queen screeched as she ran to Alyssa.

The crowd was too busy enjoying the commotion and too drunk that they forgot to help Alyssa. But Ziloh was suddenly in front of her, making a wall between her and the old man.

Ziloh flicked his finger on Barn's forehead and the old man dropped on the floor.

"No! What have you done?" Alyssa was about to run into Barn's side but Ziloh stopped her.

Ziloh turned to Alyssa. "You owe me one."

The two men who carried Barn's casket ran and clasped a metal ring into Barn's mouth to prevent him from biting.

Alyssa was not scared of Barn at all. She was more pissed to think that Ziloh saved her. And what scared her the most is that she was now indebted to him.

'What kind of payment will satisfy him?' Alyssa do not want to know.

This was the birth of the undead. It was not pretty. It was messy. Add this to the list on why Alyssa wanted fewer people to witness her rebirth.

Welcome to the ceremony of the dead.

People would call them the zombies--- they hate that word, they are not savages. They prefer to be called the cured--- cured from the plague called death.

This is the new era, the new earth, where the dead does not remain dead.