Chapter 7: Autumn's 18th Birthday
After what happened a few weeks ago, Autumn has been trying to keep herself under control. She finds it cute that Lyze promised that he would protect her. She had never had anyone say that they would protect her, not even her one friend in Ambala, Prime Minister Ethan, said that he would protect her. It is just business as normal in Ga'Hoole She knows her mother was right when she remembered some of the things her mother said about Lyze from when she was a little owlet.
In the weeks leading up to her birthday, she has visions of the past 16 years living with her brother. She thinks it has something to do that she admitted her dark secret she had hid away. However, it is only Lyze that knows this secret and he promises not to tell anyone, even if it would be the right thing to jail Aaron. However, they both believe that karma will get him for what he had done. In these weeks, she finds herself waking up at Glaux-knows-what hour. Allomere had tried to speak to her in that state several times, but Autumn cannot speak. She becomes irresponsive and expressionless, like a living statue.
In the week before her birthday, she has been losing sleep and still affected by her dreams. She doesn't know why such things appear to her in her sleep. Lyze is worried for the Princess, among a few others that have been friends with her, and her students in the GTA. She isn't supporting a smile like she usually does. She has a depressed and tired look and her tolerance to her students when they are doing bad things is wearing thin. She would never give a detention to a student, in fact, she had never given one to anyone as of yet, but she happened to give one boy in Star Class a detention. When the rest of the rybs found out that, they all are shocked to know Autumn gave a detention. She is the most placid teacher here and yet, she snaps and gives a detention.
Things lighten up two days before her birthday as she is able to sleep peacefully once again, without haunting daymares in her subconscious. She begins to smile again, seeing as she had been cranky for a bit. Lyze thinks it is good that she is smiling again, as he had been worried for the princess. Unlike a certain owl that most of the time ignored the fact she was depressed and daymare ridden.
The night of her hatchday, she seems a bit uneasy for some reason. The Ambalan Princess doesn't realise until she looks in the mirror that she looks more grown up now. She remembers herself being smaller for some reason. She remembers the bruises that were on her face when she first came to the Great Tree. She gently touches her face as in the mirror; she imagines she sees the purpled and swollen bruises upon her beauteous face. It took her forever to heal such scars, the cause unknown to her, as she heals quickly. She then gets ready for a night at the GTA. When she comes into her classroom and starts teaching her class, a letter is placed on her desk. She looks at it and it is a card from her class. They all start singing "happy Birthday" and they give her a present with that.
"Thanks guys." Autumn smiles
The rest of the night, she gets birthday cards from the others. She gets a whole heap of happy birthdays from everyone in the Great Tree. Then as she is finishing her teaching for the day, she hears someone when she is putting textbooks away. Then she turns around to see Lyze at the entrance of the room. He is holding a bouquet of wildflowers.
"Are those for me?" Autumn asks surprised
"Flowers are the only thing I could think of. You are getting so many cards anyway. Save paper and they have a sweet smell about them." Lyze replies smartly
"Well… I had never gotten flowers before… Thank you." She smiles, before she starts to blush
"There is another thing. You'll have to wear this blindfold. Strix has a surprise for you." he then says as he holds up a black blindfold
She then takes off her crown and he holds it as he ties the blindfold onto her face. He then leads her, while holding her beaded crown, using his voice as they fly from where the GTA is located in the upper levels, to the main hall, which is lower down in the Great Tree. She then lands and there is soft talking going on. Lyze then takes off the blindfold and her eyes are met with the sight of everyone she knows in front of her.
"Surprise! Happy Hatchday, Princess Autumn!" Everyone says in unison
Autumn is awestruck in surprise as she looks around to see everyone here to celebrate her birthday. Strix comes up with Barran and they are waiting for Autumn to get her focus back, before they talk to her.
"Oh my Glaux… Thank you, so much." Autumn smiles with tears of joy beaming
"No problem. Besides, I came up with it while QB got everyone and everything else done." Strix smiles
"Alright, lets party!" Barran yells happily before the crowd cheers.
The party hypes up as they are celebrating the Ambalan Princess' eighteenth birthday. Autumn feels so honoured as they went to the trouble to hold her a party. Besides, when an owl comes of age, it is a time of celebration, especially as they are all grown up now. It is especially celebrated as she is the Princess of Ambala kingdom. The next one is of their queen, Barran, as she will come of age in the start of winter and she will be old enough to be crowned (and also married). Autumn now sees herself not a child anymore, and she will someday find a way out of her marriage. She is now just celebrating her birthday with all that came.
In this night of celebration, Autumn is drinking wine. She, as a Princess of Ambala, was allowed to drink it with her dinner back there, but they said that she shouldn't do that here in Ga'Hoole. She has been confused with this for a while, seeing as she is loyal to that kingdom and follows the law, but she had been allowed to back in her home kingdom of Ambala. She couldn't care less sometimes, as if she was hurt or killed, Ambala would be on their case. If a breach happens, they have to watch out.
Anyways, Princess Autumn is having a good time… before things get a bit off. She becomes tipsy and they think she is drunk. Lyze is the first to see the Princess of Ambala in this state as she becomes a bit clumsier. He is about to go over, before someone beats him to it. Sadly, that "someone" is Allomere.
"What are you doing? You realise how much you are…" He says before she picks up another glass of wine and she carelessly spills it everywhere, barely drinking any of it. Then the smell of wine is emanating off the front of her hooded cape. Just standing there, the smell of how much wine she had spilt on the front of her cape could make you sick. Then he pieces it together and realises what is going on. "Dear Glaux… Autumn Kin, You're drunk!" He then exclaims in shock as he would never see her degrade herself like this. By "degrade" it clearly means that she is "ruining her honour as a Kin Royal", even if Aaron, her brother, already had done that anyways.
"No I am not! I'm perfectly fine. How could you say such a thing?!" She hisses, offended
She then tries to walk away and then crashes into the wall. Upon seeing her do that, a facewing is in order. If anyone were looking, it would be absolutely embarrassing. Especially as she is the Princess of Ambala and she would be making an ass out of herself by walking around drunk and crashing into things and owls. Seeing the embarrassment of the moment will be if someone sees her do something stupid or careless, he tries to take her by the wing to lead her out, but she refuses. She is acting like a child and if it isn't bad enough that she is drunk and already knocking things over, she is about to cause a scene. She stands in her place and he is asking for her to follow, but she is acting childish and arrogant. She says that she wants to stay at the party in Naya'va.
Allomere, getting frustrated over how much the Ambalan Princess is being arrogant and childish is starting to get ticked off. Autumn then runs off onto the dance floor as she joins the others. The disgruntled dignitary of the Guardians then knows that she will end up making an ass out of herself in a matter of seconds. She is dancing around with other owls, who by this time, which is around midday, have also become a tad tipsy. Allomere then forcefully takes Autumn's wing and pulls her away from the party scene and she is not complying with this. By the time they are out of the hall, things are getting difficult.
"You are coming back to the hollow… this… instant!" Allomere exclaims with pauses between words as he is now dragging the Ambalan Princess
"Why should I? As far as I am concerned, I have free will." Autumn asks, a little annoyed
"Because you are making a complete fool of yourself." He replies both disgust and in absolute
Autumn stops in her tracks and takes her wing back from his grip. She then looks at him with a fierce glare before she sneers "Since when have you EVER cared about me and my actions? As far as I am concerned, we are merely polar opposites."
"Oh for sprink sake…" he exclaims
"Since when?" She asks
"If you want to know the truth, so be it. I have been trying to accept the fact that we are never going to get along or come accustom to the fact that we are husband and wife…" He explains
"…By force" Autumn interrupts with a peeved tone and a super fierce glare
"Whatever!" He exclaims
"It does matter, you SOB!" She spits
"Look, how many times I have tried to get along with you, that crazy ass nervous tick comes in and you are sprinking hysterical with the crying!" He then yells back
"You are the one who ignores me and doesn't give a flying sprink about me, unless I am missing or dead!" She screeches
"sprink this! I am through playing the nice guy here!" He exclaims before taking her wing once more
Allomere drags Autumn all the way back to their residence before she locks herself in her room for the rest of the day. Upon realising Autumn had left, Strix called the party off and they all went to bed. Lyze had heard all that transpired outside and hopes that he isn't doing anything harsh to Autumn. If so, he would uphold his promise made and beat the living daylights out of Allomere.
In the evening, Autumn has a pounding headache when she wakes up. She then hears a knock of her door, which makes her headache worse.
"Umm… Autumn? Are you up?" Allomere asks
"Go away! I have a massive hangover and you are making it worse, you ass!" Autumn yells, peeved once again
"Serves you right, then. I was going to apologise, but since you like yelling and being pissed off more than being nice, forget it!" he replies
Autumn just rolls over in her bed and she hears Allomere sigh from the door as he walks off. She then decides to go back to sleep, even if she has a pounding headache.
