CHAPTER - A VERY MOPEY TWELVETIDE
"Shinji," Anna asked out of the blue as they sat down for dinner in Summerise Castle. "Do you have anything like Twelvetide where you're from?"
"Um, what's a Twelvetide?" he asked. It had been some time since Shinji had landed, literally, in Summerise and whilst he'd been able to immerse himself in the daily activities of the place, he was still largely ignorant of the culture and traditions.
"It's a festival that happens at the end of the year," Anna replied. "It happens over twelve days and we celebrate the high tide of each of those days, as a representation that the waves come bearing fortune and gifts, and the low tides taking away the toils and troubles of the year just gone by."
"Um…oh, it's kind of like Christmas isn't it?" wondered Shinji, remembering there was a song he'd heard in a mall somewhere talking about there being twelve days of Christmas. But, being the inattentive student he was, our protagonist could not remember the cultural significance of the tradition.
"Yes, there are twelve days in Christmas according to the song…I'll see if I can remember the words."
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me…
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me…
2 Turtle Doves
and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me…
"Um…I forgot the rest," said Shinji embarrassed. He didn't think he was a competent singer, but it would have been nice to remember the whole song. It did dawn on him that he would be able to remember the lyrics if only he had paid more attention in English class, and to his surroundings rather than mope around inside his own self-loathing.
"Why would anybody give their true love something in a tree?" wondered Anna aloud. "More to the point, how did they do it? Did they move the whole tree?"
"I-I've never thought of it that way," said Shinji, now also trying to imagine it. Though he wasn't sure what a partridge was, it must have been some sort of exotic fruit now extinct in a Post-Second Impact world.
"Anyway, what else do you do for…Kissmast?" asked Anna.
"Well, you give your friends and family presents," replied Shinji. Anna perked up. She seemed to like the idea of getting presents.
"Ooh, ooh, what kind of presents?" she asked excitedly.
"U-uh, anything goes I think, it depends on how much money you have, and what they like I guess…" Shinji trailed off, trying to rack his brain about what the queen of an entire nation could be lacking. But he also remembered something else. "And then everyone has a big feast together."
"You might be from another world, Sir Shinji Ikari, but it sounds like our people have similar ideas for celebrations!" Anna chirped happily. "Food and gifts seem to be universal."
Shinji nodded. It really seemed that way. Though there must be cultural traditions and reasons for the celebration, and he'd no idea about what was behind Christmas or Twelvetide for that matter, but it seemed like any celebration was a great excuse for a party.
"So, if that's the case, we should go and find some gifts for people!" said Anna energetically.
Before they left the castle, Anna insisted on dressing differently. Shinji wasn't sure why she would need to, but she explained that everyone knew who she was by the way she dressed normally. Today, she would have to put on something far plainer than her usual fare to make sure they wouldn't be recognised nor disturbed while they were out and about.
Shinji dutifully waited for Anna in the courtyard and garden in the top section of Summerise castle. It felt like an inordinate amount of time, but it was probably not that long. She wore a very plain (for a queen) long green dress with little in the way of decoration. She top it off with a thin coat with a hood that Shinji assumed would hide her face a little whilst they were out.
He knew she was trying to dress down, but for Shinji's caveman teenaged brain, the way the dress flowed as she walked was hypnotic. Anna looked quizzically at him before his brain got kicked back into gear again. "Ah, um…uh, y-y-you look lovely. In that dress. And…er…"
She laughed. "Come on Shinji, that was a given. I am the queen after all. Now come on, we're supposed to be going out on a date."
He gulped. A date huh? No pressure. I'd better show her a good time.
Before he knew it, she'd slipped her arm through his and without much of a choice, Shinji was led by his queen on a monumental new quest. To have a good time on the eve of Twelvetide.
/
By the time the two youths made it out of the castle, evening was settling in. Shinji caught glimpses of the golden sunset over the sea as they climbed down through the castle's portals. He hadn't realised how little time he'd spent just enjoying the beauty of nature in Japan, instead choosing to blankly stare at a ceiling, or doing what he was ordered to do.
In the meantime, Anna worked up an appetite from the journey down and insisted that they get dinner 'amongst the people'. This was fine with Shinji since he was more used to simple Japanese fare. The royal kitchens made delicious food, but the food out in the markets and restaurants set amongst the hustle and bustle scratched an itch that the more refined food up there could not scratch.
Almost immediately, Anna's desire for anonymity went wrong. The two walked hand-in-hand as they so often did now, an unspoken understanding had arisen between the two; that they were 'together'. Anna and Shinji walked and talked, pointing to the sights and sounds and smells from all angles of the city. As they browsed the market vendors, looking at knick-knacks and sampling food when they bumped into Ken and Tom, who were doing the same thing. Just not hand in hand.
"Shinji!"
"Hello Ken, hello Tom."
"How are...oh," said Ken, seeing Anna looking away. "Sorry Shinji, we didn't realise we were interrupting."
"Oh, I-I, we...," stammered the mopey boy. He straightened up though. "I guess this is the time to introduce my...my girlfriend to you both."
Both boys opened their eyes wide in shock. As did Anna. Shinji wasn't sure if that was a piece of unexpected news because they thought he was undeserving of it. But instead, what he got was lots of slaps on the back and hearty congratulations.
"I'm surprised it took you this long! All the girls here know you and would probably wade through an ocean of zombies to date you," said Ken with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.
"And here you are, walking around with a lucky girl," chimed in Tom. "So, uh you kind of look familiar. I feel like I've seen you somewhere…"
"My name is Anna, charmed I'm sure. Really, do I look like someone famous?" asked Anna. She wanted to know how good her disguise was. "I'm flattered."
"Oh, well, we know Shinji from way back and he's a very good guy," said Tom, trying for some reason, to be the best wingman.
"And you, Shinji," Tom continued, "You need to make sure you treat her right. Otherwise..."
Otherwise I'll get skewered by the Summerise army, her uncle, Marcus and Renee. Don't worry Tom, I'll do my best.
Shinji simply nodded. There was no point in trying to convince his friends. They meant well and were always so enthusiastic about it.
"By the way, did you guys hear?" Ken said as if a light bulb went off in his head. "I heard that Queen Sergevague is coming to town. Apparently she wants to see you Shinji, and check out whether you've been naughty or nice."
Anna seemed to hold on to him even tighter. "Where did you hear that?"
Ken pointed to a few posters stick up on buildings, carrying the official seal of Queen Sergevague and the flag of Boldhold. They read:
You'd better not run, you'd better not hide,
You'd better not pout, I'm telling you why,
Sergevague is coming...to town!
She's made a list, she's checking it twice,
She wants to know if Ikari's been naughty or nice,
Sergevague is coming…to town!
Shinji cocked his head at the poster. The cadence of the lyrics sounded familiar, like a catchy jingle one would hear on repeat in a department store during the pre-Christmas crush to buy last minute gifts for friends and loved ones. Maybe it was just an uncanny coincidence. After all, there was no way that anyone here could know songs from his home universe.
And why does this poster mention me specifically?
He felt an immense source of heat wrought from pure unadulterated wrath starting to light up from next to him, and it took a second to realise that it was Anna. "Uh, Anna are you alright?"
"That...that...no good little sk- !"
"Um, Anna?" Shinji asked gently, which seemed to calm her down and disperse the red misty rage clouding her eyes.
"Yes, Shinji, I'm perfectly fine," she said in a tone that suggested, in the strongest possible terms, that she was not perfectly fine. Even Shinji picked up on it, whereas Ken and Tom took a step back to in a feeble attempt to escape nuclear hellfire.
"W-would you like to...talk about it?" he wanted to ask Anna, his girlfriend. But the words couldn't come out of his mouth as his brain had reverted somewhat to its old state of running away at the first sign of trouble. Instead, he said: "W-wo...you…um. Talk?"
Anna huffed angrily and pulled Shinji along. He never realised that she had such strong fingers.
"I can't believe Rivera," Anna complained along the way to…wherever they were going. "We save her damned snow globe kingdom, she gets a cute new pet, she takes my boyfriend's lip virginity and then she has the nerve, the nerve, to wonder whether you've been naughty or nice?!"
"A-Anna, I'm sure she…" Shinji tried to say something, but her finger in his face and the bubbling volcano in her eyes immediately communicated to him that it was a bad idea to interrupt the rant.
"And another thing, why doesn't she send a damned letter or something to let me know before her goons start planting flyers all over my city?! It's common courtesy to…"
A man in an Adventurers' Guild Postal Service walked up to them and pressed a letter into Anna's hands. The envelope read: 'To my dearest friend, Queen A. L. Greendrake, from Yours' truly, Queen R. Sergevague'.
"Sorry about this, I spent the last week trying to deliver this letter, but I kept getting lost," said the mailman. He looked like he'd spent the last week in the wilderness getting attacked by every animal under the sun. And the smell implied the animals had heaped other offerings on his person too. "Sorry about the late delivery, as per the Guild rules, the delivery fee will be waived."
With that, he limped away. Shinji hoped the poor man would make it to the Guild and get treatment and not collapse on the street and bleed out like his dishevelled state suggested he would. Shinji's heart was heavy at the dedication the worker showed towards his job. Such a small example, but it steeled Shinji to also demonstrate his own resolve in saving this world, and then going home eventually to finish the job there.
Anna looked at the envelope, and then at the postman limping away. "Funny, how did that guy get lost? There's only one road between here and Boldhold, which is well marked, and there are signs every few kilometres…"
"Do you want to open the letter?" asked Shinji, to which Anna nodded contemplatively.
She read it out aloud for them both amidst the hustle of the festive season and the warm glow of the street lanterns.
Dear Anna,
Have you been well? We at Boldhold have been thinking of you and our precious friends in Summerise. Mister Charmers tells me you just returned from an exciting adventure in another faraway land. Alas, I would go, but our city is still cleaning up after the attack we suffered.
I also heard that you and Shinji have become close. I would be lying if I did not feel any envy towards you. He is a sweet and kind boy, and if he has chosen to be with you, then I am also elated for you.
I will be coming to visit you on Twelvetide, with gifts for everyone. I am looking forward to finally getting out of the castle walls and spending some time in a warmer climate. Look for me on the dawn of the Second Day of Twelvetide.
Yours with love and admiration
Queen Rivera Sergevague
P.S. He really tastes good, doesn't he? Don't tell him I said that.
"WHAT?!" Anna shouted involuntarily, bringing the attention of everyone within earshot. "That little…"
Shinji would have said something in the hopes of calming down his girlfriend were his face not redder than Bolognese sauce.
"So, she'll arrive in two days, eh? I'll show her!"
Shinji had no idea what Anna intended to show Queen Sergevague. But he knew that he had a bad feeling about this.
/
On the first day of Twelvetide, Anna took Shinji shopping. Not for gifts, but with a full head of volcano steam, she went angry shopping. She flitted through the shops in the noble part of town, where everything felt more refined and cultured than the places Shinji had been used to. Everyone spoke with bigger words, and Anna was able to assemble an ensemble that contributed to what she called her "ultimate attack".
/
On the second day of Twelvetide, Queen Sergevague did indeed arrive, along with her entourage of Gem, Boncourage and a small contingent of their solders. They were greeted at the gates by Anna's ultimate attack, Shinji, Marcus and Renee. Everyone was suitably impressed by Anna's ultimate attack.
Gem was happy to see everyone and utilised its advantage of having two heads to lick as many people as it could while wagging its tail furiously.
/
On the third day of Twelvetide, Shinji accepted a commission from the Adventurers' Guild. There was much confusion when it was revealed that he had accepted work to put up decorations throughout Summerise.
He used Unit One where he could, stringing up lanterns gingerly and building a giant fish statue to the much-revered God of Water.
Shinji also learned how to fall off stepladders when he was tasked with putting up decorations inside the ballroom.
/
On the fourth day of Twelvetide, Shinji returned to the dance floor with Anna to prepare for the final glorious day of celebrations. It was a fun day, despite how tired he was at the end of it. He retired to some rooms prepared for him next to Anna's chambers, but not before exchanging gifts with her.
He'd bought her a green silken scarf, which she put on immediately, not telling him she had a wardrobe full of them. She'd given him a tough leather belt adorned with a golden buckle in the shape of a proud drake in flight.
/
On the fifth day of Twelvetide, Rivera requested that Sir Ikari be present with her for lunch. He was, of course, available. But so was Anna, who made a point of holding his hand the whole time whilst sitting next to him.
It made eating lunch very difficult.
/
On the sixth day of Twelvetide, Shinji was ordered to get fitted for his ensemble outfit for the upcoming dance. This took an entire day of ladies rushing around and fretting. He felt especially uncomfortable when Anna walked in to check on progress whilst his crotch was being measured for "optimal fitment".
Anna did make any comment about it, so Shinji hoped that nothing further would come of it.
/
On the seventh day of Twelvetide, the pre-festival festival was held as a dress rehearsal. It was a day off from all the things that they had to do in preparation. Gem came out to frolic with everyone too. Which ended in pandemonium when one head wanted to chase a stick Shinji had thrown, while the other wanted to eat some delicious smelling sausages being cooked at a stand.
/
On the eighth day of Twelvetide, Anna and Shinji tried once again to go out on a date in the evening. It was just a dinner and a stroll around the festival grounds. People had congregated everywhere, and there was palpable excitement as Twelvetide continued.
It turned out to be a fun date with far too much food, a lot of laughter, and more handholding than Shinji had ever imagined.
/
On the ninth day of Twelvetide, both Anna and Rivera were in the dance hall practicing. Shinji was there too, and for some reason, he kind of felt like there was a level of intensity in the queens' dancing that wasn't there previously. He paid it no mind, as he was afraid that he'd catch the ire of one or both queens.
/
On the tenth day of Twelvetide, Shinji made short work of a roaming squad of trolls with Unit One wielding Lightning Engulfed. They were probably attracted to the city by the increased trader traffic in during Twelvetide.
He jumped another rank at the Adventurer's Guild and gained another hamper plus a batch of wishes. Shinji decided to save them for now since everyone was so busy with the festival.
/
On the eleventh day of Twelvetide, everybody paused their frenetic pace. Shinji spent the morning with Marcus and Renee in quiet companionship with each other.
They set off in the afternoon and climbed up to Summerise to get ready for the big day.
/
On the twelfth and final day of Twelvetide, the festivities were very much in full swing. Shinji managed to rouse himself early, dress himself in the clothes set out for him the night before and be present for breakfast in the big ballroom.
Two long tables were set out in the middle of the room with food. Possibly all the food in the kingdom, at this time of the year, at this time of day, in this part of the world, concentrated entirely inside this room, laid out for the nobles and guests and dignitaries. And there sure were a lot of them, from the wealthy, the famous, the foreign, and finally, Shinji. He remembered that everyone had a seat already set out for them with their name beautifully printed on a tag.
He found his spot and saw that he was seated between Anna and Marcus, with Rivera directly opposite them. No doubt, this was Anna's way of keeping an eye on her friend and perceived boyfriend-rival. Internally, Shinji put his face in both his hands, hoping this was not going to blow up in another international incident.
The guests were already slowly filing in. Each was dressed exceptionally well, their wealth and attitudes made Shinji feel very, very out of place, especially since he was slated to sit next to the queen. He didn't think he'd done anything that deserved all this attention, but it was being heaped upon him, nonetheless. A part of him wondered how real the attention was from some people, especially the ones who he'd never met or only spoke to in passing.
One thing was for sure, he could never ever doubt whether Anna, Marcus and Renee cared for him. they had shown genuine concern and affection for him since he arrived. They forgave him his mistakes, gave him chances, supported his development…it felt like they were his family. He wished that Misato was able to provide this same kind of support, even when she was inebriated to be barely intelligible. He wondered why his father wasn't willing to do the same. Maybe it's him and not me. Truly, a revelation was to blossom in his mind. But not quite yet.
He was also happy that he could talk to his mother, after a fashion. Her advice and counsel within the entry plug helped to ground him during his time in this world.
He felt the soft touch of familiar hands on his own. Anna had quietly come from behind him, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Her displays of genuine affection for him had become more overt in the last few days. It seemed that the nobility was now of the understanding that Queen Annabella Greendrake was very much her own woman and would not be swayed from whatever course of action she chose.
In return, he gave her a peck on the cheek as well, though he was still a little embarrassed at showing affection in public. He'd been so shy from his downtrodden outlook for most of his life that even basic things like asking for things that he wanted had been beyond him.
"Good morning," the two youths said to each other. There was a look of warm happiness to Anna this morning, and she had on an elegant long green dress adorned with a coat to blunt the chilly morning air. Their fingers intertwined as they sat down at their designated seats. Marcus and Renee arrived at their own seats to flank them, acting very much like protectors of the two teenagers. Rivera had also made her way into the ballroom, opting very much to impress with her clothes. There was a slit down the left side of her dark blue dress, which emphasised her leg every single step she took. Shinji looked away a second after he realised he was following that feature of the dress a bit too much.
Gem, ever graceful despite his size, walked proudly next to Rivera and was led to a massive bowl of meat. A gleam appeared in his eyes and his tail started thumping the floor with great force every time his tail wagged. Once the giant two headed wolf started eating, Rivera sat down opposite Anna with a small smile on her face. The two queens nodded at each other, and the formalities began.
Truth be told, the breakfast was boring on account of all the speeches. It was a great way to get back to sleep again considering the fully packed days beforehand. It reminded Shinji of the prattling old teacher in Tokyo-3 who would follow every tangent during his rambles instead of teaching them that tangents were…wait was it opposite on adjacent, or adjacent on opposite?!
At least there were opportunities for him to stretch his legs. He tried to help make as big a dent as he could in the food, but every time he ventured towards the long tables where his appetite would be sated, some other 'admirer' would come up to talk with them both, offering sickly sweet congratulations on their engagement (which hadn't happened yet), or heaping praise on him for saving the world (which hadn't happened yet), and wondering sugar-sweetly if Shinji would be happy to take them for a ride in Unit One (which wouldn't ever happen).
Through it all, Shinji smiled shyly and gave the best stumbling answers he could. The fact that Anna was standing there beside him not kicking up a fuss at what he assumed was a truck load of mistakes was a good sign. Maybe she was just beyond caring about those things now.
In any event, breakfast took a while because of the constant conversations. He finally managed to eat his fill, sampling every type of food on display. Thankfully there were no more things he had to attend until an early dinner in the afternoon and the ball. He hoped he could sneak out before the fireworks were scheduled to start later in the evening. Shinji was looking forward to having some respite from all the people and the non-stop events.
Once all the guests had left, Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. Anna slumped into the chair next to him, seemingly drained of all her energy too.
"It's going to be a long day, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically.
Shinji simply nodded.
On the contrary, the day sped by. Since it took so long to finish breakfast, lunch was a light affair in the top of castle Summerise. Once that was finished, Anna went to have a nap to recharge before she had to undergo the ordeal of getting dressed for the afternoon ball. Shinji went into his suite as well, and collapsed into a heap on the bed, energy drained.
/
Shinji awoke some time in the afternoon. He dressed for the part he was to play and went back into the ballroom, which had been thoroughly re-configured since he left it that morning. The castle staff had laid out a white shirt with a grey military style dress uniform on the dresser beside his bed. There was a large green sash with a decorative dragon woven into it to break up the grey and to top it off, they'd brought out his battle ribbons and insignia to pin on to his lapels.
By the time he arrived, most of those invited had already arrived. Many glanced around and looked him from head to toe, judging him for his attire, yet giving nothing away on their faces as they returned to whatever conversation they'd been having.
He looked around for someone he knew, but he didn't need to look for long. He saw Anna walking towards him with purpose, with intent. And she was wearing a long flowing red dress that screamed 'look at me' adorned with a short white fur coat covering her shoulders. Her tiara, which was normally very bright, had been polished until it gleamed brighter than the midday sun. The sight made Shinji weak at the knees.
"Hello, Sir Ikari," said the radiant vision in front of him.
"Hello, Queen Greendrake," he stammered back with a scrambled brain. "Y-you look…speechless."
Queen Greendrake dropped the serious face and laughed wholeheartedly. "I guess it worked then."
"W-what worked?" the confused boy asked.
"It's not important," she said, taking his hand. "Come on, let's dance. I want to show off my boyfriend to these stuffy old people. And that woman from Boldhold."
Shinji guessed she was referring to Queen Sergevague. He felt it was best he didn't mention her for the next few hours.
So instead, the two of them danced. And they danced like they'd been doing it together for years instead of months and for the first time, Shinji understood what it meant to be in tune with someone. They finished their routine to much applause and cheers, and Anna grabbed his face and planted a fierce kiss on his lips. Then, out of pure excitement and embarrassment, they charged into their rooms to change into something less formal. Both were wilfully ignorant of the reactions of their guests and peers as they did so.
It took a good while to change into their more civilian clothes. Who knew that getting dressed up would be so bothersome. The fancy dress made putting on a plugsuit feel as easy as a gentle sea breeze on a summer's afternoon. Then again, those plugsuits did make him feel every errant breeze. Once out, they checked to see if anyone was looking for them. Hopefully not, since neither of them felt like returning to the stuffy ballroom. Anna's point had been made and now they just wanted to go and enjoy the rest of the evening without any adults watching over them.
That is how Shinji and Anna ended up in the throng of people at one of the night markets waiting for the annual Twelvetide fireworks to start. Everyone around them was in their own little group of family or friends, chattering excitedly in the jovial atmosphere. The people of Summerise, the young, the old but young-at-heart and everyone in between, had turned out to watch the spectacle. Nobody paid anybody outside of their immediate groups any mind. This was a boon for Anna and Shinji, who wanted very much to stay anonymous.
They mingled in the crowd, munching and sharing the snacks they bought along the way. There was palpable excitement as the time went on, even Shinji felt himself get caught up in the anticipation. He'd never been to many fireworks festivals before, so this was something new, something that only his newfound attitude to life allowed. He felt like he could taste the colours of the fireworks on his tongue, or maybe that was just the dessert that he was sharing with Anna.
Life was colourful now, where before it was grey.
And as the fireworks started, sending so many tendrils of light in every direction in the night, Shinji took a few seconds to wonder where life would lead him. Or whether he should let life lead him. Maybe, just maybe he should lead his own life, make tough decisions and not regret them. Maybe he should…
"So Shinji, what do you think of the fireworks?" asked Anna quietly.
He didn't really hesitate to answer. "I think you're beautiful Anna."
"Uh…huh?" she replied, slightly confused. Her cheeks turned a little red, or perhaps that was the fireworks' doing.
"Um, I meant that the fireworks are beautiful, but I don't think I said anything wrong before either…" he trailed off, certainly embarrassed by his little brain fade.
"Thank you anyway," Anna said as she stared at his eyes. Shinji tried to stare back, but he wasn't used to looking at people in the eye yet, and certainly not brash enough to presume like the fiery tempest I knew in another life.
"I-I…Merry Twelvetide, Anna," said Shinji with his cheeks as warm as they'd ever been.
"Marry Twelvetide to you too, Shinji Ikari."
And so the two of them leaned in for a kiss, and the crowd roared in jubilation. Whether it was for them or for the spectacular technicolour pyrotechnics in the sky, they did not care an iota.
A/N
Hey folks, just a little Christmassy diversion from the mainline plot I cooked up in the last couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy this installment of Mopey Boy. Be assured normal levels of fan service shall resume in due course!