Harvestfest
The onset of winter is creeping ever closer, and for the first time since the third generation were toddlers, the entire Espinoza Dynasty is gathering under one roof for Harvestfest, hosted by the Bellerose family at Holiday Hall. But some tension seems to be brewing between Arabella and Vanessa as of late... will it sour the holiday, or will things go forward as planned?
Harvestfest morning saw Glimmerbrook coated in a thin layer of snow, and Lis was up bright and early to get ready for the day. The plan was to arrive at the venue at 8am, leaving them plenty of time to cook up the menu that Arabella had planned out before people started arriving at four.
Lis was excited to see her cousins again, it had been such good fun talking to them at her party.
Holiday Hall was a quaint Victorian house on Ridgeline Drive in Newcrest, right beside the Lilting Waltz Tea Parlor where Lis had met Amarachi and Sophia a couple days ago. All of the buildings in this neighborhood were in this old Victorian style architecture, and Lis thought it was just so pretty.
As soon as they got inside, Arabella started giving directions. "Lis, set all the tables and then come help me in the kitchen. Peter, get the decorations up outside. I'll start on the grand meals."
And with that, the preparations started.
The interior of the venue was already decorated beautifully for Harvestfest, bright autumnal streamers and bunting covering every wall. Lis couldn't help but wonder what it would look like at Winterfest, with the tree and festive lights. She couldn't wait for that.
For now, though, she had a job to do, and she got to work putting out the place settings at each seat of the grand dining tables.
As soon as she was done setting the tables, Lis joined her mother in the kitchen. The ovens were preheating, and the air already smelled of fresh herbs and spices. "Start on the veggie tray and the cornbread and greens, alright Lis? I'll work on the grand meals."
"Alright, Mom. How many dishes are we making-?"
"Four appetizers, two vegetarian and two non. Four side dishes, again, two vegetarian. Peter's gonna make apple cider and mulled nectar, and then we're going to do two pies, a trifle, and apple tarts."
"Are we even gonna be able to eat all that?" Lis gasped. Arabella laughed.
"No, silly, you send everyone home with leftovers. That way nobody has to cook tomorrow. Now let's get to it."
So they got to work! Before long the kitchen was full of the smell of cooking food, savory meats and sweet pies and the earthy smell of thyme and oregano all mingling together into a smell that Lis knew she would forever associate with this holiday.
As she laughed and talked with her parents in the kitchen, she had to admit that this holiday was pretty sweet too... though it remained to be seen if it could replace Winterfest as her favorite.
The day flew by, and when the food was just ready, people started to arrive. Lis and Arabella went out to greet everyone while Peter stayed back, making sure everything was finalized before they served everything.
As everybody arrived and got settled in, Arabella took out a small bell, ringing it to gather everyone's attention.
"I'm so glad we could all make it to celebrate Harvestfest together this year. Peter, Lis, and I have been working all day to get everything ready for you, and I imagine you're all as eager to dig in as we are, so help yourselves! There is more than enough to go around."
Lis joined Ava and her uncle... Henry, was it? at one of the long tables. The family was so large she honestly had a hard time keeping track, but by listening in on conversation Lis was able to determine this was indeed Uncle Henry, who had gained no small amount of fame through his work as a programmer.
Ava was entering her second year of study at Britechester University, and starting to think more about what she wanted to do when she was finished. Lis hadn't given university much thought at all, which made sense- she'd only just started high school.
While Lis mingled with her cousins, Peter had joined Teodor and Philip at their table. He hadn't had much chance to interact with the other men of Arabella's family, but these two seemed friendly enough. Philip was a high ranking Military officer, and Teodor was a farmer. They were both very interested to hear about Peter's adventures through space, and his recent career switch into engineering and robotics.
Saiyan and Henry seemed to be on a completely different level, famous as they were. Peter wasn't sure how he could ever hope to compare to them as members of the dynasty...
As the thought crossed his mind, his attention was drawn to his wife across the room. She was sitting with Vanessa, the eldest of the Espinoza sisters and head of their dynasty. And things looked... tense. What could possibly be going on?
"I don't understand why you won't accept him into the dynasty, Vanessa! We've been married for years, you walked me down the aisle in Papa's place! You accepted Lis, my adoptive daughter, why won't you accept my husband?!" Arabella's tone was heated, gesturing angrily.
"Do you really want to make a scene about this now, Arabella? On Harvestfest?" Vanessa hissed in response.
"If not now, then when? You've been dodging my calls and texts for weeks now. This dynasty nonsense has gone to your head, what is your deal?"
"Arabella Datura Espinoza, you do not speak to me that way." Vanessa stood up and moved to leave the conversation, but Arabella grabbed her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.
"You are going to tell me what's going on, or we're leaving now. You liked Peter when we got married, so what changed?"
Vanessa glared at her. "Fine. You want to do this here? We'll do it here. Peter is a member of the Charm family, something which he did not tell us when you got married."
Arabella and Vanessa's father, Carlos Espinoza, had been a talented Spellcaster who was exiled from the Magic Realm after marrying their mother, Eleanor, because she was a non-Spellcaster. The Charms had been one of the governing families behind the decision, and though their father tried not to pass down the resentment to his daughters, Vanessa and her fiery temper had held onto the grudge.
"You're really refusing to let him into the dynasty over some old grudge? I thought you were more mature than that, Vanessa. Papa wouldn't have wanted that."
"Don't talk to me about what Papa would've wanted!" Vanessa's outburst drew more attention to the growing confrontation, the rest of the room going dead quiet. Vanessa drew in a breath, trying to regain control of the situation. "Peter is a good man, and he's been a good husband to you, Arabella. But I will not accept a Charm into our dynasty."
"He left the family, he changed his name, and that's still not enough for you?" Arabella shook her head in disbelief. "And you really think this is news to me, Vanessa?"
"You knew."
"Of course I did. Peter told me weeks before he proposed. Why in the world would we start off our marriage with lies between us?"
"You knew, and you didn't think to tell the rest of us?" Vanessa demanded.
"Vanessa, I love you dearly, but of course not. I knew you would do something hot-headed and stupid if you knew. They threw him out because he wanted to go to space, instead of studying magic! Again, he changed his name! I love him, and I didn't think it mattered."
"Well, it does. Peter is not, and never will be, a member of the Espinoza Dynasty."
"Then there's nothing left to say, then."
Lis was sitting at a table by herself now, silently observing this confrontation between her mother and aunt. There was so much family history she was missing, but it all seemed... so petty. Surely these were all things that could be resolved with a calm discussion, but everyone was being so emotional and bull headed!
It had certainly killed the mood. Ava soon excused herself, hurrying to catch the earlier train back to Britechester, and Liliana and Aukai joined her. And once the first three had left, it wasn't long before the others started to slowly follow suit. Nobody wanted to deal with the confrontation while emotions were still high.
Except Arabella. She still wasn't satisfied, and confronted her sister again as Vanessa was getting ready to leave.
"Look, Vanessa, I will give you one more opportunity to pull your head out of the cowplant and make this right. Otherwise, I'm gone."
"You would leave the rest of us over this?"
"For my husband, who you are rejecting? Yes, I would. If you do not except Peter into the dynasty, I am leaving it, and I will take Lis with me."
Vanessa stared at her, eyes full of bitter anger. "Go, then. I'm sorry to see you leave, but it seems it's for the best."
Arabella had been sincere in her threat, but she hadn't quite expected to have to follow through on it. "I'm sorry as well. Goodbye, Vanessa. Please reach out if you have a change of heart."
Vanessa shook her head, and left with Teodor, returning to their farm in Ravenwood. Arabella was left emotionally exhausted and still a little bit angry, beginning to busy herself with the dishes as a distraction.
Ella was one of the last ones to leave, reiterating her prior invitation for Lis to come visit the Cat Cafe. "It's a nice place for you and your friends to come hang out. Get some coffee, play with the animals, and relax. Goodness knows you'll need it after today." She added this last part in a whisper. "Dynasty or no, you're still welcome in my home."
"Thank you, Ella. I appreciate that, and I'll come visit soon."
As the last family members left, many of them echoing the same sentiment, Lis began to help her parents clean up the venue. It was late, nearly midnight, and she was worn out.
If it hadn't been for Arabella and Vanessa's confrontation, this would've been lovely. Lis wasn't sure what them leaving the dynasty meant, but that was tomorrow Lis's problem. For now, she just wanted to finish the dishes and go to bed.
After Lis went to bed, Arabella and Peter were left alone in the venue kitchen. Peter turned to Arabella with a quiet sigh.
"Bella, you didn't need to go through all that for me."
"What kind of wife would I be if I didn't?" Arabella shook her head. "I swore when we got married that I would always stand by you, and I don't go back on my word. Vanessa is stuck in the past, she never quite lets go of anything. Maybe I should have brought everything up sooner and avoided this, but hindsight is twenty-twenty, I suppose."
"What do you want to do now?"
Arabella gave a wry chuckle. "Business as usual, I suppose. Things will be awkward in groups for a bit, but it should eventually iron out. I just hope it doesn't cause too much division among the children."
"Well, we've both lost our dynasties." Peter shrugged. "Guess it's just us and Lis against the world."
"Who's to say we can't make our own? I've always quite liked the name you chose for yourself. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale."
"What, Bellerose? I suppose so."
"The Bellerose Dynasty does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"It does. Love you, Bella."
"I love you too, Peter."
The beds in the room above the dining hall was nowhere as nice as Lis's bed at home, but it was good enough. She was beyond tired, and her eyes shut as soon as her head hit the pillow.
She'd have to tell her friends about everything that had happened tomorrow. Holidays were supposed to be for family bonding, but they were pretty good hot-spots for drama and scandal as well.
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