From Grief to Colour| ✓

XXII- The Calm Before a Storm

When we reached the palace unharmed, the entire castle you could say, went ballistic with joy. When the knights alerted the palace of my arrival, how fast word had spread to everyone in the palace about how I defeated the Omissionary and soon my magic picked up on emotions of mainly relief, some joy and a few exhausted moods. Maybe one of them was Hagrid not stressing out over any more threats from Dahlia.

Everyone came up and congratulated me on my success, and Grandma too came by and gave me a comforting hug on the news. I asked her of her condition since the ball and she -trying not to worry me more- told me to relax and that she's fine.

As well as proclaim to host another minor party at the win but as I felt incredibly drained and tired to even try to party- or talk. I alerted her of me being tired and nicely, I try to discourage another celebration but as she is a amazing talker, she will continue on and she says for me to go rest while the rest of the castle can celebrate in my honor.
How weird she has made it a tradition to cheer at a win, no matter how big or small or insufficient it is needed. Yet it does support her usually optimistic outlook and perhaps do give people hope- and a break from their work.

Smiling, I tread my way up to my chambers and my handmaidens had drawn me a superbly warm bath with lavender oil, which warmed my bones and soothe the air. After I've gotten dressed in a simple floor-length navy velvet dress, I took small naps for the rest of the afternoon, skipping out on lunch as my stomach didn't feel the hunger to eat, drained to move after hitting the hay.

By the time I woke up to take supper, the sky is a deep dark blue as snow rain on the green gardens, snowflakes rosemaling on the windows. As I head down the stairs, rumbles of laughter and cheers and cups clinking emit from the dining hall. I smile to myself, shaking my head as I push one of the doors to enter the brightly lit room and I'm welcomed by cheers by cousins and the palace guards, maids,cooks and all, calling for me, inviting me to join in on the feast. Champagne glasses are hoisted in the air and trays of food are layed out buffet style.

I give a small smile as I gently deny their sweet offers to feast loudly, merely asking for Chef Gertrude to offer me a plate of food and drink for supper but I stayed to listening in and chat with some of the attendees as I ate. Two hours before midnight and the dining hall finally calmed down to sleep or stay awake in their rooms, candles being blown out leaving a few here and there for some light.

Some still stuck around for a little longer by themselves as they chatter on while as the guards do a final round of patrol before getting some sleep before their early morning,shifts, I walk past Trevor as he was chatting with another guard.

He notices my presence and I wave him goodnight as he nods his head before resuming to the guard and I take my time to travel back to the cool air circulating my room.

Closing the door, I sigh as sleep starts to reach into my veins once again and I yawn as I remove my hair clip and blew the candles off till one remains at my bedside and reach into the covers and let the cold air and soft swirls of warmth wrap around my body and the midnight sky welcomed me to sleep.

***

My eyes flew open as the first rays of the winter sun tickle my eyes. I blink it away as I turn to my right to let the sun view the back of my head but the sting is left in my eye and I pull myself up and yawn myself awake, stretching my arms to soothe out any uncomfortable pain lingering in the back.

I blink my eyes as the sun greeted my room in rosy golden auras so my eyes had to adjust to the warm lighting. The soft trickling of snow remains so outside as a chilly silence fills the room and what I expect to be for the rest of the castle, still tired from the chatter of last night.