Spin Me Sweet Tales

Chapter Twelve

"These are your guards," Deeba says from behind me. "Eliza and Brutius will be your escorts at all times."

Eliza is a full-figured woman. I look at Eliza, and I see the first person with a body shape close to mine in the castle. Lahesia, Khaivya, Deeba, and the teenage emerald woman are all thin, with either a muscular or lithe build, but Eliza's body shape is more like mine. She carries her weight predominantly on the top of her body while most of my weight is on my hips and thighs, but I see Eliza and I have another woman in the castle who is not conventionally thin.

Her skin is a pale shade of pink, but her curly mane of hair is a rich magenta. The unruly hair in thick curls rests on her shoulders. She wears an outfit similar to Brutius's, and the black shade does not match her vibrant colors. Neither does the emblem on the right side of her uniform, of two sharpened fangs with a thorny crown on top. She is considerably petite, even shorter than Deeba, and the sword holstered to her waist is almost as tall as her.

I look at Brutius next. He is nearly seven feet tall with eight long, black legs scraping against the floor. His bottom torso is a herculean sized spider, but the top half is a pleasant looking male in his mid-twenties. Brutius has an upturned nose, high risen cheekbones, and dark brown complexion complimented with black stubble across his sharp jawline. His eyelashes seem to go on for miles, and they fan across his cheeks each time he blinks.

Brutius bows. "Your highness, we are honored to be your royal guards."

Eliza, a minute later than Brutius, bows as well. "Your highness," she says, her voice holding a teasing drawl.

"She is running late for breakfast with his highness," Deeba snaps from behind me.

For the rest of the walk, nobody speaks. Eliza and Brutius walk a few paces ahead of me, while Deeba and the other emerald woman stay behind me. I am surrounded by people, but I am alone. When I am behind my keyboard and am writing a new story, I love being alone, but in a castle filled with uncertainty, the loneliness is abhorrent.

Eliza and Brutius open the double doors towards the breakfast room, and I turn to face Deeba. The teenage girl flinches when I look in their direction, and her eyes that were looking forward are quick to stare at the ground. I ignore her and focus my attention on Deeba.

"Will Khaivya be back tomorrow?" I ask.

"Your husband is waiting for you," she says, but her voice breaks. Her enormous eyes build with tears.

My unease grows, and I whisper with fear. "Deeba, where is Khaivya?"

A single tear rolls down Deeba's cheek.

"Go to breakfast, your highness."

Deeba looks down and two tears hit the ground below her. I move towards the dining room as instructed, but with each step, I see Khaivya dying. One step, and an executioner raises his blade above her awaiting neck. Another step and she's thrown into a river with rocks fastened around her ankles. A third step and she's impaled through the chest with a sword.

By the time I stand in the dining room doorway, Eliza and Brutius are a pace ahead on either side of me, and I am glowering at my forced husband. "Where is Khaivya?" I ask him, with rage bubbling to the surface.

He raises his glass filled with blood, places it to his lips, and hums. "Good morning, beautiful bird. Take a seat, please. Your breakfast is getting cold."

The king motions towards the two empty seats at the table. Again, there are six seats arranged, but only the king, his brothers, and I are attendants. Yesterday, Renjan sat in the chair beside the two empty seats, but today continues to differ from the day before. Renjan has his head down, refusing to look in my direction, and he sits beside his brother Zamri. Jia-Nian sits in the spot where Renjan had the day before, and he won't look at me either. Nobody glances in my direction, except for the king, whose stare pierces into my body like a sword meeting its mark.