A Bloody Crown

Chapter 4: Ringing

I closed the door to my room slowly, the click resounding in my ears as it settled into place. Slowly, I made my way to my desk, settling into my chair.

The old wooden desk was piled high with papers from concerned citizens, various lords, and requests from other lands for alliances.

But one letter stood out in particular. A bright white envelope, no signature, no recipient. Clean cut, with a gold seal, a crown in the center of the wax.

My heart skipped a beat as I turned it over in my hands, remembering what happened the last time I received a letter of this type.

The words appeared in front of me, ringing and echoing in my ears, as if I was reading that old letter for the first time.

Aelfrun, you have been chosen... meet us at the Wall on September 21... your alliance will be valuable in the upcoming years...

I shook my head to clear my old thoughts, took the letter opener to my right, and slit open the wax seal without hesitation. Inside was a short letter, with a small stone.

Duchess Aelfrun,

Midnight tomorrow, use the stone. It has teleportation capabilities, courtesy of our King.

Queen Briallyn

King?

The stone was cool in my hand, with no inscriptions or carvings on it, just a smooth, black rock. Whatever they needed me for, I imagine it had something to do with the rumors Nolan brought forth.

A knock resounded on my door behind me. "Duchess Aelfrun?"

I quickly put the stone and letter back into the envelope and placed them in the desk drawer. It slid closed with a quiet click. "Enter, Marlia."

She walked in with a tray of food, closing the door gently behind her. "I brought your favorite, miss. Roasted lamb with rosemary herbs for garnish. I know how much you hate Saturdays, so I persuaded the cook for some extra goodies."

As I stood, I caught her eye. "Thank you, Marlia. Please, help yourself."

She nodded in appreciation and sat the tray down onto the table in front of the couch near my desk. My father had insisted on me having a furniture set beyond just the bare necessities, but it never meant much to me. It does come in handy for the company I do get occasionally, however.

Marlia took her portion and sat onto the dark leather couch. We had lunch together everyday, but she always felt the need to wait for permission to have something to eat. I told her many times that she needn't wait for my approval, but the old habit never left her.

I sat beside her, my plate already arranged by the chefs, and began cutting into the lamb.

"How do you think the meeting went, Duchess?" she asked, her voice cool and light.

My head bobbled side to side, debating internally. "Quite well, I think. Perhaps.. things are going to begin changing."

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, her voice suddenly cold. "Did they contact you?"

I sighed, "Marlia-"

"Aelfrun, I understand your position, but I cannot understand why you keep allowing yourself to be in their clutches."

"For my kingdom, Marlia. That is something that you cannot understand, nor will you ever." I sniped back, a layer of ice over my words.

"You push everyone away, Aelfrun. Is there nobody who you can talk to? Nobody who you feel understands you?"