The Soul Forge.

Chapter Fifteen: Isarua's Betrayal.

   The Queen smiled thinly and bowed back." The King's keep I should think" She sneered in reply, sweeping past him, oddly careful to not let her robes touch him.

   Lord Kemarie kept his smile, but it was like it had been frozen there, now it was meaningless.

   Ara leaped easily off of her horse and stood next to it, instantly a groom rushed up and politely moved to take its reigns from her, but she just turned to him and smiled." That's okay, I'll see to it!"

   She grabbed her bay stallions reigns and quickly skipped over toward the stables before anyone good argue. The folk at the castle where very distant from her, in general anyway, a few weren't, but very few. She went along a small, cobblestone trail that led around the edge of the keeps southernmost tower, and right up to the small thatched building that was the stables. Quickly she slipped inside, and taking a deep breath of the warm, musty, moldy smell, put her horse in a stall.

   She had always been good with horses and she took care of her bay easily, taking off his saddle and rubbing him down in only a few moments. She saw the stable hands nervously doing their own work in silence about her. Now and then she tried to make conversation, but she quickly saw that it was no use. They were as sullen and silent as ever, if not more so! She frowned, and paced back out of the stable, the hay strewn all over the stone floor crunching under her boots.

   She instantly headed for her rooms, high on the west tower, opposite her mothers. 13-4-7 The castle interior was well lit and ventilated, but it was so somber, so formal, it made Ara tired just looking around.

   She slipped into her suite of rooms, slamming the massive, gilded oak door shut behind her. She sighed and looked around the room, the hard stone floor was covered in a lush, colorful carpet, the walls were covered in expensive tapestries or had antique furniture backed up against them, and the massive bed in the corner of the room was a flutter with silk and lace.

   It was a royal chamber, much less ornate than her one in Castle Melakune. A bit of work and it’ll be livable, she thought to herself. Just then there was a flutter of movement and someone entered the room from a side door, bowing low. It was the old maid who took care of the room, one of the less formal people in the castle, a servant who had grown old in her service.

   She bowed low, her long grey hair touching the carpet, then she stood, her wrinkled old face shining and rushed forward and embraced Ara crying.” Oh Ara”

   Ara smiled to herself and hugged the old woman; it felt good to have someone hug her without all the formalities. It was a hug such as she had not gotten since she had taken leave of her father, three weeks before.” It’s good to see you Mara.” She whispered.

   Mara stepped back smiling toothily.” The same my dear! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!”

   Ara turned to hide a smile.” So. . . . have you still got all my things that I asked you to keep?”

   The old woman smiled and nodded.” Aye, I do.” Last year Ara had collected a collection of weapons and trinkets that she decided it would be unwise to show the Queen, she had asked Mara to keep them for her in the cabin that her family owned outside of the castle, deep in the forest.

   “Thank you, again!” Ara said.” How’d your family doing?” She looked critically at the bed and ruffled up the sheets, the thing was looking too neat.

   Mara bowed low again, her brown housewife dress sweeping the floor.” As Our Father has decreed, my dear son Jalaran fell in a battle with the Devry scarce a week after you left, then early this summer my husband caught the plague and passed on.” She said it all with a smile, but it had sad tinges to it.