The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

7. The Capital - Tosh City

Mynera's eyes scanned the heads before her. She wanted to know which of the girls among them Charmaline was. She had thought about marching to the servant's tent and demanding that she come forward but that sounded too much like a jealous wife to her and she was, definitely, not that. She wasn't a wife and she most definitely wasn't jealous. Just curious.

Is she pretty? she asked herself before mentally cursing. Of course she was pretty. At the very least, she was beautiful in Saenar's eyes.

Mynera shook the thought from her head. She should stop thinking about it. They were about to enter Tosh City any minute now – the capital, the grandest city in all the Five Nations and the city in which King's Castle resided. It was best she put aside her stupid thoughts and focused on the task at hand.

The city's tall walls came into view just as they emerged from yet another forest. The road that was cleared for walking in the forest was wide but Mynera felt a rush of relief come upon her once more – one that became familiar to her each time she exited the now stifling cluster of tall trees – when she came out unto the grassy plains, dotted with all sorts of colours. It was all really pretty.

The walls of the city came closer and closer, and with each step Mynera saw the gate become a little more detailed. She felt anxious to be pass those walls. But she also felt like jumping off her horse and running amidst the tall flowers, her hair flying away from her face, blowing around, dancing with loose petals. Instead she took her place a little behind the king and didn't turn around when Saenar came beside her. They were almost there.

The king's banner men rode ahead, holding the banner of both the king's household: a red eyed dragon of House Baronius, blazing fire from its mouth, and her own: the leaping form of a pegasus. King Damon followed behind a horde of guards, Mynera and Prince Saenar trailing close behind. Behind them were the advisors, the servants, grooms and handmaids, and more and more guards. Mynera had not been aware of just how many persons traveled with them during the trip. Now, she saw just how many, for there were some who were just emerging from the forest although she was almost at the gate.

"Open the gates!" one of the banner men at the front shouted. Soon after the command was repeated but it came from behind the walls.

The gate creaked open with a loud groan. Mynera held on tight to her reins. This was it, she thought. This was her new home. Her new people. Subconsciously, she ran her nail over the skin of her thumb, reveling in that feeling of comfort while her face remained calm. The large wooden and metal gate suddenly swung open, sending a large gust of wind to mess her hair.

"King Damon and Prince Saenar has returned!" shouted someone from inside.

They started forward. Mynera didn't notice that she had been pressing her thighs together until Bolt whinnied underneath her. She relaxed immediately. She couldn't show her nervousness. It wouldn't be fitting of the future queen.

As soon as Mynera passed the gate, there was silence. There was no loud screaming, there was no one shouting names, there were no gifts and flowers being thrown at them. Just deathly silence that seemed to echo everywhere. The only sound was the sound of the horses' hooves as they made their way along the road.

Mynera frowned. To say this was odd was saying the least. This was not what she expected. Why were they so silent when their king and prince was returning after almost three months away from the castle? Mynera looked into the faces of the crowd. They were all blank. They just stood there, staring up at them as they passed by. The old and the young alive said no words, made no move towards them. Just stared.

The silence was threatening to choke her, but Mynera didn't think to break it. Surely, her voice would be too loud among such deep silence, even if she whispered. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Something was definitely wrong here. Did they hate their king? She had heard rumours about the king's stoic harshness but surely, this reaction to him was taking it a bit too far.