She felt blessed, like the Stars themselves had granted her this. There was no limit, no rules or constraints. She was boundless; she was home, safe and secure in his unbreakable embrace.
~
Shackled in an abrupt and demanding upbringing, Althera is...
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Althera leaned out the window, breathing in the air which smelled faintly of pine and smoke. She tipped her head back, squinting against the rays of the sunlight drifting in from the cloudless sky. It was warm for fall - warmer than she had expected.
Her ears picked up the sound of approaching hoofbeats, and she strained her neck. Surrounded by a layer of dense shrubs and other plants she didn't know the name of was a small trail - and speeding down that trail was a carriage.
The first few times she'd heard carriages arriving at the palace was only a month ago, and she'd hated it. But then she began to grow restless and lonely in the next few weeks, so hoofs against stone outside her window was the only possible way she could tell she wasn't alone in this world.
She didn't know how she had wound up in this building, which turned out - unsurprisingly - to be a castle, and the servants who tended to her during the day never said anything to her that might answer her queries, even when she did ask. Every day was the same for her, and it was extremely uninteresting on her part. But at least she had the largest room located at the front of the front of the castle which had the best views, according to the young maids who spoke only a couple of times during their daily visit to her rooms to aid her in taking a bath in the evening. Not that she couldn't do it herself.
She sighed deeply, perching her chin on the heels of her palms.
"Lady Althera?" A muffled voice called. She turned, and her door swung open.
Kartella, the head maid, strode into the room with a tray of desserts and the bitter tea Althera was already beginning to dislike. She was a round, middle-aged woman with bright hair and even brighter eyes which seemed to hold endless archives of knowledge and experience. She set the tray down on the same table she always left it on. Like countless times before, she bowed her head and retreated back through the doorway, disappearing down the hall as quickly as she had come.
Althera eyed the cakes, debating whether she should fill her stomach with some food before resuming her daily task of gazing out the window, knowing she was forbidden to leave her room unless told otherwise by her oh-so gracious and helpful servants who frequently reminded her of this. She had no appetite, she realized after a short while of staring. With a shrug, she twisted back around, eyes flickering to the carriage which had stopped below her window.
It was rare for any carriage to halt before the main doors, but whoever arrived at this castle today was inarguably rich and arrogant to an extent that made Althera want to snort out a laugh. A month of spending her free time looking out the window in boredom had taught her to be very observant - it took up a great deal of the twenty-four hours she had.
The man who exited the carriage was tall, thought he didn't exceed six feet and several inches, and looked to be in his early twenties, if not younger. His face was tanned like the rest of his abnormally smooth skin, and the curve of his cheekbones arched perfectly beneath the hollow of his eyes. They were a shade of dark ocher, Althera saw as she watched him step out in a sparkling tunic and black boots that reflected the light of the sun. He was unquestionably handsome, she had to admit, and that made her detest herself. A servant carried the man's case for him, which was fairly large in size, and that caused her to wonder how long he would be staying. Visitors who came to the palace usually went away after a week or so.
