An icy wind brushes across my face piercing my skin and blowing strands of auburn blonde hair across my face. I growl in irritation and shove the hair behind my ear. I glance around the little plat form area I am sitting on. It is just a balcony, one that most people in castle don't know about. It's on the 3rd floor off a section that few people ever go in. the rails around the little area are black, and the only two things on it besides myself are a wooden bench that the castle provided, and a stone that I found in a pasture a few days back. I didn't think much of the stone when I first saw it, but then I touched it and found that the texture was rather leathery. I thought it was unique and brought it back with me.
The stone is plain gray with black and white speckles, and it is about the size of a head or a pumpkin. Nothing out of the ordinary, so I put it up here to keep the maids from throwing it out. They most likely would think I had gone crazy if I told them I wanted it to stay. I never bring anything in the castle from outside. Everything is too dirty.
Blinking the spots out of my eyes after looking at the white page for too long, I glance slowly up at the sky. I suddenly jump to my feet. "oh no!" I gasp shoving the cork in my ink bottle and tossing my things into my satchel. I dash back into the castle and run down the stairs flying into my room and throwing my satchel onto my bed. I take a quick glance around the large room, my eyes falling on the item I am searching for and snatch it up running back out of the room.
I round a corner and nearly slam right into somebody.
"Sorry!" I say moving around them. "sorry." the someone mutters. I stop and glance back. "Brayn?" I ask. "what are you doing?" I scan the arm load of strange things in his arms. Brayden, or Brayn to a lot of people, is a wizard. He was born with a gift and has been a magic wielder his whole life. Not like the ones you read about in fairytails that can turn people to stone and all that, but he can make all sorts of potions and plenty of useful spells. He just got back a month ago from 4 years at a Wizardry Collage to stabilize his gift.
Brayn's deep brown eyes suddenly dart up to my face. "Oh. Sorry Sen." he says pulling his head up. "I didn't see you. I'm working on something for the stable master. Somethings been getting into the grain and he wants me to trap it." I nod knowingly and start to turn. "I have to go. Don't blow up anything!" he shoots me a look and I grin dashing up the hall.
I slide to a stop in front of my destination, a random sitting room that my siblings and I have used for years as a meeting place when we wanted to talk or play before we all grew out of that.
I open the door and slip into the room. My other brother is standing across the room with his arms folded behind his back, showing off his kingly posture that my mother and sisters admire so much. I grin to myself and slip across the room sliding into a chair and crossing my ankles. I wait for a moment, and sure enough he turns his head and blinks at me. "oh." he says turning all the way. "I didn't see you." I smirk. "no.. really?" Dane gives me a look. "watch the sarcasm Caycay." he warns. I sigh and nod. "sorry." I say. he smiles. "don't worry about it. I have just been spending too much time in the throne room." we both laugh and I stand to my feet holding out the book I brought. His gray eyes brighten. "You found it!" I roll my eyes. "isn't that why we came here?" he laughs. "yes. Sorry." I smile as he shakes his head causing his chin length blond hair to sway.
"well." he says glancing out the window. "I have to get going. I have court at 4:00." I nod and then grin as he pecks me on the cheek heading for the door. Dane is the Eire to my father's throne. He has been since my eldest sister married when I was 7. before she married she denounced her right to the throne should the Eire die, pushing the throne right from Luella, my 17 year old sister who is obsessed with clothes, to Dane. He is 16 and Brayn is 19. I am the youngest, and I am 15 and shorter then any of my family, although I am not so very short. I mean, I am about the height of two sheep stacked on top of each other.
With a grunt I haul myself out of the chair and slip out of the room. Since I still have 2 hours before supper, I decide to head back up to the roof and try to finish my sketch.
As I step out onto the roof once more, the stone jumps. My eyes jerk open.
I stare at the stone for a long moment, then shake my head. Stones don't jump. That must have just been my imagination. I press my body against the rail and slip along on the opposite side as the stone, and sit down as far away from it as I can get.
I set to work on sketching out the Southern mountain. It is tall and curved at the top like chipped ice, and there is a cap of snow covering it's top. It is the only mountain easily in sight to the south. I have better eye sight then most though, so I can see the ones hundreds of trees away from it. Just past those mountains is another range. That range marks out the edge of our lands, and begins the lands of the South. Gretrain. Though we have been at peace with them for nearly 30 years now, several stories have been floating of treachery in the air, and some say the treaty is wearing thin. My family keeps telling me though that those are entirely false and just rumors spread to make people worry.
I frown and purse my lips as I attempt to get the outline down. All of a sudden, the stone flips.
I jump back pressing my body against the rail and staring at it.
The stone flipped.
The stone flipped.
Stones don't flip. That stone flipped.
I swallow hard and stare at it for a moment longer. It quivers, then lays still. My heart drums in my ears and my throat is a little dry. Why did that stone flip??
I frown then give a nervous laugh. It must be a trick from Brayn. He must be teasing me because I spend too much time up here. It sounds like something Dane would get him to do. That must be what it is. That has to be it.
I swallow hard and grab up my stuff shuffling along the rail then make a dash for the door. I slam it behind me and drop against it breathing hard.
That stone flipped. And what if it wasn't Brayn? I shudder and pull my body off the door, and mentally slap myself. Of course it's Brayn. That's just like something he and Dane would do. Sure it is. I will have to have a talk with them about it later. That wasn't very nice scaring me like that and then not being around to laugh at me. But then again, Dane is in court and Brayn was mixing that potion. If that was really what the potion was for. Of course it was! Brayn never lies to me, so I will have to ask him about it later.
Glancing out the window, I peel my body off the door one more time and trudge down the stairs. In my room I pull on a dark green gown and twist my hair into a basic bun, not feeling like trying anything new tonight. I pull on my slippers and slip back down the halls to the great dinning hall.
There is never 'just' the royal family at the dinner table, because if there was that would just be 6 people. We also have lords and ladies to spare that live in the surrounding areas or some of them even live in the castle, not to mention my mother's ladies in waiting and my father's royal adviser, and any of Luella's friends that happen to be in town, and any tradesmen that my father has made friends with. So every evening there are on average about 40 people, sometimes more, rarely less.
Thankfully we don't have to worry about having enough rooms for all of them. The castle takes care of that. Our castle isn't 'normal'. It was cursed some years ago and given a mind of it's own. Now it moves rooms around and adds them and takes them away as we need them. Just yesterday it moved Luella's room from the hall it has been in for 3 years to the same hall as mine and Brayn's. She was not pleased by this finding in the least.
I step into the dinning hall and glide down the hall to my seat near the head of the table. My father's adviser sits on his right side, and my mother on his left, then on his right Dane, Luella and several of the lords and higher ranks that stay will us from time to time. Brayn sits next to mother and I sit next to him, Master Helmington often sits next to me. He is our school master and has been with us since Glenda was 3, so he is sort of family, because that was nearly 22 years ago.
All morning the next day I had classes with Helmington, and I got lost twice on the way because the castle moved several of the halls around. When I finally got there I was 45 minutes late.
I slipped out of the study room and down the halls towards the sewing room. A batch of new fabrics from the Irendish Islands arrived two days ago and Mother was desperate to get me a new gown, which I am pretty sure will actually turn out to be 3 or 4 new gowns because the Festivals are coming up.
I step into the room and everyone turns and looks at me. "hello Seneca." my mother calls. "if you will wait just a couple of seconds we will be ready to measure you." I nod and lean against the wall waiting my turn. After being poked and prodded and having to hold my arms up for what seemed like hours, I slip from the room and trot down the hall to Brayn's room. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to either of my brothers since last night at supper, and Dane was still busy now, but I hoped that Brayn would be in his room. He has been really busy recently. I think it might be because he is working towards being instated as the royal wizard. That has been his goal for most of his life, and I hope he reaches it. He has worked towards it ever since he was told that he had a gift. I think the old Royal Wizard kept his ability in check till he was old enough, although I have never flat out been told. Mother and father avoid talking about it and everyone else always shrugs.
I step up to Brayn's door and knock quickly two or three times, but no one answers. I sigh and start to turn, right as Brayn comes flying down the hall and utters a few words causing his door to unlock.
He flies right past me into the room and pushes it half shut in his hurry. I wait outside for a moment. I can hear bottles clinking and things popping, and I can just see Brayn darting around the room. "Brayn?" I ask.
He spins around and presses his hands to his head. "where.... wait... no.... there!" he darts across the room and snatches something up dashing past me. "Sorry! But I really have to go before it blows up and Helmington has my head!" he runs down the hall and steers around the corner flying down the next hall. I half smirk and shake my head, then frown.
I guess I won't be going to the roof today.
Yes. Yes I will. It has to have been him that did it. I am going to finish that sketch and then I am going to check the castle for new rooms before supper.
Nodding in approval of my choice, I turn and walk into my room snatching up my satchel and walking swiftly down the hallways. I rarely run, that seems pointless and very immature, but walking fast makes me feel like I have something important to do.
I start to walk out onto the balcony and freeze mid step. The stone is shaking and wobbling. It suddenly flips end over end and a scream escapes my mouth.
I turn and slam right into a wall where the door should be. The door is gone!