The room that the women take me to is fit for a queen. Lush green curtains cover the light sandstone walls, parting to allow for one large window overlooking yet another garden and for an inlet in the wall just wide enough for a luxurious bed. The pillows and sheets are golden, there is a white bench underneath the window, and a pair of cushioned seats occupy a corner. A small white vanity is found in the next corner, holding a circular mirror, a hairbrush, and a few specially handmade makeups. But the floor tiles are the best part of the room. Intricate, exotic flowers of every type are painted on each one, most of them matching the flowers in the palace's many gardens. Several burning candles dot the room and provide warm light.
"This can't be mine," I say, nearly speechless. One of the servant women nods to me as the other two go forward to prepare the room. I smile gratefully at her. "It's wonderful. Thank you." She raises her skirts daintily and curtsies for me.
"Shall we escort your knight to his room?" she asks. I glance at Alec beside me, staring silently at the floor. His hands are folded in front of him.
"If he wishes," I tell her. She curtsies to me again and looks expectantly at Alec. He watches her for a moment before glancing at me. The two of them leave through the doorway and take a right. I miss his presence immediately, wishing for him back, yet when he leaves I feel as if I can finally relax. I turn to the two remaining servants. "What are your names?" One of them has long, wavy golden hair while the other's is a slightly darker color and cropped short just above her ears, the hairline jagged. Their facial features are similar, soft yet distinctive, and their eyes are milky brown. Their hair and their eyes tell me that these women aren't from around here.
"I am Drina, my lady," the taller, long-haired one tells me, and dips into a curtsy. "And this is my younger sister Estelle." Her sister hesitates slightly before curtsying as well and I return the gesture. Drina beams at me while Estelle stares at the floor.
"I appreciate your help, Estelle and Drina. I've had a dreadful past few days and all I seem to want to do is sleep forever," I tell them. I eye the bed longingly. Would it be rude to lay down with others in the room?
I decide that I don't care and do it anyway. I relish in the comfort of the sheets and finally allow my burning eyes to slide closed.
"You may sleep, but not forever. We still need you yet," Drina says with a laugh, but her voice is fading now. Everything else is, mercifully, disappearing as well, and I fall into the wonderful embrace of a deep sleep.
*****
When I wake, I am ravenous and desperate for water. Estelle quickly becomes a dear friend when I spot her in the doorway holding a tray of food and water.
"Estelle," I welcome her with a smile as she sets the tray in my lap. I fell asleep above the sheets near the edge of the bed, but now I lay underneath their comfort and against the soft feather pillows. I must have slept very deeply for someone to be able to move me without disturbing my slumber.
Her eyes flicker around the room nervously. "I've been waiting for you to wake. I figured that you would be starving."
"You were absolutely correct." I begin to drool at the very sight of the food that's been set before me. I decide to go for the bread rolls first, smearing them heavily in butter and shoving them into my mouth as ladylike as possible. After several minutes of munching in silence under the supervision of the shy girl, I decide to use her to quell some of my curiosity. After I gulp down a tall glass of orange juice, of course. "How old are you?"
"Fourteen years, my lady," she answers politely. She makes eye contact with me for less time than she speaks. She's like I was, before my entire life was uprooted in a single moment. Now being bashful is not a choice.
"You're quite young to have such an important job already, aren't you?" I smile at her, hoping to encourage her to come out of her shell a bit. She doesn't smile back.
"After my sister began work, my mother decided to send me away as well to live with her here," Estelle explains. She wrings her hands in he lap.
"King Cassius seems a very just man. I trust that your life is good serving underneath him?" I ask. I want to be sure that this place is safe for Alec. With so many trying to kill me, they must be frustrated with the one man who has managed to keep me out of their hands all this time. Alec's position as my guard puts him in grave danger.
Estelle nods eagerly. "Oh, yes. He's a very kind man and he cares deeply for all of his subjects," she tells me. I offer her my last pieces of bread and she accepts after a slight hesitation. "Many are loyal to him until death."
I pop a few red grapes into my mouth. "And those who aren't?"
"The kingdom is divided," she nearly whispers. Her eyes search the room nervously, as if watching for an unseen listener. "Some believe that the king's younger brother Alston should sit upon the throne instead and that the pulchra should not be fighting against the fatoris, but rather alongside them."
I gape at her. "Surely they do not truly wish to see Anabella victorious!"
"There is wickedness everywhere, not just under Anabella's rule. Alston supporters wish to end it," Estelle argues. The passion from her outburst quickly vanishes from her eyes and she returns to the timid girl she's been since I met her. "Forgive me."
I pat a spot on the bed beside me. For a moment she looks shocked that I would offer her a seat, but then she takes it with a tiny smile. "There is nothing to forgive. Here, have some of this—I can hardly eat another bite." I move the tray of food between us. There are two bunches of grapes and a square of cheese left, but I am quickly becoming full.
"Thank you, my lady," Estelle says. She takes a few of the grapes and chews them slowly. We sit in silence for a moment.
"What is the date?" I ask suddenly. It must be nearing the end of winter by now. My birthday is approaching as well. I will be turning seventeen. Normally I would be excited, but this year there will be no homemade cake from my grandfather and no necklace or bracelet that he saved up all year to buy. I don't even have have his past gifts with me. I couldn't grab them before I fled Achalia.
"March seventeenth," she answers. I wince and she puts her hand on my wrist. "What is it?"
I smile weakly. "It will be my birthday in four days."
"Isn't that cause for celebration, my lady?"
"I suppose," I sigh, shrugging. "But I miss my...my family." My grandfather, the traitorous Peter. I miss them so.
"I understand," Estelle says gently. She squeezes my hand. "But at least here you will be surrounded by friends. You only need mention your birthday to the king. I'm sure that he will spare no expense to throw you a grand party! You and your lover are safe, you'll receive the best gifts—"
I hold my hand up to stop her. "My lover?"
She gives me a puzzled look. "The knight Alexander, of course. It's kind of scandalous, because...well, you know, but—"
"We're not lovers," I tell her firmly, interrupting her yet again. I punctuate my sentence with a laugh I hoped would sound easygoing. It comes out as more of a nervous giggle. "Why would it be scandalous?"
Estelle opens her mouth to reply, but a knock at the door halts our conversation. She stands as the door swings open and two guards clad in shining iron armor and draped in blue cloth and the golden symbol of the middle kingdom, the serpent. I find it odd that the fairy kingdoms and the human kingdoms hold the same symbols, but it is also comforting that they are aligned, even in the smallest way. I wonder which of them chose the symbol first, and which decided to follow in the other's footsteps? Perhaps long, long ago, humans and fairies were close enough to choose the symbols together.
"His majesty King Cassius wishes us to inform you that when you are ready, his wife Queen Nessi would like to meet you. And his granddaughter, the princess of the sulvel, is eager to see you as well. She has already met with the knight Alexander," the shorter knight says. The both of them bow to me and then make their exit, letting the heavy door close behind them.
I take a step toward the door, to follow the guards to wherever I am to meet my hosts, but Estelle grabs my wrist. "Where are you going? You're barely clothed!"
I glance down at myself. I still wear the cloak of Cassius that does little to cover my body. My cheeks fill with heat instantly. "It slipped my mind," I mumble. She releases my wrist.
"You're going to meet with the king and queen," she half whispers. "You must look your best. You need a bath, a decent brush for your hair, a dress..." She trails off to a mumble.
I laugh nervously. I never liked gatherings that required elegant dress. They make me nervous. "I'm sure that a simple dress would suffice. Perhaps you could acquire one similar to yours for me?"
Estelle looks horrified. "Are you mad? You can't wear this to meet the king and queen of the Sky Islands!" she exclaims, gesturing to her dress. It is a pale blue gown with a dirtied white apron tied around the front. I would give anything to wear something like that.
"So be it," I grumble. She curtsies quickly and dismisses herself, promising to return soon with other servants and a warm bath for me.
While I wait, I finish the fruit that Estelle left and lay back on the soft bed, wishing to never leave it. A warm bath will feel like heaven after spending so much time in this achingly cold room, but moving is not something I want to do. How odd that I feel cold now. I haven't in so long.
Estelle returns with others far too soon. A pair of male servants set a wooden tub filled with water in the center of my room, careful not to let the water slosh over the edge. With their job done they leave and I'm left with Estelle and Drina as well as the third servant girl who was with me briefly when I first arrived. She informs me that her name is Mariena. Her wings and the color of her hair tell me that she is a pulchra.
Estelle and Mariena leave to fetch a dress and jewels for me. I request again a simple maid outfit, but I'm denied. While they are away, Drina helps me undress and into my bath.
"Thank you," I tell her, and sink into the water and let it cover me up to my neck and crawl above my head. I'm covered in warmth and I wish I could stay underwater a while longer, but eventually I must come back up.
"No one ever thanks the servants," Drina says. She smiles at me. "You're refreshing." Her fingers work through my hair roughly, pulling out the knots. My hands tighten around the edges of the tub as I try to bite back complaints.
"It is the polite thing to do." I hiss quietly. Another painful tug.
"To most, only important people are deserving of politeness," she says, and laughs. She doesn't sound bitter, only amused. She pulls the last tangle out and lathers my hair with soap.
"You are important. You, your sister, Mariena, and every other servant in this castle. The status of a person doesn't matter to me," I say. I smile to myself. I can feel her happiness radiating from her at my words.
"Thank you, my lady," she says. She finishes with my hair and I get to spend a bit more time underwater to wash the suds out.
"Where are you from?" I ask, and then cover my mouth. "I hope I'm not prying. I'm curious."
Drina laughs, but she doesn't answer until after she adds several scented syrups to the water. "I don't mind. I would be curious too if I were you. My sister and I are from off the coast of the eastern kingdom, an island called Iora."
I try to turn to look at her, but she holds my head forward so that she can trim my hair evenly and scrub the dust from my body. "There are islands past the eastern kingdom?" I ask. The kingdom is settled at the end of a peninsula on the Bhrea Sea, and while it isn't uncommon for ships to sail far out into the water, they always return with the report that there is nothing beyond the kingdom. "We're told that there isn't land past the eastern peninsula."
"That's probably because it's too dangerous for humans to get to easily. There is a wall of jagged rocks nearly a mile thick surrounding the archipelago that will utterly destroy any boat that is bashed against them by the waves. The rocks very effectively hid us from the humans," Drina explains. She finishes with my hair and focuses on the dirt and grime on my skin.
I take a piece of my hair between my fingers. The knots I never thought I'd be able to get out are gone and the coarseness is replaced by a pleasant, silky texture. It's been trimmed a bit to even out the ends, but not by more than an inch or so. My hair has grown considerably since I left Achalia and reaches down the length of my back, despite the trim.
"How do you reach land then? By flying?"
"Ideally," she replies. "But those without wings must take the more dangerous route through the mermaid infested waters."
I shudder at the mention of the man-eating creatures. Rurrous made them sound terrifying. "You don't have wings?"
"No. My sister and I are what's called heulis. Half fairy, half witch or warlock. In our case we are half melocris and half warlock," she says. I nod. I hide the blush that quickly accompanies the thoughts of Alec that are flooding in.
"Do you have the magic of a warlock, then?"
"Somewhat. The magic has been translated to coincide with that of water fairies, so for the most part, we only have control of the water." She sets the sponge down and puts a hand o my shoulder. "There. You're all cleaned up now."
But my mind has moved onto other things. "This translation," I begin carefully, "does it work the same for other fairies? Forest, air...fire?"
Drina nods. "Yes. How do you want your hair, up or down in a braid?"
"A braid," I answer. She bends to pick up a soft cotton towel from beside the tub and helps me step out of the water. "Drina, do you think it's possible that one of my parents was a fire fairy? Sometimes I can do things unrelated to fire, but mostly..."
"I think that it's incredibly probable." She wraps the towel around my hair and squeezes tightly until most of the water has left, then uses it to dry the rest of my body. "I think that a braid will look lovely. Here, sit." She guides me to a finely carved wooden chair in the corner and has me sit while she works on my hair. Meanwhile, I torment myself with questions of the parents I never knew. Of course I asked my grandfather about them constantly when I was younger, when the village children asked why I only had an old man taking care of me. But he always avoided my questions. Maybe it hurt too much to talk about them.
"Why did you leave your home?" Anything to get my mind off of my parents and my grandfather.
Drina chuckles bitterly. "The water queen doesn't approve of mixed blood. Estelle and I were lucky to be allowed to stay as long as we were. We came here to be servants for Queen Nessi. She herself used to be a lady-in-waiting to the queen of the water fairies, you know? Very close friends, they were. It's a shame they were separated."
"King Cassius married someone without royal blood?" I ask, utterly confused. In the human realm, that is unheard of. Blasphemous even. Faking a royal heritage is treacherous and results in beheadings. Kings and queens could never marry commoners, even if they wanted to.
"He was engaged to a princess in his youth. Her name was Riley."
"Why didn't he marry her?"
Drina completes the braid and tightens it at the end. I reach behind me and trail down my hair with my fingers. The braid is simple but elegant, falling down my back like a fine rope. "She died. But it was mere days from the wedding; the marriage treaty was long agreed upon. So the position of bride was transferred to Nessi, Riley's closest friend and lady-in-waiting."
"Humans would never even consider it. I just can't get over it," I mumble, nearly smiling. "It's nice that royal blood isn't all the matters."
"Ah, don't be fooled," Drina says with a light chuckle. She squirts some type of clear, pinkish goo onto her hands and rubs it into my chest and arms. It smells of fresh cherry blossoms. "Royal blood is necessary to rule. But only one of a pair must be born of a royal family. Once the marriage is complete, the other becomes considered royalty for life."
"How did she die?" I ask, and then quickly add, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."
"I don't mind. Really. Ask whatever you'd like." She takes a breath. "Riley was executed for being unfaithful to her betrothed."
"That's...awful," I tell her, biting my lip. I'm not sure what else to say. "Who was she unfaithful with?"
"Her true love. Well, that's what those who think she was wrongly killed say. If you ask me, I think it was just a fling before she was tied down forever to Cassius. She never wanted to marry him, you see." Once I'm satisfactorily cleansed and smell strongly enough of blossoms, Drina allows me to wrap the towel around myself and sit on a wicker chair in the corner of the room. She remains standing, although I offer her a seat. "Either way, he was killed as well."
I begin to think of the story that Alec told me of Celeste and Syfi. "What if the engaged royal finds true love before the wedding?"
"Normally, if there is proof, finding true love has the same consequence as death. The marriage is simply transferred to the closest friend or servant." I nod and relax a bit. It would be awful to have to marry someone that you didn't love, especially if you'd found your true love.
"I'm glad that law exists."
She smiles. "I am as well. It is a just law." I watch as she takes several steps toward the window. She pushes a curtain aside and stares thoughtfully outside for a moment. "I hear that this is what happened to Cassius' granddaughter."
I nod again. "It is." I tell her what Alec told me. She seems to know the general story, but not details such as Syfi's curse. Drina supposes that the needed proof was found when the curse was cured after their kiss.
"It is always a sign of true love, the curing of an otherwise incurable affliction. It is never wrong."
"Do you know who took Celeste's place in the engagement?"
Drina gapes at me. "You mean you don't know?"
I shake my head. How could I know? No one has told me; I've never even asked. I don't know of any friends or servants of Celeste's other than Alec...
No, surely not. He would have told me. It isn't him.
Drina has no time to answer my question, however, because at that moment Estelle and Mariena return with their arms full of what I'll be wearing to officially meet with the king and queen. The girls begin talking excitedly back and forth immediately, holding several dresses up to my chest and showing me many pieces of jewelry.
I take a deep breath and plaster a smile onto my face. I'll inquire again to Drina later, but now I have to face my toughest battle yet: girls armed with dresses and jewels.
It is going to be a long night.
A/N: omggggg this chapter is like all dialogue. But you learn a TON of stuff... so idk. Tell me guys what you think, if it's too boring, etc. And thank you for reading of course! Be sure to leave a vote and comment if you enjoyed, as always Xx