"You're going to make me stay with her?" Galien says.
"It'll only be for a couple of minutes," Nik explains before letting go of the reins and climbing off his horse. When he reaches the floor he continues, "I'll be back," he says before heading towards the entrance.
Just like at the gate, they let him in without question or second glances. It unsettles me entirely.
If I could, I'd ask both of them about everything I've been speculating. But any small misstep or wrong word could leave me without a life. Why risk it all due to confusion?
So, I keep quiet like always. I keep my head down and don't say anything.
Galien sits beside me on his horse without the two of us saying a word to each other. It seems that just like at home, the tradition of barely speaking to me is lives on.
While we wait, my eyes wander around the surrounding courtyard and streams of never-ending people. Although they vary in classes, they are the least of my concern.
If I were in the sea, what surrounded me wouldn't matter to me. Down there, I knew every twist and turn. I knew where to go if my mother's presence became unbearable or if her temper grew out of control. The world around me had been an open sea and everything around it had been engraved into my mind. Here it is not.
I'm surrounded by a castle with stone walls in a kingdom I know little to nothing about. This castle alone could quickly become a prison if I don't know my way in and out of it.
An exit is the most important, and that's exactly what I look for first. So far, the only exit I've spotted are the very gates I entered through. From my own life surrounded by castle walls, I can guess those gates are always guarded and never left unattended.
If I were any other person, I'd be under the impression the gate is my only way out. But I know better. A castle always has more than one way out for its royalty and nobility. There's always some kind of secret passageway or a door hiding in plain sight. I'd just have to find them.
With Nik gone, his horse starts to become tense while under me. It starts to stomp its hooves into the dirt, making me start to shake with the movements it's making. Unsure of what to do, I grab at its reins to steady myself up; the animal only becomes more aggravated.
It continues to stomp and complain this time neighing and breathing out of control. I can tell it's acting up not only because it barely knows me, but also cause it senses the creature behind my disguise. If I could, I'd applaud the animal for figuring out my cover before anyone else did.
While I try to get the beast to calm down, Galien is trying his best to contain his laughter at my side.
I glare at him, "Are you going to just laugh or are you going to help?"
He shrugs and replies in his normal tone which is followed by a hint of sarcasm, "Depends," he says.
But before he finishes I cut him off, "You know it's not an achievement to see a girl get thrown to the ground by a horse."
"It would be funny," he responds and I expect him to stay put, "But your right, it's not." Following that, he climbs off his own horse and tries to calm down the one I'm seated on.
Galien takes the horse's reins and it immediately turns to him. When they lock eyes, Galien makes his efforts to soothe it by placing a hand on its face and caressing the mare.
"You're not exactly the equestrian, huh?" Galien asks.
I shake my head, "Why are you asking?" Galien looks like he's about to respond with a sarcastic remark but I make the effort to finish my unspoken words, "I thought it was obvious."
He laughs before he answers, "Oh, don't worry it is."
Soon enough Nik comes rushing out of the castle doors with papers in hand. He makes his way over to me and the horses and hands me an ivory-colored paper covered in Bavian writing. I hold it up to where my eyes can read it and scan through it instantly.
The paper is supposed to grant me passage through the servants quarters. It has my name in cursive writing -forever binding the paper to me- and it's stamped and signed to signify its authenticity in black ink. For most servants, a document like this might be the most expensive and important thing they own.
I can't say I'm not impressed.
How could two merchant boys get me a free ticket behind castle walls? Yes, they had told me they had connections but I had I really believed them? Not even for a moment. What I had done instead was have faith the two of them were sneaky enough to get me past and guards and I'd have to hope my I'd think of something to carry me through the rest.
Instead, the two of them managed to get me inside Bavia's castle with almost no questions asked from anyone.
Naturally, "Thank you," is all I can bring myself to say. Deep down, all I could think about is how crushed they'd be if they found out they lead a siren into the home of their king. I also couldn't stop thinking about how much harm I might cause everyone. The bodies I might have to bury, the lies I might have to tell, and the people I might have to betrayal all for the sake of my survival.
The horse starts to rile up again but Nik quickly calms it down. Once the animal is steady, he again extends his hand to help me down. Taking his hand willingly, I repeat the steps that put me up here. Through all this, I can't help but stare at him.
If any of the people in this place knew what I am they'd kill me in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, I can't say I'd do the same.
With Galien eager to get rid of me, Nik quickly tells me where I need to go and points me in the right direction. I nod and thank the two of them for everything before setting off to find the servants entrance.
For the servants, they don't enter the castle through the grand doors. That entrance is reserved for royalty and members of the court who are seen as important enough to pass through.
Instead, the servants enter their place of work though a much smaller wooden door on the side of the castle. Accessible through the courtyard, but very discrete from the people's main attraction.
The small side door is attended by a line of lower-class people looking to check in for the day. Some dress I'm ready-made castle uniforms while others -like myself- hold ivory-colored papers like my own. To my relief, it's not just my first day.
At the very end of this line of people is a male servant. He sorts through the people, telling each one whether they're allowed to pass or not. While some he just lets straight in, probably recognizing the faces of his colleagues.
This whole event is similar to what I witnessed at the gate. Except the acceptance rate seems to be lower and more getting in seems less likely to happen. Besides seeing him brush off people like dust, I step in line with the people before me.
Unlike most people, my letter of acceptance is stamped and signed officially. Thankfully, this kind of validation is exactly what he had been looking for and he lets me in without trouble.
I enter a long hall before I find my way back to other people. The first place I enter is a kitchen full of food and hustling people dressed in uniforms that all match in color. While their outfits seem to resemble each other's with colors of dark blues, dark reds, and browns, mine is baggy and consists of strictly natural colors. I stick out like a sore thumb.
As expected, I'm easily spotted because of how different I look. My baggy clothing sparks concern in them while the unmatched colors make them start to question who exactly had entered their place work. For a second, they seem to pause what they're doing. Their unsure of what to do and how to act next. I can't tell if that's a good thing.
They go back to their work again when a middle-aged lady claps her hands to get the kitchen running again. All of a sudden, the people shrink their heads in fear and they start to resume their duties. I'm that moment I knew that whoever this woman was, she had the power that only a title could grant you.
The woman immediately rushes to me and looks me up in dude with such attitude that almost trumps my mother's, "And who are you, girl?" By that first sentence, I can tell she's angry with the disturbance I've caused.
I'm not unfamiliar with her tone and so I don't feel any anxiety from it. Confidently, I hand her the paper I was given by Nik. She takes it from me and read it with utter disinterest.
The woman's eyes scan the paper thoroughly as if she's looking for something. From that, I can tell she's done this a hundred times before. Eventually, she stops looking when she finds the official stamp and signature. Her eyes light up when she turns them back to me. "Arya?" She smiles as she asks me. I assume she wants me to confirm the words on the paper.
Nodding, I answer her, "Yes."
Grabbing my wrist, she drags me deeper into the servant's quarters while I have to resist the urge to pull away from her. "It's a good thing you came when you did," she starts to slow her pace when she talks, "We were running short on laundry maids." Before I have the chance to answer, she pulls me into a room full of clothes, buckets full of water, and washing materials.
"Were?" I ask.
"I'm assigning you to this job, since your new." She almost scowls, "Let's see how long you last."
Letting go of me, she turns her head to escape from the room. Instead of letting her go, I grab hold of her attention again, "Ma'am, what am I supposed to do?"
She chuckles and then answers, "Your a peasant, I'm sure you know how to do laundry," she spews at me before slamming the door. Her response leaves me shocked and disgusted.
I turn myself back to the room of clothes before me. Besides me, not a single person is standing in this room. I'm completely alone here.
Immediately, I begin to look around the room for clues or information I could use. I look under and over tables covered with blankets, iron pressed, and enough clothing to provide for a whole village. Quickly, I notice the difference in the clothing. While there are baskets filled with attire clearly meant for peasants, there are also baskets filled with outfits that cost much more than I can fathom.
There are dresses decorated with pearls, fabrics embroidered with gold, and linens made from silk. The bucket contains everything a Lord or Lady born of high birth would wear. It's definitely something Lianna Northwell would proudly display.
On the very top of the basket sits a yellow dress so bright it catches my eye instantly. Picking it up, I try to determine if the measurements of the dress would fit my body type. Without even holding it up to meet my stature, I can see the resemblance between the width of the waist and shoulders to my own is almost impeccable. Immediately, I know I wouldn't find anything so close to my own size as the dress I held before me.
Scared anyone might rush in, I take no time to look for a secluded place or mirror and change right away. As one of my only kind reminders of home, I take the pearls from my pocket with care and place them on the table. I'm not sure exactly how fragile the bracelet is, but I treat it the same way as I do the pearls when I take it off. Again, without a mirror, I can already feel the enchantment slip away from me. And with it the human identity I had chosen to link with it.
Like the dress before, I put this one on with ease. Unlike the last one, this one fits me perfectly. It has long sleeves that hang from my forearms and down, a belt made out of a decorated brown and yellow fabric, and a V-shaped chest line made out of the same fabric. All that's left is the bracelet.
A noble who no one knows is easy to take advantage of. Since the real Lianna Northwell has never been to court, what she looks and acts like is completely up to debate. Her identity is what I make it; I have completely free will.
When I took off the bracelet, all the features of my siren form returned to me. I decide to leave my brown hair and hazel eyes alone and only change my facial features.
The bracelet works its magic and before long I'm the noble I dreaded to become.
I am Lianna Northwell and I must think and behave like her.
I just can't forget Aelila Corearien is only hidden behind the comfort of a different face.