"I think it happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but you find yourself moving on." – Nicholas Sparks
Raven's Peak, Ardam 40
Ria's gentle touch on my shoulder calls me from my slumber. Teases of sunlight warm my sleep-riddled eyes.
"Good morning, dear Ria," I tell her while stifling a yawn.
"There's not much of morning left. You've slept through it all. I've been clanging and banging trying to wake you, but it is easier to raise the dormant fire mountains in the east!"
"That is an absolute confabulation!"
"My honesty is my only virtue. You even insulted me the day we arrived by saying I was lying about the welcome feast not being held."
I avoid her eyes as I dodge her accusation. "Elan wants me to be at the hospital by noon."
"I will inform him that you won't be able to come. The King has sent for you and I've assured him that you will meet him." She shifts uneasily. "In fact, I think he is already waiting for you."
"Couldn't you rather tell Elan that I will only be late?"
"No, you need to attend the entire dinner in the hall. It would be inappropriate to refuse the invitation."
"As always, you are right," I say with resignation.
"Of course! You should listen to me more often."
"I always listen to you!"
"Pfft," she says dismissively. "You need to get up and dress. Your brothers are waiting for you. I know you don't like it when I choose your clothes, but I had to. It was either you choose your dress or you sleep an extra ten minutes. I know which one you'd prefer."
"Thank you."
Ten minutes later, I am dressed and my hair is done in a single plait, my simple golden-teardrop earrings and family ring my only accessories.
"Where are we meeting?"
"In the King's Hall."
Raven's Peak Castle is a tangle of square and rectangular rooms, surrounded by the castle walls and its twenty-two towers. When standing in front of the great hall, looking at the castle, everything to your right is the less restricted areas, and everything to the left more restricted – separated by a wall in the middle of the castle.
There are only a few ways to cross to the other side. The first is the door between the throne room and the map room situated directly to the back of the great hall. The second way is via my room at the back and middle of the castle on the ground floor. The third way is on the upstairs level via what is known as the In-Between. It is a heavily guarded minor hall with impenetrable great doors once closed. The fourth way is rather tedious and comprises of entering the walls on the right, walking in the soldier wall all the way around the castle and then entering via the middle tower. The fifth way is below the ground levels in the servants' quarters and allows them to go about their duties unnoticed. The sixth and last way via the wall tunnels is known only to my family.
I exit my room via the door leading to the more restricted areas and turn left into the next hallway. I turn to the right to enter the Private Stairs Room.
I am stopped by guards, but another guard I haven't noticed steps forward. I recognize Aelfraed. He whispers something to the guard. The guard looks at Aelfraed and then me.
"I'm sorry your highness, but I have never seen you before. And even though my comrade tells me your identity, I still need to confirm it."
I smile: "Of course."
I show him my hand.
"I will spread the word and ensure that you are not halted again when passing through the Castle, your Royal Highness."
"Thank you."
A thought strikes me as he opens the door to the private stairs room: "Might I know your name, Guard?"
He stiffens: "It is Thomas of the family Fehrsen, son of Gerhard Fehrsen, who also served the Vaubadon family as a Royal guard."
"I remember your father. He was one of my father's best guards."
His posture slackens slightly: "Yes, Your Highness."
"And your father is now retired?"
His back stiffens again: "He has passed beyond the land of Ardam."
"I am sorry for your loss."
I enter the stairs room.
Aelfraed doesn't follow. He probably doesn't want to see his father.
I take the stairs to the next level of the Private Stairs room. This level has twenty guards spaced along the walls.
Not wanting to be stopped, I announce myself to the guards: "Princess Aebbé of Ardam to see her brother."
A guard knocks on the door to the King's Hall. The door opens a crack. The guard whispers something. The door closes again. After the customarily sixty seconds, the doors swing open.
I step into the King's Hall. The hall is half the size of the great hall, but still enormous. The hall has been redone with white marble. I struggle to hide my disgust. The marble is beautiful and the hall would be magnificent, but the marble is out of place in the grey stone castle and city.
The cracks between the marble slabs have been gilded in gold.
The Raven's Peak that holds all my dearest memories, is a dark and brooding stone fortress with minimal colours - not a marble display piece.
Counting ten guards, my memory reminds me that there shouldn't be more than two guards in here. My brothers are safe, even if the rest of the castle is lacking guards.
Friduric is standing at the familiar round table in the middle of the hall, studying a model of Raven's Peak and the surrounding area. Ferdaid is slumped in a chair looking at me. He smiles when my eyes meet his. His cheeks have some colour in them, but there are purple bags under his eyes. He stands up from the chair. Friduric doesn't seem to have noticed my arrival. Ferdaid stands up from the chai, strides slowly and deliberately toward me, stopping a few feet away.
"Princess Aebbé, daughter of Ardam, I didn't realize it was you last night, not until Queen Claira told the table after your departure."
"Prince Ferdaid, son of King Ardam of the family Vaubadon, why do you address me so formally? I am your sister after all."
He doesn't smile as I expected him to.
Friduric answers instead: "Because, Princess of Ardam, Duchess of Raven's Peak, this is a formal meeting and thus the necessary etiquette should be observed, but you seem to have forgotten all manner of civility during your absence."
"So this is a scolding and not a greeting?"
Friduric doesn't answer but moves something on the model to another place.
"Tomorrow we will launch another attack, Ferdaid. Would you inform all the stakeholders afterwards and summon them?"
Ferdaid bows: "Yes, my King."
Friduric focusses his attention on me again: "Sister, I am fighting a war. I want you to realize this. I don't have time for your pettiness."
I bite the inside of my lip.
"There are not enough resources to hold feasts for any one person. I have five armies to feed, a squabble of nobility, and all the peasants from here and between the mountains."
I don't answer.
He moves something again. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, my King," I say, taking Ferdaid's lead.
"Good." He smiles: "It is good to have you returned to us, sister."
"Really? I haven't felt welcome for one moment since my return."
His eyes harden: "The entire population is stressed about the war; it has been dragging on for too long."
I should be more sympathetic, but I feel scorned. I don't answer.
"Aebbé, this battle has been waging for the better part of the year. We fight bloody battles every few days and manage to push the Darkelanders back, but at a great cost of life. If we could wait it out, we would, but we need to fight to prevent them from circling Raven's Peak and taking the rest of Ardam."
"I know."
"Lord Renard de Berchelai and Lord Ewald Picard on behalf of his son Dareios have declared their intentions to court you."
"I have no wish to marry."
He lifts one of his eyebrows: "In that case, I will honour King Ardam's wish that you be free to choose your own husband when you deem it time, but I do expect you to entertain them at least for a while. Both the De Berchelai and Picard families are some of our most loyal supporters."
I nod: "I will try my best not to offend anyone."
"You will not offend anyone."
"Yes, my King."
"You are dismissed."
I bow.
Ferdaid is still looking at me: "We also expect you to show up for dinner every night."
"I will try my best, but I cannot promise that Master Elan won't have work for me to do."
He clenches his teeth: "Try your best."
I curtsy: "Yes my Lord."
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