The room was empty, but she could’ve sworn someone had been standing near the bedpost.
A ghost, perhaps?
Avalon didn’t dare breathe as she waited, her gaze flicking about the room, scanning every shadow cast by the cream-colored furniture.
A knock came at the door. Avalon jumped, her hand flying to her mouth.
The handle turned, and Hadrian stepped in. If it had been anyone other than Hadrian, they might’ve wondered why Avalon’s hands were trembling, why her eyes were wide with fear. But the captain must’ve believed she was merely nervous about meeting with her father, so he did not remark on these things.
Instead, he looked her over once and gave her the barest hint of a smile. “Ready?” he asked.
The princess nodded and forced her legs to work for her as she followed Hadrian into the corridor.
~
Supper with the king consisted of more silence than conversation, but Avalon hadn’t expected anything better. Had her father put any effort into speaking with her, she would’ve been woefully unprepared. The king preferred to save his energy for commanding the branches of his army; any words spent on his daughter were a waste of valuable breath.
Before he’d left the castle in Hilsian to travel here, Avalon had, to her shame, literally begged on her knees to accompany him. And when she had run out of breath from listing the many reasons why she should be allowed to go with him, he’d still been reluctant. A few quiet words from Hadrian had won him over, which angered her to no end. After how much fruitless begging she’d done, she couldn’t help but wonder if she would’ve been better off keeping her mouth shut and simply staying home.
It was nearly midnight, the clock on the mantle ticking loudly. In the armchair near the hearth, Avalon dozed off, her chin dipping lower, and lower…
She had been out for only a few minutes when someone knocked on the door, jolting her awake. “Come in,” she croaked.
The door creaked as it opened, and Hadrian stepped in. Black chainmail glimmered in the light from the hearth, and his surcoat was emblazoned with the royal sigil—a red winged serpent on a black field. A bear pelt was slung across his shoulders, and the jewels on his gauntlets flashed as he closed the door behind him.
Avalon blinked, immediately awake—for two reasons. One, Hadrian was in her room; and two, the look on his face implied there was something he needed to tell her. Something he would rather not say.
Her heartbeat quickened.
“You are to pack your things tonight,” Hadrian announced. His voice and his face were void of emotion as he surveyed the room of glass and ice. “We leave at dawn.”
The curt way in which he spoke made her bristle, but she couldn’t be angry with him. He was simply the unwilling bearer of bad news. News from her father, no doubt.
Avalon swallowed, willing her voice to come out strong. “And who iswe?”
“The two of us,” Hadrian said. “And a few of the other men.”
She heard all the words he didn’t say. “Not my father.” Her voice was hollow.
The captain shook his head.
As she stamped down the bitterness stirring in her gut, her eyes wandered about the room, taking in every magnificent feature. The frosted glass walls and floors, the glittering fireplace, the mammoth bed covered in cream-colored furs and silk pillows. After she’d studied everything, she took a deep breath, feeling her lungs expand as she choked back tears.
“Did my father say why he needs to get rid of me so soon?” Had she done something wrong at supper? Where had she failed? “We’ve been here all of two days.”
Hadrian drew a breath through his nose. “Perhaps if you would learn to sit still, instead of disappearing to the gods-know-where, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.”
Avalon balled her fingers into tight fists. “How dare you say that to me.”
The warmth of Hadrian’s irises did nothing to change how cold his gaze was as he looked her over. “You know it’s true,” he said, his voice quiet yet stern. “I turn my back on you for one second, and you disappear. You can’t blame him for wanting one less burden on his shoulders.”
“Burden?”she snarled. “I think it’s time you leave,Captain.”
His face betrayed nothing as he opened the door. “I would advise you to stay in your rooms tonight. The history in these walls stinks of evil.”
As soon as the door closed, Avalon snarled and threw her notebook at it. It thumped to the floorboards hard enough to rattle the comb on the dressing table, but the captain did not come back. There was a time when he would’ve cared enough to comfort the princess whom he’d grown up protecting, but Avalon had seen the end of those days many, many years ago.
~
