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Chapter 5 - Humidity
Luella
So, the man I was destined – well, tasked – to marry would be arriving today. I had to admit it gave me a thrill. Suddenly, I was this damsel in distress that someone thought he could save.
It would have been perfect if not for the fact that there was a hot spell outside, and most of the trees had already died. Queenspell and other southern kingdoms were feeling the brunt of the heat. Leiderman citizens had especially sent their calls for help. They would not do so unless they were desperate or simply eager to rattle us. That kingdom had always sided with our enemies. Therefore, both scenarios were possible at the same time. I wrinkled my nose with distaste. Suddenly, our detractors had found new reasons to hate us – not that I cared.
Of course, I cared!
It was my fault that everything had fallen apart. My mother and father were careful not to say anything, but I knew what they were thinking. I also worried about my brother’s family in Shadowcreek as the drought seemed to march towards the north. He had small children who might fall sick to the heat, like how many Queenspell children were already falling ill.
My mother had some of the sick villagers sent to the Domus Dei or God’s house, where people who had fallen ill were well cared for. It was better than having them languish in their homes. Nuns and witches served as carers together, something you would only see and come to expect in Mogochislenian domains. I wondered what it was like in Arrowspear, if they had any places where people recovered from their illnesses. What was their religion like? I myself was confused about my own.
The thought of Arrowspear brought me back to thoughts of the Prozean prince. I presented a challenge to him, and he might just be the answer to my problems.
I would have even been tempted to flirt with this prince if I did not hold so much dangerous force. Would he be handsome, at least? Would we look great in portraits? Even if we were not destined to have children one day, I was still concerned about how people would see us when we walked together. Vanity. Caro would have teased me about it, I thought back as I gave another glance at myself in the mirror. Oh, I was glad that at least my sister was in a safer place.
Speaking of Caro, I remembered how I cried when I realized she was about to leave. The force of my emotions did not cause a fire – for some reason. There might be a way out of it, a way to control it, unless it was only sexual passion and anger that could set me on literal fire.
Then, I realized that it was time for the midday meal. I wondered when the Arrowspear party would arrive. I expected that I would hear trumpets announcing the arrival. There wouldn’t be horses, I believe. They would have traveled by sea. I wondered what it was like to go on a boat. I was so sheltered that I only saw a little bit of the forest, and I only saw it not as a human but as a bird. The farthest I had been as a human was Shadowcreek, my father’s former domain and now my brother’s.
Flying over the tops of the forest had been fun for a while until all I could see were browned leaves and dry ground. It was not wholly hopeless yet, but I felt terrible for my father, who seemed so helpless. While I beat myself up for the drought, he blamed himself for not finding the solution. He hated that I had to be offered in marriage.
I decided to go downstairs to see what I could do to help prepare. Let us not mention that the servants usually shooed me away when I passed by the kitchen or anywhere else. They would often tell me that I would only end up dirtying my clothes. The truth was they thought I made things worse. And yes, our servants also thought me vain. Most had served my family for decades and knew me as a child. I could not fault them for anything because I was sure most of them loved me – despite everything.
That day, I wore an emerald green dress with long, flared sleeves. It had a gold and black belt that cinched my waist tight and a scoop neck with the same gold and black trim pattern. The purple could wait. I did not mind dirtying it up, but I reminded myself that I had to look my best.
Down the steps, I almost ran into Francilia, who was rushing to go up. She gave me a fright, but she herself had turned very pale.
“Oh, thank goodness, Your Highness! I was about to fetch you,” she breathed out while holding her chest as if she was about to pass out.
“Yes?” I asked, bewildered. Were we supposed to do something that I did not know about? It seemed like my mother had been asking for me far too many times lately. Yes, two was too much. She did not often ask for me. I was this constant in the castle. My brother was gone, ruling a kingdom, and my sister was even farther away, in a different time.
I was just there.
“The Arrowspear royals are here!” Francilia said, still breathless. Her cheeks had turned pink.
“What? No fanfare? And why do you look so flushed? Shouldn’t that be my job, to look like a blushing bride-to-be?”
“Y-your prince, Your Highness, he is -,” my lady-in-waiting began. Then, she covered her mouth, annoying me to no end. She could be so excitable.
“What do you mean by that? Is he horrendous?” I asked, a smile twitching on my lips at how wild Francilia’s eyes looked.
“On the contrary, your Highness. He is handsome. Very much so,” she said, flushing again.
“I’ve seen a lot of handsome men, Francilia. I do not expect anything less from a prince I would be married off to,” I bragged as I lifted my chin up even more.
We descended the rest of the steps together, she straggling behind to let me lead.
“Where are they?” I asked, trying to keep my composure. Despite my show of confidence, I felt a little tentative. I hated it when things did not go as planned. I was hoping to sit downstairs and wait there, see them from afar before I approached.
“They are getting ready for the midday meal, Your Highness. Therefore, they are at the Great Hall.”
“Hmph,” I said, annoyed.
As we got closer to the Great Hall, I could hear faint conversations. Why was it so quiet? I almost expected a ruckus, perhaps some laughter. I went in to find that one of the tables in the middle of the room was the only one occupied. Why didn’t they use the one at the front? I supposed they wanted to see each other face to face.
There weren’t many people as I had expected. I recognized my father, mother, and the council witches seated on one side of the table. On the other, there were only five people: four men and a woman.
