AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter5
Dace
I’d never felt more alone. Not even on the nights that I woke up without someone in my bed, missing the girl I had yet to meet. Now there really was no one.
The castle halls were quickly losing light as the sun went down. Pearly pinks and oranges were cast across the sky, hiding behind fluffy white clouds that were strung out like cotton candy pulled off the spool. I lifted my stein in salute at what should have been beautiful but felt sorrowful. The honeyed liquid sloshed in the cup, nearly spilling out the side.
Servants and guards went about their duties and bowed to me as they passed, but none were able to meet my gaze. They all knew the truth. They all knew that everything was my fault. They mourned their king and queen whom many of them had loved. Not that they didn’t like me, but they knew me for what I was: a fuck up.
I blinked, wondering why my legs didn’t quite listen to what my brain was telling them to do. My steps were staggered and crisscrossed. A guard, who was strolling down the hall watching out the windows, caught me as I teetered into him. To his credit, he was unoffended by my whiskey breath and unpolished manner.
His navy armor shifted with little noise as he set me upright on my feet. “My King, would you allow me to escort you wherever it is that you may be going?”
I sniffed my drink and coughed at the potency of it. Where had I been going? Oh yes, to see the damn witch. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to the guard’s face. He looked like his stilling had occurred roughly in his mid-twenties, with dark curly hair and a short beard to match. I tried to pull his arm off of me to prove that I was capable of walking myself. I didn’t need a babysitter, but my legs only managed to cross again. His strong hand grabbed my arm and tugged me back to his side.
“I would be deeply honored to spend a little longer in your presence. I could use a little extra exercise as it is.” He smiled gently.
It didn’t fool me, but I wished that it had. “Now that you put it that way, I suppose I could humor you and allow you to accompany me.”
“And where might we be going?”
I took a long, deep breath in. The fresh air was filled with the scent of the pine trees that dotted the courtyard outside. Where was I going? Ah, that witch. And where was she? Down that way? My free hand pointed down the hallway as I thought, then remembered I was actually supposed to answer the man.
“That way. Ukrinsovo’s office, if you will.” My words slurred. I hated myself. “Perhaps when we get there you would be willing to fetch me some water. And here…” I handed him the drink, “finish this for me.”
Thankfully, he took the cup without a word while keeping one hand firmly in the middle of my back. It was about the only thing keeping me from both wandering off and forgetting what I was about to do and becoming a heap on the hallway floor.
What a king I was turning out to be.
I leaned into the guard because if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to make it there, but as we neared the door I tried to stand on my own as best I could. My steps stuttered against the stone floors that tipped and tilted in my vision. Tight lipped, the guard showed no signs of amusement. No laughter or even the crack of a smile emerged while he watched me walk with legs like a newborn giraffe. I suppose it wasn’t wise to laugh in the face of the king.
The solid wood door to Ukrinsovo’s office was closed, a murderous witch waiting on the other side. My mind conjured the images of my nightmares. Her blood-stained teeth. The bodies lying in her wake. Black hair. Black veins. Black eyes. I gripped the doorframe, letting my body drift in the small space.
“Would you like for me to fetch that glass of water first?” he finally said.
I flung myself around, slamming my back against the door with a loud thud. “Do you want to laugh at me?” My tongue didn’t often feel tied and it was even more free than usual now that I had drunk away most of my day.
“No, my King.” His feet met, his knees stiff, and one arm folded behind his body, the other still cradling my drink. Anything casual between us had slipped away into formality.
I hated being formal.
“Shouldn’t you laugh at me?” I sniffled, feeling the weight of my misery seeping through my features. I bit at my lip, trying to focus on any sort of pain that wasn’t emotional.
“I don't see anything here to laugh at.”
It was a testament to his professionalism the way he kept a straight face. Yet, that only angered me more. I didn’t want this fake, cushy, walking on eggshells around me anymore. I wanted him to tell me how it was. I wanted him to tell me how ugly I looked right now.
“Tell m—" The support that held me upright flung away from me. Surprise stalled my words, and for a moment I was still before gravity caught up to me. An unattractive yelp was tossed from my lips and then a startled grunt as I smacked flat against the floor. Air wheezed out of my lungs. A dull pain grew at the back of my head.
The guard’s eyes widened and his lips puckered, like this time he was actually struggling to keep himself composed.
Jesseline’s large eyes and dirty blonde hair filled my vision. “Oh my gods, King Dace. Are you okay?” Her hands were already slipping under my armpits before I could protest. Why couldn’t they just leave me there?
“Really, you can laugh,” I said plainly, looking directly at the guard as Jesseline hoisted me back up. His puckered lips quickly pursed together, all concealed with a cough he covered with his hand. Damn it, my parents had trained their guards well.
“Are you drunk?” Jesseline sniffed the air around me and glanced at the guard holding my drink as if it was his fault.
“I’ll go get that water now.” He pointed behind him and swiftly turned to disappear down the hallway.
