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Back then, I thought coming to the castle would be a grand adventure, and it had been, for a time. Now I longed to return to my home. To ride my horse through the meadows and fields, exploring Sherwood—the forest that I’d once avoided.
“His Royal Majesty, King Graeme,” the herald loudly announced, interrupting my thoughts of home.
We all curtsied then straighten, wanting to look our best for the King. Typically, we’d receive several days' notice if we were called into the King’s presence, presumably to have new dresses made—as if we didn’t have enough already.
With a confident gait, the king approached the throne. “As I am sure you are aware, I have recently entered negotiations with Brural, regarding the subject of peace. This war cannot continue, and I believe we may be able to eventually come to an agreement. In the meantime, while King Rusalko and I continue our talks, we have come to a temporary understanding; a testament of our good will and determination to put an end to this fighting.”
He took a long breath, and I could feel myself leaning forward in anticipation of what he could possibly have agreed to that would involve the young ladies of the court. Tension rose among those around me, doing the same. The air seemed to vibrate with the tension. The very thought of peace, an end to this war, was something we all hoped could be achieved.
“I have agreed to send some of our ladies of the court to the kingdom of Brural, to be treated as royal ambassadors. And will I accept a contingent of court ladies from there as well.”
The room filled with shocked gasps, and I barely refrained from joining them. What could that mean, and how would it aid in ending the war? I couldn’t see any plausible reason for it. Yet, the thought of the Bruralian Kingdom in our midst made my stomach roil uncomfortably.
“I have chosen you twelve ladies as a welcome committee, to greet the ladies from the Bruralian court, and to be their hostesses. They are to be treated as one of you.”
My mind whirled, processing the new information. It didn’t make sense to welcome court ladies from another kingdom. It was simply not done, but the king had agreed to it…
What could possibly come of it?
King Graeme continued talking, but I was no longer listening, I was pondering the ramifications. One thing was for certain, nothing good would come of this.
The court ladies arrived three days later, in carriages that seemed hastily built and looked more like wagons than proper carriages. They were pulled by oxen rather than horses, which had me surprised they’d made the trip so quickly.
Will had come early in the morning before I could sneak out to shoot, informing Brex and me of the contingent that would be arriving within the next couple hours. Thwarted from my bow practice again, I grumpily stayed and allowed Brex to fuss over which dress I should wear to greet the ladies. Then I spent forty-five minutes sitting, while small pink buds were woven into my hair that perfectly matched the flowers embroidered on my forest green gown.
“You look just like a forest nymph or a fairy,” Brex gushed, and I nodded, continually impressed by how she managed to turn me into someone who looked like she belonged here.
“All because of your skill,” I complimented her, knowing she’d worked hard to match the other more experienced maids. She truly was incredible.
“It’s amazing how you are able to make her look like a lady befitting her station,” Will both complimented and teased in one sentence.
Brex waved it away, yet I could clearly see her flush. Will was an insufferable flirt but being a lad of nearly sixteen summers, he was bound to cause some reaction—especially among the ladies of this court. Will was handsome, with an angular face and the beginnings of a physic that gave a glimpse of the man he would become. When he wasn’t needed as a harold for the King, he was out practicing sword skills or accompanying me for target practice. He was the one who found my clearing in the first place, and I’d claimed it as my own.
“Better hurry, Lady Arrow, you’ll cut it close if you linger any longer,” Brex advised, and I agreed with a sigh.
I left with Will as my escort. He was my only family here, although according to our station in the kingdom he wasn’t. My grandfather had no children, so he adopted my father who had a half-sister. Once my father inherited his station, he moved his sister along with her son onto our estate and cared for them until she died of sickness five years ago. Before my father was sent away to war, I became a ward of the King, and Will became a harold for the King at my father’s request.
“What do you suppose they’ll be like?” Will wondered aloud as we descended the stairs. “Think they’ll be beasts like their men are rumored to be?”
“I honestly don’t know, Will, though them coming here has set my teeth on edge.”
This wasn’t the first time we’d talked about what the summons had revealed. Brex was convinced I would be chosen to go and was excited about the possibility that I would get to go Brural and explore, but I was dubious. Will was curious about the ladies but also felt the same unease I did about the intention of the Bruralian court. We’d discussed writing to my father about this new development. Surely, he’d oppose me going, but if the King ordered it there wasn’t anything he could do.
“I bet they’ll be regular ladies who drink tea and curtsy better than you do.”
“I have weak ankles,” I retorted defensively.
Will’s rich laughter filled the hall, and drew the attention of the maids and servants bustling about in preparation for the new arrivals.
“You sound like a boar,” I teased, punching his shoulder in a way that always got the stiff old lady Lira to lift her lip in disdain. I almost miss the old hag.
“And you don’t seem to laugh at all these days.” He skipped ahead so he could walk backwards and raised a brow at me.
I shrugged, not having really thought about it before. I had been bored of this place for years. The newcomers were the first exciting thing to happen since Meredith Alfeather’s scandal. Running away with a stable boy had already been done. Yeah, it got all the old biddies talking, and excitement filled the castle while we waited for her return. She’d come back distraught, and the stable boy was sent away, to the front line most likely. Meredith was married off swiftly and hadn’t been back to court since.
Standing outside the castle, I watched the wagons-made-carriages pull into the courtyard in a jumble, not in any organized fashion. Yet, who was I to judge those people? I had come from lower stock as I was constantly reminded by Anastasia Bullworth. My father wasn’t a noble, though he was adopted and married into it. Even the King knew and appreciated my father’s insight. I just wished he was here.
Guards dressed in animal furs and leather disembarked first. Weapons in clear view, some even had daggers in hand, which was odd. They had come here as an extension of peace, so why have weapons visible, and even drawn? Were they expecting an attack?
