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“No, let’s just hurry up and go.”
He had no idea where anything was in this city, and he didn’t feel like trying to find stables. The air here wasn’t as warm, and he knew the cooler months were coming. At least his cousin didn’t live in the Iceland Kingdom where winter reigned forever.
The paved stone road meandered through flat land with bushes and palmers dotted about. A chuckle chickie giggled at them as it flew by, and he saw a bright yellow bird that was at least four feet high with toothpick legs walking at a distance. He couldn’t remember the name, and he didn’t care to.
They approached the gate where guards in pale blue armor watched them with mild interest.
“What’s your business here?”
Oriel knew they probably appeared like a raggedy bunch. Their clothes were dingy, he needed a haircut, and so did Aspen. They probably looked tired too.
“I need to see the Queen. She’s my cousin.”
He expected the guards to frown, and he’d have to convince them, but one stepped forward.
“Oriel? That’s really you?”
“Yeah.” His family wasn’t the only ones to have purple eyes, but they were a bit rare. He pulled down his shirt to show the ever-present collar. “It’s just me now. The others…”
He cut off, but one of the guards hurried away, and the one who had spoken gestured him forward. “Queen Asara knows. She got a dove from someone saying what happened, and she’s written to King Taven demanding that you be released. The note said you had been enslaved, although they had no idea if you’d be alive by the time she got it. She didn't have high hopes, but if you did escape, she knew you'd come here. We didn’t actually think we’d see you…”
“Who sent the dove?”
The guard shook his head. “I don’t know. It must have been someone that managed to escape the court that night or maybe they were in the city.”
Someone must have seen Oriel being taken to the ship that night while collared and nude so they’d correctly guessed his intended fate. He’d probably never know who it was now.
“These two can wait while you speak to the Queen,” said the guard.
“No, they’re coming with me,” said Oriel. “If it wasn’t for them, I’d probably be dead by now.”
The guard didn’t seem inclined to argue. Oriel almost felt like he was in a dream as they entered the Castle that was just as lush as the one he’d grown up in, although there were more potted plants, and the color scheme was different with a lot of blue. As though they didn’t have enough with the sky above and the ocean on either side.
He paused in the hall on the top floor when he spotted a portrait on the wall. It showed him at the age of five with his two brothers. All three had been dressed by Mother in matching purple coats with gold and silver embroidery.
Oriel’s memory of that time was vague, but he remembered Mother had scolded all three for fidgeting too much.
He'd thought it was stupid to be painted when he’d rather run outside, and he’d known Kard and Zale had felt the same. He’d sit still for days on end now if he could see Mother one last time. As he looked at the younger triplet’s faces, he burst into tears.
He’d never see any of them again.
“Oriel!”
Queen Asara, nearly as tall as him, hurried down the hall while an attendant hovered farther down. Her black hair had a faint purple sheen, and a couple of greys showed in the braid wound around her head.
“Oriel! I thought you were in Meadow.” She took his shoulders while he cried.
“They’re dead,” he managed to get out before more poured out. “I shouldn’t have left the High Table. They got me in the bath. Maybe I could have done something, but I went upstairs…”
“No, no, no. Come here. We can’t talk right here. Wait, who’s that?”
“That’s Roth and Aspen. They stay with me.”
She shooed off the guards. A couple of servants that had come around to lurk at the commotion were given the packs and told to get rooms ready instead of staring like idiots. She made the attendant leave and locked her sitting room door once they were inside.
Oriel wasn’t sure what to do as he looked around the grand room with two couches in front of the fireplace. It was bare and empty since it wasn’t cool enough for a fire. Bookshelves lined one side, and little trinkets and statues had been placed among the books. Ahead, a door led to a huge terrace.
“Sit down,” said Asara. “I’ve got wine and water. Are you hurt?”
