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I paused beside a topiary shaped like a stag. Grand antlers stretched wide, and its head held high, it pulled at a string in my chest — reminding me of the flags that flew fromevery tower and high point at home in Green Haven. I called for Gracie, and the gasp she let out when she saw the work of art before me cemented my decision. We would need to have a second one of him made, but they would stand at either side of the castle doors, welcoming guests with a statement. A reminder. A nod to my home.
I briefly wondered if Cyrus would mind, but quickly decided that it did not matter even if he did.
Gracie and I finished in the gardens not long after, picking out a few more topiaries to space out down the arrival roads and headed back into the Greenhouse. Our arms linked together as we passed through the lush greenery, the humidity making my chest heavy and a sheen of sweat a constant presence across my forehead. I missed the coolness of my chambers, the billowing soft curtains and the ever-so-wonderful enchantments placed on the space.
Thankfully, Gracie must have had the same thought process as me. She bypassed the stairs up to the second floor and our small patch of flowers and headed straight to the exit door; pulling it open with one hand while ushering me through with the other. I laughed at her urgency, but it was deeply understood. Neither of us were yet used to the humidity. I doubted I ever would be.
~~~
“Did you see the dress Amalia was wearing last night? The blue one, with the slit on the leg? It was breathtaking.” Gracie gushed as she helped me combthrough my hair. The normally tameable, red curls are now unruly due to the change in weather. I winced as she pulled at a particularly difficult knot.
“What one is Amalia?” I asked, my knuckles whitening as I curled my fingers around my robe, trying to breathe through the feeling of my hair being tugged from my scalp.
“Amalia Tosco. Her father is the wealthiest tradesmen in the Kingdom,” Gracie explained, wetting my hair slightly with a spray bottle to try and untangle it, “She arrived with the son of Bruno Ferrer, the nobleman who runs the underground gambling in the city. Her father is definitely… not pleased about it. He hates the Ferrer family.”
“How do you remember all of their names?” I breathed, almost pleading with her. I had been introduced to all of them, of course I had, but Gracie had a much better grasp on who was who than I did.
Gracie laughed lightly, shrugging, but her eyes were sad as she caught mine in the mirror.
“I have a fair bit of free time recently, and the kitchen maids love to gossip.”
My stomach dropped at the thought of Gracie being left to fend for herself. I reached my hand over my shoulder, placing it on top of one of her’s and squeezing tightly. She squeezed back, her smile growing and her face turning back to the one I knew most. Happy, care-free,full of juicy knowledge Gracie.
She continued until the sun had long disappeared beneath the horizon, the city outside the windows lighting up as the night took over. I had not moved from my stool in front of the mirror, simply spun on it to face her as she sat on the end of my bed and continued to fill me in on everything the kitchen maids had told her. Some of it was nonsensical, but some of it was complete scandal that had me gasping and giggling.
A woman named Lucille had arrived with a steaming pot of tea and two mugs, claiming that Cyrus had heard us giggling from his room and told her to bring us some refreshment. I blushed at the thought of being that loud, but Gracie thanked her, taking the tray and setting it on my dressing table so she could pour us both a cup. The smell of lemon and ginger rising with the steam, and I smiled lightly, remembering a conversation Cyrus and I had had a few weeks ago about different types of tea. He loved green tea especially, but I had insisted that lemon and ginger was the best.
Gracie plopped herself back on the end of my bed, crossing her legs and sipping at her mug before launching into another long-winded explanation about someone I did not know, but now knew far too much about.
3
Maeteo
Smoke billowed from beyond the castle walls.
Rolling my neck, I pushed my way through the large double doors of the grand hall. The tables were still set as though ready to host a dinner — untouched plates and silverware covering the white tablecloths made the room look put together, but the thin layer of dust covering it all showed the truth. No one had been in the grand hall in months.
I forced myself to focus forward, my jaw locked as I tried not to look at the large tapestry hung above Kira’s throne. The picture of her parents and her as a baby, all still smiling and staring with awe at the now dusty room.
Hollis stood at the bottom of the dais, her arms crossed over her chest and her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she chewed on it nervously, as sheso often did these last few months. Since Kira left, the kingdom of Earth had fallen into a crisis. Cities ravaged by bandits who feared no consequence, farmers fighting over lands that had never had issues with each other before, even the castle staff had begun bickering within themselves, whispers of them abandoning their jobs in the middle of the night becoming louder as the days went on.
Clearing my throat, I tucked my hands into my pockets and nodded my head towards the kitchen door. Hollis nodded, falling into step beside me as we both somewhat rushed to leave the grand hall. It felt silly, like we should not want to leave so abruptly, but neither of really wanted to spend much time in the castle recently.
Not without Kira.
Her name flitting across my memory made my stomach ache, and I fought to keep my expression neutral. The castle did not feel like home without her here.
Weaving our way through the eerily quiet kitchens, Hollis stopped for a second to pick up the de-feathered carcass of a chicken and hung it to her belt loop. She laughed as I rolled my eyes but walked past and pushed out of the back doors, sucking in breaths of clean, fresh air. The weather had turned finally, and instead of the close humidity of Summer, we were now faced with the crisp winds of Autumn, dropping in temperature every day. I blew out my breath and watched as it disappeared in a cloud of white in front of my face.
Hollis linked her arm through mine and rested her headon my shoulder as we walked through the gardens, spots of grass still covered in morning dew, and towards the boat house. The last time I had passed through here was when I had brought Kira home, and my heart pulled with uncomfortable anger as we drew nearer.
Thankfully, Hollis pulled me to the left, away from the stone building and along the barely-there path inside the walls. She and Alexandre had been working hard on a space for the dragons within the castle grounds — much to the dismay of Eyvlin and several of the other elder council members — and I had received word this morning that it was finally finished. It had been something that Hollis had poured her heart into the last months, so when she invited me to see it this evening, I could not refuse her.
Rounding a corner that, until now, had not existed, my eyes widened at the sight in front of me.
The wall had been knocked down and extended way beyond what I could see, cutting into the forest and along past the river. They had managed to rebuild it without much disruption to the trees and foliage, and a small gap in the wall allowed the river to still flow freely. A structure that looked like a cave but stood no bigger than a small cottage was centered in the middle of the new opening, and I raised my eyebrows at the sight of it.
“It’s bigger on the inside.” Hollis said, a small smile on her face as she slipped away from my side and led me towards the building. I followed, sliding my hands into my pockets to keep them warm.
