I use the shovel to scrape the horse stall clean. Once it is spotless, I begin on the next. By the time I’ve reached the third stall, I’ve found a system, making the task much easier.
I work quickly in each stall, moving from one to the next until every inch of the stable is cleaned out. I return the shovels to their proper places.
I inhale, trying to hold my breath as long as possible, sickened by the stench of horse dung now covering my boots. I long for somewhere to clean myself off. I opt for finishing the tasks given to me before finding somewhere to do so. Who knows what other nasty jobs I’ll be given today?
I begin working on cleaning down all of the riding equipment. As I wipe down the last stirrup, I see Hera approach. She has a grim look on her face, but I assume that is because she does not like me. I can’t blame her for her feelings. Most days, I don’t like myself much either.
“If you are finished here, you may use the well to clean yourself off.” She shies away from me, most likely noticing that I didn’t avoid the mess in those stalls.
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod and stow away the tools.
“Once you are finished, come find me in the kitchens. The king has ordered a feast for this evening in honor of Princess Lily. We will need help serving supper.” She gives a curt nod before returning to the castle.
I make my way to the well, wishing I could bathe. The air is chilly as the sun goes down. I pull up a bucket of water, and dump it over my shoes and legs. Luckily, most of the mess is contained on my lower half, so only part of me will freeze.
I don’t take any longer than absolutely necessary before sprinting to the castle and through the kitchen door, where it’s warm and comfortable, though overcrowded. A woman with her sleeves rolled up, covered in flour, yells out orders. I don’’t understand the language she speaks. She turns to me, eyeing me before pointing her knife at me and waving me over.
“You are Gavin, no?” she asks.
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply, knowing to respect whoever is holding the biggest weapon while I am unarmed—though to think I would ever be truly unarmed is a disadvantage to the person thinking it.
“You change your clothes. Those nasty things will not do for serving.” She points toward another door. I open it to find stairs. I look back over my shoulder at the woman. “Go. Servant quarters up those stairs and find new clothes.” I nod and go up the steps. The entire way, I marvel at how many other halls there are branching off in different directions.
Whether or not Hera allows me to work inside during the day, it appears I have found my way around the castle. I smirk, happy with the information. It will come in handy when it’s time to do all that Cordae needs me to do.
When I reach a landing, one way leading to more stairs, the other into a room filled with clothes and makeshift beds, I turn right going into the room to find new clothes. Of the several tunics, there only two that fit me, and only one appears clean enough to serve in the dining hall. I find a pair of clean breeches and quickly change.
I return to the kitchen, where the cook is barking orders again. Hera rushes in and drags me from the room, through another door, and into another room filled with other servants. She hands me two covered trays. “Follow Ita. She will show you where to place those.”
I do as I’m told. Ita leads me to the dining hall, where other servants are quickly arranging trays upon trays of food. I realize the trays I’m carrying are larger than the others. Ita leads me to the main table, the king’s table, where we set the trays in front of his throne.
I never truly understood Cordae’s fascination with being royal. Now I can see the appeal. “Get a look later when you’re cleaning it, new boy. For now, go back in there and get more trays. Supper begins in just a moment, and we are not ready yet.” She pushes me back to the room we came from.
I go in, and another servant hands me two more trays. How they keep all this organized, I do not know. It is baffling. I stare at everything around me as I walk. Ita is waiting for me at another table. She beckons me to come to her when I re-enter the dining hall.
The final touches are being placed when people of the court enter and begin taking their seats. Ita pulls me into the back room with her. “We forgot the princess’s goblet. Please take it and hurry to place it before she arrives.”” She pushes the cup into my hands and shoves me out the door.
I keep my head down and walk behind the tables so as not to interrupt anyone’s dining as I make my way to the head of the room. I reach the end of the table just as Lily enters with the king and queen.
My heart stops as I look at her. Her long, curled hair flows down her back. The neckline of her dress is low and drapes around her shoulders. A red sash wrapped around her waist finishes the look. Every time I’ve seen her, she has been disheveled. But now, seeing her look the part of the princess, I can’t imagine her any other way. She is the definition of beauty.
Another serving boy clears his throat as he rushes by, pulling me away from thoughts of the princess as I hurriedly place the goblet beside her plate and get back to the kitchen.
“Go eat. Clearly, working in the dining hall is not the best job for you.” Hera points in the direction of the other servants, who are sitting around a much-too-small table, eating as if this is their last meal.
I join them only long enough to fill a plate before retreating to a corner that appears to be out of everyone’s way.
Hera allowed me to sleep right after supper was served. I didn’t realize it was because she intended to waken me before even the animals began to stir. Dawn is yet hours away when she for me. If working here is anything like working for Cordae – long hours and little rest—I will have to slip away in the dead of night to report back to him.
In the meantime, I slip back into my clothes from yesterday, leaving the newer ones folded on my bed. Hera leads me outside, but we do not return to the stables. Instead, she takes me to the south edge of the wall surrounding the castle.
“These trees must be trimmed down. Any that are too close to the wall must be removed completely. All the tools you will need are here.” She points to a shovel, axe, and shears. “If you need anything else, come find me.”
“Is this not a job for the gardener?” I question her, wondering why she is giving me such odd jobs, tasks that should be assigned to those who know what they are doing.
“Yahir has requested help, Gavin.” She says my name with such disgust. “You would be wise to complete the tasks you are given without complaint. I do not trust you, despite the king’s assurance that you are deserving. So please, do not give me reason take away your new home.” With that, she turns and walks away.
Using starlight, I begin cutting branches from the first tree. I scale the trunk and climb as high as I can until the branches will no longer hold my weight. I walk along the thicker ones until I am far enough along that I can trim from the inside to ensure that it is far back enough that no one could attempt to use these trees to get back and forth over the wall.
As instructed, I take the axe and begin cutting down a tree that is too close for safety.
“Good morning.” A small voice startles me, almost sending the blade into my leg rather than the tree. I leave it stuck in the trunk and turn around to find the princess standing before me. Either Lily was completely silent or I am losing my touch.
“Is there something I can do for you, Your Highness?” I bow.
“Please call me Lily.” She clasps her hands before her, appearing shy. Not like the Lily I’ve seen before.
“I don’t think I should, Your Highness. Anyone who overheard would misunderstand, and something like that could get a servant killed.”
“Gavin, you pulled me from that river and then stayed to make sure that I survived. If anyone deserves to address me as a friend per my request, it is you. My father and mother are well aware of that. So it matters not who else hears the way you speak to me. If you do not wish to call me a friend, I will walk away.” The crease between h
er brows, the frown of her lips—she genuinely looks sorry.
My feelings are torn. Offend the princess and keep her away, or be her friend and potentially learn more to further the mission? I suppose that even with my knowledge of the tunnels, it wouldn’t hurt to be close to the family.
“Your High . . . Lily, I am sorry. I did not mean it that way. And I certainly did not mean to offend you. It does not take a seer to guess that I am not used to having friends. It would be an honor to call you one.” I put my palm against my chest, right above my heart, a sign of respect and sincerity.
“I understand.” She nods, smiling wide. She is beautiful. And I can’t be thinking like this. She is trouble all the way around.
“As your friend, might I inquire as to what you are doing on the grounds all alone at such an hour?” I lean against the tree, allowing myself this small break. I can hardly get into trouble if it is the princess keeping me from my work.
“You may.” She smiles again, leaning against the tree beside me. “I had a hard time sleeping. A walk through the trees felt like just the remedy I needed. I always feel at peace out here. In fact, I’m quite sad to see that you’re cutting some of them down.” She runs her hand over the bark, her fingers brushing mine.
By instinct, I move my hand. She looks away, perhaps embarrassed. Suddenly, I wish I could take her hand in mine and show her I meant nothing by removing it. Too late.
“I like the trees too, and also find peace amongst them. Cutting them down isn’t my choice, but a task given to me by Miss Hera. I can understand why they need to be removed, though.” I look around and make a mental note of how Cordae would use them to his advantage.
“Do you think you could dig them up and replant them elsewhere?” She turns and walks away, weaving between the trees closest to the wall.
“I could certainly try, but unfortunately, I believe some of their roots go too far down. In the end, they wouldn’t survive, and would end up dead after all.” I follow after her.
“What if I moved them with magic?” She turns back to look at me while she asks.
I clear my throat, not having thought of that. Why is it that royalty has magic, and not those actually doing things around here? “If you can do it, I say, why not?”
“I would like to try.” She raises both her hands and directs her magic to one of the smaller trees. Its roots begin to show, curling around the base of the tree as the whole thing rises from the ground. Tremors in the princess’s hands cause it to shake.
I step up behind her, putting my palms against the backs of her hands, helping to steady them. She inhales and begins to step back. I step with her, only narrowly avoiding having my toes trampled.
We take another step back until we’re turned enough to avoid any other trees as she finds a new home for this one. Slowly, I lower my hands with hers until the tree is firmly on the ground. The roots begin digging, burrowing through the grass and dirt as it plants itself in its new home. Lily exhales and steps away from me.
“Thank you.” She walks around the tree, running her hands across it. I walk to its side and push firmly on it. Just as sturdy as it was before.
“That was amazing.” It comes out as a breathless whisper.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you. My job is one tree closer to being finished.” I smile. She is getting too close, too fast. This will never do.
“I can move the others,” she offers, walking toward them.
I gently place my hand on her upper arm. “No. You are still recovering, and I would hate for you to overdo it on my account. You saved one tree. For now, that will have to be enough.”
“We saved just one tree out of all these, but you’re right. I should probably try to get some rest. Thank you, Gavin. For everything.” She offers one last meek smile before walking back toward the castle. I watch her leave, waiting until she is inside before turning back to my work. It is going to be a long day, I can tell.
I don’t know why I’m so drawn to him. Nor do I understand why he is determined to remain distant. The way he so quickly removed his hand from the tree, yet only moments later helped keep me steady as we moved the other tree, has me confused. Does he want me near, or should I keep my distance?
It doesn’t make sense. All I know is that I can’t seem to stay away from him. He caught my attention the first day he was here, despite my being in a duel at the time. Then he, out of all the people in this world, is the one who found and rescued me.
He asked for work and shelter rather than riches. None of it makes sense, but I wouldn’t change it, even if I could.
I toss and turn, unable to sleep the rest of the morning after leaving Gavin’s side. I would have been better staying out there with him, though I can’t imagine why Hera would force him to work so early in the day.
I’d thought a walk outside would mean I was alone in my favorite place. To find Gavin was quite the shock. He consumes my every thought until the sun has risen and Mother interrupts.
“How are you feeling?” She puts her hand to my forehead.
“Much better,” I respond, not wanting her to know of my early morning walk.
“I am sorry to say that it will be a long while before I am able to allow you to go on another adventure. Alone, anyway.” she jokes.
“It’s all right. Should I feel the need to go on another ride anytime soon, I will take Gavin with me.”
“Probably a wise idea.” She stands and begins riffling through the armoire in search of an outfit for today. I join her, trying to find one that is warm, but flattering.
Once I have selected a purple gown, I change quickly and sit, attempting to feign patience as Mother braids my hair.
“What has you so fidgety this morning?” she inquires.
“I feel restless. I’m sure it’s from resting constantly.” Which isn’’t a lie.
“Understandable. It will go away after a while. However you need to continue resting.” She ties a leather strip at the end of the braid to hold it in place.
“I will. In fact, I hoped to go to the market today,” I state, but it was more a question.
“How is that relaxing?” She raises an eyebrow.
“A nice and peaceful stroll is very relaxing.” I explain.
“Very well. But if you feel any aftereffects from your river incident, I want you to see Riel immediately. Do you understand? And I would like you to take a guard.”
“I will. I would like Gavin to come with me, actually.” Under normal circumstances, I would have scoffed at the idea of taking a guard with me, as I can take care of myself. But if Gavin can be my guardian for the day, I am willing to make an exception.
“Very well.” She hands me a cloak—not the same one I wore two days ago, I note—and leaves. I weave through the corridors, practically running down the steps as I make my way through the kitchen and out the back door usually reserved for the servants. They all know that I am a troublemaker and I do not care who the door is for.
I pull the cloak on and approach the grove of trees near the far wall. The sound of an axe finding its mark in a trunk reaches my ears. I am grateful, having feared that Gavin would be working on something else.
I approach from the other direction and am sure to step on as many twigs and leaves as I can to alert him that I am approaching. I would hate for an accident such as the near accident last night, seeing him almost put that axe in his leg.
“Your H—Lily, I thought you were getting rest.” He straightens from where he was stooped at the trunk of a larger tree, cutting the wood apart.
“I did. And now I need you.” I realize I should have planned this better. Just hours ago, I told him I wished to be his friend, and now I approach him to command him to go to the market with me?
“Oh?” His right eyebrow rises.
“I had hoped you would be willing to come to the market in the village with me.”
“May I ask, is this you requesting Gavin the servant, or Gavin the friend?” He mu
st have noticed my unease.
“Both?” I feel it is the safest answer.
“Very well. It would be my pleasure, Your Highness.” He bows and drops his tools on the ground.
“I thought we discussed that.”
“We did. And when you come to me as Lily, my friend, I will address you so. When you come to me as Princess Lily, I will address you so.”
“Fair enough.” I laugh, having no argument for his logic.
“So, Your Highness, what wares do you seek at the market?” He walks behind me and to my right, as a servant should. I stop until he is standing beside me. “Milady?”” He raises an eyebrow.
“Please walk beside me.”
“Your wish is my command.” He bows with a flourish.
“I do not seek any particular thing. I simply do not want to be stuck in the castle, crowded by those who worry about me.”
“You should allow them to worry about you. I wish there was someone who could do the same for me sometimes.”
I stop walking, touching his shoulder gently as I turn to face him. “I’m sorry you didn’t have anyone. I may not understand, but like it or not, we are friends now, so if you ever feel the need to talk about it, I would be willing to listen.”
“Thank you, Princess. Shall we go on?” He continues walking. I walk faster to catch up, not expecting that kind of response. I don’t press the matter, for clearly he does not wish to speak of it.
But his words only make me wonder about the hurt he has suffered. I was surprised when he requested work and shelter as reward for rescuing me. Now I wonder how much of his past played into that decision.
The rest of our walk is in silence. We reach the market, filled with life as the people move about, buying, selling, trading. I pull my hood up, avoiding the gazes as I pass by.
Up close, I cannot help people recognizing me. But from afar, it is my hair that gathers attention. Gavin continues walking, looking in awe at all the beautiful wares to be found. We walk down the rows, admiring everything from jewelry to clothes.
Once Upon an Assassin Page 4
