“Oh, horseback is the easy part,” I told her. “Horses are my favorite.”
“They frighten me,” Gabrielle said, rolling up her sleeves and putting the things on the table in order. “If you’re ready, let’s get you up and dressed. Your clothes are waiting in your washroom.”
I nodded and slid reluctantly out of the bed. I walked into the washroom and stopped short when I spotted the dress waiting for me there. It was a beautiful deep purple ballgown. It had intricate floral lace embroidered all down the top and about halfway down the skirt. It was high necked and sleeveless. The lace embroidery ran all the way down the middle of the bodice. There were tiny twinkling jewels in the middle of each of the lace flowers on the dress. I pulled it on with shaking hands. I couldn't believe I was going to wear something like this. There were also little black shoes that accompanied the dress. I was surprised to find that everything fit almost perfectly.
I came out of the washroom and Gabrielle motioned me over. She had pulled back a tapestry on the wall and revealed a large full-length mirror there. I stared at myself in disbelief.
“Good, everything fits,” she said.
“Yeah, perfectly,” I said.
“I have an eye for these things. Now I’m going to fix your hair.” She set about brushing and pulling and pinning my hair up. I rarely had other people do my hair, so I just sat with my eyes closed and enjoyed the feeling.
“Done,” she said before long. I opened my eyes and stared in the mirror. In a matter of minutes, she had transformed my wavy unruly hair into an intricate updo. It was all piled on top of my head in twists and braids. Weaved all the way through were my purple ribbons.
“Now, some makeup.” I curled my nose at that but let her start to work on my face. As she finished putting some blush like stuff on my cheeks, I noticed something on the inside of her arm.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing. It looked like a tattoo of an eight-point star with a circle around it. Above each point was the outline of a triangle. The top point was completely filled in. As I looked closer, I could tell it wasn’t a tattoo. When I realized what it was, my stomach turned.
“Have you never seen a Magic Wielder brand?” she asked.
“No,” I told her.
“I’m surprised. Even though our current king did away with the practice, they are still prevalent. The last king didn’t trust Magic Wielders and decreed that each of them would get branded to denote their status and affinity. The top point means I have an affinity for Earth.”
“I guess our village is so remote the decree never made its way there,” I said lamely. I kicked myself for admitting I didn’t know something that was supposed to be common knowledge. The thought of all Magic Wielders having to be branded made me queasy.
“Here,” Gabrielle said, changing the subject. “This is from the prince.” She winked at me and handed me a box. I opened it and gasped. Stunning red earrings greeting my eyes. They looked like rubies, but I realized I didn’t know what kind of gemstones they had here in Adylra. The earrings dangled and had three red stones. I quickly put them in. There was something else in the box, too. I pulled out a long silver chain that had a hollow silver ball at the end. A note fell out with the necklace.
Lydia,
I hope you like the jewelry. Please accept it as my gift to you. You can put the stone I gave you earlier in the silver necklace and you won’t have to hide it, no one will know what it’s really for.
Yours truly,
Aidric
I folded the note and put it on the table then pulled the leather thong off my neck. I pulled the stone off it. For the first time I really studied it. This stone was similar in color to my earrings, but it was much rougher. It was an oval shape about the size of the palm of my hand. I popped open the silver ball at the end of my necklace. The stone fit perfectly. I snapped it shut and put the necklace over my neck. Gabrielle finished with me and sent me out to the sitting area. I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. Everyone else was already ready to go. I had to stop myself from laughing at the guys outfits.
“Not what you were expecting, was it?” Erin asked, seeing my face when I saw John and Murphy. They were wearing outfits like I had never seen before. They both had pants on that would have given parachute pants a run for their money. They were dark gray and had little designs in black all the way down them. Murphy had a long-sleeved light green shirt on. John’s was pale blue. Both of their shirts were covered with light gray vests. Black coats covered the whole ensemble. The coats were structured and had sleeves that flared at the elbows and were tied back with a piece of fabric. The coats were stitched with swirly designs similar to the pants. They both had on fancy leather boots.
“Wow, John. That’s quite the ensemble there,” I told him, grinning.
“You know,” he said, flexing his arms and turning in a complete circle like a model. “It’s actually pretty comfortable. Not too bad at all.”
“Lydia, you look beautiful,” Murphy said. I glanced down at my shoes and blushed.
“Thank you, it feels weird, being all dressed up like this.”
“Well Lydia,” Erin said. “Maybe you can celebrate your birthday in style now. Did the prince send you jewelry, too?” I looked up at her. Her dress was similar to mine. The lace design was different, and it was a burnt orange in color. It complemented her blonde hair and tan skin. She had what looked like citrine drops in her ears and a long necklace that was studded with them.
“Yeah, he gave us both rings,” John said, flourishing his hand. Both he and Murphy wore rings that had large blue gemstones in the middle.
“Not really my style, but I figured it would be offensive if I didn’t wear it,” Murphy said with a shrug. I was surprised to find that I was a little stung that Aidric had given everyone else jewelry too. But then I scolded myself. Why should I think Aidric would want to give jewelry to just me?
“If they are going to give me all this fancy stuff, I’m going to work it,” John said.
“Yeah, baby,” Erin told him. “We are going to be the best looking couple in the whole castle.” John leaned over and gave her a kiss. I looked away. They always embarrassed me when they did stuff like that.
“Seriously you guys? Save it for when you’re alone,” Murphy said. He threw a roll at them, but John caught it with a wink and ate it.
“Now I guess we just wait,” I said.
26
We didn't have to wait long, soon there was a knock at our door and a young boy entered. He bowed when he saw us.
“My Lords and my Ladies, if you will please follow me, I am to escort you,” the boy said.
“I guess this is it,” Murphy said. He and John filed out behind the boy with Erin and I bringing up the end. We walked down toward the entrance hall. I kind of remembered the way from our tour earlier, but each hallway of the castle looked the same and I was sure if I had been by myself, I would’ve been lost. As we continued downstairs and through hallways, I could feel the palms of my hands getting sweaty. This was going to be the test. If we could convince the king everything was normal, maybe we would get out of this castle all in one piece.
The strange woman’s warning from a couple of days ago still echoed in my mind. Life will be much worse for you if you tell the truth. The king of Thavell tolerates the Magic Wielders but only to an extent. He does not tolerate those with too much power and he most certainly does not tolerate phenomena he cannot understand. If he finds out, you will be killed. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and focused on where we were going.
We came to a huge doorway in the entrance hall Aidric had skipped over earlier. It was a huge stone archway. I remembered there had been curtains drawn over it that morning. Now, those curtains were thrown open and we could see in. There was a platform on the other side of the archway that led to a grand staircase. The staircase led down to a carpet that led to the throne.
There was a herald at the top of the steps. He motioned us all in. John and E
rin took the lead. Murphy offered me his arm and I took it, thankful to have someone to help hold me up. My stomach felt like it was up in my throat I was so nervous. Murphy squeezed my arm and smiled at me reassuringly. His warm presence next to me felt nice.
“Presenting the Ladies Lydia and Erin, and the Lords Murphy and John,” the herald said in a clear voice. I took a deep breath, then off we went down the staircase and across the carpet. As we approached, I could see a large stone throne sitting in the center of a dais at the end of the long room. Sitting on the throne was a man that looked almost like a carbon copy of Aidric. He was taller and broader than the prince, but he was tall, dark, and handsome just like his son. The man was larger than life, taking up almost every inch of the ornate stone throne he sat on. He was dressed in all black, but I could see the cuffs of his pants and shirt as well as his collar glittered with some type of solid black gemstone. He had a silver crown on his head. It was heavily wrought and was studded all the way around with red, blue, and black gems. The man himself was middle aged and handsome in a stately way. His dark brown hair and beard were close cropped and peppered with the gray of age. He sat back easily in the throne, his arms resting on the sides.
I was relieved to see Aidric was standing next to the throne on the dais. He caught my eye and gave me a small smile. Warmth flooded through my body and I smiled back. He was dressed in an outfit just like Murphy and John but his was all black. He stood just behind his father’s throne to the left, with his hand resting on the back. There was a smaller empty throne next to the king. A small silver crown sat empty on the cushion with a single black rose on it.
After walking for what felt like hours we arrived at the end of the carpet in front of the dais. I felt intensely uncomfortable in the middle of the big room. I could hear people moving and talking on either side of us, but I couldn’t bring myself to look in either direction. I had found a spot on the side of the throne straight ahead to stare at for the time being.
The king stood and the noise in the hall stopped. I turned my gaze to look at him. Someone cleared their throat and I realized what we were supposed to do. I elbowed Murphy gently and started to curtsy. Murphy bowed and John and Erin followed suit. The king smiled and opened his arms wide, welcoming us.
“Welcome, citizens, to the capital of Thavell. I am King Bleddyn, Ruler and Protector of the Kingdom of Thavell here in the heart of Adylra. My son has told me great tales about your travels. I welcome you to court. We are here to celebrate my son’s victory over the Golden Forest bandits and celebrate you for stepping up and going to the Prince’s aid unasked when the need arose. My son tells me you were traveling looking for your fortunes beyond the village you grew up in?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Murphy replied with a small bow of his head.
“Well, you shall have it here. If you will stay with us, there will be a place for you. And as a thank you for standing with our soldiers, you will be gifted a new wardrobe and a purse of gold each. Take these gifts as thanks from the Crown.”
There was a moment of silence before I realized the king was finished. A cool sense of relief washed over me. That wasn’t so bad. It had happened just like Aidric had said. The king took our stories at face value for now.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. The tales of your generosity are true. We are honored to be here and serve you,” I said with a curtsy. The formality of speaking to a king was new to me, I didn’t want to make some grievous mistake of conduct. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try a little flattery. Royalty or not, everyone loved to be complimented. A huge grin flash across the king’s face. I was right.
“We are having a feast to celebrate my son’s victory,” the king continued. “You are invited to stay for the feast and the ball that will take place afterwards.” The king clapped his hands and servers appeared from doors that were barely visible within the walls. They were holding plates on their heads and on their shoulders that were filled with food. I finally turned my gaze away from the throne to see dozens of people standing on either side of the dais. If this was the few Aidric had mentioned, I was afraid to see how many nobles were here in the winter. They were all dressed impeccably and dripping with jewels. As the servers began to put the food on three tables that were off to the side, the crowd began to walk over and seat themselves. The king stepped off the dais and walked down to us. He bowed and offered his arm to Erin.
“Lady Erin, if I may escort you to the table?” he asked. Erin giggled and curtsied.
“I would be honored, Your Majesty,” she said. They started toward the table. Aidric came behind the king and offered his arm to me. I bowed my head and took his arm and we were off. John and Murphy followed behind us. The king and the prince guided us to the table at the front. My stomach dropped when I realized we would be sitting with them. Erin, Murphy, and John all sat directly to the left of the king who was at the head of the table. Aidric sat to the right of the king and guided me to the seat next to his.
I looked to my right and was pleasantly surprised to see Nadine. I almost didn’t recognize her. She had a sparkling headpiece in her short hair that matched her emerald dress. I smiled at her as we sat down. As everyone settled down to dinner a musician entered and began to play a harp-like instrument. King Bleddyn gave a signal and everyone began to talk and eat.
27
The feast was flashes of food, color and people. Many people introduced themselves to us. There was such a swirl of faces and colors in my mind I knew I would never be able to remember them all. The food came fast. Just as I finished one course another was put in its place. It was all delicious and rich, but I had no idea what any of it was. By the time a chocolate cake was served for dessert, my head was spinning. I took another sip of my drink to try to clear it.
Nadine and I chatted amicably throughout the dinner. I was glad to see she as looking much better than the last time I saw her after her visit with a healer.
“So, Nadine, are you a noble, too?” I asked.
“Yes, I am. Aidric’s actually my younger cousin.”
“Are there many nobles that are soldiers in the army?”
“No, not many nobles volunteer, but I didn’t want to be a knight and also didn’t want to sit on my hands all day and spend my time trying to catch a noble husband. With the army I get to be part of a family and I get to travel and see the whole kingdom. I also instruct the new recruits in horseback riding each year.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“It has its moments,” she said.
“Aidric told me that Reynard was Captain of the Palace Guard or something? Is that the same as the army?”
“No, The Palace Guard is completely separate. The Palace Guard is small, only about 75 people total. As Captain, Reynard is in charge. The Guard answers directly to the king. Reynard and the king were in training to be knights together when they were growing up, they’ve been good friends forever. When Bleddyn was crowned king he immediately promoted Reynard to be the Captain.” Nadine spent the rest of dinner telling me about the different forced of Thavell and how the army was divided up. I could tell she really took pride in her duty to her kingdom.
Once everyone was done eating, King Bleddyn stood and everyone else stopped what they were doing and stood as well. More musicians had set themselves up next to the dais where the thrones were.
“Stay my friends and enjoy the entertainment this evening. Enjoy this first ball of the season.” It must’ve been a dismissal because almost everyone stepped away from the table and filled out throughout the throne room. A few sat back down at the table to continue their conversation. Someone came up to my left and engaged in conversation with the prince. Nadine had already disappeared into the crowd. I looked across the table and saw a few nobles who looked to be around our age dragging Erin, Murphy, and John off to the middle of the room where it looked like people were getting ready to dance.
I pushed aside the feelings of being left out and spotted a couch over in the corner. I slowly
walked over to it and cautiously sat down, trying not to wrinkle my dress too much. Everyone was mixing and mingling. The musicians had started a song and the people in the middle began to twirl and turn in some sort of dance. I amused myself watching my friends try to keep up with the other nobles.
“Lydia, would you like to take a walk with me?” The sound of Aidric’s warm voice startled me. I turned to see him standing to my left. He had come over to where I was sitting without me even noticing.
“Sure,” I replied. I was grateful for the distraction of sitting by myself. I stood up and smoothed my dress. Aidric held out his arm for me. I took it and instead of steering me towards the crowd of people and introducing me to all the nobles like I thought he was going to, Aidric steered me toward one of the doors and out through the back of the throne room. The halls were almost empty in this part of the castle and I found myself getting a little giddy. It felt like we were sneaking away. I felt at ease with Aidric even though I hadn’t known him long. After steering me down a few hallways dimly lit by torches we headed out of a side door that opened onto a terrace. The terrace overlooked a garden. It was dark now and a full moon was in the sky. As the moonlight drifted over the garden flowers that lined the walkways began to open up and twinkle.
“Wow,” I said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Do you like it?” Aidric asked me.
“Yeah, it's really beautiful. How do the flowers twinkle like that?”
“Let’s get a closer look,” Aidric said. He led me down a small set of stairs on the side of the terrace and opened the gate to let us into the garden. We walked up and down the paths of the flowers, enjoying their beauty. I bent down to inspect one more closely. It looked similar to a morning glory, but the petals were glowing. I reached out to touch one of them. I accidentally tugged on the flower, though, and it came out of the ground and immediately the glowing stopped, and the flower wilted. Sadness filled me.
Gatebreaker: Book One Page 11
