There was muffled scuffling behind me and I turned in time to see my new found friends being unceremoniously escorted out a side entrance. Breeard shot a worried glance back at me and attempted to say something, but was drowned out by the Fae king on the throne.
"Now, what do we have here," he began, a thin hand raised to the side of his face and index finger tapping his temple. "What is your name? My guard tells me you came through a.....portal?" He shrugged.
The room erupted in noise, and my hands suddenly grew cold. An irritated wave of the king's thin hand and all became quiet again. I swallowed, trying to quiet the pounding of my heart.
"Where are my manners, dear Lady? I am the King Valentin of the Winter Realm. I need to ask you questions to guarantee the safety of my people and my land."
I understood, nodding, "My name is Thea. I am a photographer and record artifacts. I was working at recording runes when I went into this tunnel and through an archway...."
A sudden frown creased Valentin's forehead.
"Archway? What did it look like?"
"It was an oval - shaped arch....with runes."
"You just decided to walk through it? Why did you come through and what are you planning to do?" The intent purple eyes stared aggressively into mine.
"It was an accident, your Majesty." I shrugged. "I was copying the runes when I passed through the arch, er... portal, and it closed."
I took a breath and blurted, "I do not mean to cause any disruption. I just need to get home. I have children I need to get home to."
"But I'm asking, what are you doing here?" Valentin sat straighter on the throne. "What powers do you carry with you? I need to know."
I stood silent, confused.
"Powers," I half laughed, half shrugged. Was this for real? The king sat silent, waiting. "I am just a human, a woman. I have no powers."
At this, Valentin rose and slowly descended the steps of the throne. He halted barely a foot away and looked me right in the eye. The purple burned into my blue.
"No powers? None?"
"None, King Valentin. I can do nothing, I can barely put on my own shoes."
Once again, Valentin stared. There was a slight flick of an eyebrow.
"I will take your word for it," he stated. He turned and walked back to the throne. There was a heavy pause while he sat, hands together and pointed under his chin. After a breath, Valentin sat up.
"My heart is moved by your desire to be reunited with your children. Who am I to separate loved ones? I will help you find another portal to go home," the slender king announced. "However, to keep you safe until that time, you must stay within this castle's walls."
For now, it seemed fair enough. I nodded yet again, and was dismissed with a flick of a hand.
"Find her a room and make sure she is comfortable," Valentin's silky voice followed me out of the throne room.
Almost immediately after the throne room doors shut behind me, and being escorted up several, elaborate staircases of stone, a sense of dread found its way into my chest. By my sides, there marched an armed guard. I had no idea where my early companions were, and I was required to stay in the Castle like a convict serving house arrest.
"Where are my friends, the knights in silver armour?" I asked the Fae guard beside me. He opened a heavy, thick wooden door and waved me inside. He turned his kind, amber eyes to look away.
When he paused and noticeably swallowed, my stomach dropped.
"They left, My Lady. Our kingdoms don't quite see eye to eye, so they brought you here and had to leave immediately."
I frowned, "We were forced to come here. The knights were protecting me."
"...And it was the right choice, to bring you here, where I can protect you better," an oily voice mentioned behind me.
I turned and before me stood the reigning Winter King.
"I came to see if your room suited your tastes," he continued, his purple eyes never left mine. "I do hope my guards were not too rough with you."
"The room is fine, and I can't thank you enough for your gracious help. Your guards could have been softer but I guess they were only doing what they were told. Don't be too hard on them."
My reply seemed to amuse the King, who smiled briefly with a thin, ruby coloured mouth. He glanced around the room. It was a large room, with a sleeping area in the middle, a sitting area on the left, and to the right, a turret attached to a balcony.
King Valentin addressed the guards, "One of you go and collect a servant to assist...Thea...with her daily needs, and dressing. Let's make her comfortable during her stay."
The violet eyes took me in, gazing up and down. I realized I was still wearing clothes from home, a pair of dirty jeans and a t - shirt, obviously a stark contrast to the beauty, and cleanliness of this world.
The friendly guard stepped forward, "I'll go."
He turned quickly and disappeared down the hall. Now, I truly felt alone.
"I look forward to speaking more with you," Valentin spoke confidently. "I am sure we will be able to find a portal quickly, but in the meantime, I would love to learn more about you, your home, your children."
I shivered slightly, silently realizing I wasn't dressed for the weather here. "I think that would be lovely."
"Good, "the pale king nodded. "I shall see you tomorrow morning."
He paused, due to the approach of a briskly walking guard. The guard stopped in front of us and catching his breath, said clearly, "There are messages for you from the other kingdoms"
"Other kingdoms!" Valentin's smooth voice took on a raspy, irritated tone.
The guard faltered, and half - heartedly nodded at me, "Uh, yes.... it's about.....her."
Valentin was silent for several moments. He seemed distracted when he turned to me.
"We will have to continue our conversation later," the king motioned sharply to the guard to come with him. "Ah, here is our new handmaiden. Do your job well."
With that, he excused himself and left with the other Fae guard.
My guard friend was back, and beside him trotted a curly black - haired, amber - eyed, female Fae with a firm step. With everything going on, I hoped I had found a friend. Smiling, I gave a slight wave.
"Hello. I'm Thea."
"This is Paona."
The guard and handmaiden exchanged a glance and parted ways.
"You may call me Poe," the Fae curtsied when we were in the room alone. "I have brought a small selection of dresses for you to try on."
As I never had anyone assist me to dress me, having a handmaiden hover nearby while I undressed and changed clothes was unnerving...at first. I waved Poe off for several minutes, insisting I could dress myself. It was a matter of time before the difference in the clothing created difficulties.
"How do I....." helpful hands pulled the dress this way and that.
A moment of silence, "How,...oh help!"
Poe tugged the dress over my shoulders, and gently adjusted my chest as she tried to stifle a smile.
Meeting each other's gaze, we broke into laughter. Seriously, how hard is it to put on a dress? When she left for a moment to find some better - fitting shoes, I took the opportunity to open the doors and explore the balcony. The door of the balcony itself was made of frosted colours, encased in a bronze coloured metal. The handles curved naturally in my hands and opened with a firm pull.
Even with the snow, and cold winter air, the sight stole my breath. With the vast view of the balcony, I was able to see a wide river, evergreen forests, intimidating mountains, and much of the goings - on in the Castle yard. It was the activity in the yard below which caught my attention. A group of men was trying to catch a loose sheep. For several minutes they ran this way and that jumped up and over boxes and hay. Finally, one man grabbed a crook but, instead of grabbing the sheep, he bent to the ground and used the crook to lift a large metal ring. Pulling back the ring, a square trap door was revealed. The other men surrounded the bouncing animal and forced it to the trap door. Then it was gone.
"I found a pair that should suit...oh my Lady," Poe had returned, holding a pair of plain, burgundy flats. She waved me back inside and shut the balcony doors. "It's getting colder." She explained.
Putting the shoes down, Poe quietly moved to the fireplace to build a fire. I moved to a chair facing the fire and took in the room I was to call my own.
"Do I need to stay in this room?" I asked my new friend. "What am I allowed to do?"
Poe paused, still in a crouch, "I know there is a library in the north wing. Or I can bring you thread, or paints?"
"Oh, I would love to read. Can you show me?"
She nodded thoughtfully, "We can go after the midday meal."
Poe looked at me and winked, "There will be fewer eyes watching at that time."
I felt grateful for her honesty and thoughtfulness.
"That's a good plan," I smiled.
We spent the rest of the morning by the fire, where Poe explained how things ran in the Palace and about how to sneak food from the kitchen without being caught. My handmaiden dutifully found a few more dresses and articles of clothing for me to wear during my stay, including a long, warm, grey cloak. I asked her about the sheep and the trap door, but she looked baffled by my question. I also asked if she knew anything about where the silver knights might be. I give the handmaiden credit, she looked as concerned as I did, and kindly said she'd look for an answer to my question.
Poe had been instructed to inform me of the rules of my stay and Poe did so immediately. I could only go out on the balcony in the evenings, not talk to those outside the castle walls, have an audience with the King every day, and not leave the castle building. When I started to object to such rules, Poe was quick to reply.
"Speak softly, my lady," Poe said quietly with large, careful eyes. "The king has ears everywhere. It is not the time or place to complain."
Midday came around and Poe helped me find the main dining hall. I made the Fae girl promise to come back and meet me after I ate, as I was still new and didn't know anyone. I felt like I was in high school again. She left me at the open doors, giving me a slight smile of hope and a little shove.
Walking through the tall, dark, heavy wood doors, I found myself in a comfortable, warm room with an arched ceiling, and narrow windows lining the long walls. There were a couple of long tables set up in the middle of the room, with plates of mostly vegetables, loaves of bread, and fruits. I looked around to find a decently clean plate to gather some tantalizing fruit, realizing I was just a bit hungry. Even though I hadn't eaten since the day before, my nerves refused to let me fully relax and devour a whole meal.
I found a quiet spot near the end of a table and sat down. Most of the conversation in the room had dwindled as soon as I walked in, and I had to pretend not to notice.
I just sat there uncomfortably, hands in my lap, not knowing how to go about getting food in this place. A grey - haired Fae with a narrow nose and green eyes straightened his brown and gold vest and made his way over to me.
"My lady," the man said cautiously. "Would you like some food?"
Putting a hand on my shoulder, he guided me through finding a plate and filling it with my choice of fruit and bread. In a steady voice, I was told about what the fruit was called, where it was found, and in what season it grew best.
"No one should be hungry," he smiled.
Slowly, those in the room began to include me in conversations, asking polite questions and observing pleasantries. I found myself enjoying the company until the food was gone.
True to her word, Poe retrieved me to go to the library after lunch. I saw her peep her face around the door, and I excused myself as graciously as I could.
"We will see you again," rang the common farewell as I left the room.
Together, we walked down another lengthy, wide hallway with dark floors, ebony pillars, and lofty ceilings. With a careful glance over her shoulder, Poe nodded towards a door at the very end of the hall. She grasped the smooth, intricate handles and swung the double doors wide. My handmaiden lead the way, obviously very familiar with the room. Books lined the shelves along the walls, accented by a strategically placed chair, table and bench. Shelves were jutting out into the middle of the room as well, likewise filled with books on each side. Sun shone brightly through the few tall windows as I turned my attention to the writing on the books.
"I can read this," I said, surprised. "For some reason, I thought it would be a strange language."
Poe looked at me curiously, "It is in our common language."
"Well, this works fine with me. Is there any way to know what the books are about?
Poe's elegant eyes danced as she ran her hands over the shelved knowledge.
"This section is on plants, over here is mostly animals and weather..." I listened to her excited chatter as I looked around, pausing as my eyes fell on an enormous painting.
Above the library's fireplace was a painting of a battle. A darkly armoured army advanced on the left, with an army of Fae moving to engage them from the right. The sun was setting but still shone in rays onto the Fae army. A slender, female Fae with long black hair and a white shining bow stood poised in the painting, her gaze to the sky and arm raised in triumph. I followed the gaze to the sky, where other Fae were flying on the backs of dragons. A black dragon with an incredibly handsome knight in beaten, but still silver, armour flew through a ray of sunshine, the knight had one hand outstretched as he looked down at the Fae bowman below.
"How touching," I thought warmly.
"History." Announced Poe.
My attention turned back towards the books, "Oh I would like to read some history."
I started scanning the history section while Poe looked at other books nearby. History of Royal Houses, History of Natural Magic, History of what seemed to be every Ruler of the last millennia, even history of the Royal Kennel. Being a keen equestrian, I paused over the History of Breeding stock, but my eyes fell on a small green, leather - bound book. The pages looked worn and damaged. I slowly pulled it from the shelf and read the cover. The title, The History of Kingdoms, shone clearly on the front of the book in a copper coloured ink.
"What are you doing in here? This is the King's personal library," Both Poe and I started, the voice of the guard at the door was grating and tired.
"My apologies," I sputtered. "I didn't know."
The guard took one look at me and jerked his thumb behind him. "Leave now, next time ask His Majesty."
Poe and I exchanged sheepish looks as we hastily exited the library and headed back to my room.
The guard called after us, "There has been a meeting of princes called and the castle will be getting ready for the end of the month. Mind your boundaries and try to stay out of the way."
We made it to my room and shut the door. Poe tried to stifle a giggle, her curly hair quivering with the attempt as she looked at me.
"Are you always so honest? I don't know what he thought of you."
She kneeled by the hearth to add logs to the fire.
I shrugged, "I can't lie, never could."
"Well, I think you warmed his heart with your sincere apology, and your big, blue eyes. Now, I'll go get you some food for this evening," Poe offered. "I think it would do you well to stay here and rest. I'll be back in just a little while."
Without another sound, she disappeared from my view. As I began to rearrange a high - backed chair to sit closer to the growing fire and noticed I still held the small green book in my hand. I tossed it on the chair and walked to the balcony. I figured I'd just take the book back when I was done reading it. After all, I couldn't imagine anyone rushing to read such history? I snorted, it seemed I definitely wanted to. I opened the balcony doors, and carefully shut them behind me. Clouds were beginning to darken and collect on the horizon. A storm was coming. Shivering, I turned and went back inside. I collected the green book and settled down by the fire to read.
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