Page 24 of Glass and Bone
He pulls me over to the buffet and hands me a plate before he starts filling his own. When he has ensured I have enough vegetables, meat, and bread to feed an army, he leads me to one of the tables in the corner. He helps me into my seat before disappearing. I look down at my overflowing plate and lift a warm roll up to my mouth. The flaky, buttery texture melts in my mouth and I groan.
I can hear Tobias’s laugh as he comes back with two glasses of water and sits across from me. I smile nervously and take a sip of the water.
“When was the last time you ate?” He chuckles as he puts a forkful of beef into his mouth, his eyes lightening. A small dimple I never noticed before appears in his left cheek.
“Well considering I have been asleep for three days; I would say at least four.” His eyes widen and I can tell he’s about to apologize, but I smile and shake my head. “It’s fine. I don’t think it’s the actual timeline of when I ate last that is affecting me as much as the quality of the food. This is the best bread I have ever eaten.” I admit as I take another bite.
“Did you not have bread in Chatis? I would expect the royal family to be eating really well.” He says around a bite of green beans.
“I’m sure my father ate decadent dishes, I, on the other hand, ate what was allowed.” I say nonchalantly.
“What do you mean?” His confusion is apparent, and I set the roll down and reach for my water again, taking a large sip.
“Every week, like clockwork, my father would assess my maturation and then he would decide what I was to eat that week.” I admit, regretting bringing this up already.
“What do you mean toassess your maturation?” He places his fork down on the table, his eyebrows pinching together and his eyes narrowing. I swallow quickly and look away. I didn’t mean to mention it, but it just came out.
“He would just assess my body to ensure I wasn’t gaining or losing too much weight.” I murmur as I push food around on my plate. I can still feel him staring at me, so I look up again.
“How?”
“What?”
“How would he assess you?” His voice is clipped, monotone, and I can tell he is angry. His teeth are clenched, his jaw sharpened. I debate not answering, but he would find out the second he saw me naked. I swallow again and set my fork down.
“He would strip me down, bare, in front of his friends and they would comment on how I was aging. How certain parts of me were maturing.” His eyes widen and his mouth opens slightly. “He would poke and prod to determine if I was too fat, or too skinny. He’d let his friends do the same, help him make a decision.”
“Did they…” He stops and I shake my head.
“No, they didn’t touch me like that. They looked at everything, but they never touched me like that. I guess it would have been preferable-”
“To what?” He snaps and I jump, my nails digging into my palms.
“It doesn’t matter, and I don’t want to talk about it.” I whisper as I meet his eyes. He’s furious, his eyes darkening by the second. He looks like he’s ready to hit something. I stay still, letting him work through his emotions. He takes a slow steady breath and then exhales loudly.
“When you want to talk about it, I am here. Nothing and no one is going to touch you. I promise.” I nod and go back to picking at my food, no longer hungry.
*****
After a tour of the grounds and an introduction to the majority of the staff, I am filled with exhaustion and the ever-present ache in my limbs. I haven’t seen Theo again, but I feel my heart quicken at the prospect of him joining us for dinner.
A page had stopped our tour earlier to let us know that King Evreux called for a royal dinner to mark the arrival of the new princess, my unfortunate entrance forgotten by everyone but me. Everyone here is so keen to move on as if nothing ever happened, and while I want that as well, I cannot so easily recover. My new life doesn’t feel real, I feel as if I am dreaming and will soon wake up back in the trees. While I knew I would be living here eventually, it almost seems too good to be true.
Tobias holds my hand as he brings me into the royal dining hall, his fingers lace through mine. A large chandelier hangs from the center of the room, bouncing light off the walls. The ceiling has the same intricate symbols pressed into marble and silver that is present in our bedroom. The back wall is broken up into panels of floor to ceiling windows, exposing the city. Golden lights shine in the darkness marking fire pits and lanterns. The sky is a beautiful shade of purple fading into black as the sun leaves us.
The rest of the room is sparsely decorated, with torches and small tables lining the walls. The marble floor is bright, reflecting the lights, but interrupted by a large crimson rug that lay under the table. The table isn’t huge, set for a small family, but a roast turkey and abundant sides fill the center. My mouth waters as I remember how little I ate earlier.
Tobias guides me to a seat in the middle and pulls the chair out. I smile at him and slide in. He takes a seat to the right of me before his hand finds mine again and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
As the day progresses, I find myself drawn to him. His charisma, the way he speaks to the palace employees. I see the way people look at him, in awe. The future king. My future husband. The rumors floating around home quickly escaped my mind as he catered to me and took time to show me my new home. His eyes lighting up when he spoke about the archery field and the beach, somewhere he said he would take me.
I find that I have never felt more relaxed, more…happy, than I do right now. I don’t know if it’s the distance from my father or the company of Tobias that brings that peace of mind forward, but I try not to question it. The pain is still present, but I am hopeful it will continue to fade so long as I drink more of the nectar.
Tobias straightens himself in his seat just as King Evreux and Theo walk in. The king takes the seat at the head of the table, and Theo sits opposite of me. I try to remain calm, but I can’t help but feel my heart race when he’s near. He reminds me of home, but I can’t place why. He’s warm, quiet, careful. He’s the exact opposite of Tobias, but I hardly know either of them.
Maybe he isn’t as wonderful as he seems.
As Theo relaxes in his chair, his eyes meet mine and he winks, sending a delightful chill down my spine. I can’t ignore the flutters in my chest when he is near, pulling at me like a magnet. I stifle a smile and Tobias stills beside me, catching our exchange. Theo’s eyes harden as he meets his brother’s, but it doesn't last long as King Evreux stands.
