Page 75 of Cage of Darkness
“I would be honored tohelp, Your Highness.” Becka rushed over to the dresses and liftedthe yellow silk one off its hooks.
Although Allyssa could stand and walkabout the room with minimal pain, she had difficulty stepping intothe dress. The servant loosely cinched it around her torso, takingcare not to hurt her. Allyssa stared at herself in the mirror,barely recognizing the image before her. A sallow face, sunkeneyes, and her usually tan skin had a sickly yellow hue to it. Shequickly averted her eyes.
“If you’d like, I can applysome dusting powder,” Becka suggested, “and braid your hair in thelatest Fren fashion.” A smile spread across her face.
“That would be lovely.Thank you.” While Becka fussed over her, she wondered what the Frencourt would be like. Odar had said it was similar to Emperion’s.Would the king and queen be kind? She couldn’t recall Odar talkingthat much about his parents, just little tidbits here and there.Suddenly nervous, she began fidgeting with her fingers.
“Did you bring your crown,Your Highness?”
“No.” She had neverattended court without it. The crown used to feel heavy—like a cagetying her to her destiny. Now, without it, she felt naked andyearned for the one thing she’d fought so hard to break freefrom.
“There,” Becka saidproudly. “Now you’re presentable.”
“Please inform the king andqueen that I wish to speak with them.
“Of course, Your Highness.Please wait here while I fetch a messenger.” She curtseyed andleft.
Where was Odar? She hadn’t seen himsince yesterday when he poked his head in her room for a briefmoment. It would be nice to have him by her side when she met hisparents. However, sitting in this room, waiting for him to arrangethe meeting, wasn’t an option. Her parents needed her, and shewould not be caged any longer. Pacing before the fireplace, she notso patiently waited for Becka to return. After what seemed likemuch longer than necessary, the door swung open.
The servant stood in the hallway,accompanied by a dozen soldiers. “Your Highness,” she said. “Thisis Officer Allek.” She motioned to the man standing on herright.
He had black hair, brown eyes, and ashort, clipped beard. “I will escort you to the Throne Room,” hesaid with a bow. “These men and I have been assigned for yourprotection.” The men in this particular squad appeared to beroughly in their mid-to-late twenties, Allek the oldest amongthem.
“Thank you, Officer.” Shestrode into the hallway, Allek immediately at her side. “Since thisis my first time in Fren, I would appreciate any advice onetiquette and customs that you can provide about your kingdom.”They started walking, the rest of the soldiers taking up formationbehind the two of them.
“I would be honored, YourHighness. Are you from Emperion?”
“I am.” Walking along thehallway, she was struck by the bright openness of the palace.Polished white marble floors and pale stone walls gave the entireplace an airy feeling. The rounded ceilings were covered withintricate paintings—the sky dotted with stars, horses racing acrossfields, and even people farming the land.
“I’ve never had thepleasure of visiting Emperion and am unaware of your customs,” hesaid, “so I’ll simply tell you what I’ve seen from visitingroyalty.”
They turned and descended a grandstaircase with a golden banister. Placing her hand upon it, shemarveled at the smooth feel of the gold. In this area of thepalace, the ceiling consisted of leaded glass, which allowed thesun to shine through. Odar must think the Emperion castle a rusticshanty compared to this luxurious place.
“Since you are a woman,”Allek said at the bottom of the stairs, “you cannot go anywhereunescorted. If you wish to leave your room, I must accompanyyou.”
“What do you meansince I am a woman? Areyou implying that if I were a man, I could walk around the palaceon my own?” She stopped and waited for him to respond.
The tips of his ears turned beet red.“I don’t want you to become lost.” His eyes remained focused onsomething above her head. Marek always did that when he withheldthe truth.
“I may be young,” sheresponded, “but I am not a fool.” Before he could reply, sheresumed walking, unsure of which way to go. Large columns circledthe perimeter of the room, each etched with emerald marble. In thecenter of the floor, mosaic tiles formed a picture of aforest.
“This way, Your Highness.”Office Allek gingerly took her arm, leading her through a set ofdouble doors.
This was the most activity she’d hadin days, and her ribs began throbbing. However, she forged on, notwanting to reveal her discomfort to these Fren soldiers lest theythink of her as a weak female.
They passed through another set ofdouble doors, entering a narrow corridor, each sidefloor-to-ceiling windows. She froze.
“Is something the matter,Your Highness?”
Turning to face the window on herright, she marveled at the magnificent sight before her. Aboutfifty feet below, nestled between two large hills, a river flowedinto a lake. “Is this corridor a bridge?”
“Yes, YourHighness.”
“And the river runsdirectly below here?”
A wry smile spread across his face.“Yes.” He hesitated, and then placed his hands on her shoulders,gently turning her around to face the window behind her. Aboutforty feet away, a waterfall cascaded down, leading to the riverbelow. She couldn’t hear the water on the other side of the glassthough she imagined it had to be very loud.
“The palace consists of twowings,” he explained. “Your room is in the west wing, along withall the guest rooms, ballrooms, and the main halls. The east wingcontains the kitchens, offices, receiving rooms, and the ThroneRoom, as well as the royal family’s residence.”
