Sight

by Shelby Hild

  After one more close look at the flower sketch, Serinta set it back on the desk and moved to the couch at the edge of the room. On the low table in front of it, the tray Phoebe brought in sat still covered, with the glasses and bottle of wine to its side.

  “I’m sorry with how I reacted earlier,” Vivilyn said as she moved to sit next to her roommate on the couch. “I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have.”

  Serinta didn’t respond immediately. Instead she removed the cover from the tray and revealed the cheese and fruit. With deft motions, she opened the bottle of wine and poured the ruby red liquid into the two glasses.

  “I’ve never interacted with someone not of Rank who wasn’t a servant or a beggar,” Serinta said as she set the lid of the tray to the side. She didn’t look up from the tray. “It… I… I am the one who’s sorry. You… you’re nothing how I thought you would be. You’re nothing how anyone thought you would be.” Serinta covered her mouth as she yawned. “No one really knows what to make of you.”

  “Darissa seems to know to treat me like any other person,” Vivilyn shrugged as she reached for a small cube of cheese.

  “Rissa,” Serinta shook her head. “That girl would befriend a demon come straight from the five hells… not saying that you are a demon or even similar to a demon, but...”

  “It’s fine.” Vivilyn stopped Serinta from continuing that train of thought. “I know what you mean.”

  Serinta looked over at Vivilyn, her large hazel eyes thoughtful. She picked up one of the glasses of wine and handed it to Vivilyn, then picked up the other glass.

  "To fresh starts," she said as she raised her glass.

  “To fresh starts,” Vivilyn repeated before clinking glasses with her. They both took a sip of the dry red wine before picking up a piece of cheese.

  “I guess I should also apologize for trying to start the rumor that you are a witch.”

  “What?” Vivilyn felt her heart begin to race as she took another sip of the wine.

  “Brayleigh shut it down pretty quickly,” Serinta said. “She might not like you, but she dislikes the talk of witches and magic even more. She said there will be no witch hunts on her way to the crown.”

  Vivilyn swallowed the saliva had that built up in her mouth as Serinta was speaking.

  “Why would you say that?” Vivilyn asked.

  “I don’t know…” Serinta said. “I tend to say things before I think about them and… the way the prince looks at you worried me.”

  “Worried,” Vivilyn said, still trying to calm her heart rate. “Past tense.”

  “I…” Serinta sighed. “I am not going to end up with him.”

  “Why do you say that?” Vivilyn said as she curled her legs underneath her.

  “The only way I can win this would be if at least eight other women are deemed unfit by the people.” She shook her head. “No. I… I’ll stay as long as I can. It’ll be like I’m in one of the five hells when I get sent home, though. At least participating in the Trials makes me more desirable. My father will still strive to have me marry well. Brayleigh’s father on the otherhand, if she gets sent home…" She shivered noticeably. "If we could be flies on the wall for that conversation… even Jolene would turn down that opportunity.”

  Vivilyn nibbled slightly on a piece of cheese before she spoke. “When did you and Brayleigh meet?”

  Serinta smiled and crossed her legs underneath her as she turned to face her.

  “We’ve known each other for forever,” she said. She grabbed a grape and tossed it into her mouth. “She, Darissa, and I have been running around together since Darissa first showed up to court. I don’t even remember how old we were. One spring before everyone left for their homes, Darissa wanted to explore the greenhouse here, but none of the gardeners would allow her in because she was so young. Brayleigh and I figured out how to sneak in and so of course we showed her.”

  She picked up a piece of cheese and nibbled on its corner before she continued.

  “The head gardener caught us after we had been playing in some clay, so actually red-handed. He tried blaming it on Darissa because she was the dirtiest and the only one who had been interested in the greenhouse prior. She hadn’t appreciated being accused so she walked right up to him and threw an entire fistful into his face.” She laughed heartily and it caused Vivilyn to laugh as well.

  “How much trouble did she get in?” She asked, as she turned to face Serinta as well.

  “None,” Serinta said and lifted both of her hands to gesture as she spoke. “Queen Boudica stormed into the room we were staying on with our governess. We hadn’t yet had a chance to clean up and she was obviously very unhappy with us. ‘Which of you flung clay at the gardener?’ she asked us.” She tilted her head and shook her head before laughing again. “Pray you never get the queen mad at you. She’s got a fiery temper. Passed it on to all her kids too.”

  “Aiden doesn’t—”

  “Oh, he does. He’s just learned to hide it better than his brother and sister. But anyway, Darissa had never been in trouble before and when Brayleigh saw her cowering, it was like a switch flipped. She turned the queen’s anger back on her, asking how shouting at little girls was queenly at all and stating how ashamed the queen should be. Then she claimed that the entire idea had been hers and if anyone was to be sent to the dungeons it would be her.”

  “The dungeons?”

  “Don’t worry, this palace doesn’t have any dungeons. I think there are only four castles left in the kingdom with those, all built during Queen Mathilde’s reign.”

  “That’s not what I was worried about,” Vivilyn replied. “Brayleigh chewed out the queen?”

  “Yeah,” Serinta smiled proudly. “She did. It shocked the queen and she said no one would be going into the dungeons, but to never attack anyone like that again. Then she turned around and walked away. It was incredible.”

  “She was allowed to talk to the queen like that and didn’t get in trouble,” Vivilyn couldn’t believe it.

  “Oh, she did get in trouble later. Prince Bryton pulled her aside and gave her a stern talking to, but Brayleigh defends her friends when they are even in perceived danger. Even if it’s in a roundabout way, like those pills she gave you to help Darissa sober up.”

  Vivilyn picked up a small blueberry and rolled it around between her fingers as she tried to picture Brayleigh as a child. The one time she wouldn’t have minded a quick flash of a vision, nothing happened.

  “What was it like growing up at court?” She couldn’t help but ask. “You’ve known Prince Aiden for so long, and I can’t even imagine what growing up around here would have been like.”

  “It wasn’t all sunshine and marigolds,” Serinta said. She sighed heavily, the cheerful laughter she’d had faded away like a cloud on a hot summer day. “I only saw my family once every couple of months for a long time. And when I did, it was mostly so they could badger me for information.”

  Her eyes lowered. She started to pick invisible hairs off the bottom of her shirt.

  “I made an error once,” she practically whispered. “I told my father something I shouldn’t have and it made Prince Aiden lose a lot of trust in Brayleigh, Darissa, and me. He blamed all of us because I refused to come forward and admit that I blabbed.” She pushed her bangs back out of her face roughly, then wrapped her arms around herself. “We were all sent home for a year. It was the loneliest time that I can remember.”

  “But you were with your family.” Vivilyn couldn’t imagine being lonely when she had her family with her.

  Serinta just shrugged noncommittally.

  “What’s it like to have a family that actually cares?”

  She opened her mouth to try and answer Serinta’s question, but no words came out.

  “You’re lucky, you know?” Serinta popped the last grape in her mouth and stood up. She didn’t speak again until she slid her legs under the blankets on her bed. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like for family to actual
ly care enough to miss me. I saw you a bit when your brother was here and… I’d kill to have someone who cares for me as much as it’s obvious he cares for you.”

  “But you do,” Vivilyn said. She stood up and walked to close the window as Serinta blew out the candles near her bed.

  “Not really. Someday I might, but for now… Would you mind leaving the curtains open?”

  The sudden change of subject caused Vivilyn to turn back to face the other woman.

  “I… I don’t like the dark,” she admitted. “It feels so confining.”

  “Okay.”

  When Vivilyn walked away from the still open curtain, she went around the room and blew out the remaining candles. Before she got into her bed, she looked out the window again.

  Her mind shifted quickly into a vision. Outside the Hall of Mirrors where the carriages always picked up and dropped off the ladies, she saw the silhouettes of two people.

  “Hurry along,” Prince Aiden said to the other person. “It needs to get to the Graystone estate before the meeting with the women in three days.”

  Chapter 9

  For the first time since Vivilyn arrived at the palace, she slept soundly. No dreams or visions haunted her. No sounds kept her from sleeping.

  She woke up on her own.

  Her eyes fluttered open while the room around her remained dark. Across the room, Serinta’s deep breathing remained a constant rhythm, in and out, in and out. It reminded her of home when she slept in the orchards. In the depths of her mind, the rustling leaves of the apple trees swayed back and forth above her with the same pattern of Serinta’s slumbering breaths.

  She could almost see the sky above her when she closed her eyes again. She’d spent most of her childhood trying to perfect the colors of the night sky, both clear and cloudy. To get the perfect midnight blues and purples with just enough black to deepen the colors had been an impossible task and caused her much frustration through the years. Any attempt to add the shimmering silver of the stars and moon never looked right to her.

  After twisting and turning, attempting to fall back to sleep for what felt like hours, Vivilyn sat up and slid out from under her covers.

  Quietly she made her way to the window. It was still dark, but the sky didn’t hold the never-ending depths darkness held in the middle of the night. No. Sunrise wasn’t far off now.

  Sunrise, she thought with a content sigh. Have I seen one since being here?

  She couldn’t recall. The closest she remembered was the breakfast she'd given the king her sketch of the man from the ceremony. She hadn't been able to appreciate the sunrise then; there were too many people around.

  Trying to remain silent, she changed into a long-sleeved shirt that she thought was dark blue but remained in her leggings. For a moment she considered slipping on shoes, but all her shoes were on the opposite side of the room directly next to Serinta, and she didn’t want to risk waking her roommate.

  She tiptoed barefoot out of her room and gently closed the door behind her before making her way out of the Chosen’s Wing.

  She started to go to the right, but then second-guessed herself. I’ll never figure out my way through this place. She sighed. How do I get out of here? She tapped her foot as she looked around, trying to determine if there was any clue to getting outside. I should have taken the secret passageways in my room. That would have risked showing the door to Serinta and she wasn’t sure that was a good idea.

  “Lady Vivilyn,” someone said from her side. She jumped slightly before turning her head to see one of the guards with a purple armband. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I was hoping to go outside,” she said. She rubbed the top of her right arm with her left hand. It unnerved her when it felt like everyone knew who she was.

  “Whatever for?” the guard replied. Then he shook his head. “Forgive me, my lady. That is none of my business and nor is it my business to question one of the Chosen.”

  “Isn’t it a guard’s job to question anything out of the normal?” she asked. “I mean, how often does someone come wandering the halls this early in the morning?”

  “Well,” the guard looked over his shoulder, “you just missed Prince Aiden on his way to Alyosia’s Gardens.”

  Vivilyn was sure she’d never been to a garden named for the goddess of the sun before.

  “Can you take me there?”

  “I’m not sure his highness would appreciate his morning meditations interrupted.” The guard looked back again and then to Vivilyn. “But they’re this way.”

  The guard took a step backwards and turned. Without stopping to think too much about it, Vivilyn followed.

  “I always forget how different things are around here during the Trials,” the guard said. His dark eyes flashed around as he scanned the other hallways they walked beyond.

  “They’ve been going on for a bit now,” Vivilyn replied. “Wouldn’t you be used to them by now?”

  The guard laughed heartily before responding. “You’d think that, but I’ve been away for the last six months on assignment. I returned last night.”

  “What kind of assignment?” she asked.

  The guard laughed again, then stopped and leaned forward to look her directly in the eyes. She noticed he had a scar under his chin that had striations like a rope. “If I told you,” he said plainly, “then I’d have to kill you.”

  Vivilyn took an instinctual step back. The guard stood up straight again and began walking once more.

  “I—” she started. Her eyes were wide and every muscle in her body tensed. She had to run to catch up with him before he turned a corner. He laughed once more before stepping up to a glass door Vivilyn hadn’t noticed, since she had been paying more attention to the man than where she was going.

  “I was just kidding,” the guard said, then shrugged. “Sort of. But we are here. Prince Aiden is right out there.”

  “Who are you?” she asked quickly as the guard moved to walk away.

  For a minute, she didn’t think he would answer. He paused for a brief moment before turning around and facing her once more.

  “Everyone calls me Ori,” he said with a nod before he left her alone, and, she assumed, returned to his post.

  Shaking away the strange feeling she had from the encounter, Vivilyn stepped up to the glass door and looked out. Prince Aiden sat with his legs crossed, facing away from the door.

  She carefully opened the door and stepped out.

  There was a chill in the air. It wasn’t enough to really consider cold, but Vivilyn was definitely thankful for the long sleeves. Autumn had arrived. Although the leaves of trees and plants hadn’t started dropping yet, it wouldn’t be long. Most of the plants nearby had a plethora of reds and yellows mixed in with the dark greens.

  Quietly, she stepped next to the prince and sat down.

  “I didn’t think anyone would be awake this early,” he whispered to her. When she looked over, Prince Aiden had one of his silver eyes opened and his head turned slightly to her.

  She smiled at him and nodded. He hadn’t jumped or acted like she was being insolent by not curtseying to him, so she didn’t worry about standing back up to follow proper etiquette.

  “I realized I’ve not actually watched a sunrise since before I got here,” she said before she looked up at the sky. Although it felt to her like forever before she arrived outside, it couldn’t have taken long.

  “It’s my favorite time of day,” the prince said. He took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it. “Watching the night fall asleep as the day awakens has always fascinated me. Especially in this garden.”

  “Mine too,” she admitted. “I would wake up at least once a week and go to the edge of town so I could climb up the Grand Tree. You can see the Dragon’s Spine mountains in the distance and the colors that the sun creates…” she shook her head, unable to continue.

  They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, breathing in the early morning smells of leaves
and soil wet from dew.

  “Have you ever seen Alyosia’s Hope?” Aiden asked, breaking the silence just as a bird called in the distance. When Vivilyn shook her head, he stood up. He moved with such fluidity that she could almost picture him as a water spirit of some sort.

  “I’ve never even heard of it.”

  He reached both hands down to help her stand. She couldn’t help but think how warm they were as she set her own in them.

  “They’re a type of flower,” he said, turning her to one of the deeper green plants to the left. “My grandmother would always bring us out here mornings after we’d done something to get in trouble for. We would be told to sit and meditate on the lessons we should have learned and as the sky broke those lessons would be planted forever in our minds with the help of Alyosia’s Hope.”

  “What does that mean?” She knelt down in front of the plant and lightly touched one of the leaves. It was slick. There were no blooms on the plant that she could see.

  It must not be in season.

  The first of the sun’s rays trickled through the foliage around them.

  When it touched the plant in front of them, the plant began to move. Vivilyn pulled her hand back, away from the moving leaves. Within just a few breaths, the leaves all seemed to open and glowing orange flowers took their place.

  Glancing around, she saw there were seven plants all around the small garden and their colors varied through the seven main colors of a rainbow.

  They weren’t open for long. As the sun continued to rise, as she moved her way higher into the sky, the flowers slowly lost their glow and shrunk back into the leaves.

  “My family tends to be very forgetful,” the prince said, as he sat back where Vivilyn first found him in the garden. “Especially if something has to do with a strong, negative emotion, like grief, guilt, or anger.” Vivilyn wanted to ask what exactly he meant, but he continued before she could interject. “She would always explain it as one of the mistakes of our ancestors and say someday we would overcome it, accept it. I never really understood what she meant. Since she’s been gone, I’ve started noticing it more.