Lilith was surprised that the king would think of her well-being under the present circumstances. She curtsied and thanked him. Harald picked out the two men who were to accompany her.
They walked past another room, and when Lilith cast a quick look inside she saw that the people in the long robes had been brought there. Maidservants had been woken up to take care of them, because some of these people had been wounded as well. They were still visibly shaken and it was deathly quiet in the room. The Ancilla Princeps gave her a brief glance and then quickly continued with her duties as Lilith walked on.
12
Lilith was lying on her bed and she was following the movements of a little spider that had almost finished spinning its web on the ceiling.
Suddenly the door flew open, causing Lilith to jolt upright. Ghalatea entered. She had a dress draped over one arm, and a basket hung from her other arm. The door slammed closed behind her and they awkwardly stood across from each other for a little while.
“The king has asked for you. I will help you get ready.”
Lilith nodded. That morning, a soldier had informed her that she was to wait in her room until the king was ready to see her. Of course he had other things to take care of first, but the long wait had made her nervous. By now he’d had ample time to change his opinion about last night.
“How’s he doing?”
“He’s doing well, but I was told that he could have been killed if it hadn’t been for you.” Suddenly the Ancilla Princeps grabbed hold of Lilith and hugged her. “I’m sorry that I’ve kept myself aloof from you. I needed distance to be able to think everything through.”
Lilith froze up for moment, but then she wrapped her arms around Ghalatea in great relief. “And what did you decide?”
“That I’ve been too hard on you. I may have been too kind at first, but after that, I was too hard. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.” The Ancilla Princeps pushed Lilith away and grabbed hold of her still bandaged hand. “You have to get undressed, we don’t have much time.”
After Lilith had stripped down to her underwear, the Ancilla Princeps pushed the dress into her hands. Lilith held it in front of her with her arms outstretched and examined the garment from all directions. The sleeves of the purple dress were embroidered with gold thread and glass beads. She had never worn anything like it. The bodice looked too tight to step into, so she decided to pull the dress over her head. The skirt consisted of three layers of thin fabric. She struggled to find the sleeves and had difficulty slipping her head through the neck opening. She smoothed down the skirt that fell wide around her legs, and then fastened the buttons on the bodice and the sleeves. To her great relief the sleeves fit tightly around her underarms and were long enough to cover part of her hands.
Ghalatea gave her a delighted look. “You look so pretty!” She plucked at the dress, mumbling, “It’s a perfect fit, I knew it would be.”
Lilith was blushing. “It feels strange to wear this. Why can’t I just wear my normal clothes?”
Ghalatea put an arm around Lilith’s shoulders and guided her to a chair. “You can’t face the king in your working clothes, now can you? It’s time to do your hair.”
She started brushing. After a few seconds Lilith asked, “What was going on last night?”
“You mean the ceremony?” the Ancilla Princeps asked as she started to plait Lilith’s hair.
Lilith nodded.
“Unfortunately, not everyone in Merzia is rich. Some people hardly get by. The people you saw last night, are the poorest in this country. The king gives them an allowance to help them make ends meet. Could you hold these for a second?” The Ancilla Princeps gave her a few pins to hold and then continued plaiting. Lilith felt small tugs on her hair. She was holding her hand up, so that Ghalatea could pick up the pins when she needed them to attach the plaits in loops to her head.
“But why in the middle of the night, concealed underneath wide clothes?” Lilith asked.
“Not everyone is open about their situation, even though many of them are poor through no fault of their own. They are peasants whose crops failed, or elderly people who don’t have any children who can take care of them. Everyone has their own story, but they all share the shame that goes with being poor. That’s why the kings have invited them in the middle of the night for centuries, so nobody sees the people who are summoned to the palace. And that’s also the reason why they wear robes that make it impossible to recognize anyone by their external features.”
Lilith thought about the humble gifts that the people had brought. She now understood the nature of the gifts, but she still didn’t know why people brought them. When she asked her about this, the Ancilla Princeps clarified, “These people may not have much, but they haven’t lost their pride. You shouldn’t look upon all this as a rich man giving alms to a beggar. Even though the tradition is aimed at relieving the needs of Merzia’s poorest, the ceremony focuses on the exchange of gifts. By bringing the king something, these people preserve their dignity.” There was a hush as the Ancilla Princeps tied long ribbons of the same colour as the beads on Lilith’s sleeves into Lilith’s hair. Then she asked, “Do you really not understand what you witnessed last night, Lilith? It was an exchange on equal terms. Everyone shared on the same level. The value of the king’s gift might be somewhat bigger, but to someone who owns nothing, the one flower growing next to their front door can be an equally valuable gift.”
Now Lilith was starting to understand what the king had meant and she felt great respect for him.
Ghalatea patted Lilith’s shoulders. “Go and look at yourself in the mirror.”
Lilith got up. She stared at herself, baffled.
“Is that me?” she whispered.
Ghalatea went to stand behind the mirror and nodded.
“I don’t even recognize myself any more,” Lilith said cheerfully.
This was what she had been longing for. The woman in the mirror looked reassuringly unfamiliar. Lilith thought she even looked pretty, something she had never thought about herself before. There was a smile on her lips and her eyes were beaming. Even though she had gained weight, her cheekbones were still prominent, but that only added to her beauty. She looked at Ghalatea.
“Thank you so much for coming. I’m glad that we can be… normal around each other again.”
The Ancilla Princeps nodded and walked to the door. “Come, we have to go. You can’t keep the king waiting.”
Lilith threw on her boots and hurriedly joined the Ancilla Princeps, who was waiting with the two soldiers.
On the way to Yvar’s chambers they encountered many soldiers. They were going in and out of rooms and they were searching the corridors. Even though they were clearly busy, the men did find the time to turn around and stare after Lilith. Ghalatea leaned in to her and made a remark about it. Lilith started to blush, but it made her smile as well. After a little while they reached Yvar’s office.
Lilith gave a self-confident knock on the door. Ghalatea’s words had made it clear to her that the king hadn’t changed his mind, and she was looking forward to her reward. It wasn’t long before she was called in. She looked at the Ancilla Princeps, who gave her an encouraging nod, before she opened the door and entered the room.
Yvar received her in full regalia. There was a crown on his head, and a richly decorated, velvet cape was fastened on his shoulders with two gold clasps. His attire contrasted strongly with the way he had been dressed the night before. The king wasn’t alone; Ferhdessar was also present.
“I hope you were able to get some sleep,” the king began. He held his arm pressed against his side, but otherwise he looked well.
Lilith nodded. “I lay awake at first, but I eventually drifted off. And you?”
The king laughed. Lilith realized how inappropriate her question was. She hadn’t meant to ask it like that. She awkwardly fidgeted with her skirts. “I meant,” she hurried to say, “how is your arm doing?”
There was a flas
h of pain in his eyes when he shrugged. “It will heal. But let’s talk about why I asked you to come here. You might very well be the reason why I survived yesterday’s attack. Of course it was my Guard that defeated the servi, but I don’t want to downplay your part in this matter. Therefore, I think it only right to remit your sentence.”
Lilith’s mouth fell open and she didn’t know what to say. Yvar’s words only truly started to sink in when Ferhdessar removed her wristband. This was more than she had expected. Of course the possibility had crossed her mind, but she had pushed that hope aside for fear of being disappointed.
“Thank you, lord,” she stammered, rubbing her wrist. The impression of the band was still visible on her skin, but it was a huge relief to no longer be wearing it.
The king nodded. “You’re no longer a prisoner, so that wristband is no longer necessary. You will keep wearing the other one though, until you decide to leave the palace.”
Lilith preferred to have both wristbands removed, but she understood why both men thought this was best.
Harald entered with five guards. Their eyes were tense, and their swords were partly drawn. Lilith had not seen them wearing rifles before. Harald gave Lilith a suspicious look before he addressed the king, “All is in readiness.”
Yvar got up and motioned for Lilith to follow him.
“Lord, I see it as my duty to once more advise you against taking her with you,” Harald objected.
The king burst out in anger, “We’ve discussed this before. The woman is part of our company.”
“But…”
“I don’t want to hear it. I’m convinced that Lilith won’t hurt me. I might even be safer with her around, because she at least spotted the danger.”
“I was the one who advised you not to hold the ceremony in the first place, exactly because of…”
“Enough!” Yvar raised his hand as a sign that his bodyguard now really had overstepped the mark.
“I’m only doing my job,” Harald mumbled offended.
Right at that moment a panel in the wall slid open. Lilith had been looking at it only a minute ago, but she hadn’t noticed that it was a passage. Two guards disappeared through the opening. Ferhdessar went next, followed by Harald and the king. Lilith was escorted by the three remaining soldiers.
The passage was narrow, forcing them to walk in single file. The air was stale, but there were no spider webs and the floor had been swept. With a grating sound, the wall slid back into place. After several bends they arrived at a fork, but they didn’t go into either passage. Another stone panel slid aside, revealing a staircase. Lilith saw soldiers standing on the landing below them, but the party went upstairs. Then they had to wait until Ferhdessar said they could proceed.
Even though the sun had already sunk behind the buildings, Lilith blinked against the light when she suddenly found herself outside. The balcony was only just big enough for four guards, the king, Ferhdessar and herself. The other two soldiers remained behind on the stairs. A crowd had gathered in the square in front of the palace. It looked as if they were standing behind a wall of glass. Lilith saw her own reflection and that of the six men hovering above the railing. Just when Lilith started to wonder if she was seeing things clearly, the sorcerer turned towards her.
“I’ve created a shield. We don’t know for sure if the five servi we caught are the only ones who have come to Nadesh. That’s also the reason why you’re here and not somewhere in the crowd.”
This was the first time that Lilith was thankful for Ferhdessar’s magic.
The crowd had started cheering when the king had walked onto the balcony. He took it all in with a smile on his face. When he raised his hand, everyone became quiet.
“Fellow countrymen and women, I’m glad to be able to stand before you today. Yesterday, five servi broke into the palace. Thanks to a few brave people, my life wasn’t at risk for even one second. The intruders were discovered on time and the attack was thwarted before it had even started. Let yesterday and today be a warning to all our enemies. Merzia is strong!”
Everybody started cheering again and in the meantime the remaining Muircadh was led into the square. The people backed away nervously. They, undoubtedly, had never seen a creature like him before. Some boys were more courageous and spat at the prisoner. When the Muircadh tried to tear himself loose, however, the boys took to their heels.
Lilith suddenly spotted the gallows that was put up on the other side of the square. She started to smile when she realized what was going to happen. Ever since last night, all the feelings of hatred inside her were fighting to be released, but now those feelings gave way to satisfaction. Finally these creatures would get what they deserved, even if it was only one of them. She was startled for a second when she saw the masked executioner, but almost immediately the feeling of elation got the upper hand again.
As if sensing she was staring at him, the Muircadh suddenly looked up at her. She grinned at him but wasn’t sure if he could see that from this distance.
Goodbye, fish face. Now I have the last laugh.
He bowed his head when the noose was put around his neck. The executioner looked up at the balcony. When the king gave a nod, the servus was pushed off the platform.
How quickly a life could end. Moments before he had been walking through the crowd, now his lifeless body was dangling from a rope. It was almost disappointing that the Muircadh had gotten off so easily.
The Merzian crowd apparently didn’t agree. The people in the square had been silent for a little while, but now there was an outburst of noise. Someone started to sing Merzia’s national anthem. More and more people joined in and soon everybody was singing. Impressed, Lilith looked at the king. She saw a shiver run through him, but he was smiling. She felt a stab of jealousy and bowed her head. She wished she was the one being cheered and sung at by the crowd. For a tiny second she believed that she was entitled to it: she was the one who had saved the king’s life. But then she understood that there were no reasons to applaud her. She had already received her reward.
The body was taken down from the gallows and put on display in a cage while Lilith followed Ferhdessar back into the palace. Halfway down the stairs, the king and his guards disappeared into the passage behind the wall again, but the sorcerer turned around to face Lilith. “There will be a party tonight, to celebrate Merzia’s victory over this threat. Go find Ghalatea, she can take you with her.” He pointed downstairs.
It was clear that he wasn’t going to attend the party himself, so Lilith became nervous. Ferhdessar gave her a reassuring nod. “The soldiers have searched every room in the palace twice. There’s no need to worry.”
Not entirely at ease, she descended the stairs.
“Oh, Lilith, one more thing.” He waited for her to turn around. “I want you to keep quiet about what you saw yesterday.”
She reluctantly agreed. She had wanted to brag to the other maidservants about what she had done, but now her chance to gain some respect was taken away.
“It’s important, Lilith,” Ferhdessar said.
“I understand. I’ll pretend I wasn’t there.”
“Great.”
Lilith walked on to find Ghalatea. The Ancilla Princeps was now wearing a light blue dress with shining dark blue stitching. Her veil was the same colour blue. Ghalatea had used kohl to draw black lines around her bright eyes, making them the centre of attention.
“Are you looking forward to the party?” she asked Lilith as they walked on together.
Lilith shrugged, she had no idea what to expect.
A buzz of voices greeted them as they crossed the threshold to the Great Hall. Many of the people who had previously been in the square had gathered here. They were illuminated by patches of light in various colours. Amazed, Lilith looked up. High above her, eight ribs were joined together in the shape of a dome. The planes between the ribs contained stained-glass windows. The light falling through the windows was very bright.
“What
time is it?” she asked Ghalatea with surprise in her voice.
The Ancilla Princeps briefly looked up as well and said, “The dome is illuminated from the outside, but the sun is, indeed, setting.”
Lilith couldn’t keep her eyes off all the pictures. The Merzians seemed to have a fondness of plants because, just like the tapestry in her room, the dome was mainly decorated with flowers. But there were animals hidden among the flowers as well. She saw eagles, wolves and unicorns, and the longer she looked, the more animals she discovered. She, however, didn’t pay attention to where she was going.
Someone grabbed her shoulder when she bumped into him. Lilith apologized, blushing. The man smiled at her and disappeared in the crowd. Ghalatea guided Lilith past a music group who were just starting a new song. At the first tones, Lilith stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. A woman was standing behind a musical instrument, stroking the strings with her fingers. She had her eyes closed and was leaning her head almost lovingly against the wood. Her face was beaming. She clearly enjoyed her own playing.
“What is it?” Ghalatea asked as she came back to stand next to Lilith.
“This sound is so familiar.”
“Did someone you grew up with play the harp?” the Ancilla Princeps asked, sounding surprised.
At first Lilith hesitantly shook her head, but then she was sure that this hadn’t been the case. Still, the sound of this instrument was reassuringly familiar to her. The strange feeling disappeared when the other musicians joined in and the tempo increased. Lilith turned around. “It’s a beautiful instrument.”
The Lilith Trilogy Box Set Page 17