by N. M. Howell
Rhea snorted and tried to conceal the sound behind her raised hand. “Yeah, right. Things work out like that in fairy tales, maybe.”
Keaven rolled his eyes. “The princess always gets what she wants in the end of fairy tales,” he said. “She’s just going to have to go through some obstacles, first.”
“Well, we’ve certainly had obstacles,” Rhea answered. “But I have a feeling our journey here is just the beginning of the story.”
Keaven frowned, and her words rang true in the air around them. A wave of fear set in again in the pit of her stomach. She felt queasy as they followed the three men through the valley and down toward a narrow path in front of them. The ground was sunken and the hills rose like three-story walls around them. They had to walk single file to fit in the narrow space and the dampness from the exposed earth seeped into her bones. Large planks of wood and hooks and broken metal hung from the makeshift walls on either side of them as they walked, and Rhea’s eyes lingered on the strange instruments that lined their path.
She gasped nearly fell from her saddle when she caught the sight of hanging bodies in front of them, lined up along the walls.
The tension around them rose, and Taelor’s horse whinnied in front of her. Taelor looked back to her, his eyes strained. She met his gaze, a worried look on her face.
“Don’t mind them,” an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind them. Two of the three men on horseback followed them from behind, and Rhea turned to see who spoke.
He motioned toward the bodies. “Enemies of the Crown, attackers of the castle. We hung them up as a warning to other enemies, wanting to keep others out and warn them of the dangers of attacking Greystone.”
Rhea swallowed, unable to pull her gaze from the rotting corpses. The smell was overwhelming and she raised her sweater to cover her nose. Glancing back to the man behind her, her eyes narrowed with anger. “These are villagers, peasants and farmers. None of them are wearing armor. How were these enemies of the Crown?”
The man nodded thoughtlessly to her words, his eyes gazing at the bodies fondly. Rhea thought she recognized joy in the man’s expression, and he simply shrugged. “Anyone who comes to us uninvited and questions the Crown is an enemy of Greystone. Let these bodies serve as a warning to anyone who tried to penetrate these walls and not bend the knee to the Crown.”
“And who wears the crown?” she asked him.
The man smirked and looked forward, letting the question hang in the air.
She knew the answer to that one. Her uncle, Aelon, seemed to be the one who had the greatest claim to the throne currently. She wondered if the people inside had bent their knees to him, or whether those within the castle still held true to her father’s reign.
She swallowed hard. Her nerves sparked on edge and her body began to shake as they neared a large metal and wooden gate. The party stopped, and the sound of creaking metal echoed around them as the gate was raised. A loud horn sounded from the other side of the gate, and the horses moved forward as Fenraerren led them through.
Rhea’s fears subsided, though, when they were greeted with fanfare.
An endless sea of castle inhabitants, servants, and nobles alike all cheered as they arrived. They played music and sang, and Rhea’s breath caught in her throat as she looked out over everyone cheering around them. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting at the castle, but this certainly wasn’t it.
She smiled back at everyone and raised a hand to wave. They all seemed to be cheering at her, welcoming her home. Her eyes stung and she bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. Her surroundings grew familiar as they came into the central courtyard. People stood all around, their arms waving in the air and their eyes lit up with excitement.
She looked up and there was yet another sea of people standing around the balconies and edges of the rooftops, all waving and cheering down at her. She nodded to people as they passed, but their party did not stop. They were led past the courtyard and through another gate, down a long corridor, and toward the east side of the castle.
Rhea turned to look back at everyone as they rounded the corner, waving and smiling to people as she went. Turning to face forward again, she shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. The sounds quieted as they entered a smaller, less crowded courtyard and disembarked from their horses.
“See, you are welcome here, Princess,” Fenraerren said to her. He bowed deeply as he stood before her, his nose nearly touching the ground.
“Please stand, friend,” Rhea laughed. “I will freely admit this is not what I was expecting. It is strange to be home. I’m grateful for your warm welcome.”
Her guardians didn’t seem to share her joy. She glanced back at them and they all seemed serious, calculating. They were on edge, their eyes darting about for danger. She wouldn’t even bother telling them to relax, because she knew they wouldn’t. So she simply ignored them, doing her best to offer a polite smile to Fenraerren and his two men.
“The servants will take you to your quarters and get you cleaned up,” Fenraerren said. “We will meet shortly in the receiving hall.” He bowed again and turned to leave, a group of servants arriving to join the group.
Six colorfully-dressed servants took their horses and led them away, and Rhea was reluctant to let them go. She watched as her horse rounded the corner and was taken to the stables. A pang of regret filled her chest as he disappeared.
Another six servants bowed and led them up the winding spiral staircase to the guest rooms. There was a strange familiarity to her surroundings and she traced her fingers along the rough stone of the castle walls as she followed quietly in their footsteps. She closed her eyes and breathed in the musky smell of the castle, the smells both familiar and foreign to her nose.
The walls and rooms hadn’t changed much since she’d left, but it’d been so long since she’d been there, and so much of her life had changed, that even the familiarity seem strange to her. Her guardians stood close as they walked, never moving more than a few feet from her side.
Taelor had his hand on his sword, prepared for an attack at any moment. She placed a soft hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped, shooting a sharp glance in her direction. Rhea smiled at him, but his frown deepened.
“It’s okay, Taelor,” Rhea said softly. “We’re home. We’re not in any immediate danger right now.”
Taelor’s eyes narrowed even more and he turned his attention back to their surroundings. Rhea ignored him, eager to be led to a room so she could rest and clean up. Hers was the farthest at the end of the hall, a large room with small high windows filled with metal bars. She’d never been to this part of the castle before, never having any reason to visit the guest wing in the east side of the castle as a child.
“This is your room, Princess.” The servant bowed, motioning into the room from the hallway. Rhea smiled her thanks and stepped inside, followed closely behind by Grayson.
His towering form behind her cast a heavy presence, and she turned to him and smiled.
“I’ll be fine, Grayson,” she said. “You can go get cleaned up.”
He scowled at her. “I will not let you be left alone here, Rhea. It may seem like we’ve been welcomed here, but I don’t trust this place. I’m not going to leave your side.”
Rhea sighed, rubbing her temples as she conceded his decision. “Okay fine, but at least let me change in private.”
“A dress has been laid out for you in the washing chambers,” the servant said.
Rhea nodded her thanks and the servant turned to leave. The other four guardians watched as she entered her room, but they quickly turned into their own chambers to wash and change into fresh clothes. Their need for clean clothing seemed to outweigh their worry for her, apart from Grayson.
“Seems strange that they were expecting us like this,” she said to Grayson. She walked around the room, taking in its strange and simple beauty. The room was large and rectangular, the surfaces exposed stone. A large carpet filled the cente
r of the room and the bed was high and massive, topped with a dark gray sheet and pillows. It wasn’t like the lavish rooms the royals slept in, but it was much nicer than anything Rhea had seen the past six years.
She walked to a window and stretched on her tiptoes to look out of it. She wondered why there were metal bars on the windows, as they were so high there was no way anyone would be able to escape through it. Perhaps it was there to stop people from coming in.
“It feels so weird to be back,” she finally admitted. She leaned against the hard stone surface, pressing her palms against the cold stone as she felt the familiar energy of the castle. She shook her head slowly, letting the severity of where they were sink in. “I promised myself for so many years that I would never come back here.”
Grayson walked toward her, his expression softening.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” he said to her. “But we made the right decision in coming here.”
Rhea shook her head slowly, letting out a soft breath. “Why did you guys come?” Her voice held a quiver as she spoke.
Now that they were inside and things were quiet, the events of their journey filled her mind. Everything seemed so overwhelming, everything in her life had taken such a strange and drastic turn.
“What you mean?” he asked her.
“I did a terrible thing by leaving,” she told him.
She couldn't raise her eyes to his to meet his gaze, she simply stared at her feet on the floor. “I abandoned you all, and you all led such terrible lives while I was gone. Why would you bother coming to get me?”
“You know the answer to that,” Grayson said to her. He stepped even closer, his hot breath tingling her skin. He was tall and loomed over her, his chest wide and strong. She placed her hand against his firm chest, feeling his heartbeat from behind heavy muscles.
“I know you think I’m the one to rightfully sit the throne, but in truth anyone of my family could’ve done so. Surely one of my cousins or distant relatives or anyone else who would’ve been a good fit could be the one to help turn this world around. You could’ve found anyone else here who would do a much better job than me.”
Grayson took her hands in his. “Rhea, it’s not just about that. We came to get you because we are part of you. You’re right in that our lives haven’t been easy the last six years with you gone, but we’ve made do. I knew eventually we would all have to come together, and I spent the last few years tracking down the other four so we could come together and find you at last.”
Rhea shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. Her eyes stung and her throat burned. She couldn’t say a word. She didn’t fight it when Grayson placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.
“Not only are you our princess and the rightful heir to the throne, you are our god and we are your guardians. We belong together, whether you see it or not. Surely you understand that the six of us are stronger together.”
Rhea sniffed and nodded slowly. “I’m beginning to see that.”
Grayson dropped his hand and took a step back. “Good, then you understand that we are all in this together and no matter what you decide, we are here for you.”
Rhea looked up to him, her eyes sorrowful. “And what if I decide not to sit on the throne?”
Grayson offered her a small smile. “Whatever decision you make, we will honor it. But I have a feeling once you fully understand that you are the only one who will be able lead this world to peace by ruling the Otherworld, you will make the right decision.”
Rhea shook her head, and tears dripped down her cheeks. “You make it sound so simple. Sit on the throne and everything will be fixed.”
Grayson let out a slow laugh. “If only. But we’ll find a way, Rhea. I promise.”
“I guess we don’t have much of a choice now, do we?” she laughed. “We’re here. We’ve jumped in the deep end. It’s either sink or swim.”
“I hope you remember your swimming lessons from when you were a child,” Grayson teased.
Rhea couldn’t help but laugh at him. She shook her head, a smile returning to her face. She wiped away the tears and rolled her shoulders back, letting out a breath to calm herself and bring herself back to her center. “Speaking of swimming, I need to take a bath. My clothes stink and I feel disgusting. I think I’m covered in horse sweat.”
“You do look particularly disgusting,” Grayson agreed.
She groaned and pushed him away. “Oh, shush you. You don’t look like Prince Charming, either.”
“Who?”
Rhea rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I’m going to bathe and change, is that all right with you?”
Grayson nodded and took a seat on the bed, watching her as she strode into the washing room.
Rhea closed the heavy wooden door behind her, and couldn’t help but smile at the small room that had been prepared for her. A bath had been drawn and the water was warm. She paused, considering the events leading up to that moment. How would the castle’s servants have known they would be coming at this exact time?
Before the thoughts consumed her too much, she realized they’d probably been spied on the whole time. But by whom? They hadn’t been alerted to anyone nearby, and their travels had been smooth sailing for the most part, apart from the bandits.
Rhea removed her clothing, stepping out of her torn jeans and sweat-stained shirt. She kicked her clothes into a nearby basin that was filled with soapy water, so that her clothes could be washed when she was done. She would have no need of her dirty clothes that day, and was eager for a fresh set of clothing befitting a princess.
She dipped a toe in the hot water, and relished in the heat as it and soaked her skin. She tentatively stepped inside, allowing her full body to be submerged. The hot water felt amazing against her aching muscles, and she allowed herself to relax, closing her eyes and floating within the steam. She lay there for a long while, her muscles easing and the dirt washing away from her skin. She used a bar of soap to wash her hair and clean her body, and when the water finally began to cool, she stepped out and dried herself with nearby towels.
A long bag hung from the doorway, and she stepped toward it, her hair still dripping as she untied the package to see what clothing they left out for her.
Her voice caught in her throat as she allowed the covering to fall to the ground. A long, bright-green and orange frilly dress was revealed.
She gasped as she stared at the horrendous thing. She wanted to laugh or cry, she wasn’t sure which. This was not at all the type of clothing they’d worn in the castle when she was young. This was something from a mummer’s farce.
The green was frilly and poofed out on the sleeves, and the orange sequins shone bright in the flickering firelight from the wall torches. It looked like something a performer in the circus would wear, with frills and lace and buttons everywhere. She held it up in disgust, inspecting it from every angle. She then looked around herself frantically, hoping that there was something else to wear. There wasn’t.
Swallowing her pride, Rhea opened dress and stepped into it, sinking her body into the tight fabric and buttoning it up around her body. There was a large sash in the centre, a bright silver with orange sequins, and she tied it around her waist. She looked down at herself and didn’t know what to say. An hysterical sob erupted from her lips, quickly turning into a laugh of disbelief.
This whole thing seeming a cruel joke. She walked over to the mirror on the wall and inspected herself. She had never seen anything so ridiculous in her entire life. She wondered if this was a joke, or simply the new fashion.
“Everything okay in there?” she heard Grayson call from the next room.
Swallowing hard, she stared wide-eyed at herself in the mirror. “Er…yeah,” she replied.
She remembered being young and having guests from all over the land coming to visit, their clothing an array of wondrous colors. She had loved seeing the various fashions from around
the world.
She swallowed hard and considered that perhaps this was simply the new style of the castle, the style that her uncle had decided upon for his potential reign. She hoped that was the case, and that she wasn’t being set up to be ridiculed in front of everyone.
With a level head and forced determination, she stepped out of the bathroom. Grayson stepped from the bed, his eyes wide as he stared at her.
They both stood frozen in place staring at each other for a long moment before Grayson finally fell to his knees and burst out laughing, a heavy snort sounding from his nose.
“What are you laughing at?” she yelled at him. She crossed her arms, glaring down at him.
Grayson shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. She had never seen him in such an outburst before and couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips at the sheer happiness on his face. She then remembered he was laughing at her, and she pressed her lips together to stop her grin.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he said to her, his voice still shaking from laughter.
She had to admit she couldn’t blame him. But although the dress was absolutely nothing like the sleek and beautiful royal clothing she’d worn as a young Princess, at least it was clean and dry.
“It’s not that terrible, is it?” she asked him.
Grayson finally composed himself and sat back on his heels as he shook his head. “I have to admit, Rhea. It’s like nothing I’ve seen anything before, even during any of my travels. Not even the circus performers in the Crimson Plains wore anything like this.”
Rhea shrugged, trying to be the calm one of the two. “Perhaps it’s just a new style at the castle. These things change, don’t they?”
Grayson couldn’t help himself but sort again. “I highly doubt it, Princess.”
“Well then, what the hell am I supposed to do? My clothes are soaked. I threw them in a wash basin.”
Grayson’s shrugged. “Well, I guess that’ll just have to do.”