The Queen of Hope (Tower of Glass series) (The Throne Of Glass Book 1)

by Anna Lacroire

  That smirk was enough for Amenea to be reminded of what she had felt the last time she had sat in this dining room. The last time she had seen that smile on her sister’s face. Now the dress, the sleep, the thought of her father and all that had put Amenea in a good mood this morning had now very much changed.

  However not wanting to upset her mother who was clearly very happy and excited about the coming of the ceremony and not wanting to let Oriana profit from seeing how annoyed she was with her right now; Amenea simply turned to her mother and said quite innocently,

  “Of course, mother. I am really quite overjoyed that Prince Daryn has chosen to invite me as his guest of honour at the Carving of the light ceremony. Who knows, I may even end up a Queen one day because if it.’ she said quite jovially as she smiled at her mother, lifting herself from the chair and kissing her mother delicately on the four head as she started to make her way towards the door to leave the dining chambers.

  “Oh – really?’ said her mother, in a pleasantly surprised voice. At that point she turned to see what Amenea was to respond, only to see that the door to the dining chambers was just closing upon Amenea’s exit, the last of the gallows of her beautiful dress was just passing on the other side of the door with the last few dazzles of sunshine that filled the hallway, beamed into the dining room through the small crack of the door, just lighting up the flowers on the fabric of her dress, before the door closed shut.

  As her mother turned back round, she realised that she was not alone and that Orinana was now in the room.

  “Oh hello, my love – I did not realise that you had returned already.” She said as she looked at Oriana who was not standing fully upright against the sideboard with her arms drawn tightly into her sides as she disguised her now clenched fists in the gathers of her robes. Her face was red, very red.

  Her mother thought it was from the early morning ride. But Orinana knew that it was for a very different reason but how long would she be able to keep that reason a secret.

  Only time would tell …

  Chapter 18

  The next few weeks were so busy. Gladly, Amenea’s biggest distraction came from Chateau school and going for long, horse rides without her sisters. She felt she really needed to be alone. Amenea thought that as much as Cordelia is kind and mature, Amenea wondered how she would be not be anything but the same to Oriana as well.

  Amenea was getting very good at navigating herself around the grounds and the forest on her horse. She even went close to the cliffs where the tower was by herself one night but decided it would be too dangerous to go any further. Amenea felt strong with anger to ride there that night but once she got near her strength withered and disseminated, like the mist that rises over the marsh where the Thylax wallow sometimes.

  Of course, Amenea did not want to be angry at Custennain and really, deep down she knew she wasn’t, not really – how could she be. A million times and more since Oriana had kissed him, Amenea had turned over the contact that she had, had with him. She knew she wasn’t mistaken – the way he looked into her eyes when he found her drenched by the fountain. The ride they took together along with his brothers and her sisters, to the edge of the grounds. The moment they shared together in his chambers – their tattoo. That feeling- she knew he felt too. Didn’t he?

  Amenea shrugged her shoulders delicately to herself as she tilted her small head to one side as she day dreamed about Custennain. Her long wavy hair swung gently, like perfect, spiralled, twisted feathers as she trotted along with her horse. She knew not where she was going but decided to start back as she was getting cold. She only had a light cloak and light robes. The night was starting to fall, and the mist was making it hard to see. Fall was definitely on its way, she thought. A small shudder echoed down her frail but rigid body as she tried to not feel the cool air fall around her.

  Amenea decided to stop briefly and really lace up her robes so that she could kantar back to the Chateau at speed. Any unlaced clothing would make me a wind catcher, slow me down and quite possibly freeze me to death, thought Amenea. She could see a little clearing coming up which would be ideal to descend for a few minutes, she thought.

  As Amenea approached the clearing she slowed down her horse as she could hear a noise. Amenea, silently turned her head and her horse to follow the sound. It was sobbing, deep, sorrowful sobbing. Who in their right mind would be out here right now, sobbing thought Amenea. Whoever it is, is a fool, she said to herself – especially if they get caught in the nightfall – they will never find their way back from here she thought as she steered her way on her horse through the dense undergrowth.

  Following the noise of the awful sobbing, Amenea saw the outline of a person. It was most definitely that of a man, Amenea could tell because of the slender, masculine stoop and outline shape of his body. The poor soul was sobbing and sobbing as he bent over in to the breach of his own sorrow. Amenea felt immediately drawn to him but approached slowly with caution as of yet, from this distance, she was unsure if she were in danger. Then as she got much closer and still mounted on her horse, her horse appeared to become slightly anxious as it naiad, tensioning its warm, wide body beneath her under her strong, leather reins as it did so.

  Amenea tightening her grip on the reins and also squeezing her inner thighs together with all her might on each side of the horse, let out a small gasp as her horse reared. The bushes near to her moved and her heart pounding at that moment as loud as the sound made when the hooves of the Exodalus beasts met the earth. However, it was a false alarm as Amenea’s horse calmed almost as quickly as it appeared anxious. Amenea realised what had happened prior and turned towards the figure that she had been approaching, realising as she did so that the sobbing had now stopped. “Why are you here?” he said. “Why have you come?” he asked unwelcomely?

  “Mabon! Oh, my goodness is that you – oh my, it is! Whatever is the matter.” Amenea said as she started to approach him still on her horse. Just as she finished saying this, she threw one of her long, slender legs, up and over her saddle and slide done one side of the horse - elegantly and quickly

  “Are you hurt – why were you sobbing like that? ” she asked.

  Looking somewhat already red faced from his tears and clearly not liking the fact at all that he had been caught sobbing – by anyone, Mabon attempted to defer responding to Amenea’s obvious questions. He muttered words such as

  “Oh that – that was nothing.” As he brushed himself down and redressed his figure by straightening his tunic and tucking his shirt which was underneath it back into the seat of his trousers.

  “It’s okay Mabon, you can be annoyed with her and honest about it with me. I understand. I am just as annoyed with my sister as you – believe me.” said Amenea softly. “My own sister – who would have thought it?” continued Amenea, feeling quietly contented that she had found someone that she could talk to about this without worry of judgement. However, her thoughts were wrong.

  “Annoyed?” replied Mabon.

  “Annoyed – with Orinana – never!” he stated quite firmly. He turned to look at Amenea as he said this, and his facial gesture was every bit as rigid and firm as the ground they were standing upon.

  “But I don’t understand ...” started Amenea. “You will – all will become clear and when it does. I will be there for her and she will see the depth of my love. She will realise that she is my Queen. She is the one.”

  Totally blown away by Mabon’s unimaginable reaction, Amenea started to mentally turn over what he said as he continued to busy himself for departure. Feeling an imminent necessity to gain clarity from his words before he should leave, Amenea looked straight into his eyes as her soft right hand reached out to touch his wrist.

  “But why – Mabon, why?” she asked, feeling that she was swimming in a deep, dark Ocean all alone, with an unknown world beneath her and a sky as vast as the eye could see above her.

  “Well fortunately for me it was your mezedi ball that indicated what it
is to come. I was shocked at first when I opened my palm that day. I was expecting to see some, nonsense from the river elks or something of a similar nature playing a trick upon me. But what I saw that day was no trick. At least not for me.”

  He patted his horses saddle bag at that time as he said this. And Amenea realised that he was indeed without horse. Amenea was confused. He sounded so sure of himself and so confident, yet this is not what Amenea felt when she approached – the sobbing!

  “So why were you sobbing then? “Amenea asked. “If all is well.”

  “I did not say that all was well, in fact sadly it won’t be well – at least not for some.” Mabon’s eyes darkened at that point and his head fell, gloom appeared to hold his attention for a moment and Amenea just watched him in astonishment silently as he continued. “But sometimes that is what must happen …” Mabon said lightly as if he were in a mild trance. “…so that all can be well.” He was almost convincing.

  Amenea raised her eyebrows and was just about to ask him again in his apparent, semi lucid state exactly what he was talking about when the bush moved again. Quite a few of them were moving at this point. Amenea noticed that her horse had pricked back his ears but was not anxious.

  At the moment the bushes right next to them parted and Mabon’s horse appeared. “Ah ha,” said a voice that seemed to be coming from behind the horse. Amenea looked into the undergrowth as she tried to make out who it was.

  As she did, she saw the top of a long, wooden staff, move slowly, high above the lower undergrowth. “Here we are,” said the voice. Amenea looked harder into the direction of the undergrowth, only to suddenly pull her face back as the face of the voice she had heard appeared. Now this makes no sense thought Amenea suddenly as she now stood looking into the tanned and heavily wrinkled face of the tall, old man that had been sitting that day, reading by the fountain. His eyes were something that Amenea had noticed before until now, but in this light, it was even more bestowing to her as his eyes were the same colour as the water of the fountain, found in the courtyard of the chateau.

  “Hello.” he said to Amenea who was rendered entirely speechless at this point in time, as she was wondering what was going on.

  The man then looked at her with his very blue but gentle eyes that seemed to widen into deep crescent shapes, like the arc of a bow as he said in a calm and kind voice, “We meet again .”

  Chapter 19

  Amenea lay daydreaming in her bed the following morning again. She was still trying to piece together so many things in her mind. Her father and where he could be now and more importantly how she could find him and free him, so that they could all be a family again. Amenea would like that. Her eyebrows twitched slightly at this thought as they then knitted together as she imagined what her father would be saying to Oriana after her galivanting with Mabon and Custennain. Her imagination of what her father would have said to Oriana was bringing a wry, smile to her lips.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice. She pricked up her ears. It was Custennain. He was speaking to someone outside hr Amenea’s door. He deep, polite voice was making her curl her toes under the covers in glee. The thought of his face near to hers again was softening her smile and …

  There was a gentle knock at her door and for once it was not her sisters but her mother.

  I wonder what he was saying to her, Amenea thought.

  “Are you ok?” her mother said. Amenea sat herself up in bed, gently untassling her long, brown curls playfully as she inched a way through her thoughts to ask her mother about Custennain without causing interest or questions from her mother. Amenea’s hair had knotted together gently in small parts at the end of its lengths. Her mother saw what she was doing and immediately took a bone comb to her hair in her motherly fashion as she combed in gently freeing up the knots as she went through Amenea’s long tresses. Amenea still in a daydream split between yesterday and the thought of Custennain right now, hadn’t even realised that she hadn’t answered her mother.

  “Amenea!” her mother ,beckoned gently.

  “As you were out late last night – Mabon too. I heard the servants talking about it as the stable master had to come and attend to Mabon’s horse as it had a holy thorn that had managed to lodge itself quite deep into his horse’s thigh. Apparently, you entered about the same time as him. What were you doing … were you together?” asked her mother inquisitively.

  “ No I came across him on my ride where he was taking his horse to water. That’s all really.” replied Amenea. She bit her lip gently at the thought that she had been pretty economic with the truth with her mother, whose gentle fingers were still pallying the force of the bone comb.

  “Ok my dear – well you would talk to me wouldn’t you dear, about anything. Anything at all.” her mother said concerningly.

  Feeling now guilty at not being totally honest with her mother Amenea thought this may be a good time to ask about her father. It may help to change the focus of attention, thought Amenea. Amenea turned to face her mother who was now standing quietly. The comb was back on the side table by her bed.

  “I know”, said her mother.

  Amenea penched her head forward in a gesture that coveted a half subdued posture and half a questioned expression.

  “Know? Know what.” said Amenea to her mother. Amenea’s eyes were as big as saucers as she looked into her mother’s eyes, who looked as deeply into hers.

  “Your father - I know he is with life and that he has spoken with you. I felt his presence close to me the other night. Please be careful Amenea – you cannot change the course of fate.”

  Amenea was shocked – so shocked right now. What did her mother mean? Did she not care? As if she had read Amenea’s mind her mother said, “The love that your father and I share – have, for each other and for you girls will never be broken, it’s indestructible. I know we will be together again one day. Her eyes mooned into the atmosphere.”

  “But – aren’t you …” Amenea started to say something but was silenced by her mother who gently leant towards her, kissed her own finger and placed it gently on Amenea’s lips.

  “All will be well,” she said before she turned to catch what Amenea was sure was a tear.

  Her mother quickly turned back on her heels to face Amenea. Her long robe flowed delicately around her as she did so, falling gently at her sides.

  “Now – you need to help Oriana today, please. I don’t know where your sister’s head has been lately, but she is very behind in her preparations for the coming of the light ceremony. Today we will be doing a small robe rehearsal. I want to ensure that everyone’s’ robes are fit and fine for the ceremony. Which reminds me - I haven’t seen you try your robes on either since I had them made for you.”

  Feeling really sorry for her mother realising how hard it must be for her not to be with dad, Amenea just kindly nodded and agreed to do whatever her mother asked.

  “Oh, and before I leave you to wash and ready yourself, Custennain was busing himself in the hallway before I entered.”

  Her mother gently wrinkled her eye which was now glinting as if she knew something that Amenea didn’t. She continued, “I think he wanted to knock himself on the door but couldn’t quite get the courage to do so – her mother chuckled gently. “These strong warriors – they are so strong and brave, but affairs of the heart make them the lace between your seams.”

  “Affairs of the heart – I don’t think so!” Amenea snapped abruptly, as the last episode with Oriana started to replay vividly in her mind right now.

  “Oh come Amenea, he is very fond of you. That one can see. Prince Daryln certainly did. However, time we tell …” her mother smiled gently to herself whilst she buried within her robes to look for something.

  “But – he did give me this.” Her mother toy fully said. And there in her long, eloquent fingers she was holding a cream parchment.

  “What on earth is that?” Amenea asked.

  “I don’t know my love – I have
not read it as it was not addressed to me. It is addressed to you. He asked me just outside the door if I wouldn’t mind giving it to you. At first, I thought it was something to do with Chateau school but now, I think it may be something different.”

  Amenea took the parchment and opened it silently. So silently that she heard the huge, oak door gently move across the flagstone floor as her mother closed it behind her.

  Amenea held her breath as she read:

  ‘Amenea – please don’t be upset or angry about what your sister did. I can explain. Will you meet me tonight by the fountain?

  I will wait there for you after supper.’

  Yours Custennain x

  Chapter 20

  Amenea could hardly sleep that night. She had looked at Custennain’s letter so many times during the night that the parchment was almost in two parts.

  As she lay back on her soft, animal furs Amenea turned the words over and over in her head. What did he mean? What will he be explaining to her? From the tone of his note and the words ‘don’t worry’ Amenea felt a sort of relief – but not quiet.

  Being awake through the night with these thoughts Amenea found herself looking into the large, mirror in her chambers. The same one that Custennain has. She pondered deep into the glass as her mind rambled through the events of the last few weeks. Amenea let her eyes circle the beautifully coloured border of stones that embellished the mirror’s edges until she got to the figure of Abraxas again. She looked back down at the marking that had mysteriously appeared after the fountain. But it was no good, she was still at a loss, unable to piece the many parts of the puzzle together. Just as her hand subconsciously fidgeted with one of the stones as she looked at herself in the mirror – it became loose.