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I had seen each of the four houses on maps enough I knew where they were, I had been drilled on what they were, and I knew more about Spryv than any other, if only because of Aeinya. I had grown up with her telling me the stories of her home; of the hot sands, and the far glass mountains, of the giant winged Wyverns that lived there. It all seemed so magical. Of course, everything seemed magical when one is locked behind the high walls of a castle fortress.
So many houses in the realm, so many high born males, so many other kingdoms, and among them, somewhere, was the house who rejected me.
It had been days, but it still stung, probably always would. Everyone thought I was broken and sickly, and now I would never escape it.
I pulled the weed out of the ground with more force than I had been intending as I pushed the thought from my mind and went back to trimming and cultivating the wall of tomatoes I was currently hiding behind.
After I couldn’t see anything from the turret, I came down to the garden, my usual haunt close enough I could possibly sneak a peek through the yellowing foliage as they moved into the main courtyard. Fall was biting the air, that beautiful aroma of soil clinging to everything as it turned the leaves red and gold before they dropped to the ground. There wasn’t much foliage left, but there was enough to at least keep me mostly hidden. At least, that was my hope. Mine and at least twenty other servants who now milled around me.
I would have perfectly blended in wearing my cotton dress if it wasn’t for the Boy who stood directly behind me, hand on the snake pommel of his sword as he looked around nervously.
“Don’t worry,” I hissed up at him for the hundredth time. “No one will realize we aren’t in our room. They are all out there.”
I gestured toward the courtyard, where the Ramal, Queen, and Crowned Prince had made their appearance to prepare for Aeinya’s arrival. My family. Right there. And I was hiding behind tomatoes.
Of course, I was technically supposed to be in my room, where I had been ordered to remain after the fiasco of trying to dress up and walking in on my father, who was currently leaning against a cane as my Uncle Jahn placed his bare fingertips on my father’s hands.
Staying in one place never ended well for me. I had been ordered to stay in my room for most of my life, and I always found my way out. You would think they would come up with another way to restrain me by now. Maybe they had given up trying, like everything else.
I should have dressed up in one of those stupid gowns and invited myself up to the welcome, but Batian had asked me to let him handle it. So, I had.
Not that it had allowed me to be there. It wasn’t his fault, though. I was sure he had tried.
“Batian looks nice,” I mumbled, my heart aching as I watched him straighten his white tunic and triple check that his golden cape was placed just the way he usually had it. He was even wearing the same white boots he had the other day, the high leather polished and gleaming. He stood there, smiling, even as he hissed something at Mother.
Her face darkened and she hissed back, pointing from Father to the high walls of the Runturin. Actually, she was pointing toward where my room was in the Runturin.
“Oh, shit,” I yelped, a few of the servants turning toward me in shock.
“Shit. Is one way to put it.” I turned at the female voice, to the woman who was thankfully laughing even though my heart absolutely dropped at seeing her there.
Dressed in her Catalysts’ reds, Batian’s Catalyst stood there, right beside the Boy. On the other side of her, my mothers’ Catalyst stood, face partially shrouded, red cloak and regalia sagging on her bony frame. Some auburn hair had come loose from her knot and was peeking out from behind her hood.
‘Oh shit’ was right.
They were quite the scene, red, black, red, all shrouded and ominous looking. Well, except for Batian’s Catalyst who smiled as much as Batian did.
“We have been looking for you, Princess.” She held her hand out to me, a few of the servants on either side of me shrinking away as though they hadn’t realized who I was until that moment.
They may play it up, but they knew, they simply didn’t want to get in trouble for ignoring my presence when I clearly wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Why exactly were you looking for me?” I didn’t take her hand yet, just stared at it.
I knew exactly why they had been looking for me. There was no way this was going to end well.
“Batian has requested your presence alongside him when his bride arrives.”
Oh, I hadn’t expected that. I looked back through the tomatoes, to Batian who was speaking to Uncle Jahn in a clear panic.
No wonder they were arguing. Of all the times for me to sneak out…
I was pretty sure my stomach was trying to exit my body through the bottom of my feet.
“Why does this always happen when I’m covered in mud?” I asked, looking down at the dress that was once again smudged with dirt. I was two for two. At least the hem wasn’t ripped out on this dress, not that it made me presentable.
Mother’s warning from before was clear, and this was not going to work.
“I need to change.” I was firm, hoping I sounded authoritative and princess-like. Catalysts were supposed to listen to their uppers after all.
