Page 53 of Under the Lion Star

Atlas had his own room near the servants' quarters. Sanna said she repeatedly tried to get him to move into a room fitting his station but that he liked being close to the castle employees. She hinted that he had a penchant for flirting with her handmaids.

Her room was a perfect reflection of her attitude, all bright colors and an endless supply of books that nearly rivaled the castle library she had shown me previously. We looked down into the courtyard at the castle's rear, where we found Liras and Orin sparring.

As we made our way down to the two young elves, Sanna explained that the whole family was treating Orin as if nothing was amiss, and I was a little choked up at how Leor had been willing to give my idea a try so wholeheartedly.

“Lady Zialda,” Liras said with a bow as we approached, panting and wiping sweat from his brow.

“None of that,” I pointed at him with a scowl. “Unless you want me to constantly call you Sir Liras.”

“No,” he smirked. “Just Liras is fine.”

“Then just Zialda, or Alda. Even ‘hey, you’ is preferable to the weird formalities, okay?”

“Got it,” he nodded.

“Good to see you, Orin,” I said, drawing his attention to mine.

His eyes were lighter, still missing something, but a marked improvement over the last time we’d crossed paths.

“Talkative as ever, I see,” I teased.

Then the prince smirked the way a normal nineteen-year-old, sure of himself elf would.

Leor had spoken of me helping him make decisions for Fjorn, but given I could barely make decisions about my own life, I was determined to support him in other ways. And I was going to start by looking after his siblings when he was unable to do so. They were mine now, I decided, and I was going to give them the big-sister-Zialda treatment.

“Where’s my husband-to-be?” I asked Sanna as we reentered the castle, leaving the two boys behind as the clashing of their weapons started once more.

“He’s usually in his room or the council chamber,” she explained. “I wanted to show you your room last, so we’ll probably find him somewhere up there.”

“Lead the way,” I motioned with my hand.

Sanna led me to Leor’s room, which looked much like Orin’s. Floor-to-ceiling windows spanned one wall, and there were a few bookcases, although not nearly as impressive as Sanna’s little library. She guided me through the washroom, which was the most remarkable room I’d seen. Instead of a bathtub, there was an entire pool filled with steaming water and a small closet where one could do their business.

My room had access to the bathing chamber through another door, and when I entered, I nearly choked. It had been recently decorated, that much was evident, and the view of the Fjornish wilds below was spectacular. In the distance, I could see just the edge of where the farmland began, the wheat fields blowing in the breeze in such uniformity that it almost looked like water.

“This is,” I turned to face Sanna, who was staring at me with tense shoulders. “Incredible.”

She let out a sharp exhale and held her palms to her cheeks.

“Oh, thank the Gods, you like it.”

“How could someone not like this?” I motioned to the bed, adorned with pale yellow linens and more pillows than anyone should reasonably own.

“Leor let me pick out all the furnishings and decor,” she said shyly.

“Gods, Sanna, is there anything you can’t do?”

The smile that covered her face was so bright, so happy, that one would think I’d just given her everything she wanted in the world.

“Let’s go find Leor,” she reached for me, leading me through a doorway and into the hall.

As we walked toward the council chamber, which was to be our final tour destination, we crossed paths with Lord Gamril.

He looked a lot like Atlas, with the same dark gray hair and silver eyes, but he didn’t have the same carefree aura about him that his son did. A polite smile graced his lips as Sanna and I approached.

“Lord Gamril,” Sanna bowed, and I followed suit. “This is Zialda Helner. I was just giving her a tour.”

“Lady Zialda,” he nodded his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to your presence in the castle. I do not doubt that you’ll be a wonderful addition to the leadership of Fjorn.”

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