Page 15 of Enchanted Kingdom
As I began my climb up the stairs, I felt eyes on me in that way that you instinctively knew someone was watching you. Was it the king? Was it Aiyana or some other woman who believed me unworthy to be there? I wasn’t sure, but for just a millisecond, I was grateful to the prince for having selected me just to spite them.
* * *
Ivy’s namenever got called, but Gwen’s had, also to Prince Keiran’s Assemblage. I was thankful to have a familiar face to stand with as we were transported away. It was explained by the Assemblage advisor that we would all be given a guard in the morning and were to stay within our rooms until the guard arrived.
We were taken by carriages across that section of the castle to another. We were then escorted up a tower to a row of rooms. Upon entering my room, I saw there was someone waiting for me.
I didn’t know how many rooms were in the castle in its entirety, but it was safe to assume all the women selected would be in their own monstrously sized rooms.
“Good morning, dear. I am Silvia. I am to be your personal attendant for the duration of your stay in the Assemblage of Consorts.”
A quick glance around the room had my eyes widening. The four-poster bed was enormous compared to my bed at home. It had a white, soft-looking comforter, and more pillows than could possibly be practical graced the head of the bed. The room even had a lavatory attached to it. And a settee, a fireplace, a massive rug, and a bookshelf. The room was possibly the size of our entire home in Nerede. And they had sixty or more of these rooms in this fortress?!
I stole a glance at the window and realized that she was correct, the sun was already beginning its ascent. It was officially morning. And I’d hadnosleep.
“Good morning,” I managed to say back.
Silvia gave me a warm smile. “I am quite sure you are exhausted from the evening’s festivities. Let’s get you out of that gown and into these.” She held up a smooth material that I had to assume was pajamas, but I was astonished at the concept of silk pajamas all the same.
“Thank you,” I said in relief. In a non-exhausted state of mind, I would be horrified to spend any night in this dreadful gray castle surrounded by Enchanted. As it was, I was just ready to sleep.
So I allowed this kind woman to assist me before falling into the huge bed. Silvia pulled the curtains to darken the room, let me know she’d be back later, and let herself out.
I could not even call on my fear or any feelings about having to stay at the castle. I was mind-numbingly tired. So I curled into the softest bed I had ever laid on, and let the exhaustion take over.
CHAPTER7
Iawoke with a start. I had slept soundly. It was still dark in my room, but a quick glance at a clock near the fireplace had me realizing it was just after midday.
I was somewhat astonished I had slept as well as I did, but then again, I had been achingly tired.
Letting the curiosity get the better of me, I used the bathroom, then explored more of my room.
The view out the window was where I got stuck. There were two huge doors that would open to a short balcony I could stand on, but I was too afraid to. The view was breathtaking from inside though.
I could see the forest to the west of the castle from this vantage point. I had to be three or four floors up, I wasn’t sure. I was so used to being at the lowest point in the kingdom that seeing the top of something as simple as a tree was foreign to me.
Still, the view of the tops of the trees was gorgeous. I stood at the window for countless minutes just watching and taking it all in. For a moment I almost felt bad for the mountain. That the evil king and this castle should have taken over it. Because it was lovely. Though I didn’t wish to stay at the castle a moment more, I did wonder what this same view would look like once the trees began to change color in another month. Assuming they did change colors up here like they did in Nerede. Now that I really thought about it, the trees were looking awfully brown already. Maybe it was dryer up here than it was in Nerede.
A knock on the door had me turning my head to Silvia entering my room.
“Oh! You are already awake. Well good for you, dear,” she smiled.
“Was I not supposed to be?” I asked.
She smirked. “Well you could have kept sleeping, yes. It’s just that some of the other women are sure to be difficult to wake up. But I can see I have gotten myself one of the good ones.”
I shrugged. “You’ve gotten one used to waking at early hours to work long days in a bakery is all.”
Her eyes lit up. “You are a baker?”
I nodded. “Yes. From Nerede. If you didn’t already know that.”
She nodded but swiped at the air with a hand as if it didn’t matter. “I did.” She paused. “So. On the agenda for today. A long soak in the tub and a day of pampering. At some point in that process, your new guard will arrive. Then you will have the evening dinner with our king, the crown princes, and the consorts for both princes.”
It sounded like a great day up until that last bit.
My face must have given away how I was feeling because Silvia laughed. “Oh come now, dear. I promise it’ll be a blast. Us women from the lower levels of the kingdom must stick together.”
