Page 31 of Glass and Bone
Fires. There are fires everywhere. Screaming. Children and adults running around, panicking.
“What is happening?” I scream as people run past me in all directions. I try to grab someone, to beg them to explain, but they shake my arm off and keep running. I spin around but all I can see are hordes of people streaming out of the palace gates, the walls crumbling around them, burying some of them alive.
“Run!” I hear someone scream as a loud boom echoes across the town. Rocks and debris explode in the air, throwing me to the ground. I hit the rubble hard, nearly knocking the wind out of me. I can tell I have broken a few ribs as I pull myself to my feet, wheezing. People fall to their knees with arrows sticking out of their chests and I have to scramble over their dead bodies to get away from their aim. I try to not look at their faces, but it's hard. Blood pooling beneath their bodies, eyes open and unseeing. It’s too much. I scream in frustration as I make it out of the pile of rubble.
I run towards the palace, knowing there are underground bunkers. I just need to get as many people to them as possible. I push through the crowd but someone’s hand wraps around my wrist and pulls me back.
“Hey!” I turn and come face to face with the man from my dreams. His black hair is filled with ash, a chunk of white tucked behind his ear. His nose is bleeding, a gaping wound on his shoulder.
“We have to run, Elaenor! We have to get out of here.” He yells and tries to pull me deeper into the crowd.
“No! There are bunkers.”
“Run, Elaenor.Run!” Before I can respond, another bomb hits the square and everything disappears under a cloud of debris and ash.
I sit up abruptly, gasping for as much air as I can get. Tobias is asleep beside me, softly snoring, with his arm draped over my stomach protectively. I look around the dimly lit room while my pulse relaxes. The sun is barely rising outside, casting an orange glow across the marble. I lay back down, forcing my breathing to slow.
In and out.
I am safe.
I am not in Chatis.
I am not being blown up.
People are not dying.
I repeat over and over until I fall back asleep.
Chapter Thirteen
These last few days have been a lot to handle, even with me being unconscious for the majority of it. I need to find some form of normalcy, or at least something to keep me preoccupied enough that the thoughts of that man and his warnings are kept at bay. Whether it is a hobby, or some other duty I can obtain, I need something of my own. But everything around me is tied to Tobias. My room, the guards, even my attire. I left Chatis after having everything monitored and controlled by my father, and now that seems to be the case here.
When will I truly be free?
Slipping into the crimson dress I found lying on the bed when I awoke a second time, I brush my hands over the silk. It truly is the most beautiful dress I’ve seen, but the color haunts me. The color of this nation is silver and white, yet Evreux is always in crimson, and now so am I one way or another. Whether it's blood or expensive silk, it seems I am destined to be wearing red, at least if Tobias has anything to say about it. As I step into my black shoes, I give myself a once over in the mirror by the privacy screen.
The dress features a lace corset in crimson with a beige slip, attached to a full skirt that brushes the floor at the perfect length. My black hair seemingly has been tamer since my arrival, which may have something to do with the soaps I have been given or the oil Lydia braided into my hair last night. Instead of frizzy untamable curls, my long black hair falls in soft waves down to the small of my back.
My pale skin has not yet had the pleasure of suntanning, so it stays a ghostly shade of white. Bruises around my neck and my cheek are bright against the shade of my skin, leaving purple and blue splotches. The cut on my forehead seems to be fully scabbed, enough where I was able to take the bandage off. My blue eyes are tired, as the bags around them reflect. Less like the ocean waves and more gray and dull than usual, surprisingly reminding me of the cloudy skies of Chatis.
My heart aches for home, but I know I am better off here, or at least I hope I am. Attributing the exhaustion and pale skin to the blood loss I have experienced, I take one last glance and freeze as my eyes catch on something. Sticking out of the top of my head is a single strand of white hair. I grasp it in between my fingers and pull on it. It breaks away from my scalp easily and I bring it to my face. I hold the single hair in front of my eyes and stare at the ghastly white color, spanning the entire length of the strand. It reminds me of the man I keep seeing, his black hair was turning white too. A knock on the door makes me jump and the strand of hair falls to the ground.
“May I enter, Your Grace?” I turn as one of the guards stands in the doorway. I remember him to be Laris. I wonder if he ever sleeps since he spends most of his time in front of my door.
“Yes.” I respond.
“Prince Tobias is awaiting your presence.” I nod and make my way over to the door that is being held open for me.
Tobias meets me in the hall, his eyes full of appreciation as he scans my new gown. He’s wearing all black, like usual, with his tunic cut close to his body to show off his muscular frame. “You look beautiful, Elaenor.” He smiles and bends down for a quick kiss. I allow it, before casting my gaze down to hide my reddening cheeks.
“Thank you.” I smile.
He reaches towards me, and I take his outstretched hand. Walking down the grand hallways towards the dining hall, we walk in silence. I listen to the echoes of our footsteps, hear the birds singing just beyond the glass lining one side. I allow myself to relax. It has been a whirlwind of a few days and I’m having a hard time keeping up. While I didn’t expect to assimilate into life here quickly, I didn’t think it would be the way it is. I should have expected issues, nothing I ever do comes without problems.
Today is supposed to be my wedding day, however no one has mentioned it to me since yesterday morning. I expect that if I were truly marrying today, I’d be spending my morning getting ready instead of walking slowly and casually throughout the palace. As I am not ready to become someone’s wife, I don’t mention it now for the hopes it isn’t a rushed affair and that they forgot, not that that’s likely.
“How are you feeling?” Tobias’s voice cuts through my thoughts. His fingers rubbing my knuckles as we walk.
