Page 10 of Kingdom of Rot & Ruin
I hated the thought of proving them right, and I wanted nothing to do with B or any of his ilk.
What to do?
“Zephyr?”
M’s voice cut through the thick panic shrouding my pain. Dark eyes met mine, honest curiosity and concern tinged with fear. Only one other person had ever looked at me like that before: my mother.
I sat down next to M, who beamed at me.
Down the table, B made a crushing motion with his fist at me. The other mud boys eyed me up, but only for a moment before going back to their own conversations. I didn’t dare look over at the noble tables.
Breakfast was much simpler than I was used to, and I was too nervous to eat much of it. I picked out bread with butter and jam and nibbled at the edges of my eggs. Mother liked hers with meat and cheese cooked in; these were only eggs themselves, with only a bit of salt.
M and the other mud boys dug in, shoveling food into their faces and moaning like it was their first proper breakfast.
With a jolt, I wondered if maybe it was.
I had a lot to learn about … everything. I vowed here and now to rectify that situation immediately. Obviously, there was more to the world than my mother’s apartments. I had to leave them at some point, didn’t I?
Sighing, I put more eggs on my fork.
I would need the energy.
After breakfast, Vession ordered the mud boys to go off with another noble, and told the noble boys to follow him.
I stood from the bench slowly, uncertain. Fear sat on my chest and anxiety squeezed my throat. Hovering between two choices, Vession ended my torment.
“Zephyr. Stop wasting my time and get over here.”
My feet scrambled to the end of the line of noble boys. Mouthing a quick ‘I’m sorry’ to M at the back of the mud boy line, I turned to face forward and followed the line out.
We left the dormitory and dining hall behind, traveling down the long corridor that connected back to the main palace. My attitude perked immediately. Was I going to get to see my mother? So soon? I had so many questions! My mind spun in circles as it cycled through all the possibilities, finally landing on the largest question of them all: why did I have dark hair like the mud boys?
Our little parade progressed further towards the center of the palace until we stopped in front of twin massive oak double doors.
My heart stopped in my chest.
Fireguards lined either side of them, their shining red and gold armor polished to a brilliant shine. Swords rattled at their sides and their spears gleamed, deadly points facing straight up at the ceiling.
No one would ever mess with them. I wanted that power.
“You are about to be presented to the queen. Behave,” Vession chastised us.
He needn’t have bothered. Even I knew what lay behind the double doors: the throne room.
Vession gave us a once over, his large brows furrowed together into a harsh expression. He must have approved of what he saw, because he turned back around and nodded tothe Fireguards, who turned with military precision and threw the doors outwards.
I couldn’t see from the back, but that was all right. I didn’t want to look like a frightened child, so was thankful for the chance to compose myself at the back of the line.
We marched forward, Vession leading us straight into the throne room and towards the king and queen.
It was crowded. So much more crowded than I expected. Nobles of all shapes and sizes lined both sides of the room, leaving only the thick strip of purple carpet running down the middle for us to walk on.
I wondered if my mother was in the crowd, or was she still in our apartment? Why did she never bring me to court? There were other children in the crowd, much younger than us, staring up with wide, curious eyes.
The air was heavy with the scent of candles and incense, mixing with the throng of over one hundred bodies. There were too many people in too small a space. I couldn’t breathe! I hoped I was only imaging the mutters and murmurings that followed me. It took every ounce of control to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and my gaze forward.
I felt their eyes on me.
