Page 13 of A Kingdom's Heart
I followed her down the corridor, holding the cloth to my nose. My cheek still burned, but the bleeding had slowed. The halls were quiet save for the faint echo of our footsteps and the distant hum of voices from the lower levels.
“At least six knights and three dukes need tending today,” Raven said as we turned a corner. “You chose a busy time to get yourself punished.”
I gave a weak laugh. “You make it sound like I planned this.”
She smiled faintly. “You? Sneaking out when your father forbids it? You plan everything, Iris.”
I sighed. “Not this. I just needed to feel something other than these walls.”
Raven didn’t answer right away. She only glanced at me, her eyes softer now, then faced forward again.
We reached the stairway that led down to the healer’s rooms.
The scent of herbs and candle wax drifted up the stone steps. I could already hear the faint sounds of movement below, voices murmuring, metal trays clinking, and water being poured.
Raven paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at me. “Ready?”
I nodded.
She started down first. I followed behind her, keeping one hand on the wall as the light from the upper hall faded. The air grew warmer with every step, carrying the smell of dried herbs and burning oils. My face still ached, but the quiet steadiness of the place eased me a little.
At the bottom, the corridor opened into a wide chamber. Wooden tables lined the walls, and shelves were filled with jars of rootsand powders. A few healers were already at work, their voices calm and low. Bowls of water gleamed under the lamplight, and rows of bandages soaked beside them.
Raven led me to an empty table near the back. “You can start here,” she said. “Clean the instruments first. It will keep you busy.”
I gave a small smile. “You always know what to tell me.”
She smiled back, though her eyes stayed serious. “Someone has to.”
I sat down and dipped my hands into a basin of clean water. The surface trembled slightly as I moved my fingers through it. My
reflection wavered, pale and tired, like someone I barely recognized.
For a while, I just listened to the quiet. The soft scrape of metal, the whisper of cloth, and the faint scent of mint and sage filled the air. It was calm here, a different kind of silence than the one in the throne room.
It would have to do for now.
CHAPTER FIVE
WILLIAM
Today was the day.
By nightfall, I would be a knight of Elarion. It meant I would be moving into the castle, living among the king’s men, training and resting in the barracks. The thought filled me with a strange mix of pride and unease.
I was twenty years old, and I had lived alone in this house since I was nine. The silence had long become its own kind of comfort.
I packed my things carefully, folding my cloak and setting my sword beside the saddlebag. The morning light slanted through the small window, turning the dust in the air to gold. Every sound seemed sharper: the creak of the floorboards, the soft rustle of cloth, the faint whisper of wind through the shutters.
It felt strange to think I might not see this place again for a long
time.
Before I left, my eyes landed on the book lying on the table.The Song of the Willow Bride.The cover was still slightly damp from the night before. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. Her fingers had touched it too.
For a moment, I hesitated, then slipped it into my pocket.
Being knighted was everything my father had ever wanted for me. He had taught me to fight before I could read, taught me tohunt in the forests until I could move through them without a sound. By the time I turned eleven, I could wrestle men twice my age and win.
