Nina squeezed her arm, then pulled Cas along with her. “We will not piss off anyone else today, Cas. Let’s go.”
Sawyer frowned. “Gaven will show you to your room, cousin. I have a small thing to take care of.” She stepped into a walk with Nina.
Sol rubbed the scar along her palm, wishing more than ever to have Lora nearby. She must be fine, since Sol hadn't felt anything amiss. But still, Sol yearned to know the state of her home.
“You don’t leave the castle grounds without one of us,” Cas said, looking down at her. “We won’t be gone long.”
Sol gave him a simple nod, then watched him catch up to Nina and Sawyer.
Gaven smiled, a true gesture of goodwill. “I promise I won't bite, Princess. I will show you to your room.”
Sol stepped past him and pretended to know where she was going. As he fell into step behind her, she only said, “Don’t call me that,” and stalked up the giant staircase.
GAVEN WASN’T TERRIBLE.Sol had judged him harshly. He trailed silently after her for nearly an hour, even as she walked in circles around the castle. At first, she hovered around the second floor. But after realizing it was filled with mostly black cloaks, she fled back to the first floor, where the glares weren’t as threatening.
She gave up trying to pretend like she knew where she was going soon thereafter and settled to learning her surroundings instead. She discovered a staircase that led to lower levels, which she concluded were the kitchens after a flood of people emerged carrying trays and pitchers.
There were other uninteresting rooms, meeting spaces, and areas with expensive couches and furniture. The most notable part of the first floor was the enormous golden doors past the bottom of the staircase, engraved with a three-tier crown. The edges wereembellished with carvings and glyphs, which she took a few minutes to observe in silence before a servant carrying a tray of roasted pork nearly smacked into her.
She went upstairs after that.
The second floor had sleeping quarters, presumably for the students. She quickly found another set of stairs that took her to the third floor. Gaven explained her room was there, along with the rest of her Court’s. He also noted that until she took the official title of Queen, they were to remain in this main area. The Semmena Court resided in a separate wing entirely.
At least she didn’t have to worry about running into them too often, then.
The fourth and final floor had the interesting stuff. Sol saw three libraries: two with students concentrated on their studies, and one with mainly white cloaks that had to be scribes. The smell of old books and sounds of turning pages made her sigh with nostalgia. She wanted to stop and search the bookshelves but opted to return at a time when it was less populated. Especially since every single head turned her way when she stepped into the first one.
Sol began to make her way back down to her room when Gaven fell into step beside her. “If I may, Princess.” She glared at him.
“My apologies—Sol—” he corrected as they turned a corner. “If you’d like, I can show you around the castle gardens and courtyards? They’re quite lovely.”
Sol thought about it. If she ever needed to escape, examining the outside layout was perhaps smart.
She nodded.
On the way, Gaven offered her extravagant portions of foods she had never seen, but all she could think about was Lora’s stew.
“There are establishments in the town that specialize in foods like that,” Gaven said. “But someone from your Court will have to accompany you. I don’t feel like being executed by Prince Xanthos.”
Sol had snagged a handful of almonds from a bowl in the kitchens, which she plopped into her mouth as they walked along the outside gardens. There weren’t many people outside, whether due to the hazy day or because most students were in classes, Sol didn’t care. With each step away from the castle and into the foliage, she felt herself lighten.
“Prince,” Sol mumbled. “What makes him a Prince?” Gaven removed a stray piece of branch from their path.
“He is technically the Crown Prince of Eswin, a territory southeast of us.” He plucked another branch free. “But due to his sentence, he is bound to Rimemere for another seventeen years.”
Sol halted, the hedges around them caressing the side of her head. “What do you mean by his sentence?”
Gaven stopped a few feet in front of her, his expression unreadable.
The sky above them was a misty blue, and the wind began to push against the walls of vines around them. It sent a whiff of roses adrift as Sol anxiously waited for a response.
“He hasn’t told you?”
Sol shook her head. “He hasn’t told me much.”
Gaven huffed a laugh and began walking again, motioning for her to follow. “I suppose that’s typical.”
Sol fidgeted with her nails as they emerged from the hedges, diving into what seemed like was meant to be a garden of some sort but held only bare pots and dirt. There was a stone fountain in the middle with carvings of the Original Creators, and like the statues in Yavenharrow, Sol swore their eyes followed.
