“Thayland. Ros. Garret!” a thunderous voice yells.
The three human boys startle just as we ride past them, their cheeks blooming in embarrassment as a very angry captain strides in their direction.
“Stable and lavatory clean-up for the next three days! Out of my sight, now! And don’t let me hear your voices again until those three days are up.”
I bite my lip and hide back a laugh.
“As fucking green as the grass they walk on,” the man grumbles and walks towards us, “apologies, Your Highness. Obviously they’re new.”
“In my day that would have been half a fortnight of lavatory duties,” Desmond quirks a quiet brow.
“That’s because you and your brother purposely tried to rile my mornings,” the man huffs, “those lads just haven’t figured out what’s good for them yet.”
I watch as the hint of a barely-there smile graces Desmond’s lips.
“It’s good to see you, Ramast.”
“Aye, Your Highness, and you as well. Give your father my regards.”
Desmond nods to the captain as a small human boy starts waving at us from the stables.
“Prince Desmond! Lady Alexis! That was a quick ride, Your Highness!”
“She wasn’t too far out.”
I bring Millie to a halt and push out of my saddle, patting her on the rear.
“Lots of rest and water for Millie today, Danny,” I give him the reins, “I suspect another long journey awaits her soon.”
“Yes, Lady Alexis,” the boy grins.
“How many times have I asked you to call me Alexis?”
Danny winks and catches the gold cinerin I flick his way. I laugh at his quick reflexes and turn back to Desmond, shrugging when the Prince gives me a look of quiet contemplation.
“Ready when you are.”
The Discerni moves without a word, leaving me to follow him to our meeting with his father. We make our way to the outer steps of Castle Bardot’s east wing and walk through the doors to an extremely long hall, the two of us passing by residents and staff who peer back at us in curiosity. It’s a long walk, as the castle fashions itself east to west as opposed to towering in height, but eventually the Prince stops at the end of the hall and redirects us to an archway near the Grand Entrance, the dark opening flanked by two of the castle guards.
Desmond nods to one of the men before jutting his chin in my direction. The guard watches me quietly as I follow behind the Master Informer and the two of us step into a dimly illuminated spiral staircase that ascends up the castle. We walk in silence up three set of floors before stopping in front of an intricate door that blocks the fourth, the sturdy wood hindering our entrance to a section of the castle I’ve never dared to venture before.
Desmond reaches out and presses his hand against the door with ease, his palm landing on the engraved emblem of the Court of Knowledge. The moment his skin touches the encircled oak, the emblem flashes a lively gold and then a stronger black before swinging open on its own accord. He walks through the threshold easily, no doubt familiar with this private level, while I let out a deep breath before shaking my head.
The fourth floor is the Royal Family’s personal floor.
I shouldn’t be here.
Ancients,I really shouldn’t be here.
The space is too luxurious. Too lavish for the likes of me. There’s intricate golden accents woven into the greenstone walls, as if someone purposely added a gold sparkle to the stone to heighten it’s already colorful beauty. Rich pines and cedars and oaks line the entirety of the room, their brown limbs plaited into intricate braids that twist and turn in a complicated weave against every single one of the walls. Leaves of green that are the most beautiful shade of emerald sway from the ceiling, some falling in a gentle tumble like they would in our forests. I’m not even a foot into the fourth floor and I can already tell that it’s the most gorgeous space I’ve ever seen, and if I thought the castle downstairs was absolutely stunning, I now know that it’s nothing compared to this private residence for the royal family. The whole floor puts the castle downstairs to shame.
I timidly follow Desmond into a massive receiving room, the area littered with lounge chairs and settees of the finest fabrics, their colors varying from different shades of green and brown. Lanterns of bottled moonslight adorn the greenstone walls around the seats, the fixtures sparkling with such a bright light that it makes every corner of the room shine as if dusted with crystals. Everything is just beautiful and serene, aperfect place to host guests or spend your day reading until the sun goes down, but as beautiful as the room is, it’s far too big for a family of six. There’s enough seats here to comfortably fit twenty people and all of them look desperately unused. That, coupled with the serene silence that echoes with the Prince’s step as he walks past the chairs, almost makes the whole space seem a bit forlorn.
I don’t know what prompts me… maybe the feeling of loneliness that surrounds the full of this pristine room and my need to give it some love… but my feet carry me to the brightest of light shining against all of the settees, towards the most spectacular use of stained glass windows I’ve ever seen.
“Oh,” I smile quietly, lifting on my toes.
The view before me is of the entry of Bardot. Of the village town and the rose gardens and the Bell Grove. It’s the best view I’ve ever seen, as if someone noted the loneliness in this massive room and decided to carve out a view to the outside so they could-
