Undeniably so.
She doesn’t appear afraid, only startled.
I move through the parted crowd to approach her. My eyes meet hers, then the gate behind her. The space within it closes shut, but not before I catch a glimpse of grass and a wheelbarrow full of dead leaves.
This is impossible.
“Fuck,” I say the word aloud before I even realise I’ve thought it.
This is not good.
Kael commands the knights out of the training yard before returning to my side.
“What are we going to do with her?” he asks me, staring at this petite figure of a girl in front of us.
She stares up at us both, her expression now registering fear.
“Take her to the king,” I say simply, moving towards her to ask her to follow us.
Kael grabs my wrist firmly and leans in to whisper under his breath.
“Rowan, are you sure? Shouldn’t we talk about this first? Do you know what this means? What —.”
“Kael, it’s our duty,” I cut in, refusing to accept any other answer.
He pulls away now and glances back at the girl.
“Yes, sir,” he says.
Then, quieter, “Your funeral.”
He approaches the girl cautiously and asks her to follow us. She doesn’t respond, only nods and falls in step behind us.
We make our way to the throne room, alerting the King’s steward and asking to speak with the King himself.
Making our way down the narrow corridor, the girl walks between me and Kael, her steps careful. I watch her closely, curiosity gnawing at me. I should ignore it, focus on my duty, but there is something about her.
It unsettles me.
“You asked to see me?” King Aldric turns to speak to us as we stand at his door. His expression lifts when he spots me.
“Ah, Warden Ashford, I trust things are all under control, yes?” he says to me with a smile.
King Aldric is young for a king, thrust onto the throne by the cruel rules of this kingdom. He’s only a few years older than I am.
Twenty-eight and ruling an entire realm.
He isn’t a bad person.
Not at heart.
But this throne changes even the strongest of men, and almost always for the worse.
The door closes behind us, the steward nodding his head at us before shutting it completely.
Kael stands to my left, with the girl hidden behind my back.
“We had a situation at training, sir.” I say, assessing his mood.
