“Take me to the top balcony,” the girl demanded. He tried to remember her name, which his mother had told him just moments ago, but his brain was coming up blank.
He simply nodded at her request and walked her up the nearest spiral staircase.
By the time they had reached the first balcony, she was breathing heavily. No doubt the extra layers of her gown were weighing her down. He paused for a moment to let her catch her breath. A few servants quietly made their way through the hall, some cleaning and some carrying different objects for decorating and furnishing the room in preparation for the ball. Without his permission, his eyes lightly scanned the room for Ashlin as they always did. She had not been officially assigned certain duties at the palace, and it seemed as though the steward just had her filling in wherever the need arose.
Onric had run into her a few times, and though he would never admit it, he was always keeping an eye out for her. Each night he and Blossom would wait for her by the side gate, and the highlight of his day was the moment when he would wrap his arms around her to both steady her and keep her warm on their quiet ride through the midnight streets. Every day, though, she seemed surprised to see him, as though she expected him to stop showing up. He hoped she would soon realize that he would be there for her as long as she needed it.
He still felt guilty about the incident with the needle, and he wanted to explain his actions to her. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt he could trust her with the knowledge of his investigation into the magic.
He realized the young lady on his arm was staring up at him expectantly. Had she asked him something? He looked back down at her. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”
Her smile dimmed a little. “I asked how many invitations were sent for the royal ball.”
“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “My mother has been handling those types of details.”
“What have you been doing to prepare for the ball, Your Highness?” She closed her eyes halfway, in what was likely an attempt to be coy. Onric thought it made her look half asleep.
“I have been seeing to the proper defense of the castle and city.” He shrugged. “We will have many notable guests, and we want to make sure everyone is safe.”
“Oh! Who else has been invited?”
“Uh, well, I’m not entirely sure who has been invited.” Onric had no idea who to brag about. He had never paid much attention to status. “Um, my brother will be there, of course...”
“Right, your brother.” She started moving up the next flight of stairs. “And when will we get to meet Prince Ian?” She looked back at him, her eyes doing the half-closed thing again.
Onric clenched his teeth. Ian had gone out on a military training venture with his best knights and had taken Erich with him. They were rehearsing battle sequences in the open countryside while he and Aden were stuck at home doing their dirty work. Ironically, the flamboyant Erich, who was part of Ian’s special guard, would have actually loved to spend all day escorting beautiful ladies around the palace. But life was not fair, even for a prince.
“His Royal Highness the crown prince is on patrol with the military squad, which he leads.” Onric couldn’t help the little bit of spite that came out with his words. He often felt that his duty to the palace guard held very little merit.
“Oh.” The girl on his arm scrunched her mouth into a pout. It could have been an attempt to cover up her breathing, though, which had grown labored again.
They rounded the next spiral of the staircase, and Onric caught a familiar glimpse of his new favorite sight, a brown kerchief. Ashlin was sitting on the staircase, scrubbing the banisters with a cloth. A small pail was on the step below her, filled with the scented oil used for polishing.
Seeing them, she quickly dropped into her customary curtsy and pressed herself backwards into the railing to let them pass.
Forgetting the girl on his arm, Onric stopped moving, though he could not stop the genuine smile that spread to his face. “Ashlin, have you had a chance to look at the mystery tapestry?”
“Not yet, my Lord.” She glanced up at him. “We’ve been a little preoccupied with cleaning the ballroom before we decorate it.” She smiled lightly, but her demeanor was guarded.
“I would love to help you unpack it...” He felt the hand at his elbow stiffen, reminding him that he was not alone. He bowed lightly to Ashlin. “Excuse us.”
He allowed the girl on his arm to lead him further up the staircase. Arriving at the third balcony, she let go of his arm to take in the view. She was snickering.
He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
“You just bowed to a servant girl,” she whispered up at him, though her whisper came out with a hiss between her laughs.
“Did I?” He shrugged. He honestly hadn’t noticed. He didn’t think of her as a servant girl. He just thought of her as... someone who deserved his respect.
The girl was looking over the edge of the balcony at the floor far below. Despite her exertion, her face had drained of color. “Let’s go back down.”
Onric’s lips twisted into a smirk. Some people demanded respect more than others. He held his arm out towards her, and she grabbed it tightly.
He turned to take her back down the same staircase. “Are you afraid of heights?” he whispered, leaning his head down towards her ear.
“No,” she spat, sweeping down the stairs.
Ashlin quickly stood again, backing out of the way like she had previously. The staircase was plenty wide, but it was as though she wanted to take up as little space as possible. The girl loosened her grip on his arm, taking half a step away from him.
