The corridors of The Haven were all made of wood flooring—except for the private, royal wing. The royal wing—whichI’dlearned had been an addition to the original structure of the castle—had stone flooring, which was, technically, a type of earth.
Through the stone below me, I could feel the female who was once my closest friend pacing the length of the room just on the other side of the door. She did well to step lightlyenoughso her footsteps remained unheard, but shecouldn’tstop the tiny vibrations that were sent through the earth with each step she took.
“Aurora, I knowyou’re inthere. I checked the libraryandgardens for you—this is the only place you could be. Plus, I can feel you pacing in there. You only do that whenyou’restressed or anxious.” I leaned my head against the door. “Please let me in.”
Having never dropped the connection I had with the stone below, I felt her pause. I imagined her in there, hesitation and caution written across her features.
Then, she moved. The door swung open so fast I had to catch myself on the doorframein order tonot fall into the female suddenly standing there.
The female before me was different than I had come to know her as over the yearswe’dspent together. Her soft, blue eyes no longer sparkled as they oncehad, such as whenshe’dlearned something new during hertrokavtraining with Hugo. Her face had grown slightly slimmer in her time here, as she often refused the food I brought her. Her light blonde hair, which used to appear as delicate as silk, had lost its shine.
I couldn’t understand it. She wassafe. She’d made it out, and now we had each other. Wasn’t that better than nothing?
“Hi,” I said, a bit dumbfounded, before clearing my throat. “Care for a walk?”
Poking her head out into the corridor, she glanced up and down the length of the hallway. “Maybe we can chat in one of the lounge rooms?”sheasked.
Thinking of the meetingswe’dhad lately, and the different rooms housing different documents and plans, I shook my head. “They’re… occupied. But we could walk intotown, ifyoupleased.It’sa beautiful day out,” I replied hopefully.
At that, her expression hardened. As though she had pulledupthe drawbridge that she had dropped between us, even if it had beenbriefly.
“What is it this time, Viva?” she inquired, getting straight to the point.
“I just…” I hesitated a heartbeat, before deciding to bare my heart to her. “I miss you. I miss our friendship. I thought you would end up adjusting, but youhaven’t, andI’mnot sure what I can do to help.”
Aurora’s eyes softened a degree, but not by much.
“I don’t belong here, Viva,” she sighed. “I’mhappy you feel as thoughyou’vefound your place here—even if I disagree—but thisisn’tmyplace. And Iwon’tfall for their tricks. They may act welcoming and kind, but thatdoesn’tchange everything we were taught back home. Deep down,they’restillmonsters, Viva.”
It was so frustrating to hear that after allshe’dseen firsthand while in the South, she stilldidn’tbelieve them to be the good ones in the war. And yet even if shecouldn’tdo that, couldn’t she believe in me, and whatI hadto say?
“Theyaren’tmonsters, Aurora! Youdon’thave to trust them, but why can’t you trustme?” I cried out,wingsflared slightly, and tears threatening to spring to my eyes.
At that, her tough demeanor cracked and fissured. She reached for me, placing a hand on my shoulder, and for just a moment I saw the female I had grown up with again.
“I’ll try, Viva. I’ll try,” she said softly, as though whispering a promise.
Though I wasn’t completely sure I believed her anymore.
It seemed like Iwasn’tthe only one who had changed during our time apart.
Chapter Five
The moisture in the air was so thick and dense, it was beginning to stick to my fair skin, and I’d only been down here a few moments. The condensation on the stone walls surrounding me ran down in rivets, like the sweat I’d surely begin producing if I didn’t get out of there soon.
The tunnels below Gatlyn Castle wove together like the stitching of a handcrafted blanket, overlapping with twists and turns that werenearly unpredictable.
Unless, like me, you’d grown up roaming them until you got lost.
Nobody could hear you from down here, so you had to walk until you found your own way out.
So, that was what I did. I learned. And I adapted.
As I had with everything in my life.
Taking a sharpleft, I headed towards the wing of the castle Ihadn’tdared to venture to in over a month.
The ruler’s wing, whichusuallywas home to whoever was currently on the throne.
