Chapter 19
M y invitation to Lamida ended up being fortuitous in a few different ways. I could use the space from both Adora and Soren (admittedly for vastly different reasons), and my friend Wrenley had been placed with me in King Asmond's Court.
That also meant that we could ride together, and since xer family was much wealthier than mine, I got to ride in a much more luxurious carriage than usual. The frame was made of polished wood, the wheels had golden rims, and it was pulled by four horses with gleaming coats and braided manes.
The interior was most exciting, though. The soft and sumptuous seat upholstery allowed for a very comfortable ride. The doors had arched windows, giving us ample light and views of the countryside.
“Thank you for letting me ride with you,” I told Wrenley again as we left Calida behind. I sat on the back bench of the carriage, and xe was sprawled out beside me, resting xer head on my lap with xer feet propped on the wall.
“Oh please,” xe said. “This is a long enough journey. I’m happy to have you as company to help pass the time.”
“Were your parents terribly disappointed about your placement in Lamida?”
"No." Wrenley looked up at me in confusion. "Why would they be upset? I'm the personal muse to one of the six monarchs in Wespen. Maybe it's not as flashy as being a primamusa in the Ashoralida or even the upcoming Samonend like Briar got. But it’s still a notable spot. Besides, not everyone can be the principal. That doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have our own light to shine.”
“I assumed that everyone saw anything less than the best as a failure,” I said.
“No, that’s just Adora. She was upset with you, I take it?” xe asked.
"She's been upset with me about a lot lately," I admitted wearily, staring out the window.
“It’s because you’re a young woman now, and you’ve already had more success as a muse than she ever did.”
“Well, that’s only because it’s my fault,” I reminded xer. “If she hadn’t fallen pregnant with me, who knows what would’ve happened?”
“It’s not your fault that Adora had you. I don’t know all the circumstances around it, but I do know for certain that a baby can’t be blamed for their own birth. Life is something that is forced upon us, not something we choose,” Wrenley said.
Between us talking and playing a few traveling games like "I Spy," I watched out the window as the landscape changed from the rolling green hills of Calida to the golden plains of Lamida. Wheat and sunflower fields stretched on as far as the eye could see occasionally dotted with quaint villages and bustling market towns.
In the heart of the plains, we finally reached the castle of King Asmond Weis, and even from the outside, it was unlike any other I had ever seen. The exterior walls were a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues, with each tower and turret painted in a different shade – from the whimsical pastels of lavender and mint to the bold, bright tones of orange and turquoise. Perched along the roof’s edge were gargoyles with comical expressions.
“This is certainly going to be an interesting few weeks,” Wrenley said, admiring the architecture as the carriage pulled to a stop in front.
When we exited the carriage, a valet greeted us and took our bags before leading us inside. The facade had obviously shown a fanciful spirit, but I still wasn't entirely prepared for all the color and flamboyant décor that awaited us.
The first room we entered was the grand hall, and all of the chandeliers were made with multicolored glass orbs, casting everything in a playful glow. On the walls were tapestries depicting scenes of mythical creatures engaged in amusing activities, like a unicorn jousting with a peacock or a dragon and a whale playing with wildflowers.
The valet led us to our private quarters for the duration of our stay. It was a large room with two mid-sized plush beds for Wrenley and me. An oversized stuffed rabbit sat on one bed, and a polka-dotted horse was on the other.
There was one large wardrobe in the center of the inner wall, painted with a mural based on a familiar children's story. A bookcase in the corner held a few peculiar trinkets: nesting dolls in the style of a bear, a parrot figurine made of rainbow-colored glass, a mirror with a pressed flower frame, and a whole row of books on unusual subjects: History of Pranks , Folklore of the Mountains, The Art of Juggling , to name a few.
“This is going to be amazing,” Wrenley said after the valet left us, and xe could hardly contain xer excitement. “This might be the best placement I’ve ever had.”
"It definitely seems unique and interesting," I agreed as I took in the eclectic décor of the room. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought this was designed with a young child in mind. "But we haven't met the King yet."
“Anyone who makes his guest rooms look like this can't be all bad." Xe flopped back on one of the beds and picked up the stuffed horse on it. "Do you think we get to keep these?"
“I don’t know. You should probably ask the King.”
“Can I really do that?” Xe looked over at me. “Or would that be rude?”
“Maybe just ask the valet,” I suggested.
The valet left us alone to refresh and relax after our long journey. Based on what I had seen of the castle and what I knew of Lamida, I had no idea what to expect of the King.
Before we could even settle in, a rhythmic knocking came from the door. I was hanging up my clothes at the wardrobe, while Wrenley lounged on the bed, playing with the stuffed horse.
“Come in!” Wrenley shouted, and I immediately waved my hand to shush her.
“We don’t even know who it is.” I cast her a look as I headed toward the door. “You can’t just be inviting strangers into your room.”
“Well, you’re no fun,” xe shot back.
When I opened the door to our chambers, I found a woman in a colorful cloak waiting on the other side. Her face made her look a few years younger than Adora, but her green eyes were youthful and exuberant. Her hair was a coppery brown, and it was held up with a pair of hairpins covered in a vibrant rainbow lacquer.
"I'm not disturbing anything, am I?" she asked, looking down at me. Her lips were pressed into a twitching, nervous smile.
"No, everything's great here," I assured her. "Can we help you with something?"
"No help needed. I only wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I'm Madge Lanceas, and I'll be your enchantress here in Lamida." She grinned broadly, revealing an endearing gap between her two front teeth, and stuck her hand toward me. "You must be Isadore Dellamousa."
I shook her hand and nodded. “I am indeed. It’s very nice to meet you.”
"Likewise," Madge replied, and then she looked past me, over my shoulder at Wrenley. Xe had only just now begun to get up and ambled over to greet the woman who would effectively be our new boss. "That would make you Wrenley Pavone."
“Aren’t I the lucky one?” Wrenley replied with a smirk, and xe pulled their hands from their pockets long enough to shake Madge’s hand.
“I look forward to working with you both and getting to know you better over the coming days,” Madge said. “We unfortunately don’t have much time for all that we need to do, so we’ll be starting very quickly. You’ll only have a few hours to clean up, and then we’ll have a dinner to meet everyone. At dawn tomorrow, our practices will start in earnest. How much experience do you have in silk?”
“ Silk ?” I echoed in dismay, and I laughed nervously, hoping I misunderstood. “You mean the fabric? I’ve worn it many times.”
Madge chuckled. "No, excuse me, I meant aerial silks for acrobatic performances."
My stomach dropped because, unfortunately, I had not misunderstood. This enchantress really meant for me to do aerial stunts.
When I was growing up, Adora had enrolled me in lessons across all sorts of skill sets to ensure that I was able to handle anything asked of a muse. Aside from the ones focusing on magik, most were about dancing, choreography, and gymnastics.
The one area that Adora drew the line at was aerial acrobatics.
"Nothing but a thin piece of silk to keep my only daughter from plummeting a hundred feet to the cold, hard stage?” Adora had sneered at the very idea. “Not a chance.”
That had been enough to put the fear of aerial silks deep inside me. My natural acrophobia didn’t help anything, and I felt the blood drain from my face as I gaped up at Madge.
“I have never done aerials,” I replied numbly.
The enchantress scowled. “But I specially requested that Calida only send me muses with experience with silks. Why would they send you?”
"She's a fast learner and great with floor acrobatics," Wrenley piped up and clapped a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I've been trying to get Izzy up into the air for a long time now, and this is the perfect opportunity."
"I don't know about trying it in the King's Court for the very first time is a 'perfect opportunity,'" Madge said with a tight smile. "But since you're here, and we don't have much time, I suppose you will have to do."
“And we will do great!” Wrenley assured her with too much bravado.
"Yes, well, then, I have other muses to greet," Madge said, glancing down the hallway this way and that. "I will see you both at the dinner later on tonight."
“Sounds great,” Wrenley said, and xe closed the door after the enchantress.
“Why did you tell her that I can do the silks?” I asked xer in a fierce whisper.
Xe shrugged. “Because you can, and it’ll be fun.”