Chapter 4
Elodie
Enough light filters into the room that I can’t keep pretending it’s still night. I push upright, heart already racing, though I don’t know why.
There’s nowhere to be.
The stone beneath my bare feet is colder than I expect. I’ve no idea what to do next except sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the dark, empty room.
No alarm.
No commute.
No familiar hum of life waiting outside the door.
No list of jobs to do on the whiteboard.
Just silence and waiting.
Standing up from the bed and pulling my shoulders back, I move towards the small window.
When I glance out, the sun hasn’t fully risen yet, and a soft amber glow bounces off the stone of the castle courtyard below.
I’ll admit, the castle is stunning. I lean in closer, resting my hands against the cool stone.
My fear nearly dissolves in the face of this place’s beauty.
I stare down at the empty courtyard. A cloaked statue with wings stands at the centre.
It looks so still without the jagged movements of knights.
It feels almost peaceful. Beyond the courtyard walls, a forest stretches outward in a dark, uneven line.
Somewhere beyond that tree line, the world continues without me.
Cars, streetlights, coffee shops opening early.
The thought aches.
A pale glow flickers near the iron gate.
Just once.
Blue.
Then it’s gone.
Shaking my head, I wonder if it’s just my imagination.
The sound of knocking behind me pulls me from my trance.
I grab the blanket from the bed, wrapping it around myself before tiptoeing to the door.
Slowly opening it and peeking my head around, the knight stands with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
“Good. You’re up,” he grumbles at me.
“Does it count as waking up if you never went to sleep?”
“Be ready in an hour for breakfast.”
“Um, okay…” I respond, wrapping the blanket tighter around myself.
His eyes follow my hands as he looks me up and down before pushing off the wall and turning to leave.
“I keep meaning to ask you, actually,” I say carefully.
He pauses and turns to look at me. Judging by the look on his face, I’m guessing he’s not a morning person.
“What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” I ask softly. I heard the king call him Rothwyn, but he hasn’t actually told me his name himself.
He doesn’t respond straight away. His jaw ticks.
“Rothwyn,” he says, then pauses slightly before adding, “but you may call me Rowan.”
“Rowan,” I repeat aloud. “Like the tree?” I ask him, tilting my head. He gives me a confused look, ignoring my comment.
“Sorry… I uh…back home. Where I’m from, I studied botany. You know, like, plant science?”
“I know what botany is.”
“Well, it’s just your name…” Pausing to read his expression before I continue, “A rowan tree often symbolises protection. It can withstand harsh conditions where other trees cannot survive.” I smile to myself. I look back at Rowan, who’s staring at me with wide eyes.
“And what if it fails?” he asks.
“They don’t fail. They survive.” His jaw clenches, the bone pulsing under his cheek.
“You’ll find this land tests that theory of yours.”
“You are not a morning person, are you?” I ask, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he narrows his eyes at me and pushes off the wall to leave.
He calls over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in an hour to take you to breakfast. Be ready to leave.”
Definitely not a morning person.
By the time I’m showered and dressed, I’ve made a half-hearted attempt to comb through my hair with my fingers. I stare at myself in the mirror. I have no to-do list, no whiteboard of tasks to help organise my day. If I had to give myself one, it would be very short.
Find out how to get back home.
Back to my normal life.
Back to my job.
Back to Sam.
A knock sounds at the door again as I mentally prepare myself for the moody knight who ‘greeted’ me this morning. But as I unlock the door, swinging it open, I see a smiling face instead.
It’s the commander.
“Good morning,” he says, grinning at me with his same friendly expression. Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, he adds, “I’ve been ordered to collect you for breakfast.”
So he is now sending people to chauffeur me?
I shouldn’t complain really, this knight seems a lot less moody than the High Warden.
“Hi, Commander. I’m sorry, but I thought Rowan would be back to collect me. At least that’s what he told me,” I say to him.
He straightens, freezing.
“Where did you hear that name?” he asks.
“Commander? Oh, I’m sorry, I heard the King call you Commander Rook so I just…”
“No, not that name, and call me Kael,” he pauses. “The other name you said.”
“What? You mean Rowan?” I say hesitantly, wondering if I’ve said something I shouldn’t have. “He told me to call him that.”
He did, right?
Or did I mishear him?
“Why, is something wrong? Did I- should I not?” I add, rushing the words out in a panic.
“No,” he says, recovering too fast. “It’s nothing.”
But his face tells me that it clearly is.
“So,” he says lightly, breaking the silence. “Breakfast?”
Kael guides me down never-ending narrow corridors, talking to me the entire way. His carefree energy is infectious. I’ve smiled at him more times than I care to admit.
He seems the complete opposite of Rowan.
He keeps his pace deliberately casual, pointing and gesturing at which turn to take and nodding his head at me to follow along. We round the corner into a wide corridor lined with arches.
The common room announces itself before it’s even in sight. Chatter and murmurs spill from the archway with knights coming and going in groups.
“Right,” Kael says, stopping us both and glancing at me. “A few things to know before we go in.”
Bracing myself, I ask,
“Am I about to break some unspoken rule or something?”
“Oh, several,” he smirks. “But you’ll be fine. Just remember these three rules,” he says.
I nod, waiting.
“One.” He holds up his finger. “Stay close to me or Rowan, no wandering off.” I nod in response.
“Two.” He holds up another finger. “Ignore what people are saying about you. They’re excited. You’ll be old news before you know it.”
“Great,” I sigh. “And the third?”
“If Rowan scowls at you, you’re doing just fine.” He says, winking at me.
I laugh softly.
I’ve known Rowan for less than a day, but I think it’s obvious he’s not exactly the warm and welcoming type. Before I can ask any more questions, we’re already inside.
It’s loud.
Not chaotic. Just dense with sound. The scrape of benches on the floor, the clatter of plates and cutlery. Bursts of laughter and jeers. Armour gleams from every direction I look, broken only by dark cloaks slung over chair backs.
The sound shifts as we move further in, not silencing but lower. Whispers start almost immediately, and I hear comments as I brush past each group.
Who is she?
Who sent her?
The gate.
Kael leans into me. “Told you,” he chuckles before directing me to a bench in the corner. I spot Rowan instantly, already eating. His helmet sits beside him, gloves neatly placed inside it. Kael drops heavily onto the bench opposite him.
“Morning, Warden,” he beams. “Looking as chippy as always,” he goads.
Forcing an awkward sort of smile, I stand next to Kael, staring down at the floor. I want to hide, to squeeze myself into somewhere small where no one will notice me. Every knight in here seems to be staring at me.
Rowan’s gaze slides to me, then back to Kael.
“You’re late,” he says.
“We are precisely on time. You, my friend, are just painfully early,” Kael replies, clicking his tongue. Rowan ignores him and gestures to the space next to him.
“Sit,” he says. I hesitate, not sure what to do. Rowan turns to look at me, squinting his eyes before I rush into the space beside him.
Kael leans into me, half whispering,
“Ask him how the mushrooms are today,” he says, raising his eyebrows and grinning at Rowan. Rowan rolls his eyes, returning to his food. Kael stands, pointing at me,
“Wait here, I’ll grab you some bits. You eat anything, right?
” But he’s already gone before I can answer.
I am now very aware of the six-foot-five wall of armour seated next to me as Rowan continues to eat his food, not stopping to glance at me.
The silence lasts forever, and I fight back the urge to say something.
Anything to break the tension. A sigh escapes me when I spot Kael return to the table.
Rowan must hear it as his eyes dart to mine briefly.
“Got you a bit of everything!” Kael exclaims, handing me a knife and fork.
I stare down at the tray of food, a mix of assortments.
Again, my judgement seems misguided.
It’s just food.
Normal breakfast foods.
“Eat,” Rowan huffs in a deep voice to my left. I pause for a second before taking my first bite.
“Why do you look so surprised?” Kael asks me. “Do they not have food like this where you come from?”
“Well, yes… we do. I just…” I stumble lost for words. “It’s just…normal food?” I say, sounding more confused than I mean to.
Kael and Rowan share a glance before Kael bursts into laughter, and a faint smile curves at the edge of Rowan’s lips. I feel an odd sense of achievement at seeing Rowan’s hard exterior slightly chip. It doesn’t last very long, though, before he coughs and returns to his icy demeanour.
The surrounding whispers grow louder, knights turning their heads and stealing glances at our table.
Rowan lifts his head, glancing around us as the muscle in his cheek flickers.
He sets his fork down with deliberate care, the soft clink making me look at him.
He rises from his seat as the entire room falls silent.
Oh god.
“I’m sure Commander Rook told you all this was a closed topic for discussion, did he not?
” He calls across the room, his voice deep and commanding.
“She is under my supervision, which means she eats where I eat, and she will be where I am at all times.” My cheeks flush with heat.
He continues, “You won’t talk to her. You will not look at her.
Disobey me and find out what happens. Your choice. ”
A few of the knights suddenly find their bowls very interesting as they resume conversations, and no one seems to look at me again. Kael tuts opposite me.
“You do have a love for the dramatic, don’t you, Ro?”
My eyes fall to my plate, cheeks burning.
The attention feels heavy and suffocating.
The urge to apologise rises instinctively in my chest. I swallow it down, not wanting to irritate Rowan. My gaze lingers on him for a moment too long before he turns to look at me and catches me staring. We hold eye contact for what feels like forever before Kael breaks the tension.
“So…” he claps his hands together. “Elodie here says you told her not to call you Rothwyn?”
I stiffen, almost choking on my porridge.
“He…I…he told me to. I thought…”
“Did he now?” Kael turns to Rowan, smiling. Rowan shoots him a look that could cut stone.
“Kael,”
“Oh, come on, this is big. When was the last time—”
“Kael, I’m warning you.”
They remain locked in a staring match before Kael stops to look at me.
“Suit yourself.” He winks at Rowan, shrugging his shoulders and pushing away from the table. “See you at training, plant girl.”
“Training,” I all but squeak. “What do you mean? I can’t! I mean, I’m not…training?”
He chuckles before giving me a salute and heading back out the arched door we came through. I’m once again left alone with Rowan, the air feeling even thicker than before.
Did he just call me plant girl?