5. Emilia
Chapter 5
Emilia
T he spirals of steam that float up from the warm water are laced with the smell of lavender. I have become obsessed with the bathtub in my suite. We had a basin at the house in the village that I barely fit in. The most comfortable position was kneeling and dumping the water over my head with a bucket, though more often than not, we bathed in the river just outside the village. It was cold even in the middle of summer, so I much preferred kneeling in a small bin of tepid water as my form of bathing.
“Are you ready to get out?” Sylphina wanders into the bathing room and places a set of soft towels on the chair beside the vanity. Her chipper humming is a constant since she met her new man.
I hum in agreement. My fingers have become pruney, and though I would much rather stay here soaking in this luxurious bathtub and not face the slightly terrifying Queen of the Night Court, I move to sit up anyway. Sylphina leaves the room as I stand and grab the towels. The cold air causes goosebumps to cover my skin and a slight shiver runs through me. I wrap myself quickly in the soft, warm fabric, staving off the breeze that is coming through the window. My hair is sopping wet, so I take the second towel and twist my hair in it. Sylphina, on many occasions, has offered to help me in and out of the bath, but I just can’t bring myself to indulge in such behaviour. I’m not that far removed from being a working woman myself, so the idea that someone needs to wait on me is deeply unsettling. I find the silk robe hanging on a hook from the wall and slip it on before heading into the main room.
“Finally decided to join us did you?” Sigrid is in the middle of steaming the dress I am wearing tonight with a knowing smirk on her face.
“I wasn’t in there that long,” I mutter, knowing full well that I have been in there for nearly an hour digesting the day’s events. I’m not even sure what to think and feel. Sometimes, it seems like I am just floating around watching this all unfold. Going from one stressful event to the next can’t possibly be good for my mental stability.
Sitting in front of the mirror, I watch as Sylphina dries my hair and somehow styles my normally frizzy hair into beautiful brown waves. I inhale the floral scent from the lotion that smoothes down the stray pieces of hair.
“Rian says he is going to take me somewhere special tonight! I feel like there are a million bees buzzing around inside of me. I can barely contain my excitement!” Sylphina pushes another pin into my hair as she continues talking about her new love. “Last night, he gave me this bracelet! It’s made of these multi- coloured stones that shine in the light! Isn’t it beautiful?” She thrusts her wrist in front of me and I can’t help but smile at her happiness. The bracelet is beautiful. The multi-coloured beads are darker in tone, making me think of the rocks I have seen in some of the caves I have explored. When sunlight hits them, they lightly glow, but the colours are muted.
“It’s beautiful Sylphina. I’m so happy for you. Where are you meeting him tonight?”
Her iridescent smile lightens the weight that sits heavy in my stomach.
“By the stables. He said he has arranged for us to borrow a horse! Isn’t it exciting?” She claps her hand in glee. “You know I think that beautiful tiara with the jade gems will look amazing with your dress. Let me grab it to put into your hair.” Sylphina runs off to the adjoining room to go through the way to many pieces of jewelry I now own. I walk over to Sigrid, who has all the ties on my creme dress undone, ready for me to step into it. As I pull the dress onto my shoulders Sigrid begins lacing up the back.
“Sigrid, I need to ask you something.” I pick at the side of my finger as I run through how I want to go about this conversation.
“Of course. You can ask me anything.” Giving a moment’s pause, I figure I just say what’s on my mind and then go from there.
“You know how we met with Chief Ruk today?” She hums in acknowledgment. “I think Timas isn’t thinking clearly, and he isn’t taking the situation seriously. I know he is more concerned about what is going to happen to us, but I feel like he can’t ignore a potential threat coming from the High King and the Northern Orcs. Which leads me to my question.” Sigrid finishes the last knot in my dress and comes to stand in front of me.
“Emilia, you’re rambling. What do you need me to do? You know I will help in any way I can.” A wave of gratitude fills me.
“I wondered if you could visit your friend who serves in the High King’s court and find out what has caused the King to ally with the Orcs. Timas is sending some spies but it could take a long time before that bears any fruit. Chief Ruk says the Night Court is involved somehow, and if that is true it will add another level of complication to everything. I fear there is something we are missing and Timas is far too focused on the murders to consider another avenue the Night Court could use to sow dissent in the Day Court. I’m afraid he is just trying to avoid Orc politics for the sake of avoiding it, not seeing a possible issue that needs to be addressed.”
Sigrid places her hard-working hand on my cheek and shushes. I didn’t realize I was getting increasingly anxious the longer I spoke.
“Of course, I will go. I haven’t seen Cassie in years. I would love to visit her. I will leave early in the morning.” She removes her hand and goes back to adjusting my dress. “You know you are adjusting to the Queen role really well.” Slightly taken aback, I look at Sigrid. My forehead feels scrunched and tight with how hard I’m looking at her .
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you are thinking about the bigger picture like a proper Queen. You are seeing where your partner is not focusing, and instead of standing by and watching it all unfold with no input, you have taken steps to do something. You recognize your shortcomings but that isn’t stopping you from trying to help in any way you can.”
I blink a couple of times, trying to process what she is saying. Truthfully, I have felt extremely inadequate at being the future Queen of the Day Court. I mean, what do I have that can help Timas? I’m human with no real special ability, but I care, and maybe that’s exactly what Timas needs right now. He needs someone to care enough to help, not someone to stand beside him at dances and meetings. I want to be helpful. I want to show Timas that I am here as his partner and though I may not have magic or the ability to fight, I can be his other half, filling in the gaps that he has. The realization that I can do more is encouraging and has me considering what else I can do to help.
Sylphina comes bouncing in again, tiara in hand, ready to adorn me in jewels.
“It’s going to be perfect!” Her enthusiasm has me looking forward to this evening.
Twenty minutes later, I am thoroughly adorned in jewels and snuggly tucked into another extravagant dress. Heading to the large oak doors, Sylphina and Sigrid follow behind me. The doors swing open, and we head down the elegant hallway toward the smaller banquet hall. The smaller banquet halls are more intimate, not as much space which creates a warmer feel. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure come out from one of the alcoves that line the hallway. My heart beats a little faster as several thoughts go through my mind. There has been a fear that someone would be able to get into the Royal Wing and attempt an assassination but Timas has increased the number of guards to help prevent that, or so I thought. A man with long dark hair locks his grey eyes with mine. A gasp leaves my throat as fear takes over my system. The noise must get the stationed guards’ attention because within seconds two guards are taking the man to the ground while two other guards come to my side and block me from the intruder. I hear a scream come from Sylphina, but when I look over to her, expecting to see her being attacked, she isn’t. She is racing to the man being held down by my guards.
“Please don’t hurt him!” She half sobs and shouts. Is this the man Sylphina is seeing? Why is he here in the Royal Wing? The guards pull him upright, arms held tight behind his back. It must hurt because he winces slightly, but he stares at Sylphina like she hung the moon. Finally finding my voice, I address Sylphina.
“Who is this man, Sylphina?” With tears streaking down her cheeks, she turns to me. Another guard is holding her back from going to the intruder, but she recognizes that I can solve whatever problem is going on here.
“It’s Rian. You know, the man I have been telling you about.” I look over at the two guards that are currently detaining the man and then the man himself. His grey eyes seem to assess me while also flitting to see where Sylphina is.
“I’m not sure if you are aware of some of the rules in the palace, Rian, but you can not be in the Royal Wing. There are harsh punishments in place to prevent people from doing just that. So to give you the benefit of the doubt, please explain to me why you have come here when you were not invited.”
The man in question focuses his attention back on me, and when he speaks, he speaks with such calmness it sends a chill down my spine.
“Forgive me, My Lady. I did not mean to frighten anyone, I just wished to find my Sylphina! I was waiting for her and was afraid something happened because she was late. She told me where she worked so I came to find her. I merely wanted to see my beloved.” Something doesn’t sit quite right with me, but he seems so smitten with Sylphina that their love alone is something to be admired. I need to see Timas to make this ache in my heart go away.
Addressing the guards, I say, “release him.” They look from one to another and the senior guard speaks his concerns.
“I do not think it is wise to allow him to go without being questioned. We were given specific instructions to bring anyone who entered the Royal Wing uninvited to be interrogated. Sylphina sucks in her breath because she knows just as well as I do that an interrogation is not a pleasant experience.
“If it makes you feel more comfortable, you may escort him out of the palace. He is a lovesick man wanting to see Sylphina.” They release him, and he races to Sylphina, wrapping her up in his arms and kissing her. Sylphina looks at me and thanks me.
“My suggestion to you both is find another way to communicate if someone is late. I will not stop the guards again. If you come to the Royal Wing again uninvited you will be taken away for interrogation. As for you Sylphina, I strongly suggest you not share with people how to enter the Royal Wing, that is the only reason I can think of that Rian was able to make it so close without being noticed. I will also need to inform Milori of this.”
Sylphina looks remorseful, but she seems to understand the kind of trouble she is in.
“Yes, of course. I am so sorry. Please forgive us.” They hold each other tight as they walk away, surrounded by four guards.
“Are you going to tell Timas about this?” Sigrid stares at the couple as they walk away, and I huff out a breath.
“And what—have Timas blow something up? No, it is best to try and keep him as calm as possible, the sun knows tonight is going to be hard enough.” Sigrid and I continue toward the banquet hall, this time surrounded by a couple of guards that I didn’t see arrive. Tensions are high in the palace, so I don’t blame them for being extra cautious, and admittedly, I appreciate the extra layer of protection. Let’s just hope nothing goes terribly wrong tonight at dinner.