Chapter 12
The noise.
The roar of tens of thousands of voices crashed against the walls and shook the ground beneath me. Every scream sent vibrations so strong the floor trembled under my feet.
“Breathe.” Welme’s hand fell onto my shoulder, her gentle voice trying to steady me.
My heart wanted to burst out of my chest, and my legs to run far from here.
But my mind knew that I had to be here.
Around me, maids and guards waited for me to take that first step toward the wooden doors that separated me from the royal platform.
Separated me from my knight, my new shadow.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and drew in a deep breath.
“It is my honor to present,” the announcer’s voice echoed, “our dear Princess Isolde.”
The veil clung to my skin as a cold gust of wind rushed through the corridor.
Breathe. Breathe, Isolde.
I whispered it to myself.
Breathe.
Each step closer to the light felt heavier than the last.
Breathe.
Sunlight poured over me, and for a moment I nearly lost my balance at the sight of how many souls stood before me, how they rejoiced, how they shouted my name.
“Today, the last princess, our Isolde, will claim her knight. Let us welcome the princess!”
The veil blurred the colors before me, and the antlers upon my head seemed to gain a hundred more pounds, yet I lifted my chin and placed a practiced smile upon my blood-stained lips.
Alone, I stepped toward the balcony that overlooked everything, yet stood low enough for all to see, and I waved to the crowd.
Their cheers rose in return.
I turned toward the others seated: king, queen, my brothers and sisters, and their knights.
I bowed deeply, then, without a word, took my seat beside Sando.
Beside me, Welme quietly adjusted my gown behind me, then sat somewhere in the corners. The air smelled of spring, sand… and something that awfully stunk of fear.
My thoughts were broken by Sando's hand over mine and the announcer’s voice once more:
“And now, all the knights, all fifty-eight of them, shall greet the king, the queen, the princes and princesses, and the very princess for whose favor they shall now fight.”
At his words, the crowd roared again.
Something soft brushed against my leg, and when I lowered my gaze, I saw Sando pushing something green toward me.
My brows furrowed as I looked at him.
“What is that?” It looked like a wreath, woven from some kind of green grass and a few red flowers.
He leaned closer to my ear but kept his gaze fixed on the field.
“This is the favor I told you about. First, all the knights will fight in friendly matches to prove themselves… and then you will choose whose blade will bear this.”
He didn’t need to explain further.
?Let the strongest one prevail upon weaker.“ The voice boomed.
I nodded and turned my blurred gaze toward the shining sand. The sand that soon would be stained with blood.