Chapter 12 #2
Aza turns behind her quickly to give Jahar a confused look, silently asking why they would be going up in the castle to see a village.
Jahar just looks up at her with soft eyes and an eyebrow raised.
Distracted by the heat building quickly in her stomach, Aza misses her next step and quickly tries to catch her balance.
King Abasi, unbeknownst to what had happened, quickly steps to the side.
Jahar, however, makes his way to Aza in seconds, grabbing her arm to steady her.
Aza whispers a quick, embarrassed thank you.
The King simply looks down at her with what seems like annoyance at her clumsiness before he announces, “Well, if you have your footing back, Princess, let’s continue.”
Trying to hide the bite in her tone, Aza responds, “Yes, Your Highness. Why is it, though, that we are traveling up in the castle to see one of your villages?”
“Because this way has the best view.”
Why does he seem so cryptic? Aza thinks.
When they reach the top of the staircase, they continue down another corridor until they reach another heavy wooden door; this one, however, is locked with a thick metal bar, and two guards stand on either side.
The King nods towards the door, signaling them to open it.
As one of the guards goes to lift the metal bar, a small dagger falls from his waistband.
The guard freezes before he slowly turns around.
He stares at the King, not moving. The King doesn’t say anything, but Aza can sense a tightness in his jaw.
Behind the chain mask the guard’s wearing, he has one brown eye and one green eye, but both seem coated with fear.
Wanting to end this uncomfortable stare-off, Aza bends down to pick up the dagger.
“I hear metal on metal can be quite slippery,” she hands it to the guard, who takes it hastily and bows in thanks.
The other guard finishes removing the metal bar amidst the commotion, and Aza was met with a breath of fresh air as they walked outside onto the allure.
“If you look to your right, you will see the Village of Fahir. It is my most prestigious village. Endless amounts of gold are purified and exchanged here. The top servicemen and members of my cabinet live here, along with other high-end civilians.” He informs me.
Aza looks out across a vast distance of land, patrolled by guards, to the village in the distance.
The buildings and houses look as though they sparkle beneath the sun.
Aza could swear the roofs were made of gold, sitting atop stone and wood structures.
She could see women dressed in elegant, colorful gowns making their way down the streets.
There, however, were other women as well, whom Aza guessed were servants based on their white attire and the way they carried baskets and clothing.
It stood out to Aza that no men were present who weren’t wearing metal gear.
She hypothesized that they very well could be off working, but it was odd that there wasn’t a single one.
Only a few young boys played among the other children; many, however, were scolded for their childish behavior.
Something felt wrong. She couldn’t name it, only felt it, low and persistent.
“What do your other cities and villages look like? How do your poorest citizens fare?”
“You ask a lot of questions for a visiting princess considering the prospect of a marriage alliance.”
“Well, I like to be informed, and shouldn’t I be if I may potentially be a queen one day?”
“I think you worry yourself too much, Princess. I am a good king and have a strong, prosperous empire. Is there anything you have seen since being here that would suggest otherwise?”
Aza thought back, but despite the gnawing feeling and a few very old portrait paintings, she couldn’t come up with an answer to his question that described something seriously concerning or proved him otherwise, so she shook her head no.
“Why don’t you just enjoy your visit? I can discuss all the other matters and logistics with your father.
” King Abasi put a smile on his face, “I think that you might just be a little overwhelmed, coming to a new place after a long ride and jumping right into tours and information and such. Why don’t I bring you to your room, and we can pick this up later? ”
Aza took in a deep breath, “I think you might be right. That sounds like a good idea.”
The King nodded his head and took them back through the door and inside.
The King didn’t even glance toward the guards, but Aza managed a small reassuring smile to the guard who had dropped his dagger.
They descended the stairs and once again made their way through the corridors.
He began explaining how she could get to her room from the front of the castle, but Aza was sure she would still get lost, so she hoped that Jahar was taking notes.
They were walking down a long corridor when Aza’s ears perked.
In the distance, she hears it, faint at first. As they continued walking and get closer, Aza was sure she was hearing screaming behind a closed door.
The words were muffled at first, but then she made out one sentence: “Run! Before they get you too!” Then a high-pitched scream cuts short with a gurgle.
Aza stopped dead in her tracks at the door she heard the sounds coming from. She began to reach out her hand when she was interrupted by the King.
“What’s wrong now, Princess?”
“I thought I heard…” Aza stutters as she glances towards Jahar, who is shaking his head no, letting her know that no one else can hear what she is. After a quick breath, she responds, “Nothing. My apologies, let’s continue.”
They finally reach her room. The King explains that just down the hall are rooms set up for her guards. He then tells her to settle in and get some rest, and he will see her later.
Aza, her head heavy, clouded, told Jahar she was just going to lie down and sleep it off.
Barely taking in the room as she entered, she barely registered the room of a small table and sofa in the entryway outside of the main bedroom.
Aza made her way to the bed, crawled into it, and hid under the blanket.
Eventually, Aza drifted off to sleep, but as much as she wanted to clear her head while awake, she couldn’t escape the nightmares that plagued her.