4. Evergreen Manor
The room was still dark when Skylar was jolted awake by the creak of the door. She sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. Her mind was still half asleep, and she didn't fully understand why she was awake in the middle of the night.
"Make her ready for the journey and be swift about it," a cold voice commanded.
Skylar managed to open one eye. Her maids were rushing into the bedroom, getting her clothes ready and drawing the curtains.
The sky outside was still black, without any hint of dawn.
She turned to look at Gawyn. He was standing at the door, clad in his perfectly pressed army uniform, with no traces of sleep on his handsome face.
"It's still the middle of the night," she protested weakly, trying and failing to suppress a yawn. "I thought we were supposed to get up at dawn."
"No. I said we move out at dawn, pay attention. And to do that, you need to get up right now." The General turned his unforgiving grey eyes to the maids again. "And make sure she eats her breakfast."
He turned on his heel and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Gods, what a slave driver," Sky groaned, falling back on her pillow.
"You have to get up, my Lady," said Maia, her chief maid, taking away a duvet. "Lord General was most insistent that you should be ready before dawn."
Skylar grumbled grudgingly but let the maids lead her to the bathing chamber and do their job while she slowly came awake. After a while, Maia brushed her hair, looking at her in the mirror with a knowing smile.
"What?" Skylar asked, raising her brows.
"You look tired, my lady. I presume the wedding night was... eventful?"
Skylar gritted her teeth. Sometimes she regretted always talking with her maids plainly like that. Aurora would never let the servants speak to her this way. "It's not even dawn," she finally said. "Every normal person would be tired."
"Of course," Maia replied, but her playful smile revealed that she knew better.
Skylar rolled her eyes. Gawyn's warning came to her mind. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone that they were not sleeping together, not to raise gossip. She added dutifully, "I might be a little bit extra tired, though."
Maia giggled. "Lord General is a handsome man. You are fortunate, my lady."
"I wish people stop saying that," Sky said with a sigh.
The entourage waited in the central courtyard.
The carriage was big and looked comfortable, although it was not as elaborate as some of the nobles' vehicles Skylar saw yesterday.
A unit of six soldiers on high horses, dressed as impeccably as their commander, waited patiently for an order to move out.
Gawyn was talking to the coachman. Skylar sighed and turned around to look at her home one last time.
Suddenly, she was closed in a tight hug by the storm of pink and laces.
"I will miss you so much!"
"I'll miss you too, Rori," Sky replied, patting her sister on the back. She was still upset with her, but there was no point in dwelling on that now.
"I've never been prouder, Skylar," Colartsaid, coming up to them and closing them both in a tight embrace. "You will be marvellous out there. I know you will."
Sky felt her eyes stung with tears. With all the whirlwind of preparations, she never had time to feel sad about leaving her family. And now, all the feelings hit her hard.
"I love you both," she whispered, suppressing incoming sobs.
Then someone cleared their throat insistently. Skylar gently pulled away from the embrace, wiping the corner of her eye with her hand. Gawyn was standing a few feet away from them, his face a perfect mask, as usual.
"It is time for us to depart," he asserted and held out his hand to Skylar.
She gave her family a forced smile and closed the distance to her husband, putting her hand in his. He wore worn-out black leather gloves. His hand was bigger than hers, and his grip firm but gentle.
"I wish you could stay a little bit longer," Aurora said. "Why the rush? The whole royal delegation will be leaving at noon."
"That's exactly the point," Gawynreplied plainly. "It is trouble to travel with such an elaborate entourage, and it is a slow journey. I have matters to attend in Eaglepoint, and I cannot waste my time dawdling and waiting for all the nobles to gather."
"I see. Have a pleasant journey, my lord." Aurora curtseyed.
"I'm giving my daughter, my greatest treasure, to you. Please, take care of her, my lord," Colartsaid with a bow. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Gawyn nodded more deeply than it was necessary. "I won't let any harm befall her. I swear on my honour." He nodded again.
The General led Skylar towards the carriage, opened the door, and helped her inside. When he closed the door after her, Skylar looked at him in surprise. "Won't you ride with me?"
"I prefer to ride on horseback."
"Me too, not that you bothered to ask," Skylar hissed.
"You are a lady. You are expected to ride in a carriage. I left some books for you. Use the time to catch up on your education," Gawyn replied, ignoring her jab, and left before she managed to respond.
Skylar scoffed and noticed there were indeed books on the plush seat in front of her. She quickly shuffled through them. They were all historical and political treaties.
"You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, but she didn't have time to complain as the carriage lurched forward. She barely managed to wave at her family, and they were out of the estate the next moment.
The journey was long and tedious. Gawyn hadn't bothered to talk to Skylar or check up on her even once.
She tried to read the books, but her eyes were closing every time before reaching the end of a page.
Lack of sleep was not helpful when you tried to learn history.
She spent the day napping and looking at the landscapes that were rolling around her.
They only made a few short breaks on the way, but no one talked to her.
Gawyn was always busy with something, while the soldiers kept their distance from her, avoiding looking in her direction.
Skylar was bored out of her mind when the sun finally started to set, basking everything in brilliant orange hues.
Also, her legs were screaming after the whole day sitting in a small space.
She took off her shoes and put her feet up on the other seat in a very unladylike pose.
Skylar didn't care at this point. She only wished they could be in the capital already.
Sky sighed and picked up two apples that she saved herself from their last meal break.
She weighed them in both hands and then threw them in the air.
Juggling was an excellent exercise for improving coordination and reflexes.
She was never good at it, but she managed to handle two apples.
At least it was some form of entertainment.
She was doing great up to the moment when someone outside her window cleared his throat. Skylar jumped, and one of the apples fell on her head. "Ow!"
"Whatever are you doing?" Gawynasked with raised brows, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Dying from boredom. You?" Sky shrugged.
"Get your feet down and put your shoes on. It's unbecoming of a lady to sit like that."
Skylar scoffed. "How about you try to sit here the whole day, hm?" But she did as she was told.
"Have you read your books?" Gawyn asked, once again ignoring her jab.
"No. Reading in a rattling carriage gets me nauseous," Sky lied, crossing her arms.
The General sighed. "Fine. Get ready. We are approaching the Eaglepoint now. Try to look like a lady. At least until we get to Evergreen."
"What's Evergreen?"
"Evergreen Manor. Your new home."
"Oh, right." Skylar straightened her back and raised her chin. "Do I look ladylike now? Shall I wave?"
"No, you don't have to wave," Gawyn replied solemnly. Then he clicked at his horse, trotting forward.
As Skylar watched him go, she finally noticed the Eaglepoint appearing in the distance.
She tried not to gawk, but she was amazed by the sheer size of the metropolis.
The central city from her family domain was a mere provincial town compared to this behemoth.
The city walls seemed never to end, while the countless buildings populated the massive hill on which the city was based.
The royal palace was something else. It was built into the spire of the rocky mountain that towered over the whole city and could be seen from miles away. It was a masterpiece of architecture, and if Skylar did not see it with her own eyes, she could never imagine such a beautiful structure.
The rest of the way still took them over an hour.
Skylar kept looking through the window, hungrily drinking all the foreign sights.
Even though the sun had almost set, the city was bustling with activity.
The streets were full of people, and she heard not only their native speech but also languages she'd never heard before.
Many people were bowing at their entourage and glancing curiously at her. After a while, all this attention got a bit suffocating, so Skylar sat back in her seat. It was strangely unnerving with all those people looking up at her as if she was someone special. She hardly ever felt so out of place.
To her relief, soon, the streets they were passing became less busy.
The building became more sparse, giving way to large green parks and stadiums like military training grounds.
When the carriage came to a halt, Skylar looked out of the window.
They stopped at the massive iron gate that was slowly opening.
Behind it was an explosion of greenery so exquisite that Sky's eyes went wide.
She no longer cared that her mouth was wide open. The road to the estate was paved with white stones; all around it grew elegantly shaped trees and bushes with an abundance of flowers in full bloom. But this whole abundant beauty was outshined by the manor itself.
Now the name of the place made a whole lot of sense. The building was huge, built from a whitestone, but the entire front was covered in green vines, ivy, and other plants Sky had never seen in her life. She could only imagine how many people were taking care of this place.