Chapter Four: Royals

Cold water splashed in my face as I heard a stern voice call me. “Oi, get up already!”

            I moaned and blinked heavily, my face wet with water. My vision was blurry with sleep, but I was able to make out the figure of a large woman standing over me with a stern but amused expression on her face. “She awakes!” She said as she shook my shoulder. I covered my face with my pillow, annoyed.

            “Who are you and why are you in my room?” I asked groggily, getting up out of my bed and staggering a little. I was still half asleep, but I could see that it had gotten much darker outside than when I had fallen asleep. “What time is it?”

            “You forgot to put the red thread on your doorknob,” The woman said, opening my wardrobe. “I’m here to get you ready for your dinner. Which is in twenty minutes.” She casually filed through a few dresses that were already in my wardrobe, and I saw my clothing hanging up in there.

            “Twenty minutes?” I exclaimed, suddenly awake. I shot out of my stupor and raced to beat the woman to my closet. “How is my stuff in there?” I looked at my bag in the corner and saw that it was opened and half-empty. “You looked through my things?” My heart fluttered because if she had seen my weapons, I’d be dead. I grabbed the vial that Madame Elmara gave to put on my side.

            “Only the compartment labeled ‘clothes,’” she reassured, holding out a dress and shaking her head in disapproval. I could see that she was middle aged, with thin mousy brown hair streaked with grey. “What size are you?”

            I shrugged, honestly not knowing. “Last time I wore a dress was years ago,” I answered honestly. Last time I went on an assassination mission. All the missions before this were just to get information and such. Ever since then I’d been training for this, so no trying on dresses. Petty women things.

            “Well, try this, then,” she said, holding out a pale yellow dress. “It looks about your size.” She tugged at my own simple black shirt and clucked her tongue. “You should dress in other things besides these.”

            I scowled and went into the bathing room to change into the dress. Thankfully, it did fit me, so I didn’t have to go through the trouble of finding me size or whatever. The color was hideous, though. So bright and cheery.

            I came back wearing the canary dress. “Do you have anything black?” I asked grumpily. I hated the feel of not wearing my normal clothing. This dress was unfamiliar and annoying. It was a bit constricting and the neckline was too low. I was afraid if it was any smaller my breasts would hang out.

            “But these colors would look so nice on you!” The woman exclaimed sadly, holding up many more dresses of blue, orange, gold, red, and every other color besides black. I sighed and closed my eyes, gesturing for her to come at me. She giddily took off the yellow dress, letting it fall to the floor. I crossed my arms over my chest instinctively and tried to cover myself. Her eyebrows rose as she shook her head.

            “You have to trust me, dear,” she sighed as she touched my shoulder. “I won’t bite you, unlike some of the men in this place.” She laughed dryly as I relaxed a little. She smiled kindly and helped me into a dark royal blue dress with white satin ribbons tied on it. I cautiously stepped into it and she tied the strings in the back up to the middle of my back.

            “What’s your name again?” I asked as we decided against the navy dress. I kicked off the dress to a corner and the nice woman retrieved it and hung it back up.

            “Mary-Ann,” She replied softly as she held up a black dress with a white underside. I nodded in approval and smiled a little. “You’ll need to wear a corset for this one.”

            After about ten minutes, I was dressed in my black dress and the mixture that Elmara had given me was slathered on. My corset was on, and it was tighter than last time I recalled wearing one and was especially uncomfortable because of the sludge on my skin. The ties in the back of my dress were a little tangled. It was hard to breathe as Mary-Ann made me sit down in a chair.

            “Time for your hair,” she said as she grabbed a brush and started to run it through my brown wavy hair. It felt surprisingly calming, and I relaxed my muscles involuntarily. Her gentle fingers weaved through my hair for what seemed like ages. But soon, she was finished and told me to look in the mirror. I gasped a little at her handiwork.

            She had managed to take two strands of hair from near my face, braid them into tiny, delicate strands and then weave them into a larger braid that stretched down to the middle of my back. She left two rings of hair drop down in front of my ears to give the appearance of earrings, almost. It was pretty simple, yet elegant. I blinked a little and smiled a little smile. Inside, I was impressed with her work but still preferred a loose bun.

            “Wow,” I breathed, touching my hair delicately. “I look very…different.” I stood up, trying to breathe. “Thank you, Mary-Ann.” I started towards the door, but stopped for a moment. Rummaging through my bag, I pulled out a red ribbon and, once I opened the door, tied it around the doorknob. “Thanks,” I said softly as the door clicked behind me.

            I walked briskly down the hall and towards the stairs. I saw the indents in the carpet made by the plates that had fallen earlier, and where my knees and his knees had touched the ground. I never even asked his name, I thought, a little guiltily. But I dismissed the thoughts of the young boy as I trotted down the stairs. I saw Brennan waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

            “Hello, sexy,” he purred flirtatiously as he walked towards me, running a hand through his hair. His hair, I noticed, was combed back a little and was less windswept than this afternoon. He wore a white undershirt and a black tunic, and black long pants. His fingers glittered with his rings as he held out his arm for me to take. “You look lovely.”

            I smiled a little and simply took his arm. “Likewise,” I said quietly as he led me down a hallway. We walked in synchronization as we passed countless rooms to get to what I assumed was the main dining hall. I caught a glimpse inside a room and saw many cooks preparing our meal. I caught a whiff of pork and wine.

            “I hope you’re not vegetarian,” he said as he opened a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. The wooden doors opened silently and a long wooden table stretched out in front of us. At the far end, I caught a glimpse of the king, King Terrann. He sat at the head of the table on an ornate wooden chair laden with gems. I couldn’t help but be in awe of him. He radiated power so strongly it was impossible to think he wasn’t high and mighty. His brown hair was beginning to turn the slightest bit grey, and it was clear where Brennan got his unique intense sapphire eyes from.

            Next to him on his right was the queen, Queen Annabel. Her long, pin-straight, blond hair was in an inverted ponytail that trailed all the way down her back. Her light blue eyes were understanding and wise, and her neck and arms glittered with gold and silver. Her ornate red and gold dress trumped my simple black one any day. There were two empty set places next to her, and I assumed that those were for Brennan and me.

            Across from Queen Annabel sat the princess, Princess Greta. Her sandy blonde hair was streaked with natural blonde highlights, much like her brother’s. Her young, childish face was creased in a frown as she tugged on the collar of her dress irritably. She was only ten, and hated dresses. She looked over at us and made a face at Brennan. Brennan made a face right back, to my amusement.

            “Ah, Brennan, right on time,” Queen Annabel praised him gently, patting the seat next to her. “And I see your suitor is appropriately dressed.” She nodded slightly in approval with a small smile on her face.

            “Mother,” he sighed as he sat down on the wooden chair with a seat of red velvet. “Tygre, you must know who my mother, father, and younger sister are.” I stood for a moment beside Brennan, surprised that he addressed the Queen in such an informal manner. For a moment, I had forgotten that he was the prince.

            “Yes,” I answered politely. “And it is an honor, your highnesses.” I curtsied slightly, trying not to trip on my long black dress. The unusual fabric was unfamiliar against my skin, and the foreign threads made me feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

            “Indeed,” King Terran muttered from across the table, obviously tired. “You may sit.” He gestured for me to sit down, and I did as he asked. Brennan cast me a glance and nodded.

            “I must say, though,” I said softly. “It is a bit unusual for the royal family to dine with every suitor your son brings. It must be a little exhausting to make an effort to know all of them, because there have been many so far, and many more are to come.” I hoped I wasn’t offending them, and I glanced at Brennan, a little instinctively to make sure I was doing this right. On my many missions, I had never actually interacted with the royal family. Brennan gave me a small nod approvingly and I relaxed a bit.

            “Yes, it does get a little tiring,” Queen Annabel sighed, sipping her wine. “Many of them are similar as well, they either have a poor family in need of the money they would inherit, or they are wealthy and wish to have even more power than they already have. It’s really quite repetitive.” She glanced at me for the first time. “What did you say your name was?”

            “Tygre,” I said, realizing I hadn’t introduced myself properly. “Tygre Hawthorne Black.” I smiled a little, remembering that was exactly what I had said earlier. “My apologies for not introducing myself immediately.” I bowed my head a little and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. All this formality was a little difficult, to be honest.

            The queen nodded lightly, a faint smile gracing her face. “I heard that you two were out for the afternoon?” She cast a scolding glance at Princess Greta, who was fidgeting and making faces. My eyebrow rose slightly as I glanced at Brennan, a questioning look on my face. He chuckled a little, running his hand over his face.

            “I suppose you could say that,” he said lightly winking at me. I winked back in the same manner. I felt a little bit of the herbal mix drip down my side and I shivered a little, disgusted. “Ronan ever so kindly ran over her and cut her side, so we went to a healer but got more than we bargained for.” He shook his head like it was just a joke, a little story he couldn’t believe had happened.

            “Greta, stop slouching,” Kind Terran suddenly interjected, glaring at the princess, who was slouching so low she was practically under the table. I couldn’t help but smirk as she groaned, once again sitting up straight with a pouty look on her face.

            “Oh, dear,” Queen Annabel said mildly, a concerned look on her face as the turned to me once again. “Are you quite alright, dear? We can always send for a healer as long as you’re here. You know that, correct?” I nodded in response, quietly thanking her.

            A man dressed in black and white and with a thin mustache approached the table and stood next to the queen. He looked at her and Queen Annabel nodded to him. He responded to her nod by briskly leaving the room and closing the double doors hard. I shivered again as the liquid from the paste made its way down my side like a drowning insect.

            “You must be hungry after all of your adventuring today,” Queen Annabel said warmly, and a faint undertone of humor. “I hope you like pork, Tygre.”

            “Ugh, finally!” A high, complaining voice pierced the warm, soft tones of Queen Annabel’s voice from across the table, which I assumed was Greta’s voice. “We haven’t had pork in AGES, mum!” She grinned happily as the double doors opened again, and men in formal dress like the one before flooded the hall, carrying shining silvery platters. I could see my face reflected in every one, each carrying a slightly different lighting.

            “Don’t worry,” I said lightly, inhaling. I could smell the pork, lathered in honey and exotic spices I couldn’t identify. “It’s one of my favorites.” Queen Annabel nodded, smiling.

            “How interesting, that’s Brennan’s favorite as well,” she noted, her tone light and mildly amused. Brennan’s cheeks flushed as he shot his mother an accusing glare. The queen chuckled a little and Princess Greta outright laughed at Brennan’s flush. I smiled at him and his eyebrows rose in a “can you believe this?” fashion. I heard footsteps from behind me as a man in grey scale clothing placed a silver platter in front of me, masked by a glittering silver dome with jewels sparking on the rim.

            Smiling, I leaned forward a bit, feeling the heat emitted from the food under the platter. The kind of warmth only fresh food could emit, that was. “Indeed,” I mused, causing Brennan to flush more. “It seems that we have a lot in common.” I felt his sturdy hand whack my leg from under the table. I pretended I hadn’t felt anything, when in reality I was impressed by his strength.

            The rest of the royal family proceeded to get their dishes, and Princess Greta eagerly grabbed the top off and started gnawing on the pulled pork underneath, slathered in sauce and spices. Steamed vegetables accompanied the meal, I discovered quickly, as well as mashed potatoes with gravy and butter, when the family began to eat. I, of course, followed, placing my napkin on my lap.

            “I apologize for the lack of appetizers and salads,” Queen Annabel said, somewhat rushed, as she swallowed. “The King and I have received a lot of paperwork we must go over, and it does take up an awful lot of time. Isn’t that right, dear?” She glanced hopefully at the King, who was solemnly chewing on pork. His intense orbs of eyes were trained on me, observing my every move like a raptor eyes its meal.

            “Yes,” said King Terran darkly, swallowing. I shrunk back in my chair a bit, the tiniest but afraid that he recognized me from somewhere. Perhaps it was an assassination years ago, when I was supposed to kill the advisor a few years ago, who was figuring out our location.

            It’s a funny thing, our home. Every time someone starts to get a lead on us, we move and take out the person sniffing about. Sometimes on the outskirts of the city, sometimes in the dead center it depended on who had targeted us. We moved a year ago from a vacant building in the center. Now, we were closer to the border of the city, more near the city south of us called Ildrid.

            “Anyways, Tygre, what do you do for a living?” Queen Annabel asked lightly. I froze, feeling the King’s eyes on me, burning through my clothes and skin. Princess Greta was staring at me with wide, inquisitive eyes, eager to soak up my words. Brennan looked at me and flashed a charming smile, but it was one I couldn’t return. My throat was sandy, and I could not swallow.

            “Sire!” A man burst through the double doors, red-faced and frantic. I made a mental note to thank him later for saving my skin. “Another attack!” He gasped in fear as cried rang out from the hallway, and I noticed his outfit was not red, but white with stains on it. Shadows danced on the walls, and everyone in the room stiffened.

            “Take Tygre to safety, Brennan,” King Terran ordered, whipping out a golden sword from his belt. “I’ll hold off the beasts for now. Annabel, take Greta.” Queen Annabel complied, her face as white as a sheet.

Brennan grabbed my hand, and we both trembled as we ran down the opposite hallway. Panting, we turned a corner and froze. For we were staring right into the gold and red eyes of Draconian. 

Author's Note

What is a Draconian you might ask? That is to be explained in the next chapter! Keep on reading and as always, comment and share your opinion!