Eye of the Ancients Pt. 01

The canopy of trees hung low over my head as Ferdinand slowly made his way up the steep mountain trail. Moisture dripped from the leaves and needles onto my cloak, leaving dark blue spots dappled across the heavy velvet. Birds chirped and flitted through the morning fog, rousing from their sleep to begin the day's search for food.

It was my favorite time of day. When my thoughts were free to wander and my actions of my own choosing.

Damp soil crunched under Ferdinand's heavy feet as he snorted his own approval. He seemed to enjoy these morning rides as well even as he shook the dew from his mane. I scratched the side of his neck and gave him a little pat. He snorted again and shook the bridle, the metal hooks and clasps tinkling against each other.

"We'll be there soon and then you can have your apple."

He neighed low, almost like he wasn't sure he believed me yet. I chuckled and leaned my head back, closing my eyes and sucking in a deep breath of the forest air that was tinged with salt from the ocean waves breaking against the bluffs nearby.

Within a few minutes, the dark of the forest gave way to the light of the cliffs beyond. Ferdinand slowed his pace and chose his steps carefully. We had been coming to this spot for the better part of a year, but he was a cautious horse and never let his guard down which is why he was my favorite. He may have been slower sometimes, but he never let his excitement for apples get in the way of his prudence. I could respect that about him.

I could hear the crashing of waves below me, but I didn't dare look down. Ferdinand was a tall horse and that, coupled with the narrow path, would be enough to give me vertigo. I couldn't risk falling off. Falling off the trail and to my guaranteed death was not how I wanted to go. It wouldn't be fast and it would hurt. A lot.

I wasn't afraid of death itself, but of the pain involved in the process.

Finally, we reached the clearing and I hopped down from my gilded saddle, stretching my arms and legs. Ferdinand walked past me, busying himself with the sweet grass around us as I laid out my blanket and pulled the food from my bag. I sat on the blanket with a sigh, stretching again before tucking my legs under the layers of my silk dress and velvet cloak. The morning air was cold, but I had dressed well.

Ferdinand nudged my shoulder with his snout when I unwrapped the apples. I giggled and held one up for him, careful to keep my fingers out of the way so he didn't accidentally chomp one off. He gingerly took the apple, then set about happily destroying it before nudging me for another one.

"Just one more, you pig," I said with a giggle as I let him take the second from my open hand. With my horse content, I sighed and pulled out my own breakfast that my handmaiden had begrudgingly packed for me that morning. Everyone in the castle knew I wasn't supposed to leave the border walls, but they also knew keeping me inside was more of a task than they had the patience to handle. It wouldn't be long that I would remain under their care if my uncle had anything to do with it. He would have me married off and out from under his nose as fast as he could find someone befitting his own greedy desires.

The sun was just beginning to break through the clouds when I looked across the valley to the next mountain peak. Rays broke through and landed on a caravan that was making its slow progression through the narrow mountain pass as if firing a quiver of arrows onto my impending doom. Dust rose up from the wheels and hooves, leaving a trail behind the wagons like a painfully slow shooting star arcing across the mountainside. They were no doubt bringing supplies for the ball coming in a couple weeks to celebrate my betrothal.

I choked out a humorless laugh. For the rest of the kingdom, the ball was going to be the biggest party of the year, but for me, I felt like I was being led to the gallows.

I'd already heard the other court girls gossiping about who would be there and what they would wear. Every major and minor royal in the kingdom was required to come which meant that some of the dukes and counts who rarely ever make it to court would be there. This would likely be the only chance for some girls to find a husband and please their parents as many of them were so low on the royal food chain that they could never attract the men who could frequently be found within the castle walls. I imagined elsewhere within the confines of the walled off borders mothers fussing over their daughters' talents and their ability to look pretty and not say a single word of merit. Surely dreams would be made and prayers answered at my party, but none of them would be mine.

I sat there in the clearing until the sun fully cleared the valley walls. The peasants would have opened the market by now to start selling their wares and goods on the grounds beyond the castle walls. There were a few things I wanted to pick up on my way back to the castle proper. And I would do anything to keep me outside its walls for as long as possible.

Once I had settled on Ferdinand's saddle, we made good time back into town. Just as I expected, the tents had already been set up and banners were waving from the buildings around the main square. The townspeople had already started preparing for my ball even though it was still more than a week away. With people coming from all over the land to attend, there would be more people passing through the area than they typically saw in three moons' time, so they were doing their best to make the most of the occasion. If nothing else about the event brought me enjoyment, at least knowing that it would provide food and peace of mind to my people would settle my soul for a few days.

Children ran through the crowd, so I pulled on Ferdinand's reins to slow him to a glacial pace. I was rarely seen outside the castle gates, so there was little chance of anyone recognizing me, even with the fine clothes I wore. It was yet another benefit to having so many wealthy, powerful people in the town for my betrothal. No one would bat an eye at a young courtesan making her way through the bazaar.

"Three bits for a fresh bouquet," a young boy called from a building to my right. "Pretty flowers for a pretty lady!" He ran up to my side, thrusting the flowers as high as his little arms would reach. They were peonies and my favorite, so I dug some bits from the purse tied into my skirt pocket and handed them down.

"This is more than I asked. Do you want more flowers?" The boy's eyes were large and slightly sunken in from lack of hearty food. It pained me to see starvation on such a young face.

"This is more than enough, thank you. Take the extra and buy yourself a skewer of meat."

His eyes widened even more. I knew the peddlers barely paid their street boys enough to buy a single meal a day, so the extra I gave him would go straight to his own pockets. Many of them worked because their families had been lost to war or famine anyway. It was the most I could do with my uncle's shadow constantly over my head.

"Thank you, m'lady! Bless you."

I couldn't say anything else because it wouldn't be fitting of my station, but I wanted to tell him to keep the blessings for himself. I was not worthy of them.

As I got closer to the border wall gate, the crowd thickened to the point that I had to hop down from Ferdinand and lead him in by foot. The sound of music and the scent of roasting meat filled the air along with the lively din of conversation. Merchants called to would-be buyers while townspeople shared the latest gossip with anyone who would stop long enough to listen. I tried to keep my ears closed to it all, but I heard my name leave more than a few peoples' lips.

At the imposing iron gate of my family home, I handed over Ferdinand's reins and asked one of the guards to take him to the stables for me. The townspeople might not recognize me at first glance, but I couldn't hide from any of the guards. I'd grown up around most of them. Luckily, those tasked to wall duty were less inclined to tattle on my whereabouts beyond the gates.

Once I knew my horse was safe and well taken care of, I decided to make another round through the bazaar. It was such a beautiful, crisp morning that I couldn't bear to go back inside just yet. I made my way over to where a crowd had gathered around a group of musicians playing an energetic tune while a few of the townspeople had joined in with an equally energetic dance.

One particular young man caught my attention with his peculiar blue hair and wide smile. The blue wasn't that of the sky, or even of a jay in flight, but the blue of a tumultuous sea swept up by a storm. It was dark and brooding and nearly black, but when it caught the sunlight, it had all the depth of the ocean beyond our own valley. When he turned his obsidian eyes on me and smiled, the corners of his mouth dimpled slightly, giving him a boyish look despite him being old enough to wear the clean white uniform coat and blue pants of the King's Navy. Two thin braids hung from the back of his hair in a fashion I found both unusual and alluring. As he noticed me staring, his smile grew to show off surprisingly perfect, white teeth.

"Would the lady care to join me," he asked, stretching out his hand in my direction.

My face flushed hot with embarrassment at having been caught staring. "Pardon, sir, but I'm afraid I would make a terrible partner."

"Nonsense. Take my hand and don't think about anything but the sound of the music."

Before I could protest again, he'd already grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms. My eyes were wide and my heart beat wildly in my chest as I bit my lip and let him sweep me up into the beat of the music. I was vaguely aware of the cheering and clapping around us, but couldn't focus on any of it because I was so entranced by the young man's shining eyes and brilliant smile. He kept his hands at respectable positions as he effortlessly spun me around the open courtyard, but my body betrayed me by heating up in a most uncomfortable way. Despite the layers of his uniform, I could feel the taught, hard earned muscles underneath. Regardless of the soft face and kind smile on the surface, I knew this was a man accustomed to danger and hard work.

When the song ended, the man bowed low without taking his eyes off mine. "Thank you for the dance, m'lady."

I curtsied as I had been taught. "The pleasure was mine, sir."

"Could I be so bold as to ask your name?"

My mouth hung open and my eyes flitted around the courtyard full of people. It was unlikely that anyone was listening, but I wasn't supposed to be beyond the wall and I couldn't risk it. Instead, I gave the man the most apologetic smile I could muster and bowed my head. "You may, but unfortunately it isn't mine to give."

"Well, then, forgive me for asking." He bowed again, this time dropping his eyes. The tower bells in the center of town began to ring, ripping me from my reverie. I stepped into the crowd, casting one last glance back at the man who was then clapping to the tune of a new song. His eyes were still on me, but they weren't as soft as before. His mouth hung open just a little in a sly smile as he stared at me with an intensity that was shocking. A shiver crossed my spine as I wondered what the man was thinking, but I didn't have time to dwell on my thoughts. If I didn't hurry back to the castle before I was missed, I wouldn't be dancing with anyone else ever again.

***

My skirts rustled around my legs as I rushed as quickly as I could without looking improper. I had heard the phrase "a princess should never run" more times in my life than I could count on all my fingers and toes, but it had just recently taken root in my mind. I had been a bit impetuous in my youth and had the scars of lashings across my back to prove it. Princess or not, punishments were always swift and brutal in my home.

Courtiers and soldiers alike bowed their heads and bent their knees as I passed, not daring to look upon my face as I held it high despite my hurry. A haughty attitude was also something that my uncle's staff had bored into me from a young age. It had taken almost as much time for me to learn how to fake that as it had for me to learn the difference between a fast walk and a run.

As it turned out, the line between those two was as thin as the one separating pretension and fear. With just the slightest adjustment, it was easy to mask one as the other.

Just as I reached the doors to the castle proper, they opened and my handmaiden rushed out with her skirts gathered in her arms. Unlike princesses, handmaidens were allowed to run. As long as they could work around their attire.

"My lady," she said in a breathless, heavily accented voice. Though she had come to live in the castle from the northern lands at a very young age, she still hadn't lost the rounded sound of her heritage. She dropped her skirts as she reached me, taking me by the arm and pulling me through the door through which she'd just come.

"The King is looking for you and I've just barely kept him from storming into your room, himself. If he found you outside at this time, you know what he would do."

A phantom pain rippled through my back. I knew exactly what he would do.

"Thank you, Corsica. I owe you."

"More than even you could pay," she joked. She let go of my arms so I could follow her up the stairs hidden behind a large tapestry covering the gilded wall. The guard standing at attention there stepped aside just long enough for us to pass then made sure the opening was covered as he returned to his position. There was something to be said for being known as the kind one behind those walls. The fact that nearly all of those working inside had heard my pained screams from the lashings I'd taken at the hands of my uncle factored into their kindness, however. Sometimes I wondered if he was trying to see just how close to death he could bring me each time.

Corsica shoved me through the hidden door and closed it behind her just as my uncle's heavy fist made contact with the outer wooden door.

"Gabriella, you had better be in there," he yelled. After all these years, it was still surprising how his voice could carry through such thick wood braced and detailed in iron. It sounded like he was inside the room with us and the baritone of his voice rattled the hinges.

"I'm here, Uncle. I'm just getting dressed." Corsica fussed over my hair, trying her best to pin it up so it didn't look like I had been riding all morning. Another volley of his hammering fist came down on the door, threatening to break it down, so I pushed Corsica away and smoothed out my dress as much as I could before stepping forward and waiting for Corsica to come and open the door for me. Opening my own door was strictly forbidden.

My uncle stood on the other side, breathing like an angered bull with a flushed face and mussed hair. His eyes were wild and terrifying. No later than it was in the morning and yet I could smell the liquor on his breath. He was in a rare mood which did not bode well for me.

"I have been demanding your presence for nearly half an hour already," he ground out through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, my King," I said with a weak curtsey. I glanced at Corsica as I did and watched as she made a splashing motion against her face from behind the door. When I rose, I kept my eyes on his boots. "I was in the bath."

"Long damn bath," he growled.

"Sorry, my lord. I was pained from my coming moon cycle."

As I expected, his lip curled up in disgust. Corsica covered a snicker from her position behind the door.

"Very well. Your presence is expected in the Great Hall. Immediately."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Please lead the way and I will follow."

I kept my eyes cast to the floor as he snorted out a breath and turned on his heel. Once his attention was elsewhere, I cast another glance at Corsica, who visibly deflated as her anxiety lessened. She was not invited and could not follow, so she simply closed the door softly behind me. I stared into the back of my uncle's head as I followed him down the stairs. The guard at the tapestry I'd just passed through met my gaze and gave an almost imperceptible smile as we walked by. If anyone asked the guards outright where I was, they wouldn't be able to lie and any one of them could answer. But, to my great luck, no one ever asked them. They were all invisible until they were needed, and with my uncle's iron rule, they were rarely needed.

When we entered the Great Hall, my mouth started to water. Even though I'd eaten pastries stolen from the kitchen that morning, they'd already worn off and my stomach growled at the spread of meats, cheeses, and breads before me. My uncle sat at his usual spot at the head while my frail-looking aunt was already seated to his left with a plate of fruit in front of her. Meals were the only time I ever saw her. I took the spot across from hers and allowed a servant to add different items to my plate. I smiled up at him warmly, though he wasn't allowed to return it. He knew my tastes well and filled my plate with everything I loved.

As I smeared a roasted red pepper spread on a piece of seeded brown bread, the massive door to the room opened. I assumed it was another servant until I heard the clicking of proper shoes across the stone floor. I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. It was then that I realized why my presence had been demanded.

"Commander Kim, thank you for joining us," my uncle said with a smile. He motioned for the tall man to take the seat beside me.

"Thank you, my lord," the Commander said with a smirk. He nodded to my uncle and bowed first to my aunt and then to me. "My ladies, it is a pleasure to see you both again."

My aunt barely looked in the Commander's direction. She simply waved a dismissive hand toward him as she continued to pick at her fruit. Though the Commander was one of the most desired men in the kingdom, beautiful men were not a weakness of hers. Her sexual predilections were much more feminine if her not-so-secret harem were any indication.

But me? My heart quivered in my throat, drawing out a strangled cough. I wiped my mouth before tilting my head in his direction as he sat. "Commander Kim, the pleasure is ours."

"Please," he said with that damn smirk as he smoothed his uniform coat under him as he took his seat, "how many times must I ask you to call me Kai?"

My face flushed hot. "At least once more," I murmured, inclining my head in his direction. I tried to think more carefully about what I put in my mouth as he stared at me. Commander Kim...Kai...was a beautiful man, but his ruthlessness was well known throughout the country. There was a reason he was my uncle's favorite. He was as dangerous as he was alluring and I didn't know whether to be terrified or aroused. I wasn't even sure if there was much of a difference between the two at that point.

"I've asked the Commander to join us today to discuss your upcoming betrothal." My uncle's voice was suddenly steady and calm, considering he'd just been a raging bear outside of my chambers ten minutes before. But, of course, that's how he was. He had to save face around his generals and commanders so they wouldn't see him for the psychopathic madman those of us within the castle walls knew him to be.

Maybe things hadn't always been that way, I thought absently as I tried to take my mind off their inane conversation. For him to be able to act like a benevolent king meant he had to have something nice inside him, didn't it? Maybe it was just my own nature looking for some goodness within him, or maybe projecting my own pathetic wishes on the world. Either way, if he was something more than a raving lunatic, I had never had the pleasure of experiencing it for myself.