The Key (17 page)

Up ahead, closer to the castle, th
ousands of people were gathered together in the street. The only time this ever happened was when King Barjon spoke. If the king had already started speaking, then Darmik wasn’t going to make it to the castle in time for the announcement.

A
squad of soldiers on horseback charged toward Darmik and his men. When they met, the corporal ordered everyone to surround Prince Darmik. An ensign came next to him and hoisted the flags.

“Welcome home
, Commander,” the corporal said. They turned down one of the side streets in order to avoid the crowded road up ahead. It felt like he entered another world. All the businesses were closed. No one was about. The entire place felt abandoned, lifeless. The king must’ve ordered everyone to attend the announcement.

“Ha
s King Barjon or Prince Lennek spoken yet?” Darmik asked. He couldn’t remember the last time he had traveled the roads when they were so deserted. Looking up, tall, stone buildings with dark windows surrounded them, and Darmik felt exposed. The quiet cobblestone streets were eerily silent—not even the children were playing about. The horses’ hooves echoed between the buildings.

“Yes,
Commander. Prince Lennek is introducing his future wife as we speak.”

Darmik
wondered who the unlucky girl was.

“Did you manage to get
her name, Corporal?”

“No, I did not. He was just bringing her out on the balcony when you were spotted. I left immediately to escort you.”

“Has the king asked for me?” Darmik was supposed to be on the balcony for the announcement. It was part of his deal with his father—to publically support Lennek’s marriage.

“Yes,
sir. That’s why the captain had us on the lookout for you.”

“Let’s pick up the pace then.”

Rema

As the sun descended, the sky darkened. They were close enough to King’s City so they didn’t have to stop for the night. After riding in the carriage for nearly two weeks, Rema’s legs were tight and her back sore. Soon, she would be able to stretch her limbs and walk around. At least, she hoped that would be the case. Rema was excited at the prospect of experiencing the city. No one from Jarko had ever seen King’s City since travel was forbidden. But, what was going to happen once they reached it? Where would she be taken and how would she be treated?

“
Bloody hell. Why aren’t we there yet?” Lennek mumbled. “I could use a little entertainment.” He snickered, briefly glancing over at Rema. This was the first he’d spoken to her since that day at the ocean cliffs.

Rema glared at him
. All the rumors she had heard about Lennek seemed to be true. His actions so far had proven him a pompous, arrogant, self-righteous pig. She hated him. Rema turned her attention back outside the carriage. The land here was bare, no buildings in sight. After a few miles, Rema finally spotted the city up ahead. Its sky glowed a dull orange from the lights, looking like the entire place was on fire. The town was easily one hundred times larger than her small village in Jarko. The sight was breathtaking.

When they neared
the massive stone wall surrounding the city, Lennek yanked the curtains closed.

“Can I open my side?” Rema asked. “I’d like to see
King’s City.”

Lennek smiled at her. Rema couldn’t tell what he was
really thinking. “It’s dark outside,” he said. “Everyone is in for the night.”

Rema thought it would be nice to look at the buildings. Were they similar to the ones in other towns?
Or did they have a look and feel all their own?

“Don’t worry that pretty little head of yours,” Lennek said. “You’ll be able to see everything tomorrow from the castle. We sit atop a hill overlooking the entire city.”

Rema kicked herself for allowing her emotions to show and not perfecting the blank expression on her face yet—that would require more practice.

Th
e carriage finally stopped. The door opened and Lennek descended, turning back and holding out his hand to her. As his eyes narrowed, Rema saw the warning in them. It was time to play her part.

Rema carefully placed her hand atop Lennek’s, trying not to shudder at his touch. Exiting the carriage,
she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She could do this. Stepping onto solid ground, Rema looked up. Her mouth dropped open. A royal-blue runner led from the carriage up a flight of stone stairs. At the top stood a man wearing a crown and a silver cape—King Barjon. Lines of soldiers holding torches stretched away from him on either side, lining the grand, six-story structure with round towers. The glow from the fire bounced off the ivory-colored stones of the massive castle, creating a stunning effect.

Lennek guided her up
the stairs to the awaiting king.

“Kneel immediately when we reach the top,”
Lennek whispered.

Rema nodded
, and then realized she was clinging to Lennek’s hand. She loosened her grip. At the top, they stopped before King Barjon and knelt.

“Welcome home, my son,” the king said loud enough
so the people who had gathered to watch the prince’s return could hear. These individuals were dressed in clothes similar to what the people had worn at the governor’s dinner party. They had to be nobles and wealthy landowners staying here at court.

Lennek stood and replied, “Father, I have the honor of introducing
Rema to you.” Lennek nudged her.

Rema
didn’t know if she was supposed to talk and was afraid to open her mouth in fear of saying something inappropriate. As much as she hated the situation, she didn’t have a death wish. Rema settled on, “Your Majesty.”

King Barjon’s dark eyes
were shrewd and calculating as they raked over her body. He looked like an older version of Lennek. The king’s head nodded ever so slightly. “Welcome,” was all he said. Then he turned, his cape flowing in the wind as he went through an archway that led into the courtyard behind him.

Despite the heat from all the torches, Rema shuddered. There was something about King Barjon that made
her cold all over.

****

The next morning, Rema awoke on a soft, feather mattress—quite different from the stiff straw one she was accustomed to. The bed was so large that it could have fit five people.

Stretching,
Rema slid out of the soft, silk covers. She walked over to the window and pushed the navy curtains aside. Squinting into the morning sun, she gasped. The view was breathtaking. King’s City was so large that she could barely see its edge. It lay before her like a forest of different colored buildings, which stood so close together, they appeared to touch one another. Rema tried to open the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Looking closer, she saw someone had pinned it shut.
At least they didn’t remove my blankets
, she thought wryly.

“Good morning,
” a skinny young woman wearing castle livery said from the doorway. She had black hair pulled into a neat bun, brown eyes, and freckles covering her nose. “My name is Ellie, and I’ve been assigned as your chambermaid. Your breakfast is ready in your private sitting room, just through that door.”

“There’s another room besides this one?” Rema asked, stunned. Her aunt and uncle’s entire house could have fit inside this bedchamber.

“Yes,” Ellie answered, trying to suppress a smile. “Prince Lennek has placed you in one of the castle’s suites.”

“But this isn’t his room, correct?” Rema asked. “I mean, he won’t be staying here, will he?”

The servant stared at Rema a moment before answering. “No, my lady. The prince’s quarters are in another wing. His rooms are much larger and grander.” Grander than this? The bed had a silk canopy wrapped around the rare goldwood frame. Real gold was embedded in the woodwork, and soft rugs adorned the marble floor. She knew the king was wealthy, but this exceeded her wildest expectations.

Ellie
lifted her arm, indicating the doorway to the sitting room. Rema was glad she wasn’t expected to appear before the king or prince for breakfast. That gave her more time to think of a plan. Last night, a guard had escorted her here and locked the door. She hadn’t seen or talked to anyone until now.

Rema went
into her sitting room and sat down on a blue and white striped settee, facing the stone fireplace. There was another chambermaid standing against the far wall next to a tray of food on a low table.

“The prince wants you dressed and ready by noon
,” the girl announced, not looking into Rema’s eyes. She appeared to be young, about Rema’s age.

“For?” Rema prompted.

“The proposal, I assume,” the girl replied in a nasty tone, her hands balled into fists. This servant’s attitude reminded Rema of Arnek.

“Cassie,
I’d like a word with you,” Ellie said.

Both
chambermaids exited the room. When the door opened, Rema caught a glimpse of the castle’s hallway. Two soldiers stood guarding the door. Cassie slammed the door shut, but Rema could hear them arguing. After a minute, only Ellie reentered.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Cassie has some other duties to attend to. Please eat. I’ll help you dress when you’re done.”
Rema was glad Cassie had something else to do. It was difficult enough just being here, Rema didn’t need another person treating her in a harsh manner.

Rema felt guilty
having breakfast in front of Ellie. “Do you want something to eat?” she asked. “There’s more than enough food.” Her plate was piled with eggs, bread, and berries.

Ellie’s eyes widened
, and she glanced at the door. “Um, no. Thank you.”

“I’m not going to eat all of this
,” Rema said. “And it’d be a shame to waste the food.” The girl shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking like she wanted to devour everything on the plate. “Here,” Rema handed Ellie a slice of bread.

“We’re not supposed to
,” Ellie whispered.

“Doesn’t the castle feed its servants?” Rema asked.

“Yes, we get bread and water twice a day, but we aren’t allowed to eat outside of the mess hall,” Ellie said.

Bread and water wasn’t enough to live on. The king seemed to have
more than enough money based upon what Rema had seen, so why weren’t the servants fed better? And what harm was there in sharing with a servant?

Once
Rema finished eating, they went into the bedchamber to get ready. Ellie opened the armoire, revealing a stunning dress. Rema had never seen anything so elegant before with its tight-fitting bodice and layer upon layer of thick, blue silk, bedecked with hundreds of tiny, blue pearls. Rema reached out, brushing the sheer white sleeve with her fingers.

“Prince Lennek had this delivered early this morning, while you were still sleeping.”

Rema pulled her hand back, not wanting to like anything Prince Lennek gave her.

Loosening the ties, Ellie removed the dress from the hanger
. “It’s beautiful.”

Rema
took off her brown, scratchy, wool dress. It fell to the ground with a soft thump.

“Ready?”

Rema nodded. Once the dress was on, she would be ready to play the part of a compliant fiancée—even though hurt, rage, and revenge ran through her veins. If Lennek thought he was getting his way, then, hopefully, he would let his guard down, allowing Rema to formulate a plan. Because she wouldn’t stop until she had escaped the prince and her aunt and uncle were safe. Permanently.

E
llie slid the dress over Rema’s head and tied the back of it, securing her firmly inside the material. “You’re stunning.”

Rema sighed. “
Thank you. But I’m still me—fancy dress or not.”

Ellie grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Come, sit down. I need to do your hair.”

It felt good to sit on the settee. Rema’s back ached, and her legs were sore. She had no problem shoveling hay, getting buckets of water, or riding a horse all day, but put her in carriage for two weeks straight, and she was a mess. Ellie carefully brushed out Rema’s hair, then braided it with blue silk ribbons and flowers, humming while she worked.

Ellie seemed nice enough, certainly better than the other
chambermaid, Cassie. If Rema was to have any hope of escaping the prince, then she needed allies, especially since she didn’t know the politics here inside the castle and at court.

Ellie moved to stand in front of Rema
, while twisting another ribbon into Rema’s hair. Ellie’s sleeves rose to her forearms, revealing her band and tattoo.

“I don’t recognize your mark,” Rema said. Ellie’s tattoo was a dark black crown with gray sword
s crisscrossed behind it.

“It’s because I wasn’t born in one of the seven regions, but here in the castle.” Ellie finished Rema’s hair and took a step back to admire her work.

“I don’t understand.”

“
Any servant who gets pregnant while in the king’s service forfeits their child to the king. My mother became pregnant while working as a maid in the kitchen in the king’s castle. Now I’m in the king’s service for life.” There was a hard edge to her voice.

Rema didn’t know what to say.

“That’s why Cassie is so mad,” Ellie lowered her voice.

“What?” Rema exclaimed, her eyes widening at the revelation. “She’s
pregnant?” Ellie nodded. “I didn’t realize Cassie was married. She seems so young.”

“She’s not married.”

“Then who is the father? Another servant here in the castle?”

“Prince Lennek
,” Ellie whispered, taking a seat next to Rema.

Even though Rema had heard several rumors about the prince wooing wealthy young ladies, it still shocked her that he actually took a servant into his bed.
But why was Ellie revealing such personal information regarding Cassie? “Who else knows?”

Ellie shook her head. “No one
. Not even the prince. If he knew, he’d make sure the baby didn’t live a minute beyond its birth. Cassie figures pretending the father of the baby is a servant and having the child taken into the king’s service is better than the newborn being killed.”