Chapter 15.
1508 Words
Hydra had woken her up in the morning bright and early.
"Wake up! We have lots to do."
She murmured as she started to prepare a bath for Larissa.
"The Queen will see you this morning. After that you'll be having teatime with the other girls."
"It will be a good time to take a look at your competition. And pay attention to who seems to have a hold on the Prince more."
"Why?"
She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
She had slept deeply and she was pretty sure she had snored while sleeping, because the bed was so comfortable. It was one of the most comfortable beds she had ever slept in.
Hydra looked at her with a frown on her face.
"Why not? He is the Prince. He is very instrumental to what we're looking for."
"And how would I even know what it is we're looking for. Have you ever seen it?"
She asked as she swung her legs off the bed and walked towards the bath.
Hydra shrugged.
She didn't need to see it, she also had never seen it, what her master told her was enough.
That was all the evidence and proof that she needed for it's existence.
Lord Earn was never wrong, and he had also promised to give them more instructions to help with their quest.
That was all they needed.
"Come. Get in. I don't want you to be late."
Hydra said ignoring her as she unbuttoned the back of Larissa's night dress.
As the dress fell softly below her, Larissa walked into the tub and sat in it. The water was warm. Very warm and milky and filled with rose petals.
Hydra helped her put her hair up.
The dye on her head was only a few days old, they didn't want to risk it being washed off by putting it in the water.
"Here. Scrub yourself clean."
Hydra said as she passed her a washcloth.
After her bath, Hydra brought out the gown she had chosen for her to wear. It was a simple grey gown. One that looked modest but far from simple.
One of the many gowns Silver Falcon had them make for her since his granddaughter's dresses were way too small for Summer to wear.
Her hair was tied in a bun at the nape of her neck and Hydra added rouge to her cheeks and lips.
There was a knock on the door and Larissa and Hydra turned to look at it.
Hydra went to open the door.
A servant walked in with a smile on her face.
"The Queen is ready to see you. I am to escort you to her Quarters."
She said and Larissa's heart jumped in her chest.
That made it all even more real.
She had prepared for it but it still wasn't easy to think about.
There were a lot of questions the queen could ask her.
What if they found out who she was?
Or the secret got leaked?
There were so many possibilities.
"Don't forget everything we taught you."
Hydra whispered in her ear as she patted her back.
The walk to the Queen's Quarters was long.
While many of the other girls were busy preparing for the tea time with the other girls where one of the castle courtiers would lecture them on the etiquette of court and how to properly act during tea time, Larissa was going to be talking to the Queen.
Hopefully she wouldn't spend too long with the Queen.
She thought as she sighed wearily.
As they walked towards the West Wing, one of the heavily guarded places in the Castle where the Royal family stayed, Larissa noticed the presence of more guards and a change in the uniform for the servants that worked there.
It also seemed to be a lot quieter than every other wing in the Castle.
But it was also well kept and clean. The hallway was decorated with the paintings of the corner Kings and Queens of Castamere and there were statues and statues of armour and carvings of monumental things and quite a lot of jargon she didn't know about.
She was so transfixed at looking around that she didn't bother to look where she was going and she felt herself slamming into someone.
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry."
She said as she moved backward and tried to maintain her composure.
Who was he?
She asked herself as she looked up to examine the figure.
He was tall. Clad in black clothing, his appearance was just as intimidating as his face was. He had raven black hair that looked silky to touch and his eyes were a strange violet colour.
Larissa had never seen him before.
She also didn't know who he was.
"My Lord! Forgive her."
The maid said as she bowed deeply.
The man's unsettling violet eyes was still transfixed at Larissa.
"Who are you?"
He asked in a voice that was shocked and fascinated at the same time.
Larissa looked around, wondering if the question was directed at her or at someone else.
"Lady Larissa of House Whitby."
She said as she curtsied a bit.
The man blinked. Once. Twice.
There was something about him too, she couldn't quite place her finger on it.
Then he started walking away without as much as a word to her.
Larissa narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure.
Well, that was rude.
She thought as they continued.
The Queen's chambers was just as extravagant and luxurious as Larissa imagined.
In fact, she had never seen anything like it.
So much wealth, so much opulence lavished in her chambers.
Her chambers had the prettiest of colours, everything in it looked soft and floral and absolutely breathtaking.
Even the air smelled different.
She thought as she sniffed it again, then she noticed the flowers that were strategically placed in front of the windows.
They looked fresh and they were probably changed daily just so the Queen could have her entire chambers smelling like a pretty floral garden.
"Your Majesty."
Larissa greeted as she curtsied lowly.
The Queen smiled. But it wasn't a smile that reached her eyes.
"Come. Sit with me Larissa."
She said as she pointed to a sofa close to her.
Larissa sat down carefully, nervously too, the queen was watching her every move. She was most likely waiting for her next slip up.
"Thank you for this splendid opportunity to meet with you."
Larissa said. The Queen nodded.
"Yes. I must confess, ever since I saw you at the opening ball I have been curious to see you."
The Queen said and Larissa smiled.
What could she say to that?
How was she supposed to answer.
She smiled again.
"You looked splendid that night Your Majesty."
Larissa complimented and the Queen raised her eyebrow, no she didn't look impressed at all.
"Nobody expected your house to have a candidate for Queenstrial."
"I heard that Lord Earn had a grand daughter but I assumed she was dead like many others who heard the rumours."
Larissa nodded.
"I was deathly ill a few years ago. But I recovered fully and now I'm hale and hearty."
Larissa lied like Lord Earn had taught her.
"My grandfather and I... We live in a secluded area. We didn't know about the rumours. If my grandfather did, he would have stopped them."
The Queen nodded.
"I suppose it's also our faults for not trying to find out the truth. But you must understand... The King has a difficult relationship with your grandfather..."
The Queen said and Larissa nodded.
The Queen was wondering if she had said too much.
"I understand. I guess this is why a formal invitation was not extended to our house."
She asked and the Queen nodded.
"Yes. That's why... But you made it anyway."
The Queen said and Larissa smiled.
"I hope it doesn't offend the King and Queen that I am here. We thought the invitation had been lost or something..."
The Queen shook her head.
"Oh no! Sweet child. Nothing like that. Every daughter from every noble house in Castamere deserves a chance to participate in the Queenstrial."
Larissa nodded.
"Thank you very much your Majesty."
"You're welcome Larissa. You must be famished. Why don't you run along now and have breakfast. I think we'll have many more opportunities to sit and chat."
"Thank you your Majesty."
That girl!
What was it about her that drew him towards her?
Rowan wondered as he groaned.
The Prince was right about her eyes.
They glowed.
That wasn't normal.
That shouldn't be normal.
He didn't want to jump into conclusions, but he had an explanation for what was going on.
The only issue was that it was impossible.
It couldn't happen, at least not that easily.
His meeting with the King had gone terribly bad.
He had promised the King a solution to the plague and he still couldn't find one.
He had to do something fast.
The fate of Castamere was in his hands.
- Writer
