Chapter 5: Poisoned Smiles
826 Words
Alvinas POV
The palace was not what it seemed.
During the day the marble halls sparkled in the sunlight that came through the windows. The servants bowed to the nobles and the nobles smiled at each other. You could hear their laughter through the halls.
If you saw it for the time you would think it was a peaceful place.
I knew better now.
I remembered what Ryan told me the night
He said "do not trust anyone".
Not the servants, not the nobles, not the people who seemed kind.
As I walked through the corridor with two maids behind me I looked at every face that passed by.
I wondered who really wished me well and who was just pretending to be my friend.
One of the maids stopped me.
"My Lady" she said.
"The Queen wants to see you for afternoon tea."
I stopped walking.
"The Queen?" I asked.
The maid nodded.
"The Queen wants to welcome you to the family."
My stomach felt tight.
I was going to meet the Queen on my day in the palace.
I did not know if I should feel happy or scared.
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The royal garden pavilion was really beautiful.
It looked out over a lake where white swans swam.
The wind blew gently through the curtains as the servants poured tea into cups.
Queen Seraphina sat in the middle of the pavilion.
She looked elegant and kind.
When she saw me she smiled.
"So this is Alvina" she said.
I bowed my head.
"Greetings, Your Majesty" I said.
The Queen told me not to be afraid.
Her voice was gentle. It made me feel a little better.
"Come and sit with me" she said.
I sat down quietly.
We talked about things like the gardens and the palace.
The Queen was really nice to me.
It felt strange but kind of comforting.
The Queen said she had heard a lot about me.
I was surprised.
"You have?" I asked.
She nodded.
"My son does not usually care about anyone" she said.
My face felt warm.
"I do not think the Prince is interested in me" I said.
The Queen laughed.
"You would be surprised" she said.
Then another voice spoke up.
"What a gathering" it said.
It was Prince Alvin.
He came into the pavilion wearing blue robes and smiling.
The Queen greeted him warmly.
"Alvin" she said.
He bowed.
"Mother" he said.
Then he looked at me.
"Lady Alvina" he said.
I nodded politely.
"My prince" I said.
The Prince said he would have come sooner if he had known I was going to be
He sounded friendly. I still remembered what Ryan told me.
The Prince sat down across from me like he owned the place.
Maybe he did.
One of the servants came over with a tray of pastries.
"They are freshly made" she said.
The Prince smiled.
"You should try one" he said.
I reached for a honey cake. Just as my fingers were about to touch it someone grabbed my wrist.
It was Ryan.
He had come into the pavilion without anyone noticing.
His face was serious. His grip on my wrist was firm.
"Do not eat that" he said.
Everyone in the pavilion stopped moving.
Ryan took the honey cake. Gave it to one of the guards.
"Give it to the palace dog" he said.
The guard looked unsure. He did what Ryan said.
A servant brought over a dog. The dog ate the honey cake.
At first nothing happened.
Then the dog fell down. Started foaming at the mouth.
The pavilion erupted into chaos.
Everyone was. Screaming.
I just stood there unable to breathe.
If Ryan had not stopped me I would have eaten the poisoned cake.
Ryans face was angry. Not in a mean way.
He was angry because he had almost lost someone he cared about.
He looked at the servants and his eyes were cold.
"Lock the pavilion" he said.
"No one leaves" he said.
The guards did what he said and pulled out their swords.
Some of the servants started crying.
Ryan stood in front of me protecting me from the chaos.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"I..." I started to say. My voice broke.
Ryans face softened.
"You are safe now" he said.
Across the pavilion Prince Alvin was watching everything.
He looked concerned. I saw something else in his eyes.
For a moment I thought I saw a smile.
Not a kind. A smile of satisfaction.
It disappeared quickly. I knew what I saw.
Ryan put his hand on my back.
"Lets go" he said.
His voice was quiet and gentle.
"I will take you safe" he said.
As we walked away, from the pavilion I looked back.
Prince Alvin was standing there smiling and watching us leave.
I understood something.
The dangerous people are not the ones who look scary.
They are the ones who hide behind smiles.
- Writer
