By Order of the King

Chapter 13

Skye tried to remain calm and show no emotion. The good thing was that her uncle and aunt couldn't hear her heart, which had begun to thump in her chest.

A decree from the King?

Years had passed since the last time a decree had come from the King to the castle, and she was a little girl then; there was no notion of her marriage. So she wasn't that interested. But now things were different, she had grown up, and the issue of her marriage was now on the table. She shuddered at the idea that the decree might be about her this time. An order to a forced marriage.

Skye swallowed hard.

"De-" she started to say but caught the hoarseness in her voice and stopped. She cleared her throat. "Decree from the King? A- and what does it say?"

The uncle waved his hand nonchalantly.

"No, it's no big deal. His Majesty invites us to attend an event that will take place in the King's castle. As it says in the decree, he decided to stage a farewell event for leaving summer and welcome the coming autumn."

"Just that? Can I read it?" Skye asked.

"Of course," Lord Malcolm replied and handed the scroll to Fiona to deliver to Skye.

Skye took the parchment in her hands and unrolled it.

Above it was written: King Cinaed by the Grace of God.

"With God's blessing, I ask you to come to my castle, Dunrobin Castle, where an outdoor event will be held at court.

Let us say goodbye to the summer, and let us welcome the autumn that will arrive very soon, and pray to God for rich and robust harvests.

There will be surprise games featuring the strongest men in the country.

And do not consider it an invitation but an Order.

I will be waiting for you".

"God bless you" Skye read the King's last words aloud and looked up. Inevitably, her gaze fell on that of Lord Malcolm, who didn't take his eyes off her as she read.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes," the uncle replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Did you expect something else?" he continued in a severe tone.

Her uncle's question sent a sudden coldness straight at her core, and that was because Skye had indeed, when Lord Malcolm told her about the decree that had come, crossed her mind that the King might order her to marry someone he would have found for her.

Of course, Skye didn't know to what extent the King had the right to interfere in her life. He had never done this with a girl in his territory, or it had not reached her ears.

"No, no," she lied, shaking her head. Her cheeks and ears burned, and she leaned over her plate so they wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

Lord Malcolm glared at her and curled his lip. It was as if he had read her mind.

"Okay anyway," he said, looking away from Skye and looking at Fiona, who smiled sweetly at him. He picked up his cup and took a sip of his drink. He wiped his mouth and continued. "Of course, we'll go, needless to say. We'll leave the day before to catch up. We will use the big carriage so that we can sleep at night. Be prepared with everything we need for the trip and the event."

"Yes my Lord, don't worry," Fiona assured him. "Everything will be ready in time. After all, we have days until then, so I have time to organize everything. But what will happen to Iona? Will she not come? She will be displeased to learn that she missed such an event. I'm sure she will have a great time. She loves events."

At hearing their uncle's daughter's name, Skye tensed up, keeping her head down; she strained her ears to listen. She was very interested in the topic!

As soon as summer arrived, Iona went to spend her summer at Inverlochy Castle, where Count Ahern and Countess Cairistiona's only daughter, Bebinn, lived.

The two girls, Iona and Bebinn, had been best friends since they were ten years old, and last May – just before Iona left for Inverlochy Castle – Iona celebrated her sixteenth birthday.

Lord Malcolm and Fiona organized a feast for her. Something they never did for Skye. They never wished her on her birthday, which made Skye wonder if they even knew when her birthday was. Something that seemed impossible to her, but she didn't even dare to ask when she was younger, and as the years passed, her dignity no longer allowed her to ask.

Although in the early years, this hurt her deeply, as the years passed, she was used to it and didn't care. What could she do with wishes that didn't come from the heart? Those were just dry words that those who said them didn't really mean.

She spent her birthday in her room with Maysie when she found time from her duties. Maysie never forgot them, never! Every year on November 27th, she would prepare a small pie secretly for everyone and take it to Skye's chamber, and they would celebrate her birthday with hugs, kisses, and the sweetest and most sincere words coming from their hearts. This small but loving private celebration was like giving Skye the whole world. And she always made the same wish. She wished things were different and she would have gotten married; she would have left this castle where she had never known love and comfort. The hearts of her uncle's family were as frozen to her as the cold stone walls of this castle in which she never felt wanted. It never felt like home. Their behavior didn't give her the right to handle it that way.

On the contrary, Lord Malcolm and Fiona gave everything to Iona, even their own life.

She had never been denied anything, so as she grew up, Iona became a spoiled child who would not take 'No' for an answer to whatever she asked for. For them, the day their daughter was born was a big celebration. They invited the families of Iona's girlfriends, and the dining room and living rooms where they would receive the guests were garnished with fresh fragrant flowers and ornaments. Fabric ribbons in vibrant colors hung everywhere, elevating the festive spirit.

They set up great merriment with all kinds of fine food and drink. And when Iona was old enough, they even invited musicians for dancing and revelry.

Skye was not allowed to participate in all this with the excuse that she was too old for such a celebration for little girls.

She was not at all saddened by this but, on the contrary, felt relieved, although she was bitter at the cheap excuse her uncles found for not having her under their feet. She knew the truth, which made her feel bitterness in her heart.

She spent the day in her room drawing or reading a book until the celebration was over, and she was free to roam the castle again.

Skye held her breath, waiting for her uncle's response.

"Yes, I know Fiona," Malcolm finally replied. "Of course, our King will have sent or will send a decree to Earl Ahern to attend the event. I will wait two or three days, send one of our men with a note I will write to the Count, and act upon his answer. If our daughter wants to return to our castle and attend the event, I'll go get her."

Fiona let out a slight squeal of joy. "Ah, I wish she would come. I have missed my little girl so much!"

Suddenly, Skye lost her appetite and stood up. "I finished my food. May I go?"

"Yes, yes you can go," Malcolm dismissed her with a wave of his hand without even looking at her.

Skye strode out of the dining room, and after closing the door, she ran to her chamber. It was the only part of the castle that felt like home once she closed the door, leaving everything else outside.

They gave her the smallest room, but she didn't complain for a moment.

She preferred it because it immediately warmed up in the winter using a brazier, and in summer, the dew came through the window at every breath of the breeze.

Her narrow bed was pushed into the corner to make more room for the rest of the furniture she had been given. In the opposite corner from the bed sat Iona's old wardrobe, which was small, and its wood had begun to peel. And on the opposite side, they shot Iona's old dressing table; its feet had started to not sit well on the floor and wobbled whenever she touched it.

A few years later, when Maysie came to the castle to work as a maid, she noticed the furniture that was lame and fixed it by placing a piece of wood under its foot.

Maysie found a stool that needed fixing for Skye to sit on and draw and an armchair that she found forgotten in one of the stables. How it got there, no one knew what to tell her. Maysie cleaned it very well and took it to Skye one day when the rest of the family was absent. But fortunately, the warmth of the stable did not let it be damaged by the humidity.

It may be that none of these pieces of furniture were originally hers, but over time Skye managed to make them feel like hers and take care of them so that they didn't deteriorate further.

She loved her room. Small, unadorned like Iona's, and warm with her presence.

She walked over to her armchair and let her body fall heavy on it.

She lay there lost in thought until Maysie came carrying a basket of clothes to sort out.

Skye turned and gave her a vacant stare. "There is a possibility Iona will be back sooner than it was estimated," she informed her in a low voice.

Maysie's eyes widened as she gasped, and the basket hit the floor with a thud.

"Oh, my God!"

"Nothing is certain yet," Skye pointed out.

"It was nice to be at peace for all this time," Maysie said plaintively.

"Yes, I know Maysie, but we knew it would end at some point, and probably the moment came sooner, although nothing is certain yet. We'll know for sure in a few days."