Unspoken

The First Day

*Two months earlier*

I open my eyes groggily as Beatrice opens my long thick curtains with a snap. I roll my eyes and groan and she shoots me a disapproving look. Beatrice raised me for the most part. My father was an advisor to the Emperor and my mother died many years ago giving birth to my baby brother Arden. I've been told that my father was once a nicer man before but I don't remember anything but flashes of small memories from before she died. 

Beatrice snaps at me with her fingers signaling for me to get up. She goes to my closet and pulls one of my nicer gowns and lays it on the back of my desk chair. I look up at her quizzically and she makes the sign with her hands for my father and points at the door. He wants to see me and it must be important if I need to dress up. I sigh and flop my head back on to the bed pulling the covers up quickly over my face. It doesn't last long before she snatches the covers from my hands and and shakes her head at me. I roll my eyes one more time for good measure before rolling out of the bed. 

I walk over to my vanity and sit on the stool in front of it and start brushing my long orange hair into place. I grab my powder and lightly brush my face, not needing a lot of makeup but enough to look more put together. Beatrice comes from behind me and starts to wrap my hair up into a coil and pinning it into place. Ladies of the court always keep their hair up in this style. I huff in annoyance, I hate my hair up like this, I prefer it flowing freely but know I don't get much of a choice. 

Once my hair and makeup are in place and I'm looking more presentable Beatrice slips my dress over my head and begins tightening the laces in the back. I suck in a tight breath as she pulls it tight on my chest. Once she's done lacing me in I smooth the bottom of my dress skirt down and take one last look in the mirror. My dress is blue, my family's house color. Almost everyone in my family bears the same blue eyes, it is uncommon and it makes us stand out but I hear that once upon a time many people had blue eyes. My most uncommon feature though is my copper hair. I don't think I've ever met another person with it. I tuck a stray hair behind my ear and give Beatrice a smile to signal that I am ready. 

I follow her down the long corridors of my family's home our footsteps echoing loudly on the stone floor in the massive and empty halls. His tall dark office door comes into view and she glances back at me with a worried look on her face. I pull my eyebrows together in confusion but she shakes her head and looks away as we continue towards the door. 

She stops and taps on the door lightly. It swings open almost immediately and I see my father sitting at his desk his back turned away. "Enter, now" I hear a voice say and I jump, startled that someone has spoken to me, and realizing it is not my fathers voice. "Now" the voice booms again. Beatrice quickly squeezes my hand as I enter the threshold and in a blink of an eye the doors are closed and she's gone. 

I scan the room quickly looking for the source of the voice as I continue walking into the room and stop dead in my tracks when I see him. The Emperor. He's here, in my home, and he's speaking to me. Speaking is generally not allowed. It is reserved mostly for the highest of nobility. Most commoners do not even know how to speak and are forbidden from learning. Many of our servants lost their tongues at a young age. Signing is the most common form of communication, and reading and writing reserved only for members of the government. As the daughter of a noble I was taught how to speak but was not permitted to use it unless someone of high rank allowed me to and I was very rarely spoken to. 

The Emperor looked me up and down as if he was appraising my value and I felt myself start to squirm under his uncomfortable stare. "Tell me your name" he commanded. 

"I...I..." I started to stammer, and sign with my hands, I wasn't used to being asked questions.

"Speak!" He yelled at me, not angry yet but clearly annoyed. I started to stammer again. My fathers chair swung around quickly, the Emperor may not be angry with me but my father rclearly was. 

"You insolent child! Your Emperor has commanded you speak to him!" My father roared at me, rage flushing his cheeks and flashing in his eyes. The Emperor shot him a disapproving look and he quickly backed down. 

"You may speak" the Emperor commanded one last time, a little more softly but still firm. I straightened myself and took a deep breath. 

"I am called Adeline." I said softly, trying to be confident but my voice still breaking. 

"Do you know why you are here?" The Emperor asked me. I shook my head no but I had an idea of why in the back of my head. It was time to fulfill my duty. 

"The time has come. You will be leaving this home immediately and wedding preparations will begin. It will take place in 3 months precisely. So long as you prove yourself to still be worthy of my sons hand." I was right, my bubble of childhood protection had popped, my 18th birthday had come last week and my time in my family home has come to an end. I always knew this day would come but I still swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. I bowed my head in submission causing my father to spread a pleased look on his face. 

I turned to leave and gather my things but was stopped by a hand on my arm. I turned and met eyes with my old childhood friend Colton, the Emperors younger son. He shook his head no at me, and I c****d my head in confusion. 

"Where exactly are you going?" The Emperors voice dripped with venom this time and it sent shivers of fear up my spine. 

"I... I was going to... to pack my... my things..." I managed to stammer out. Fear clearly ringing in my voice. 

"We are leaving now. Colton escort her to the vehicle." He commanded his younger son who nodded in submission. My eyes opened wide realizing I wasn't being allowed to bring my belongings or say good bye to Beatrice or my baby brother Arden. Colton pushed my arm forward gently and I followed his lead. 

Once we made it past the first corridor I let  alone tear slip from my eyes and down my cheek. Colton looked at me with sympathy on his face, he tried to smile at me reassuringly and I stared straight ahead, my face blank. I shouldn't have let myself show any emotion, it was stupid of me. If I wanted to survive in the palace I needed to build a wall around myself now.