A New Era: Kalparainia Chronicles Book One

Chapter Six

It had been little over a week since my confrontation with Charlotte Thane. Williem had taught me about the three different bells that signaled different dangers that were connected the castle wall, right above the main gate. Each one made a different sound, and they were for different things. The first bell was made of copper, it was slightly narrower than the other two, and to my delight-it was a warning bell for the villagers to get into the castle due to an incoming attack from a griffin. The second bell was made of black steel, the bell itself made more of a "bong" sound than a "ding" and it was again-to signal to the villagers to get into the castle due to an incoming attack...this time from dragons. Griffins and dragons...two creatures the governesses had stated were extinct. The third bell...it was to signal enemies marching towards the castle.

Williem had snuffed my excitement by telling me that dragons and griffins were nothing more than a pest that came around and terrorized the villagers and destroyed property. I was actually quite disappointed to hear that...having never seen either a dragon or a griffin before, I thought they seemed like creatures from the imagination and had started to hope that I'd be able to ride one one day, but after what Williem had spent an hour explaining...that hope was snuffed out like an old candle.

Besides the bells, I had been avoiding Queen Charlotte and Celeste, even though I knew that I would see them once Court started up at the end of the week. Williem had gone over some of the things that were within my duty to do when the Lords who hadn't followed my husband into war and the Ladies of those who did and didn't arrived. Kyrain Castle was going to become busy, the village was going to start filling up with refugees from all over Kyrain who would be in need of work, and the list continued to go on.

"Alyse..." Celeste froze when she spotted me.

I was on my way to help Willem with the schedule of what was going to take place during Court. That was something the Stewart of Heartstone had always taken care of for Queen Charlotte, but I wanted to make sure I understood what was going on as well. I had made my mind up to try to make my birth-mother, Princess Jaylen Byrds...proud of me... despite me knowing nothing about her.

"Celeste," I nodded at her, holding myself proudly.

"I understand why you did what you had to do, but that doesn't mean I have to approve of it. Mother had told me she was glad you did, so she no longer has to hide her shame from you," Celeste looked at the ground. "I had no idea, and whatever is going on between the two of you...just leave me out of it. You're still my sister, but that doesn't mean I'm going to choose sides."

I forced a smile at her, "I wouldn't ask you to choose sides. I pray that your mother can treat me as her hostess, and forget the fact she raised another woman's child."

As those words left my mouth, I felt sick for lying. I was trying to be pleasant and ignore the fact Charlotte had made plans to make me baron. If our roles had been reversed, I knew that the woman I once called "Mother" would have ordered my execution as soon as the plot was brought to light. I kept telling myself that I was already a better Queen for taking the high ground.

"I'll be sure to tell her," Celeste gave me a small curtsy and walked away, her long silver gown whooshing around her.

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"Given how busy you've been this week, you could have declined the request," Williem told me as the carriage pulled into the estate about five miles away from Kyrain Castle.

"You told me that the Lady of Rosewall Estate has a husband off fighting alongside my own," I shook my head. "Isn't it only right that I personally extend an invitation for her to arrive early to Court?"

"You listened to me when I was telling you the older traditions," Williem beamed happily at me. The way he was looking at me was the way I had always hoped my father would look at me. "I'm certain Lady Rosewall will happily accept your invitation, and it'll be wonderful for you to be around someone who I know you'll get along with. Though, keep in mind, Ingrid Rosewall had tried getting her younger sister a betrothal to King Xander for years."

"And you think that I'll get along with her?" I raised an eyebrow at the Stewart.

"Yes, your Grace," Williem nodded. "You'll find her to be wonderful company and hopefully a loyal friend."

Friend...that word was one I'd only heard. How did I know what a friend truly was? It wasn't as though I'd ever actually had a true friend. I played with my locket as the thought played in my mind. Is it possible for me to have a friend? That was something I had never even hoped for. The closest thing I'd ever had to a friend was Jillian and Williem...and Sora... They served me, so I wasn't entirely sure that I could consider any of them my friend. I knew that Celeste had several friends in Heartstone, but many of them weren't permitted to be around me. Now I knew it was in case their families remembered Jaylen Byrds.

"If it counts, my Queen, I consider myself your friend," Sora's voice echoed in my mind as she stretched at my feet in the carriage, her tails flicked.

That's very sweet of you, I thought back as the carriage door echoed and Erik held his hand out to me. Rosewall Estate was a beautiful manor with long rose vines growing up to the second floor, white roses were blooming from the vines, the archway had a rose vine along the frame with fully bloomed red roses. The paved road had freshly cut green grass along the side and it stretched out across the vast property. From where I was I could see a hedge maze made out of rosebushes in the distance. A petite woman with tanned skin, raven black curly hair, dark brown-nearly black-eyes with eyelashes that naturally highlighted her eyes, a cyan blue gown that flared around her with red and white roses embroidered into it and outlined at the bodice with off-white pearls, roses and pearls were weaved into her curls... I was actually stunned by how beautiful she was.

"Queen Alyse, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you," Lady Ingrid Rosewall curtsied.

Her smile was so charming that I couldn't help but return it, "It's nice to meet you as well."

"Please, come inside. I was so happy when I got a message from Williem saying that you wanted to come introduce yourself," Lady Ingrid smiled happily. "My family has always been friends of the crown, so I'm hoping that we become good friends."

I glanced over at Williem, who gave me an encouraging nod. I smiled back at the Lady of Rosewall, "I'd be happy to. Also, let me extend an invitation to come to Court early. I understand that your family has also been a part of Kyrain's Court for generations."

Ingrid's smile seemed to grow even brighter than before, "That is very kind of you, Queen Alyse. I would be a fool to reject such an offer." Ingrid glanced over at Jamison and her smile widened, "It's nice to see that my brother has put his friendship to the King to good use."

"Ingrid," Jamison nodded.

"Lady Ingrid is your sister?" I was surprised.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to mention this, Your Grace," Williem scratched his neck nervously. "Jamison is the second born son of the Winters...they're the Lords of Wishwood, in the eastern side of Kyrain."

"Rosewall suits me better," Ingrid chuckled. "I adore the flowers and the wonderful scent that fills this place from spring till fall. My mother-in-law had passed away before I married Harry, and I've never actually attended Court as Lady Rosewall, but I did meet Harry four years ago during the last season of Court."

"Then I'm grateful to be welcoming you to Court for the first time as Lady Rosewall," I felt so much relief from the fact that she hadn't been sitting here waiting for Court to begin.

If I hadn't wanted to get things running smoothly-which I trusted every bit of Williem's advice, then I wouldn't have bothered holding Kyrain's Royal Court season. I would have just...pretty much done what I'd done every season in Heartstone. Avoid the people who came to Court so I wouldn't make my family look bad. Ingrid was maybe two years older than I was, she held herself a whole lot more gracefully than I could ever dream of doing... Why isn't she the Queen of Kyrain?

"Because she isn't you," Sora responded immediately. "Oh, right...sorry. I was being honest though. She wouldn't have done what you've done in the short time here."

Ingrid took a seat in her tea parlor and smiled as I took a seat beside her, "So, Your Grace, tell me, is there any good gossip so far in Court?"

Work on making friends...work on making friends...what can it hurt telling her? It's not like I'll get hurt anymore than I already have by the truth, I took a deep breath. I forced a smile at her, "I found out last week that my mother isn't actually my mother."

"Oh dear," Ingrid frowned at me. "I didn't mean gossip about yourself, my Queen."

"Her Grace is trying to learn how to make friends, Ingrid," Jamison shook his head at his sister. "I'm sure that soon gossip will start spreading about it soon enough. It's not like it's a secret any longer."

"I apologize, my Queen," Ingrid looked straight at me. "Usually the gossip contains other people's business."

"That's new to me as well," I continued to force my smile. "My birth mother was the Crowned Princess of Green River, Jaylen Byrds."

"My she rest peacefully now that you know the truth," Jillian bowed her head.

"Green River..." Ingrid's eyes went wide. "My husband absolutely adored fishing in the rivers of Green River. He told me that before the Thanes invaded, it was the most beautiful of the kingdoms in Kalparainia. He even told me of the rumors he was hearing from the small folk of Heartstone about the true heir to Green River being locked away."

"Wow, so I've been gossip without ever leaving home," I sighed.

"I meant nothing by it, my Queen," Ingrid stated quickly. "I was hoping to find a good conversation to go with. I rarely get any company here in Rosewood Manor."

I was shocked that she was acting as though she had made me angry or irritated. It took me a moment to realize that it was because I was the Queen. I didn't want her to step on eggshells around me just because I was Queen. If I wanted to make friends-like Williem insisted that I do, then I wanted to be treated as though I was actually a friend. That meant getting rid of titles while addressing each other, right? I bit my lip as I thought of what would be considered proper in this situation. I actually had no experience making friends. How pathetic is that?

"Lady Ingrid, I'm hoping that we could eventually become friends," I shifted uncomfortably. "I'm new at all of this. I'm new at being Queen, and I'm new at making friends. I think in order for us to be friends, we need to drop our titles...at least in private."

Ingrid's smile returned to her face as she looked at me, "I understand and agree with you completely. I would like that, and I can see us being the best of friends quickly."

"Just what we all need," Jamison huffed out with a small smile. "Just don't get the Queen into any trouble like you used to get me into trouble."

Ingrid rolled her eyes, "Ignore Jamison, he's still upset that he was caught sneaking back into Wishwood while I didn't."

"So the two of you are close?" I asked.

"If you call being thirty minutes younger than him, then yes," Ingrid smiled at her brother. "I was blessed by being my mother's only daughter, while Jamison drew the short stick being born the second son."

"So I was practically stuck to my mother's skirts until I met Xander," Jamison admitted. "Williem advised me against joining my friend's Royal Guard, so I made the decision to be the first to join the future Queen's Guard."

"Would you care for some rose tea, Alyse?" Ingrid held up the tea pot. "It's fresh, made with white rose petals, so it's sweet rather than bitter like red roses."

"I would love some," I looked over at Jamison in wonder.

Why didn't I even think to get to know the men guarding me? The men who offered willingly to protect me with their lives... How selfish was I, not even considering that I should get to know them. I'd learned more about Jamison sitting down at Rosewall than I had since I'd gotten to Kyrain. I suddenly felt awful. How many men guarded their Kings and Queen and never really got the chance to have themselves known?

"What made you choose to go this route with your life?" I asked Jamison.

"Now he'll never shut up," Ingrid whispered to me.

"The short version is that I wasn't going to inherit anything. I knew I would have to make my own way in life, or pray that I could be my brother's heir," Jamison smiled at me. "I decided that I wanted to be a knight, and so I practiced the art of swordplay until I could best both my older brother and my father in a sparring match. When I realized that I was even better with a sword than the Crowned Prince of Kyrain, I wanted to become a Royal Guard. It doesn't make for having a personal life, but it does make it so my life means something."

Ingrid got a strange smirk on her face as she looked at the seven other Royal Guards standing around the room, "So, which of you is the best with the sword?"

"Jamison," they all answered at once.

I coughed, "How would you all know that?"

"They sparred to determine who would be the Captain of your Royal Guard, my Queen," Williem was trying not to smile and losing the battle. "Jamison won all matches...including the match against King Xander-which I believe was a rematch from being beaten before."

"What do you like to do for fun?" I asked.

Jamison let out a small laugh and Ingrid rolled her eyes as he answered, "If I'm able to spar or even get into a good sword fight, I'll consider that fun."

"I like shooting arrows," Erik shrugged. "I may not be able to best Jamison with a sword, but I can out-shoot him any day of the week."

"Theodor and I like to hunt," Maurice stated proudly. "We've been on a few hunts with King Xander."

Nikolas claimed that he enjoyed fishing, Arthur enjoyed sparring as much as Jamison seemed to, Oliver was all about cooking but that didn't help his family as much as protecting the Queen did, and Hayden claimed that what he enjoyed most wasn't proper for a Queen's ears-which caused Williem to give the man a disapproving look. During our visit at Rosewall, Ingrid had insisted that even the Royal Guard, Williem, and Jillian join us for the white rose tea, which I was surprised when it actually tasted very good. When I offered some to Sora, she shook her head and looked away from the cup.

"I don't do tea, my Queen," she stated while laying her head down.

"What an unusual dog you have there," Ingrid stated as she took a sip off of her tea. "I don't think I've ever seen one with two tails."

"A dog?!" Sora sounded offended. Her midnight blue eyes glared angrily at Ingrid.

"Sora is the Kitsune from the castle village," I corrected Ingrid mainly for Sora's sake.

"Ah," Ingrid smiled at Sora. "Forgive my rudeness then. I'm sure that was insulting to hear." She gracefully stood and waved one of the servants over, "Get my thing ready. We're going to Court."

"Yes, my Lady," the servant bowed deeply and rushed off.

"I'll meet you at the castle," Ingrid smiled at me. "I'm certain that you will have a wonderful time doing Court."

"I hope so," I smiled back at her.

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About an hour after we'd gotten back to the castle, Williem gave me a letter from Xander that told me it would be at least six months before he returned home, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was seven or eight. Though I'd been getting used to Kyrain...this was mainly his home. That meant more time without getting to know the man I was going to spend my life with.

"My goodness, I keep forgetting about that fox," Williem held onto his chest as he turned around to see Sora playing around his feet. "She's a lot like your shadow."

Jamison started to chuckle, "The Queen's Shadow can be what we call her."

Sora stopped playing and in a blinding flash of light, she stood in her human form, "I like that. Is that like a Royal Guard?"

Williem looked as though he was debating on something for a moment before he gave a nod, "Something like that. Let's call it a new rank that will forever belong to you."

"I can do that," Sora nodded.

"I know that I can't be alone, but... can I get a moment to myself?" I asked the room of people.

I was surprised how quickly they gave me room. I let out a sigh and looked at the letter for the tenth time. I wish I knew what was going on with Xander... to know if he's truly alright. That shocked me, I barely knew him, but I wanted him to be safe. Perhaps I was wrong about love not being in my future.

"I can fix that for you, my Queen!" Sora suddenly appeared beside me in her fox form, her big midnight blue eyes sparkled as she looked at me. "I can project what I see into your mind, and being around such chaotic energy would feed my power."

"You'll be able to show me what's going on where Xander is? You'll be able to show me if he's safe or not?" I blinked at her a few times.

"Of course, my Queen," Sora nodded. "If I leave now, I can be back by morning."

"Please, do it," I bit my lip. "I want to make sure he's safe."

"I shall return to you by dawn," Sora bowed her small body, and the next second...she vanished.