Chapter 4•1 The Gilded Cage
773 Words
The servants worked quickly.
They bathed Sheraya in warm water scented with lavender and rosemary. They brushed her silver-streaked hair until it shone like fire in the firelight. They dressed her in a gown of deep emerald silk that pooled at her feet and cinched at her waist with a golden belt.
Sheraya stood before the mirror in Varek's bedchamber and did not recognize herself.
The girl staring back had high cheekbones and full lips. Her light brown eyes looked larger, softer, framed by the rich green of the dress. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in waves of reddish-brown and silver.
She looked like a lady.
She felt like a prisoner.
"The Lord requests your presence at breakfast," Mira said. "I will escort you."
Sheraya wanted to refuse. But she had learned already that refusal meant nothing here.
She nodded. "Very well."
---
The dining hall was vast but warm.
A long table of polished dark wood stretched across the center of the room, set with silver plates and crystal glasses. A fire crackled in a massive stone hearth at one end, casting golden light over the tapestries on the walls.
Varek sat at the head of the table.
He was not wearing armor today. His shirt was black, simple, open at the collar. His dark hair was still damp from washing. His silver-blue eyes found her the moment she entered.
Sheraya stopped at the threshold.
"Sit," he said.
She walked to the chair at the opposite end of the table—as far from him as possible—and sat.
Varek's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
Servants appeared with trays of food—fresh bread, honey, fruit, roasted meat, soft cheese, steaming tea. They filled her plate without asking what she wanted.
Sheraya stared at the food.
"Eat," Varek said.
She picked up a piece of bread and bit into it. It was warm. Soft. Delicious.
She hated that it was delicious.
"You did not eat last night," he said.
"I was not hungry."
"You will eat now."
She did not argue. She ate.
---
After breakfast, Varek led her through the castle.
Sheraya followed. She did not ask where they were going. She did not ask why. She simply walked beside him, her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes forward.
Guards flanked them at a distance.
"This is the eastern corridor," Varek said. "My chambers are here. You are not to leave this wing without an escort."
Sheraya nodded.
"This is the library. You may use it."
She glanced at the tall shelves filled with books. Her heart ached.
"This is the garden. You may walk here, but only with an escort."
Sheraya looked at the roses blooming in the morning light.
"You are quiet," Varek said.
"You did not bring me here for conversation."
He studied her for a moment. "No. I did not."
He continued walking. She followed.
That afternoon, Sheraya sat by the window in Varek's bedchamber, watching the clouds drift across the sky.
The door opened.
She did not turn around.
"Sheraya."
She turned.
Caelum stood in the doorway. His face was kind, his amber eyes soft.
Sheraya inclined her head. "My lord."
Caelum stepped inside. He did not come close. He stood by the door, his hands at his sides.
"I wanted to see if you were well," he said.
"I am a prisoner in your brother's chambers."
Caelum was silent for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.
"I see," he said.
He left.
That was all.
Sheraya sat in the silence, confused by the brief visit but relieved it was over.
---
In the lower levels of the castle, Nola scrubbed the floors.
She had learned the rhythm of the castle now. The guards changed shifts at dawn, noon, and midnight. The kitchens were busiest in the hours before meals. The eastern wing was heavily guarded.
Her sister was in the lord's chambers.
She scrubbed harder.
She rounded a corner and stopped.
Lord Orion stood in the corridor ahead of her, arms crossed.
"Lira," he said. "You work hard."
"I do my duty, my lord."
"You do more than your duty." He stepped closer. "You watch. You listen. You learn."
Nola kept her head down. "I am just a servant, my lord."
"You are not a servant."
She did not respond.
Orion was silent for a moment. Then he said, "The eastern wing is off limits."
"I know, my lord."
"See that you remember."
He walked away.
Nola exhaled slowly.
He knew. But he had not called the guards.
She did not understand it. But she would not waste the chance.
- Writer
