My mystery queen

Save me!.

The jab hit its mark. Estelle’s face fell, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Clarissa, predictably, snorted in agreement. “You’re right. Rose, come along. Estelle can stay behind.” Her words were cold and final, and Estelle’s shoulders slumped.

As they began to leave, I called out one last piece of advice. “And my lady, if you hear any strange noises by the stream, let curiosity take its course . If someone’s hurt, maybe offer them herbs.”

Clarissa spun around, glaring at me as if I’d just spoken in tongues. “Amaris, shut up!” she snapped before storming off, Rose trailing behind her.

I sighed dramatically, watching them go. Well, that went well.

I glanced at Estelle, who was still standing there, hands folded in front of her, looking like a kicked puppy. Great. “You don’t have to thank me,” I said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

Estelle gave me a sad, quiet smile, and I rolled my eyes. Here we go again. I wasn’t in the mood for her martyr act.

One way or another, Clarissa was going to meet that king by the stream. I just hoped she’d be able to handle what happened next. If anyone was going to manipulate the story to their advantage, it was going to be me. But, they were taking forever to come back, and that could only mean they’d encountered the king by now. Wonderful.

As great as that sounded, I was out here in the sun, literally dying of hunger and thirst. I internally scolded myself for rejecting Estelle's beef jerky offer earlier. Stupid. I sighed, wiping the beads of sweat streaming down my face.

"Hey!" I whispered to Estelle, who was off by herself, clinging to the rod she always carried around like it was some sort of lifeline. Her gaze darted all over the place, like it always did, and she missed the target completely, her eyes landing on the cart instead of me. Classic.

"Amaris?" she called out, confused, as if she wasn’t sure who’d whispered to her. I could've pretended it wasn’t me—let her think she was going crazy—but I was too hungry for that.

"Yes. Do you have any money on you?" I asked, my impatience already showing.

She furrowed her brows, confused. As usual.

"I’m hungry!" I added, already hearing the rumbling of my stomach.

"You mean coins? I am sorry, I have none left."

Of course she doesn't. I rolled my eyes, irritation bubbling up.

"And how can’t you have a single coin left? You’re working, right?" I scowled, half out of frustration, half out of disbelief.

"Oh, Amaris, you sometimes baffle me." She looked genuinely puzzled, which only made my anger rise. "I serve, not work. For we are slaves," she said, in that too-kind voice of hers.

Slaves. My anger boiled over.

"And what’s your reward for cleaning her s**t?" I spat, not bothering to hide the disgust on my face.

"My life," she replied, wearing that sad smile again. Unbelievable.

I let out a bitter laugh, crossing my arms tightly against my chest. Typical Estelle. She stayed quiet for a while, the silence stretching awkwardly, before speaking again.

"There is a vineyard, some foot stroll away. Do you like grapes?" she asked softly, like she was trying to be cautious.

Grapes? My eyes darted to her, and despite myself, a smile rushed to my lips.

"Grapes!" I chanted, excitedly, before quickly clearing my throat. Get it together, Amaris.

"Grapes? Not a fan, but I’d accept," I said, forcing nonchalance, watching her frown in confusion.

"I would like some grapes," I repeated with an exaggerated nod. She smiled in return.

She went over to the boys, who were discussing things I literally couldn’t care less about. She told them where we were headed, and they agreed, as long as we returned before Clarissa came back and brought some grapes along. Fine by me.

We started the journey, and let me just say, "some foot stroll" was the understatement of the century. Are we migrating?. It felt like it. I kept asking for a ride—perhaps a taxi or a horse—but, no, I wasn’t the stupid writer of this book!

"Are we there yet?" I asked, thoroughly confused by the endless sea of identical trees. How does she even plan on getting us there?.

"Are you actually blind, or just pretending?" I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering if this was some elaborate joke.

She smiled that sly little smile of hers. "What do you think?"

My mouth dropped open, and my hand slipped from hers. Wait.

"You're not blind?!" I screeched, making her flinch as she clung to her rod like I was about to attack her.

"I am," she replied calmly.

"Then how are you supposed to locate the vineyard if you can't see and I don't know the way?" I demanded, exasperated. This was getting ridiculous.

"I used to come here with Rose. She’d hold my arm and lead the way. The smell, the sound—they all guide me. All I need is someone to hold my hand, and I can most certainly find my way. Now, tell me, have we reached the end of the market? We are to turn left."

I blinked, looking around, stunned by how sure she sounded. Okay, maybe she has a point.

"Yes, we have," I muttered, taking her hand again, though I wasn’t thrilled about it.

We turned left, and before I knew it, we’d reached the vineyard. I smiled at its beauty, while Estelle inhaled deeply, a soft smile creeping to her lips. At least one of us is having a moment.

"We are here," she said softly, her voice laced with satisfaction.

Without wasting time, I started picking grapes, shoving them into my mouth with absolutely no shame.

"Are there rivers around here?" I asked through a mouthful of grapes.

"Yes! Just keep going down. Also, yes, I would like some grapes as well," she said, collapsing onto the ground.

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

I plucked a few and dropped them onto her gown. "I want to take a swim. So munch on these for a while," I said, tossing more grapes onto her lap for good measure.

"Munch?" she asked, her gaze darting around, trying to locate the grapes. Does she really not know what ‘munch’ means?.

"Yes. Munch means eat," I said slowly, like I was teaching a child, guiding her hands to the grapes.

She grabbed a handful and shoved them into her mouth, while my body practically ached for a swim. No way I’m swimming in this ridiculous gown. I tore it, making it stop right in the middle of my thighs, like a normal gown should!

Following Estelle’s instructions, I kept going until I spotted the river. The second I saw the water, I dove right in, reveling in the coolness against my skin, such a relief from the scorching sun. Bliss.

But then, everything went south.

I was having fun until I dove deeper and suddenly felt something wrapping around my leg. Plants. Firm and unyielding. You've got to be kidding me. I struggled to free myself, but nothing worked. Panic surged through me as I screamed and thrashed, but it was no use.

That was the last thing I remembered.