Book 2, Chapter 2: New Accommodations
Another week passed before I left the room. It was a large room by my standards, especially compared to the tent I shared with Brin on the way here from wherever the encampment was, boasting a little library, tea station and even its own garderobe, which was the equivalent of a toilet with a long drop off and no flush. Still, a room is not a great place to live your life in.
Yet I didn’t want to leave.
Standing between the fireplace and table, I watched the energy circle my hand. Round and round, a blueish purple streak. At a rave, I’d be the coolest kid in town. Putting my left hand up, the stream jumped across the air to it. I pushed a little with my left toward my right and it jumped there. Back and forth I did this.
A knocking at the door – Morry was about to enter! Panicking, I opened my palm toward the table, a blue beam shot straight into a cup, blasting it to pieces.
“Princess?” Morry threw the door open, quickly entering, “Are you alright?”
I put both hands behind my back, “Uh, yeah. I accidentally dropped a cup.”
“Dropped?” He looked over at the table. Shards were everywhere, blasted out in a cone shaped pattern opposite me, none bigger than a half inch. He cocked his head, left eyebrow raising slightly, then back to normal, with just a hint of a grin on his face as he looked at me.
“Tossed? Sorry, I tossed it.”
“Alright.” He raised an eyebrow, looked at the table once more, then back to me, “I have a surprise for you. If you’ll come with me.”
“A surprise?”
“Yes, Princess. A surprise.” He turned and left.
I watched him go, then moved out of line of sight and looked at my hands. Nothing – good! That meant the energy wouldn’t return for a while. A kind of cooldown, like in video games. I rolled my eyes at the thought and mouthed a swear word at the devs. Three months was enough, but the game wouldn’t end. If I was being honest with myself, I was about to let go the game hypothesis. Yet a part of me wondered that if I did, indeed, fully give up, that’s when I’d be let out, into my body, a bunch of evil maniacs standing around me, champagne in their hands, a large banner behind them that read, ‘GOTCHA!’ Bastards.
I hurried out the door to catch up with Morry.
***
We walked down the hallway, passing many tapestries that I tried not to think about. All the scenes with people I had moved here. Depictions of war, portraits of long dead rulers. The last conversation I had with Bechalle, pre-betrayal and torture, was about tapestries.
I was glad he was dead.
“Hey, where’s my armor?” I was wearing a simple dress. It was more comfortable than my gambeson and it didn’t bother me so much, not that much anyways, when alone. But I was annoyed I didn’t put on the leather under armor for walking around the castle.
“Your chainmail is hanging back at the rooms.”
“Back where we were? Why didn’t you say so?”
He gave me a worried face, “You’re surrounded by your most loyal troops. And we have hostages. And I am beside you.”
“I want to wear it.”
“Ok. When we get back, I’ll help you put it on.”
“I want to project the image of the warrior princess.”
“It looks good on you, the perseidian chain.”
“No more dresses for me. Just the armor from now on.”
“Alright.”
“You think it’s a good idea?”
“It’s heavy, wearing it’ll make you stronger, that’s for sure.”
“Good. I need to be stronger.”
We got to a large, double doored entrance. “Here we are.”
“These are the late duke’s chambers.”
“Yes. The biggest apartments in the castle. They’re yours now, Princess. I had his things removed and the rooms cleaned.”
I was hesitant and reached out, touching the wooden door. Hardwood, thick. The grain of the wood ordered from a distance, chaotic closer up, little squiggles closer still.
“Princess, normally we open doors.”
“Sorry. Yes. Alright, yes.” I took the handles and pulled, the doors opened easily, despite their large size.
“Opening both doors then.”
The visiting room was spacious, four or five times larger than my current chambers. It had an equally large fireplace in the center of the wall on the left, a small kitchen to my right, with dishes, glasses, even a fireplace and hood. Off by the fire, sofas and sofa chairs. Beyond that, a large dining table that could seat thirty or more guests.
“Holy, this place is huge.”
“This is just the entrance. A hallway past the small kitchen here goes to several other rooms, eventually ending in your private chambers. I’ll take the one closest to yours.”
“Sounds good.”
“Most of your belongings have already been moved here.”
I looked down at my hands, a touch of blue flame rising. “I’m going to need my armor soon.”
“There’s no one here. I triple checked it myself after our soldiers did and after it had been cleaned out.”
“I’m going to check out the new room. Back in a sec!”
“Rooms, Princess. Many rooms.”
“Ok, see you in a bit!” I walked quickly down the hallway, watching the energy start to twirl around, hoping it wasn’t turning the walls blue. Nowhere to put my hands, no pockets in these damn dresses!
I flung open the door, entering quickly, closing it even more quickly. The bang echoed in the stone chambers. I inspected my right hand. It was still subtle, the little blue flame dancing across my palm. Not me, nothing subtle about my desperation. Hopefully, Morry wrote it off as teenage girl behavior.
This room was a mirror of the first room, another place to host guests, perhaps more intimate. With its own kitchen and bar, fireplace, sofa, chairs, a dining table, and shelving around much of the walls holding many books I looked forward to exploring. A hallway led to other rooms.
I was more worried about the liquid energy flowing around my hands than exploring. Hurrying over to an ornate window, framed in iron, I unlatched it with my left hand, threw it open, held my right palm out, straightened my arm and a laser-like blast shot away, slight ozone scent wafting around.
It stopped, the energy gone for now. I shut the window. It seemed to build up, then go away for a while if I used it. But this time’s streams were thicker, stronger, the blast heavier. I needed some way of controlling this magic and quickly.
Knocking on the door, it slowly opened and Morry stuck his head in, “Princess? What do you think?”
“It’s great. Uh, no signs of Bechalle, the servants did a good job removing his presence.”
“My thoughts exactly. I’ll have them move you in immediately.”
“And my chainmail. Have someone bring it.”
“You’re safe here. As I’ve said, I’ve checked the rooms out myself several times. And I’ll be moving in, along with other guards, into the rooms behind me.”
“Thank you, that’s great. Oh!” I waved my arms around at the walls.
“Yes?”
“All the tapestries with people in them . . .”
“An oversight. I’ll have them removed.”
“That would be lovely. And one other thing.”
“Yes?”
“The chainmail, have the servants bring it.”
He nodded, face turning back to grim, left.
While he went to go do that, I explored the rooms further. Rooms that were lined with wardrobes, turning them effectively into walk in closets. I checked. No portals to Narnia. A shame, Aslan could probably get me out of this predicament. No hidden save and exit screens either. A room with a large bath, but not the hot springs this place was famed for. Dressing and make-up areas, guest rooms, a private study with more books, a desk, and a private rack of Bechalle’s awful alejack. Maybe drinking that stuff is what addled his mind.
A larger space was welcome. Lots of room for pacing. I could hide out here for a long time. Get other people to run the castle.
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