Ruby Red

Chapter Five

The following weeks flew by in a tizzy. Ever since the royal family's announcement, you couldn't go anywhere without bumping into preparations. Servants rushed around the castle cleaning and cooking and decorating, decking the halls in shades of red and gold with hints of deep blue here and there. No one was allowed in the ballroom except for those cleaning and decorating. Nothing could be out of place.

With only three days remaining before the ball, the towns below the palace were more crowded than ever. Women scurried along the cobblestone streets with bunches of petticoats flouncing with every step. Disgruntled daughters drowning in diamonds followed their mothers from shop to shop in preparation to make their debuts. Young men approached their friends on the streets, presenting their love interests with bouquets of flowers and asking to be their escorts.

This air about the community only came about once every five years. Seamstresses worked nonstop with an ever-flowing stream of customers begging for custom dresses and alterations. The royal family commissioned a variety of florists, bakers, and other party-centered businesses to help them adorn the halls of the palace, and they happily obliged. Business was booming, and as more and more people entered the main streets, it was getting harder and harder to get things done.

Everyone was hurrying around... well, everyone except for Alana. She had gone radio silent for at least the past week. When Karis went to breakfast, she was already up and moving, and she came back to the common rooms much later than he stayed up. He barely saw her anymore, and he had no clue where she was most of the time.

Remnants of their argument flitted around in his head ever since it happened. She only spoke to him when she needed to speak to him, and even that was rare. Duties were unbearably boring without her whispering quips about the nobles into his ear, and Karis often found himself turning to talk to her only to find that she wasn't there.

By this point, Karis was fed up. He missed his best friend, and all he wanted to do was talk. Well, he definitely wanted a hug, but at the very least, he wanted to talk. That was all he was asking for. Maybe there was still a chance that he could convince her to give the queen a break and place some trust in her. It was worth a shot.

The morning was warm as Karis made his way to the stables. Every Monday, Karis's group of soldiers was supposed to be on guard on the edges of the forest and they needed to take the horses out. He walked in, expecting to see Alana tacking up Elandre, but her fair steed was still in her stall eating a bucket of oats.

Fallon was in front of her black mare brushing its mane. "Hey, have you seen Alana?" Karis asked her as he grabbed his horse's bridle from the hook next to her.

"No," Fallon replied. "You know, now that you mention it, I haven't seen her much at all these days. I wonder what's up with her."

Karis quickly turned away from her, averting his eyes as much as he could. Fallon's face went deadpan when she noticed he wasn't responding. "Okay, you definitely know something. What happened?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"We had an argument. I want to try to make things right again, but I have no idea where to even look for her. She hasn't even been showing up for duty. I'm starting to worry."

"If she doesn't shape up soon, Harsha's going to get onto her. Or even worse, the queen."

"That would probably just make things worse." Karis sighed, running a brush over his horse's side. His stallion whinnied and turned toward him. Large, dark eyes stared into his soul. He knew it was crazy, but Karis could swear that his horse was judging him for what had happened between him and Alana. "I just miss having her around, you know?"

"Aww, how sweet." Fallon leaned against a wooden pole between them. She winked and plastered a pout onto her lips. "All alone, Kare? Do you miss your girlfriend? It's not like you're completely by yourself. You've got me to keep you company, too."