Moonchild

3

Ivan had been right when he said they would be in the northern city by the morning. Scarlett was familiar with the crowded feel of the city streets, she had often run errands for members of the Aylensbourne court so the bustle of life that oozed into every corner of the city did not shock her. Instead, it was the bitter cold that made her shudder. Her dress equipped with the holes and various patches of shredded fabric were definitely not the right attire for this climate.

Scarlett did not know what Ivan indented for her to do. She knew that he was willing to offer her shelter in the castle, but her employability prospects seemed somewhat hampered by the clumsy and informal first impression she had given him. Scarlett scanned the little shops, bakery, tailors, grocers, bookshop and debated which she may be best able to find work in. perhaps my skillset is not as versatile as I had hoped.

The people here seemed bigger, not as gigantic as Ivan or even Emmanuel, but still drastically taller and broader than the people of her home. The women here were as tall as the male kitchen hands she had known in the south. It was unlikely that she would be useful in any labour-intensive job given her smaller stature and she was not trained as a nurse or seamstress. But she did not have much time to ponder over her personal finances or lack thereof. Ivan was stalking through the streets of the city with unbridled confidence, the crowds parted for him to pass and his pace was not hindered by the clusters of townsfolk seeking to make sales on the many market stalls that lined the pavements.

As they rounded the corner of a large building, so tall that Scarlett could not see beyond the guttering of its roof the norther castle came boldly into view.

In the south things were old but a grand or expensive and they had aged with a dwindling grandeur, an unpleasant way fade from glory. As she stared Scarlett knew that this was not a universal phenomenon. The castle before her was far from unappealing, it was huge, Scarlett couldn't understand how she hadn't seen it before. It towered over everything in its vicinity. The building they had just passed was dwarfed, reduced to a measly hut in comparison.

The stone was polished, a slate grey colour that seemed perfect for its incredibly cold environment. Ivan turned back to look at her "Come here little Scarlett" his large hand reached in front of him, her eyes followed his direction landing on a small set of steps leading to an entranceway that was made of the same reflective grey stone.

Tentatively she slid past him and into the covering of the entrance. There was a large, black iron gate and another huge male guarding it. He was as impossibly large as the other men she had passed on the street; the size of these people was clearly normal here are they fed differently as children? Scarlett mused.

The male on the gate was dressed in a rich red jacket, four large silver buttons in the centre and intricate silver detailing covering the shoulders. His hands were pressed to his thighs, palms flat and fingers perfectly straight. He didn't even look at them as Ivan guided her through the opening in the gate onto the courtyard.

The courtyard was perhaps fifty meters in length, lined with grey pavestones that drew the eye towards the entrance of the main castle building. There were several stories of windows overlooking the yard from the west and east wings of the building. A series of stone arches lined the perimeter with one, twice the size of the rest, housing a set of deep brown doors on the east side. There were people moving in and out of the castle, through the yard, into the gardens a low buzzing of muttered conversation hung in the air.

No one seemed to notice her presence, many of the people dressed in simple garments, men in pale tunics and brown leather pants, women in ankle length kirtles – some belted at the waist, more practical for service women Scarlett recognised the outfits as belonging to the servants of the court.

As they followed the pavestones towards the entrance of the castle a short, pudgy looking male with a thinning head of brown hair darted from between two guards towards them. "Sire!" his voice was raspy clearly forced out between laboured exhales. Scarlett observed him more closely as he came to a pause just meters from where she stood.

His balding scalp was flushed red, as was his face and neck. He was breathing in a rapid and disordered pattern that made him stutter around his words. "Lord Throndson" he stops heaving a gasp of air before he continues once more, "has informed his royal highness that you wish to meet with him, I have come to guide you to the chambers as per the kings noble request" he seems relived to have gotten the words out.

Ivan does not look the servant in the eyes when he speaks with him. "I will make my own way to my brothers chamber; Emmanuel should have also informed you of our guest?"

"Indeed, however" the short man dwells on his next words carefully, unwilling to offend the prince with carless treachery. "We were not sure of the appropriate welcome for the lady." For the first time since his arrival on the courtyard the small man raises his gaze to Scarlett.

He scans her from head to toe in apparent shock at her state of dress. Scarlett feels the rush of embarrassment in her veins.

She had been less obviously out of place on the streets of the city, but here surrounded by the members of the court and their loyal servants in perfectly maintained clothes she looked more like a street rat than a guest of the crown. Ivan turns to her "you were a maid in your previous home?" the formal edge to his tone implies that she must answer as though he had not befriended her on their journey.

"Aye My Lord, I was a maid" The simplicity of her reply is intentional as she gives him room to dictate the outcome of her stay.

"And that role was to your liking?"

"Indeed Sir, I am- was grateful of all my responsibilities for they keep me busy" he nods to her, addressing the short man again.

"She is to work as a maid under Mrs Greeves, see to it that she is given the right attire and a comfortable place to rest would you Edmund?"

"Of course, sire." He bows deeply at the waist and does not rise until Ivan has disappeared into the foyer of the Castle.

"Miss?" Edmund's voice is tentative, but it pulls her attention from Ivan's retreating form. "If you would follow me." He turns on his heels and begins to guide her in the direction Ivan had just travelled.

"Mrs Greeves is an excellent housekeeper; his highness has done you a kindness in allowing you to work with her ladies they are much like a family are those girls."

The pair pass through the foyer of the castle and down a set of stairs that lead into the ground floor, it is a maze-like series of hallways and doorways that seem alive with people flowing through them at a rate so high Scarlett wondered just how many staff worked in this court.

"Alice" Edmund's voice is bright as he addresses the woman stood at the entrance of the kitchen. "My Edmund, what brings you here? Are you not busy with the gardens?" her brows furrow. It is only when Scarlett crosses the boundary of the kitchen, petite frame slotting into the bustle of the room with no disruption that the lady speaks again. "Edmund?" her stare is trained on Scarlett's face as if she is trying to recognise her.

"Prince Nilsen has assigned this maid to your staff; she comes ill prepared, and he wishes for her to be given clothes and a place to rest." This is Mrs Greeves?Scarlett observes the woman, she is not as old or as stern looking as she had expected a housekeeper in a home like this to be.

"Is that so" she smiles with a genuine warmth, "What is your name miss?" Mrs Greeves questions.

"Scarlett ma'am" her fingers sink into the fabric of her skirts seeking comfort from the familiarity of the material.

"Well young Scarlett, let us not disobey the prince, come now I'll see to it that you are dressed and comfortable" the woman approaches in a walk so calm and smooth that she glides across the tiles. Her fingers wrap around Scarlett's bicep in a gentle grasp and she guides her out of the kitchen back into the hallway. 

****

please leave a comment or vote if you enjoyed this chapter! Kat x