The Necromancers

Chapter six.

Nyx showed me the basic places where I should be and pointed to the ones where I was absolutely forbidden to enter. It was a fun experience. She was very chatty and humble.

But because she is one of the members in the palace my heart couldn't trust her enough to let her in on my story. There wasn't much to my story either way but I know that I cannot trust her.

I've never been a very trustful person. It doesn't come easy to me. Perhaps it was because of my ma telling me all the dirty ways the world could work, or perhaps it was because I have seen enough of Netflix to know that betrayal comes in any shape or form or situation.

Nyx left after telling me that I would be having dinner with the royalty.

The ideas in my head about rebelling in the cruelest way possible were so loud that I had to use a spell to calm them.

So when I finally walked out of my room to have dinner with those people, I was dressed as casually as I would have at home. My heart beat so loud and fast in my chest but I didn't turn around.

When the opening of the dining room came into view my heart faltered. My knees shook with trepidation but I fought against every single instinct in me telling me to run away. I walked further and further until I could smell the delicacies cooked tonight.

All for what? To show how sorry they were when they would not even apologize verbally and admit how wrong they were to kill my ma?

The food at the table wasn't what I noticed first, nor was the grand setting of the room. It was what the royals were wearing. The king was in a casual T-shirt and sweatpants. The queen was dressed in the tshirt of the king and I'm hoping, some shorts under that. And Drystan wore white T-shirt and grey sweatpants.

Grey sweatpants....looked good. And white on his skin gave him the rough edge. But the no expressions on his face made me turn back to the king and the queen and bow down.

What dysfunctional kingdom am I living in!

"Welcome darling. Please take a seat." The king greeted me warmly.

"Thank you, your highness." I took a seat next to Drystan and briefly glanced at him. He was already looking at me making me raise a brow at him.

His eyes moved down briefly as he took in what I was wearing. Grey sweatpants with a white tank top and the grey zipper hoodie. Nothing new...ah I see. We both were accidentally twinning.

Repulsion curled in my stomach along with something that tasted too much like anger. Had they done it purposely? All of them, to mock me? To make me realise what I had lost after they killed my ma?!

Calming down every instinct in me to tear down the walls of this place, I just returned my attention to the place where it was needed.

As the dinner progressed the king and the queen tried making small conversations with me. I replied as politely as my petty, grudge holding brain would allow.

I wanted to ask them why they did it. Why they killed my ma? What had she ever done to them? Or did they just go around killing people for fun.

"I hope you have settled well here Astoria." Drystan spoke quietly.

"Yes I have. Thank you." I gritted. It's hard to be polite to him.

"Are you going somewhere tonight?" He asked again. The king and the queen were now talking among themselves. Drystan was casually eating the food, dismissing me but not really. As if he wouldn't look at me because I was beneath him.

That didn't sit well with me so I refused to give an answer to a person who had some another level superiority complex.

He cleared his throat but this time I didn't look at him. It was not mature of me to be this petty but I think I could do whatever I wanted because I despised these people for stealing away my life from me and then pretending that it was all okay. That everything was normal without even giving me an apology.

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"I want to go out." I blurted out as everyone was piling out of the dining hall.

"You can go out anytime, child. You are not a prisoner here." The king explained to me gently.

I nodded and after a beat I said, "thank you for the dinner. And for taking me in after my ma expired." I gave them a hard smile.

"Let me walk you back to your room." Drystan offered.

I stilled at the thought of him walking me to my room and being so kind to me. But that was what it was. These royalty would do anything for people pleasing and that is what they are doing right now.

With a stoic nod I kept moving ahead. It was hard for me to pretend that everything was alright. But I had to do it for the sake of keeping it all under control. I might spiral. I had to do it for the sake of fulfilling my Ma's last wish.

Until we reached my door, none of us said anything. We walked in silence. I was too occupied with my thoughts and I didn't bother with what he was doing. He was the Prince and probably had a lot on his mind.

"Astoria....I'm sorry for your loss." He spoke lowly.

Looking at his face, scanning his face, studying every inch of it, I tried to decipher if what he was saying was a truth or a lie and nothing about the situation told me that he was lying. He was not lying.

"Do you know how my mother died?" I asked. It was an unusual question but my mind was seeking for answers. Just as my heartbeat rose, waiting for whatever he had to say.

"No." That word shattered everything for me. Because his eyes held honesty. Was I supposed to believe him? How could I? "Use your magic if you don't believe me. It's a very unusual question Astoria, but if you think I lied then use one of the spells and see for yourself."

See for myself I did. And he was right. He wasn't wrong. The prince did not know how my ma died.

"Did you know that she was going to die?" I stressed. Suddenly I felt like crying, throwing up and laughing all at the same time. This was confusing.

"Everyone is supposed to die one day Or the other. Like I know you will die one day. I will die one day and leave this world behind. There will-"

"No! Just answer me."

"No. How am I supposed to know that your mother is going to die?"

I checked for the lie again and found none. My heart beat faltered. What is all this? Ugh! The feeling of needing to rip my hair out of my scalp was intense. And probably he noticed so he spoke his next words very gently.

"I remember seeing you in the woods the other day. Behind the old temple that night. What had you been doing there Astoria?"

"Something. Business." I kept the answer as vague as my scattered thoughts would allow.

"I hope we could discuss this business one fine day Astoria. For now, I believe you need rest just as much as I do after the eventful day. Feel free to do anything here. This is your home too from now on." Drystan stared intensely into my eyes.

If I wasn't so puzzled, I would have noticed how dark his eyes had gotten. If I wasn't so scared, I would have noticed how he tried to restrain himself. If I wasn't so preoccupied, I would have noticed the softness in his eyes as he regarded me with such intensity that on any normal day it would have gotten me down to my knees.

But neither was this a normal day, nor was I feeling normal.