Of Whispers and Daggers ✓ [TLRQ #2]

Chapter 5 - Idyne

Dedicated to The Word Artist
for all the encouragement and interaction <3

Alaar described the castle to me when the shamans first decided to let me infiltrate it. The royals live on the third floor, in the West Wing. The running-scared little weaklings probably think it gives them some sort of advantage to be in the part of the castle farthest from the gate. The work room for the highest ranking wizards is also on the third floor, but in the East Wing. Unlike the first and second floor, which have four wings, the third floor only has the two, interrupted by a courtyard and the stairs to a tower.

I smile as I walk to the third floor. It still amuses me that my caretaker didn't think I could betray him.

I try to stay roughly between the wizards' work area and the three royals' chambers, pacing back and forth through the halls for hours. I could put my costume to the test by trying to get directions to Aster, but I doubt that's considered a polite thing for a nicely dressed no-one-from-nowhere to ask for.

Maybe I mispredicted where he was. Sure, he'll have to go to his room at some point, but where I'm standing at any given point isn't promised to intercept him.

I stop by a hall table where a painted plate sits on a display stand. Tiny, detailed r'muer fawns cavort along the border, and a silver tree blooms across the middle of the plate. It's so well shined that in it, I stare back at myself. Blonde hair falls around my face in small, false waves formed by keeping my hair in so many little braids for so long. Blush softens my prominent cheekbones, and lipstick attempts to fill out my tight lips. The couple of Ladies I've passed in the halls have full lips and glittery shadow around their eyes. I can't imagine the overload of color a room of them would be. Even just standing alone in this hallway feels like being a gnat on a vein of jewels. This plate by itself has to be worth more than all of the coin I've ever seen.

I want to see it shatter a thousand ways.

In the silence, faint footsteps whisper from what must be a few halls over. I straighten and start to walk that direction. Aster rounds the corner, and my pulse catches, not expecting such quiet steps to be so close.

He stops, eyes narrowed, regarding me.

I throw my arms out in excitement and step forward. "Aster! I'm so glad I found you!"

He draws back. "Excuse me?"

The voices burble with laughter, and a grin splits my face like a fingernail tearing skin. The little princeling can run his fingers across his halls of jewels, but he can't grasp a title. That's mine to use or disregard like these spoiled aristocrats cast aside cold bread.

He steps forward, eyes narrowing. "Idyne?"

I hold my hands out, swishing my skirt forward. "The one and only!"

He holds a hand up to stop me as his other creeps toward his rapier. "What are you doing here?"

"What, you don't like my new look?" I cock my hand on my hip.