A Devious Exchange

A Royal's Red Rouge

I'd always imagined, especially in my youth, that criminals brought before the king would stand in a huge throne room, decorated in fine golds and silks to match the king's glory. They would kneel before him, bow down into the exotic royal rug till their noses itched from the scratchy fibers. Guards would stand by them, side by side, and be ready to strike at the king's command. The feeling of superiority would be enough to break a man's tongue and willpower.

What I did not expect was for my entourage of soldiers to march me into a library of the castle after being unloaded from the humiliating wagon. The room was quaint, with several shelves filled with books lining the back wall and upper floor. I could see the upstairs from its gold gated balcony wrapping around the square room. The carpet was a rather odd design of red and yellow patterned stripes, the drapes matching perfectly. It was hideously extravagant, with golden chandeliers and various trinkets piled needlessly throughout the glorious space.

I imagined they hardly ever used this room, unless they swiftly removed the evidence of wear and tear by replacing the upholstery monthly on the various sofas and armchairs. It was without a doubt beautiful, apart from the tense ambiance brought from the rather large man staring down upon me from the gated balcony. His face was unmoving even after the guards unbounded my upper arms and immediately went to door to stand guard.

My legs were still a bit shaky after the humble greeting with the older guard, at least now I had a bit of room to breathe without him right next to me. That was until the man above me cleared his throat, almost expectantly.

I hadn't noticed before, but I do now. Amongst his thinning red hairs sat a finely jeweled coronet, with a royal purple stashed in its golden pillars. I internally gasped at my stupidity, quickly moving to kneel before him and do a slight bow. My cheeks were slightly flushed in even more embarrassment, not wanting to hear the snickers of guards likely eavesdropping in on my performance.

Even though I was born and lived in Helacia all my life, I never saw anyone of higher status other than a soldier. Nobles were kept under supervision and heavily guarded, often hiding away in their abodes even during the holiday seasons. To see the king now in the flesh with his black eyes tracking me individually, I was quite stunned. Perhaps when or if I got back, I could tell Mom and Delilah about the rare occurrence.

"Rise." His haughty voice echoed inside the room, unwavering. My back thanked me as I stood up, not sure where to place my eyes other than at the golden clock hung in the center of the balcony, directly below the King's feet.

The silence was awkward to say the least, my limbs nervously shuffling against the carpet to distract me. I stood abruptly still when slow taps against the marbled floors above echoed in the room. The feet above the clock were gone, and I could only draw a deep breath as my anxiety flared. I wanted to know more than anything about why he requested my appearance, it was so strange and unnecessary for him to call upon a random, Shamble's woman.

His steps grew louder as he strided down the spiraling staircase in the corner of the room, abruptly ceasing their taps when reaching the low-cut carpet. To my relief, his steps shuffled until he was near the window to the left of me. He muttered without sparing me a glance,

"You likely don't have a clue for why you're here, Ms. Williams."

Not knowing what to reply with, I hesitantly nodded my head. Silence plagued the room once more, to which I quickly noticed he couldn't see my gesture. Embarrassed, I muttered softly, "No, I am afraid not."

"I won't drawl it out. You have been summoned to serve me by assisting with a mission."

I blinked to break my confused trance, "Come again?"