The Island's Inhabitant

The Queen's Chambers

The next morning, Zoey was slow to wake up. The cotton mattress beneath her was far softer than the haybeds and ground she had been sleeping on. The down comforter kept her shielded against the chilly night. Across the room from the bed, the windows opened to the cool morning, a lazy breeze lifting the white curtains before letting them fall back to their standard position again.

Zoey finally sat up in the bed. It was a simple room, which she found slightly surprising as it belonged in a palace. She wondered if the other rooms were as simple as hers. Beside her bed sat a small, moveable fire stand that radiated slightly with warmth. On the other side of the fire stand, a door opened up into a closet that was lined with dresses and shoes and hats and other accessories. And on the opposite wall of the closet, another door led to the bathroom.

After relieving herself and rinsing her face, Zoey changed into one of the dresses that hung in the closet. Then she sat before one of the windows and looked upon the plains that spread out into the horizon. She subconsciously tapped the desk that stood beside the window, her mind wandering back to home. For the first time since stumbling into Calcasia, Zoey wondered how her family was taking her absence. What were Aunt Mae and Mati and Jack all doing at this time?

"I hope I haven't caused them too much worry," Zoey whispered to herself. She got up from the window seat and left her room. The halls were well lit for having no windows, with candlesticks mounted about every five feet. The girl made a brief observation of how tedious the task of lighting or replacing all those candles must be. However, as she studied them more, she realized that they did not seem to melt away.

"It can't be electricity!" Zoey murmured. "Can it?"

Her attention was quickly drawn away from the "candles" as she heard a few voices around the corner. She approached them, but suddenly stopped when she heard Edward's name.

"The prince Edward was out again yesterday," whispered an old female voice.

"I heard," returned a young male's. "He always seems to find himself some kind of trouble to be getting into."

"I can't really blame the poor child," stated a third voice. It was sweet and low like a mother caressing her baby to sleep.

"And why not, Annabeth?" inquired the elder lady.

Annabeth sighed, saying, "He has lost a close friend recently."

The man huffed. "More like a traitorous friend."

"The prince is not at fault for their relation to one another, Irving! Neither is he at fault for what that boy and his father did against our queen and crown prince. We all knew it was only a matter of time before he became an issue."

"Either way," Irving asserted, "Prince Edward gets himself into needless trouble."

"I believe that is more so our fault though," murmured the elder lady.

"What makes you think that, Quinn?"

"No one ever speaks to him. I cannot recall the number of times I have seen him aimlessly wandering the palace grounds in search of something to do, yet no one says a word. Why is that? As Annabeth said, his highness is not at fault for what those traitors did. So why must we distance ourselves from him as though he also is a traitor?"

"I agree," Annabeth declared. "Prince Edward is merely lost. We should be helping him find a new friend now that his previous one has been taken away."

"Well, good luck with that," stated Irving. "I, for one, have no desire to meddle in the affairs of royalty. Prince Edward's business is his own, and I only mean to attend my duties as a footman."