To enslave a season

Part 1

Sitting in the carriage, I peeked through the silk curtains. Crowded streets filled with shops and citizens, this place was so unlike home that it made my head spin. The carriage hit another bump, and I thought that the infrastructure needed a change. Everything was either short and stubby or long and grey. It made for a boring view. I sighed and closed the curtain, hoping the palace wasn't far. The long ride was tiring, even with the magic layered over this carriage.

I ran my hands over the red velvet of the seat and examined the lining—anything to keep my mind off the ride. My gaze fell on my dress, the layers of white and gold silk making for a heavenly effect. I sighed and wondered what Yvaine was doing. Something more exciting than a carriage ride, I hoped.

"My Lady?" Someone knocked on the door "We've arrived" It was the driver. He pulled open the door and offered me his hand. Taking it, I stepped down onto the stone of the palace steps. The one hundred stairs rose in front of me, made of spiralling marble and polished stone. Boring. Back home, everything was made of petrified wood or woven with the trees themselves. Towering homes held three families at once, with gardening space on the ground below. 

I raised my head and started up the steps, and I heard the driver hurry the horses away. The stairs seemed to extend before me, and I whispered a few words. Suddenly, I was near the top, and I watched as the gemstone set in my bracelet dulled. Coming over the last few steps, I saw the king, a newly crowned man with a heavyset jaw and a kind heart. Flanked by guards and two of his cousins, the three royals bowed as I curtseyed. Rising, he kissed my gloved hand

"Welcome to the Nightenglade Kingdom, Lady Ayla" He said

"I thank you for your hospitality" I smiled, and I saw one of his cousins's eyes flick into my hair, and then he met my eyes. His immediately flicked away, unnerved by the hue of them. I followed the king in through the doors, and into a warmly furnished hall. 

Immediately, he was nearly swarmed by aids who needed his attention. Turning back to me, he apologized and said that a room had been prepared for me and that one of the stewards would show me where it was. I smiled, said it was perfectly fine, and made my leave. 

The hallways were bare of any servant or noble, with everyone gathered in the grand hall. The reception tonight was a large affair, and I heard whispers that some knight who had been off adventuring would return. I waited in a lounge until I saw the doors opening, with the announcement from the herald

"Introducing, Sir Aury Shadowfall, knight of the realm!" He bellowed. I heard the footsteps of a heavy pair of boots, and then another noble went. By the few people in front of me, I was last. The herald's breath was coming fast, but he straightened as I came to the doors "Lady Ayla Glimstone, duchess of the fief of Elevia and niece to the King of Oqane!"

The murmurs of the court stopped as I drifted through the room, toward the King. I did the formal greetings with him, and he returned the formalities. As I rose, I caught the eyes of the knight from before, and he returned my gaze. For a split second his eyes met, and a wave of uneasiness rippled through the room as another power rose to meet mine.

This was going to be fun.

With the grand doors closed, people began to mingle, guests with nobles, and I sought out someone to "speak" with. I chose a noble around thirty, with a growing potbelly and thinning hair. He was plenty excited to speak with me, and I masked my disgust as I conversed. Steering the conversation toward this "Sir Aury", he poorly masked his disgust as he went into detail about how the King favours family over talent, and how his sons had plenty of talent but didn't get promoted because the King didn't care. 

"I'll have to meet them if they're as talented as you say" I smiled and bid my goodbyes. Flipping my fan open, I frowned as I walked. Sir Aury had eluded me so far, but he wouldn't keep this up. I opened my mouth and sang a long, clear note. Suddenly, a thin, disguised path between me and Sir Aury opened, wide enough to let me see it but not wide enough to be suspicious. I stopped singing, and the crowd kept the path open, so slightly. I strode quickly, and I managed to get next to him

"Sir Aury," I said and kept my fan up. 

"Hello, I didn't quite catch your name" He smiled, a tiny, almost pained thing

"I'm Lady Ayla," I said sweetly. He wasn't a fool, and I was prepared to help him realise I wasn't one either.

"Well, Ms Ayla, I saw you speaking with Lord Icaro. Don't trust what he says about the royal family. You don't want-" He was interrupted by another person calling out to him. He gave me a curt nod and followed them out. I sneered behind my fan, and smoothed it over as another person approached, one of the cousins of the king.

Retiring to my room, I grumbled and tossed my fan against a chair. Nothing went wrong tonight, but nothing went well, either. I learned nothing about this court or the mysterious knight, and I spoke with some dirty old noble as well. I gagged as I thought about Lord Icaro, and I undid the back of my dress. Peeling the fabric away from my skin, I saw the scales that had formed had been taken off with it. I hissed and continued getting ready for bed.