HER

the letter

The grass melted beneath my feet as they tore through the earth. A letter seared in my hand, with a royal stamp sticking to my palm. The High Court has selected... It rang in my mind. The High Court? The royal bastards I had long-awaited to show up or, in recent times, to send a letter to me finally did. High positions came with a price, if you were flashy enough, they noticed. If you were dull enough, they noticed. But something blinded the Court about my presence. I was perfection itself to them. A cunning woman who knew her place. I grinned wildly at the thought. Oh, if only they could see me now. Half-naked with only the remnants of what once was a shirt and underwear clinging to every crevice of my body. Barefoot and free on my land. They would be disgusted at my liberal state and I adored that thought. I pranced and danced for them as best I could, but on my land was where I left my wolf to play.

The hill came to an end at my toes and laid out in front of me was a palace of my own. A lavish stone chateau bequeathed to me by my parents at the end of their time. I felt no real connection to them and the thought of their passing glided away from me as quickly as it came. With the speed of a bullet, I arrived at the front steps where two gentleman waited with a robe and grimaces.

"My Lady Lorena," Roberto began, "I find it within myself to alert you that should that letter be from our beloved High Courts, that you should take more care in your...extracurriculars." He leaned in close, so only I could hear. "Enviaron un emisario."

At that moment, I could hear a car arriving a couple of miles away. I appreciated the caution Roberto took, knowing that there would be wolves along my property's perimeter soon. Emissaries rarely traveled alone.

I made sure to speak loudly enough that any of the wolves that could possibly be by would hear. "It is a letter from them! How privileged I am." I smiled politely, but anyone who saw my eyes would see black wisping around the white of my eyes, a sign of a wolf on alert. "I only need a moment to freshen up."

The gentleman walked in front of me swiftly to open the grand French doors. Inside was an ornate entrance that glittered in the evening sun. A chandelier made of a thousand diamonds hung from the ceiling to illuminate the imported rugs and specially crafted imperial staircase whose two entrances lead to a landing before splitting off again upwards. There, I thought, a grand entrance.

"Mis damas," I called out. "I need help, my dears!" With another breath several ladies appeared in front of me. "An emissary is here from the High Court."

The ladies all gracefully parted with murmurs of questions regarding the how and why. All of which were swiftly silenced by my passing off of the letter to one of the ladies. The murmurs erupted into full laughs and playful pushes to read the letter. The Lady's Maid, Ms. Cruz, stepped forward from the bunch to take me by my arm and began guiding me up the stairs.

"The emissary will have high expectations, Lady Lorena," Ms. Cruz mumbled while she worried her fingers along my arm.

I smiled softly at the gesture. "Well, I should think so, jefa. This is the High Court." I offered a bubbly laugh which only made the older woman worry more. I paused in the hall and softly cupped her cheeks. "We have all prepared me for this for my whole life, per my parents' deepest opposition. It will be fine, Adel."

Ms. Cruz batted my hands away softly with a smiling reprimand. "Now, you ought to know better than to address the maids that way. It is Ms. Cruz."

We walked into my room with a soft, deep breath. The walls were a deep pink with rose curtains lining the floor-to-ceiling windows. Gold lights and other small trinkets accented my surroundings. It was all delicately selected not to serve my eyes, but those of the Ladies around me. As expected, one never knows the kind of gossip that could enthrall the High Courts if I dare to leave my dresses a mess. I rolled my eyes at the thought. That I should have to direct my worries anywhere near the thought of those people. Pompous, at best. Immoral hellions, hell-bent on the creation of disorder for those of us destined to be forever outside of the Court, at near worst. I fear there is much worse, but being so far disconnected from them I can only make assumptions based on what I see from those around me. I understand my position is far better than most and I fear what treatment those who outside of my station experience. I already am seen as scum to the Court. I can imagine those that reside in my house are seen as even less so. When we lived as wolves in the before times, we were all far more equal. Our two rulers and then the rest of us. Now, we have our rulers, the Court, the Court's friends, us of wealth that the Court wishes to obtain, and everyone else.