Torrie The Dread

Chapter 4 Lady Gontice

It had been a week since the incident occurred with that wretched boy, Tecelia thought. The pure rage that had been burning inside her slowly churned into a cold rage each day that boy drew breath. She'd allowed her people a week to gather themselves in order to bring him and her treacherous half-twitted brother, who decided to join that murderous trash. She was forced to put up a front in front of the people. Always keep your cool, her big brothers' words echoed in her mind. She sat in her bed chambers as she reminisced about the great times she spent with her family. Her father wasn't the best, but the sacrifices he made in order to make the whole family-no, the whole estate-were the best. That simply could not be overlooked. She was never meant to rule; this was for her brother. Her sweet older brother, she thought as the hot tears fell from her face.

Tecelia slowly stood and faced the mirror. She took a deep breath, used both hands, and slapped her face. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, took a deep breath, and looked herself in the eyes. "There are things we can control and things we cannot." She told herself. "The time for crying is over." As Tecelia exited her room, her two personal guards stood at full attention. "My lady, where are we off to?" The question came from Brandy, her closest childhood friend. She was always the toughest around, so it only made sense for Tecelia to keep her around as the Head of the Guard after the death of her brother. "First I must bathe, then we have an estate to run." Tecelia spoke softly. Brandy smiled and replied, "Yes, my lady."

After cleaning herself, Tecelia and her guards made their way to the court. Entering the two large silver oak doors showing the family history with every carving, she realized that would be one of the first things she would have to get done. "Brandy," Tecelia said solemnly, "please summon the woodsmith for me." Brandy nodded, then went on her way. With the remaining three guards, Tecelia made her way to the throne, where several were already waiting for her arrival. Walking down the long corridor at a leisurely pace, Tecelia could recognize some of the faces in the crowd.
The first person she could recognize was Thomtom, her father's Master of Finance. He was a gaunt man with a long face and even longer white hair. A man whom her father never liked but always said, "That man knows how to make funds appear and debt go away," The next person she noticed was a young man who stood nearly as tall as the oakwood doors. He had broad shoulders, his skin was a shade or two lighter than charcoal, and his head was as bald as the pearls around Tecelia's necklace. She'd heard about him as well. This was one of her brother's closest friends from the war. She could imagine why he was here. Lastly, there was the person she'd been looking to speak to the most, Castor.

Tecelia climbed the stairs to the throne as her guards took their place and sat down. Once she was ready, she nodded to Amira, the guard who was second in command, and she began, "You are in the presence of Lady Gontice. Thomtom, please approach the throne." Thomtom walked slowly to the throne and, once there, dropped to one knee and declared, "My Lady, I have made my way here as you commanded. My deepest condolences to your brother and father. I hope to assist you as I've assisted your father for many years." Tecelia remained stoic in the throne chair and responded, "Thank you, Thomtom. I pray that you will be of use to me as you were to my father for many years as well." As he nodded in approval, Lady Gontice continued, "The reason I called you here today is a simple one." Lady Gontice nodded at Amira once more, signaling her to leave the room to gather a young woman named Freja Meja. Freja was another childhood friend of Tecelia, probably the smartest person she knew. She had always been a pretty girl, and this pretty girl turned into a beautiful woman. Her hair had locked, as was the way of the Meja clan. Her locks reached to the lower sections of her back. Her face was as smooth as a newborn baby, and she had beautiful brown eyes that were wide, and her face was proportioned to fit them perfectly. She methodically made her way to the foot of the throne and bowed.

Lady Gontice continued, "Thomtom, this is my good friend Freja. She will now be under your tutelage. You are to teach her everything there is to know about what you do. Freja, from here on out, Thomtom will be your guide. Learn everything it is that he does, as you will be succeeding him once the time comes for him to retire." Thomtom looked at Lady Gontice and raised an eyebrow in suspicion, then his eyes made their way to Freja with the same suspicion. He stood and stated, "As you wish, my lady, I will teach her all there is to know. I do have one question, if you will." Lady Gontice said, "Go on." Thomtom continued, "My time as the Master of Finance will be coming to an end here. I have no problem teaching Freja all there is to know about running the finances. My request is that upon my retirement, I am granted land on the Gontice estate." Lady Gontice responded, "As a loyal member of the Gontice Estate, you have more than shown your loyalty and worth to us. I will gladly give you land upon your retirement. Once we are closer to that time, we will discuss that. Please take Freja and begin to teach her everything you know." Thomtom bowed and said, "My Lady," and left, escorting Freja with him along the way.