Crown Of Chaos

Chapter 12

After my bath, I wrapped a white towel around myself and alerted the maid who was outside the door that I was done.
The old goblin came trudging in with a pink gown tossed over her shoulder and matching pink shoes.
"The Queen wants you to meet the King, so you'll need to be looking extra nice today," she explained as she handed me some undergarments.
I wasn't really used to changing in front of other people except for Hally, my old Goblin maid, who basically watched me grow up. She was like a second mother to me. Always scolding me and telling me stories before I fell asleep.
How I missed her.
"Hey!"
I snapped my gaze back to the goblin maid and realised that I had drifted off in my thoughts.
"Are you going to put those on or not?" She grumbled
I muttered a sorry in reply as I quickly unwrapped my towel around myself and pulled them on.
As the maid helped me fit into the dress, she suddenly grabbed my wounded arm, and I couldn't help but wince a little as she held it up for inspection.
I just stared at her as her nose crinkled in thought.
"Hmmm, well, we can't have the Queen seeing that," she said as she quickly walked to the counter and opened the drawers. Probably looking for some antibiotics and bandages.
Her navy-blue dress swished as she walked towards me again, holding a small bottle and wound dressing.
I watched as she pulled small spectacles out of her apron pocket and inspected the wound for a second time.
She then pursed her lips as she opened the bottle and applied the ointment to the wound.
"How did you get this?"
Startled, I was caught off guard by her question.
What was I supposed to say?
Oh, I got into a fight with a stupid little prince.
That would be ridiculous.
"I got hurt by the slave dealers." I lied as I fidgeted with my fingers nervously.
The maid's eyebrows furrowed as she wrapped the bandage around my arm.
"Those slave dealers are so cruel," she muttered as she finished the wrapping with a safety pin.
I nodded my head in reply, desperate to finish off the conversation.
After I was dressed, the maid did her best to dry my hair with a towel before braiding my hair into two braids and tying them off with pink ribbons that were resting in her apron pocket.
I then put on my shoes, which fitted me perfectly, before I was looked over again by the maid.
"Twirl," she commanded as she held that same annoyed expression on her face.
Annoyed, I did as I was told and twirled for her.
My shoes squeaking against the cold white tiles as I shuffled my feet around.
"Perfect, you are now ready to meet the King and Queen," she said as she opened the door and gestured for me to follow her.
As I walked through the castle halls, I made sure to look around as much as I could.
Though the castle was big, it wasn't as big as Valoria.
Everything in the castle was typical. They were beautiful paintings on every wall.
Ancient artefacts and sculptures were placed on tables or on the floor. Probably representing the history of Solvadon.
The smooth stone walls were beautiful, decorated with carvings of lines and different patterns.
The hallway was dark and eerie, with unlit candles resting on the sides of the walls. This place was strange.
Although the castle seemed beautifully decorated, it was utterly dull.
Why didn't any of the servants light the candles?
As we walked on, we passed a huge window that was covered by a heavy black curtain.
Maybe the kingdom was still mourning for the princess?
Finally, the maid stopped outside a large oak door.
On the door was a sign that read "Office."
"In you go, Miss, don't forget to behave; it's not everyday a random girl gets adopted by royalty."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her.
She was so encouraging.
I just nodded my head at her before gently knocking on the door.
"You may enter."
I took in a deep breath before entering.
As I opened the door, I was instantly greeted by the eyes of the King and Queen.
"Here she is. Isn't she lovely, darling?" The Queen exclaimed as she clasped her hands together in delight.
I shifted my gaze to the king and saw that his eyes had widened in a weird expression.
His mouth was slightly open in astonishment, probably shocked by my identical looks to Eloise.
The king still hadn't said anything, so instead I looked around nervously.
The room was rather large. Beautifully decorated with plants and shelves filled with books.
The king was seated behind a large desk. And in front of it stood two uniquely made wooden chairs.
The back of the chair was a mixture of wood and gold, all swirled and attached together to make beautiful cursive patterns along the back.
I have never seen such an exquisite chair.
Finally, the king spoke.
"Come sit here, child."
As I walked towards him, I couldn't help but notice that there was a certain familiarity to his voice. I just couldn't remember where I heard it.
"T-thank you," I stammered as I sat down next to the Queen in front of the desk.
There was a short silence between the three of us before the King spoke again.
"Tell me, child. Do you know me?"
I turned to look at the king and analysed his face.
The man looked like he was in his mid-forties to fifties. His brown-coloured hair was slicked back, revealing a small forehead. Streaks of white greying hair were present in both his hair and beard. Despite this, I couldn't help but stare into his eyes. They were deep brown; they looked almost black-like.
They looked so familiar. But other than that, I did not know this man.
I shook my head. "I'm afraid not your majesty."
There was a small tension in the air as the king's smile turned into an ugly smirk before he started roaring with laughter. The corners of his eyes crinkled as small tears began to fall out of them.
The Queen and I just stared at him, confused.
What had I said made him laugh?
"Ah, it was a joke, child. I was testing to see if my Eloise had actually reincarnated because you look so much like her," he chuckled as he wiped his tears.
"Ohhh" was all I said.
It was a joke.
The Queen just wacked the King on his arm in a playful manner.
"Haha, very funny, Eddie," she laughed softly.
The king's smile slowly faded as the queen reached for my hands.
"But isn't she perfect, darling? She looks exactly like her."
The king nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face.
"Now, darling, what is your name?" She inquired as she gently rubbed my hand.
The action was calming, soothing.
"Ruby."
The Queen smiled. "Now, Ruby, forget about your name and your past. You shall no longer be called Ruby. You are now Princess Eloise of Solvadon. Your new life will begin here, do you understand?"
I swallowed the huge lump that had formed in my throat.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Please, call me mother." She smiled.
"Yes... Mother"
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That night I lay in bed still contemplating what I had just agreed to.
I had just agreed to become a Princess of Solvadon. To call someone else my mother.
This was crazy.
Insane even.
But maybe agreeing to this was the right choice. Who knows where I'll be if I didn't bump into the Queen?
I'd probably be some rebel on the Solovian streets. Stealing bread and begging for money as a living.
I shuddered at the thought of it.
Maybe living in a castle won't be too bad. My room, which the Queen had personally prepared for me, was nice—very nice, in fact.
I had a large queen-sized four-poster bed all to myself, and my wardrobe was filled with many other beautiful gowns and shoes. My room was decorated with flowers and paintings of cute rabbits and teddies. It was very girly in here. Even the walls were painted pink. Eloise liked that stuff, and I couldn't really blame her; rabbits and teddies are cute.
One thing about Eloise and I was that we are both very different.
Eloise was a soft girl who enjoyed painting and playing with dollies.
I was raised by a general. So I enjoyed things like sword fighting and archery.
How was I supposed to be Eloise when we have total different interests?
I looked over to the side of my bed and stared at the pile of cute teddies that made a mini-mountain in the corner.
The queen said Eloise loved to collect teddies.
I scoffed. I would rather collect knives.
Wait a second.
I quickly bolted up onto a sitting position.
My knife!
I must have left it in the bathroom.
I quickly swung my legs over the bed and put on my white slippers, which were provided for me.
It was a bit cold, so I had to wrap myself in a dressing gown before quietly leaving the room.
Luckily I remembered where the bathroom was, so it shouldn't be a problem.
All I had to do was quietly walk there and not bump into anyone on the way.
Especially the King and Queen.
I slowly opened my bedroom door and peered outside. The hallways were dark and quiet, which meant all the servants had gone to sleep.
They would only be guards. But they were only on the first floor.
I knew that because I did my best to memorise everything about this place as soon as I stepped inside.
I sighed as I quickly walked over to my bedside table, which held a small candlestick.
Surely they would have put some matches somewhere...
As I did my best to see through the dark, I trailed my fingers over the bedside table and ran over some drawers, so I pulled one out and felt inside.
Bingo.
I pulled out the box of matches and quickly flipped a match before setting it on my candle.
All set.
As I finally left my room and walked down the hallway, I couldn't help but feel uneasy as I walked past the tall sculptures, which created terrifying shadows on the floor.
But I needed to find my knife before someone else did.
That knife was very precious to me.
It was the only thing I had left of Valoria. Of home.
I quickened my steps, eager to get down to the bathroom and find my knife, when suddenly a tall, dark figure appeared out of the shadows.
I squinted my eyes as I forced myself to try and make out who was walking out here in the dark corridor at this hour.
As we approached each other, the figure stopped walking. Causing me to stop as well.
I held my breath and waited for it to speak.
"Ruby?" The voice said.
And I intuitively knew who it was.
I bowed before King Edward as he neared closer to me. His footsteps left small thuds on the soft carpet.
"What are you doing out here?" He questioned as he stopped before me.
I raised my head and looked straight into Edward's shadowing eyes. It was quite dark, but the candle was bright enough for me to make out his facial expressions.
The King still wore the clothes he was wearing from when we last talked.
His eyebrows were raised in surprise and confusion. I couldn't blame him.
"Nothing your grace; I just need to use the bathroom." I replied.
My voice came out small and uncertain.
I hated it.
King Edward just nodded simply before striding away calmly.
He seems so cool and collected that it made me wonder what he was doing out in the corridor at this hour.
Maybe he needed to use the bathroom too?
But his chambers were on the third floor. We are on the second.
I shrugged it off. Maybe I was overthinking. He's king. He could do whatever he wants.
As I held out my candle in front of me, I finally reached the bathroom door and pushed it open.
A cold breeze instantly blew my way as I stepped into the bathroom, and I shivered as goosebumps began to prick my skin. I wanted nothing more than to jump back into bed and swallow myself under the warm blankets.
So, I needed to do this quick.
Silently, I walked over to the small shelves that were near the sinks.
The shelves held small pot plants and soaps, typical for a bathroom to have.
I held the candle over the shelf, skimming my eyes over it as I looked for my knife.
Shockingly, it wasn't there.
I took a small step back as I felt my heart begin to beat faster.
What could have happened to it?
Did someone take it?
Did the maids take it and keep it for themselves?
I exhaled deeply as I tried to calm myself down.
Wherever it was, it must still be somewhere in the castle.
I can look for it tomorrow when the Queen gives me a proper tour around the castle.
I'll find it.
As quietly as I could, I made my way back into my room and slowly shut the door behind me.
I felt devastated. How could I have been so careless?
I felt as if I had a rock in my throat. A hard and sharp one, slowly dragging its way down and into the pit of my stomach.
Desperate to lie down, I blew out my candle and laid it on the bedside table before jumping back into bed.
I hope I find it tomorrow.