Flames of Ashes

Chapter Twenty-two. Home.

"Home is where the heart lies. The heart lies where there is a home."~Cadvere

***
Entering the walls of the Castle I called home for seventeen years did not evoke any strong particular feeling that this was my home. It was Maze's home no doubt, but never mine.

My crutches tapped on the Golden marble floors and it echoed but not the sound of Maze's laughter or my mother's.

"My lady," Our House Steward, Malies, bowed at my side with the other servants at his.
I nodded and they all arose and my eyes scanned each of their faces and I turned to Malies, wrinkles decorated his old bloated face. To him, it was a mark of all his years of servitude.
"Have you seen to it that all my guests are treated well?" I asked as we both continued our stroll through the Golden and maroon walls of the castle.

"I have, my lady. Your friend, Celia has been taken to the kitchens and we've directed the others to stay in the courtyard and They are currently being served with snacks of their choosing." I hummed in response. "Why the courtyard? They can adjourn in the grand dining hall, can they not?"

I did not hear his footsteps anymore so I also stopped, "Do you delight in keeping me waiting, Malies?"
"Of course not, my lady!"
"Then have them dine in the hall." The order in my voice was clear, but the hesitation in his eyes rendered my face to deaden.
"Lady, Xarian-Jarda, the Grand dining hall is of illustrious and August ocassions."
I narrowed my eyes at him. Since they were not nobles they would be treated differently. "Are you saying that my guests are not as important as those occasions? If that is the case, then I do not require your service for the time being, send my hand-maiden Leyanna to me." Again, he halted. "What is it this time? Every order I have given you have failed to achieve. Steward Malies, my legs are aching from standing all day, so please have Leyanna prepare my bath but send her to me at once."

"I'm afraid that is not possible, my lady." Malies arched his head. "What is? My bath or sending Leyanna here?"
"Your bath is possible but Leyanna can't attend to you, my lady."
"Why can she not attend to me? Malies it seems that your duties are starting to weigh you down, maybe I can help lighten the load?" I gave a tight lipped smile and I was sure that he had glared at me but he was good at masking his emotions.
"She cannot attend to you because she has not been seen for quite a while now." The air stilled and even the chandeliers above my head seemed to have paused all motion. I turned to face the overly large painting before me, gathering my thoughts.

"How long?"
"A fortnight." I inhaled, sharply. "Send word to my father and have him organize a search party for her."
I found Leyanna a few years after I had found Maze and she was from one The Outliers. Her skin was a warm, honeyed hue, smooth and soft to the touch. She had delicate, almond-shaped eyes with dark, expressive irises that seemed to hold a quiet wisdom. Her black hair was silky and straight, cascading down her back like a waterfall of midnight. Her nose was small and elegant, and her high cheekbones gave her face a sculpted, refined look. Her lips were naturally rosy, with a gentle curve that hints at a serene, thoughtful demeanor. Her real name was Saryndra Mei-Lin but I changed it so no one would know. Outliers were not welcomed here and they could be killed but she was just a child.
"Your Father is swarming with other matters at the moment and I don't think it is the best thing to make him... worry." I would be a fool to pretend that I did not understand what he meant. My matters were not important. I stared at him coldly, "My hand-maiden has been gone for weeks and you did not inform me nor did you inform your Calyps, because you did not deem my matters urgent, like always."

"My lady that was not my intention. We hoped that she would turn up at some point and we didn't want to concern you."
My eyes were fixed on him for a minute before I instructed, "have the guards in the castle look for her and inform me if they find anything."
"Do you mean all twenty of them, my lady?"
"Twenty would do just fine but what do you mean by all?" I took a step towards him. "House Ruby has a thousand knights at our disposal, do we not?"
"Yes, but at this moment they are with the Calyps and Calyps Heir, Ambrose."
"You are dismissed, since you have proven yourself inadequte and out of depth." He wanted to say more but chose to bow and leave. The wiser option since I did not know how much patience I had left in me. I hated being here.