Spun Gold

Chapter One

Elizabeth stared out the window of the carriage as it jostled along the main road towards the towering walls of Aurine. Her father had left Harcort manor a week before, so she was surprised by the royal summons that had demanded her presence at court. Her mother had fussed over her luggage, making sure she had packed her most luxurious dresses, intent on making an impression with the other members of court.

Elizabeth had known it for the ruse that it was. Despite her beautiful dresses and jewelry, her family's money was quickly dwindling. Already her father had dismissed several of the manor's loyal servants, and one of her own ladies' maids. When she had questioned him about it, he had nearly flown into a rage. Her mother had later scolded her about a lady's place and knowing when to be silent. When two horses were missing from the stable a week later, Elizabeth had put the pieces together.

It had only been six months since the archduke of Aurine had been executed for his treasonous attempt at seizing the throne, his lands seized by the crown and his son and wife banished to some distant island that nobody had ever heard of. The entire ordeal had the majority of the Aurinian nobility on edge, but her father even more so. The archduke had been a huge contributor to her father's business ventures, and she didn't wonder if that was part of the reason she was being summoned to court.

It would not be a huge leap to assume that her father had somehow aided the archduke in his attempt to seize power. She only prayed her father had been wiser than that, otherwise her family might share the same fate.

She sighed as she tucked a loose blonde curl behind her ear and reached for the book that sat on the seat across from her. It did no good to worry over things that she couldn't control. After all, she could be wrong entirely. Her father might have even been offered a seat on the king's council. Or perhaps she was being summoned to attend the young queen, though she very much doubted both of those scenarios.

She spent the rest of the carriage ride reading her book of Acacian culture, something her mother had insisted she study. After all, the new queen was Acacian, and with the merging of the kingdoms her marriage prospects would broaden, so long as she applied herself to learning all she could. The thought of warm weather and sunny days was enough to convince her. Anything was preferable to the harsh winters of Aurine that she had endured for the majority of her life.

The carriage finally turned into the broken front gates, still in the process of repairs from the onslaught of troops that had fought to drive out the rebels under the archduke's command. Setting her book aside, she watched the smaller cottages give way to grander homes and estates until they reached the second gate that led them into the heart of Aurine and the grand castle beyond. It's gray stone towers reached high into the cool winter air making her feel small in comparison.

Large gargoyles had been etched into the outside stone along the ramparts, snarling down at any who dared approach. They were a stark contrast to the beauty of the inner courtyard, despite the winter chills having stolen the green leaves of most of the trees and shrubbery. A few of the more stubborn and hardy plants had managed to keep their foliage though, and they had been expertly manicured to hug the main path leading up to the grand entrance of the castle.

A well dressed footman appeared as the carriage stopped, opening the door and offering his hand as he aided her down from the carriage. She was given no time to gawk at her surroundings, as he ushered her inside, his long legs moving at such a rapid pace she nearly lost her slipper trying to keep up with him.

"His majesty waits in the receiving hall. You are to be announced immediately." He said curtly, giving her no room to object or question him as he moved hastily down a long corridor to a set of large oak doors, a guard posted on either side. "Wait here." He gave three short knocks and the door cracked open, the footman exchanging words with the page before the door slipped closed again.

A few moments later and the page returned, the guards reaching for the handles of the oak doors and swinging them wide for her to enter.

"Lady Elizabeth Bret-Dayton of Harcort." The page announced her as she stared up at the imposing thrones set up on the dais at the far end of the room. The king sat rapping his fingers against the oaken arm of his throne, his hazel eyes watching her like a hawk as she moved. She swallowed nervously, sinking into a low curtsy before the throne. She waited patiently for him to signal her to rise, but the king seemed intent on leaving her there as he looked her over again. Elizabeth fought the urge to fidget nervously, knowing the king's keen eyes would spot it right away and consider it a slight.

"Take her to the tower." He said at last, and Elizabeth looked up in shock as a guard appeared on either side of her, taking her by the arm and lifting her to her feet. She had no time to object or question the king's demand as she was ushered from the room, the guards nearly dragging her with iron grips around her arms.

The halls passed in a blur as she was half-dragged along, the guards only releasing her arms when they reached the spiraling stone staircase that led up to the height of the farthest tower. With a nudge they ordered her on ahead of them, walking behind to block any attempts of escape. When she hesitated, she was met with a shove that urged her forward.

Her mind was reeling. What on earth could her father have done to invoke the king's ire? Knowing her father, it could be any number of things. Elizabeth wondered how on earth she was going to get herself out of the mess her father had created.

When at last the stairway stopped before a wooden door she paused, glancing back to the two guards behind her who swung the door open. A spinning wheel sat in the center of the room, surrounded by bales of hay and a rather stout older man sat on the stool looking up at them.

"Lady Bret-Dayton, how good of you to join us. Your father claims you have a rather peculiar magical talent that will clear his debts to the crown." The older man whom she recognized as the king's advisor, Marcus Ventry, stood as he motioned to the room's contents. "You have until sun up to transform the straw into gold. Succeed and you and your father are free to go. Fail, and your father will be stripped of his title and banished from the kingdom. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth stood there staring at him as the weight of his words hit her like a ton of bricks. The guards behind her shoved her into the room wordlessly as Marcus stood, crossing the room and closing the door behind her. She heard the lock click into place and then the sound of their receding footsteps as they echoed down the stairway.

There was a window directly across from the door, the only source of natural light in the tower, and torches had been lit on either side of the door. With a shaky breath, she began to pace the expanse of the room racking her brain. She didn't have an ounce of magic in her blood, which made the task at hand impossible, and unless she learned to pick locks before morning, escaping wasn't an option either.

As the reality of the situation set in, she collapsed to the stone floor in tears, her sobs uncontrollable. Her family would be disgraced. Any hope of finding an advantageous marriage would die with the morning light. They would lose everything, and then be banished to some unholy stretch of land where she would live out the remainder of her days in shame for what her father had done. Worse, she was powerless to do anything about it.

The only sliver of comfort she had was knowing it was her father's debts that had gotten them into this mess and not his association with the archduke. Banishment was better than being charged with treason, a much more difficult charge to prove, thankfully. The knowledge did little to stop her tears from coming though, or quell the anger and resentment that was quickly building against her father. He had made his choices, and she and her mother would suffer the consequences of them.