The Silver Crown

9.

I wasn't sure how much time passed while I sat in the corner of the cell trying not to move anything that hurt or that would cause more pain to blossom across my body. Despite my broken fingers and the reopened cut on my forehead, my shoulder still pained me the most. I was certain that if I didn't get it tended to soon, it would get infected.

When the guards came back they dragged me out of the cell, disregarding my swearing and shouting as their callused fingers gripped my wounded shoulder.

I was brought in a different direction from the time before and up a lot of stairs until the guards dragged me into the courtyard next to the stables. It was so bright that I couldn't take anything in. Tears dripped from my eyes as I was dragged across the open courtyard. I could not fathom any guesses as to why I was here, of all places. Then they hauled me over to a horse trough and I quickly realized what was about to happen.

My protests were cut off as I was dumped into the horse trough. The three guards pulled me out and dunked me in several times, like a washerwoman pulls and dips a shirt with a stubborn stain. When they realized that they weren't going to get the prison smell off of me no matter how many times I was thrown in and pulled out, they stopped and readjusted their grip on my limbs.

I still did not smell very appealing, especially because without the prison scent masking all other odors it was easy to smell the revolting stench of my shoulder wound festering. It was already infected. I would need that healer sooner than anticipated.

I was once again dragged through the palace, but this time I was brought through nicely painted hallways and past glass windows. Paintings dotted the walls and bouquets were placed on tables next to velvet chairs. Doorways that I assumed led to suites and guest rooms and dining rooms and sitting rooms and who knows what else also lined the halls. We passed a lot of servants and nobles that all stared at me. I would be willing to bet that a dirty, beat up wench being lugged through the castle by guards isn't something they see everyday.

I was lead up stairs and around corners until I was struggling to maintain a sense of direction. The map I was creating in my head was very incomplete but gave me the small comfort of possibly knowing a way out, if I could escape all the people I had passed and my guards.

Suddenly the guards halted at a pair of double doors. The captain was waiting at the door, fiddling with the sword hilt at his hip. He glanced up when my entourage came clattering around the corner.

The captain stepped forward and grabbed the front of my ripped tunic. I glanced down at his fist turning white as it gripped my stained and threadbare shirt. I couldn't even remember what color my shirt had once been. "That's no way to treat a lady," I said, acting hurt.

"If I saw a lady, I'd be mannerly," he retorted back.

I grinned fiercely. Hopefully he could see the hate in my eyes.

The captain shook me once and said, "For some reason the king and queen are interested in seeing you: the girl who interrupted the parade," He snarled. "I don't know why but her majesty was insistent and you will mind your manners, gutter scum, or you will wish you had when I'm done with you!" He let go of my tunic and I opened my mouth, ready to make another smart comment. The captain read my mind and before I could make a sound, backhanded me across the face.

The captain straightened his nice purple tunic and glared at me one last time. I gave a blank smile, blood from my new split lip smeared across my teeth. The captain turned and spoke to the guard at the door.

The guard saluted his captain and opened up the door on the right. He announced the captain. "Captain Brinian."

The captain walked though, signaling the guards holding on to me to follow. They yanked me into the room and I was struck dumb. My eyes were wide as saucers, taking everything in.

A large table on a dais with two of its seats occupied commanded the center of the room. Tall glass windows were on one side and a large tapestry of a stag hunt hung on the opposite wall. A chandelier dangled from a high ceiling and candles were spaced across the table but both were unlit. The morning light came through the large windows and illuminated the room completely without need of the candles or the light fixture.

The two people sitting at the table must have been the king and queen. The only other time I had seen them up close was the day before during the parade, but I realized that it couldn't be anyone else.

During all the commotion yesterday, I hadn't had time to appreciate the grandness of their clothes, but now I could see the intricate embroidery on the hem and bodice of the queen's violet colored gown and the excellent quality of the cloth on the king's amber tunic. I made sure to commit the scene to memory knowing that if I ever made it out of this that Miri and Lassa would want to know every detail.

"Brinian, this is she?" The king asked. His voice was deep and demanded attention, although that also could have been a result of his regal posture. My attention immediately snapped from his clothes to his face.

The captain bowed his head in respect. "My King. My Queen. This is the girl I detained for interrupting the festivities yesterday."

"I thought your report on this girl was most interesting," the queen explained. "Odd that this girl is chased into the center of our parade, and yet, instead of yielding, decides to fight through many of our best guardsmen just to escape. You," she finally addressed me, "are quite the enigma."

I stared right back at her and narrowed my eyes. She frowned. Even her scowls were regal.

The guards at my sides shoved down on my shoulders. My knees buckled and hit the marble tiles hard and I gasped at the sudden jolt through my bones. My knees joined my other injuries in throbbing.

The queen winced, clearly uncomfortable at the pain I was going through, but the king remained unflinching. I regained my composure and went back to staring at the royal couple, resolute.

"So who are you, wench?" The king demanded. "What makes you special?"

"I am just a street girl, your majesty," I answered. I forced my voice to be even and smooth. My heart was thudding faster than it ever had though. How was I going to get out of this awful situation?

"Why did you want to see this girl, my dear?" The king questioned. He turned to his bride and his eyes softened.

"Something about her caught my eye yesterday," The queen explained, peering at me. "Perhaps it was her stupid bravery, or her unexplained skirmish, or even her hair, so like my own," The queen mused.

"What is your name?" The king demanded, the steel back in his tone.

"Kade," I answered.

"Do you know anything of your parents? Any stories? Any idea who they could have been?" The queen burst out.

"No," I replied, shaking my head. Those were memories that I had long ago buried deep. "I remember nothing of my early years or my parents."

The queen suddenly turns to one of the guards at the door. "Summon a messenger." She turns back to me. "This could be the best moment of your life," she said. If I could manage to get out of this situation, then maybe the queen would be right.