The Dark

Part 2- Walls of Audenburg... chapter eight

Part two- walls of Audenburg

Chapter eight

                I’m astonished by the insides of the castle. I’m escorted- or dragged- into the foyer of the castle. There’s a huge marble staircase that splits in two directions.

                “Hello, dearie,” a large woman, who reminds me of Mary, says. “I’m Marietta, but just call me Retta.”

                I do not respond.

                “Must be shocked,” she giggles, fanning her rosy, chubby face. “I’ll be leading you to your room.”

                I follow. She leads me up the giant marble staircase and then takes the left one. We walk up another staircase until we’re on the third floor. She stops me in front of a room with elegant doors.

                “Here’s your room, dearie.” She nods.

                I don’t touch the doors. She opens them for me, and I nearly throw up once inside. There is a bed that could fit five people, it’s framed with elaborately decorated poles. A shade is pulled halfway across. The carpet is plush and pure white. The windows are crystal clear. There’s a dark wooden armoire.

                “Dinner will be ready in an hour,” Retta says softly, sensing my anger. “The girls will be up shortly.”

                I step in, and she closes the door.

                I kick the walls first. I throw the quilt off the bed. I need to punch flesh. I need to punch Prince Connor’s face.

                Deep breaths, I tell myself.  I’ll explain to Prince Connor I have no interest in marrying him, and he will let me go; he has to.

                I’ll tell him after dinner. If I’m being forced to stay here for an hour; I’m eating their food. I sit on the bed. The sheets are white and the bed is so soft. Much softer than the ones at home. The pillows are light as feathers, which is probably what they’re stuffed with.

                I don’t care, though. They could throw a thousand feathered pillows at me, and I’d take the hard, lumpy pillows of my old wooden house any day. Material items get old and decay, but people don’t. The one’s we choose to make our family out of, now those are worth all the feathered pillows in the world.

                I do succumb and lie down on the bed. I mean, they did inconvenience me. I’m in shock about the castle. I imagined the royals lived in extravagance, but I wasn’t prepared for what I found. It’s filthy, despite its cleanliness. They’ll let their peasants starve in the farms, or in the villages, yet they’ll sit in their castle. They sit on thrones made of our sweat and blood and last cent.

                Alex was right. Life is hard.

                Tap, tap, tap.

                I bolt upright and stare at the door. Am I supposed to answer that? I get up and creak open the door. “Hello?”

                A blonde blue eyed girl bursts into the room. “I’m Rose, and they are Anna, and Jade.”

                “Hello?” I say again, terrified.

                “We’re the tailors.” Anna clarifies, sweeping her brown hair over her shoulders.