Silence in Sagas

19

Somewhere, footsteps again, as Willa groggily sat up in her bed. A reprise of the other night with footsteps raging in the halls and a few distant shouts. She furrowed her brows and wondered, but was too tired to let it keep her up. Last night, she had been caught up in Courtships Through Time. It felt like a great shame, and Willa shook her head at herself, but the love between a maid, Nilerose, and a charming Duke that spent his spare time in the woods, fishing—almost hunting—had caught her attention.

Willa had enjoyed reading about that particular courtship. It had been so very different from all the other vain and shallow, overdramatic relationships that this book consisted of. It had actually been a nice story. And the maid and the Duke had married each other some hundred years ago. Willa hoped they'd had a happy life together.

She lay down again and her head found the comfort of the pillow. She didn't need to try to fall asleep. It just happened.

Next morning, the world outside of the window was dewy. The birds sounded like their throats were hoarse and the air was foggy. Willa saw all this through her window and wished to be out there and feel fresh air again.

Had the man—Father... felt sunshine?

Willa knew she was allowed to go out into the gardens.

Why hadn't she made a trip to the garden yet? Surely it was not the same as the woods, but fresh air was fresh air.

Willa walked down the hall, headed for the gardens.

"Willa!"

She turned around and saw Allia running towards her. Willa sighed inside herself. She'd wished to make this trip alone, but she couldn't reject Allia when she asked where she was going and if she could join,

It wasn't like the gardens were a sacred place where Allia couldn't be because Willa wanted to be there alone. She might have rejected her if it had been the wood, but it wasn't. It was a garden.

A garden that was probably filled with chemical flowers and perfectly cut hedges.

Willa was right about the cut hedges. And the flowers. And in addition to that, there was a pond with perfectly clean stones all around it. The water was blue and unnatural, and the medium sized gold fish that swam in it seemed very unhappy.

How would the castle react if she fished it out of the pond, cooked it and ate it?

Probably not a good reaction.

"Some are just luckier than others," said Willa.

"What do you mean by that?" Allia looked at her curiously.

"Just that I'd rather be outside of this castle and these walls."

Allia thought. Willa could almost see the thoughts churning around in her head. "That's not something we Queenlings are expected to say," she said.

"Huh." Willa looked at the fish, swimming in fast circles, eyes round, protruding and very wide. "Well I'm sort of confused by what the point is," she said. "The point of putting us all in this castle, giving us books to supposedly review and feeding us lots of food. I'm grateful for the amount of weight of goodness I've put on, but what is the point?"

Allia shook her head. "I don't know, Willa. My schoolmasters..." she bit her lip. "I think they in many ways told me and tried to teach me to dampen my critical thinking. Didn't yours?"

Willa ached to tell her. But not here, not now. She could confide in Allia. She could. Probably.

But there was that small chance she wouldn't take it well. That small chance that she would expose Willa's secret, and after seeing that skeleton and those cuffs—