The Dance of Kings [discontinued under this title]

Chapter 3

Mynoa, Rundil

            The royal palace in which the ruling family resided consisted of five levels.  The first level is where the servants lived.  The second level was the level that received the most attention as it housed the entry hall, ballroom, and dining hall.  Special care even went into creating an indoor garden filled with the most beautiful and fragrant flowers that filled the level with aromatic scents.  The third level is where the bedrooms and sleep quarters were located.  The ruling family had enough spare rooms to never sleep in the same bed twice for a fortnight.  It was convenient when hosting large gatherings in which their guests might need to have an extended stay.  The fourth level was a maze of hallways and empty rooms.  This level rarely received any visits except for the occasional servants, who maintain its upkeep.  It used to be another level of sleeping quarters until it was decided that it was unnecessary.  The fifth level never received visitations, not even from the servants.  It was said that the ghosts of those who died in the palace make their home on the fifth level.  It was eternally dark from the heavy curtains that lay over the undusted windows.  The few pieces of furniture that remain are covered with tarps.  Those who dared to visit the level were dissuaded almost immediately after stepping foot into the darkness.  It was because of this fear of the fifth level is why Audriel loved spending time there.

In the days of her youth, she had spent many a day exploring the nooks and crannies of the fifth level.  Even as a child, she did not fear the monsters that hid in the dark.  In the darkness, she could hide, but no one can hide in the light.  This is why she only feared the monsters that could walk in the daylight.  And Lucien Vangallen was one of these monsters.

Immediately after dinner, Audriel ran to the fifth level to hide in its welcoming darkness.  For the first time in years, she cried.  She had held it in all through dinner, not wanting her unwelcome guests to see her cry—her weakness.  She would especially never let Lucien see her cry.

It felt like several hours had passed when she finally stopped crying.  She knew that it had to have been no more than an hour, but the darkness makes time slow down.  Just as she was about to stand up, she heard a rustling sound.  Her blood froze in her veins.  In all of the years she has spent on the fifth level, she had never once seen another person.  Perhaps the stories the servants tell are true she thought.  She had never seen a ghost to prove the stories were more than just stories, but now she wasn’t so sure.  Still as a statue.  Silent as a mouse.  She repeated the mantra as she stiffened up.

“I don’t know why you had to bring me all the way here to talk to me”, a faint voice said.  It sounded female, but Audriel did not recognize it.

“Because I didn’t want for anyone else to overhear it”, another voice said.  It was also a female, but again, Audriel didn’t recognize it.  “Especially none of our family.”

“Ooh, a secret”, cooed the first voice.  “I like it.”  Audriel remained motionless, praying they don’t find her.

“I’m serious, Fiella”, the second voice said.  “This must stay between us.”  She paused.  “Are you sure that we are alone?”  Audriel’s breath caught in her throat.

Fiella groaned.  “Yes, I’m sure of it.  The servants say that it is haunted and no one ever comes here.”  Audriel heard a flapping sound of someone removing a tarp from a piece of furniture.  “Ew, no wonder no one comes here.  The décor is atrocious and there is dust everywhere.”

“As long as no one comes”, the unknown voice said.  She sounded nervous, having a small shiver in her words.  There was a sound of someone sitting on a chair.  It long creak gave away its age.  A short silence hung in the air.  “It’s about Gaius”, she finally admitted.

Gaius Haerich? Audriel thought.  He was one of the guests her parents had invited to the party, likely another suitor they intended to introduce to her.  She remembered introducing herself to him.  She remembered he was a comely man, several years her elder, with dark copper hair and light golden eyes.  He was dressed affluently, as a Haerich should dress.

“Don’t tell me you’ve come to fancy him”, Fiella scoffed.  A silence answered her.  “Adrianne, you know that our family would disapprove of this.  They would never allow you to marry, let alone have children with him.  Your blood is too pure to be tainted.”

Fiella and Adrianne Tisley? Audriel wondered.  The Tisley family was known to be an incredibly secretive family even among houses that have many secrets of their own.  Many have theories as to what the Tisleys are hiding.  She didn’t want to leave even if she could, curiosity rooted her in place.

“I don’t care”, Adrianne replied.  “I want to be with him.  Perhaps marry him one day and give him as many children as he wants.”

“He will never accept your practices.”

“Then I will never practice again.”

Fiella stood up, knocking the chair over.  “You know you could never do that.  It’s too ingrained in you, in all of us.  You have too much power to just waste it on someone like him.  A Haerich he may be, but he is not pure, as we are or as the queen and princess are.”  Fiella let out a long, exasperated sigh.  “You are more gifted than I and I realize this.  My blood is diluted and that weakens me.  Do not let your power go to waste.”

“My blood is my own and I should have to right to choose what is done with it.”  Adrianne grew enraged.  “I choose to not marry as our family has done in the past, but to choose my own fate.  I do not mean to offend you, but it is my decision.”

“Brenner will be none too pleased with your decision.”

“I will deal with my brother on my own.”

“And with Stahl?”

Adrianne remained silent.  “I will deal with him as well”, her voice quivered slightly.

“He will not understand.”

“I will make him.”  Her voice sounded firm, with all hesitation gone.  A silence lingered for what felt like an eternity.  “We should return lest our family should worry.”  They began to leave and walk down the stairs.

Audriel waited for a few extra minutes as a precaution.  She realized that she had been holding her breath.  She took a sharp inhale and immediately began coughing from the excess dust.  She tried to quiet her coughing spell to listen for the sounds of Adrianne and Fiella returning, but she heard nothing.  She stood up, joints popping from the sudden movement.  She tiptoed out of the room and towards the stairs.  She had so many questions in her head about the Tisley family.  This information was to be taken directly to her father and he would decide what would be done with it.