Hearing is believing

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Once I had woken up, Rhea ran me a bath and filled it with essential oils and peppermint leaves. I soak up the pleasant aroma that accompanies them, releasing tensions built up from my dream.

The castle perished along with my mother and older brother when I was nine years old. Until now my memory of that night had been foggy at best but now I'm starting to believe what I have been told was not the truth.

Officially the kingdom had been told that an oil lamp from on a merchant's cart had fallen off and the wooden castle which was susceptible to fire caught the spark quickly. Unfortunately that is no excuse to why my door was locked rather- manipulated from the outside.

Pushing the thought from my mind I step out from the once steaming water and change into my under clothes from behind a screen.

Rhea dresses me in a deep red gown made of satin. The sleeves are heavy and tight but it keeps me warm. I slip on elegant black boots while my hair is is curled in luscious waves.

Lastly my crown is placed atop me head and I wonder off to the castle library.

Most of our books burned in the fire but that is not why I came. The library is large with many floors and is rarely occupied by anyone else then the librarian and myself.

I step carefully down the marble steps to the basement which is one of the few rooms that were not completely destroyed by the fire. It is still made from wood and brick, it reminds me of the warmth this castle once possessed.

Deep among the shelves is a passage way
hidden by a tapestry hanging from the wall.

Originally I found it with Joel when I had tried to sneak him into the castle. It is much easier now then it was before.

The castle was alive and always full of laughter and noise. Merchants would barter in the courtyard and servants would be preparing for many guests and parties. There were many people around to see us.

Since the fire and my father gained full control he has limited the number of guests who arrive and closed the castle to the public, only to be opened on special occasions.

Joel is a stable boy and his domain does not exceed to in side the castle but we tried to smuggle him in anyways.

In doing so we usually gave our selves away in bursts of laughter. A maid would find us turning a corner and Joel would be scolded and ushered back outside.

When I was thirteen and Joel was fourteen we were laying in the garden when a thunder shower snuck up on us and began to pour mercilessly.

We ran to find the nearest shelter and ended up in some shrubbery attached to the castle wall. As we walked backed to to the stables to dry off we stumbled upon a metal door beneath our feet.

Curiously we pried it open and discovers it to be a tunnel that weaves through the castle opening in random rooms. The walls are thin in some spots, if we listened close we could hear the gossip that was spewed from the helps quarters.

Today however Joel is out in the near by town stocking up on horse necessities as he does every Tuesday. I know up above Rhea is searching for me so I can be fitted for a wedding gown or to be offered another date with Grandon. I cherish the solitude.

Beside me I hear my fathers voice and realize I must be in the walls of his office. I press my ear to the wall and listen in.
"She will do as I say." He says, another man with a baritone voice reply's. he must be talking about my engagement.

" The kingdom needs a distraction, the fire happened many, many moons ago. It is something they cannot forget. This was an excellent idea sir."

" Indeed," my father agrees, "Although," He begins, "I do believe it is time that I myself find a new wife, someone less involved then Ellis was, the commoners liked her to much."

I gasp, my mother was loved by all in Ladennguard but it was a strength, it was what made her such an effective leader.
I press my ear to the wall to hear more.

" Now that she's gone, Annalise will be married of and moved to a kingdom far from the boreal region..." His voice is muffled and I struggle to hear any thing else.

Once I'm sure I will not hear any more I step back and press my fingers to my temples. I try to process what I have just heard and as horrible as it was, it further reminds me of what I have lost.
A mother
A castle
The freedom to choose

I wipe away a rouge tear. A princess shall not cry she should hold her head up so her tiara will not fall.

I recite these words in my head, over and over as my tutor made me do in etiquette class.

While standing in the damp underground corridor it strikes me that my father did not seem the least bit sad about the departure of my mother.

He spoke of her as an inconvenience rather then a wife.
"No." I say aloud. "He couldn't of" I whisper even though I am now sure he most certainly could have. How had I not seen this before.
Did my father the king of Ladennguard plan the fire that killed my mother?

The more I try and assure my self he did not the more I begin to believe he did. Startled by this I dash up the hallway back into the library desperate to see my father.

I bound up the steps and sprint in to the crisp hallway. I halt suddenly and laugh audibly. What will I do when I get to him. Surely I can't confront him, I could study his face but for what. Any sign of the conversation is long gone, already passed through lips.

I need to talk this over with some one, I need to be told that I'm going insane, that what I heard is untrue.

I start toward the castle doors but remember Joel is out.Rhea crosses my mind but as much as I love her I cannot confide something of this magnitude to an employee so close to the king.

At a compleat loss I spin around a crash right into the wall. As I step back I see now that it was not a wall but some one who is just as broad as one.

His uniform is a royal blue with silver buttons. The startlingly red accents stand out against the rest of us suit like blood gushing from milky skin. I take a sharp breath in and hold it.

"Sorry father." I squeak.

Sorry for the inactivity I hope you like this chapter

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Sorry for the inactivity I hope you like this chapter. Next chapter will focus a lot on Grandin and maybe Joel. Comment and star if you enjoyed!
~The little book corner

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