The King's Bride - Book 1 of The Queen trilogy

Chapter 4 - An Empty Courtyard

Chapter 4

 Rose winced at the pain in her lip before she realized that she was chewing on it. As the acrid, sweet taste of blood filled her mouth, she surveyed the cold stone of Norgouth Castle. It was nothing like home. She struggled to keep tears from flooding her vision.

"You have to stray strong." She whispered to herself, glad that Maria was sleeping and couldn't hear her. Tsallin put his head in her lap and whined. "We'll just have to make the most of it." She smiled down at Tsallin, passing her hand over his head. "It'll be ever so much more comfortable than Morecliff."

Her heart stalled for half a second as the carriage skidded to a stop on the freshly swept cobblestones. She drew a deep breath, unsure what to expect beyond the walls of the carriage. Outside, all was relatively silent, and Tsallin and Resa whined softly.

The footman opened the door with usual pomp and state. Drawing a breath to steady herself, Rose stepped down, gripping the doorframe until her knuckles were white. The courtyard was empty.

Rose frowned curiously at her surroundings. Was there to be no greeting, no welcome for the future king's betrothed? There weren't even any servants to show her where she needed to go.

They were at the royal entrance, she noticed, which meant there would be none of the usual peasantry traffic here. The stables would be elsewhere, too, so the stench wouldn't pollute the area, but the courtyard was almost as silent as a graveyard on All Saint's Eve. She had been preparing herself the whole trip—almost expecting—a welcoming committee of some sort.

Tsallin wined and pushed her out of the way. He and Resa leapt down, lifting their noses to sniff the air. There was something comforting about knowing she wasn't completely alone. She swallowed resolutely. There was nothing for it.

"Lady?" The footman surveyed her curiously. "What are we to do?" So she hadn't been the only one to expect something more.

"Um." She cleared her throat. "Take down the luggage." She said slowly, indecisively.

With a quick nod, he moved to do as he'd been told. The second footman and the coachman moved to help him, broken from some sort of trance. It was like they were standing in a ghost haunted mansion, and Rose felt a shiver course through her.

One of the footman tripped, dropping a trunk with a loud clatter that echoed through the empty courtyard. Rose jumped at the sound. She was on edge, she realized, taking several long, deep breaths to calm herself. The footman gave her an apologetic look. She smiled at him kindly, clasping her hands together.

"Bloody—" Maria's voice cut through the silence like a rusty razor. "Hell." Groaning, she pushed herself out of the carriage. "What's goin' on?" She said sleepily, smacking her lips together.

"We're. . .here." Rose said uncertainly. "I guess?" She shrugged.

At the words, Maria straightened quickly, scrutinizing their surroundings. "This can't be right." She scoffed. "Where's yer welcome? Surely, a lady of yer standin' deserves such! How dare they!" As Maria gained momentum, her voice grew increasingly gruff. She was angry. "They wouldn't. . .no, it can't be. He would know better than to do that. Such a snub won't go unnoticed!"

"What? Who?" Rose frowned slightly. What was going on? Maria shrugged her off, moving further into the courtyard. "Maria! What are you talking about?" Rose insisted, confused.

"Never ye mind, child." Maria snapped. "Hurry up with the bags, lazy louts." She turned on the footmen gruffly. "Then take the horses to the stables, and see if ye can't find someone to show us where to go. Be quick about it!"