Just Call Her Syndre

Chapter 8 | New Haven Welcomes New Faces

New Haven was unlike anything I'd ever seen. BrunHilde was a small town, with only a few buildings standing at 2 stories high. New Haven had soaring buildings! You could see the castle in the distance, it had four distinct turrets and was surrounded by a tall bricked wall. I gripped my fingers in a fist, suddenly feeling nervous at the thought of everyone seeing me in my homemade gowns.

The line moved up slowly as we walked the green grassed valleys around New Haven. They dipped and wheeled, exposing horses and speckles of properties outside the columned walls of the capital city. Sasha was enchanted by everything around her. Her fingers danced on the edges of every flower we came across and she even threw herself down for a moment to the thick grass to relax. I watched her, amused chuckles sliding between my lips whenever she squealed.

"Miss Sasha!" I turned towards the voice, then it called me as well. "Miss Syndre!"

Sasha stood from her grass angel and dusted her blonde locks quickly. Jatic stepped up towards us, sweat on his brow. He leaned over, catching his harsh breathing and I sent him a patient smile that was mirrored by Sasha.

"The line is moving, Miss." He motioned back to the carriage. "We must get you both inside for inspection."

"Oh, yes." Sasha rushed after him, nearly tripping on her billowing dress. "Come on, Syn."

I followed them, rushing at a slightly slower pace. My gaze was locked on the palace sitting in the distance, it was brightly lit and many people seemed to be milling about the grounds. The speed of my heart increased, I would only have a few days before I would never see this place again or maybe even Sasha.

Her quick steps brought her to her carriage before me and she turned to check my progress before letting Jatic help her up. A grateful smile wormed its way across my face at Jatic when he grabbed my cold hand in his warm one. When I sat down, I pulled my thick gloves on - glaring out between the curtains at the dropping temperatures.

"He caught us just in time, Syn. Looks like those clouds are coming in pretty fast."

I nodded absently in her direction, my eyes still trained out of the carriage and towards the palace. My stomach was churning harder now, trying to come to grips with the next few days trapped here for a ball. Birthday or not, it made no sense that everyone was invited. The Royals never invited everyone.

A soft knock on the ceiling was the only indication we received before the carriage was in motion. It shook for a moment then smoothed out with the calm trot the horses took up. Loud voices echoed around us, demanding names and places of birth. I craned my neck around the edge of the window to see better outside, frowning at the large number of guards stationed outside the gates.

My gaze drifted up to the gold colored steel arch. It was wide, about 60 feet and stood well over the 160 feet the stable at home boasted. I clenched my fists, imaging the sheer wealth the Royals must have. We were wealthy and we didn't have anything as nice as that.

Sasha's carriage was halted just at the entrance of the double sliding wrought iron gates. Intricate designs were wrapped around the straight posts, branding a large "O" and then underneath colored red for dramatic effect was New Haven. A hand came against the door, lightly pulling it open.

It was a guard. He was covered in all black armor with the royal Crest emblazoned across his chest. A slight smile was on his exposed face and Sasha returned it with an ease I envied. When he turned toward me his smile brightened slightly and I struggled to catalog his square jaw, bright blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. A clear tablet was in his hands and he held it for moment, using it to scan my face.

"S-sandra-Lynn Marcelus." I frowned, and staved off the desire to snap at him. "It's Syndre."

"Syndre." My name rolled of his tongue now and he shot me a quick wink before turning back to Sasha. The device was up again and a grateful look passed across his face when her name populated. "Sasha Elliot."

"That's me." She giggled, flashing him a smile so bright it temporarily sent him into a daze. 

Another guard joined him at the door of the carriage. He carried a deep gold box. I leaned over to get a better look at it and noticed the intricate black and red carvings across the top. His hands touched the lock and it leapt open, allowing him to pull open the lid on the box.

Two bracelets were nestled inside, stacked next to each other. They glittered red for a moment and then settled to a forbidding black. "Right arms please, ladies." His tone took away all possible argument, so Sasha and I held our arms out and waited as the first guard gently picked them up and affixed them to our wrists.

"Have a nice time, ladies." I thanked him, barely getting the words out of my mouth, before we were on the move again.

"What do you think it's for?"

Our gazes locked together for a moment before we before touched the bracelets on our wrists. A grunt left my lips and I shook my head while shrugging my shoulders. The device was about an inch thick, sported diamonds, rubies and topaz. Diamonds lined the swooping curls of the two paths crossing with rubies and topaz stones alternating between them at the joints. A pearlescent stone, the largest of all, sat over the clasp.

"It's strange." My voice was a low whisper against the stone as I traced my fingers over it. The stone came to life under the low streaks of sunshine that leaked through the narrow slits in the curtains. I gasped at every color it changed, sitting just right to watch it glow over and over.

Our ride continued on, across the cobblestone streets and through the packed streets of New Haven. Then, all at once it was over. The streets widened out again and we were on smooth dirt roads edged with blooming tulips and orange stars.

The carriage turned, pulling us from the dirt road onto a gravel one. It crunched under the weight of the carriage, but kept the ride even and smooth until we came to a stop. I was barely paying attention, my gaze still locked on the bracelet snapped to my wrist.

"Syn." I ignored her.

"Syndre." She tried again. "Syndre-Lynn Marcelus!" Sasha shouted, directly into my ear.

I jumped and turned towards her. "Why are you shouting my government name all over the place?"

Smiling sweetly and definitely sarcastically she turned to clasp the ever ready helping hand of Jatic, who was standing just outside the open carriage door wearing a look of utter confusion. He helped her down into the grey gravel where she turned to look back at me.

"We are here."

I resisted the urge to chase her about, barely. And followed suit to see the oversized house that stood before us.