The day was especially beautiful.
Sunlight flooded Elouise's surroundings, making the gray stone walls of her chambers almost appear white.
She blinked hard a few times, realizing she was still standing behind her dressing screen. She must have tuned out while getting herself ready. Perhaps that was a sign that she needed more sleep. Did she even have the time for more, though?
Elouise sighed and instinctively clutched her skirts before moving. However, there was something off about the material. She stopped and averted her gaze. Then she gasped upon seeing herself adorning her mother's wedding gown.
Yes, it had to be her mother's! The sheer and the lace, and the pearls tacked into the centers of knots created to form roses around the skirt. The wedding portrait hadn't done it justice, but Elouise would recognize it anywhere.
This... wasn't real, was it? She had to be dreaming.
Yet everything looked and felt so vivid. She supposed that explained why she was in here alone rather than having her handmaids assisting her as usual.
Elouise walked up to her window and attempted to open them, only to be jolted backwards from a shock.
"Oh, goodness," she whispered, clutching her left wrist until the pain to subsided. She then peeked back at her door. Surely, that noise she'd made was enough for a guard to hear. It sometimes bothered her how easily the guards heard her make any sort of sound. But the lack of any response now was a little weird.
"Hello?" she called.
Nobody called back.
"Alright, no need to panic," Elouise told herself.
She faced the window again and let her hand hover close. Then she immediately shuddered when she felt an energy coming toward her, tightening her chest. So much so that she forced herself to back away simply to breathe.
The strange phenomenon brought on a curious thought, though. So, she brought her hand forward again and attempted to use her light magic. When nothing occurred, Elouise swallowed hard.
"Perhaps now is the time to panic?"
But this couldn't be another nightmare, could it? It wasn't like the last. She couldn't tell whether this was better or worse. She supposed it depended on who she was marrying and why they were using magic to prevent her from escaping through her window. However, if they were a good person, she doubted she would want to escape at all.
Instead of standing there and contemplating everything, Elouise fled from her bedchamber and checked both ways. As expected, there weren't any guards in sight. A completely deserted corridor.
She shook her head and headed down the hallway toward the library. And it was there, polishing a vase beside the library doors, that Elouise found Everild. She nearly tripped on her gown's skirts as she rushed to Everild's side.
"Oh! You don't have a clue how happy I am to have found—" Elouise paused, her relief vanquishing upon seeing Everild's bland expression. She was polishing that vase in such a rehearsed manner. Like a puppet being tediously maneuvered by its strings.
Elouise carefully waved a hand in front of her face. "Everild?"
"Answer to no one but him—the almighty," Everild responded coolly. "Answer to no one but him—the almighty."
Elouise widened her eyes. "W-what? Who is he? Everild!" She grabbed her arm and spun her around, and her heart dropped into her stomach. Everild seemed to be looking through her as she repeated the phrase.
YOU ARE READING
A Guardian's Fate (Book #2)
Fantasy(BOOK #2 in the Secrets of Aristol series.) It's almost been three months since Elouise's birthday. Although she's kept herself distracted by Beatrice's past, she's left with more questions. Perhaps she isn't concentrating hard enough. After all, sh...
