A Whisper of Night

18.1 || MAJAEYRA ❄️

The wedding would've been beautiful.

Jae stared listlessly down at the gardens as the bride's procession neared the end of the aisle. Dressed in a jarringly mature gown of white, Princess Merocca seemed five times smaller than her groom.

Jae had been watching the ceremony for the last hour. She hadn't believed her ears when one of the jailers had told her about the princess' marriage. Apparently King Sirok had offered Princess Merocca's hand to Queen Lleona before his older daughter, Princess Scirocca, had killed him....

Jae leaned against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest. She'd been stuck in this cell in Slagheld for a week now, frustratingly kept from any news of the outside. She wondered if any of her subjects were worried for her, or if they'd all turned to Verradaen and Tristaen for leadership. She wouldn't blame them if they had.

Princess Merocca reached the altar. Although Jae could not see her face from here, the princess looked hunched and terrified beneath her veil, her pale hands twitching rapidly.

"Radeus Sudamo," the Priest said. He wore a gown of silver, a hat of crystal glittering on his forehead. "Do you take Merocca Hyrling as your legally wed wife?"

His words drifted away on the wind. Jae sighed, turning away from the window. Her cell looked depressingly dark next to the bright colors of the outside, yet she harbored no thought of escape - climbing down would be too dangerous. Besides, she probably wouldn't be able to fit her head outside.

A key turned inside her lock.

Jae flinched, hastily descending from the ledge next to her window. She wobbled as she made her way to the bed.

The door opened, and she tried her best to look innocent as the jailer entered.

"Someone wants ta see ya," he said roughly, heading towards her. She stood up, instinctively crossing her arms over herself. "Relax - I'm not gunna hurt ya."

"Who is it?" she said.

"You'll see when you get there," he said. "But we gotta make ya presentable. C'mon."

He headed outside. After a moment's hesitation, Jae followed.

The hallways of Slagvald were made of a warm yellow limestone. Light spilled inside through a series of sweeping windows; she could hear the warbling of birds and the rustling of leaves outside. The wind tumbled over her skin like water, as cool and as soft as silk. It felt strange to be surrounded by so much freedom....

She couldn't fathom who would want to see her. Was it some royalty of Slagvald? But King Sirok was dead, Princess Scirocca was probably still in jail (if not dead), and Princess Merocca was being wed to a monster....

Perhaps it could be her own brothers, come to take her home. Her heart leapt at the idea, but no...she was much more useful when she was out of the way.

Maybe Queen Lleona had arranged a marriage for her, then. Jae bit her lip...the last thing she needed was a wedding....

"Here," the guard said, opening a door. "You go change."

Jae entered, and the guard shut the door behind her.

She stood inside a room furnished with nothing more than a closet, a desk, and a chair. Its walls were painted a lavish gold, its furniture made of rich mahogany.

There was a window in the opposite wall. Her heart leapt as she realized that it was open - and that nobody else was in the room.

What if...?

Glancing behind herself, Jae crossed over to the window, peering down.

Her heart sank as she saw the river below. Froths of white water raged up over a swollen bank. She couldn't see the bottom from here.

No...it would be stupid to try to escape. Although this room was on a lower floor than her jail cell, she would still have to climb down several floors - what looked like three - before she reached the ground. And then what? She couldn't swim....

Sighing, she turned away from the window and headed over to the closet. Inside were several dresses, all made of Slagvald's characteristic richly-textured silks.

She chose a pale blue one, undressed, and lowered the gown over her head. It turned out to be far too big for her - she shrugged out of it and chose one of pale gold.

But, after trying on all the dresses - even the ugly red one in the back - she was forced to admit that she didn't fit in any of them. The fact didn't surprise her, either - she hadn't been eating any of her meals.

Finally, she settled on a sleeve silver dress, which she knotted firmly at the back. Then, she headed over to the mirror...

Jae's eyes widened as she stared at the gaunt skeleton of her head. Her cheekbones and nose protruded grotesquely from her hollow cheeks. Wispy tufts of blond hair drifted over her skeletal neck. And she looked like she'd swallowed an archer's bow, so prominent were her collarbones....

No, she thought, turning the mirror away. Her heart was pounding. No...I can't look in there. Hastily, she ran a hand through her hair, braiding it into a sloppy sort of knot.

When she looked halfway-presentable, she left the room.

The guard was waiting for her. Wordlessly, she followed him down a flight of stairs. She could hear voices from below, punctuated by brief bursts of laughter.

They reached another set of doors, this one decorated with elaborate swirls of gold. The jailer knocked thrice on it. "M'Lady?" he said. "The queen's ready."

"Come in," came a voice from inside. It was not a voice that Jae recognized.

The jailer pulled open the door, and Jae entered.

Two chairs were arranged by a window, a table between them. On the table rested several plates of food, a kettle, and two cups.

And on the chair...Jae's eyes widened in disbelief.

"There's no need to look at me like that," the woman chuckled, pouring tea into the two cups. "I am not here to hurt you."

"I thought," Jae stammered. "I thought you were - "

" - Lleona? Yes...that kind of confusion tends to happen between sisters." The woman sat down, gesturing at the other seat. Her lips twisted into a sarcastic smile at Jae's face. "I am Lady Aeslyn Norrayn, sister to the Lion Queen. Would you like a pastry?"

~~

Yes, Aeslyn is Vespira's mother, and Vespira is the woman who was in Lorelei's dream (who also happens to be engaged to Calder, Lorelei's brother!) 

So why do you think Aeslyn is here? What do you think of Merocca's marriage (poor child :( !!)?

I know this is probably confusing, so PLEASE comment if you have any questions! I have something super fun planned for the next few chapters, so don't mind the relative dullness in this one - I just wanted to give you some insight into where Jae is right now. 

As usual, please vote and comment! Thanks for reading!