Legacy of the Crown

23

Stumbling through my chamber door, I feel my stomach lurch. Slamming the door behind me, I rush to the bathing room. A rush of nausea and dizziness have me spewing my breakfast across the floor before I can reach the basin. My knees crack as I fall to the floor and hunch over to ease the overwhelming feeling coursing through me. How did I get here? How did I let my self get stuck in a dark corner when I spent my whole life training to never let that happen?

Confusion and loss was a massive cloud that muddled my head. What were those stones? Are they causing me to feel this way? Did they cau-

I let out a scream of frustration mixed with agony and slam my hands across the stone floor. I haven't felt this lost and out of control since...I watched my father's burning and left my mother on that beach.

There is always a sense of looming doom when you are in a situation you can't control or have no understanding of. If I would have known leaving my mother on that beach was the last time I would ever have seen her, I would have died trying to drag her with me. When Jaron found me and started to train me, I made it my personal promise to never lose control or insight of situations I was in, because then maybe I could save people and myself.

Now here I sit, completely lost and confused. Unknowing of my future or the safety of the man I love. I am reduced back to nothing but that five-year-old girl who hugged her mom not knowing it was her last. A cold tear slips down my cheek and a sob breaks through the air.

What am I doing?

Pushing myself up on shaky legs, I walk into the bathing room and splash cold water on my face. No longer will sit lost and confused. I will figure out what the hell those stones were and what Inse meant by me saving or damning us all.

The King and his General may have back backed me into a corner, but animals bite when cornered.

~***~

"Miss?" Audra's soft voice floats into my chamber. Standing up from the ledge of the balcony overlooking a private garden I walk into my room. The fresh air and dying sunlight helped me gather my thoughts and put them back in order after they were strawn about earlier. Audra's back was facing me as she changed the sheets on my bed, her dirty skirts rustling about. "Please just call me Hazel. There is no need for such manners in front of me." Audra jumped and spun, a small dagger no longer than a palm gripped in her shaking hand. I felt a smile pulling at my lips. Where was she hiding that?

At the sight of it just being me she hurriedly stashed the dagger back into a slit portion of her skirt. I was afraid she might stab herself for how fast she did it. "Don't rush on my account. You will stab yourself. I'm not going to tell anyone," I tell her and walk over to the bedside to finish pulling off the sheets.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think you were in here. Please forgive me."

"If I had a gold coin for every time I was smart and pulled a knife when I was startled in a bad environment, I would be richer than all the kings and queens. Don't be sorry for being smart Audra."

She stood regarding me for a moment before reaching over and gathering up the sheets that didn't even need to be cleaned. She turns and starts to walk toward the bathing room. "Are you sick?" What?  Oh. My breakfast all over the floor.

"Ah, no. It was just a tough day," I reply. I walk to the bathing room and grab the small basin of water before walking back to the room where Audra stood watching me with drawn eyebrows. I dump the water over the vomit and snatch a sheet out of Audra's hands. Crouching down, I wipe up the mess I made. Wrapping the now dirty sheet in another sheet I put it back on the pile in her arms.

"I could have done that," she speaks softly.

"No need," I say dismissively and go to pour a glass of water of my bedside table. Audra walks to my chamber door and goes to leave when a thought hits me.

"Audra wait! Is there a library I can go to?" She stares a min for what feels like minutes then nods before kicking the door wider, an invitation to follow. Grabbing my cloak off the desk chair I follow after her. Hoping to find answers.

*********************
Sorry for this being a short and a late chapter! Life has me tied up in knots right now that time is becoming hard pressed!