NOVEMBERLAND: the little shieldmaiden

10

As soon as I reached my bedroom door, and entered into my chambers I slammed the door behind me. My body leaned towards the door and I sunk down to the floor. 
"What happened?" Eleanor said as she walked out of the bathroom with a surprised look on her face.

"Nothing, King Richard is just an arse," I said and removed my hands from my face.

"Why?"

"He just can't respect others, and I told him so and he did not agree with me. All of us argued and it ended with me throwing a knife at him," I answered and stood up from the floor walking towards the bathroom. 

"Saga! Please say to me that you are joking," Eleanor said and followed me to the bathroom, and she stood there just with a piece of some fabric in her hands.

"I'm not, and to be honest I don't care about what that bastard says. He's just a self-absorbed man thinking he's the greatest alive," I said and begun taking off the dress, and I could see her wanting to help, but she was all frozen. And to be honest I did not mind.

"But-" she said, and it was like the words were drained out of her mouth.

"It's done now, and hopefully it would make an impact on him," I said and started to drag out the holly crown. "And by the way, I think he needs it."

Eleanor just stood there, as if she had seen a ghost. Like a stoned statue in a position that it had been destined to stay in forever. 

"You're allowed to leave Eleanor, I can handle undressing myself," I just said, knowing that she would leave quickly. And she did, it was just like if she awoke from her statued position. 

I was now alone, and it was actually quite amazing. I glanced at myself in the mirror, and I realized how much I actually had changed. The old Saga would not act such towards kings, she would rather try and hide, although she would be furious inside. My face was even more different, my cheeks were rosy and around my eyes, a thin line of kohl was drawn. Eleanor said it made my eyes larger, but it did not make that big of a difference. In my ears hung earrings that were bedazzled, not like the simple rings I had worn before. My light brown hair had now grown even more, and it was even more to maintain.

Then I started wondering about Gryffin. I wondered about why King Richard called him Æschyllus, just as if it was a nickname that unravelled from the past. But what did it mean, and it was not even close to his name. I decided I wanted to ask him about it the next morning, as I had a meeting with him about a Lynrikan and Caliban treaty. 

After some hours of trying to sleep, I sat up in the bed looking out at the dark room. The thought of that dinner and Gryffin had me awake, and it was nagging at me that I did not know what Æschyllus meant. I jumped out of the bed and grabbed a long jacket-like cape, that supposedly was for nightgowns. It had a simple dark blue colour with a slight shimmer in it, and I put it on and tied some strings that were placed as if it was a belt that would keep it all together. I then walked out of my chamber heading towards Gryffin's. 

The walk to his chambers was long and complicated, but I did not care. I enjoyed looking out the windows, and the sight of the beautiful paintings. The castle had such beauty, and I had grown to like it. When I approached the passageway to the royals castle the sight of Gryffin walking towards my direction. And as his eyes met mine his face totally changed and we both started running towards each other. His embrace was filled with warmth, but also a hint of sadness.

"Are you alright?" I whispered to him as my head was placed on his chest. 

"I'm-" he said and his breath swallowed his words, and I looked up at him but he was looking throughout the window towards the city. He was trying to hold back tears, and it was as he was looking up to not risk them bursting out.