Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭

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Will woke up to the sound of knocking. Groggily, he sat and stretched, looking around him. His room was small but cosy, with fur rugs thrown on the floor and painted portraits of past kings hanging on the walls. The bed was huge and made for two, with curtains for privacy. He even had his own bathing room, however tiny and squashed it was, and there was a windowsill with blankets thrown over it to make it a seating place. It had been ages since Will had last had his own room, but he did not let himself get comfortable. He wasn't used to being able to keep good things. Plus, he wasn't used to sleeping alone. It was a luxury that he found uncomfortable after years of sharing rooms with other commoners, their snores, giggling, and shuffling filling the quiet. After trying to sleep on the comfortable feather bed, he had eventually given up and lain down on the windowsill instead, his head by the glass and the hard wood under his head. He could not get unused to his familiarity with sleeping in rough places.

His bare feet tapped against the wooden floorboards as he walked over to the door, trying to shove down his messy hair into a more presentable look.

"Yes?" Will called, opening it to find Audrey standing there. She had tucked some of her brown hair—the blonde dye had been washed out—into a headdress and her blue eyes were rested, some of the red that used to surround it gone. She had donned a dark red gown with a tight bodice, and an amber necklace hung from her neck.

"Come. It's breakfast time now," Audrey said.

Will grinned, sitting on the floor to pull on leather boots. "I'm honoured you decided to come down with me. Why, am I special?"

Audrey scowled at him, but Will didn't wipe the grin from his face, noticing the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

"You're pushing it," Audrey said simply before striding out.

Will laughed and followed her out. He was dressed in simple clothes perfect for his status: woollen trousers and a belted tunic that hung to just above his knees. He had found many doublets and silk shirts in the chest that lay at the foot of his bed, but he had ignored them. He wasn't highborn or a royal. His white hair was also back—he had washed away the dye the night before.

"And yet you haven't told me to go away yet." Will followed her, keeping up with her brisk pace.

"Go away."

Will rolled his eyes. "How do you know where you're going, anyway?"

"I had the sense to ask my maid for directions."

"You have a maid?" He grinned. "They never thought to send one to me."

"Shut up or I'll throw you into a pillory."

"Ouch." He made a face, but obeyed.

Audrey smiled at him. "That's better."

They reached the long, winding staircase and began to walk down. As soon as they reached the second step, however, a bell sounded. Will almost fell down the stairs in shock and Audrey had to catch him to stop him from tripping over his own feet. He grabbed her wrist for balance and steadied himself, cursing.

"Never heard a bell before?" Audrey smirked as he let go.

Will frowned. "I didn't know they had a bell tower here."

"They like to eat food together. That bell means the meal is just beginning."

"Don't Westerners eat together as well?" Will asked.

"They do. But the different status' mix in the West, and here they are still separate. In the East, only the highborn people may feast in the Great Hall and everyone else eats in the 'small hall'; down here, everyone can eat together but there is still segregation within the different ranks and in the North we... they..." Will heard Audrey's voice choking up slightly as she spoke of her home, refusing to label herself as belonging anywhere. "...they respect each other and eat at their own times."