Ascension (19 page)

"Um, okay," I muttered, following
her back to the table.

"Fara, come sit, my dear!" Mathelda
gestured for the girl next to her to move so that I could sit next
to her, but I just stood with my hands clasped behind
me.

"No, that's okay. I'm fine." I just
wanted Mathelda to tell me whatever it was she wanted to so that I
could get back to my table. I could practically feel their curious
stares at my back.

"I wasn't asking. Sit," she
demanded, and I obeyed. "Besides, you shouldn't have to sit with
those girls anymore, now that you've proven yourself worthy of some
investment. Speaking of which, our Prince requests your company
again today. Your dresses aren't finished yet, so I'll just have
you wear one of Lacy's gowns. You appear to be the same size." I
heard Lacy protest, and groaned inwardly. It looks like my life
just got a whole lot more complicated. Mathelda didn't seem to
notice, because she kept going.

"After you finish eating, get
dressed and I will call for a guard to escort you to the

garden." She motioned towards the
food on the table, but in my discomfort, I was unable to eat. I
looked back to Jean and the other girls, but they had resumed their
chatter, no doubt talking about me. So I sat at the table,
awkwardly silent as the girls around me gossiped about their newest
gown, what gifts their clients had bestowed on them, how their hair
had refused to behave this morning. All topics that were completely
foreign to me.

"Hey. Excuse me," I was startled out
of my daydream by the girl sitting across from me. "Can I ask you
how you keep your hair so smooth?"

"I don't know."
The girl was obviously unsatisfied with this answer, so I went on.
"I guess it
’
s
because I braid it before I sleep."

"What a great
idea! Thanks!
”

"Um, no
problem.
”
Her enthusiasm was so high that
I couldn
’
t tell
if she was mocking me or genuinely really
interested.

"Fara, right? I'm Lydia." She
smiled, her pink lips opening to reveal bright teeth, her flushed
cheeks dimpling. Her blonde hair was streaked with highlights of
gold, while her tan skin practically glowed against her peach
dress. Next to her, I felt pale and drab. It was easy to believe
that she brought Mathelda good business. What I couldn't believe
was that she was speaking to me so readily. "I room with Lacy.
You're done with your food, right? Come with me so we can pick out
a dress."

I could feel Lacy glaring at me,
probably wishing a sudden and painful death upon me before I could
lay my hands on her clothes, but I decided there wasn't much I
could do about it. I just smiled at her apologetically, to which
she sniffed and turned her head.

"Don't mind Lacy. She hates
sharing," Lydia told me as we walked to her room. We passed Jean
and the girls at our table, all of whom had curios looks on their
face. I'm definitely going to hear about this from Jean later
tonight. We left the main dining hall and turned down one of the
tunnels. Lydia was still jabbering, telling me about the time she
wore one of Lacy's powder blue dresses and her patron spilled red
wine on it.

"You should have seen her face when
I showed her! I mean, sure, I felt bad for getting the wine on it.
Well, technically, it wasn't my fault, it was the King's messenger,
what was his name? Conley? Crosby?"

“
Croxley?" I asked,
suddenly interested.

"Yes! Croxley! Anyways, Croxley
spilled this red wine all over the front of my, well, Lacy's, gown,
but it wasn't that bad. I mean, most of the wine was soaked up by
the mattress, which wasn't either of ours, by the way, but a Dukes
... "

Lydia finally stopped, both walking
and talking, and gestured to one of the rooms. As we entered, I had
to shield my eyes at the sunlight shining through the window. When
my eyes adjusted, I let out an audible gasp. Her bed was thick and
lifted off the ground, like that of the needs back at the inn,
adorned with soft linen sheets. The room also contained a plush
woolen rug, a mirror, a small desk with rows of lip stain, hair
combs, accessories, and most noticeably, a large collection of
gowns bursting from a cabinet standing against the wall. The
variety of color and style was second only to my visit to the
tailors yesterday.

Lydia just giggled at my obvious
shock, thrusting her arm towards all the gowns as she exclaimed,
"Aren't they lovely? Now let's see, I think this one will suit you
just fine!" She held up a deep blood-red gown with gold embroidery
trailing down the side.

"Oh no, I can't wear that! It's much
to fine! How about something else?" I looked for the simplest gown
I could find, hoping for something inconspicuous, but Lydia laughed
and put the first dress I found, which was a soft blue color, back
in the cabinet.

"No, silly, Lacy wouldn't even wear
that to sleep!"

Things went on like this until we
finally compromised on a pale green gown with subtle silver trim.
Before I could leave, Lydia insisted on doing my hair, wanting to
practice her braiding. I ended up with crown of braids, as
apparently one wasn't enough for Lydia, and with that, I was
finally set free. Mathelda grabbed me as soon as I entered the main
room and ushered me to the guard waiting in the hallway. To my
dismay, it wasn't Croxley in disguise, but an actual guard, who
kept leering at me the whole way through.

We eventually made it to the garden
through a series of twists and turns that I hadn't known existed.
Despite having been at the castle for nearly two months, I still
found myself lost quite often in its labyrinth of corridors and
passageways. I had mainly spent my days working with Heath at the
stables, with no leftover time to explore the castle.

Heath! My heart
jerked as I thought of Elana, Sam, and Sir Thunder, all still
waiting for me at the stables. Perhaps I can convince the Prince to
take me to see them. I'll have to make sure I grab some sugar cubes
or apples on the way there. Elana loves apples! I hoped Croxley
wasn't pushing good ol
’
Sam too hard. My thoughts wandered off as the
guard, myself in his wake, ventured further into the garden. My
eyes widened as we wandered further and further in. It was like a
hidden paradise! There were flowers of every kind, trees with
fruits I had never seen, bushes with leaves of every shape and
color, all somehow able to evade the chill of winter that was
causing all the other trees outside to lose their leaves. I wanted
to run and twirl through the groves, but I wasn't about to make a
fool out of myself in front of the guard. Instead, I let my gaze
wander through all the flowers, making a mental note to find out
the names of each one.

All my inhibitions about appearing
foolish in front of the guard disappeared, and I couldn't help but
gasp when I saw a bush shaped like a horse. When I looked down that
row, I discovered a variety of animals. Some shrubs were
recognizable, such as those shaped like birds and cats, but most of
them were creatures I had never seen before. One was a large animal
with what looked like second tail in place of its nose and ears
larger than dinner plates, while another had a neck longer than I
imagined was possible. There was even a horse with a sharp horn
coming out of the front of its forehead. I wondered whether or not
these creatures were fictitious or if it was just my sheer lack of
experience on the surface that caused them to look
foreign.

My mind lost in the moment, I didn't
notice the guard stop until I had nearly run into him.

"The Prince is around the corner,"
announced the guard, who then promptly walked off through another
branch of the garden, leaving me standing there alone with the
plants. An unexpected nervousness rose in my stomach. I was so
caught up with the beauty of the garden that I hadn't given much
thought to what came next. I tidied my skirts and patted my hair,
instantly feeling ridiculous for doing so.

Rounding the corner, I saw the
Prince before he saw me. I caught myself admiring him from behind,
his broad solders outlined by his thin shirt, the muscles faintly
discernible, his profile striking against the backdrop of the
garden. When he saw me, he smiled and waved me over.

"Good morning, Miss Fara," he
greeted as I made my approach. He bowed and kissed my hand when I
reached him, then swept his arm over the garden. "So, what do you
think?"

"It's absolutely beautiful," I
sheepishly answered, fully aware that I was speaking more of him
than of the flowers. I rambled on, nervousness running my
tongue.

“
I never knew there
were so many different kinds of flowers! Where do they all come
from?"

"I'm glad you approve! Well, some of
them come from Ahrenia, they just normally grow in different
seasons, while others were shipped in from distant lands to make
the collection more exotic. Here, I'll show you my favorite one."
He pulled me over to the fountain in the middle of the clearing,
which up until this point had completely escaped my attention,
absorbed as I was in the Prince, and pointed to the thin vine
climbing the statue. The flowers were a deep violet, some spun open
while others were still twisted shut.

"These are called
morning glories, so named because they bloom in the morning and, by
the end of the day, close themselves up and die. They're actually a
weed that the gardener is trying to uproot, but they just keep
coming back. I admire their persistence. But don
’
t try to pick one, or else
they'll wither and die.
”
He looked over
the flowers at me and took me in, as if he was just now noticing
me. "You look beautiful, by the way."

I blushed and looked towards the
statue, following the vines with my eyes. When I reached the head,
I turned my gaze back to the Prince.

"Thank you, your
highness, but the gown isn
’
t
mine"

"You don't have to call me 'your
highness', you know. Erik is fine."

"But I'm a servant! And a Nether,
for that matter. I'm much too low in rank," I protested. The Prince
groaned in return.

"Rank, rules,
regulations. Honestly, I'm growing tired of it all!" The Prince
paced out his frustration. "Before the engagement, I never really
had an issue with any of I it. All the riches and luxury, I took it
for granted. And I'll be the first to admit that I never really did
my duty like I was supposed to. I merely enjoyed the title of 'your
highness
’
without all the work, my ego fanned by the girls fawning
over me and lining up to dance at the balls. But now, I'd much
rather have a life like Croxley, who can come and go as he pleases,
nothing to bind him down, no one to depend on him." He ran his hand
through his hair, and suddenly looked self-conscious. "I'm sorry, I
don't mean to burden you with all this. It seems as though I've
already told you my life story, venting all my troubles, and yet I
barely even know yours."

"That's not
true!" Croxley's voice startled both the Prince and I, and we
jumped apart, just now realizing how close we had gotten. "You were
asking about her our entire trip!" Prince Erik cast his eyes down
and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. Croxley walked up and
gave the Prince a companionable pat on the back, then wearily sat
on the fountain's rim. He combed his hands through his hair as he
sighed, and I noticed that, as he lifted his head back up, his eyes
traced the line of my dress.
“
Fara, that
gown suits you well,
”
he told me
quietly.

At this point, my face felt like it
was about to melt off. I just nodded, not knowing what to do with
all of these compliments. Croxley cleared his throat, brushing his
hand through the water while speaking to us.

"Sorry I'm late, I was busy getting
materials prepared for my next trip. Before you get all worked up,
Fara," he cautioned when he saw my face light up, "I'm not going to
a colony. I'm just going on some standard rounds to the surrounding
towns. And no, Erik, you can't come with me this time either." Erik
and I both looked dejected, which made Croxley laugh and exclaim,
"Honestly, you two, what would you do without me? Speaking of
which, have you started working on any plans yet, or do you finally
agree with me that this is a completely foolish idea?"

"I've actually got some good ideas,"
Prince Erik said as he sat besides Croxley.

And so, we began brainstorming. At
first, the plans weren't very practical, but the more we bounced
ideas off each other, the more developed the strategies became. We
decided that Croxley would start with the furthest colonies,
because it would take longer for reports of rebellion to reach the
castle. Should everything go according to plan, however, the guards
should be out of the colonies and far enough away before the
Nethers leave so as to not notice anything.

"Ahrenia is currently in conflict
with Ludendorff. If we tell the guards that they've been chosen to
fight for the King's army, they'd jump at the promotion without
question."