WARNING: MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
I groan and stretch out my sore arms, reaching for my alarm clock. “Where the hell...” I open my salt crusted eyes, the light seeping in from the stained glass windows. “So it wasn’t a dream...great!” I chuckle sarcastically and walk over to the vanity to investigate my new features.
“Excuse me,” A teen girl in a thick navy cloth dress with simple threaded borders pushes open the door and steps forward, keeping her head down so her ashy gray hair falls in her face. “King Enzor requests your presence this afternoon after your studies.”
“Okay cool, um thanks?” She nods and struts into the closet. “What are you doing?” I ask, marching up to her.
“It is my duty to assist you in all matters, including getting ready for the day.” She pulls out a pair of brown trousers and a loose blood colored tunic.
“Um no thanks,” I tug the clothes out of her grasp, “I have been getting dressed on my own since I was seven. I think I can handle this.” I reach around my back, fingers grasping for the string of my dress but with no success. “Okay, maybe I do need a little help...” She smiles softly, nodding her head and beginning to undo the laced dress and corset. “What’s your name?” I ask, tumbling out of the blue poofball pooling at my feet.
“Alvida,” She whispers, as if her name was some well kept secret that no one could hear. Once dressed, she sits me down in front of the polished mirror to brush my hair. Alvida hums a soft bouncing tune while intricately braiding my hair with strands of leather and gold beads.
“That song sounds familiar, what’s it from?” I ask when she finishes my hair.
“It’s the song of the night goddess Nott. The song tells her story.” Nott...that name sounds familiar from mom's research!
“She’s the goddess who rides over the world on her horse frostmane right?” Alvida grins and steps back, “I remember some small things like that, but I don’t remember much.”
“That’s quite alright. Come now, it’s time for your lessons with Trygve.”
“I have no clue where to go, could you help me if you’re not busy?” She nods and leads the way down the stone hallway. “So how long have you been working here Alvida?” She keeps her head down as we pass by patrolling guards in leather armor.
Once clear of guards, she speaks up. “I have been a slave all my life. My mother used to work here before the king came to power.”
“How old are you?”
“No one keeps track of time, it’s useless when you age slowly for thousands of years.” I nod as we stop in front of large wooden doors secured with metal. “Here’s the library, A scholar will help you find Trygve.”
“Thank you, see you later Alvida!” I wave as I walk through the large doorway. The overwhelming smell of lavender and mint smacks me in the face as I take in the incredible scene before me. Rounded bookshelves overflowing with leather bound books and paper scrolls forming a circular shape extending up for many floors until the spiraling staircase fades from view and all I see is a vague blurry line.
Dozens of figures in large grey cloaks shuffle through the maze of shelves and in the center of the circle is a small oak desk with a frail old man behind it. “Excuse me,” I whisper as I approach, ”I’m looking for Trygve? He’s supposed to be teaching me something.” Without even looking up from the book in his lap, the man raises a bony finger and points down a hallway of shelves. Wearily, I proceed down the hall, glancing at the various books on either side of me. Ancient runes I don’t recognize spell out the titles along the spines.
“Ah, there you are Maeve!” I sigh a breath of relief as Trygve waves at me. “Are you ready to begin?”
“I suppose, what am I learning?” I ask as I sit down beside him and look across the desk at all of the books in front of me.
“First, we're going to go back to the basics. You’ll be learning futhark.”
“The Scandinavian version I hope?” He chuckles and shakes his head. “Yeah, I figured.”
The next few hours pass by incredibly quickly as I memorize each letter, practice writing sentences, and read excerpts out of books. My quill pen scratches against the thick, coarse paper to spell out my mother's name-my name, that I must get used to signing as accurately as my mother once did. “King Enzor would like you ready for dinner as soon as possible.” I look up as Alvida coughs, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.
“Alright cool, see you later Trygve!” I whisper as we walk back to my bedroom.
“May I speak out of turn for a moment?” Alvida asks as she begins to lace me into a sky blue dress with gold thread weaving a thick braided pattern across the borders of my sleeves and waist.
“Alvida, you don’t have to ask to speak your mind, especially around me!” Even though I can’t see her, I can feel her shoulders relax as she ties the bow at the bottom of my torso.
“If you want to go unnoticed here, don’t speak unless absolutely needed. No one says ‘Alright cool, see you later!’ And you cannot blame everything on a lost memory.”
“What are you saying Alvida?” I slowly turn around, the corset restricting any quick movements.
“I’m saying, King Enzor may be incompetent at ruling a kingdom, but do not underestimate his ability to detect lies and secrets. You must completely take on the role of Queen Maeve Kymiir.” I suck in a sharp breath and note the only exit is directly behind Alvida. “Also, work on your lying face. Just smile and act naive. If someone says something shocking, all you have to do is either strike back with sarcasm, romance, or complete disregard.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“Slaves know everything that goes on in their households. My mother cared for yours, before she left. I may have been a small child when the Queen fled, but I knew enough to understand that she carried more than a small satchel through that gate.” I nod numbly and tug on a pair of flats before taking one last look at myself in the vanity mirror.
“How would a Queen with no recollection of her past walk into a room and sit down?” Alvida flashes a sharp toothy grin and adjusts my back.
“Stand up straight, no slouching. Keep your head high,” she tilts up my chin, “And slowly look around the room. When you do take a seat, don’t lose the sense of command that you had when you walked to the table.” We take our time walking to the door, carefully and precisely taking each note of advice and putting it into action. “Most importantly, follow along with other guests' emotions. If the men begin discussing building materials and the women are bored, you need to look bored as well.”
“If anyone talks about building materials, I won’t have to act!” We share a quick laugh and make our way to the dining room. From down the hallway, I can hear the echoes of screeches and laughter, glasses being slammed against tables, and quiet yet upbeat string music playing underneath everything. “Where do I sit?” I ask Alvida before the guards open the doors.
“Next to the king, there should be an open space for you.” I take in one last gulp of air before pushing back my shoulders and nodding to the guards to let me through. With back arched and chin raised, I plaster on an amused grin as everyone raises their ivory glasses in my direction.
“Ah Maeve!” Enzor calls out from the end of the rectangular table. “Come, sit here beside me! We were just talking about you, weren’t we Leif?” I take a seat on the wooden bench across from Leif, a young man with rough, paper thin skin that seems to possess a pale blue hue. Enzor, sitting between the two of us on a carved wooden throne slaps Leif across the chest then turns to smile at me.
“All good things I hope!” Chuckle and slowly sip the cup of water set before me. The men share a laugh and continue rambling on about raids, farming seasons and such. I smile when appropriate but slowly tune them out like I would with my middle school counselor after Mom's death.
“Here,” Enzor gestures to a servant carrying a jug who’s pours me what looks like some form of wine or beer. “Drink up, it's a celebration!” I raise the hollowed ivory horn and let the warm, bitter liquid glide down my throat. Enzor tips the horn father back, and I have to chug to keep from spilling it all over my dress. As soon as I set the empty horn down, the same servant from before refills my glass to the brim.
Nearly 3 hours and countless cups of ale later, My head is pounding. In a blurry haze, I push myself up and excuse myself from the table. “Ah my sæta come dance with me!” Leif shouts and pulls me towards the dance floor. Even in my muddled state of mind, I can clearly recognize the slurred term of endearment shouted at me.
“I’m not sweet, and I’m not yours!” I snort, staggering towards him and shoving a finger into his chest. Enzor softly grips my arms and guides me out of the room. “Where are we going?” I chuckle, a quick set of hiccups erupting from my throat.
“You can’t be left alone tonight, so I’m taking you to my room.” I nod and try to keep from becoming too dizzy as we slowly make our way through the halls. After a few minutes of barely making progress, he sighs. “Come here,” He wraps a hand under my legs and sweeps me up into his arms, my face quickly pressed against his chest. I squeal at the swift movements and slap his aggressively hard chest.
“Enzor you scared me!” He laughs at my girlish response and I can feel the vibrations in his chest.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to elskan mín.” I groan.
Why is everyone calling me pet names? First Leif calls me sweetie, then you call me ‘my love’! What’s the deal?” He chuckles as we arrive at a wooden door. Kicking it open with his foot, I take in the huge room-bigger than the first floor of my apartment.
“I always used to call you that Maeve, you loved it.” Setting me down on the plush bed fit for-well fit for a king- he begins to untie my dress slowly. “Let me help you get more comfortable, I’m sure you can’t breathe in this tight dress.” I nod and take in a deep breath as my dress falls down to my feet. Now in just my underdress, I feel his coarse hands sliding from my shoulders, down my arms to my waist. “There’s a lot of things we did together that you can’t seem to remember.” He whispers, his voice soft and sweet.
“I’m sorry I can’t remember anything...” I let out a soft sigh as one of his hands rubs my back, slowly but surely putting me into a sleep like trance.
“It’s alright Maeve. You’re here now,” He turns me around and brushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear. Instantly understanding what he wants, my pulse races. I try to stand up but I can’t feel my legs.
“Enzor, What are you doing?”
Busy peppering kisses against my collarbone, he doesn’t answer, rather laying me down against the pillow. I stare up at the ceiling as his lips crash against mine, willing for the numbness in my legs to raise higher. As tears build up in my eyes, my vision fades and the painted stone ceiling disappears from view.
116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNPOr56HeD
