22 Trus (1/2)

”Someone's knocking again,” she said pulling herself up, still tired. Not Arren, she told herself knowing that at the moment she left, he was still asleep.

”They know I can't tell them it's alright to come in,” she grumbled as she slid off the bed. Ilun already stood at attention on the floor, his body a shifting cloud. She patted his side as she passed.

She stumbled to the door, still tired but light streamed into her room from the window. She opened the door, frowning at the form on the other side. The maid stared back at her nervously. ”Is your pet in there?” Greta asked.

Isilla nodded slowly, shifting out of the doorway so the woman could see Ilun. The evening before her dinner had been laid out along with her clothing and her bath run, not a maid in sight. It seemed things would return to normal now that Ilun had failed to eat a single person.

Greta bowed low, ”I'm very sorry, your ladyship, for striking you yesterday. I was very frightened.”

Isilla frowned deeper, she had never spoken so formally to her before, none of them had. She reached her hand out, to tell the woman to stand but Greta continued.

”If you could find it inyour heart to speak kindly of me to your husband. He's ordered I be removed from my post. My family and I will starve on the streets. Please ma'am, please forgive me!”

She stared at the woman, surprised at her impassioned confession. Quickly she turned and gathered her book. I'll speak to him right now, help me get dressed, she wrote.

The woman read her note and nodded moving quickly to her closet even as she looked nervously at Ilun. The other two maids came in as Greta was straitening the ash colored dress over Isilla's body.

Gerta moved to put a belt around her waist, woven bright colors but Isilla waved it off. She dropped the necklace Arren had given her over her neck and ran her fingers through her hair.

”Your breakfast,”Sele started as Isilla shook her head and breezed out of the room, Ilun lumbering behind.

The necklace guided her from her rooms and down the twisting halls. She pushed open the door it pulled her too, finding herself back in Arren's sitting room. Julen looked up from the couch, seeing her from the corner of his eye as she breezed past.

”Ma'am?” he called.

She smiled at him, nodding her head in greeting before turning to Ilun. ”Stay,” she told him and he sat, head cocked to the side.

Alone she stepped forward and pushed open Arren's bedroom door.

She half expected to see him at his dresser. In the waking world, he leaned against his bed, pulling his shoe on. His shadows reacted before he did, crossing the distance between them, wrapping themselves around her skirts and rising up her body, their light touch pulling at her fingers, gently.

He looked up, his eyes tracing her body for a moment before he waved his hand, slamming the door shut behind her.

”You are quite disheveled this morning. What do I owe such a hurried visit to?” Arren asked, his voice cold as he stood and reached for his jacket.

I told you to leave the maid alone, she wrote.

He raised an eyebrow, ”Yes and I told you that she would be punished. She has been removed. In fact she should be gone by now. I'll send some guards to finish this, then. Is that all?”

She clenched her teeth, her lips tightening. Leave her alone, she wrote in big letters. You are being cruel!

”Then I am cruel,” he said coldly. ”I dismissed that maid and all of the guards who raised their swords to you while you slept yesterday. This is my leniency. Under my father's rule, they would be executed. Be thankful that I am only this cruel.”

The man that stood before her held no trace of the one that had played guessing games with her until late in the evening. Not even the one that she had seen in the Veil.

She shook her head. It's wrong! She'll starve! It was a silly mistake, she wrote quickly.

He waved her words away. ”We cannot keep a servant in our home who would strike us. If they do not fear us above all then they can harm us. This is the way of our court, your court. You will understand this,” his voice betrayed no emotion but around her, his shadows deepened and twisted, reaching up the wall, their touch stronger against her. The memory that the shade had shown her flashed into her mind for a moment before she pushed it away.

This isn't like you, she wrote.

He closed the distance between them, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. ”Princess Isilla, do not mistake however I may be during my private time with you with who I am as a prince of this land.”

She stilled, the darkness surrounded them both, the morning light dim and far. Her heart sped up in her chest, she could feel the power spilling from him, pressing against her as if to crush her under it. Her body shook but she didn't look away from him, her eyes stayed focused on his even as she wrote.

Let them stay, as a wedding gift to me.

He read the note and raised an eyebrow. He looked at her again, frowning. ”You are very stubborn,” he said unintentionally mimicking the shade. ”Fine but you can only request one gift from me and this is that one. I will have them all reinstated, do not ask me for anything further, ever again,” the shadows shifted as he turned away from her.

Thank you, she wrote, I will not trouble you again.

She tugged on his sleeve to show him the note. He read it and she bowed her head gently, preparing to leave.

”Wait,” he said.