The Starry Sky - A Darkling/General Kirigan Prequel

8

That morning, as the night peeled itself off of the roofs and roads of Os Alta, Anna stirred calmly in her sleep. No nightmares seized her mind, leaving her open to the realm of dreams, where Kaelish pixies made her dresses of spider-silk, and large white wolves rolled before her in the snow. Upon waking up she'd wondered whether the latter was actually a dream or a subdued nightmare, as if she were being teased in her slumber. Reminded of the blood on her hands. But, for just those minutes, she tossed about restlessly, with no worries at all.

It was seven bells on the dot when her door opened, Tuya charging in with a sluggish Klara following behind, one holding a silver tray and the other a samovar of burnished gold. Both girls settled the goods they were carrying on Anna's desk, before Klara, waving Tuya off, sat tenderly next to the dozing Anna. She extended her hand, gently stroking Anna's waves of blonde hair, as Tuya tried to light a fire in the corner of the room.

"Anna." Klara cooed, as if trying to stir a child - an odd dynamic considering that Klara was not much older than Anna. As the fire crackled to life, slowly coating the dark room in flickering light, Anna twitched.

"Slap her." Tuya said, gaining a questioning glance from Klara. She squeezed the sleeping girl's shoulder, and this time Anna woke with a start, staring with blurry eyes at the woman sitting on her bed. When she realised it was Klara, and not Baghra coming to kill her, she threw her head back onto the goose-down pillows.

"Good morning." Klara smiled, "Lots to do today. Up, up." Tuya was busying herself by rummaging through the dresser that just yesterday had been stocked with clothes whilst Klara got up and brought the tray to Anna, who quickly moved into a sitting position, "Breakfast in bed." Anna looked at the tray, plain silver except for the engraved Lantsov crest on the lid. Her food yesterday had arrived on a similar platter, except that one was completely design free.

"But I might ruin the sheets."

"We can clean the sheets." Klara placed the tray on her lap.

"Only if you let us have some of the food." Tuya called from behind the screen. For a few moments Anna wondered why on earth Tuya would want some of her food, even as a joke? From what she'd had yesterday it hardly seemed like the most desirable meal of the day. She wondered if it was a Ravkan thing.

"You can sit at a table if you really want to." Klara clarified, "But these are directly from the kitchen's of the Grand Palace, so we thought you may want to eat like a queen." Now Anna was confused, she'd assumed all of the food was cooked in the Grand Palace, and that it was brought across for each meal. Only the day before had her breakfast and dinner arrived from the door in the common room that led to the Grand Palace, not the one that led to the dining hall. But if it wasn't, why was this meal from there?

Anna lifted the lid off gingerly, and to her complete amusement and delight was greeted with a platter of bronze, flaky pastries, bowls of fresh berries, slices of cured meat, crusty rolls of bread, pots of garnet-and-amber-coloured preserves, and a steaming cup of tea. Her first reaction was to laugh, knowing there is only one way this could've happened, and after his passion for eating 'hardy' food it seemed unlikely that he'd indulge her in such a way. It was calming to know that she wouldn't have to slip the topic of getting nice food into conversation with any of the girls now. Tuya poked her head around the divider, revealing the violet dress she was holding, to see why Anna was laughing.

"Come here." She said to the girls, throwing back the bed covers on either side of her to invite them in. Tuya responded immediately, throwing the velvet dress over the ebony screen, and practically jumping into the bed. Klara, on the other hand, looked hesitant. "Come on, I don't need you to wait on me." Klara sighed with exasperation, but didn't move. "Fine, I order you to get into this bed and eat some food."