A Princess Torn (Alys Book #2)

Chapter 32

It took all Endolynn's energy to keep herself composed as she and Dastrehan walked the halls of the palace towards the guest chambers where her brother was waiting for her.

She wanted to run, but she kept herself to a reasonable pace that matched Dastrehan's.

It was late. After the ball had ended, she and Dastrehan had stood in line to say goodbye to each noble who had attended. The moon had been high in the sky by the time that they had entered the palace.

As tired as she was, the longing to see her brother kept her alert and almost energetic.

Dastrehan remained quiet and reserved, clearly still on edge about the entire matter.

Endolynn watched him carefully as she knocked on the door of the chambers that a guard had directed them to.

Zaiden called for her to enter, and she hesitated for only a second before pushing the door open.
"Please, Dastrehan," she whispered in earnest, "Be civil to him. For me."
Dastrehan sighed and nodded, staring blankly at the oak of the door in front of them,

"I will try my best."

His best would have to do.

She took a deep breath to compose herself and pushed the door open.
Zaiden was standing by the only couch in the small sitting room, much more cleaned up than he had been when she had seen him in the gardens earlier that night.

"I took a bath," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "I tried to get the water myself, but the guards would not let me. Some servant girl- Rose I think her name was- she helped me."

That is odd, Endolynn puzzled over that bit of information. Rose was a healer in training and no longer a maid. She made a mental note to ask her friend about it when she saw her next.
Dastrehan stopped in the middle of the room, but Endolynn walked to the sofa and sat down, grabbing her brother's hand as she passed and pulling him down beside her.

"I am glad you were able to make yourself comfortable," she said, meeting her brother's eyes. She could have sat there staring at them the rest of the night. They were so familiar to her that it felt as if she had seen them every day for her entire life.

"I have so many questions," her voice was strained with the emotions she was holding in check, "I have no idea where to start."

Zaiden smiled sympathetically and squeezed her hand, "I know exactly what you are feeling."

"I will start," Dastrehan interjected, almost breaking the magical feeling between the reunited siblings, "How about you tell us how you managed to escape the guards who attacked you two as children?"

Endolynn tensed a little, fully aware of Destrehan's feelings of distrust and doubt. She glanced his way and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had somehow managed to make his face less menacing and more neutral. His jaw was no longer flexed, and he did not even have his arms crossed. If Zaiden picked his words right, Dastrehan might just walk out of there feeling a bit reassured.

If Zaiden were intimidated by the king, he did not show it. He immediately launched into the story of his survival; one much different than Endolynn's was.

"When you fell, I told you to keep running. And most of the guards split off to follow you when you started yelling insults at them." He paused for a second, looking at her uneasily, "And then you screamed really loudly, and it sounded like you were getting far away fast. It stopped suddenly, and I stopped running because I thought they had killed you."

Endolynn shook her head sharply, "I ran clear off a cliff."

Zaiden nodded, "I know. They caught up to me and instead of killing me, they kept me captive."