The Kingdom of Belmar

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

What sailors don't tell you about life out at sea is that the rolling waves and rough waters aren't the worst things to encounter. It's the calm in the madness that you don't suspect. It's the calm that hides the monsters below the surface, that protects the deadly currents that could pull any sailor under. No one concerns themselves, however, over threats that aren't obvious; it's easier to douse the flames than find the hearth beneath the ash. But it's the calm you should fear, and fear it because of how little people worry when they find themselves in calm waters.

I've always been cautious of this, of course. Since the terrible malady that is getting hit with a truck, I've understandably been more cautious than most.

It's quiet this morning. Eerily quiet. Not even a morning bird chirps through my peaking curtains, only the light from the rising sun has the courtesy to wake me.

"Mary?" I call out, scanning the room for my maid. "Mary? What time is it?"

No response.

"Lucinda? Charlotte?" I slip from under the covers, stepping to the cool ground below. My slippers are placed neatly by my bedside, but my clothes for the day have yet to be laid out. "Grace? Mother, Father?" No response.

My heart starts pounding with concern, and millions of unlikely possibilities run through my thoughts. Had something happened to them when I was asleep? I've never been the lightest sleeper but surely I would have heard if an entire castle was abducted. Would they not have come for me if danger was afoot?

"Cole?"

Rushing in my night dress, I hurry to the corridors, noticing the increasingly suspicious lack of servants or maids anywhere in the halls. Not a single soul is roaming. From the grandfather clock in the hallway, I make out that the time is half past ten, hours after the usual time I'm usually awakened for breakfast. The estate should be bustling with work, and yet not even a single knight is parrying on the training grounds.

Where could they have gone? Had Rista gotten to them?

Am I alone again?

I'm not sure where I'm running, or whether it would be proper for me to find them in little more than embellished undergarments disguised with appliques. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'll surely go insane if I don't see another face soon.

Rounding a corner, I find myself nearing the landing of the foyer, overlooking the grand entrance in which all of my friends and family most likely have disappeared through. Clinging to the banister, I look down, fear coursing through my veins when I see the tall level head of my father gazing up at me.

And then Thompson, Cole, even the shorter Grace and Charlotte are lost in the crowd. Everyone is looking up at me, in my nightgown, sweating like a mad man that just assumed she'd lost her family.

"Happy birthday!" they shout, arms raised. Percival and Philip are both lifting a side of a banner that read the exact phrase, and a small "congratulations" towards the top. Several of the servants throw confetti upon my arrival, but it doesn't take long for the fanfare to grow silent. Their arms lower and their eyes widen when they see the less than noble like state I've displayed in front of everyone. My maid, Mary, steps forward with a tiered cake, and even she can't express much while looking at me.

I can see Grace stifling a shocked laugh. Mother coughs something polite. The knights turn away. The lace of my gown must be even more transparent in the broad daylight than I've previously suspected, and a sudden draft leaves me feeling both cold and flushed.

Cole's the first to step forward, placing his blazer on my shoulders, but I know the vision has already been burned into everyone's minds. I let out a sheepish "hello," both directed towards Cole for the gesture, and everyone who apparently wished to surprise me for my birthday.