Scorched

Chapter 4

The inside of the castle was like nothing Gwen had ever seen before. Shining marble floors on staircases shone around her and plush rugs covered the floors throughout the hallways. She ran her hand along the beautiful tapestries that covered the walls. Gwen's eyes were huge as she took in the huge arched doorways.

The guard impatiently muttered for her to keep up as he led the way to the room she would be staying. The entire castle was luxurious, unlike anything Gwen had come across in her village. Guards stood around the castle at perfectly spaced intervals, standing straight in their pressed crimson uniforms.

It was impossible for Gwen to think straight; the twists and turns of the halls had her completely lost. Servants scurried around them carrying plates of food and hampers of clothing. None of them made eye contact as they hurried to wherever they were off to.

The guard came to an abrupt halt in front of a large door, and Gwen ran straight into his back.

"This is your room," he said, glaring at her.

Gwen wasn't sure if he was mad at her for running into him or getting him in trouble with the prince.

"If you need anything you can ring for a servant," the man finished, before turning and marching stiffly back the way they had came.

Gwen marvelled at her room. A large, four-poster bed dominated the room and beautiful artwork covered the walls. A grin spread across her face and she ran through the room, jumping onto the bed as if she was a child.

Gwen felt euphoric; for the first time in her life she didn't have a care in the world. She wasn't worrying about Kai and his scar, she wasn't worrying about her father's job at the castle, and she wasn't worried about how her mother would afford to feed them all.

Gwen paused, feeling guilty. Maybe she didn't have to worry about those things, but her family still did. Gwen had left them without even saying goodbye. Not to mention all the other people in the villages. Many of them were worse off than Gwen's family and by the looks of this castle the kingdom could easily afford to feed them all.

A knock on the door jolted Gwen out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

The door pushed open slowly and a small mousy woman walked in holding a steaming plate of food.

"Th-the Prince thought you might be hungry," she stammered, hurrying to place the plate on the dresser beside Gwen.

Gwen gave the maid her friendliest smile, but it only seemed to make the poor women even more nervous.

"Thank you," she said.

The maid took this as a dismissal and practically ran out of the room, never looking back at Gwen.

As she ate her food Gwen pondered over the maid's attitude. The servants must not be allowed to interact with anyone who lives in the castle, she decided. The woman seemed almost afraid to look at her.

Gwen shuddered at the thought of serving the king. Although she had never seen him, all the rumors she had heard suggested he was not a kind man. Any type of treason was punishable by death, and there were all sorts of other punishments for thieves and other criminals. The state of his kingdom also didn't win him any points in Gwen's mind. He had so much power yet he didn't do anything to help his people.

All of the king's efforts seemed to be towards maintaining control. The ever-growing army made of young soldiers and beasts served him in all sorts of ways. One of the main tasks of the army was to contain any kind of rebellion. In any situation there were always people unhappy with those in control, and the king was dead set on keeping the threats to his power to a minimum.