Kingdom Dawning

Chapter Twelve

I sat in the hallway until the sunset in the sky, and darkness filled the halls. The castle felt even more lonely without the sun. The only thing that occupied these halls now was me, my pile of regurgitated lunch, and Arksel's voice that kept calling me a rat. It hurt just as much the hundredth time as it did the first; maybe because it was true. If it were a lie or a simple insult, it wouldn't dig into my heart like a sharp knife. 

After a small debate with myself, I decided it was finally time to snap out of my self-loathing haze and go to bed since tomorrow was going to be an intense day. Coronation and a ball, plus I was going to be spending most of the day close to Arksel's side. I cleaned up my mess on the floor so no unfortunate soul would stumble upon it then I headed to my room. I was surprised that I even remembered where it was since this castle was like an endless maze of twist, turns, and dead ends. I ran my hand over the dark wooden door and leaned my head against it. Arksel's voice had finally gone silent, but he left me with a profoundly sharp headache. When I opened the door, a blast of cold air hit me like a brick. The room itself seemed isolated and empty, even if it was covered in beautiful furniture and lavish decorations. The bed as large and crafted from wood that was painted black with small red swirled detailing. In the back right corner sat a blood red plush chair and a stack of dust-covered books. A mural of the old king and queen hung on the far end of the room next to a large window that was left wide open; the culprit of the chill in the room. I walked over to the painting and ran my hand over it. It seemed so realistic I half expected the king to slap my hand away.

The king looked nothing like Arksel; he had black hair with light brown eyes through the stern look of disappointment and annoyance matched the one Arksel always held. He wore the same silver bone crown high on his head, yet his head seemed a bit too small it. Almost like he was a child trying on his father's crown, It seemed to take away from how cruel he was. The queen was the spitting image of Arksel if he grew out his hair quite a bit and got a women's figure. The Queen had snow-like hair, coal black eyes, and pale skin, she wore a smile that was both seductive and terrifying. The queen was gorgeous, and she knew it. What she lacked in a crown she made up for with jewelry; there wasn't one inch of her that wasn't dripping in bright red gems. What happened to the Queen? The king died, but there was no evidence besides this painting that she ever existed. 

More wind began to flow through the room, and window tapped softly against the dark brick walls. I walked over to the window but stopped to look out at the kingdom that laid sleeping below. I didn't realize how high up my room was until I looked down and realized I was in the highest point of the castle. I felt like if I reached out, I could touch the twinkling stars in the sky. Looking up at the stars made my heart ache a bit. Memories of Leillan and I sneaking out past curfew, laying in the fields, and talking endlessly as we pointed out the brightest stars warmed my heart. She would hold my hand tightly as she would fall asleep among the flowers, the moonlight shined off her tan skin. I couldn't help but admire her. At this moment, her fingers interlocked with mine was a comfort I wanted more than anything. We have never gone a day without seeing each other, and now I never knew when I would see her again. These weren't the stars we used to sneak out to; these weren't our stars.

I closed the window and walked over to my bed. This would be the first time I would sleep alone. My brothers used to sleep in a bunk bed nearby, or Leillan would share my bed with me. I felt an odd sense of terror as if sleeping alone was a punishment. On the bed, there was a set of clothing folded up for me. It was a pair of silky blue striped pants and a matching button-up shirt. It felt weird to wear pants. I ran around my room and did random poses to test the new freedom of my legs. I attempted to lay in my bed, but the mattress was much too soft, plus the feeling of an empty bed proved too much for me. I got up and sat in the red chair in the corner. The sun was peeking over the mountain when my eyelids started to feel heavy. I allowed them to close right when Delaney bolted in and poured water in my face.