Glass Slippers

Chapter 7

Sang's POV:

I must be dreaming. This is so not my bed. No, my bed feels like a lumpy rock, what I'm lying on now though feels like heaven. I blink my eyes open and look around the room I'm in. It's beautiful, with dim candlelight softly illuminating the gold and dark wood furniture. But what gets me thinking is how unfamiliar it is. I had never been in a room that looked remotely like this, which poses the question of where in the world am I?

I push myself up, trying in vain to hold back the panic that threatens to take over my body. I look down and assess myself for injuries, only to notice that I'm no longer wearing my clothes. Who had changed me? Was it those men in the woods? Is this one of their rooms I'm in? Did they do anything else to me?

I'm pulled back to the present by the rattling of the doorknob. My heart rate picks up as my eyes snap to the door. It's opened a crack, letting a sliver of bright light wash across the floor. I quickly lay back down and close my eyes, hoping that whoever is out there thinks I'm still asleep and leaves me alone.

I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and the room becomes considerably colder. My ears prick as I hear two people start to talk.

"Be careful, Sean, we don't want to frighten her. The boys said she was very skittish when they found her. Besides, we don't know if she's a threat yet," a voice says. It sounds oddly familiar.

"You really don't give me enough credit. I'm trained to deal with trauma patients, you know," another voice, presumably Sean, responds. His voice has a lighter feel to it than the previous man's.

My body tenses as the door is pushed fully open. I feel a looming presence hover over me. The man smells sweet, like ginger with a soft undertone. He presses a warm hand to my forehead, and I try my hardest not to flinch, but I fail dramatically. I jerk my head away from his hand, and my eyes fly open.

In the dimness of the room, it is too hard to make out the two men's features but they appear to wear shocked expressions on their faces, and they are tall, really tall. My eyes flicker to the door they left open, a plan forming in my mind. The man closest to the door must have read something on my expression because he starts to turn toward the open door, but it's too late. In a flash, I'm out of bed and running down the hall.

"Wait!" one of the men yells, his voice barely audible over the rapid beats of my heart.

I keep running down the hall, trying to find a way out. Doors line the edge of the hall, but I don't waste time opening them as I speed off around a corner. I don't know where I am, but it's a huge place. The multiple halls act as a labyrinth, trapping and confusing me.

I can hear footsteps running behind me, adding to the erratic thumping of my heartbeat. I can hardly see in front of me; my vision is blurred, and I feel dizzy and off balance. But I keep running. The only thought in my mind is to get out.

It would have helped if I knew where I was.

Suddenly, I'm jolted out of my sprint and sent flying backwards onto the hard floor. I can't help but let out a pained yelp as my tailbone makes contact with the floor. I know I'll have a nasty bruise tomorrow.

"Are you okay?" I look at the person I ran into and am met with some of the deepest and most soulful eyes I have ever seen. I can't help but stare in shock at the person I assume I had run into. It's none other than Mr. Axel Toma, the 3rd member of the royal court. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I can feel my cheeks heat up as I realize I haven't answered his question and have been openly staring at him.

I'm about to answer when I hear my two pursuers yelling for him to grab me. Unfortunately, I'm not quite fast enough to escape, and just as I start running again, I feel his arms wrap around me. I'm shocked by his strength as he holds me still. I know it might be stereotypical, but I did expect a courtier to be strong.

"Wow there, calm down pumpkin. We don't want to hurt you," one of the men who was chasing me says, slightly out of breath. His curly hair bobs on his head as he walks closer towards me.

I feel myself shrink into Mr Toma as my eyes meet with the second chaser. His grey eyes hold a seriousness and anger that have me wishing the world would just open and swallow me whole. But there's also a weird sense of familiarity.

The curly-haired man must have seen my terror because he turns and looks at the other man.

"Oh, for God's sake, Owen, stop looking at the poor thing like you want to murder her. Can't you tell pumpkin is already terrified enough?"

"Really, Dr. Green? Do you need to call her that?" He raises one of his sleek black eyebrows, and the curly-haired man just shrugs and smiles. "And besides, she's a criminal anyway." He glares at me once more, and his gaze makes me wish I was back home with my stepmother. I would rather endure a thousand beatings than have this man look at me the way he is. Strangely, I still can't shake the feeling that I've met them before my panic hazed mind can't seem to place it though as thoughts rush around in my head.

"What do you mean a criminal?" Mr Toma asks. "She hardly looks capable of hurting a fly, let alone breaking a law."

"Rule 37 of the ethical code, Sir Toma. And under the orders of the court, she requires a royal hearing."

I wonder when the hearing will be and whether my stepmother has noticed my disappearance by now. Part of me thinks that she would look for me, but I know that's just wishful thinking. If anything, she would just hire a maid and get on with her life.

"If a hearing is required, then that's what shall be done. Unfortunately, the royal family is out of town at the moment, so we'll have to wait a few days until the hearing can commence. That means we need to find suitable quarters for her to stay in." The three men share a series of glances as if they are communicating with one another. I find it strange that I need a royal hearing for going outside, Wil had told me that since the King George's rein begun our country had become somewhat of a police state, but I had never gotten out enough to appreciate just how severe it was.

"You'll be coming with me," Mr Toma states seriously as all three men look at me in sync.