“May I speak to Cai and Axellia alone for a short moment?” Mother asks, as I turn to find her standing right behind to me and Fredricks. At the word “alone” her ladies-in-waiting step back in unison, not breaking or buckling the shape of the canopy.
He nods. “Of course, My Queen.”
Mother smiles as she turns to me. “Come with me,” she says. I hand my bow to Fredricks. Mother leads me to Axellia, who has been watching stiffly from a short distance away, her bow and quiver clasped to the front of her dress. Seana stands to take the bow and arrows from Axellia and she joins me as we follow Mother from the courtyard towards the gardens, which are barred off by their own walls with guards posted at the doors. They open the hydra embellished gate to let us in.
While I can’t remember much about the old palace, I remember that the gardens were much bigger and, well, colorful there. The gardens here only consist of one rather large rectangular pool with a few spotted black and white fish swimming in it as they nibble off the lily pads covering the surface. A fountain of a hydra sits in the middle of the pond. Three rows of trees trimmed into various shapes grow on either side of the pond. Everything in here is either gray, brown, or a dull green. The only splashes of color are the peacocks that live here, lazily wandering about and calling to each other.
The garden has an extra guest today, though. Oris is lounging in the pool, his royal blue scales glistening in the sun. I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing at the sight of a gigantic sea serpent lounging in a pool far too small for him. He perks up at the sound of us entering and slithers out of the pool to our side.
Mother pats his side, giving him a sideways glance before he slithers forward to greet Axellia and I.
I wonder if she said anything to him. I know holders can speak to their familiars telepathically and have often wondered what Fredricks or Mother says to Stapo and Oris about us behind our backs. It must not be anything devastating because Oris snaps playfully at my hair as usual and I pat his nose.
“Are you two excited to go to Cristabel Academy soon?” Mother asks softly, finally turning to face us.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answer as Oris snaps at Axellia’s hair, lets her pat his nose, and then slithers back to the pool.
“Hm,” Mother mumbles. There’s a strange, worried look about her face. “Nervous too, I should think. After all, the last time you two went outside the walls, you were only four. Tempest was only a babe. Vilda, poor child, she’s never been outside.”
Axellia and I share a confused glance. How does Mother know how we feel? There have been some days when I wonder if she is even aware she still has four children. It’s not uncommon for us to go a week without seeing or hearing from her. She goes silent again, her head hung as she wrings her hands. She is moving stiffly, even for being dressed in starched, corseted bodice, and a hooped skirt.
“There’s a reason I asked for you two to come here with me. As circumstances would have it, I won’t be able to see you two off at the docks tomorrow.”
“There’s a big surprise,” I mutter under my breath. Axellia punches me in the shoulder. I give her a questioning look. She gestures her head to Mother, who has stopped in her tracks. I immediately realize she heard me and regret my words. Mother’s eyes are filled with sadness. Sadness, but no anger.
“You’ll understand one day,” she whispers.
I flinch at her words, but I don’t know why. Mother reaches into the purse attached to her skirts and pulls out two bundles. She hands one to me and one to Axellia.
“These belonged to your brother. I’ve been keeping them for you.”
I gasp slightly. Nicholai's belongings? She's been keeping them for us? All this time? Maybe there is a part of her that still cares afterall. As we take them from her, we hear footsteps from behind us.
“My queen,” one of her ladies-in-waiting bows as she walks past us, then hands a small wooden box to mother.
“New lamp oils have arrived for you. These are said to be apple scented.”
“Thank you, Jaylon,” Mother says as she takes the box from her, her many amethyst rings clicking against the wood as she pulls the box to her chest. Before opening it, she turns her back to us, and we take this as our sign to go. I glance over my shoulder at her as we walk back towards the gate.
With a gesture to her hand, the surface of the pool begins to morph and shape of a village, complete with people moving through the watery streets. I want to watch. I used to watch Mother make shapes out of water all the time, but since Nicholai died she doesn’t like anyone watching her. Axellia and I continue our walk out of the garden, only pausing so that the guards can open the gates for us.
“That was strange,” I murmur as we step out of the garden and the guards close the doors behind us.
“Very,” Axellia nods as she looks behind us, her eyes lingering on the door. I look down at the bundle in my hands and unwrap it. It’s a small silver dagger. I carefully remove the knife from the sheath. Engraved on the blade is an inscription reading “Born to be King.”
I shove it back, a bitter taste in my mouth. I shouldn’t be the one owning this. Nicholai was born to be king, not me. Father’s constant nitpicking is evidence of that. I brush my hand along the left side of my jaw, where four claw-like scars painfully remind me that I am not what people look for in a king. I look over at Axellia. She’s holding a silver armband with the name “Nicholai” engraved upon it. She gently runs her finger over the name, her face sullen.
“I know it’s not my place, your highnesses,” one the guards speaks up. “But he’d be proud of the both of you.”
“Thank you,” I nod in gratitude. Axellia also nods her thanks before slipping the band onto her arm. I run my hand over the knife’s hilt before slipping it through one of my belt loops and heading back towards the training grounds.
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