Chapter One: In Which Castle Glower Kindly Gifts Rolf with One of his Fears
The usual routine after breakfast for everyone who lived in Castle Glower was quite rudely interrupted, by ironically, Castle Glower itself-that is if you could call Castle Glower an 'it'. That could be decided upon later. Most days after breakfast, they would split their separate ways. Currently, Bran, Pogue, and Kalys would go and attend to the griffins and unicorns, while Celie would jealously stalk off to her lessons, Rolf would go to the throne room with King Glower to attend to kingly duties, Queen Celina would attend to her queenly duties, and Lilah and Lulath would do whatever else needed to be done. Usually, it was planning their very extravagant wedding that would take place the very next summer.
But this lovely Tuesday morning was quite different. Before the Castle had been restored to its full self, everyone knew its favorite day to change was Tuesday. Even now that it wasn't changing all that often, it still usually revealed what it really wanted on Tuesday. This could mean anything to showing Kalys that it thought she could spoil the griffins more by putting out treats, to revealing to King Glower that it strongly disliked his high maintenance cousin by transforming his stairs into a slide out of the Castle. So it was no shock to anyone that a shocking event such as the one that was about to happen, happened on a Tuesday morning.
Princess Cecelia, otherwise known as Celie, was climbing the stairs mournfully. Bran had excitedly told her about some a new theory Kalys had come up with on unicorns involving edible golden apples created by a wizard in Bendswe a few months ago. Bran had had them shipped in and they had arrived the day before, obviously leaving today to test out Kalys's theory. Celie, now thirteen years and at the final year of her lessons, was not amused she had been forbidden to attend said testing of the theory. And so, she tromped up the stairs with a scowl on her fair features.
She was halfway up when she realized she had forgotten one of her history textbooks and then began running down to get it as Master Humphries was very annoyed with tardiness. As she was passing the throne room on her way to her chambers, she noticed quite a big gathering by the closed doors. Guards were pushing servants back and Celie craned her neck to see what was going on. She pushed her way through the people in the congested hallway until she stood by her mother.
"Rolf, can you hear me?" Queen Celina pounded on the door, and Celie could hear a panicked voice come back. She tapped her mother's arm.
"What's going on?" Lilah beat her to question. With boldness Celie knew she would never possess Lilah shooed away all the servants, leaving the queen and her daughters to pound on the throne room door.
"Rolf and Kalys went in here to get the crate of golden apples for Bran and now they're stuck," Queen Celina told them, a grimace on her face. Queen Celina swallowed and Celie knew that her mother was panicking on the inside. All three of them knew what that meant.
...
Celie smiled as she took another bite of her apple. She was leaned up against the doors of the throne room, Rufus on one side of her, Dagger on the other. She had been sitting there since after lunch, drawing. Every so often her parents or Bran would show up and ask Rolf questions through the door and then try and open it, but the doors remained locked.
Celie herself had talked a bit to her trapped brother, but gave up after awhile. Dagger, who was annoyingly attached to his rider, squirmed against the door. Rufus tried to calm his brother down, but nothing soothed him. He was whiny, and crying and screeching. He would scratch at the door and whine for his rider, but Rolf had given up responding after awhile to his crying griffin.
Celie, though she wouldn't admit it, had secretly enjoyed hearing the various fights Kalys and Rolf had found themselves in. Rolf would say something rude, baiting Kalys into an argument out of sheer boredom. Kalys would go off into a rant in the Hathelocke language, though she would often curse at Rolf in Sleynth too. They were petty fights, as both of them had stayed late the night before talking, information Celie knew from a gossipy servant who had stayed with the guard she was courting. Rolf had always reacted in crankiness from lack of sleep, and it appeared Kalys did the same. Both of them sounded irritable.
Rufus laid his head on her lap, making her hand drift from her drawing. She scowled at him, erasing the unwanted line. It was drawing near to dinner time, and Rolf and Kalys had been quiet for awhile, leaving Celie with nothing to listen to while she drew.
"Dinner time, Celia-Delia," King Glower offered a hand and Celie took it, pulling herself up. She neatly stacked her sketches, leaving them beside Dagger, who was finally sleeping, knowing she would be back after dinner.
She walked with her father to the private dining room, sitting in her usual chair beside Lilah. Queen Celina looked a mess which was quite uncommon. Lilah looked irritated and a bit frightened, Lulath looked serious, Bran looked as if he were thinking hard, and King Glower and Pogue showed to emotion.
Queen Celina chewed her lip as if she were about to say something. "Celie darling, do you have any idea when the Castle is going to let them out?"
Celie shook her head. She was very annoyed with the Castle for not giving her the slightest hint in this situation as it normally did. Of course, there was a possibility of this meant the Castle wished Kalys and Rolf to be married. They had all known it was going to happen sooner or later, just not only two months after returning to Grath. They had all been aware of Rolf's feelings toward Kalys, he made it quite obvious that he had interest in her. However, Rolf was sixteen, not of marriageable age. It was legal in Sleyne, however never really done.
"Owen?" the queen looked at her husband hopefully, but he shook his head.
"I'm sure they'll be out soon, Mother," Bran patted her hand, his face looking like he found this more interesting than frightening. Celie would have to agree. She knew the Castle wouldn't put either of them in danger, and they would probably be out in the next few hours. Celie certainly hoped so.
...
"Kalys, I really am sorry," Rolf apologized in the gentlest way he could muster.
Kalys sat with her back to him, her hands over her face. Her shoulders were shaking and Rolf knew she was crying. She waved her hand. "You're fine, Rolf. I have just as much to apologize for."
He sat down beside her, riskily putting a comforting arm around her. She didn't push him away like he had expected her to, but instead leaned her head on his shoulder. He didn't know what to do or say. He didn't know why she was crying, he didn't know if she wanted him to know, so he just sat with her in silence. The tears stopped running after a bit of time, and slowly their eyes began to droop. It had been a long, overwhelming day, and sleep was soon welcomed.
...
Celie was the first to burst through the doors of the throne room the next morning. Her brother lay next to Kalys, one arm above his head. One covered by Kalys's body. They were facing away from each other, but still scandalizingly close. If you were Lilah.
Princess Delilah did gasp in that moment, her hand fluttering to her mouth. "This could result in a royal scandal," she whispered to their mother and her fiance.
"Lilah, be reasonable," their mother whispered back. "They probably didn't do anything."
"If Kalys ends up p-" She started, but was cut off by Rolf sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, hello," he greeted in a groggy voice. "How long have you been watching us sleep?"
"Not long," Celie answered him.
She was about to add something when Dagger leaped at the crown prince, forcefully knocking him over. The griffin began cooing and butting his head against his master. Rolf laughed as Dagger curled on his lap. The griffin was much too big of course, so it made a rather funny sight.
Kalys had stood up, smoothing her gown. She was barefoot as she often was, always taking her shoes and stockings off as soon as she was out of sight of Lilah. Her braids were messy, random curls had popped out. She messed with her gown, and Celie could tell she was annoyed with it. She was used to wearing less clothes than the Sleyne women, and now being trapped in long gowns made her fidgety. Shoes and stockings she would not put up with. No one really cared except Lilah and that was because there had been no drama around the the village and she was bored.
Kalys's jobs around the Castle consisted of researching the unicorns and griffins and teaching Celie and Pogue about the griffins. She and Celie got along the best, they both had a bond with the griffins as a whole no one else had. Kalys communicated better with the Castle more than some of the royal family. Of course, Celie and her father were the best at it, but Kalys was a close third. She had changed from when they had first met her. Her hair had darkened without being in such a southern climate, and her skin had lightened to a deep caramel. But she still obviously had her large blue-green eyes, and she still kept her curls in two tight, long braids down her back.
Rolf had just stood up when Bran and Pogue burst through the room wild looks on their faces. "I think you're all are going to want to come to the Heart."
...
The Heart of the Castle looked the same as it usually did. By how Bran had been acting Celie would have thought it had completely redecorated itself. Instead, a couple wooden crates with papers lay beside one of the walls. Rolf gave Celie a look that she read as his opinion was similar to hers. Then she looked in the crate.
She pulled out a formerly written letter addressed to one of her father's cousins. Interestingly enough, it wasn't signed by anyone which made Celie jump with curiosity. That meant it was probably Castle Glower's doing. It wasn't Tuesday anymore, but then again, Rufus had been revealed to her on a Wednesday, so Celie brushed it off as she read the letter. Her eyes almost bugged when she did.
"Queen Celina," Kalys, who had gone back to her chamber, came rushing into the Heart her cheeks flushed. "I think you're wedding gown is in my bedchamber."
"Well, that would make sense," Celie stated. Everyone turned to look at her, and their faces told her that they thought she was crazy. "Because these letters are invitations to Rolf and Kalys's wedding."
That was really choppy. But it was the first chapter. This is the second Castle Glower Entry, and the first actual story. The first was a poem. I do not own Castle Glower, all rights belong to Jessica Day George. Also, the picture is not mine.