Chapter 1
A great roaring fire sat at the end of the vast castle hall and was contained by a huge mouth of blackened stone. To its left and raised upon a dais, was the Great Table covered by a huge tablecloth and laden with lavish foods. Its centerpiece was a lawn, created by green jelly and within its center sat a gilded cage of live birds. Their ornate wings fluttered as they leapt and startled in the uproar of the celebratory feast. Surrounding them and their fancy lawn were other brightly coloured jellies depicting pheasants and peacocks. Seated at the center of the table, his presence great and awe-inspiring, sat King Emmett. With his crown seated upon dark brown curls and his intimidatingly tall and muscled body swathed in rich cloth, it was difficult to look away. His laughter was loud and free with the excitement that surrounded his return from battle and it was clear now how bleak the kingdom had been without him. To his right sat his wife, Queen Rosalie. A foreign princess dragged here on an arranged marriage that could not seemed to have been more perfectly manufactured. They were lucky and in love.
A metal pitcher was thrust into my hand, filled to the brim with a deep red wine. Remembering myself and my role in the kingdom, I swept off to the great table avoiding the disapproving look of the cook. Skirting the room and the bustling festivities I reached Lady Alice. She was a tiny creature, her body a pleasure for the dressmakers for its slight frame. Her beauty was unparalleled but by Queen Rosalie who, with her golden locks outshone everyone in the land. Or at least, such was the claim of the King. Lady Alice smiled and spoke merrily as she ate and I was pleased to see her enjoying her brother's return. As a princess in the court, she sat to King Emmet's left, their mother, Lady Esme, between them.
"Oh Bella!" She called, her voice still filled with laughter from her conversation with Sir Jasper, a knight in her brother's army. I stepped forward from where I was stood against the wall with the other servants and squires. "Come! Let's dance!" I opened my mouth to decline, but Lady Alice rushed on. "Do not deny me today. My brother is back victorious and alive and that stands for celebration. Come!" She was stood already, holding her slender hand open to me, the flared sleeves of her dress fluttering in the warm air of the hall. The pitcher of wine I had placed upon the table had not yet ready to be refilled and the food was all served but I was hesitant. Unwilling to endure my indecision, Lady Alice grabbed my hand and dragged me out onto the stone floor where a line of dancers were already assembling. I stumbled over the frayed hem of my work dress but she was not deterred and pulled me to the line. My Lady, took the hand of a fellow noble whilst I nervously took the hand of another male courtier then music began, and the line of dancers began to sing.
I clung to Alice's hand, self-consciously mumbling the words as my eyes searched the great table of nobles and royals. I should not be dancing, not when there was work at hand and certainly not with the nobles. The cook would rap my fingers for it. A few courtiers watched me, anger upon their faces, it was all too clear from my dirtied, ragged clothes that I was little more than a servant compared to the expensive cloth that adorned the nobles. None of those watching made to move though, my brazen actions were clearly the desire of the princess and whatever she wished was allowed to go unchallenged unless by the King.
Lady Alice's joy was infectious and it was not long before I too was laughing around the lyrics we sang. My dress swept across the floor, its fabric so much heavier than my Lady's and I grew hot yet I could not draw my hand from hers. As we moved round before the Great Table again, my sight settled on the King as he laughed and applauded the entertainment of the dance. Leaving the table, he moved to where the musicians gathered clapping his hand on the back of a lone man seated plucking the strings of an instrument I had never seen before. I had heard the unique sound woven into the music, but not the instrument that created it. The King, in a surprising act crouched down next to the man and spoke into his ear. The man smiled a crooked grin, his gaze never rising from where he observed his instrument. He should have stood for the King so he did not have to lower himself. The man's face was shadowed in the dark perimeter of the Great Hall and he kept it down turned throughout the dance and the next. As we wove by the musicians, my voice tiring in the third song, he lifted his head, his eyes snapping up to meet mine. From the darkness of his hood shone eyes of the deepest green, glittering like emeralds in the firelight. I stumbled, taken aback by the weight and ferocity of his gaze. I struggled to regain my balance and as the line wove back on itself, I turned to see the man again, but his eyes were once more upon his instrument.
Finally Alice tired also and we left the floor. Still holding hands we returned to the High Table and she took her seat. Grasping my hand she encouraged me down into the seat beside her. I glanced nervously for Lord Newton, whose seat I was sat upon, but could not see him.
"Rumour has it my brother returned with Emrys." She whispered conspiratorially. My attention snapped from where I had been searching for the noble and returned to the princess. She smiled at the manner in which her words captured my attention. The existence of Emrys was legend; a man who surpassed mortality and all its tethers. The name meant undying immortal and his birth was rumoured to predate all history known. Some say he was a great warrior and others that he had such magic at his disposal he could smite a nation. The legend of Emrys was a thing of childhood tales.
I smiled, "If the King has, then we should surely recognize Emrys for his beauty is unparalleled." I glanced about the room swiftly, "There are many beautiful men here, but none like Emrys." I said in a light, sing-song voice as I negated my friend's comment.
"How would you know?" Lady Alice challenged. "Have you ever seen Emrys?" We smiled both knowing I had not. The princess was a fanciful creature and fell in love with myths and legends. I knew she yearned for this new rumour to be true.
"If he is here my Lady, then nothing better to ensnare the attentions of a great wizard, than a beautiful princess." I whispered conspiratorially.
My Lady shook her head laughing, "Oh no, my heart would much rather a mortal man, such as Lord Whitlock." Our eyes drifted across the room to where King Emmett was now sat with his handsome, most trusted knight. My hand squeezed hers because, for many months my Lady had hoped for the attention of the knight.
A short while later, the King had returned to his seat at the great table and I was pouring more wine into Lady Alice's mug when he summoned the attention of the room. "I trust we have all feasted well?" He began to loud cheers. "I am glad to have returned to my kingdom in victory and ensured the safety of our lands." There was a resounding cheer, but the King continued on with little more than a smile of acknowledgement. "On my travels I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a man who offered me his services." At this he turned to look behind him, extending an arm back to beckon the hooded man behind him forwards. His other hand extended towards the rest of us gathered in the great hall. "I present to you Emrys!" The man stepped up beside the king, his hood now lowered.
From my place beside Alice, I could only see the side of his face, the strong jaw, sculpted nose and high cheekbones. His hair was unruly and the darkest bronze, darkened further by the shadows of the hall. His presence was met with a half second of awed silence until it shattered into an uproar of excitement, trepidation and disbelief. Amidst the clamor Emrys slowly sat, his face impassive, even as the King drew him into conversation.
Nervously, I began to help the other servants clear the high table. As I took plates of uneaten food away, Lady Alice snagged my hand once more and here eyes were wide. We exchanged a silent, awestruck glance before she giggled elatedly and I swiftly carried the plate of fish away.
Returning, the only thing left to clear was the cage of birds situated before the King. Unwilling to disturb him, but unable to get to it any other way, I stood next to where Emrys sat, "I am sorry My Lord." I murmured as I reached across for the birdcage. Emrys' answer was a half-laugh as he continued to watch the room, " I am no Lord or courtier, Olwen." His voice was rich and deep despite his murmured tones. Confused by his words, I continued to pull the cage towards me murmuring a soft apology. My fingers grasped the handle of the ornate cage tightly to avoid dropping it as my hands and arms shook with nervous weakness. Swiftly I left the table hurrying to the kitchen where I lowered the cage to the large wooden table. The birds chattered nervously, grateful at last to be free of the commotion of the Great Hall.
