For the second time, I walk out on Maven. I need to find Granny. I need some sort of mission, something besides just being here, and being me. I need something to keep my mind off Maven.
I find her in the kitchens, washing some plates. I've changed into some servants clothes I found in the laundry, and tousled up my hair a bit. At a glance, I look just like the old Mare Barrow, the palace servant.
Granny looks at me for a moment, then looks around. Satisfied that there's no one who could hear our conversation, she says "What do you want? You don't have long, so spit it out, dear."
"Give me something to do." I say. "Something to help the cause."
"You're doing fine how you are. Just continue to warm up to king Maven. Make him trust you. Then we can start changing things. Revolutions take time, not haste. Now go, people are looking at us."
I stare at her for a moment, not wanting to believe her words. I wanted a reason to drive a wedge between me an Maven, something to stop this thing between us from growing. But she's simply giving me another reason to get closer to him.
While I walk back to my room, I try to think of reasons to hate him.
He killed Cal.
But is that reason really valid? When I needed him most, he turned his back on me. Cal was a silver. And a silver who didn't want change, even at a small price.
Maven's a liar. A trickster. How do I even know that the Maven from the past few months is the real Maven? How do I know who the real Maven is?
That's a good reason. I can't trust him. I don't know if I ever will be able to.
I'm so absorbed in my thoughts, that I don't see Elara until I walk into her. Hoping she didn't recognise me, I keep my head down, and keep walking.
"Come back here, red!" She snarls. At least she doesn't know who I am yet.
I turn, but don't walk back to her. "Sorry, your Majesty."
She barely acknowledges me, and simply says, "Scuttle along now, the king is having an important dinner tonight." Then she strides away.
A dinner? Why?
I nearly run back to my room, and find a note lying on my bed, along with a box.
The note reads:
It is the Queen's responsibility to greet guests, so I expect you to be ready when they arrive. Wear this dress. Arrive in the ballroom at 1600 precisely.
Elara Merandus
I groan, crumple up the note and toss it aside. In the box is a red ball gown. Great. Dancing.
The last ball I was at… I shove down the memories. Now is not the time. It's only 20 minutes to 16:00, so I need to hurry if I don't want to be killed by Elara meradudus. She hates it when I'm late, weather if it's for one of her stupid luncheons or a council meeting.
As I get my dress on, which is harder than it sounds because of all the stupid frilly mess, I wonder who the guests are. Possibly someone important from one of the high house? Or maybe some person from piedmont? A maid comes in to put makeup on me, but I send her away. I don't want to be the pretty, helpless queen, that everyone thinks got her position clearly for her looks. If Elara didn't specifically say I needed this dress then I would…
Wait.
I might as well wear what I want. I am the queen, afterall. Who cares what Elara thinks.
When I enter the ballroom, everyone stares at me. Maven, Elara, even the red servants. My dress is black and purple and shimmers as I walk, bouncing off beams of light in every direction. Elara scowls at me, but Maven just looks at me in awe.
Let them stare.
"Our guests are arriving any moment. You must be respectful." Elara snarls, the walks out. I guess she wasn't invited to this party. I barely manage to keep the smirk of my face.
But when the royal guest walks in, I'm the one staring.
Not because of the person's stunning clothes, although they are quite stunning, but because it's someone I didn't think I'd see in a long time. And definitely not here.
She holds herself with such grace, you'd think she was a silver. I'm don't know what game her and Maven are playing, but I hope she knows what she's getting herself into. Maven is involved in this, there's no other way Farley would just be able to stroll in here like some silver noble.