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My Life as a Companion Ch.2

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Ch.2

I stared with frustration at the cloth in my hands. "Madame, I truly don't understand. Do I stitch upwards and then pivot, or..."

"No, no. You silly child," my mentor scolded, taking the cloth from my hands. "Watch my hands," she instructed. Dutifully, I did as I was told. However, I still didn't understand how to do what she wanted me to. After she completed the stitch, she took it out and handed the fabric back to me. "Your highness, do you understand now?" Her tone was harsh and her eyes unkind.
I simply nodded and tried to copy what I'd seen.

I jumped slightly and winced as I pricked my finger. The needle slipped from my fingers pulling the thread, and before I knew what happened, my work fell to the floor along with it. I was horrified and looked from it to the scowling pinched face of my mentor.
"I am so sorry." I hastily took the cloth from the floor and realized with another surge of horror that the little bit of blood drawn by the needle was now on the fabric.

She hastily snatched the fabric from my hands, a scowl on her face. She examined the damage my blood had done to the fabric and then looked back at me. "Libellia?" My lower lip trembled. I truly had not meant to make such a mess of it. She sighed, "You are dismissed, child. Leave." I quickly fled the room.

I made my way to the palace gardens. They were a place of peace for me, and I felt I needed that peace. I sunk onto a white bench and breathed in the scent of the flowers.

I always attempted to do my very best at all of the tasks and duties placed upon me. As the Princess of Amarion, I felt that I needed to be the best I could be. Even a failure of something simple such as learning to embroider embarrassed me greatly. My mentor Malin only made me feel worse. I had thought of asking my father to find someone else, but I did not wish to bother him with something so trivial. And, I am sure at least part of her temper was my own lack of skills.

After a few moments, I collected my composure and moved closer to the wall separating the city from the castle. The marketplace, I'd come to realize, was on the opposite of the wall. The liveliness of the people contrasted greatly with the calm of the garden. I was only allowed outside of the castle during festivals, and wished to ask Father for more time outside but Malin said the idea was absurd. I was sure she was right, so I didn't ask my father.
I gave the wall a final wistful look and slowly turned away. I really did wish to see more. I knew that the daily lives of the people must be different from what I witnessed at the festivals.

I took my time walking back to the palace from the wall and saw one of the servants coming out to meet me.
"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you." He said with a bow.

I smiled politely as he stood straight. "Thank you. Is that all?" I'd tried conversing casually with servants before, but they didn't seem to take it well. He answered with a 'no' and left my presence quickly.

I had always thought my Father a great king. Our servants loved him, our people loved him, and we had great relations with neighboring countries. He always made intelligent decisions while ruling, and I'd never disagreed with him before.
I entered his chambers quietly to find him reading a letter. "Father?"
Father looked up from the letter at me.
"Libellia, good. There is something important we must discuss." He smiled at me. For a moment I thought there was an odd gleam in his blue eyes, but when I looked again, he looked completely normal. I supposed it was just the light.
"What is it, Father?"
"My dear, I'm sure you've been taught about the land of Braeton, correct?"
"Yes, Sir." I nodded.
"To improve our relations with this land, I've arranged a marriage between you and Lord Daegromar." I have never disagreed with my Father's decisions, but I almost protested this time. I was completely caught off guard. It was so very sudden. I gazed, speechless at Father before finding my voice.
"W-with Lord Daegromar?" Lord Daegromar was a very powerful and famous wizard who ruled the country of Braeton. I felt nervous and awed at the thought of being the wife of such a man.
"Wh..." My voice came out in a croak. I swallowed and said more steadily. "When?"
He glanced back at the letter in his hands. "A week from now, you'll be sent by coach." I must have looked fearful or worried for he added, "Do not worry. You will have a full escort of guards and servants." I nodded slowly. He had misintrepeted my feelings, but I did not wish to upset him by concerns with this sudden marriage. Father smiled softly, "You may go now, my dear."
I bobbed a curtsy and left the room.

I gazed into my mirror meeting my own blue eyes and ran a comb through my golden hair thoughtfully. I felt an odd mixture of excitement, nerves, and sadness. I was afraid to meet Daegromar and marriage was a frightening prospect. I knew I would miss Father and my home dearly, though I was sure there would be many visits. However, the thought of leaving and seeing more of the world after all this time in the palace did send a thrill through me.

It had taken two months to get to Braeton. Upon our arrival, I was greeted warmly by Lord Daegromar's servants. However, the Lord himself had not come to greet me. I thought it strange, but as a Princess it was not my place to complain, so I remained silent. "Princess Libellia," a servant spoke to me. "The Lord had work to attend, but wishes to spend dinner with you."

The servant led me to my room within Lord Daegromar's tower. I desired to see more of the city, but I also needed to make myself presentable as the Princess of Amarion and as Lord Daegromar's guest. The room was simple, yet elegant. A large gilt mirror stood against one wall next to a darkwood wardrobe. My bed was large with a red canopy of silk. A plush deep purple rug covered the stone floor. I realized with some dismay that there was no window. Only lamps lit this room.

I gazed into the mirror and smoothed a slight crease in my gown as there was a knock upon my door. It opened to reveal a servant standing stiffly.
"My Lord is ready for you, Your Highness."
"Thank you." I followed the servant down the winding stairs. The hall was dim, lit only by torches, and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. There was something unnerving about the tower, but I supposed that it was just the unfamiliarity of it.

The servant knocked upon a large dark wood door and opened it. He bowed me in announcing my presence to Lord Daegromar. I entered the long dining hall, swallowing nervously.

Lord Daegromar sat at the other end of the table in an ornate chair with his hands folded in front of him. "Welcome princess," he greeted, his tone warm but his eyes cold. The servant left my side and I was alone with the man.
"I'm grateful to be your guest, Sir."
His smile widened as if what I'd said was funny. "Yes, yes. Please, sit. Dinner will be served soon."
I sat across from him and studied him while also trying not to appear to be staring - an act that is quite rude. I had no desire to offend the Lord and my...it made me feel strange to think it, future husband.
Lord Daegromar in turn seemed to be studying me with deep blue eyes in a, I must admit, handsome, well defined face. His black hair was well kept and he seemed quite an elegant man. I believe many would find him highly desirable were it not for his cold demeanor.
"Princess Libellia," he spoke, interrupting my study of him. "It is a pleasure to have you here at last." He smiled, and his tone remained warm, cordial even, but there was still something chill about him.
"It is an honour to be in your presence, My Lord," I replied politely, my gaze cast down respectfully. I was unsure of what else to say, and Lord Daegromar seemed to be having difficulty with his words as well. Fortunately, servants soon came carrying trays of food.

The evening continued on like that, the two of us speaking seldomly. Shortly after I'd finished, I was allowed to be excused and hurried upstairs to my room.

I sunk down onto the bed and realized that I was shaking a bit. I felt jittery after our meeting and dinner. I supposed it was just nerves. I prayed that I would not keep feeling this way after every meeting with Lord Daegromar. There was something about him that frightened me, though I was unsure of exactly what it was. I suppressed a tired yawn and glanced towards the wall that would have, had I been at the palace, held my window. There was nothing there but stone. I realized with a pang that I was already homesick, but I couldn't be. This was my home now. I had to accept that. I had to fulfill my duty and marry Lord Daegromar. I attempted to distract myself with wonderings of how soon I might see him use his magics. I was curious. He was supposed to be one of the most, if not the most, powerful wizards in the world.

I changed into my night-gown and blew out the lamps. I slid under the covers and waited for sleep to take me.

I awoke suddenly feeling disoriented and it took me a moment to recall where I was. I had no idea of the time, and the lack of window did not help. After a few moments of panic, I remembered. I was in Lord Daegromar's castle. I was also probably late for breakfast.
Ashamed, I quickly threw the covers off and hurriedly changed from my night-gown. I checked the mirror to see if I'd meet the Lord's approval, and decided I would. I jiggled the door knob to exit the room...and it didn't budge. Strange, I thought. I tried again realizing that it was a silly thing to do, but I wasn't sure what else to do. I did not understand why I seemed to be locked within my room, but I was. I knocked on the door and called, hoping that someone was outside, "Hello? Is anyone there?" There was no response. "Excuse me!" I frowned, then banged hard on the door and tried the door knob once more. Both tactics failed. "Please! What is going on?"

I walked back and sat on my bed and wondered. Why would my door be locked? Perhaps the Lord did not trust me? But, that was hardly a good beginning to our countries' relationship. And, I was to be his wife.

After what felt like several minutes I went to the door once more. Nothing had changed of course, but I hoped that perhaps someone was outside now.
"I-is anyone there? Please. What is going on?" My breath hitched when I realized I heard voices. I pressed my ear to the door to listen.

"...shame really..."
"Did you see her?"
"Aye, pretty lass too."
"and he's really going to kill her?"
Who's going to kill someone, I wondered fearfully.
"Sacrifice is what I heard."
"Sacrifice?"
"So, I heard. At the wedding."
"That's awful."
"What Lord Daegromar wants, he gets. The Princess will be killed."
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Should we really be talking about this?"
"Uh, you're probably right. I just, I don't know, needed to talk about it, I guess."
"Let's go. We still have work to do."

I reeled away from the door. I felt faint and stumbled back to the bed where I could sit before my shaking legs gave out. Kill me? He was going to...kill me?
I wondered briefly if my father knew. I shook that thought from my head quickly. This so-called 'marriage' was apparently something Lord Daegromar had only agreed to so he could perform one of his magics. It was at that point I decided I needed to get out of there and tell Father. Only, I wasn't exactly sure how I'd get out.

First, I tried knocking on the walls to no avail. I checked all of the books in the bookshelf and came up short. I sighed, sitting on the bed, wondering what other places I could check for secret passageways. I honestly had hopes for the bookshelf. Were bookshelves not the most common concealment for secret passages? I frowned. The walls and bookshelf yielded no results...what was left? The mirror seemed like it might have something, but I had checked all around it to no avail. I irritably tapped the side of the bed with my foot. Was there really no escape? Tap, tap, tap. The bed! I had not thought of there. Perhaps something underneath.

I kneeled on the floor. There was a gap between the bed and the floor. I thought I might be able to wriggle underneath. I sighed slightly at the state my gown would be in after this, but that was hardly important at this time. I pulled myself under, and felt around. My fingers caught on some sort of latch or something. I could not tell in the dark. There was a click and my arm fell through a hole formed by a trap door swinging in and open. I pulled back and wondered just how I would get in. I rolled and put my legs in first and slid myself in. It was very uncomfortable, but I was now in some sort of very dark and dusty passage. It was also incredibly narrow and the roof of it was quite low. It took some effort and a great deal of unladylike wriggling, but I managed to maneuver myself into a crawling position.

After what seemed like countless hours, I finally arrived at the end of the passage, dirty with my dress torn. I noticed a small group of goblin-like minion-things standing by a small door. On the other side of the room, there was another, larger door. 'That probably leads back up the stairs,' I thought, brushing some of my once-blonde hair behind my ear. I was able to catch snippets of the minions' conversation.
"'Ow long, do ya tink 'e'll keep 'er up there? M'sure teh king is gettin' impatient."
"Yer the one oo's gettin' impatient," one snapped. "Teh Lord'll know when the ceremony ought to begin, right?" The first one who had spoken nodded. "Good. Now, let's get back to work 'fore we're caught."

I held my breath while I watched them go through the smaller door, and continued to hold it until I could no longer hear their steps echoing in the halls. I slowly crawled from my hiding space and sighed. I glanced from door to door before finally deciding to try the larger door. It opened to revealed another long, dark passageway. But the stairs were leading downwards, not up.

I took a deep breath and started creeping down the stairs. I longed to run, but the stairs were narrow and dank. I was worried I'd fall, and that would do me little good. I prayed these stairs would help me find my way out and not merely cause me to lose my way further. My mind was still reeling from what I heard from the servants and minions. Daegromar was going to kill me and it was starting to sound like my Father had something to do with it. I tried not to think about it, and shied away from my Father even thinking such a dreadful thing.

Tired from being so careful upon the stairs, and my thoughts draining me of any remaining energy, I came upon a large, heavy door. I could barely see anything around me, and my fumbling hands couldn't seem to find a latch. I finally gave up and leaned against the door. It creaked and slowly swung open, so I stumbled and had to catch myself. I do believe I've never been so glad to see the sunlight.
This is chapter two for My Life as a Companion written with :iconrukirisa-chan:
Introducing a new character!


It's ours! No stealing, or there will be vengeance!
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nathanaelwolff's avatar
I'm kinda confused though... This doesn't sound very video game-ish O_o

Then again, that's what makes it it's charm x3

I really like your style(s?) of writing, it's always lively and makes you want to keep on reading!