Chapter Two

The rest of the day, Dorian kept Bryi so busy, he had no time to think on the princess' words. The stablemaster hardly spoke to him, except to give him tasks.

Not even to call him names.

By the time they were finished for the day, Bryi was so tired that he had forgotten all about his strange encounter with the princess. He fell into the straw in the hayloft, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep immediately.

He was woken up by one of the other stableboys shaking him.

The boy — who could have been no older than nine or ten — pressed a tiny finger to his lips, indicating for Bryi to be quiet. The little boy answered his unspoken question by pointing down below the hayloft.

Bryi finally noticed the yelling, and at first feared that it may have been Dorian yelling at them all to get up. But if the other two boys were here, that couldn't be the case. He turned, and looked over the edge.

"Princess Lucella has specifically requested his presence at the palace!"

A woman with waist length magenta hair was arguing with the stablemaster. She was turned away from the stableboys, but she wore a lilac gown that clung to her thin figure, and heels that she surely did not need. Even from where he was, Bryi could tell that she stood taller than he did, with or without the shoes.

Even if she was turned away, there was something familiar about her posture. Just like Princess Lucella had been.

"The boy owes me a debt, and I will not let him go until it has been paid." Dorian answered coolly, dragging Bryi back to the conversation at hand.

"You wish to anger your future queen?"

There was a moment of fear evident in Dorian's face, and then it disappeared. "I do not wish to upset Her Highness, but not all of us were born into such wealth."

"Then we will pay the debt."

The stablemaster's mouth fell agape, as he grasped for any sort of words to argue with. He found none, and Bryi decided that the gasping fish expression looked good on the sour old man. He made sure to commit it to memory.

"How much do we owe?" The woman continued when Dorian could not argue with her.

"More than your lovely princess could ever pay!" The stablemaster snapped out. "And probably more than her father wishes to pay, anyways!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Dorian's face went completely white. He trembled as he stared at the woman, bottom lip quivering as if he were about to cry. It almost seemed as if he could not look away from the woman's face.

"Try me," was all she said.

It was as if a spell had been lifted, and Dorian blurted out, "F-five! Five thousand gold! That's it!"

"Then we will send the money tomorrow and take the boy today." The woman brushed her hands together, as if she were ridding them of something, then she pushed her hair behind her ear. "Unless there is a problem with that?"

"No — no!" Dorian began to wring his hands together, and sweat beaded on his forehead. "No problem at all."

The woman clasped her hands together, and jumped to her tiptoes for a moment before pressing her heels back into the stone of the stable. "Excellent! Quickly, now, call him down." She began to walk for the door. "Milady was insistent that she see him as soon as possible."

Dorian glanced up, that look of pure fear still evident in his blanched face. As Bryi locked eyes with him, anxiety creeped up from deep within. What was the stablemaster so afraid of?

He received no answer as Dorian waved him down, and the woman stopped to look up at the boys. Despite the fear in Dorian's expression, she was actually quite lovely.

Normal looking, on the contrary.

The two other boys patted him on the shoulders, and one even mumbled a soft 'good luck' to him. He felt bad, leaving them here when he didn't know their names. Perhaps he could convince the princess to free them of their indenture as well.

The woman beckoned him to the doorway, a kind smile on her face. Bryi moved to follow her, but Dorian grabbed him arm, and yanked him down close.

"She is a devil," he whispered, "don't trust her."

"Dorian."

The stablemaster grimaced, and then released Bryi. They both looked at the strange woman.

"Come along, Bryi." She motioned again, and only started to speak again once Bryi had followed her command. "Thank you so much, Dorian. You've been a wondrous help to the crown, and you will be rewarded for your service."

There was no response, but did it really matter? It was very likely that Bryi would never see the stablemaster again.

The woman lead him out of the stable, and he inwardly grimaced at the sight of that pristine white carriage. His clothes and boots were dirty, so it was more than likely that he was going to ride on the back or up front with the driver.

She opened the door. To his surprise, she bid him follow her inside. Once they were settled, she knocked on the wall behind her, and there was the sound of snapping reins and the carriage moved forward with a lurch that nearly sent him sprawling into the floor.

The woman was completely silent as they began to ride deeper into the city. Despite the warning that Dorian had given about her being a devil, she looked almost morose as she stared out the window.

In the distance, the Inferno loomed from between the great mountains. Anyone else might have said that it was menacing, or frightening, but Bryi was somewhat surprised to feel a pull towards the great hulk of a building. Just like the princess, and now this woman before him, it too had a sort of familiar feel to it.

"It's lovely, isn't it?"

Bryi startled as she suddenly spoke, and she laughed.

"There is no need to worry, my friend. I have no desire to harm you, despite what stupid old stablemaster might have thought." She shook her head. "Although, I suppose you always were wound pretty tight."

"You —" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "You know me?"

The princess, and now one of her attendants. Who else might have known him? Was he perhaps the son of some high ranking official or something? There was apparently more to him, and everyone else knew what it was except for him.

"My name is Quantl."

The woman's voice dragged him back to the present, but the princess' voice echoed distantly in his mind. 'I will send Quantl to you.'

"Bryi." He finally answered.

"I know."

Bryi felt somewhat silly, but then aggravation set in. Of course she knew, but how did she know? Was everyone else in on this big secret that he was purposefully being left out of?

"How?"

Quantl's smile fell, "You… truly do not remember?"

"No, but it seems like everyone else does." Bryi had the urge to stand up and walk around, but he certainly couldn't do so in a carriage. "And it's really starting to piss me off."

"Tell me what you think your life is."

He paused, his anger melting away at the simple question. What was he supposed to tell her? That he had woken up in the straw, was told that his mother was dead, and he was going to work until he paid off her debt? And how could he explain that he didn't actually know these things, they were just all that he had been able to figure out?

He did not remember a single thing beyond four days ago.

Quantl took the silence as an answer, "When does your memory begin?"

That was much easier. "Four days ago."

"Nothing before the curse…" She tapped a very long, very sharp nail against her teeth.

"Excuse me?"

She waved it off. "It's nothing that you should yet concern yourself with yet. While we are on this journey together to the palace, I want you to look out that window and think very hard — if you're able to."

It was not as funny as she seemed to think it was. Perhaps it would be if he knew how they were related.

"Think about what?"

"Your past. Your memories. Anything that could give you a clue as to what I am or what we're doing while on our way to the palace."

"I know what you are?"

"Oh, do you?" Quantl leaned her head against the back of the carriage. "More than what Dorian told you? That I'm a devil?"

It sounded completely preposterous when she said it. Her face was so sweet looking, as if she could not ever hurt anyone in the world.

The prettiest flowers have thorns, you know.

Somehow, he had a feeling that the statement applied to both the woman in front of him, and the princess that now awaited him. Even though he had seen her face for a few brief moments, the scar that she had shown him did nothing to suggest that she was innocent in any sort of way.

Bryi sighed, and leaned back into his seat. His eyes drifted to the Inferno, and he could hear Quantl speaking in the back of his mind. It's lovely, isn't it?

And it was lovely. Not in that it seemed like just the sort of place where you would find demons, but, rather, that it seemed just the sort of place to find a well guarded secret or something to that effect. Something that no one else should know but the keepers of the grandiose building.

"Would you like a hint?"

Bryi focused the best sort of glare that he could make. No, he did not really want a hint — at least, not from her. But he knew he needed a hint, because he simply was not getting anywhere by himself.

Quantl sighed, glancing off towards the Inferno again. "You were good at making it known when you were angry with someone, cousin."

It took a few moments — longer than it should have, really — for the information to settle in.

"You're kidding."

"Do I look like I am joking?" Quantl's head snapped back so she could stare him in the eye. "You and I are cousins, and you have a brother."

He was astounded.

If Quantl were actually telling the truth — not some sort of lie for her to be able to craft him into what she needed him to be — then he did have a family. Which means Dorian might just have been lying about his mother.

He had to know. "My mother — was Dorian —"

"He was telling the truth."

A heavy feeling set on his chest immediately. Why couldn't that have been a lie?

"Your mother died when you were a child. Murdered. Your father died of grief right after." She continued. "So, while Dorian wasn't lying about that bit, he was lying about your debt."

A little bit of light in the darkness, he supposed. "You mean —"

"Your mother never had contact with that stable. In fact, she never had contact with anything in this city." Quantl continued, cutting him off. "Your mother was sheltered, in a way. Hidden away by your father. He loved her very much, but I fear that he knew little of what was best for her."

Bryi wasn't sure what to say. He had a brother. His cousin sat right beside her. His mother had supposedly been murdered, and his father died soon after. His mother had never really had contact with the stablemaster. But then how did Dorian come up with such a figure? How did Dorian knew that his parents were dead? Didn't he think that someone would come looking for him?

Suddenly, the situation he was in seemed to be a lot more real. What if he was the son of some sort of nobleman? If something else had happened to cause the death of his mother, and Dorian had stepped in and stolen Bryi?

But the missing memories — such a crucial part of what made him Bryi… No, somehow he felt that Dorian had nothing to do with the deaths of his parents, nor how he actually came to be inside that stable.

A shadow fell over the carriage, and Bryi looked out the window to see what had caused it.

The palace was as their coaches and horses had been — that is, to say, completely white. It looked more like a statue than an actual castle, but from where he was, Bryi could also see painters whitewashing the walls. If he looked a little closer, he could see that the roses in the flower boxes were white as well. The corners of the castle parapet had an angel blowing on a horn.

Quantl scoffed. "Horrible, that's what it is."

Bryi did not ask for her to elaborate.

The carriage finally stopped, and the door opened. Quantl exited with the help of a footman, and Bryi followed after her. She didn't give him any sort of time to look around, instead hurrying for the large double doors.

Guards dressed completely in white lined the railing leading up to the entryway, and Bryi had to refrain from staring. They were intimidating, and he had a feeling they weren't entirely for show.

"Listen to me," Quantl instructed once they were halfway up the stairs, voice quiet enough that he had to lean in to hear her, "do not speak unless spoken to. In fact, don't even speak. Pretend you're dumb, or deaf, or something."

Bryi only nodded, though, and let himself trail behind her. Silently, he wondered why everything was white. Was there a reason, or was it just the house colors?

Two guards opened the doors for them, and they stepped into the entry hall. Pillars lined out a path that led to another set of double doors, and what he could only assume to be a ballroom or perhaps even the throne room. But, just like the outside, they were also white. Everything was a shade of cream or ivory, so very pale. Grey accents were applied here and there.

As he looked up to the sheer height of the ceiling, Bryi suddenly felt very small.

"This way, boy."

Quantl's voice came from his right, where she stood in front of a much smaller, less imposing door. She motioned him forward, and then opened the door. Bryi hurried to follow.

He was a small bit surprised to find himself in a very large, indoor cathedral. There were more rows of pews than he cared to count, and the ceiling was just as tall as the entryway — if not more. There were more stone pillars, and the room would probably be very dark were it not for the large stained glass window at the back of the room.

The window itself depicted an angel, her wings spread wide. She had a sword in her hands, which was stabbed down into the body of what Bryi assumed to be a demon. Around the demon's body, humans rejoiced.

"Boy."

How does she move so fast? Bryi thought quietly to himself as he hurried to catch up with her.

She stopped at the edge of the light cast by the stained glass window, and cast her gaze forward. Bryi stopped next to her, curious as to what she was staring at. He did not have to wait long for his answer.

There was a girl, knelt on the floor. She had a veil over her face, and in front of her stood a priest, his hand pressed against the top of her bowed head.. He was mumbling something, voice too soft for Quantl and Bryi to hear. The girl herself was dressed completely in white, her gown spread around her like a halo.

Quantl leaned close to him. "She's been undergoing blessings everyday since her return from the Inferno." She mumbled. "She keeps claiming that she married the Demon King while she was there, and her father decided that she had been brainwashed and removed from Gabriel's grace. She gets up at the crack of dawn, comes here, and listens to this for several hours."

Bryi did not answer more than just a nod.

Finally, the girl stood, and turned. Oh, how he wished that he could rip that veil right off and look at her face, but he knew better than to even try.

The priest walked beside her as they approached Quantl.

"How is her progress, Father Marcel?"

Princess Lucella said nothing, merely folded her hands in front of her.

The priest — who Bryi could only assume to be 'Father Marcel' — glanced at Lucella, and then back to them. "I believe we are finally making progress into her affliction."

Lucella's hands clenched, but she made no other move. Apparently, she did not like these blessings. Something told Bryi that he wouldn't have either.

"Well," Quantl turned the conversation away, "I'm sure she would like some breakfast."

"Yes, please." Lucella nodded.

A smile crossed the priest's face, but it did not reach his eyes. "She will need her strength to fight the Demon King's curse, and it is a strong one, indeed. To make someone believe that they are in love with another…"

"He did not make me believe anything." Lucella snapped out.

The priest turned his attention to her, and she seemed to want to shrink away. From beside him, Quantl smiled just a little bit.

"Your highness —" Father Marcel began, but Quantl cut him off.

"Breakfast! I'm sure the princess is just exhausted and needs to recharge that's all."

She reached out and took the princess' hand in her own, then pulled her away. Marcel stared at them in disbelief, and looked like he had something to say, but Bryi turned before he could have the chance.

He followed the women back through the entryway, and then to a set of stairs that was hidden in the back corner opposite to the door they had come through. They turned down one hall, then another, then up a flight of stairs, and then another hall. Bryi stopped trying to keep track. While they knew the palace like the back of their hand, he was already dizzy from the many twists and turns they'd taken.

Everything was still a shade of white or ivory or grey, but nothing else. The servants that they passed were all dressed in cream uniforms, cream coifs to match. The guards wore grey. The only other color that Bryi saw was the muddy brown of his shirt and pants, and the soft lilac of Quantl's dress.

As they walked, Bryi realized that there were no panes of glass in the holes in the wall, where he assumed windows would be. Gods, it must be freezing in the winter.

Finally, Lucella and Quantl stopped in front of a door, with two guards positioned on either side, and the princess turned to him.

"Would it be alright if you gave me just a moment?"

Figuring that it would be rude to say 'no', he nodded.

She reached up and pressed a hand to his cheek. "Still so silent, you know that you may say whatever you wish to me, don't you?"

Bryi did not reply, just stared at where he thought her eyes were. Was she watching his reactions through that veil? Testing him for some reason or another?

"Majesty," Quantl mumbled softly.

At her behest, the princess turned away and followed the other into the room.

Bryi sighed, and leaned back against the door.

The sun had hardly left the horizon, and he was already exhausted. He almost wished that he could go back to Dorian — horse shit was much easier to handle than whatever court life was going to be.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps further down the hall. Figuring that it was just another servant, he started to close his eyes, but then both guards tensed.

Bryi leaned forward just enough to see out of the little alcove that the door was set into, and then wished he hadn't.

"Well, well," Lrees' footsteps slowed at the sight of Bryi, "seems our princess is once again going to desperate lengths to warm her bed."

It would be so much easier to say nothing and let the man move on. Keep his mouth shut and show he wasn't worth anything.

Seems Bryi was not eager to go the easy way today.

"That's not why I'm here."

"Oh, good." Lrees folded his hands behind his back, suddenly making his lanky form much more imposing. Now that Bryi was actually paying him more mind, there seemed to be an inhuman aura about him. He moved much more gracefully than any other human he had seen as well. "At least she has better taste than a stableboy." A light chuckle escaped Lrees. "Although I suppose a demon king is no better."

He thought back to what Quantl had said in the cathedral. She keeps claiming that she married the demon king while she was there.

At the confusion in Bryi's face, Lrees' eyes seemed to twinkle gleefully. Maliciously. "Oh, yes. Her father, King Galen, sent her to the Inferno as a prize to be won. Four days ago, a knight returned with her."

One of the guards must have made a face or done something that Bryi could not see because Lrees scoffed.

"Yes, yes, of course, I will not touch a hair on the princess' head."

The door suddenly opened, and Bryi — having been leaning against the door — fell into the room. He grimaced at the impact, and laid there for a moment.

Quantl's voice was what finally roused him from the floor. ��Your presence is no longer requested, Lrees." She waved him on down the hall. "In fact, I do not believe it was requested in the first place."

"You would do well to watch your tongue, Quantl."

"And you would do well to remember your place, Lrees."

He glared dangerously at her, seemingly uninterested in Bryi suddenly. For a second, the stableboy figured that he might snap something back at her, and then he decided otherwise and stalked down the hallway.

Quantl pulled Bryi up. "What did he tell you?"

"She and the Demon King got into it, I guess."

The woman ushered him into the room, and then leaned out to say something to the guards that Bryi did not hear. They replied, and then she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, exhaling loudly.

"I wish he would just butt out of things."

Something told Bryi that he wouldn't.