The Invitation

When Rache awoke, she felt a bit better.

Physically, that was.

Her chest still ached, her body still hurt.

But she didn't feel exhausted.

She couldn't do anything about her grief and horror for the situation, however.

Well, she could, but she didn't feel like doing that at the moment.

Maybe it was laziness not to immediately jump to mapping out paths to escape and memorizing Sidera's lands but...

Well, she knew that until Prince Donncahd became King Donncahd, he wasn't planning on killing her.

And she really...

Needed to find her footing first.

Before she rushed into finding a way out, she needed to make sure her feet were planted firmly underneath her - both metaphorically and physically - or she'd regret it.

So. Instead, she simply sat up in the bed, leaning on the headboard and staring at the fire.

The fire burned lower and lower, the wood shifting and crackling.

The smoke billowed up into the flue, and the light grew dimmer and dimmer.

As the room cooled, Rache watched the dancing flames until she was certain the logs were just embers, glowing dully in the ashes.

No one came to refresh the fire.

Interesting.

Very...

Cold and drafty.

She shivered.

Maybe just sitting in a room without a fire waiting to see how long Sidera would take to refresh her fireplace on their own was not the best choice when it was still pouring rain and howling wind outside.

...Sidera.

The Kingdom of Sidera.

The land that inspired dread, whose name was both ruler and threat to those kingdoms in Auberon's Edge.

Of all the places she expected to find herself, if she ever considered ending up in the book, Sidera was...

Not her first choice.

She could have dealt with anywhere else.

The Dark Forest - or at least the Dark Elf camp there.

Nial.

Linde.

Kala.

Any of them.

Sidera...

It felt like - because it was true - she was stuck, dwelling deep within the belly of the beast.

Like it already devoured her.

Because it had.

She shivered, this time less from the cold, and slipped out of bed.

Her legs were shaky, but a careful step or two showed she wouldn't fall flat on her face this time.

She stumbled to the window and peeked out.

Far in the distance, she could see lights, faint and blurred through the constant rain.

Those would be the guard towers and homes of people who lived on the mountain base below.

There was a well maintained road that went between the two, but multiple choke points which could be closed up were dotted along the path. It made the trip further than it seemed, and any alternate path nearly impossible.

If she took the main route, she'd be noticed immediately.

Aside from that...the wilderness around Sidera was more mountainous terrain, thick forests, and deep rivers.

The chances of an inexperienced traveler making it on foot, especially in the weather like this...

Well, it was very low.

So.

Until she could come up with a plan that wasn't 'hoof it all the way out' she just.

Wouldn't be able to leave.

Not unless she was certain the blade was about to fall, then 'very low' chance was better than 'no chance'.

She drew in a breath, staring at the flickering of the lantern lights down in the city below, refracting in the trails of water on the glass.

One step at a time.

Form a plan.

She wouldn't need to panic if she did that much.

She needed to learn the castle. The land around the castle. The roads of Sidera. Or get a map. But most of all she needed some kind of transportation that wouldn't be stopped by Donncahd's checks, and held a better chance of surviving the wilds of Sidera than her on foot.

The door opened, breaking her thoughts.

A man she'd never seen before bowed to her. "Princess. You've been summoned for dinner with His Majesty and the prince."

Rache stiffened and turned her head toward the man. "Dinner?"

"Yes. You should change into appropriate clothes, your highness. The dinner begins in fifteen minutes."

Change?

Into?

What?

She furrowed her brow and stared at the man, her face obviously displaying her confusion.

"...Please follow me, princess."

With a nod, she shuffled after the man.

This was...

She had no idea.

They left her room and traveled up a flight of stairs, then another, before entering a small chamber.

...Just from that walking, she was exhausted.

The servant, at least, quickly ushered her to sit down.

"I'll get handmaidens to help you." He said, bowing once more. "And inform the king and prince you may be late."

Rache swallowed.

This...

This was good.

If nothing else, being 'late' was a very real possibility with her condition.

But, wait.

No, no.

Being late, this early in her stay, would likely irritate Donncahd.

She wasn't exactly trying to curry his favor, but antagonizing him wasn't good for her health.

And in a place like this, she really didn't want to get on Donncahd's bad side.

Sidera was inhospitable at the best of times. Infuriating its crown prince did her no favors.

"No-...!" She called out.

"No...?" The man blinked, confused.

"Don't tell him I'm late. I-..."

She held her breath, thinking, then sighed and nodded.

"I can dress myself. No need to trouble the others with the task. Please let the king and the prince know I will be in attendance shortly, I am merely preparing for the feast and wish to be presentable."

He blinked.

Slowly, a smile formed on his features.

He gave a single nod.

"It will be as you say, princess. Thank you for your patience, I shall deliver your words immediately."

He turned and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone.

...It was easy to say all that.

Harder to do.

But now she had no choice but to push through and do it.

Rache lifted her hand and pushed back her hair, peering into a mirror on the vanity before her.

She looked...

Awful.

She had dark circles under her eyes and she was pale.

Her hair was a mess.

She pinched her cheeks and sighed, standing and shuffling over to the wardrobe, opening the door and reaching inside.

The first dress she saw was...

Excessive.

It was an impressive gown.

Gleaming gold fabric, silver thread, lacy and ornate, with a bejeweled neckline.

A beautiful dress.

The kind of thing only a queen would wear, but also...

She had no idea how she'd put it on, much less all on her own.

No.

Something simpler. A dress she could figure out on her own.

That's what she'd wear.

She pulled out the simplest dress in the closet.

It was a pale blue color, with a pale green underlayer and lace.

Simple, with a plain but elegant cut.

She'd.

Have to struggle through putting it on.

And it would be better if she had help, but she could do it, she could manage it, and that's what was important.

...It felt like lugging a body across a building.

Not that she had that suspiciously specific experience.

But she felt just as exhausted as if she'd done something like that by the time she was done putting it on.

She panted and dropped herself into a chair.

Her hair was a mess.

Still.

She could fix it sitting down, regain her energy and stamina before the walk to the dinner hall.

She was.

Determined.

She would do this.

She would do it, no matter the cost.

She leaned back in the chair and rested, staring at the ceiling.

No matter what.

She would escape Sidera.

She would survive.

She would escape the grasp of Donncahd, and she would find Laine and live this second life of hers without the fear of a mad king dropping down upon her.

No matter what.

It didn't matter if the whole world was a prison, she would break free, even if she was buried ten thousand feet deep, and needed to claw her way through the earth with her bare hands to make it.

She took a deep breath.

"Alright. Let's get this done."

She gathered her hair and began to brush it, as well as she could, wincing.

In a journey of ten thousand feet, she had to first start with a brush.