99 Caroline

"That's it?" Caroline whispered furiously to Ender after they departed the dais on which King Undair sat. It all happened so quickly. One minute she was straightening the ruffles on her opulent skirt in preparation to meet the King and the next they were being dismissed.

Ender shrugged, "'Tis for the best that our time was limited with the King."

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. Her nerves had been on edge since entering the White Palace, and although she felt calmer now, panic still coursed through her body. Everything about the opulent castle was offputting. Caroline was left feeling lightheaded from the noxious smell of the exorbitant amount of flowers to the dimmed lighting emanating from the chandeliers.