A dark figure flashed past the long unwinding hall of the castle, followed by two others in swift pursuit. Mel laughed, her dark hair flowing as she ran around a corner, dodging past stunned servants and eyeing several doors alongside each wall to find an escape route that would lead to an eventual hiding place.
"Young Mistress!" came the exhausted cries behind her but she ignored them.The stairs came into view and Mel rushed downstairs, leaving a huge gap between herself and her chamber maidens. More servants darted out of the way, not at all surprised by Mel's carefree attitude. Her chamber maidens chasing after her had become a routine the young lady of the castle was fond of, and what good would it do to help them when the young woman was an exceedingly fast runner.Mel found a door and pushed at it, slipping into a bright room and closing the door shut behind her. She turned around and listened closely with her ear pressed against it, her heart hammering in her chest. Soon enough, the servants came running past, their sandaled footsteps pounding against the carpeted floor of the hallway.Mel chuckled and turned around to face the wide expanse of the room. Bright morning light flooded in through the large open windows, touching the rows of shelves that stood with arranged books on them. Books belonging to her younger brother, Adam. She had never bothered to learn how to read. Most of the women in their domain were not expected to, and she found it very dull for her brother to sit for hours going through several pages of numerous texts and wordings.'What was exciting about that anyway?' she thought."Oh no, not again," came Adam's exhausted groan, and Mel skipped down to the end of the room, sneaking past the last shelf to find Adam sitting by the last window, well hidden by the shelf she had just passed."A fine morning to you too, brother," she greeted him, walking barefoot to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a tight hug from the back.Adam patted her arm and she released him, clasping her hands down on the headrest of his seat. "You and your books," she teased."You're causing an unnecessary burden to your chambermaids. If you wanted to exercise that much, why not ask father to give you a personal trainer and you can run all you want."Mel huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I simply didn't want to get dressed for the day yet. I wanted to see the garden. They would not let me, and you of all people know that father would tell me that would be 'unladylike'." She stepped away from Adam and leaned her back against the shelf.Adam shrugged in his chair, not taking his eyes off his book. "So is your running across the halls of the castle and engaging in a mad chase. I don't know how we've even put up with you for so long."She chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous, brother. I know you all love me."He tsked and shook his head. "Still wonder when that husband of yours would arrive."Mel smiled coyly. "That can't happen."Their father, the lord of the Urn tribe within the Sprite kingdom had owed a high-ranking lord from the Orian kingdom and it was mentioned to have been a debt so heavy, that nothing could cover it. When all hope had seemed to be lost, the Orions had then requested for it to be paid in terms of a favour, and her father, feeling very guilty, decided to put forward his little daughter as a future bride for one of their sons to show just how appreciative he was.But after the agreement, the Orions never returned or asked for their bride, even after Mel passed the mature age of eighteen. They still had good relations with the neighbouring nation, but in regards to Mel, they hadn't requested of her, and she was nearing the age of twenty-two.Mel had at first, looked forward to her engagement. But with no news from the Orions, she had been uncertain about the alliance. With time, she decided to embrace the freedom her peers didn't have since most of her friends were already married and looking after their children. Nothing was seeming to tie her down."I'm free to do whatever I want." Her smile widened. She had initially been lonely, but after seeing the stress and effort it took to raise their children and manage their own households, Mel was grateful she wouldn't have to face all of that for now.Adam looked up at her, his dark brows quizzing. "In other words, you won't wed?""What?" She slapped her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What sort of question is that? Of course, I will. Father will find me a husband very soon.""What about your 'husband'?" he asked, still looking at her.Mel combed her hand through her hair, her other hand still on her hip. "As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist. Or maybe he has passed away. If not he would have come to claim my hand a long while ago."Adam sagged against the chair and placed the book he was reading on the table beside him. "Mel…""No, no, Adam." She shook her head at him, a bemused smile on her lips as she wagged a finger in his face. "This conversation is closed. I'm off to sneak away to the gardens before they find me. Have fun with your boring books," she chirped, laying emphasis on the word 'boring'.Adam shook his head with a light frown and opened his mouth to speak before Mel dashed out of the room. It was obvious she would go to the gardens, almost every servant knew that. It pained him to an extent that his sister was more of an airhead and didn't even try to think things over. Even if she had no interest in politics or even learning to manage a household, it was worrying how she saw things. There was nothing funny about her situation and it was high time she knew that.Mel peeked into the hallway through the door and noticing no one around, she exited the library and shuffled upstairs. She hid behind columns, statues, and within corners of the passage to avoid the attention of passing servants before making her way into the secluded wing of her father's castle.She gingerly walked to the door of his study and placed a palm on the golden knob, about to push the door open when she heard voices from within. She then smiled, amused, and took back her hand, deciding to eavesdrop. Who was with her father and what were they discussing in there? She leaned forward and rested her ear against the hardwood of the door."… this… not bode well…""We can't stall any longer, Father. We have to send her there."Mel paused, her cheek glued to the door. That was her older brother's voice. His tone was higher than her father's hushed words. An unsettling feeling rose within her. Whenever her brother's voice was slightly raised, it meant there was something wrong.Someone’s gentle touch roused Mel from her deep slumber and she twisted and turned, a frown forming on her face when the hands wouldn’t stop shaking her. She wanted to swipe her hand at whoever was disturbing her when a voice that wasn’t Annie or any of her maids filtered into her ears.“Mel?”‘Oh…’Mel’s eyes, already glued shut, took great effort to open and when she did, she blinked, the blurriness fading as her eyes came into focus, looking at the young girl she had feasted with last night.‘Ah. Now I remember. I followed them for the hunt.’Nora’s lips twitched with an apologetic smile, sorry for waking Mel up because the young woman was clearly displeased.Mel sat up and rubbed her eyes, a little groggy. “Morning,” she greeted Nora.Nora smiled with a slight nod, returning the greeting, “Good morning, my Lady.”Mel instinctively glanced at the side of the makeshift bed to find the bowl and towel gone.“Ah. I spread it outside on the tent roof to dry,” Nora shifted from her knel
He sighed. “I’ll join you later.” He nodded at the tent entrance. “Make yourself comfortable.”The tipsiness left Mel and it felt as if she had been brought back down to Earth. She shifted towards the entrance and then stopped. She whirled around to face Bjorn. He had stepped away only to pause when he noticed Mel’s sudden movement.“Where are you going?” she asked.“For a short walk,” he answered and then his brows lightly furrowed. “Why do you ask?”“Oh, that’s good.” She mellowed and rubbed her arm, looking down to shuffle her shoes against the grass. She drew in a sharp intake of breath and glanced up to meet his eyes. “Do you know of a river nearby? I would like to wash up before I lie down to sleep.”“You can do that the following morning,” he said deadpanned and Mel blinked, astounded. “What is it?” he asked, annoyance seeping into his tone at her reaction.“I’m sweaty. You want me to lie down in this state?” She swayed her arms around herself, demonstrating the light patches o
The forest-bound journey went on for quite a while, and far longer than even Mel had expected. Night fell and while Mel wondered how they could all move comfortably in the near-darkness, but Bjorn assured her that the part of the woods they were still in was safe since it was the closest part of their territory. Soon, the clouds drifted away to expose the beautiful sheen of the two white moons that glimmered high in the sky.Some of the moonlight filtered in through the trees, providing a subtle white light that made the forest ghostly beautiful. Lori kept Mel company throughout their journey, taking the young woman’s attention away from her brooding husband. Mel had mentioned at one point that she was hoping to assist with the hunt using her knowledge and relationship with plants but Lori subtly put down her recommendation, letting her know that some people may feel otherwise since this was something they had been doing for years and there may not really be anything new Mel could he
Bjorn stood still, stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "What?" She didn't know how to wear basic clothing? Regardless of their cultural differences, he was sure they had something akin to pants and trousers, though not as loose as what was worn here in Grime.Then again, had she really asked him to dress her up?As if reading the confusing thoughts on his face, Mel spoke up, "We were not to wear men's clothing back at home, so I'm unfamiliar with how this works." Her voice grew quieter as she talked and then she looked away and frowned. Why was she even telling him this? And to ask him to dress her… he must think she was asking him to perform servant duties. 'I keep acting out one thing and then deciding another thing. Embarrassing!'Understanding crept onto Bjorn's features and he sighed, rubbing his face with a palm. "You can forget about such nonsensical rule. That isn't just for men, you can wear it too. It's more convenient than wearing a dress when going out
“That should be all,” Mel huffed with a triumphant smile and wrapped her hands around herself, giving the small bag with her clothes a second glance.“I hope this isn’t too much?” Annie meekly asked, her hand poised at the bag opening, ready to add or remove any more clothing. She faced Mel but subtly glanced at Bjorn, awaiting his approval too. The maid wished the two could agree on things.Bjorn turned away from his open wardrobe and his eyes narrowed at what Annie had packed. He sighed and rubbed at his temple, trying as much as possible to ease his features. His frown lessened and he turned to Mel. “That’s too much,” he said.Mel frowned. “How is it too much? We’ll be gone for over a week or two, won’t we?”“We’re going into the woods, not to a neighbouring city. You won’t need all those clothes.”“What if it gets dirty? I’ll need a change of clothing to wear and—”“They can be washed and worn repeatedly,” Bjorn countered, a little peeved at having to explain such an obvious reas
Mel begrudgingly followed an excited Lori back towards the manor above ground, her thoughts in shambles. What might have been minutes or hours ago, the manor, along with the whole settlement had been quiet and peaceful. But now, it was the complete opposite and Mel was frankly quite alarmed as to what was happening, and she dreaded asking Lori why.Since Lori seemed a little happy, it didn’t seem like they were under attack. But on the other hand, if they were preparing for a festivity or something, Mel felt like she was going to lose her mind. Would she be executed if she ended up burning the clan down?‘No. What am I thinking? Everything should be fine. I have Annie by my side,’ Mel thought, trying her best to relax.A lot of people stopped what they were doing to greet Mel in a swift curtsey as she passed and this made her feel conscious. She strapped the vase to her chest.“Lori. Tell me what is happening,” Mel asked, unable to take the suspense anymore. They were all excited for