Katryna lay on her bed in a dark and empty room. A single lit candlestick rested on her bedside dresser. Everything else was cast in shadow.

Katryna could feel her heart beating out of her chest, the blood pumping through her veins, and the muscles tensing throughout her body. It was as if she were being constricted.

Breathe. Breathe.

She inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly.

Cool fingers of the evening wind run across her skin. The shutters had been left open, but Katryna didn’t mind the cold. It helped her stay grounded.

Katryna tried focusing on the cold sensation, but her mind kept returning to the nausea in her stomach, the racing heartbeat in her chest, and the panic in her mind.

Mother and father, poisoned. This cannot be happening.

It was an uneasy sensation to have. Katryna didn’t feel safe in the very castle where she had grown up.

Returning to her quarters as soon as the meeting had adjourned was a good call, she realised. She needed the break from everyone. Finding her way through the maze of halls and stairwells had not helped her panic, however.

Katryna felt trapped, slowly suffocating.

The walls felt like they would topple at any moment.

Fear was not the only emotion causing her such grief. Coming back home had filled her mind with long-hidden memories of Willem. Memories she had dug a pit for long ago. Memories she did not want to resurface at all.

Cold, icy hands pinned her down in the bed and strangled the air from her throat.

Her mother’s voice shrieked from the past.

“Katryna, what have you done?!”

There was a heavy knock on the door.

Katryna, startled, jumped up in her bed, wiping the sweat from her face. “Who is it?”

One of the Infinity Guardsmen stationed at her door replied, “My lady, your handmaiden Trish it here to see you.”

“Let her in, and shut the door behind you, please.”

Trish entered holding a small platter of food, still wearing her flowing red dress.

“I brought you something to eat, you haven’t had food since yesterday,” Trish said. Her voice was gentle and soothing to hear. A welcome relief.

Trish closed the shutters. The room fell silent as the breeze vanished. She placed the food on the bed and sat down next to Katryna. Katryna said nothing, still feeling swamped with emotion and anxiety.

“You really should eat something, m’lady.”

Katryna pushed the platter away. “Thanks Trish, but I’m really not hungry.”

Trish looked straight into her friends’ eyes with concern; her scar was barely visible in the dim light beneath her stunning blonde hair.

“What’s going on, Kat?”

Katryna sat with her legs against her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. She shook her head. She did not even want to utter the words. But like an old, blocked pipe, the pressure was released, and it all came out at once along with a stream of tears.

“It’s my parents,” Katryna said, sniffing. “They…they think they were poisoned.”

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Trish covered her mouth in shock and was speechless for a moment. “What? Poison?”

Katryna could only nod. She continued with her deep breathing.

“Kat, I’m so sorry. Oh my, that is so awful.” Trish held Katryna as she cried into her hands. “Who could have done this?”

“Creator, I don’t know. I can’t even fathom it. They were supposed to have the best protection in the kingdom. How could this have happened?”

“It’s unbelievable. Is your father still…?”

“He’s still alive, yes. Someone will be sent soon to take me to him.” Katryna took some deep breaths again to calm her crying. “The High Sword, Ser Arthus, said that we are all in danger. Anyone could be a target. We don’t know who the assassin is or what they want.”

“Oh, Kat. I’m sure that everything will be alright. You have guards to protect you, and Castle Bower is a fortress. Plus, you’ve got me to look out for you.”

Katryna smiled through the tears. That was reassuring to hear for her, considering how alone she was feeling.

“I don’t understand, Trish. Father doesn’t have any enemies; he is a good man.”

“He is.”

“How did this happen?”

Trish shook her head. “I don’t know. But right now, I think you should focus on yourself and your father. Worrying about things that are out of your control will only drive you mad, believe me! Let the Infinity Guards, the High Sword and myself worry about your safety. We won’t let any harm come to you; I promise.”

“And what of my brothers, and my sister-in-law? Or my aunts and uncle?”

“Don’t worry about all that. Most of them don’t even want you here, Kat.” Trish replied a little coldly.

“They are still my family. I still worry for their safety.”

Trish composed herself before nodding. “You’re right, I apologise. I did not mean to be rude. But if the king and queen were poisoned, then anybody could be responsible. Anybody. I think it best that you look out for yourself first.”

Trish was resourceful. Katryna could hear it in her voice that she knew what she was talking about, so she nodded understandingly.

“No matter what happens, you will be alright. You are stronger than you know.”

“Thanks, Trish. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Starve and die, most likely,” Trish smirked. “Now come on, eat up.”

Katryna gazed at the platter of food. Chicken marinated in honey, green beans and onion, and an assortment of shellfish. Yet she could not see beyond the possible dangers it held.

“And it’s safe to eat?”

“The Infinity Guard had it taste tested, and I brought it straight up from the kitchens myself.”

Katryna felt her stomach aching and her mouth watering. She took the platter, grabbed a fork for herself and passed the other to Trish. The two shared the food, enjoying the rich tastes of her homeland.

Honey and seafood were staples of Camridian diet. The chicken was juicy, and the honey sauce was sweet with a slight tang, while the shellfish was firm and fresh. She mixed the steaming vegetables in, giving each bite a satisfying crunch.

“This is so good. I’ve missed Ravenrock’s food,” Katryna said, the sweet tastes filling her with energy again.

“Me too. The best food I could ever find in Redwatch was rabbit stew! And rabbit gets old real fast after a while.”

Trish poured Katryna and herself each a cup of wine.

It was the first moment since arriving where Katryna had a moment to herself to think and relax, and for that, she was grateful. She eventually caught herself smiling.

Trish eagerly dug into her food with Katryna as if she had never eaten before.

After a minute of feasting, another knock came at the door, shattering the temporary serenity.

“My lady, a servant is here about you father,” said the guard.

Katryna put her fork down and swallowed the last of her mouthful of food. “Send him in.”

In came a young, handsome servant with a mop of brown hair on his head and a familiar face. Trish blushed with a smile, before Katryna then recognised who he was.

“Edrick?”

“M’lady, it’s good to see you again.” He looked over to Trish and a smile spread across his dimpled face. “Hello, Trish.”

Katryna recollected how passionate Trish and Edrick’s young romance had been. The servant boy and handmaiden- it was like something out of a fairy-tale Katryna would have read as a child.

The couple had always snuck off during the night to go on adventures and make love. Trish would always gossip with Katryna about it afterwards.

In a way, Katryna had secretly longed for such an exciting love affair for herself. Being of noble birth, she grew up knowing that her marriage would be chosen by her father for political purposes only.

Love and happiness did not come into the equation for noble Camridian girls.

Katryna stood up and wrapped her coat around her slim body. “I’m guessing you two already…reconnected?”

Trish chuckled and Edrick’s face went bright red. He had missed a button of his vest too; he had clearly been in a rush to put it back on. Edrick looked so embarrassed and uneasy, like a nervous mouse.

“While you had your family reunion, Edrick helped show me through the castle.” Trish’ voice went high pitched in a sarcastic manner. “It’s been so many years- I’d forgotten my way around!”

“Mhm, I’m sure he did,” Katryna joked.

Edrick wiped away his embarrassed smile, straightening up his shoulders and composing himself.

“M’lady, your aunt Rashel sent me to come collect you. Your father has awoken, and the physicians have finished treating him for the night. You can go see him now.”

Just like that, the ache in Katryna’s stomach returned.

Father.

“Thank you, Edrick,” Katryna said with a nervous gulp. “Trish, will you see to cleaning up our supper, please?”

“Of course. Good luck, Kat.”