Days turned into weeks as we rode on toward the human kingdom. For the first few days there seemed to be no one but us on the road. The few people we saw avoided us like the plague. As soon as they saw me, they basically ran in the other direction. The closer we got to the human kingdom more people we saw. It was a refreshing sight after weeks on the road.

We reached the kingdom in just under a month. The massive castle slowly started appearing on the horizon when we were more than a mile away. We hopped off our horses when we entered the lower town, the first area that surrounded the castle.

It was surreal to see the kingdom my mom used to tell me fairytales about. From where we were standing I could see the areas my mom described during her stories. The upper town gates that always had lines stretching for what seemed like forever, the market where people went to buy and sell goods every day, the stables where horses of all shapes and sizes were lined up, and finally the little house tucked right next to the lower town entrance where my mom spent her years growing up aside other orphans.

I grabbed the reins of my horse and led her around the crowds to try to make our way to the upper town gates. There was a line, just like my mom had described, with people waiting to get inside the upper town gates. We got to the end of the line trying to get inside the castle as soon as possible.

There were people from all over standing in line in front of us. I saw two witches holding a basket of goods, maybe to sell to the king, next to them stood an orc in handcuffs growling at the others around them, but the person who my eyes caught first was a girl.

From looking at her I guessed she was about my age, I could tell she was out of place. She looked entirely too put together to be from the lower town. She was beautiful, not in an outspoken way where people’s jaw dropped when they saw her. But rather the way that you knew she didn’t quite know how beautiful she was.

My eyes flitted to what she was gripping in her hands. It seemed to be a notebook and pen. I wanted to walk over and ask, just to talk to her, but the line was moving fast. We were about two people away from the front, where a little man was taking names and asking for the purpose of their visit.

Time seemed to slow as we inched closer and closer to the front as my eyes raked over the beautiful girl over and over again trying to soak up as much of her presence as possible before we parted ways and never saw each other again.

I was entirely lost in thought before I felt a little tug on my shirt.

“Ahem!” a squeaky voice said.

I turned in the direction of the voice seeing that we were at the front of the line.

The man asked a question in common. I stared at him blankly trying to process what he said and trying to recall what I remember of the language.

I cleared my throat “Again please sir?” my accent was terrible because when I practiced I had no one to speak it to.

“Name and purpose of visit ma’am.” He said again slowly, giving me a strange look.

“Emari and Evani of the Berserkers, and we were invited by the King.” I said slowly, stopping when I didn’t know the word.

The man’s eyes widened in shock “Umm how do you spell that?” He asked quietly.

I smiled “You can’t, at least not with your letters.” The more I spoke the better I was feeling about the words and the flow of the language. He waved us through and gave vague instructions on how to get to the castle. Both me and Evani mounted our horses and started riding, when I turned back to look at the lower town the beautiful girl was staring at me with doe-like brown eyes. I swear my heart stopped on the spot.

Evani poked me, “I didn’t know you spoke common!” He said accusingly. I just laughed and rode ahead of him towards the castle.

The castle was breathtaking as we rode closer. It seemed to blot out the whole sky, with its huge towering spires. I looked around taking in the sights of the upper town. It was in complete contrast to the lower town. Everything was paved, roads and all, unlike the lower town with its dirt roads and walkways. There was no free market in sight but rather a series of shops with fancy names and storefronts.

We trotted along trying to follow the checker man’s instructions but found ourselves completely lost. The upper town itself didn’t seem intimidating until you realize all the streets and stores look the same so it constantly feels like you’re traveling in circles.

I was content on wandering around until we found the castle gates but Evani begged me not to. Saying something about bareback horseriding is not as comfortable for men as it is for women. I rolled my eyes and did as he said.

I hopped off my horse and walked over to a lady in a huge dress walking out of a restaurant. I smoothed my hair out and approached her.

“Hello, ma’am! My name is Emari, and me and my brother need help navigating to the castle gates.” I said trying to be polite.

The woman whipped her head around and leveled me a look that made me feel the smallest and most insignificant I have ever felt. Even though I was a few inches taller than the woman I felt like nothing but the gunk on the bottom of her shoes as she tried her best to look down her nose at me.

She scoffed and pointed with a gloved hand towards the end of the road. As I walked off I swear I heard her mutter something about my clothing and my smell. I remounted a little shaken up from the encounter. Was that how all humans behaved?

I turned toward Evani “We were headed in the right direction.” I muttered losing all the excitement I had before. We followed the road till we reached another line, this one being significantly shorter than the last.

The people surrounding us were no longer the diverse pool I saw earlier, but instead more like the same person in different clothing. As we got in line, everyone looked at us the same way the woman looked at me. Like we were nothing more than peasants.

The person checking in at this gate was much more put together and quite a bit taller. She seemed kind but still had the snobby, stuck-up air around her.

This time there was a list. If you weren't on the list, no luck, you weren't getting inside the castle gate. We approached and she lazily looked up at us and sighed.

“The berserker twins, right?” she drew out her syllables making it known to everyone she didn't want to be there.

I nodded. She made a little note on her papers and pointed us to a man waiting by the stables. We jumped down off our horses and meandered our way over to the man, taking our time to view the castle grounds.

The man asked for our names so he could put it down on a piece of paper, giving us a bewildered look when we said them. He took the leads from us and led them down to a stall. I waved bye to Vear, hoping she would be fine alone in a strange place for a few hours.

Another person, this time a woman, led us to the enterprise. The castle was beautiful but something felt wrong. Everything was quiet, no animals or people talking, just empty gardens.

The woman took us in through the servant's entrance. I suppose it doesn't look good for the King if he brings two berserkers into his castle.

The inside of the castle was beautiful. Even the servant’s quarters were nicer than the fanciest tents in our village. There were stained glass windows depicting the various victories of past human kings.

The halls were bustling with people running around, preparing for the threat of an upcoming war. The air of anticipation surrounding everyone that we walked past was intoxicating.

We continued deeper into the castle, passing all sorts of beautiful sights. I wanted to walk slowly through these hallways taking my time appreciating all of the little details that history has drilled into the castle.

The woman noticed me slowing down and grasped my arm ushering me and my brother into a door that everyone seemed to avoid. It led to a small hallway that seemed to wind around forever. Eventually, the woman stopped in front of a massive ornate door.

“This is where I leave you,” she said barely a whisper, then bowed and scurried back the way we came.

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I grabbed Evani’s hand and pulled him through the door. The room was a huge throne room, it had ceilings that stretched over a hundred feet up. We had entered through the side door, a door I assumed was meant for servants.

The king was sprawled across his throne, he had a goblet of some liquid that was spilling over the edges. His crown looked to be haphazardly thrown on his head. He was entertaining a group of aristocrats, who were laughing.

I studied the group, the king either didn’t care how me and Evani viewed him, or he wasn’t aware of our arrival. I was tempted to walk closer to the very clearly intoxicated king before I was stopped by what looked like his advisor.

“The Berserker twins, correct? The king wasn't made aware of your arrival today,” He sent a nasty look to the man standing by the door, ”Come with me let’s get you both cleaned up before you are presented to the king later tonight at the ball.”

I tense up at his words, “A ball?” I squeaked out.

“Yes, yes now follow me,” he demanded as he motioned us to follow out a different door than before.

We kept winding deeper and deeper into the castle. All the hallways looked the same, it felt like a maze. The king’s advisor stopped in front of two doors right next to each other.

“Your rooms,” the advisor said before turning away from us and briskly walking away.

I was unsure of what to do now. We have never stayed anywhere this nice or even slept in a place with a door. I slowly opened the door, and Evani mimicking me, did the same.

Inside the room was an intricate mural on one wall depicting the story of the previous king conquering the berserkers. The walls were olive green with white crown molding encircling the entire room. There was a massive canopy bed in the center of the room.

It was a little ironic that they put me in this room, of all people. I had left my saddlebags on my horse, and just as I was about to venture back through the castle to get them back, there was a knock on the door.

I opened it and a girl who couldn't be any older than me stood there with my saddlebags in hand. I reluctantly grabbed them from her, thanked her, and closed the door.

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t explore the castle a little more, but more time to search my room.

My father had drilled into me from a young age never to sleep somewhere you were 100% sure was completely safe. I went through every inch of that room. I went through every drawer in the main room and the bathroom, I looked under the bed, I looked everywhere.

I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for but I did the search nonetheless. Once I was satisfied, and the room was properly ransacked, I started cleaning.

I put the room back together as quickly as possible. By the time I was done, the sun was high in the sky. I didn’t bother unpacking anything, I know we won’t be staying in these rooms, or the castle, for long.

I decided to spend the rest of the little free time I had splayed out on the bed. I settled into the bed making sure to avert my eyes from the bloody mural across from me.

I had blown out all the candles and drew the curtains. I just laid there listening to the hustle and bustle outside my temporary room.

Suddenly just as my eyes were drifting close, I heard shouting and running outside. I sat up suddenly, surprised by the noise.

The yelling got closer and then my door burst open. The young girl from the lower town was there, flushed red from running. She sighed, sinking down to the floor, completely unaware of my presence in the room.

“Hello?” I asked her while I slid out of the bed.

She shot to her feet, looking clearly embarrassed. “I'm so sorry. No one has stayed in this room in years. I'll leave!” She said quickly while picking up her things from around her.

“No! It's okay! You are clearly hiding from someone, you can hide out here for a while.” I said walking towards her and taking her things from her hands.

She looked conflicted for a moment before sitting down on the plush bed. I walked around lighting all the candles and opening the curtains.

I sat at the desk opposite of the bed and swiveled around to face her. “My name is Emari by the way. I won't be staying in the castle long so you can have your secret hiding place back soon.” I quipped.

“Well my name is Elizabeth, and this isn't my hiding place. More like a place I go to get away from everyone that no one knows about.” She said matter of factly.

“So a hiding place?” I laughed.

She smiled and started collecting her things. Her eyes flickered to my hands where I clutched her journal, unconsciously, against my chest.

I stood awkwardly and handed it to her.

“I best be going. I won't be at the castle for much longer either, it was nice meeting you while we were both here.” Elizabeth whispered tenderly.

“It was nice meeting you Elizabeth.” I smiled as she left the room. She looked back at me once before closing the door.

I turned back to the bed with a smile plastered on my face. I still felt heady from the encounter. I wanted to go over the interaction again and again but my door slammed open.

“Time to get ready! Chop, Chop!” A lady yelled ushering in a group of ladies maids carrying various pieces of clothing.

She took one look at me and turned up her nose. “Get the bath filled up, we have to start from scratch.” She sighed pointing towards the bathroom.

I was pulled into the bathroom, and all my clothes were taken off. I didn’t bother being naked in front of the woman. Even the way they ogled at my kill marks lining my arms, or the deep gashes left from the lashes my father occasionally dealt out didn’t faze me in the least.

They had the massive bathtub in my temporary room filled to the brim with hot water. The water had flowers floating in it. The room was filled with a heavy perfume-like smell. I wrinkled my nose at it.

“What is that smell?” I asked sniffing a few more times.

The maids around me giggled and said “Lavender, of course.” They said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

They pushed me into the bathtub and started scrubbing right away. It felt like they were using sandpaper on my skin, but it felt almost refreshing after me and Evani’s long trip here.

The main woman pulled up a stool and started undoing my braids. She unwound the braid crown and started pulling the braids apart. As she continued more and more hair fell until all of it was down.

The women gasped at how much hair I had. I walked around touching and picking up the strands.

“You have such beautiful hair you should wear it down more often.” One of the many woman cooed while twisting my hair around her finger.

The main ladies maid violently pushed my head under the water making my hair sopping wet. The massaged my scalp and washed my hair thoroughly.

The woman pulled me out of the bathtub and started drying me with the softest towels, well the only towels, I’ve ever felt.

They wrapped me up in a towel and went to their stack of clothes. One of the girls gave me a thin long white dress.

“Your dressing gown,” the girl said while she offered it to me.

I slipped the dress over my head and let the towel fall to the ground. The girls pulled me over to the desk and started working on detangling my hair.

They pulled the brush roughly through my hair trying to break through the knots. After a few minutes of working you could run your fingers through my hair with no resistance, and fell in loose waves all the way to my knees.

They pulled me up to my feet and started grabbing all sorts of different dresses. They first grabbed a dark green dress, then a midnight blue one, then a white one, and finally a black dress.

They held all the dresses against me, they tosses aside each one until they landed on the midnight blue one. All the girls gasped and nodded when they picked up the midnight blue dress.

The girls picked up a pair of drawers and stockings and handed them to me. I took off my dressing gown and put them on as instructed.

The next thing they handed me was another white dress one I didn’t know the name of. I thought I heard one of the girls call it a ‘chemise’. That is when they started to cinch me up into a white corset.

“Hold on to the bedposts,” the main maid said nodding to the bed infront of me.

I gripped the bedposts with white knuckles expecting the worse. Then they started to pull, it felt like the air was getting pushed out of me. I heard some of the girls giggling at my reaction to the corset, but I chose to ignore them.

I was then put into two different skirts, one was full of boning, and the other was really fluffy. I felt like a ballon when they put the skirts on. I was already starting to sweat and the dress wasnt even all the way on yet.

After all of that was put on they started putting on the dress skirt. The skirt had silver flowers embroidered all along the bottom of the dress. When you looked closer you could see hand stitched diamonds all over the skirt.

The skirt was heavy and I felt like I was being weighed down. I started to put the bodice on next. The bodice was dark blue and had sliver lace on the top and the sleeves. The bodice had flowers embroidered on the sleeves. The girls laced up the bodice and smiled at me.

They sat me down in a chair to do some finishing touches. They put dark blue eyeshadow and silver glitter on my eyelids, and they slipped glttery sliver heels on my feet.

They started to do my hair, they put little braids with sliver thread all through my hair to make it look like it shimmering when I move.

All the girls starting to praise me and the main maid on the final look. They ushered me into hallway whispering something about being late.

I looked around and saw Evani standing in front of his door. He was wearing an black suit with and blue overcoat. If our father saw him now, he would be reeling.

“Looking good,” I giggled at Evani.

He rolled his eyes “You too.”

“Lets go to a ball.” I said while I linked my arm through Evani’s.