I suppress my emotions and move away. The horse speeds up, following Raven, who had started off faster on his own. I decide now is not the time to use my power, so I continue after him, the horses galloping loudly. The wind whips through my hair as I urge my horse to catch up with Raven. The sound of hooves pounding against the ground fills my ears, drowning out any other noise. Despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I know I must remain focused and keep up with Raven if we are to reach our destination in time. As we ride side by side, a sense of determination washes over me. My chest tightens the more I think about the Royal Palace.
We are not far away when Raven suddenly halts at the edge of an unstable bridge. I feel a sense of dread but continue, seeing how Raven had crossed without a second thought. If a man of his size and stature can make it across safely, then I can too. We keep going in what seems like a relatively straight line until Raven suddenly stops again. I follow behind, the smells from his horse mixing with the fresh air.
He holds out his hand, and I assume he wants me to take it, so I do. He helps me off my horse. “We’re going to take a carriage the rest of the way to the palace, but first we must go into the small village,” Raven says, still helping me down. “I know this is all very sudden, but I didn’t wish for this to happen.” I look at him, confused, wondering what he is talking about. I am not sure what he is apologising for, as he has done nothing wrong. We are all in danger, and this has to be resolved as soon as possible. Going to the palace is the smartest thing to do; they can connect us with all the resources we need. Even if they do not want us involved in solving all of this, they will solve it themselves. The palace has all the wizards, sorcerers, maidens, warriors, and healers.
Perhaps Raven had more influence than me, but I knew I had nothing. I could not stop this danger on my own. I needed him more than he needed me, and we needed the palace more than they perhaps needed us. The fate of the continent seemed unusually in our hands. I have not been responsible for much before, and this added to my already growing sense of doom.
After what seems like a five-minute walk, we end up in a very small, unique village. I look around, and life seems absent. I have no time to wonder where all the villagers have gone because a carriage suddenly pulls up in front of us out of thin air, and Raven gestures for us to get in. He helps me in and then gets in himself. He sits down; the carriage door closes and takes to the air. “We will be at the palace soon,” Raven says again. “Once we’re there, Ave, you’re going to realise that I am not very liked in the palace, and I apologise for that now. It might make pleading our case slightly harder, but I’ll try my best to get the help we need to save the Fate Forest and perhaps the rest of the continent. The mark of evil has already taken hold of the Royal Palace. We might need them, but do not trust them,” Raven adds.
Stolen novel; please report.
How unusual to meet someone else who was not indoctrinated by the preaching of the Royal Palace. Speaking badly about the Royal Palace is a grave crime, and to insult the Royal Family is an even bigger crime. Yet here the Duke is, confidently and plainly expressing his negative emotions about this place. Somehow, I feel safe going to the palace with Raven by my side. I know I can protect myself, but having him there to protect me as well is comforting. Before I have time to process my thoughts, we arrive at the palace. The carriage lands, and Raven helps me out.
There is a team of soldiers waiting. None of them speak a single word as we walk past. We stop short of the palace gates where we are asked if we have any weapons. Strange that they would ask a duke this. Raven presents his sword and lays it down on the metallic table. He proceeds to explain to them that we are here to greet the king and that neither of us came to harm anyone. “My lady here has no weapons,” Raven says, coming to my defense as a soldier approaches. Raven presents one of the soldiers with a ring he had been wearing, and soon enough, they let us go. I turn around to see looks of disgust and pure hatred upon their faces. There and then, it becomes clear that Raven was not exaggerating when he said he had no friends and no one liked him in the palace. They look down on him.
My thoughts wonder off to my family who had once served in this den of lies—the family that fought so hard to protect this empire, the empire that abandoned us in the end. A soldier leads us in, and it looks like a servant or butler awaits us. The man approaches us and greets us.
“Welcome, Duke,” the man says, stealing a glance towards me. Raven takes a step forward, hiding me behind him.
“This lady here,” Raven announces, “is with me.”
“Very well. I am the butler of the main palace. It is a pleasure to serve you,” he says, leading us into a different room. “Your meal and meeting with the king will be in the next half hour. Please make yourselves at home,” he says, heading towards the door.
Raven and I are left alone in a large, grand, and clean room. Everything about it seems expensive, from the floor to the walls to the windows to the chairs. I go to take a seat. Raven sits right beside me, and I find it strange but do not comment. He proceeds to take off the cloak he was wearing and lay it beside him.
“Ave,” Raven says in a deep, alluring voice. I look over to him, and he has his head in his hands, clearly looking frustrated about something. “Ave,” he continues, “today is going to be a very interesting day. They’re going to do everything to try to test you, and I’m sorry if at some point it seems like I have abandoned you. I need you to trust me, and I’m going to trust you for this to work. They need to see that you are, in fact, my comrade and not a weakness. They need to see us as equals so that they do not try to use you against me.”
I am very confused at Raven’s words. Why would I be his weakness? We hardly know each other. No one knows who I am either.