The phrase Luella whispered to me was an order. I immediately sat up, looking out the carriage windows. A tall stone wall was seen on either side of the carriage and I noticed we were at the outer castle wall, guards checking the carriage and luggage before we were allowed to enter. Luella had her hands resting in her lap as a guard came up on either side of the carriage, peering into the windows. I held my breath as I made eye contact with one of the guards. His stern eyes seemed to see right into my soul, but turned away and put his hand up. The sound of a gate scraping open was heard, and a moment later, the carriage was moving forward again. I let out a deep breath, holding my chest. “Good job,” Luella said. “I used Water magic to surround your body, and Light magic to reflect my surroundings. The guards didn’t even know you were there.” My eyes widened as I stared at her with admiration. She pulled her hood on, using her fan to cover her face. “Stop staring,” she whispered. “You’re embarrassing me.” I looked away, still in awe at how she had such incredible control over her magic. Half-beasts were born with incredibly weak magic power, but their physical strength was unmatched, no matter what type of half-beast. “We’re almost at the inner gate,” Luella said, glancing out the window at the woods on either side of the pathway. I leaned towards the window, looking at the trees and plants. Similar to the greenery around my hometown, I felt a sense of belonging before reaching the inner wall. Unlike the outer wall, the inner wall not dense or tall. It was made of sleek, white stone and the gate was made of thin metal that opened and closed easily. “Don’t move,” Luella said when the carriage stopped moving and muffled voices outside were heard. I sat upright, refusing to move a muscle as guards inspected the carriage just like at the outer wall. “All clear!” one of the guards called. The carriage started moving, and we passed through the gate onto the castle grounds. Luella exhaled, relaxing her posture. “You’re going to have to stay in the knights chambers tonight with Harald,” Luella explained as we approached the castle. “The knights and guards have their own section of the castle, just like the maids and servants. I’ll figure out what to do with you tomorrow. Don’t do anything until Harald or Edgar or Sally comes to get you.” I nodded, and glanced out the window, my eyes growing wide. The castle had four towers in each corner, two separate wings sprouting from either side. The area between the inner gate and the castle was more woods, most likely to protect the castle from intruders. A blue and gold flag hung on the pillars leading up to the front of the castle, all showing the same symbol that was embroidered on the capes Luella and the others wore. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed, admiring every detail as we arrived at the front of the castle. The carriage stopped, and there was movement outside. Luella raised her hand at me, closing her eyes for a moment. She then put it down and smiled at me. “I reinforced the Water and Light Magic around you so you should be safe until Harald gets you to his room. Try not to make any noise as you follow him back.” I nodded just as the carriage door opened. Edgar held out his hand, and Luella took it, climbing out of the carriage. She pretended to trip, making the two guards nearby hurry over. I took that moment to slip out of the carriage and over to Harald’s side. He was handing the reins to his horse to a guards, and I tugged his cape. “Is that you, lil’ guy?” he asked softly after the guard walked away with his horse. “Yes,” I whispered. Harald smiled, and we both looked over to see Luella back on her feet, shooing the guards away. “Princess Luella,” a man called, walking over. He wore a much nicer uniform than the simple guards did, his sword hanging at his side. “Sir Tristian,” Luella said, flattening the front of her dress. “How may I help you?” “The King awaits you in the dining hall,” the man said, bowing slightly. “He has been waiting for your return.” “I see,” Luella said, her eyes narrowing. She turned to her friends. “You may all go.” “Yes, ma’am,” Sally, Edgar and Harald said, bowing at her before walking their own separate ways. “Come on,” Harald whispered in my general direction. I grabbed Harald’s cape with my thumb and index finger, having to walk briskly to keep up with Harald’s pace. We walked to the left wing of the castle, one that had multiple floors and windows lining the walls. Some lanterns could be seen in some of the windows while other windows were dark. Harald opened one of the double doors, entering the building. I followed, walking through the short hallway to the main hallway. To the left and right were hallways, each one lined with doors and hooks for nameplates. There were eight rooms on either side, four on each wall. At the end of both hallways were staircases going up. Directly across from the hallway we just entered from was another hallway with a set of doors. Harald started walking to the right, and I followed. Each set of hooks by the doors had two to four names, some flipped with their name and ‘OUT’ being shown while others had their name and ‘IN’ being shown. All the names on the first floor were male. Harald climbed the stairs all the way to the third floor, turning to walk down the hallway. We stopped at a door with three names, and Harald turned his plaque from ‘OUT’ to ‘IN’ before taking out a key to open the door. The other two names had ‘OUT’ showing, so I relaxed a little. “Come in,” Harald said, walking into the room and over to one of the sets of drawers along the wall. He lit a lantern resting on top, dim light illuminating the room. To the immediate right of the door was a fairly bathroom. There were four beds in the room, equally spaced apart along the left wall. Each bed had six drawers under it for storage, and across from each bed along the right wall was a desk. The first bed and desk set was unoccupied based on the state the other three were in. The two in the middle had unmade beds and items laying on the floor and on the desks. A large window directly across from the door provided most of the light in the room. “Sorry Ive and Wade are slobs,” Harald said, pushing some of the items towards the beds as he walked through the room to the furthest bed. “The 2nd Company is out doing a survey for the king and won’t be back for another couple days. We’ve got the room to ourselves until then.” I climbed onto the unmade bed while Harald removed his cape and hung on on the back of his desk chair. His desk was neater than the other two, but was still a mess. “There’s a fresh towel in the bathroom if you want to take a bath, and I’ll call for a maid to bring some new clothes for you to wear,” Harald said, heading towards the door. “Don’t let anyone in while I’m out.” “Okay,” I answered, watching the door shut and the automatic lock click back into place. I sighed, laying on my back and staring at the ceiling. The crescent moon was blocked by some passing clouds, making the room darker. My night vision kicked in as I jumped down from the bed and made my way over to the bathroom. There was a toilet across from the door, a long counter next to it. Two sinks were at either end of the counter, the space in the middle occupied with cups, toothbrushes and other stuff used by the men living in the room. At the far end to the left was a window, a large tub sung in the narrow space. A blurred window was above the tub, the top half open a little to let the steam from the hot water out. The door to the room reopened, and Harald walked back inside. He had some clothing under his arm, noticing me in the bathroom. “One maids knew a servant that had a friend who had an old uniform you can use,” Harald said. placing the clothes on the counter. “Thanks,” I said, but hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. “What’s the matter?” Harald asked, noticing my hesitation. I looked away, muttering, “How does this work?”
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