It had been almost three weeks since her arrival and, at last, she had finished the room the evening before. It didn’t matter how fast she tried to clean, the crates and chests diminished at the same rate. She saw the tapestry that showed a large ship on the river and turned right. One of the other slaves had explained that identifying the passageways by their tapestries made it easier to get places within the castle. The time saved allotted her more opportunities to explore.
After more dinners and conversations with Kyndra, Celeste had decided she had to stay in the city. It was worth it only if she was able to see Tarin. She had started to talk to Princess Elanya, but they would never be friends. She liked her, but the relationship was slave and master. A left turn at the tapestry that depicted the surrender brought her to the ground floor of Dalth Tower.
She walked the stairs that wound up the inside of the largest tower of the castle until she arrived at Princess Elanya’s chambers, tapped on the door three times and walked in. Princess Elanya told her to treat her chambers as her own, but she still knocked. She opened the curtains in front of the balcony doors and pulled the doors open. Fresh spring air drifted into the room and almost pulled the corners of her mouth upward.
Princess Elanya had yet to give her any real duties, so she pulled dead leaves from a plant and checked the soil for moisture. It was odd how humans covered the ground with stone and planted flowers in stone pots. The benches were dirty, so she went to the spare room for a rag and a bucket of water she had left behind the night before. When she opened the door she couldn’t believe her eyes.
The bed had fresh linens, and the canopy had new cloth. A fresh polished chest sat at the foot of the bed. She walked into the room and put a hand on one of the bedposts. A wardrobe the size of Princess Elanya’s own stood in one corner and next to it was a vanity and a cushioned chair. An old worn table had been replaced with a new one. Near the window was a large tub.
“So, what do you think?” Princess Elanya asked.
Celeste started and turned to the Princess. “I am sure that whoever stays here will be pleased, Princess Elanya.”
“Elanya. Simply Elanya. Save the title for when we are out. In here you will call me Elanya.” She sat on the chest and smiled. “And I am quite sure the one who stays here will be pleased. She worked very hard on this room.”
Celeste looked around the room again; a tub, a wardrobe, and a bed. She just knew she had heard wrong, so she nodded and walked over to the table.
“Well, I have to tell you that I expected a better reaction than that,” Princess Elanya said.
“You mean it? I mean.” Celeste stared at the princess and searched for the words.
“This is your room, Celeste. I think it would be better if you were nearby. After all, grandfather has Kyndra stay in a room next to his chambers. It will save me time when I don’t have to summon you from those dreaded chambers in the nether regions of the castle.”
It didn’t matter how hard she tried to hide it, Celeste smiled. A real bed of her own. “Thank you, Princess Elanya.”
Princess Elanya picked up a small box from the vanity and removed a small leaf pendant attached to a golden vine chain. She handed it to Celeste, who took it with trembling hands. “I saw how you looked at this before. You should keep it.”
She tried to thank her, but her throat constricted any words. Princess Elanya reached up and wiped the tears from Celeste’s cheeks and then wiped a tear from her own eye. The young princess just didn’t understand what her role was.
“There is a green dress in your wardrobe. Put it on and come to the main room.”
Celeste watched Princess Elanya leave the room, her room. She undid the clasp on the necklace and put it on as she went to the wardrobe. The tears had looked sincere, but she was not to be trusted; she was human. Celeste wondered if her uncle had any advice with how to read the Princess’s motives. If she knew how, the process of befriending her would be much easier.
The dress felt as though it had been made just for her. She looked one last time in the mirror and let the smile fall from her face. When she opened the door to the main room she was surprised to see her uncle.
“Qa’Veck. What brings you here?”
“He is here to escort us to the tailor’s,” Princess Elanya said.
Qa’Veck gave her a disapproving look and her heart sank.
“You should give me a list of things you need, Princess Elanya,” Qa’Veck said. “I will have servants go there and get the items you require. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you two to set out into the city without an escort.”
“Then we will get a couple of daddy’s men on the way out. He won’t mind.”
“The soldiers have their own duties, Princess Elanya. The servants are quite capable of returning with your supplies.”
“And one of their duties is to protect me. Come along, Celeste. If we stand here too long, the old elf will get his way by default.”
On the way out of the castle, Princess Elanya found two guards who were playing a game of stones. She made a comment to Qa’Veck about duties and told the guards to escort the three of them into the city.
It was Celeste’s first view of the city in daylight. The streets were paved in granite bricks from storefront to storefront. The buildings were all constructed in granite and the roofs were of clay tiles. It appeared the humans didn’t want their city to burn as easily as the elven city had. Many of the buildings stood three floors tall, which cast most of the west side of the street in shadow.
People walked the streets near the storefronts. Some stopped and peered in through the open doors. Elves and dwarves pulled two wheeled carts in the middle of the street, often trailing behind a human. Those that walked without humans had a large granite brick that hung from their neck by a leather cord. Qa’Veck told her they were city passes. She thought back to the young elf in the servant’s chambers and recalled what happened to slaves that wandered without that pass. They came to a crossroads and Qa’Veck stopped.
“Princess, there is another tailor near the docks. I’ve heard that his selection is greater than Kordrith’s. We should go there first, since we know what this shop has.”
Celeste knew it was too good. Tarin was Kordrith’s slave and Qa’Veck was not going to allow them to see each other. She stood tall. It was just a minor setback. If she was to make dresses for the Princess there would be many opportunities to come to the shop. She had waited forty years; a few days was just a few days.
“Stop it, Qa’Veck. We are going to Kordrith’s. If Celeste is going to make my dresses, he will be losing our business. The least I can do is buy our supplies from him.”
“Of course, Princess Elanya. I hadn’t looked at it that way.”
Princess Elanya took her arm and leaned in close. “So, tell me. How young were you and the tailor’s elf when you married?”
Celeste missed a step and stumbled. Princess Elanya held her close to her side and smiled. Words failed her.
The shop was a mess. Some of the cloth was wadded into balls, or hung carelessly off the sides of tables. The grey-haired storekeeper was in the same disarray. Celeste pretended to look through the material while she scanned every corner for her husband. Princess Elanya approached the storekeeper as he kneeled.
“What has happened to your store, Kordrith?”
“Oh, my Princess, I’m afraid that Tarin disappeared a few days ago. I have leaned on him for so long, I feel lost without him. If you require a dress, the wait may be longer than usual.”
Celeste steadied herself on a table and used a ball of cloth to muffle a sob. Qa’Veck turned away.
Princess Elanya walked up to Celeste and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry. We waited too long,” she whispered.
Author’s Note
Thank you for taking a brief moment to read this story about Celeste. The Leaf Pendant is the first of many short stories about the people of Nilrus. This story happened well before Blood of Two and I hope
it gave you some insights on the relationship between Celeste and Elanya. I know, as a reader, I have always enjoyed splashes of back story, which is why I chose to publish a couple of these between novels.
The second book in the Drums of Rallinwar series is in progress and I hope to have it published in August of 2013. A lot is happening in the yet to be named book, and I can’t wait to see how it ends. At the moment, Aeldon has a tenuous hold on the throne while people around him work to bring him down. Elanya has gone in search of her father. Devon is in search of himself, and Malik has lost a bit of himself.
I am on Twitter (@chollisgunter), though my activity is lacking. I just can’t seem to come up with 140 characters of wisdom. You can find me most active on Facebook (WorldOfNilrus). I try to post something there on a daily basis, give or take. Finally, I have a blog where I post something once a week, strayscribe.blogspot.com. Pay me visit and say hi.
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