Suindara remained silent during the entire trip, giving Delina the opportunity to observe the entire landscape around them. As she looked at the big trees, with robust trunks and the ground full of their dry leaves, forming a yellowish green mantle, Suidara noticed the ring on the girl's finger. He would recognize that gem anywhere, anytime. That was the ring of Maisie Könige, wife of Rowan Könige, the rulers of Erfreut. 'The old rulers,' thought Suidara, for the last eighteen years he had ruled that land and was loved by his subjects. Now, he had to think about how he would deal with that brat, after all, just looking at her he realized the resemblance to Maisie. The ring only confirmed his suspicions.
The carriage rounded the curve and, behind the treetops, Delina could see a magnificent castle, white, with golden vaults and immense towers. The entrance gates to the property were golden, with a coat of arms right in the middle, which split as it opened the way for them to enter. On either side of the gate, a creature Delina didn't know about, which she preferred to call a gargoyle, as it came closest to the description, stayed on top of the columns.
"Welcome to Erfreut, Delina." Suindara spoke, his tone low and syrupy.
"Thanks!" She thanked him, despite the discomfort she felt when he addressed her. He sounded like he had a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but she shook her head slightly to ward off such thoughts. He was being kind, and considering she was just a stranger and a foreigner, it was more than could be expected from him.
The path to the wooden gates of the great building was flanked by trees and bushes, interspersed. The flowers reddened by what would be the curb, were vibrant, but, like other plants in that place, totally new to Delina. She made a mental note to ask Suindara what the name of those 'roses' was.
The wooden gate was immense. Delina only noticed it when they stopped in front of it. Suindara went down first and offered her his hand, and when she touched it, she felt a shiver run through her entire body. He had cooler skin than usual. She swallowed and smiled at him, who was looking at her with interest. He then offered her his arm, and the two entered the castle.
The hall was decorated with gold, right up to the ceiling, which contained interesting drawings of what appeared to be a battle. She watched a creature that reminded her of a wolf, which was in an attack position against a tall, robust man with brown eyes that were not at all strange to her, as well as the coloring of his hair, red.
"This is King Rowan Könige, killed in battle against the rebels. This painting illustrates the moment when he was fighting the leader of the enemies." Suindara spoke, pointing to the man depicted with the silver armor and sword in hand.
"Wolves?" Delina asked.
"Not exactly. They are humans, too. They are creatures capable of transfiguring into ravenous wolves. They are ruthless and cruel. Our king, may he rest in peace, fought valiantly, but he did not survive his wounds. His wife also fell. I was on a journey to another realm, but already on my way back. I arrived very late, but I managed, along with the other soldiers, to control the rebellion and liquidate our enemies." He spoke with a certain pride, and Delina couldn't blame the man, after all, he managed to kill what she thought was a werewolf. But then, she got confused. How could a human do that? And Suindara didn't seem much of the warrior type.
"How did you do that?" She questioned him and, at that moment, Suindara smiled.
"I am a wizard, child. The rebels took advantage of menot being present. They went through the protection spell because someone from the inside helped them."
"You're a wizard?" she asked, astonished. But then she realized that she shouldn't be surprised that wizards existed, since she was raised by werewolves.
"Yes. The queen also shared this gift, however, she set spells aside when she married the king, as he was not in favor of the queen being a magical being. The people would not take it very well, seeing it as an affront as well as a threat. Let's just say that a lot of wizards tend to try to control realms, so we can't blame the populace for being cautious."
"But they accepted you. The king has accepted you." She was confused.
"When I met the King, he was in a difficult situation and I helped him. With my magic. He was conflicted, but eventually accepted that magic isn't always a bad thing. He brought me to the castle and I met his wife, Queen Maisne. They had been married for two years, but she couldn't seem to get pregnant, so I helped her. She was a witch with great potential, but she decided to live like a mundane, to be with the King."
"If he truly loved her, he would accept her the way she was. And after you helped her get pregnant, I believe the King was very pleased."
"Yes, he was. Oh, but he loved her. Just remember that he was human and, as might be expected, even more so of someone raised to protect his people, he feared magic would bring doom. This kingdom, for not messing with anything magical, lived in peace, without being persecuted by other beings, managing to keep itself further away from the rest of the world. Magic attracts magic, girl, remember that."
"I will." She spoke and smiled. Suidara saw Maise's smile there, in front of him. His heart raced for an instant, but he quickly collected himself. She was not her mother.
"Now, let's go to your room. I'll ask some servants to help you clean up. I will prepare a potion to invigorate your body." He waved his arms around and bowed, then walked away from her. She looked ahead and realized she was in front of a door. Two women approached her, bowing with their hands in front of their bodies. One of them opened the door and motioned for Delina to enter. She nodded and entered, finding herself in a large space, with white and pink walls, pillows on top of sofas and armchairs, and a huge bed in the center. The bed was surrounded by pale pink curtains made of silk and satin, as were the sheets. Delina ran her hand over the covers and could feel how soft they were. She sat up and it was like a feather under her.
"My Lady, please come and bathe." The shorter, plump girl spoke, looking down, not meeting Delina's eyes. She, in turn, noticed that there was a bathtub in the corner, with hot water being poured into it.
"How did they know I was coming?"
"Lord Suindara warned us. He's...magical." The girl spoke, pronouncing the last word as if it were a whisper. To Delina, she looked frightened.
"Hmm." Delina made the sound with her mouth but stood up, and when the girl tried to remove her clothes, Delina stopped her with her hand, saying she could do it herself.
"Please, see if the water is all right, according to your taste, my lady." The paler girl, with fair hair, as far as Delina could see from the few strands that escaped her cap, spoke.
"Yes, it is. Now, could you excuse me?" Delina shook her wet hand as she looked at the girls, who were staring at each other. Delina didn't remove her underwear, after all, she didn't feel comfortable being practically naked in front of strangers, even if they were girls.
The girls bowed again and left the room. Delina waited for the door to close and removed the rest of her clothes, looking at the glasses on the side table. She opened the bottles and delicious aromas, floral and fruity, invaded her nostrils. She chose the one she liked best and poured a few drops into the bathtub. She had no idea how to use it, as she had never had access to that kind of luxury.
She didn't know, but Suidara's room wasn't far from hers. As he was placed by the King in a special position within the kingdom, his room was close to the royal apartments. Delina's room was the room that would be destined for her, therefore, inside the Royal corridor. He had connected the two rooms in order to find out what she was doing. As he sat in front of the mirror, that was a very common gimmick used by witches and wizards, and watched. He nearly choked on his own saliva at the sight of her in her underwear. When she started to undress, he closed the connection. He had no business watching the girl naked. His morals weren't very high, but then again, he wasn't a pervert either. And she was a child, anyway.