I was not in my room.
That fact made me realise a lot of things. The first being, this was not my room. It was large and spacious with neutral coloured furniture, most of it grey or white. The wind blew onto the wispy white curtains that let in a lot of light. The bed was so soft, too soft to not be a cloud. The sheets where even softer against my skin and the blankets not too warm and not too cool. Just perfect.
Wow.
This room was too big to be anything in my house, so I was not at home. The air was clearer, fresher, cleaner. I slipped out of bed, my feet touching the matte floorboards that were thankful not cold and approached the window. There was a garden right outside, wide open fields followed by trees. So many trees. I had never seen that many trees before. There were lumps of white stuff on the ground and on treetops. Clouds? Am I really in the sky? Then there were mountains,large and towering, with white peaks that made them look less gloomy and frightening.
I'm not at home. The tree isn't here. She isn't here. I chewed my lip nervously as expressing thoughts came over here.
They aren't here.
I sat on the floor in front of the window and buried my face in my arms as I willed myself not to cry. I could do nothing about the pain though. I was being silly. I had not felt this way in a while. But after that dream.
I tried diverting my thoughts to something else, like being mad at my father for giving me away. I was not that angry. We had the discussion about me potentially becoming Midas's bride, like Aimee was, and I had agreed to it. I knew how much this meant for the Southside, for Aimee. I had accepted it all.
But that dream...
A soft knock made me flinch but I did not bother to answer. I heard the door open softly, followed by Madeline's voice.
"Hey Amaya," she whispered, as if afraid of scaring me away. "I thought you'd like to see a familiar face after you woke up."
I ignored her, not in a good mood at all. I just sighed, stood up and went back to bed, throwing the sheets over my head. I heard Madeline enter the room and shuffle towards my bed.
"Amaya, I know you must be exhausted but you have to wake up. It is already past nine and there's a lot you need to know," Madeline said.
"Go away," I grumbled.
"Please, Amaya. It's very important and we're already behind schedule," she insisted and I decided to ignore her again.
A couple minutes later, she was gone. I allowed myself to drift to sleep in peace but the door was opened again. Did these people have nothing else to do?
"Good morning, Lady Amaya. It's time to wake up," an unfamiliar voice spoke as there was loud banging and slamming.
"Go away!" I yelled, throwing the pillow over my head.
"It's time to wake up, Miss Amaya. We're already very late. The Alpha will not be pleased," the person said.
"Go tell that alpha to go and trip over a knife," I said, feeling very pissed.
There were whispers and shuffling of more feet as they left the room. Good. I screamed, however, when my covers were tugged from the bed, leaving me subjected to the cool morning air. It wasn't too cold but it was not as warm as my covers. I stubbornly refused to wake up and closed my eyes as I hugged my pillow and curled up into a ball.
I almost jumped out of my skin when sharp, cold water was doused over me, drenching the bed. "Are you crazy?!"
I finally looked at whoever was responsible, a stern-faced woman with grey streaks in her neat hair which was tied into a tight low bun. Three maids in a simple but neat purple uniform stood at her sides, heads bowed. My teeth were chattering noisily as I glared at the woman.
"Good, you're awake. This is Lana, Wanita and Judy, your ladies in waiting. They shall be assisting you during your stay. If you feel the need to request for more, we will find suitable candidates for the job," the woman said.
"Who are you?" I rudely snapped.
"I am Barbara Kiso, the head maid of Jewel House," she replied, lowering her head slightly. "I am in charge of making sure you are presented to the Alpha and any other necessary things you might need to know."
I tapped my chin and nodded. "Well, pleasure meeting you. Now, Barbara—"
"Madam Kiso is more appropriate."
"Barbara, get out," I said, pointing at the door as I glared at her.
"You're being difficult and unreasonable," Midas said as he suddenly appeared in the doorway, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "It shouldn't be a surprise. I am immature and unladylike after all."
"Madam Kiso is a respectable member of this household. I would prefer if you spoke to her with honour and dignity," he told me.
I scoffed. "Since when did your opinion matter?"
He stepped into the room, his height and size beginning to feel intimidating. "It might take longer for you to register the fact that you are no longer in the Southside, but in the Northlands. No one here will have the patience to bear your childish tantrums and any disrespect will result in punishment."
"Again, when did I start caring about what you think?" I bit back.
His jaw twitched as he looked at me. I fascinated myself with how I was able to be so bold whilst I shook like a reed in water.
"Help her get dressed. I want here in my office in thirty minutes. Do whatever is possible to achieve that," he said to Madam Kiso.
I snarled at his back as he left and continued to glare at Madam Kiso as she nodded her head at the three girls who remained silent the entire time. One girl went for a different door than the one Midas took and came back with some clothes. Another disappeared in a second door whilst the third one approached me.
"Please leave the bed, Miss Amaya. Your bath is ready," she said to me.
"Go and hang yourself," I spat.
"In that case, please excuse me," she said before she reached for me and grabbed for my nightdress.
The sheer material barely hid anything anymore with how wet it was. Did Midas see me like this? I was so stupid. I screamed and fought as she began to take the dress off whilst I clung to it for dear life.
"Okay, stop! I'll do it! Just stop, please!" I begged, not liking the idea of being stripped naked.
Who had changed me before anyway? I hated this invasion of privacy. The girl decided to let me go and I marched to where they said the bathroom was. If I was not so mad, I would have marvelled over the size of the bathroom. The tub was basically a small pool and the shower was the size of a small room. They gave me a little privacy before I stepped into the bubbles, my muscles relaxing at the hot water. They thoroughly washed my hair and dried it whilst I tried not to fall asleep. Minutes later, they threatened to haul me out so I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel.
An hour later, I was dragging my feet through marble-floored hallways, my eyes lingering over a lot of new things. Madam Kiso had promised that I would be given a tour right after I met with the alpha. Whatever that is.
"Thank you, Madam Kiso, I'll take it from here," Midas said after we entered what must be his office.
Boy, is it huge. A large, glass desk sits in front of a wall comprising of floor length windows. There was a sitting area on one side as well as floor-to-ceiling bookcases on one wall. A computer sat on his desk, as well as a few files and books. He walked from his desk, ushering my to one of the leather couches I almost sank into.
"So, I'm 'it' now?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
He doesn't say anything as he takes out something from his pocket. It's a phone. He taps on the screen a couple of times, places it on his ear, mumbles into it before handing it to me.
"What?"
He rolls his eyes. "Just take the phone, Amaya."
"Why? Who is it?"
"Why don't you find out?" he says.
"Maybe because I don't want to," I retort.
"Its your mother. She wants to talk to you," he resigns to my persistence.
I snatch the phone from him and hold it against my ear. "Hello?"
"Amaya, darling, how are you?" Mother half sobs into the phone and I find it hard to keep my emotions in check.
"I hate it here," I tell her. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, Amaya. I'm sorry. This wasn't meant to happen but everything is such a mess and—"
"It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I knew this was going to happen. I had to do it for you, for Dad, for Aimee, for everyone. I still have to come to terms with all of that but I'll be fine. Just... Please find Aimee," I said, a tear straying from my eye.
Mother sniffed and I could imagine her nodding from the other side of the phone. "We'll do our best, I promise. Call me if you need anything. If anything goes wrong, I'll come there and get you myself."
"Hey, Mother," I said before hanging up, "take care of my trees for me."
I handed the phone back to Midas, feeling quite glum. I fiddled with my fingers as Midas spoke on the phone and waited until the conversation was over.
"I'm hoping that now you'll be more reasonable," he said, leaning forward to take a closer look at me.
I frowned. "I was going to but then you just had to open your mouth."
He placed a file in front of me and took his own and began to flip through the pages after placing a pair of glasses over his nose. I found myself staring at him. He looked so different with his glasses, so mature and powerful. Father wore reading glasses when his migraines got bad but he never looked different.
Midas looked at me. "You're supposed to be looking at that."
"Right," I said, picking up the file and going through it.
"We have a lot to prepare for before the wedding, and plenty more to do after that," he said as he took out a pen.
"Wedding?" I asked, almost dropping the file.
"Yes, those were the terms of the alliance. You and I are to wed," he simply stated. "Now, Madam Kiso suggested a tour so I'll have someone do that with you. After that, you need to meet with Madeline. There is something very important you need to know from her. After that, you'll get brief education on Northland culture and values which will be continued after the wedding. We have a ball tomorrow where you will get an opportunity to meet most officials. Afterward, we will both attend luncheon or dinner with selected, high ranking officials. You will assist in necessary wedding preparations and visit a few towns as well. Any questions?"
I flipped through the pages and nodded. "Yes, plenty. First of all, why do I have my entire life planned out for me? Second, what does our marriage entail? Third, what happens if I say no to it all?"
"I'll answer you're last question first. If you don't comply or if you try to act smart then I'll have no choice but to send you back and recall my troops. You will come to understand the weight of your duty as my wife and lastly, we will discuss more on our marriage later. The wedding is at the end of the week so we don't have much time to spare."
"Last question," I said, raising my hand. "Can Lin be my maid of honour?"
Madam Kiso whisked me away for breakfast. I discovered that I was very hungry and most of the food I had never tasted in my life. Alas, they timed my breakfast and exactly fifteen minutes later, I was dropped off what I was told to be the Royal Historian's office, which was actually a library.
"Miss Amaya. It's an honour to meet you. The kingdom is abuzz with news of your arrival," the tall lanky man with small, round glasses, a mop of curly hair and an old fashioned brown suit and matching shoes said as he invited me into a small office in the library. "My name is Peter Morgan, the Royal Historian. I can understand why the Alpha assigned me with this task."
"I didn't understand half of what you said," I honestly told him.
He hummed. "Ah, yes, that is understandable considering that you do not know of the Northland ways. I'm sure you'll find out soon. No need to worry. Well, I suppose we should get right to it."
"Is a Royal Historian actually a glorified librarian?" I asked, causing the man to stumble a bit.
"It might appear that way. However, we are in one of the most important places in the entire palace. The Royal Archives house as lot of secrets and tales that most people must not know. There are only a few scholars with access to the archives and you might too with your new position," he explained.
I frowned. "Palace?"
"Yes, the Alpha King's residence. It is otherwise known as Grand Jewel Palace, or Jewel House. There is a lot of history behind that name but that's a story for another day. I just need to show you a few vital areas of Jewel House so you can be able to find your way around it," he told me.
"I'm sorry, I keep hearing that. What is alpha? Or who is he?" I asked, scrunching up my face.
"You mean, Alpha King Kennedy," he said.
"Midas?"
"I guess you are allowed to call him that," he mumbled.
"Is he actually a big deal?" I said.
"More than you would imagine. Now, I have less than an hour to show you around and we've lost a quarter of that. Do you mind if we carry on?"
"The Grand Jewel Palace is over five centuries old and has remained standing through many tragedies. It is a symbol of hope and endurance of the Northlands and it is quite fitting for the Alpha King to reside here. It comprises of the main court, the high court, the Alpha's court, the Luna's court and the servants' court. The main court has basically many administrative offices. It is the headquarters of sorts which directly reports to the Alpha King. The high court consists of specific elected high officials that the Alpha trusts personally to handle sensitive state matters. The Alpha's court is where you are currently residing, which is where the Alpha is trained and raised from an early age. The Luna's court is home for the Alpha's family, the Luna's domain to be specific. These two courts are close together for obvious reasons. Lastly, the servants' court where palace workers reside and work under the charge of the Head Master and Head Maid. We will first go to the Alpha's court, then the Luna's, the servants' and finally the main court. I imagine we'd need permission to visit the high court but that would be for another day."
The man could talk. I'll give him that. All I had to do was follow him around as I stared at everything wide-eyed like a fool. The size of every room I was in was impressive and the architecture was breath-taking. I was not allowed to touch anything, which was probably wise because I don't have a dime on me to pay for damages.
"What is a Luna?" I asked after he finally shut up.
"That would be the Alpha's partner," he said. "The most honourable position in the Kingdom, and the most powerful too."
I nodded. "What about Lin? And Lucas and Madeline? Where do they stay?"
"There are living quarters within the main and high courts, as well as around the palace. I assume that is where they currently might be. However, Ms Madeline occasionally stayed at the Luna Court, especially when her mother, Luna Hanna, was still around. I'm sure she can be the Alpha's guest for now," he answered.
"Can I meet Lin? Can we go and see her?"
"I'm afraid not. You have to meet Ms Madeline first, if that is alright. I was told that is next on your schedule," he said, turning on his heels and leading me back.