Krystle disregarded Lord Theon his outstretched hand; instead, she stood up on her own volition. She tightened her jaw in embarrassment, the humiliation she had gone through made her feel disgrace and shame. She wanted to let out her anger, her pain, but she would not do so in front of her new master. He clenched his hand into a fist and brought it to his side once more.
She became intimidated by his height; he was taller than he seemed when he was on his throne. She gulped and took a step back, wanting to keep some distance as well as not feel smaller in front of him.
She cleared her throat and wiped her tears roughly with the back of her hands as if by doing so, her tears would stop flowing like a river. She sniffed and licked her lips to hydrate them and lick the salty water from them. She didn't meet his eyes even after he spoke to her.
"I know it's a hellacious situation for you right now, but it is late. I am feeling fatigued and have no mind to attend to the… fate this has brought you. Dag, my valet, will escort you to your new room. Tomorrow morning, we will discuss this serenely and self-composed. Let's not dwell on this tonight."
Krystle looked up as he gazed at her with droopy eyes. He must have been really tired to leave the situation for the next day. She took a deep breath and nodded, agreeing with his words. She needed some time alone as well; after what had just happened, she didn't want to speak to anyone to collect herself.
At that exact time, the door behind them opened and the silent steps of Dag were not heard by her. The Dragon Lord looked up behind her and nodded at him to take her away to rest.
"Please follow me." His voice startled her for a second before she glanced at Lord Theon. He also gave her a last glance before turning around to his throne, but before he took two steps she turned around and walked behind the valet, who walked in long strides. By the time Theon reached his throne and sat down, she closed the door behind them.
He sighed and massaged his temples as he plopped down onto his seat with a loud, heavy huff; the day's labor had drained him and he needed a good night sleep for the next day's troubles. He had been overfatigued for last couple of weeks, and the solution for his insomnia just stepped into his territory and he would not let her go, never.
He closed his eyes and waited for Dag's return; he had a small quest for his loyal valet. That valet was making his way with the princess to her room. They were almost there, they had crossed the arena and quite many hallways, some turns to the left and some to the right. The palace was quite an intricate one.
Krystle was intrigued by it. One moment they had been outside, and the next, the hallways were inside the palace; he said he was no king, yet he lived like one. They had made many turns and she was certain that if she were to walk on her own, she would get lost on the first turn.
"How will I make my way back tomorrow?" Krystle asked the valet in an unsure tone. She hoped he would give her some sort of map or guide for herself.
"Do not worry about that for now. Tomorrow someone will come for you." He spoke in a colorless voice, as if he didn't want to speak more than necessary. They encountered a wide hallway, it was lit up by low chandeliers, they were separated every ten meters or so, it wasn't that the other hallways were dark, but the chandeliers in that specific hallway gave a different feel, warm.
There was a door on the other side of the hallway, she would find out where it lead to soon. She hurried her pace to not lose the valet from her sight. Again, they turned to their left and this time she was left speechless. She met a high ceiling, similar to that of a temple, it had such an intricate and delicate architecture and details that it was hard not to stare, it was mesmerizing.
At the center was a staircase with a beautiful rail and halfway up it divided into two, left and right. The valet took the right side, but she noticed you could take whichever side, they both led you to the second floor. A gigantesque candelabrum hung form the center of the ceiling with a silver chain. It was decorated with thousand of small diamonds that shined beautifully with the light coming from inside it.
When they reached the second floor, the valet turned to the left, tall windows decorated the walls, it was dark outside, making it difficult to see much. After more walking she sighed in relief when he finally stopped in front of a door to the right. He unlocked it with a key and opened the door wide for her to enter. She hesitantly took a step forward and walked inside looking around. The valet walked inside behind her, then the chandelier in the middle of the room turned on, lighting the room brightly.
Krystle turned around and saw he had turned on the switch next to the door. Magic had made us dependent on it for centuries now. Witches granted every kingdom a small portion of magic for these kinds of things, lighting was one of many privileges given to them. Witches were praised and treated like goddesses, they had different gifts and were cherished immensely by everyone. However, there we some who had turned their gifts into curses, they became evil and were feared.
"There is a bath room on the door next to the bed, also a closet in front. Rest well, princess." The valet did not wait for her to answer and closed the door behind him before she could ask any more questions. The room was simple, nothing special about it; the room back home was more welcoming and extravagant, her father had made sure she had the best.
She sighed and decided to take a shower and remove all the dirt off her from the day. She put her worries aside and decided to relax while she still could, who knew what tomorrow would bring.
Lord Theon was standing by one of the windows with his hands behind his back when the valet came back to him. Theon said nothing until the valet reached him. He did not see, but unconsciously knew that Dag had bowed down in respect for his master. He knew his loyalty went over his expectations and that was why he was the only one he could trust.
"The princess is now in her room, my Lord. Do you have any more requests for me?" His head was bowed, lowered in a humble manner, his voice gentle and polite.
"I have one last probe for you tonight, Dag. The Eira kingdom, the king, the princess. I want all the information you can find me about them. I must know who I have under my roof." He glanced back to him from the side, "that is all. As soon as you know all of this, you report it to me immediately."
"Yes, my Lord." Gad bowed down again, took a few steps back and then turned around to leave. Theon sighed once more and made his way toward his chambers, the aching on his back pulsed like a heartbeat, making him grit his teeth in pain. Soon, he would regenerate with the help of his new healer.