Yavanna woke up early, drowsiness fogging her brain. She'd hardly slept at all that night. Between the odd nightmare and the heat of the multiple blankets, sleep had never come to her.
"How are you feeling, your highness?" Christa asked when Yavanna had not heard a question posed by Vivian.
Yavanna blinked, "Oh, I'm fine. A little tired if anything."
Christa nodded and continued to relay their plan for the day.
"You're to visit the main library as soon as you're finished with breakfast, then we'll be escorted on a tour through the city."
"And the king won't be joining us?" Yavanna asked.
Christa shook her head, "No, your highness."
Vivian then spoke, "After the tour we are to go to dinner in the castle. It will be formal so we've asked a tailor to come, but he cannot make it. Besides, there wouldn't be enough time to stitch a dress of such grandness or to meet the requirements. So, the only dresses fitting the criteria are from your kingdom."
Yavanna nodded, "I see." She opened her lips with a click, "So, Nothad's future queen will be dressed as a Viland princess?"
The two ladies exchanged a glance at Yavanna's tone. Yavanna was not upset, not in the least, but she knew how it would look. The people would not connect with her or see her as one of their own.
"We apologize, your highness." Christa said with a curtsy. Vivian followed suit.
"I'm not upset. Simply stating what I've observed." She stood and walked to where the wardrobes of dresses were located; on the wall where the door was.
"Are there no dresses from the wedding gifts that would fit the standards of the dinner?" She asked as she opened one of the wardrobes.
Vivian walked forward, "No, your highness. Almost all of them are of Viland fashion or of Nothad, but not fitting."
Yavanna began to sort through the hundreds of dresses. She smiled as her fingers landed upon a delicate green coloured dress. She unlatched it and walked to the tidied bed to lay it out.
It was simple, but had an elegance to it that Yavanna preferred to elaborate dresses.
She could tell her ladies in waiting were skeptical, but she thought it was lovely.
"I will be wearing this tonight." She announced.
The two women nodded and they then led her to where breakfast would be.
The halls of the castle were smaller than that of Viland's palace, but still quite spacious. The ceilings had to reach four metres tall and the floors were just shy of three metres wide. The dark grey bricks were covered with a deep blue carpet with furs underneath. Paintings and weapons were hung on the stone walls, along with magnificent tapestries.
She wanted to stop and stare at them, but she was reminded of her schedule. She looked outside the pointed windows to her right as she walked. It looked out over a different part of the city. It looked grander and larger. Some of the buildings were rested inside the castle walls, others weren't.
A large white fountain with a statue atop it sat in the centre of the castle courtyard. Its light colouring differentiated it from the otherwise dark colouring of the castle's aesthetic.
She arrived at the dining room and was relieved to see that it was empty. She was ushered to sit at the end of the table, on a chair to the right of the head.
A plate was placed in front of her filled with mushrooms, potatoes and what looked like roast beef.
She stared at it for a few moments. This was a much heavier meal than she was used to, but she wasn't in Viland anymore. She picked up her knife and fork and began carving into the meal.
She could only manage to eat half of it.
She drank some water from the goblet next to her in the hopes that it would make her meal feel lighter. It only gave her stomach a waterlogged feel.
She stood and fixed her veil back over her mouth. Vivian and Christa then led her to the library. The library was a massive building situated outside of the main castle, still within the walls of it, but you had to enter the cold courtyard.
Luckily her personal maids had foreseen this and Edith, her second personal maid, had given her a beautiful soft coat that matched her winter dress perfectly. Most of the other natives of Nothad were dressed in only one or two layers of clothing, which caused Yavanna to stand out.
But she knew she'd get used to it; she was gifted at adapting. Most likely why her parents put her in this position. Better than her other sisters.
The two heavy doors to the library were opened and Yavanna smiled up at the tall shelves and balconies with more bookshelves. It had a cozy, homey feel.
"Welcome, your highness." She lowered her gaze and saw a bent old man standing by a shelf with a few books in his hands.
She nodded at him, "It's a lovely library."
"It's an old library." He said with a rasping chuckle, "It's stood for centuries in this spot, at one point in time it was where the kings dwelt. It was soon turned into an armoury, then a hospital. In the last century it was turned into a library."
She blinked, "Oh, that's quite fascinating. Why has it gone through so many changes?"
The man wandered into the centre of the library where couches were set up around a fire. By each couch was a table with candles and stacks of books on them.
Her eyes quickly looked back to the old man. He set the books down on a desk and darted his eyes back and forth a few times. Yavanna's brow creased.
"The first king of Nothad's son, King Horst, lived here in this building. He was said to feast on the blood of his victims," Yavanna's blood grew cold. "Until one day his son, Kieran, cast a spell that killed his father, but cursed his blood."
Yavanna stared at him in horror through the dark veil. She swallowed and stood her ground. It was the same old tale that her nursemaid had told her, but with different details. It was a story native to Nothad after all. The old man was sure to know numerous exaggerated details.
The man leaned forward and she stayed still. They were still quite a few feet apart. "It's told that King Horst still lives in these walls and still thirsts for the blood of those who wronged him."
A shiver crept down her spine and she fought the temptation to spin around and make sure no ghouls were behind her. She hated stories of haunting spirits.
Silence lingered in the air after the man's chilling words. The library no longer had a homey feel to it.
She swallowed, "Well, that's quite an interesting tale." Using her voice made her realize how different it sounded from the man's burr accent.
He regarded her, "Yes, it is." He opened a book on the table and it slammed loudly. All three women jumped and Yavanna pressed her hand to her chest.
The man didn't seem to notice, "Is there anything I can help you with today?"
Yavanna blinked, "Um, y-yes. As a matter of fact, there is. I'm afraid that my knowledge of Nothad is still quite limited. So.. I'm.. I'm looking to see if you have any books—that I might learn from."
She cursed herself for her stuttering. She sounded a fool.
The man's finger trailed through his book, flipping through a few pages before he exclaimed, "Ah! I've got just the one. I'll be right back, your highness."
Yavanna nodded with a smile. As soon as he disappeared behind a shelf she allowed herself to gaze around the high beams in the ceiling and the shelves behind her.
"Don't worry, your highness. Douglas always tells old wives tales to whoever enters his library." Vivian said reassuringly. "It's his entertainment."
Yavanna nodded, "Do you believe it to be true?"
The woman wrinkled her nose slightly, "The Tale of King Horst the Blood King? No, your highness. I do not."
Yavanna nodded, "Well, I suppose it's similar to Queen Uttara the Star Lady." She shook her head with a laugh, "It's all superstition-"
"Your book, your highness."
All three women jumped and Christa shrieked at Douglas' voice. Yavanna turned on her heel to find the old man right behind her.
"Oh." She breathed, "Thank you."
His knobby hands held the aged, dusty book out to her and she accepted it. Fighting her hesitancy.
She smiled nervously at the man and held his grey blue eyes, when he said, "All superstitions grow from the truth."