Thread: Sand's of Time

Alyna grumbled as she stared out the window, her fingers drumming on the window seat. Her eyes were watching the road leading to her room very intently. 'Where is he?' she grumbled to herself for the umpteenth time. Her father, Richard, was always away and since her mother had passed, he was her only parent so, she reasoned, she had a right to be spoiled and demand every second of his attention that he could spare. She loved her father very much especially because he, unlike other aristocrats of the time, actually thought that girls should be given an education as well. Her light pink lips curled into a smile as she remembered him teaching her how to read by the fire as she snuggled on his lap. Of course, the result was she loved books and since her father was quite well-to-do, he could afford them. That thought brought a frown back to her face. Her father had promised her a book the night before and had brought it home. She couldn't wait but forced him to stay with her as she went through it, making sure she knew the meaning of every written word. Her frown this day was caused by a few phrases that she did not understand and her child-like curiosity could not stand waiting. Finally! A carriage rounded the corner. In fact, even before she saw it, she recognised the sound of her father's carriage. She leapt off the window seat and hurried through the corridors and down the stairs, her yellow dress and red hair streaming behind her as she ran. Almost reaching the foot of the stairs, she realised she had forgotten the book. Cursing, she turned mid-step and ran back upstairs to get it which was probably why she didn't know her father had gone into the lower floors of the house. Carrying the massive tome, she searched for her father until her maid finally told her where to look. Thanking the maid, she made for the lower stairs. She rarely went down there as it was so dark. She loved the light and sunshine too much to want to spend time exploring the lower floors of the house. It was odd that after spending so much time outdoors, she was still so fair. Without decorum, she flung the door open and the moment she spied her father, she wrapped her arms round his neck, hugging him close. Daddy! she cried, Where have you been? before she turned to realise that they weren't alone and that there was a stranger there. She hurriedly stepped back and gave a curtsy. Her father liked her to be polite and well-behaved in front of strangers. In answer to the stranger's question, she replied Forgive me. It was I who interrupted my father and you. But when her father spoke, the polite persona she put on fell an inch or two with the girlish joy of seeing her father shining in her blue-green eyes. Daddy! I need you to explain things to me! I tried figuring them out but i don't remember anything even remotely similar. Must be the new land with names i don't understand. You brought that book for me, it's your duty to tell me everything about it! she rattled off at high speed in answer to her father's question, her tone light and merry. She then turned to the stranger, If you do not mind, would you please allow my father to come with me? That is, if you are done, she added with a smile that obviously said of course, you're done. In case he did not get the message, she slipped her hand into her father's and gave a small tug towards the door. Criseyda suppressed another sigh of frustration. How could her carriage be intercepted so easily as she was travelling back to the palace from visiting one of her friends who lived beyond the castle walls? She was Queen, for heaven's sake! What were her imbecile guards doing? Then again, her husband never truly cared for her well-being. She knew very well that when she married into the royal family, leaving her own homeland and beloved family, that she should not hope to find love. It was a political marriage of alliance and as a dutiful queen, she had borne her husband children whom, to increase her frustration, were taken from her and raised by members of her husband's family. She was, quintessentially, a trophy queen. All the king needed was for her to look pleasant for she had already carried out her wifely responsibilities by bearing heirs to the throne. Of course, no one beyond the immediate royal family knew of the state of her relationship with her husband. They were very careful to keep up appearances and on her own part, she was just waiting for the days to pass, actually looking forward to the end of her days. The carriage jolted as it went over a ditch in the road but she kept silent. She always said little for when she spoke, her foreign blood was more than evident in the rhythm and tone of her speech. She wasn't screaming for help because she recognised the crest of the men who had accosted her carriage... the Duke. She bit back another sigh. She hated family feuds especially when she was involved as a mere pawn. What did the Duke want with her, she had no inkling. She heard the sound of metal gates opening and the crunch of the wheels on gravel and flagstone instead of dirt. The carriage came to a halt and the door opened for her. Your majesty, said a voice which she took as an indication to alight. The footman was bowed low but she took his hand and stepped off the carriage. The fresh air felt good to her slightly tanned skin and she took a deep breath to savour it. Oddly enough, the very air in the castle was stale. Her dark eyes flashed about her to take in her whereabouts. The crest above the archway through which she was led was not one she recognised on sight. Where was she? Yet her own footmen and two ladies maids were allowed to accompany her so she did not feel threatened as yet. Plus, there was no sign of hostility though she kept alert for things could turn in an instant. She was shown into a room and she settled herself down on the armchair closest to the fire not because she wanted the warmth but because it allowed her to have a view of the entire room. She sat, poised, and waited.