The Key (18 page)

“Why are y
ou telling me this?”

“I
thought you should know,” Ellie said, taking hold of Rema’s hand. “Be careful. Prince Lennek isn’t someone to trifle with. Remain alert at all times.”

There was a knock on the door, and two
armed guards entered.

“Hold on,” Ellie said,
stranding up. “Let me take a look at you before you leave.” Ellie smoothed Rema’s dress and adjusted one of the ribbons in her hair. “You’re ready,” she smiled.

“Thank you
.” Rema squeezed Ellie’s hand.

One
guard led the way while the other one followed behind Rema. Hallway after hallway blended together. All the walls were the same ivory-colored stone, the floors white marble. The only people they passed were dressed in palace livery, hinting that they were in the servants’ wing.

After
going through a set of doors, they entered an open corridor filled with paintings and tapestries. The first guard stopped at an archway and stepped aside. In the room, the king and prince leaned close to each other, speaking with hushed voices. Rema stood, waiting to be acknowledged and permitted to enter.

Three of the walls
in the small room were dark blue with portraits of King Barjon hanging on them. Rema shuddered, too many cruel eyes staring at her. There must be a picture for each year the king ruled Greenwood Island. The last wall was windowed, and in its center was a six-foot-wide, royal-blue curtain, blocking the view of the balcony on the other side.

“Let’s begin,” King Barjon announced
. He waved a hand in Rema’s direction while a short man that had been standing in a corner scurried forward, placing a cape on King Barjon’s shoulders.

The guards
led her to one of the chairs in the room, and then stood on either side of the doorway.

Lennek
approached Rema, placing his hands on his hips. “You’ll be before thousands of people. Don’t look so bloody scared. You’re supposed to be in love. Smile.”

She nodded her head.

The prince rolled his eyes and spun around. “Arnek, is
he
here yet?”

Rema glanced at Lennek’s tall frame and wide shoulders, and instantly remembered Darmik. Could the king and prince be awaiting Darmik’s arrival? Her stomach twisted just thinking of the possibility of seeing him again.

“No, Your Highness,” the mousey man answered.

“Check again. We’re about to start.” Prince Lennek
moved to the curtains where King Barjon stood.

Two men pulled the fabric aside, revealing
the balcony. The king walked out onto it, the curtains sliding shut behind him. A loud applause arose. Rema heard the king talking, but she couldn’t hear what he said.

Lennek paced
back and forth, glancing at the doorway every couple of seconds. “Where is he? Father promised he’d be here.”

Cheering arose and the
curtains opened. Prince Lennek glared at the door one last time before joining his father out on the balcony. A guard by the curtains motioned to Rema. She made her way across the room, standing before the blue fabric.

“
People of Greenwood Island,” Lennek bellowed, his voice somehow amplified. “I have searched the entire kingdom for a wife. Someone who would help me be an exceptional ruler. Someone who would herself be a blessing to this island. I have found that person, and she is one of you. Everyone, I want you to meet your future princess.”

Rema’s hands
, sweaty and shaking, grabbed desperately onto the fabric of her dress as she tried to calm herself. When the curtains pulled aside, Rema froze. One of the soldiers took her arm and shoved her onto the balcony. Stumbling, she caught hold of Lennek’s hand to steady herself. A hush fell over the crowd. Hundreds of people stood below in a large, stone courtyard. Beyond the courtyard, a road leading back down into the city was also lined with people.

Thousands of eyes were
upon her. “She is a horse merchant’s niece,” the prince continued. Rema backed away, panic taking over, making it difficult to breath. Lennek squeezed Rema’s hand, pulling her closer to his side. “One of you.”

The applause
reverberated throughout the courtyard. The announcement seemed a success. Prince Lennek smiled—a real smile that lit up his eyes—almost making Rema want to smile right along with him. Almost. 

Scanning the crowd, Rema felt uneasy. Even though everyone was cheering,
she didn’t see any smiles, and there were dozens of soldiers throughout the crowd.

Her feet slowly inched backwards. Rema wanted off the balcony and away from th
is royal family. She had no desire to be associated with them, nor did she want the people to think of her as their future princess. Even though she was going along with Lennek for now, she did not intend to marry him.

Rema’s foot caught on the back of her dress, throwing her off balance
, her hands flying out to grab onto something. That something turned out to be the king’s cape. It was enough to steady herself, until the king ripped it out of her hands, glaring at her.

“Sorry,” she mumbled
.

Lennek seized her arm.
“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry,” she
repeated.

Lennek looked at her like she was
a fool. Rema pulled her arm away from him and rubbed it.

“
Churl,” the king murmured to Rema, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Then he faced the people below, opening his arms as if to embrace them. “People of Greenwood Island!” he yelled. “Thank you for coming. We will be celebrating my son’s marriage soon!” He spun around and glided off the balcony, back into the room.

Rema glanced out at the crowd.
The mood had shifted. All eyes were still on her, but several people smiled, a few even nodded.

“Let’s go,” Prince Lennek said,
pinching her elbow and escorting her back into the room.

“Where is he?” the king yelled.

“Your Majesty,” Arnek replied, “
he
has just arrived.”

The king grunted and left the room. Lennek released
Rema’s arm. She wondered if the
he
they referred to was Darmik or someone else.

“He’
s here?” Lennek asked his steward.

“Yes, Your Highness. Main courtyard.”

“Guards,” Lennek shouted, “take Rema to her room. Quickly!” Lennek mumbled to himself, “It’ll be on my terms. I won’t let him ruin this.”

The two guards
ushered Rema from the room and to the left. She swore they had entered from the other direction. Like before, one guard walked in front and the other one behind her.

The
trio traveled through several hallways, just like her trip here, but this time, the corridors were covered with tapestries and paintings. They must have been in the main part of the castle instead of the servant’s corridors. Rema tried to get her bearings, taking note of the paintings at junctions and looking out windows when she could. If she was ever afforded the opportunity to escape, she wanted to have some idea of where she was in the massive castle.

The sheer size of the
place was overwhelming. Everyone from her village could easily live inside the castle. How did these guards even know where they were going? When they rounded yet another corner, everything started to blur together. All the tapestries depicted similar generic pictures—gardens, flowers, or open land. Even the windows offered little help. The city was in the distance but nothing stood out to her.

“What level are we on?” Rema asked.

The guard in front of Rema continued walking without answering.

The one behind her cleared his throat. “Fifth floor, my lady.”

Rema glanced back at him. He had an odd expression, like he was curious about something. They continued. The end of the corridor opened onto two dozen balconies overlooking a central courtyard below with a domed, stained-glass ceiling above. The sun shone through the multi-colored dome, casting red, blue, and yellow light onto the pristine white marble floor. Rema moved to the edge of the railing, observing a large water fountain with a statue of King Barjon wielding a sword. Water cascaded from his feet down into the pool surrounding it.

Several groups of
elegantly dressed people stood around the courtyard talking, quiet whispers filling the air. One group, however, was louder than the rest. Rema focused on them, wondering what was going on. There were about a dozen men, all dressed in the King’s Army uniform. One of them stood out in front of the others, like he was issuing orders. He looked a bit like Prince Lennek, tall and confident, the soldiers listening intently to him, focused on his every word.

Th
e soldier glanced up at the balcony across from Rema where King Barjon was storming down the hallway. The king leaned over the side and yelled, “Prince Darmik, I need to speak with you. My study, now.”

Rema
’s hands tightened on the railing, her knuckles turning white. The soldier was Darmik. Her face warmed, and she wished he would look her way. Of course, it made sense Darmik was here—the king was his father and he was a prince.

Fingers slid around her upper arm, urging her on.
“Don’t stop, Prince Lennek will get mad,” the guard whispered. They went down another hallway away from the courtyard. Rema was certain they had just come this way.

Darmik was here, in this very castle.
Rema still remembered how he had warned her when Prince Lennek was coming, giving her the opportunity to leave before he saw her. Did that mean Darmik was aware of his brother’s true nature? Maybe Darmik knew what Lennek really wanted with her—but would he be willing to help her? Rema shook her head. Trusting or enlisting anyone’s aid would be dangerous, especially Prince Lennek’s own brother.

“
Bloody hell,” the guard behind her mumbled. Rema glanced up. Walking directly toward them was Prince Lennek.

“
What’s going on?” the prince asked. His eyebrows bent inward in confusion.

Darmik’s voice echoed behind them. Lennek’s eyes widened and his
nostrils flared. Rema took a step back.

“
Get her into her quarters,” he demanded. “Quickly.”

Both guards took hold of Rema’s arms and ushered her past Prince Lennek
, picking up the pace. The prince’s footsteps pounded close behind. Rema shuddered.

Stopping before
the large, wooden door to Rema’s room, a guard unlocked it.

Rema
entered and moved to close the door when Lennek shoved past her.

“Leave us,”
he ordered the guards. There was a flicker of sympathy on their faces as they closed the door, leaving Prince Lennek alone with Rema.

Lennek stood
in the middle of the sitting room with his arms crossed, staring at her. He stepped closer, and she backed away. Her body went cold, like she was lying in snow.

“That won’t do, darling,”
Prince Lennek pointed at her, tsking. The light caught on his sapphire ring. “Tomorrow night, you will be presented before the court. Every facial expression, hand gesture, and blink, will be scrutinized,” Lennek said. “I want to remind you that we are engaged, in love, and will be married. I expect you to play your part flawlessly. Otherwise, well, otherwise your poor aunt and uncle will have a nasty accident like Bren. Are we clear?”

Just hearing Uncle Kar and Aunt Maya’s names spoken by Lennek made Rema’s
stomach twist. She wanted to spit in his face—but she knew better.

Her aunt and uncle
had always taken care of her, and she loved them dearly. When Rema was only eight years old, she had been out riding Snow when he was spooked and she was thrown from him. Before she could roll out of the way, Snow stepped on her ribcage. Luckily, Uncle Kar was there. He pulled her to safety, carrying Rema home for over two miles. Aunt Maya bound her ribs and sat at her bedside for days. Rema remembered Aunt Maya crying and telling her that she wished she could take away Rema’s pain.

Rema
would protect her family—no matter the cost.

Smiling sweetly, Rema responded, “Of course,
my love,” her words dripping with sarcasm.

Lennek chuckled. He reached out and grabbed her wrist
, pulling her body against his. With the weight of the dress, she fell into him. Quickly regaining her footing, Rema pushed herself upright and away from Lennek, but he didn’t release her.

“Start playing the part
,” he whispered, lowering his head to hers. Rema did not want to kiss this man who had Bren killed and threatened her family. She would rather die. But she had to think of Uncle Kar and Aunt Maya. They didn’t deserve to be hurt because of her.

Rema
needed to be alone so she could figure out what Prince Lennek wanted with her. Perhaps she could negotiate her aunt and uncle’s freedom. A plan suddenly formed.

“Don’t you want a wife that is pure?” Rema asked
. His lips were about to touch hers. Lennek’s hot breath coated her face like fire. “I assume you would honor your future wife, respect her. Especially if you want the same from me.” She had an intense desire to shove him away but, instead, forced her body to remain still.