Chapter 1
The throne room was always empty when Divina met with the king. Her heels clicked jarringly against the limestone floors. The sound echoed off the bare walls, making it even more obvious that the small hall was empty of art work, furnishing, and even people. The only piece of furniture was the king’s golden throne on the dais at the front of the room. The shine of the gold clashed harshly with the gray of the stone that made up the floors and walls. It made it hard for Divina to look up at the king. She desperately wished for another face to look at, but there was no one. The king was distrustful of everyone around him and never allowed anyone in the throne room when Divina relaid to him his daily divinations.
“Tell me what you have seen, sleep seer.” His voice was a booming roar in the empty hall.
“Lord Phillip Atwood commits a great offense to you during a meeting with your advisors, your majesty. He suggests that you are unaware of the relations our kingdom has with the Croto tribes in the west,” Divina droned. The king’s face turned red.
Abner Ker Peter Dundren, king of the country of Ceavaria, was once a handsome man. He had been known for his thick amber locks, crystal blue eyes, smooth porcelain skin, and straight white teeth sitting behind a charming smile. Now however, all his hair appeared less so on his head and more so in his ears and nose. His eyes had faded to a dull gray and his skin looked like tanned leather with wrinkles and creases in unappealing places. His teeth, what little he had left, were nothing more than yellow squares hiding behind chapped lips that always formed a frown.
“Anything else?” King Dundren grumbled.
“Lady Crestmoore is going to spill her wine at tonight’s dinner and some of it will spill into your lap and leave an awful stain, your majesty,” Divina continued. The king sighed.
“Do you have anything of more importance to report?”
“No, your majesty,” Divina answered. The king looked disappointed. Divina didn’t know what he expected. When he asks for daily predictions, not every vision she had was going to be life altering. In fact, none of her visions were really life altering. She sometimes wondered why the king kept her around. Her mother was the sleep seer before her. She had been far more useful than Divina was. She had helped the king come to power after the death of the previous king left the country without a ruler. She helped him avoid assasination attempts and tell the difference between allies and foes. But now the king had been ruler for over 30 years and his line of succession was secured through the birth of his heir Prince Abner Gabriel Dundren. The rest of the king’s life should be calm and peaceful with no need for a seer.
“Hasn’t she outlived her usefulness, your majesty?” A greasy lanky man and the only other person in the room stood next to the king’s throne. Divina had wished for a friendly face but his was the last face she would ever willingly look at. His face was dry and wrinkled like crinkled paper. He had beady black eyes and wispy white hair on his head as well as on his face. Though the hair was so patchy on his face, Divina was unsure about calling it a beard. He was dressed in such expensive clothes it was almost absurd to see such an ugly hook-nosed man dressed so finely.
The man was Wizard Obus Uldor, advisor to the king. They say the wizard suggested that the then Lord Dundren fight for the throne. There were even whispers that it was he who caused the late king’s death.
Divina was unsure of such rumors, but there was one thing she did know. He was the cause of her mother’s death. Her mother was always distrustful of him and her distrust only grew in the months before her death. She made Divina promise to try to never be alone with the wizard or ever accept his help in any way. She didn’t need to promise. The mere mention of him made her skin crawl.
“As long as she lives she will remain useful,” King Dundren said, giving the wizard a warning glance. The wizard pursed his thin lips.
“You are dismissed,” the king waved his hand at her. Divina curtseyed deeply, then quickly exited the throne room. The heavy weight of unease slowly lifted the further away she walked. Luckily, aside from the morning meetings, the king largely left her alone. She headed toward the kitchens where she could grab something to eat. On the way she offered warm smiles to each person she passed, which at this hour were only maids and other servants busy with their morning chores. The servants of the castle were weary of her, but kind. If they knew her talent for seeing the future in her dreams she imagined they would be alot less kind. Only King Dundren and the wizard knew of her power. Her mysterious status is what made the servants weary. Divina had neither wealth nor title and as such, no power. As far as status was concerned, Divina was nothing more than a peasant. Yet she was dressed by the king’s demands in fine gowns fit for a noble woman. She was expected to join meals in the great hall and attend social events. She was even required to join the ladies of the court for tea, something which Divina detested. While the servants were weary of her because they were confused by her lack of title, nobles detested her for it. None would out right defy the king by raising a fuss that a mere commoner enjoyed the rights of the high born, but there were other ways to make sure she knew her place.
“Good morning, Miss Divina,” a man named Felix greeted as Divina entered the kitchens. He was the head cook and one of the few people Divina had known since birth. A large man with pudgy yet agile fingers, he was famous for his food. Lady Safiya had told Divina that he once owned a famous restaurant before he was hired to become the King’s personal chef.
“Hello Cook,” Divina nodded her head in greeting. No one else bustling about the kitchen paid her any mind. They avoided her altogether.
“Would you like some breakfast,” Felix asked.
“No thank you. I think I’m going to spend the rest of my morning in the gardens. Could I trouble you for some bread and cheese instead?” Felix nodded and pulled out a cloth and started slicing into a fresh loaf of bread.
“I heard that the knights from the ninth battalion are returning home today,” Felix noted, “You don’t want to mingle around the courtyard with the other maidens to offer your favor to a strong man?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
“Why would I ever do that?”
Felix shrugged, “Many girls your age are settling down and having families.”
“That life is not for me,” Divina said. The king would never allow her to have a husband. She didn’t particularly have any feelings towards it one way or another. She had known her fate from the time she was small so she never allowed herself to picture what it would be like to have someone to share her life with. She wasn’t fond of most men anyway. They live their lives vying for power and ways to gain more power. After spending her life under the guardianship of the most powerful man of them all, Divina discovered that power only made men paranoid and cruel. Maybe one day, should she successfully escape the palace and run far away, she could meet a man. One who was soft and kind. Maybe then…
Felix tied up the cloth into a little sack of bread and cheese and handed it to her.
“You shouldn’t limit yourself, Miss,” Feliz told her, “You can claim whatever you wish.”
“Right now I wish to claim the sunshine and the sweet smell of flowers,” Divina smiled at him.
“Be off with you then,” he smiled back. Divina nodded her head again and exited out the back of the kitchens and into the bailey. She avoided the animal dung and wild chickens being chased by the servants’ children and quickly made her way toward the west garden entrance, an entrance normally only used by the gardeners. The main entrance was near the courtyard and Divina wanted to be sure to avoid the courtyard if she could help it.
The royal gardens were said to be the most beautiful garden of human creation. There were tall trees heavy with leaves, bushes vibrant with berries and blooms, lush green grass, and flowers in every color under the sun. There was a more manicured part of the garden toward the main entrance where the bushes and hedges were cut into exotic shapes like swans and angels. There were also large fountains and ornate benches for royal tea times. While the back of the gardens were more wild. The smooth concrete paths turn to jagged stone, to loose dirt. Divina’s skirts always made it difficult to walk through the dense part of the garden. Stray branches snagged at the delicate fabric and pollen and petals stained it. It was why she tried to wear her simplest gown on days like today. She wore a dark blue dress with no beading or embroidery. She even skipped on the petticoats so the skirt would lay flat against her legs as improper as it was. No one would see her so she wasn’t too concerned about proprietary. Even the king, though he insisted on her having the fine gowns, didn’t seem to pay attention to whether or not she wore them properly.
Divina’s concern was with a plant in the back corner of the gardens where barely any light touched. The soil there was dried and cracked. The sturdy little plant survived in adverse conditions, or perhaps it caused them. It grew tall and narrow with gray leaves. The flower that bloomed from it had black petals tipped with purple splotches in the shape of a bell. Divina found the plant easily. She knew exactly where it was because she had searched it out more times than she could count. She hunched over it and plucked the petals of a recently opened flower. There were seven petals in all. She folded them into a handkerchief and placed it safe and sound in the pocket of her dress.
With that done, Divina made her way to a dreary pond hidden by a circle of willow trees. There was a small wooden bench next to it. It wasn’t as appealing a place to sit as the extravagant fountains were, but not many people ventured as far back as the pond. Divina unwrapped her bread and cheese and began to nibble as she watched a pair of swans glide across the pond.
Divina’s mother used to bring her here when she was small. The first sleep seer was named Safiya Beck. Safiya originally belonged to a nomadic clan of people called Moenas. Moenians were said to possess additional sights that normal humans could not see. Due to their roaming ways, their existence was mostly a rumor. Very few people had ever encountered the clan and no kingdom had any sort of alliance with them. Wizard Obus Uldor somehow managed to track them down and deliver Safiya to Lord Dundren. Divina was never told just how Safiya came to Lord Dundren apart from the wizard being responsible, but Divina suspected that it was against her will.
Safiya lived her life much the way Divina did now, though from what Divina could remember, her mother was much better at blending in with the other noble women.
However, Safiya was never supposed to be a mother. She never had a husband. But one day after King Dundren had been in control for several years and had produced his heir, he discovered that his seer could no longer tell his fortune, something that only happens when her body was unhealthy. As days went on with no fortune to give the king she finally admitted that she was with child. The king was angry and willing to do anything for Safiya to regain her sight, but she convinced him that if he allowed her to carry the child to term he would end up with two seers rather than one. The king agreed and Safiya gave birth to Divina.
Safiya did her best to keep Divina out of the king’s sight. Divina assumed her mother thought that if the king never saw her then he would forget all about Divina’s existence. It worked for a while. Divina didn’t formally meet the king until she was around ten years old. He asked her if she could tell the future like her mother. Before she could answer Safiya told the king that the sight wouldn’t develop until she became a woman. Truthfully, Divina developed her sight years earlier. She assumed they were just very realistic dreams until she described them to her mother and was told what they really were and to never tell anyone that she had such dreams.
Divina missed her mother. Her favorite place to go was the pond Divina sat next to. Her mother loved watching the swans. She called them the nobles of the birds. Divina preferred the ducks.
A little brown duck waddled up to her and she tore off a piece of bread and dropped it at her feet. The duck ate up the bread with an appreciative quack. Divina smiled as the small animal fluffed up its feathers. A honk from the floating swans called both her and the duck’s attention. It quacked back.
“They don’t take you very seriously do they,” Divina reached down and glided a finger down the duck’s neck. Maybe Divina liked ducks better because she related to them more. Like a duck, Divina was small and unassuming. She wasn’t elegant like a swan, like her mother.
Divina stood up, scaring the duck away. That was enough of the pond. She decided to wander toward the front of the gardens. Strangely there weren’t very many people walking in the garden. A loud trumpet pierced the peaceful atmosphere reminding Divina just where everyone was. The knights must have arrived. Curiosity got the better of her as she found herself at the main entrance. Felix mentioned ladies giving the knights favors. She didn’t quite know what that even meant. She made her way to the courtyard and was surprised at the commotion. There were men in armor carrying swords and shields. Some of them were on top of horses. They all looked tired, but also happy. Probably because they were surrounded by beautiful ladies of the court. Divina was a little surprised by the ladies. None of them seemed to be practicing modesty. None of them had shaws or gloves. They were batting their eyes at the men behind fans and pulling handkerchiefs from their bosoms to offer them. The men almost fought over the scraps of cloth. Only the older men seemed to be unmoved by the feminine giggles. They were probably eager to get home to their wives.
Divina was unimpressed by all the nonsense. The courtyard smelled of an odd mixture of sweat, manure, and strong perfume. She wrinkled her nose as she looked for away to escape the overpowering aroma. She spied an opening in the crowd that would allow her to pass through to the castle entrance. She scurried behind a horse and in between two ladies’ massive bustles. She dodged out of the way of an agitated horse and was nearly smacked in the face by the glove of a woman who talked with her hands. When she tried to pass a woman who looked to be a little too old to be vying for a knight’s attention, the woman lurched back with an over enthusiastic laugh causing Divina to back into a very muscular body. She yelped in shock when a lock of her hair was wrenched back. Divina instantly grabbed the lock at the scalp to prevent even more pulling as she stared up at an immense black horse. It chewed her hair causing her to be pulled closer and closer. Surely this creature couldn’t swallow her up. A hand shot out and grasped her hair and eased it from between the beast’s teeth.
“I am sorry about that my lady,” a man said. Divina turned into a strong wide chest. She looked up. A man, clearly a knight, stared down at her. He had soft brown hair. It was shaggy and overgrown, covering the tips of his ears and eyebrows. He had a scratchy looking beard that was a bit redder than the hair on his head, but still the smile he gave her was warm. What really drew Divina in was the color of his eyes. She had never seen eyes quite like his. They looked as gold as the king’s throne.
“I hope he did not harm you,” he said as he tried to adjust Divina’s hair. Divina smacked his hand away.
“My apologies my lady,” he said in a rush. Divina frowned. She hadn’t intended to smack his hand. She just had never been touched by a man before it surprised her.
“Uh, what is your name, my lady,” he asked. Divina looked past him at his horse as it whinied and stamped its foot. It sounded kind of annoyed.
“Don’t worry about him,” he said as he patted the horse’s nose, “He’s just eager to be fed after such a long journey.” Still, Divina eyed it wearily. She was rarely so close to a horse. She had never left the castle in all her life so there wasn’t a need for her to ever interact with one.
Suddenly a rather pretty young woman pushed herself in front of Divina.
“Sir knight,” she cooed, “I was told you defeated a giant. Is that true?” While the knight was distracted, Divina took the opportunity to escape from the crowd and climb the steps to the castle. She chanced a look over her shoulder, but the knight wasn’t visible in the crowd. It was just as well Divina thought as she finally turned her back to the crowd and entered the castle. She had no business talking to a knight
