We arrived at the Royal Encampment for the hunting event as the sun began to dip.
It wasn't a camp as I thought. I was like a city built of tents and pavilions.
Hundreds of tents were spread out across a massive clearing that had been carved out of the forest. However, dominating the centre and rising like mountains were the Five Pavilions.
I asked Mother in front of me, "What are those pavilions in the centre?"
She looked towards the centre and answered, "They are for the five central powers of the kingdom, my darling. One pavilion is for the royal family, and four pavilions are for the four powerful dukes' families… Our pavilion is in the centre as well."
I leaned towards the window as my eyes scanned the layout of the encampment.
"They all share the Gold," I whispered as I noticed the embroidery that linked the five pavilions. "But the hearts are different."
"Precisely, Aurelia…" Mother said. "Gold is an embodiment of power and unity, but each family has their own agenda and ambitions." I nodded in understanding…
I looked to the North of the pavilions.
Separated from the main centre by a respectful distance, like they wanted to be isolated, stood an encampment of strategic perfection, as if they had learnt this terrain for years. Their tents were sharp and rectangular structures made of stiff, oiled Black leather. They were arranged in a flawless grid, streets perfectly straight, like creating a temporary fortress.
The poles were plated in dull Gold, looking more like spear shafts than tent supports. The camps were so quiet. The guards stood perfectly still in front of the tents with their black heavy armour, arranged in tight formations.
"You are looking right now. It is the House Valerius… Duchess Valerie Valerius, Aurelia." Father explained. "They are known for their military precision and discipline."
"And absolutely devoid of charm," Mother interjected, her voice dripping with disgust as she looked at the black tents. "Look at them, Aurelia. Standing like statues in the mud. It is unnatural."
She snapped her teeth with a sharp click.
"Lady Valerie… she is a woman of ice. She treats her court like a barracks of an army and her family like soldiers. She is too rigid, too disciplined. She has forgotten that a lady's true power comes from her grace and her wits, not just her grip on a spear. She acts less like a Duchess and more like a…well, a golem."
I replied. "So, she is not someone we can talk to easily?"
"You cannot talk to a stone wall, my darling," Mother said dismissively. "She has no conversation, no subtlety. She despised the very concept of being 'lady'. I find her completely tedious."
I turned my gaze to the East.
It was a violent contrast to the silence of the North. Smoke floated from massive bonfires, sending sparks into the evening. Even over the rumble of our carriage wheels, I could hear loud laughter. The tents were large, round and chaotic, made of heavy red furs embroidered with thick gold threads. A banner with a Golden Axe on a Red Field snapped violently in the breeze.
"And that one?" I asked. "It looks more like a tavern celebration than a noble encampment."
"That is Romgardia, the House Aemilia," Father said with amusement in his voice. "Lady Eliana's domain, the berserk of the East."
Mother let out a long, suffering sigh.
"The other extreme," she grumbled while massaging her temple. "If Valerie is a stone, Eliana is a storm. She had absolutely no concept of manners. She treats a Royal Gathering like a village brawl. She is carefree to the point of reckless behaviour."
"Well, her camps seem… lively," I said.
"She is unseemly," Mother corrected sharply. "She is too loud, too rough, and somehow, she clings to your father whenever they meet, calling it 'warrior's friendship'. It is exhausting. Maybe your father is the reason why she stays single. I don't know what will happen if I am not around your father, as she is around him."
I glanced at Father, who was wisely looking out the window, avoiding Mother's gaze.
"I think Lady Eliana and Father's relationship is like Aurelio and Alecia…" I interjected.
Father cleared his throat loudly as his face brightened slightly. "Precisely! Just… comrades in arms. Nothing more."
Mother showed her side eyes towards Father, as her expression was unimpressed. "Let us hope Alecia learns some manners before she grows up, unlike Eliana. One loud woman chasing your father is quite enough headache for a lifetime."
Father wisely decided not to respond to that. He desperately looked around and pointed to the South to change the subject.
"That," Father said, "is the camp of the South. Green for the fertile lands, Gold for… well, the gold they hoard. You will find the best wine there."
"The Duchess of the South," Mother said, her expression tightening as if she had tasted a sour lemon. "If you value your peace, my darling, stay away from that woman."
"Is she dangerous?" I asked.
"She is dangerous to your sanity," Mother replied harshly. "She inhales air and exhales words. She simply cannot shut up. She will talk about everything: the price of her silk, the weather always being too hot or too cold, her precious dogs, and her husband in a single breath. She is like a gossipmonger without a filter.
Finally, our carriage pulled up to the centre of the clearing.
To the right stood the Royal Pavilion, draped in Blue and Gold, majestic and towering. I looked at my mother, but she didn't say anything about the Queen as she did for the other duchesses. It could be that my mother really despises the Queen so much that she didn't want to speak about her at all.
Directly opposite the Royal Pavilion, challenging its grandeur, stood our own.
It was a fortress of pure White silk, brighter than the moon, heavily embroidered with Gold that shone brightly even in the dark evening. It didn't look like a military camp, a brawling hall, or a market stall. It looked like a palace brought to the woods.
"Home," Mother said. "Now this is how a Great House should present itself. Elegant. Imposing. Perfect."
"Head up, darling," Mother encouraged me as the footman opened the door. "You look beautiful. Just stay close to us. The Opening Feast is in two hours, and I do not intend to let the Queen think she can use my daughter again like Grandeur Sparring."
I clutched my skirt. "I will be careful, Mother."
As I stepped out, greeted by Adel and Lady Octavi, I was overwhelmed by the identity of each duke. Blue. Red. Black. Green. Lastly, our own White. These weren't just merely colours. There were conflicting philosophies between them.
…
Two hours. It wasn't enough time to rest, yet it was too much time to think. It made me overthink too much.
I sat in the designated "sitting area" of the Pavilion, as there were two chairs and a table for me, clutching a teacup Adel had brought me. The tent was a palace of white silk and gold, muffling the sounds of the outside world, but somehow it couldn't muffle the noise in my head.
"You are trembling, my lady," Adel said softly, standing by my right.
"I kept thinking about the book," I admitted while keeping my voice low so my parent wouldn't hear it.
Lady Octavi, who sat in front of me, turned her head slightly. "Does the book speak of tonight, my lady?"
I shook my head. "No. The book only speaks of the Prize. It says the Prince gives the stag to 'Her' at the end of the hunt."
I gripped the cup tighter.
"But… think about it for a moment. A crown prince to give a stranger the Royal Prize… he has to meet her first, right? He has to fall for her before he catches the stag. So it must not be someone who randomly appeared."
"If the ending happens in the woods… then the beginning must happen soon. Maybe tonight… or maybe weeks ago… or maybe months ago…
"It is a logical deduction, " Lady Octavi said with her steady voice. "If the Prize is the result, the seed must be planted beforehand. If not months ago… then tonight is the most dangerous night."
"As everyone will be there, my lady," Adel whispered. "The Eight Dukes. The Four Powerful Dukes. The Royal Family, even the minor nobles, will be clinging to the edges. If 'She' is going to
I stood up, too anxious to sit. I walked to the tent flap and began peeling it back just an inch to look outside. Lady Octavi moved with me while her hand rested on her sword hilt.
Near the weapon wagons, I saw Aurelio. He wasn't stiff or cold now. He was laughing. Alecia was showing him something on her great axe, likely how to swing it without toppling over, as Felix was leaning against a crate, smiling faintly.
They looked like a family. A team.
My heart felt a little bit achy, as he never laughed like that with me anymore.
Suddenly, "The horns have sounded, Aurelia," Mother announced while her eyes swept over me instantly. She reached out and adjusted the collar of my dress. "Perfect. You look like moonlight given form."
She looked at Lady Octavi behind me. "Stay close to her, Octavi. The Royal Pavilion is hosting, which means the Queen controls the seating. I do not trust her not to place next to someone unknown."
"I will stand behind her, Your Grace…" Lady Octavi bowed.