She had been about to turn away from him when a thought struck her, a low hissing whisper of a word that had her frowning.
"Epharis knows," she said finally, making the connection between that day months ago, when the drow wanted to speak to her, and Epharis called her princess. He had known… He knew that whole time she was in his suite and had not said a word.
"How could he possibly know?" the drow demanded.
"He watches me. He might be watching you also. He called me princess that day in the hall."
The drow looked concerned, but they knew there was nothing that could be done about it. The lich would not be so quick to bind his tongue as Izziah had.
"He won't say anything, it would be too much of a risk," he said finally, taking several long moments to think over the situation.
"You suppose so?" She sounded a little desperate, clinging to this tiny shred of hope. She could not just up and leave like she normally would have done. She was trapped in the situation.
"He values you; he made an effort to ensure you could not escape him. He would not make that effort for just any creature. Even more so now, knowing who you are. You are precious and valuable. He won't risk the king trying to take control. He will do whatever it takes to ensure the king never finds out."
It took her a moment to process his words, and finally, she nodded her agreement. He was right, Epharis would not want anything to happen to his prize. The lich would protect her secret better than anyone.
"You're right," she said finally, noting the slight fading of his eyes at the confirmation. She did not understand it, but he seemed less than happy at her words.
Glancing in the direction of the throne room, she bit her lip and considered what to do. She had planned to return to her suites, but the stabbing reminder of what had transpired there gave her pause. She did not want to live in those rooms anymore, but was not sure where else she could go.
"Etani, I do not feel it is entirely safe for you here in the castle," Izziah said after she lingered a beat too long.
"I am able to defend myself, Izziah," she responded, a little hotter than she had intended. She was more than capable of defending herself.
"You cannot watch your own back, you need protection." He seemed to regret it the moment he said it.
Anger flashed in her eyes, and she took a step back from him.
Without a word, she stalked away from him and towards the throne room. Hearing him follow, she ignored his attempts to apologise and swept into the hall.
The king's golden eyes found her instantly. She made no move to show she had noticed, instead she shook the drow off and allowed herself to be lost in the crowd. Joining in on a conversation with a group of young women, she was able to pass the time in peace.
She was not stupid enough to try to leave, though. The king, the drow, and who knew who else were all trying to catch her eye, and she knew they would be eager to try to speak to her. She ignored them all. The one time she glanced up at the king, she thought he looked impatient, but she did not feel that it was for her. The reason for his impatience made itself apparent within the hour.
***
Trumpets blared, and a man came striding into the room. He was puffed up with great self-importance and strutted his way across the hall. A path was quickly made as the courtiers shuffled back.
"King Alaric, I greet you on behalf of the Weorene Empire. I have come to offer gifts to ensure our continued allegiance in these troubled times." The man wore a rich red doublet with a white sash across the chest. His scabbard was empty, and Etani assumed the sword had been forced to remain outside the throne room or even the castle itself. His pants were dark brown, and he wore knee-high riding boots. Grey hair was expertly quaffed, and his chest was thrust out. He looked like a red, old peacock, and she struggled to hold in a giggle.
All eyes in the room turned to Alaric to see what he would do. Many people seemed to be having the same difficulties she was having in trying to keep a straight face.
"Welcome, emissary of the Weorene Empire. We thank you for your generous offer of gifts on behalf of the Weoreneian people."
Was it just her, or did the king have an oddly hungry look in his eyes? Glancing around her, she saw nothing concerning.
A great gasp filled the room as six men marched in with an enormous gold plate filled with an even bigger pile of gold, jewels, and precious gems. It was impressive, but that was not all. Following behind the plate was a parade of strange and exotic animals. There was a bird with gold and red plumage, the sharp beak had an odd golden colour. The tip of its tail was engulphed in flames.
She gasped along with those who could see it: a unicorn. The poor beast was tethered with a golden bridle. Tears unconsciously welled in Etani's eyes at the sight of such a radiant creature bound and treated like some common mare. Behind the unicorn followed a beast with the body of a lion, and the front legs, head and wings of a great eagle. A string of colourful fairies in jars hung on a stick between two imps.
Indignation filled her at the sight of the fairies, but she made no move to free them; what could she do when her mind kept telling her to keep her head down?
On and on the line went, the creatures getting stranger by the second until the last, a real-life dragon. It was small, a baby by the looks of it, but people were still quick to press back from it.
A muzzle tied its mouth shut, and its wings were bound to its body. The poor thing crawled along behind the giant man who led it.
The entire show was repulsive. Etani could see the disgust on the faces of the mythical beings in the crowd, though the humans were thrilled. She had been about to step forward when a large carriage came into the hall. It was made of gold, encrusted with gems and silver decorations. The sight of it was so incredibly odd she paused. There was a carriage inside the throne room of the castle, drawn by two snowy white horses.
What stepped out of the carriage was even more bizarre. It was a woman. Her face was veiled, and she wore a long ivory and cream dress. Approaching the king, she dropped into a deep curtsy before him, bowing her head.
"Presenting the Princess Nayishma, daughter of Emperor Varsas. The king wishes that in order to maintain peace, the princess remain present in the city of Ayathian."
The woman had not moved from her curtsy, almost prostrate before the might of the king.
This surprised the king; he had not expected to be facing one of Varsas' daughters. And what was worse, the creature would be staying long term.
"How generous of Emperor Varsas to offer his daughter in such a manner," Alaric said after a pause.
Etani could see he was attempting to contain his rage. Thankfully he was keeping it under control.
The princess stood slowly, her chin lifted. No shred of her appearance was visible to anyone in the room.
"We graciously accept these gifts," the king said through gritted teeth.
The emissary did not stay long after that, preferring to escape while he had the chance and declining a dinner invite. This seemed wise to Etani. The princess accepted with a nod of her head, not a word spoken.
The strangeness of the princess intrigued her to no end and the need to meet this girl itched at her mind. She could not figure out why it would nag at her, but the need was there. The easiest way was to get herself invited to the dinner. With that goal in mind, she set herself in a position closer to the throne for the remainder of the day. The princess had brought three older ladies with her for company, and they hung around her like a miasma, making it impossible for anyone to get near to her. But Etani was patient, and she was too curious to give up her chance to meet the strange, foreign princess.
***
Joining in on the conversation near the front of the hall the king was most likely to exit by, she made as though she were there by chance, her eyes meeting those of the king as he moved to leave the room. Acting as though it had been accidental, she immediately looked away again, pretending to not want his attention.
He decided he was going to give it to her, whether she wanted it or not. Approaching the small group, he loomed over them all. The women curtsied, the men bowed, and Etani remained upright, staring at him with a defiant set to her jaw. Her defiance seemed to amuse him more than anything.
"Would you do me the honours of joining my party for dinner, kind lady?" the giant man said.
She thought she registered a note of mockery in his voice. They both knew it would not be easy for her to refuse given the sheer number of people who had heard the offer. Clenching her jaw in feigned anger, she nodded once.
"It would be an honour, Your Majesty," she responded in that high voice she had adopted for the host.
"Excellent," was all he said before he departed the hall. People bowed as he passed, whether he acknowledged them or not.
The group tittered at the scene and Etani headed out of the hall, inwardly pleased at her success.
Making her way back in the direction of her old suite, she found the door had been barred off.
"Lady Etani, your rooms are now in the east wing. Please allow me to take you there," a guard offered.
She glanced at him, confused, and a little worried.
Accepting his offer, she followed after him. She had never heard of the east wing before, but she soon realised where he was leading her. Back in the direction of Epharis's rooms.
Much to her disgust, her rooms were right next to his. After thanking the guard, she headed for the prince's door and gave it a hearty kick with the ball of her foot.
The door swung open and there stood the lich, looking mildly annoyed at the interruption. His expression changed to one of smug amusement at the sight of her.
"It is one thing to protect me, it is quite another to ensure I am right at your side at all times."
The lich gave a slight shrug and stepped out of his room. He grasped her by the arm and pulled her along towards her own set of rooms. He thrust open the door and almost threw her inside, following in behind her.
"It is only fitting that I keep my little Faerie Princess safe," he said in a sarcastic voice, speaking again before she could snarl at him. "These rooms have the same protection as my own. Coupled with the increased number of guards this wing possesses, you will be safe."
Gritting her teeth in frustration, she knew she could not argue with that logic.
"I am not your Faerie Princess, lich," she spat at him, tugging her arm free and looking about the room. It was then she realised there was another figure across the room, and she froze.
Sasha stood there, grey skin and eyes white in death.
The colour drained from Etani's face and she staggered backwards into Epharis's chest. His fingers curled around her upper arms and he leant down to speak directly into her ear.
"Do not for a second forget what I am, princess. I tolerate you because you are useful; the moment that is no longer the case, I will turn you. Or I will give you to my brother. I know how badly he wants you, and it's not as part of his collection of freaks anymore… He wants other things from you." His suggestive tone told her what he meant, and his lips were cold on her ear, his jaw firm against her head. His grip tightened for an instant before loosening again. "You will be mine, dead, or his."
With that the lich released his hold and left the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a sound of terrible finality. She knew then, with a terrible certainty, that she was never going to escape him. Any attempt to escape would be pointless. He would never let her go.
She had forgotten about the dinner, forgotten about the king and the news of her heritage. All she knew now was that Sasha was standing there, or rather her corpse was standing there. Her throat had been neatly sewn shut, her body cleaned and dressed in a tidy uniform and apron.
It was her hat that tipped Etani over the edge, however. It was slightly askew, and it was known to have been a quirk of the girl when she had been alive. The corpse had dressed herself.
Etani's screams and sobbing lasted hours. Unable to enter the room, she curled herself into a tight ball in the furthest corner away from Sasha. The corpse did not move, it only stood in perfect silence, oblivious to the suffering of her former friend.
***
This time no guard came to save her, no king or prince was there to rescue her, no drow to pull her away. She was alone with the corpse, and it was fracturing her mind.
She did not know what she was going to do, she could not think clearly, she could not breathe or move. Her legs were clutched tightly to her chest. She had made herself as small as was physically possible.
Finally, she began to calm down, her screaming stopped, and her crying eased. She started to think again, cataloguing her situation and what she needed to do to survive this world of monsters.
Slowly, with the precision of someone snuffing out a candle, she began to snuff out her emotions. Her sorrow, her pain, her loss, her loneliness. One by one she shut herself down until all that remained was the slow burning hatred and cold determination. If what the prince wanted was a heartless creature to do his bidding, then he had succeeded.
Slowly she pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room, heading into the bathroom to bathe. The corpse followed. She ignored it. It picked up the clothes she dropped to the side; it arranged a towel. She pretended it did not exist, just like with any other servant.
Finally, she shed her host body, and left it floating in the bottom of the filled bath. Then she finished her routine.
She wore no glamour and the ethereal creature that stood before her was said to be appealing. She did not see it.
Her eyes were slightly too large and were the colour of those shockingly blue butterflies. They started out ice blue in the middle and darkened to midnight blue at the outer edges. The colours blended, and they were incredible to look at, but did she find them pretty? No, her sister's moss green eyes were much nicer.
She had an oval face with a small, pointed chin and alabaster white skin, sharp and defined cheekbones, a small nose, and dark mulberry-coloured, full lips. Long, tapered ears and naturally defined brows, and full lashes that seemed to touch her cheeks when she closed her eyes.
Her body was not proportionate; her breasts were a size too big for her delicate frame and her nipples were small and dark pink, her hips slightly too wide and her waist was narrow, giving her an odd shape that she had known women to try to mimic with corsets. Small shoulders, slender arms with a hint of muscles, small hands with long, slender fingers. Each one was tipped with a metallic silver nail.
Her collarbones were defined, her ribs only just visible, and her stomach flat. Her backside was annoyingly round, and she had toned thighs and long legs that ended in small feet with those same silver nails. Her skin was smooth, with only a tiny smattering of freckles and her waist-length straight black hair shone blue if it caught the light in just the right way.
In all, she had been called beautiful and exotic, enchanting, or whatever else they tried to tell her, but she only saw a freak.
No glamour, no host, no illusion, just her. She hated the sight of herself, and she could see the contempt on her face in the mirror, her eyes dragging down the form and picking it apart, noting all the things that were wrong and disgusting.
Why did it feel so odd to be naked in this world? It was as if the air rubbed her skin the wrong way.
Turning away from the mirror, she found herself a simple, plain black dress. Was it the one she had worn on her first day in court?
Perhaps it was. She did not know, nor did she care to remember.
She needed a break. She needed an escape. She locked the corpse thing out as she headed into the bedroom. She crawled onto the bed, collapsed onto it, and gave herself over to sleep.
When she woke, she did not feel any better. She dragged herself back out of the bed, her mind working sluggishly as though she had been drugged again. But she did not think that had been the case; she was simply drained. She was beaten down, and she had to work to keep herself from hurting.
What she really needed in that moment was to get out of the castle, to be alone for a time, and to think. She knew there to be gardens nearby, she could smell the flowers from the balcony window of her old rooms. The thought made her heart lift just a tiny bit.