As Kathlyn shooed out the rest of the maids, Talia came and sat beside me, snuggling up under the covers. Once Kathlyn
had come back, she lit a few more candles and placed the blankets neatly on the bed, and then left us.
Talia, the nosey one she had always been, flipped onto her side and rested her head on a fist and looked up at me, waiting.
“What?”
“Did this dream happen to have a stranger in it?”
“Wh-what? No, of course not, Tal.”
“Hmmm. That’s a shame.” She flipped onto her back and stared up at the canopy drapes that decorated my ceiling.
“You know, I saw you talking to that lord tonight, so I just assumed you were having one of those ‘special’ types of
dreams.”
“Tal! A girl of your age should know nothing of these ‘special’ dreams.”
“Oh please. I am friends with Morgana and Lilith, who tell me everything. Trust me, I know the whole ins and outs of most
of the men at our court.”
My eyes widened a little as I held back a laugh. She continued to surprise me, but as her big sister, I still felt it was my duty
to protect her innocence and to keep such things away from her. I didn’t want her exposed to those things that went on behind
closed doors within our home.
“I’m not sure who he was, the man in my dream. I found myself running away from something, and he offered to save me.”
Although I slightly lied, I felt that was the best explanation. I didn’t want to tell her he offered to take me away from this
‘life’ or that I had been begging for his help. I doubted there was any truth in his words, but then again, he was most likely a
part of my imagination anyway. So, anything I thought about, he had to know.
“Was he at least handsome-looking?”
“I couldn’t see, he was clouded in darkness.”
“Strange, but then again, it’s your mind, so it doesn’t surprise me,” Talia jested.
She was the only real person who could say such things without me losing my temper. Ever since I was a child, my tutors
and even my own mother questioned my sanity, and as much as we tried to hide it, the court would still discuss my outbursts
and unwillingness to bend.
Eventually Talia fell asleep, and I tried desperately to bring sleep back to me. I wondered if when I fell asleep, would he
visit me again. However, by the time morning had risen, there was no sleep left in me, and I had wandered off to the balcony to
read while welcoming the morning sun.
“Father wishes for us to take out Lady Gelda today, show her the markets, and visit some temples for prayer and
reflection.”