Morning Snow- chap 1

Chapter 1

It was night. Outside, a freezing cold shielded the houses and narrow streets covered by snow in a mystic stillness. The touch of winter seemed to have slowed down the flow of time. Silence was only broken by the high-pitched chant of the twirling wind, sneaking between sleeping houses and along deserted alleys.

Maylla could hear the whistling of the wind enter through the cracks of the small window behind her. The tall fire in the chimney drew dancing golden shadows on the walls. She knew the two men seating on the couch were looking at her.

She was standing in the middle of a plainly decorated living room, head bowed, her hands chained behind her back, and her feet manacled.

"Maylla, right?" asked one of the richly dressed men.

She raised her head, and quickly looked down when she met his cold stare.

He was in his mid-twenties, had jet black hair, and angular and strong features, contrasting with his warm chestnut colored eyes. His face was impassive, and from him seemed to emanate a disrupting calmness.

She decided on fixing her eyes at an imaginary point somewhere above the man's left shoulder, not daring to look at him straight in the eyes. She swallowed and managed to murmur a "Yes" between her parched lips.

"You're working for Lord Colsen, under the directives of Lady Danice," he declared, and in the corner of her vision, she saw his eyes scrutinize her mockingly. "Working against your own kingdom," he added, inhaling sharply at the end of the sentence.

"You tried escape to the city," he continued, looking skeptically at her. "Clearly, you don't value your life anymore."

Maylla looked down, feeling her face grow hot and her heart pound hard against her chest.

"You must have guessed why we took interest in you..." His voice trailed off.

She could feel his aggressiveness past the distance separating them as he leaned forward, and unconsciously took a step back.

As he stood up and crossed the distance separating them, she concentrated herself on observing the tip of her boots, trying to slow down her breathing and stop the shacking of her hands. She listened the sound of his footsteps against the wooden floor as he approached her.

He brutally took her chin between his thumb and index, forcing her to look at him in the eyes. Maylla stared back at him, her heart pounding hard against her chest, holding her breath as his brown eyes pierced her. The corner of his lips twisted up, and she could not determine if it was of fury or annoyance; perhaps, it was both.

She could feel her cheeks burn and looked down as he finally let go of her chin.

"You told the guards you were a servant. An insignificant servant visiting your sick father living out of the city walls. But I think you have more to tell us than that."

Maylla swallowed. She knew they have uncovered her true identity. She knew they know she was a spy. A spy at the service of Lord Colsen.

That is, war has been declared less than a month after King Eben's death. It was the war between Lord Colsen and King Issip. The late King Eben had no son. In fact, he had no children at all, which made his nephew, Prince Issip, the first in line for the throne.

But the kingdom was in time of famine and war, and the people were not content. Lord Colsen decided to strike, knowing that the newly crowned King Issip was despised by the people for raising the taxes and being unable to bring the kingdom at peace.

Lord Colsen was a powerful middle-aged man who has been working as an advisor of King Eben for many years. He has made his allies the treasurer of the kingdom, some of the best generals, and most of the noblemen. Moreover, he was respected, for not only was he a close friend to King Eben, but he shared part of his power as well, especially during the last weeks of King Eben's reign.

The young king was inexperienced, and the people knew nothing of him except for the fact that he has added more burdens on their already frail shoulders. But what would aflame even more the critics circulating in the kingdom were the rumors.

It was said that when the king was not yet crowned, he loved to disguise himself as a commoner and drink in the city's dirty taverns. It was said that he loved to roam around certain brothels, and even that young illegitimate children of his blood filled the city. Truth or not, those rumors certainly added to the hatred his people felt for him.

Lord Colsen saw his chance. Probably, he has planned to overthrow him all along, but he was wiser, and knew how to win the people's heart. He would send his soldiers with bags of breads to villages and throw them to the people, and they would yell: "Lord Colsen is giving you bread, using his own gold!"

He had at his side the armies of generals and knights, the support of wealthy noblemen. King Issip counted on the advisers and generals who have stayed loyal to him, and the help of their neighboring countries, promising them gold he did not yet have and lands.
When news of Lord Colsen's troops approaching the gates of the city reached the ears of the inhabitants, people started hastily to pack. But King Issip wouldn't let them go. He wouldn't let the City of Castea be deserted and the kingdom to fall by his hand. He ordered the interdiction to quit the walls of the city, and if anyone dared to disregard it, public execution shall ensure.

"What is it that you want from me?" asked Maylla, lifting her head and looking at the young man questioningly. "You've discovered the message on me. You've read it. And now, you have me captured."

She paused briefly, sweeping her gaze over the other man who was still seated. "I've been kept in jail for a whole day, with your men asking me questions incessantly. You have learned all there is to. What is it that you want exactly?"

The man in front of her opened his mouth to answer, when the man seating on the couch intervened: "We are not here to discuss about your betrayal upon your kingdom. We are here to discuss about matters of greater interest."

Maylla shifted her gaze on him. He was a man of advanced age, but he sat with dignity, his back straight, his chin lifted, and his eyes clear and calm. His hair once of a dark color was now grey in more than one place and deep wrinkles marked his face.

The young man walked away from her to stand beside him.

The older man smiled before continuing, but Maylla knew it was a smile of an old and wise man, a smile that made the knot in her heard tighten and put her on guard. "There's only you and us, and what we shall say between us will stay enclosed in this house forever."

"What is there to say?" asked Maylla suspiciously, fear creeping in the back of her mind.

"Maylla, you have a young brother don't you?" asked the young man as a complacent smile crossed his lips. He was careful on drawing out on the word "brother".
  
Maylla clenched her teeth, her hands and bare feet turning icy cold. The weight of the chains made her suddenly feel desperately furious.

"Barely thirteen and now a student in the Institution of Wallees for Boys," he continued, saying each syllable slowly.

There was a moment of uneasiness as Maylla let out a rushed breath. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

"It is quite simple in fact," he said, smiling wryly. "In any normal circumstances, you would have been executed. But considering your case, which is a particular one, we sense that there could be another way to take care of the problem."

He paused to look at her face, seeking for any reaction. "Your brother is young and needs you to finish his studies. He relies on you. We understand your situation and could offer you a chance to show your loyalty to your king. You simply have to step on our side, the rightful side to which you belong."

"You want me to be your spy," murmured Maylla, her eyes shifting between the two men's faces.

The room was quiet for a moment, except for the ticking of the clock.

"You are under the directives of Lady Danice," said the older man. "It is needless to say that the uttermost important information passes by her hand, and that she is the brain in the City of Castea. Any information and news of attacks and stratagems they will be using against us will be helpful. Any name would be helpful too."

Maylla lifted her chin and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I've already said all I had to say to your people when I was locked up in your jail."

"Except for the message you were delivering outside the city walls, you haven't told us anything new," declared firmly the young man.

He sighed and looked at the floor. "You do know the choices laying ahead you."

Maylla felt her eyes burn, and swallowed through her dry throat. "I wish I could tell more, but Lady Danice doesn't trust people easily. I am only her servant, believe it or not. She only instructed me to send the message, and told me that it was of extreme importance."

"Don't try to fool us," he said gravely, his features hardening. "We've long suspected she's working for Lord Colsen, serving as a link between the noblemen in the city and him and his generals. Only she has that power. She has already killed more than one of our people."

"I never said that I didn't know who Lady Danice is," replied Maylla, losing her temper. Her cheeks were red, and there was a furious tremor in her voice. "I simply don't know as much as you think I do. I only try to mind my own affairs and mingle as less as possible with hers."

The young man nodded. "Good. Then do you have in mind any domestic who is particularly close to her?"

"No. I don't," answered Maylla, looking away. "Lady Danice is very independent."

"Is there anyone, any nobleman or anyone working for a general, a knight who visited her, and whom you think shouldn't?"

"No one who isn't clearly standing on the side of Lord Colsen," said Maylla calmly.

"Well," murmured the young man, looking at her skeptically. "She certainly doesn't trust people easily. I guess that you are the one who is closest to her, for her to ask you to deliver this message."

Maylla looked ahead of her, trying to keep her face expressionless.

"I believe that you should have already returned by this time, if everything went well," he continued, his glare piercing her. "She should be worried."

Maylla spoke slowly. "She won't trouble you for me."

"Maylla," called the old man. He waited for her to turn her full attention to him before speaking again. "You can tell her that we let you go after being unable to find any new piece of information from you, and that we believed in your innocence. That will be all for now. If you become aware of anything important, warn us immediately."

"How?" asked Maylla, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll put someone in contact with you. You'll learn what you'll need to do then."

~

Sherlyn nervously paced up and down the hall where was located her brother's room, in the castle's east wing. Her dress shuffled lightly at each of her step. She looked up at the white door, where graceful golden lines adorned its sides. "What could he possibly be doing at this time of the night?" she asked herself, her eyebrows flexed.

She made a sudden halt at the sound of voices, and ran to press herself against another door, a few inches behind the wall, creating a thin space for her to hide in.

"…successful, we would be having a powerful ally," said a grave yet soft voice.

"We cannot risk trusting her so easily. Now that our suspicions have been confirmed, we have to keep an eye on Lady Danice," said another voice.

Sherlyn nearly gasped at the sound of her brother's voice. She swallowed and pressed herself harder against the door.

The hall was quiet for a moment, and Sherlyn clenched her hands into fists anxiously.
"Come in," said her brother as she heard a door open and lighter footsteps.

She moved forward and saw the door close noiselessly, shutting all sounds behind it. "What are they doing in my brother's room so late? He was with the king. I couldn't have been wrong," thought Sherlyn, gazing at the closed door.

~

Maylla turned left at the end of the hallway, her head full of thoughts and questions. When she had come back in the middle of the night, Lady Danice had only asked her if she did well accomplish her mission, and had dismissed her quickly to go to sleep.

Maylla feared that there was more to what had happened in that house she was brought to; she couldn't dissect fully the meaning of the conversation she had had with the two men. She knew she didn't give them the answers they wanted.

She opened the door on her right and closed it quietly behind her. Lady Danice was standing in front of her window, waiting for her. She was already dressed; she wore a midnight blue dress decorated with delicate embroidery of silver thread. The dress fell in graceful folds at her feet. She stood straight, her shoulders back and her head high, her posture full of dignity and confidence.


"Lady Danice," greeted Maylla, bowing her head.

Lady Danice turned away from the window, and looked at her. Her blue eyes were calm, and her face, an unreadable mask. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No. I came directly to your room," answered calmly Maylla.

"Good. They found the message on you."

Maylla slightly nodded her head.

"And they've fallen in the trap?" Lady Danice asked, her eyes sparkling, and an amused smile on her lips.

"They did indeed," said Maylla, a proud smile crossing her face as she met her eyes. "They thought they could trap us in the city, but they've only trapped themselves. I believe they'll move some of their troops farther west and clear us the road."

"Well. You've done well. The guard I set up has let you escape as planned?" inquired Lady Danice.

"No, I was brought to two noblemen, in a house of the city. They wanted me to join their side."

"Smart," murmured Lady Danice. "What did you say?"

"I had no choice but to play their game. They know where my brother is."

Lady Danice frowned. Her gaze shifted away for a moment.

"You promised me you'd keep my brother safe and out of all of this," added Maylla, her eyes anxiously fixed on Lady Danice.

"Your brother attends one of the best institutions," replied Lady Danice. "The school is well guarded. And I did not donate all these gold for nothing."

She smiled at Maylla reassuringly. "Did they ask you for any information? Any name?"

"I answered none of their questions, nothing they do not already know."

"What did they say to you then?"

"They told me to inform them of anything important and that they will send someone to contact me later."

"Is that all?"

Maylla shook her head. She was pensive for a moment. "Before they let me go, one of the men said something. He hasn't talked much, and was most of the time listening. He told me that I could tell you that they released me."

"Released?" repeated Lady Bansher surprised. "And how?"

"I don't know any information, and they believe in my innocence."

"Oh…" murmured Lady Bansher, looking away. "I don't know what game they're playing, but they must've known that you're still loyal to us. If this is the case, then they made a foolish move to not have kept you for better use."

"I understand, my lady," declared softly Maylla after a moment.

"I am grateful to you for staying loyal to me, and to Lord Colsen."

"It is my duty."

"I am glad that you understand this point. Unfortunately, I cannot spare you," declared softly Lady Danice.