A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 20

Two long days after, Alys was standing on her balcony for the first time since moving into her room. It was later in the afternoon, and the voices of the Marniac royal family had drawn her to look outside.

The young prince was climbing into a fancy covered horse carriage, followed by Princess Yasmine. The princess was wearing a pink dress that made her light brown hair seem darker than usual. It looked heavy too, definitely not the kind of dress Alys would wish to wear in this heat. By the looks of all the Marniac guards sitting on horses around the carriage, it seemed that the family was finally leaving to return to their own kingdom.

Finally.

Their departure had been scheduled to be weeks earlier, but events at the palace had kept delaying it.

Princess Jocelynn would be staying though. Soon to be Queen Jocelynn, the Lady of Tarkam. Just the idea of it made Alys want to hurl.

It was strange though, that the royal family would leave before the royal wedding. Were those not supposed to be big affairs?

Unless they had already had the wedding in a private ceremony.

That would mean that Alys had missed her chance to escape. A seed of fear started to grow in her chest again, but she pushed it back.

No. Jocelynn would want a big wedding, and she would have her way.  All Alys had to do was wait patiently.

Dastrehan came out of the front of the palace then to see them off. Alys watched as he reached into the carriage to shake King Lief's hand. Then he stepped back and the carriage began to move, along with all the guards on their horses.

Alys thought it strange that Princess Jocelynn was not seeing her family off with Dastrehan, but maybe she was too upset that her family was leaving her.

Alys laughed to herself. It seemed more likely that the spoiled princess was completely disinterested in seeing her family off.

Alys was irked with herself for waiting to try her balcony; it was much cooler out there in the evening and early night than in her bed chamber. It was also spacious; it had a small table and two chairs, and it still had more than enough room for several people to stand on it without being crowded. It confused Alys as to why Dastrehan had had her put in it, as it was quite an upgrade to her last accommodations. True, it was closer to him and he could make sure she was safe, but was he really concerned with her safety now?

Alys stood outside on her balcony, gazing up at the bright stars in the sky. One day when the palace was far behind, she would be able to add this to the good memories she had stowed away in her heart.

A knock on her door startled her from her daydreaming. She waited for the door to open, expecting it to be Rose or some other servant. Though why they would be coming this late was beyond her.

When the door did not open, she came into the doorway leading from between the balcony and her bed chamber and asked who it was.

"It's me."

Alys recognized the king's voice immediately. She wished she had faked being asleep. She stood where she was, unable to reply. She was wearing a plain, soft brown dress, with just a simple black rope around the bottom of her rounded bell; far too plain to wear around the king.
But then again, she was no longer putting effort in to please him.

"May I come in?" He asked finally, when she made no effort to invite him in.

Alys knew she could not really refuse him, but she was too hurt care.

"No."

What was he going to do? Break down the door and storm in?

Alys doubted that he would behave that way. And if he did, so be it.