A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 30

A loud voice from outside in the courtyard reached their ears, announcing that the Marniac advisors were arriving.

Alys took a deep breath and squeezed her friend's hand; she was nervous, but ready.

Alys stepped out into the hall and was quickly greeted with "My Lady," by the two guards standing in the hallway.  She tried her best not to wince at the title and nodded a greeting back to them with a small smile.

If that alone rattles you, how will you make it through the rest of the evening?

Esme gave Alys a playful wink of encouragement and departed down the hall in the opposite direction Alys needed to head.

Alys wished she could have brought Esme with her for moral support, but she knew that not only would it not be received well with the guests, Esme would be very uncomfortable.

At least she would have Dastrehan with her.

Maneuvering in her dress down the stone steps was tricky, but she figured it out quickly enough.  On more than one occasion, she tripped slightly and one of her guards reached out to catch her arm.

Alys blushed and gave them him a thankful smile. He nodded back solemnly.

Dastrehan was waiting for her in his study, having managed to slip away from his guests for a few moments. When Alys swept into the room with her skirts swirling around her, he stood pouring over papers on his desk.  His handsome face was focused, and he wore purple tunic that matched Alys' dress. Esme's doing, Alys was sure.

He looked up when his guard announced Alys' entrance, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Wow."

Alys crossed her arms self consciously and grinned, "You should thank my guards for getting me here safely. If they hadn't grabbed me every time I tripped over this silly dress, I would have arrived at your banquet all bruised and falling apart!"

Dastrehan chuckled at her comment and walked from behind his desk to take both her hands, "You'll get used to it," he said cheerfully, "You look wonderful."

"Yes well, hopefully the beauty of this dress will take attention away from how out of place I'll be."

"Don't worry yourself," Dastrehan kissed her quickly and offered her his arm, "No one will think twice when they see you. Most of them already know of you from before."

Alys smiled and nodded in agreement, but she wasn't quite convinced. People of higher status did not like letting those of lower status into their ranks.

But the king's quiet confidence gave her spirits a bit of a boost.

When they stepped into the ballroom after the king's arrival had been announced, Alys was taken aback by how many people were crammed together. Usually, the ballroom seemed more than large enough to Alys; tonight, it was stuffed with crowds of people. She and Dastrehan entered from the back so that they would have to walk through a narrow path that the crowd would create for them as they walked to the front of the ballroom. As they walked, Alys could feel hundreds of eyes watching her, as if they were waiting for her to do something foolish. As much as she tried to fight a blush, she could feel her cheeks burning.

Keep smiling; they will think you are blushing in happiness. The trainer that had been helping her stumble through her new role as an important woman in the palace had told her this on more than one occasion.

Alys pushed out the brightest smile she could but she could not meet anyone's eyes. Instead, she stared straight ahead to the large table that sat the advisors from both visiting kingdoms, and two empty chairs for Dastrehan and herself.