I woke before the first rays of sunlight, as usual. I wasn't sure if I had actually slept or just kept my eyes closed for too long. Ever since I was five, sleeping in the palace had always felt like a greater challenge than facing a Khal'Sarim — a sand-devourer — alone and unarmed. But it wasn't like I had a choice. As much as I hated spending the night in the palace and would have preferred a thousand times over to sleep in my tiny, and very old, cottage in the village, today was a "special day."
At least that's what the messenger had called it when he knocked on my door two days ago.
That morning, however, everything felt absolutely normal. I was already out in the fields before the sun had fully risen, trying to finish harvesting the grain before the scorching heat turned everything into a second hell. Odran, the master of the fields, walked between the rows of plants with that permanent scowl of someone who had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
"You're late today, Miss Kalevra," he said, even though I had arrived before him. "If this continues, I'll have to start deducting bronze coins from your pay."
"…Right. I'll come even earlier tomorrow, sir," I replied, rolling my eyes before getting back to work.
Arguing with that man, who looked like he hadn't had a proper bath in his entire life, was never worth it. He always found a way to blame someone for everything, including if the birds chirped a little louder than usual.
When the work was finally done, I headed to the village market, like I did almost every late afternoon. I picked up a few bruised fruits, the only ones that fit my budget, and paid with the few coins I had managed to save.
While examining two apricots, I noticed people whispering, always glancing at me from the corner of their eyes.
It wasn't anything new for people to talk about me. Ever since my mother's death last summer, they had grown bolder, calling me a bastard, an outcast, someone who lived on the margins of everything… but strangely, there was something different about today; the way they turned their faces away too quickly or changed the subject the moment I walked by was enough to send a chill down my spine.
For a moment, I even wondered if I had too much dust on my face or mud on the hem of my skirt. I looked around, nothing. Still, I didn't ask; no one would answer anyway. Everyone there hated me for no reason.
With my fruit in a small bag and my aching body begging for rest, I walked back home, thinking only about a quick cold bath and the hard straw mattress that was somehow still comfortable for me.
That's when I saw the figure standing in front of my door.
I wasn't used to visitors. Maybe because I lived on the edge of the kingdom… or maybe simply because I didn't have friends. Okay, it was probably the second reason.
So you can imagine my surprise when, after a long day of work in the fields, I returned home to find a middle-aged man in strange clothes knocking on my door.
For a split second, I thought it might be some kind of official notice, maybe even an eviction order from the feudal lord. But then I noticed the carriage he had come in: a massive wooden structure decorated with gold details. Yes, gold.
How rich does someone have to be to decorate a carriage with gold? Just a sliver of that gold and I could live a simple, quiet life on a farm in the countryside… Could I just…? No. Better not.
In that moment, with my hands still dirty from the fields and sweat dripping down my face, I was absolutely certain he had the wrong address. He must have been looking for the steward's house or some important merchant. Certainly not my crooked-roof, broken-fence shack... right?
"Lady Ashael?" the man called out, checking a parchment as if expecting my name to leap from it.
For a moment, I looked around just to make sure there wasn't another Asha nearby. Then I pointed at myself.
"I… am Ashael."
His eyes swept over my simple clothes, the worn apron, the red hair hastily tied back with a leather cord. If he was disappointed, at least he had the decency to hide it.
"I bring an official summons from His Majesty, King Corvin Aramyra III." He puffed out his chest as he said the name, as if having the king's air pass through his throat made him important too. "Your presence is required at the palace within two days. Prepare to depart today."
I laughed. Not because anything was funny, but because that's what my mind does when things get too ridiculous to process. I straightened myself quickly and stepped closer, only to see his two guards immediately raise their spears at me.
"There must be some mistake," I replied, stepping back two paces. "Why would His Majesty summon someone like me?"
"Your name is right here." He turned the scroll toward me, as if I could read the palace scribes' tangled handwriting. "Ashael Kalevra, daughter of Nalyra Kalevra, is required to present herself immediately at the Solar Palace. Any refusal will be considered treason under His Majesty's mandate and may result in imprisonment or imminent death according to current law number 502."
"What?" I asked, distressed, barely believing what I was hearing.
"Any questions? I'll be happy to answer whatever you have," he said with a yellowed smile. "Once we're on our way to the capital."
And there it was, the word I had always tried to avoid, to run from like a plague: Capital.
It had been ten years since I last set foot there, ten years running from my old life, ten years since I settled in this tiny village and shut myself off from everyone… and even that wasn't enough to escape this nightmare.
The messenger, whose name I hadn't bothered to learn, carefully rolled up the scroll and stored it in a reddish tube, then turned to the guards and gave a quick nod. One of them looked down the road, the other rubbed his graying beard, impatient.
"Gather whatever you need, Lady Ashael. We leave in less than an hour."
They passed through the small wooden gate and walked away, but I could still feel my heart pounding like mad. My beautiful lily flowers lay trampled by the entrance. I had planted them less than a week ago, and now here they were, crushed and ruined in a matter of minutes… savage barbarians.
Less than an hour… what am I supposed to do with that?
I turned the rusty key and stepped inside my hut, closing the door slowly behind me. I just stood there in the middle of the room, feeling my breath go in and out in short, quick bursts. Everything was the same, the table with knife marks, the crooked stool I had made when I first arrived here, the narrow bed pushed against the far wall. Nothing had changed, yet somehow it all felt smaller.
"A summons, seriously?" I muttered, running my hands through my hair. "After all these years?"
It was hard to believe. If it were some kind of prank, I'd be relieved. But before coming inside, I had seen the insignia on the carriage. I'm almost certain it was the crest of the royal house.
I began pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what "whatever you need" meant when taking too long could get you imprisoned or killed. In the end, I grabbed two sets of simple clothes, the knife I used in the fields, a worn string necklace with a small blue stone, the only gift my mother had given me before she died, and a half-full water flask.
I looked around, taking in all my memories of this place. No matter how old and small it was, it was still my home. And I would deal with whatever this was and come back.
I threw the cloth bag over my shoulder and stepped outside.