I could barely sleep, while the night gown
was a nice change of apparels, the bed was too soft and comfortable to sleep on
but that was the least of my problems. I had slipped the day before with
General Vladimir, I wouldn’t take him for a man to be one to hold grudges
considering how many people he’s killed but if he does that would mean more
enemies than necessary.

I sat down on a wooden chair and faced the
window which I left the curtains closed and began to ponder on a way forward.
Getting to this stage of my plan was sincerely the easy part, everything from
here on out had to be carefully calculated. One slip up and the nobles would be
lining up to eat my bones, not that any of them will expect me to survive the
trials.

The trials were supposed to give me enough
time to prepare to take down the Lords but King Andreas only gave me one month,
one month isn’t enough to plan a coup let alone execute one. I sighed out in
frustration, I wasn’t getting any ideas and it wouldn’t help to waste time in
here, I needed to do something.

A subtle melody snapped me out my train of
thought, it was coming from outside and it was getting closer but no audible
footsteps. Just then, the door to my living chambers swung open and a woman
walked through heading straight for the window curtains, she opened them
briskly letting in all the sunlight into the room and revealing her to me.

She wore a plain white shirt and blue gown
with golden pattern inter weavings and brown boots. she had her golden blonde
hair let down to one side of her head. Her eyes twinkled a light green hue in
the sunlight. She was pretty but pretty wasn’t what I was looking for.

So, I’m being assigned a handmaiden even
after I pulled the “what do you stand for” card on the general, that usually
works on people but I guess he must have nerves of steel that explains how
he sleeps at night .

 I
needed someone who could help me keep tabs on the general, his happy slicing
off heads hands are quite unnerving to say the least.

A handmaiden could only do so much.

“Good morning Sir” she said extremely giddy
as she turned towards my bed which was in the centre of the room but to her
disappointment was met with an empty bed.

“I’m over here” I said sitting on the chair
across from her.

She moved back, startled and gave a small
yelp.

“I apologize for my earlier behaviour” she
coughed as she looked away embarrassed.

“It’s okay umm… Mrs?”

“Mrs Idoia, Idoia Arino of Chryston” she
said as she picked the pleats of her  performed a flawless courtesy.

“Chryston?” I began startled “That’s in
the…”

“In the east provinces”

“Is that supposed to be a coincidence or?”
I asked

“I volunteered when the offer came up, I
was just so excited to meet another east province person”

“Yeah I get the feeling” I lied as I felt a
small smile creep across my face. She may not be what I was looking for but her
eagerness might make her easy to manipulate.

I invited her to seat and together we
shared our tales of the east province both personal stories and ones that
everyone there knew, but for some reason we only recalled the happy ones so in
a few moments the stories were over.

“Well, Sir Alaric. This was a most
intriguing conversation but I believe we best be on our way” she said as she
got up and began heading towards the door.

“On our way to where?” I asked

“You plan to become the King’s Advisor, do
you not?”, “There are things that must be done, but first I’ll leave you to get
dressed”

“That might be a problem” I proposed

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Kind of lacking in the clothing
department” I said as I pointed towards the rags that I was still wearing from
the night before maybe that’s why the bed was uncomfortable

“I knew I forgot something…” she said
before dashing out of the room, not before nearly falling down and then
standing up to leave the room.

....

I put on the red fitted shirt with golden
like designs around it and the red trousers and black shoes Idoia had brought
out for me. As I stepped out of the room, Idoia was already waiting for me.

“This way please” she said as she directed
me toward the southern part of the palace, the opposite direction in which
Vladimir had shown me.

As we walked down the hallway, I could feel
my dream replay in my mind. A royal procession of me in royal regalia walking
down, I was missing the regalia and procession but a step forward is a step
forward.

“Is there any particular reason why we
followed the southern exit?” I asked noticing the rather lack of royal servants
in this side of the palace as we passed through the southern gate.

“Didn’t want to attract too much attention”

Right