The Storage Room
Kila sweeps her arm across the table and scatters her papers and the five-volume series, the History of Telshia, on the floor. She watches as Volume 1, The Origin of the Royal Line of Telshian Queens, skitters across the orange light from the setting sun and into the shadow in the corner.
She slams the storage room’s door closed as she leaves the castle in disgrace. The shadows along the walls move. She lunges for the lantern as it falls off the table.
The man emerges from a corner. His smile appears to twist as light and shadow dance on his face.
She turns, the lantern’s light now full on him. “The smile that makes all the women melt,” she says as her shoulders relax. She places the lantern on the table between them.
He pauses and speaks, “I know from our many conversations that you want what’s best for Telshia. A stable royal line means security for all.”
“Without an heir,” she starts. There is a noise behind her. She turns and sees a bag of grain flopped on its side. The sharp line differentiating shadow from light bisects the royal seal.
“The Queen has been unable to ensure the continuance of the royal line. Her incapacity to bear an heir means she is no longer worthy of being queen. You, however, are still young. If you were...”
“You speak of treason!”
“I speak of stability.”
“You speak of corruption!”
“I speak the truth.”
She turns back to face the man and looks at him. Her eyes are glistening. “She is my friend.”
“Telshia will suffer.”
She grasps the edge of the table. Her shadow on the wall grows as she lowers her head. “A corrupt queen is no good for the throne or its line.”
“As long as we are aware of the darkness, we have power over it. It is only when we fail to see it that it overtakes us.”
Kila stares at the lantern while the man waits, as long as we are aware of the darkness, we have power over it, she repeats to herself. She looks up at him after a long moment, the light from the lantern casting dark shadows from her cheekbones onto her eyes. “Ok, I agree,” she says.
Fantastic read! I wonder, was Kila already "corrupted" by this man? I mean, you don't just abandon your sister. And here, she seems fairly quick to turn around. Intriguing... Keep up the good work! :D
Thank you! He is the man with the silver tongue. They had been talking for a long while. so yeah, he had been working on her for a bit.