Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 499: Beyond the border
The guards were not gentle, dragging, pushing and yanking her along if a step took a split second too long for their taste.
The bindings around her wrists weren’t any softer than the men that tied them. Looking at her own scuffed and cut up skin sent images of the day the tributes had arrived to the Eleazar manor.
Was it even ironic at that point?
"Get up on that carriage, criminal!"
That poor thing threatened to collapse at the slightest breeze. The vehicle wasn’t even fit to carry barn animals, let alone humans.
But really, there was no need for the guard escorting her to yell that order since he and his partner practically threw her inside without a single care.
The ride to the castle was one of the shortest ever in her life. Naturally since it wasn’t something she was looking forward to, the fabric of time seemed to shrink just out of spite.
The dread that filled her lungs only pushed her heart higher in her throat, making even the mechanical task of breathing the hardest it had ever been for her to perform.
They arrived with the sun which painted the sky pink for a new day. What a beautiful day it could have been... Far far away from that place. The sweet chirping of birds alone birthed a yearning for home, her real home back in Umbraria.
Like a ragdoll they hauled her out of the carriage, barely allowing the sole of her feet to touch the ground.
It was along the path to the main gates that Arabella finally found the strength to raise her dull eyes at the majestic construction, erected long centuries before life became what it was.
The ancient and carved stone that made the high walls and cylindrical towers that pierced the cushy bed of clouds above, the thick, enormous banners that flaunted the colors of the royal family.
From afar, the bridge connecting the external walls to the land appeared normal enough but once someone stepped on it, its sheer size was finally put on full display.
Gold made the gates and every piece of metal decorating the castle. That same castle Arabella hadn’t seen in three months.
Nothing had really changed since that damned ball that sealed her fate...
The vast courtyard leading up to the main entrance was well kept enough. Art at its finest, null doubt at the hands of the best, but even then, it still could never rival the one Edgar kept back home. That one had a lot of love and care put into it.
Along the way, the guards only addressed her when barking orders. Other than that, they mumbled among themselves words she did not comprehend, speaking either too low or cackling too loud for her ears to withstand.
Although sometimes, some would be clear and audible enough; something along the lines of criminal, cow and whore.
The darkened glares they would throw her way from time to time did little to appease her screaming mind.
The first person to smile in her face was a woman that was very clearly there to meet her. Well, it could hardly be called smiling seeing the way her features twitched as her sharp, brown eyes did not participate in the expression.
"Arabella, Henrietta Sterling," deeper than expected her voice was, causing Arabella’s chest to rumble.
Aside from her unkind demeanor, the woman held a few masculine traits despite her feminine garments.
Her jawline for example was sharper and wider. Her nose too hogged a lot of the space on her face, thicker at the nostrils.
At the ankles her skirt ended, allowing the boots underneath to peek. As tall as she already was, the heels on those things made her tower over Arabella.
"You have finally returned to your rightful place," lowering her face only put emphasis on her uneven and protruding chin, "It took some motivation, but you are here and that is all that matters,"
If it wasn’t for the gray hair on her head and the visible wrinkles that marked her face, the rasp in her voice gave away her old age. She must have been at least in her sixties.
Arabella made not a peep as the woman’s eyes studied her from the sole of the boots to the highest hair on her body.
"It seems you have even managed to forget how a proper young woman ought to dress but let us not worry about such trivial things for now. They come with time. I will see to it that you are straightened back into your lane soon enough," her pitch and tone alike oozed of condescendence when her irises flickered towards the guards practically hanging Arabella by the arms, "She can stand well enough on her own, boys. You may return to your duties,"
They did not respond with grace. In fact, Arabella could have sworn one of them grunted while the other clicked his tongue against his palate once.
They wrenched their arms from under her armpits so suddenly that she fell to her knees.
"The prince is quite eager to see you since the pigeon messenger brought word of your surrendering," her tone immediately shifted to a colder one upon ordering, "Now get on your feet and don’t waste my time,"
"May I see my brother and my husband?" Arabella asked in the meekest of tones.
The manner in which her features contorted sent a shiver down Arabella’s spine. Was that the wrong thing to say?
"Right...," the woman cleared her throat and quickly recovered her wits, "His highness did warn that you would be asking such questions," what she, null doubt, meant as giggle came out as a cursed snort instead, "Follow in my steps then and you had better keep up. I won’t wait for you,"
The woman turned around, and Arabella rushed on her heel not a second after. The halls and corridors in the Eleazar manor had nothing on those colossal tracts lining the castle. Even a ghoul would have felt small under those high ceilings.
It was no wonder she told her to keep up! During the few times Arabella had been a guest in that place, the young woman followed a crowd that was led through a strict and much shorter path.
A maze it was and even that descriptor could not do that grand, treacherous design justice.
