Levisia was rudely shaken awake from her slumber and half-heartedly swatted her hand out. She hadn’t managed to sleep that much the previous night and thus was quite content to sleep in the carriage.

“Don’t be like that, Levy. We’re here. Don’t want to keep Elizabeth waiting, do you?”

Reluctantly opening her eyes, she looked at Lidan who was looming over her. Elizabeth had already left the carriage, judging by the carriage door that was wide open. Levisia stretched out and heaved herself to her feet, brushing past Lidan and climbing down the steps onto the ground below. She was immediately hit by the overwhelming scent of salt and could hear gulls screeching overhead.

“Where are we?” She asked, rubbing the sleepy dust out of her eyes. “How long have we been travelling?”

“The port city of Vinhol, to the south-west of the Empire. It is governed by Marquis Evelyn Vinhol, and we will be staying in her castle for the next few days.” Elizabeth said as she collected her luggage. As Levisia waited for her luggage to be removed from the storage compartment, she looked ahead at the castle. It was definitely imposing, but she had seen her fair share of castles at this point. One castle looked very much the same as another. The only defining difference she could see was the banners bearing the Vinhol coat of arms hanging from the outer walls of the castle.

“As for how long we’ve been travelling, well…” Lidan said, joining Levisia and Elizabeth. “The sun was rising when we set off, and now it is slowly beginning its descent.”

“We’ve really been travelling for that long?” Levisia asked, frowning at the sky that was slowly turning orange and pink. Her stomach let out a loud gurgle that she was certain everyone in the city of Vinhol heard. “Did you not stop for food?”

“We did, but you were fast asleep. We didn’t want to wake you.” Lidan laughed. “Must have been a rough night for you, Levy.”

“Something like that…” She replied, picking up her luggage and walking towards the castle. She hoped that the atmosphere was more welcoming than the Mentine estate, and the food of better quality. After her impromptu nap that had lasted far longer than she expected, she was looking forward to a good meal, and possibly exploring the port before the sun went down properly.

When she aired her desire to see the sights, Elizabeth shook her head.

“It is too late for us to explore Vinhol. Many of us are tired after the journey.” She said, and Levisia didn’t miss the slight jab at her having slept the entire journey. “You may explore the castle tonight, and tomorrow we will explore the city and port.”

“That sounds good to me, Your Highness,” Levisia said, not meeting Elizabeth’s gaze as she handed her luggage over to some waiting maids. She, along with the Kraidens, was led into the dining room. To her immense delight, there were large pots of meat stew and warm bread waiting for them. It took every fibre of Levisia’s being not to turn into a feral animal and ravage the food down. She sat between Lidan and Elizabeth, and as soon as she was able to, spooned several large helpings of the stew into her bowl and tucked into it. Ripping chunks of the bread off and dunking into the bowl, she marvelled at how rich the gravy was. She was in her second bowl when the others had barely finished their first.

“Please, excuse me,” Levisia said after she finished her second bowl and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. Before anyone could respond, she pushed her chair out and left the dining room. There were so many things going on in her head, and she needed someone quiet to think them through. She asked a nearby maid where her bedroom was, and after locating it, shut the door and locked it behind her.

“Oh Lev, what have you got yourself caught up in?” She asked herself as she dragged her feet over to the bed and collapsed onto it. She rolled over so that she was facing the ceiling, and tried to make sense of her racing thoughts.

What Elizabeth had told her that afternoon, about how she suspected that there were moles within the royal family who were leaking out information, worried her. If that was the case, then it has the potential to cause the rift between the Kraidens to increase in size. The Kraidens hadn’t always seen eye to eye on things, but even they could get along when the time called for it. Discounting them constantly battling each other for the throne, of course.