Julian
The palace of Aldenmere rose from the hilltop like a crown carved from white stone, its towers catching the late afternoon sun in a blaze of gold. I'd seen it a hundred times growing up, but it never failed to remind me of just how small everyone else was in comparison.
I rode through the outer gates without stopping. The guards recognised me before I reached, stepping aside with crisp bows and murmurs of "Lord Whitmore's that followed me up the cobbled path like echoes.
She was waiting for me in the inner courtyard.
She stood at the top of the marble steps in a pale blue gown, her dark hair pinned loosely beneath a circlet of emerald and sapphire. Two ladies-in-waiting flanked her at a respectful distance, and a pair of royal guards stood behind them, hands on their swords with stern expressions. Every servant who crossed the courtyard bowed as they passed her without breaking stride.
