Chapter 4: Beyond Ivory Walls

Shani darted out of the bathing chamber with a newfound energy. Her steps were light, barely making a sound against the marble. 

“Shani!” Nimue hissed, running after her. Shani froze and turned to look at the older woman, confusion etched in the princess’s eyes. Nimue was panting when she finally caught up. She spun Shani around and began messing with her hair. 

“You forgot to tie your hair up!” Her voice was filled with frustration as she ran her fingers through the young girl's ringlets. Shani flinched at the force, but luckily Nimue was quick. Nimue pulled her thick curls into a high ponytail, loose tendrils cascading around her neck and forehead. A thin band of gold rested against her hair. 

Nimue had dressed her in a soft ivory tunic trimmed in gold, simple enough for lessons, but the fabric was still richer than most could dream of wearing. A narrow sash of deep violet silk wrapped around her waist, vivid and unmistakable against the pale fabric. Shani twirled a finger through her curls.

“Can I go now?” she asked. 

“Yes, but remem—” 

Shani darted off once more before Nimue could finish her sentence. 

“Remember you have etiquette today!” Nimue shouted after her. Shani turned, slowing just enough to smile and wave before darting through the palace. 

Maids and servants stepped quickly out of her path as she rushed toward the garden. Some grumbled. Others shot the young girl annoyed glances. Shani barely noticed. Today was an important day. It was one of the few days a week she got to play outside. She couldn’t be late for that. She leaped over a maid's bucket and ducked between another pair who were talking. 

Shani could make out the doors to the palace garden in the distance. She was close. A bright smile crossed her features, then the invisible tips of her ears twitched.

“Hard to believe Her Majesty allows that thing out of the room…” It was a woman’s voice. Shani’s steps slowed slightly. People were gossiping about someone again. 

“I know… but at least she looks acceptable and not like those Prick-Ears.” Another woman's voice. This one sounded slightly older than the first. But still just as cruel. 

It wasn’t the first time she had heard gossiping tones like that. But lately, something in her stomach dropped whenever she heard the cruel voices. Part of her began to wonder if they were talking about her. She reached towards her ears and felt the points. This had to be what a Prick-Ear was, right?

“One can’t help but wonder who the bastard's father is though…” the younger voice said. Her voice almost sounded concerned… but there was an undernote of disgust.

“Oh right… you're new. You don’t know the rumor…” the older woman said. Shani’s ears perked at this. A rumor? Maybe it was a story about her father. 

Shani slowed, turning toward the voices. Part of her wanted to hear more, to ask them what Prick-Ears meant. Another part was screaming at her to leave it alone. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, all she caught was a shocked gasp before their footsteps faded into the palace. 

Shani frowned, frozen in place for a moment. Then that word came back once more. 

Prick-Ears.

The word echoed strangely in her mind. Her ears did have points… but was that what they meant by prick-ears? How did that even work? She wasn’t sure, but she knew the name left a sour taste in her mouth. 

Her mouth formed a thin line, but she shook her head, trying to chase away the thoughts. Shani began to pick up the pace once more. The words, however, seemed to circle through her mind. Shani halted and covered her ears, clenching her eyes shut.

No… go away! That wasn’t about me…

She told herself over and over again. A hand grasped her shoulder. Shani screamed as she fell backward, landing hard onto the floor. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as her heart thundered in her chest. She looked up and was met with a pair of lavender eyes. They looked concerned. 

“Are you alright, Princess?” Jaziel asked. His eyes glanced over Shani for a moment. Relief washed over Shani at the sound of her uncle's calming voice. She smiled shyly and nodded.

“I’m okay, Uncle Jaziel.” 

He knelt down in front of her and reached towards her wrist. 

“You didn’t crack it when you fell, did you?” he asked, as he examined the crystal very closely. Shani shook her head.

“I don't think so… I’ve fallen a lot and the bracelet never gets hurt,” she replied, her head tilting slightly as she recalled every fall. Jaziel sighed and finally released her wrist. 

“Glad to hear that…” he mumbled. Jaziel began dusting Shani off before offering her a hand up. Shani gratefully took it. Once she was standing, he finished by dusting off her legs before returning upright.

“Try to take care of it… it’s rare,” he said. His eyes glanced once more toward the bracelet. Shani followed his gaze before nodding.

“Yes! Mama says it was a gift from Dad. I don’t want it to break!” Jaziel paused. Shani couldn’t help but notice his eyes widen.

“Your mother said that?” he asked. Shani simply nodded again. Jaziel's mouth pulled into a thin line, and his jaw twitched. To Shani, it looked like he wanted to ask something. Then he sighed, crossing an arm over his chest as a playful smile pulled at his lips. 

“Seeing as you're out and about… I'm hoping the empress is as well?” Jaziel's eyes looked towards Shani, a glimmer of hope in them. Shani nodded.

“Yep! I woke her up!” Shani said as she stood a little taller with pride. Jaziel smiled and patted her head. Shani relaxed under his warm touch.

“Thank you for your help, Princess,” he said as he pulled his hand away. Shani nodded enthusiastically. Jaziel froze for a moment, his lavender eyes looking at the young girl carefully.

“Are you… sure you're okay?” he asked. His tone was expectant. Like he knew there was something Shani wasn’t telling him. Shani could tell him about the maids she heard gossiping. That was her uncle's job, after all. He was in charge of the palace workers. But she really didn’t want them to get in trouble for talking. 

Shani bit her lip and then forced a smile.

“Yes! Everything is perfect! I was just on my way to the garden!” She exclaimed as she rocked on her feet. Jaziel eyed her for a moment more before nodding. He placed a hand on her head once more.

“Well, try to learn something then.” His tone was level, but Shani could see a playful glint in his eyes. She nodded.

“I will!” 

Jaziel nodded with approval before he began to walk past her. Shani’s eyes widened in horror. She had nearly forgotten something important.

“Uncle Jaziel!” She called after him. Jaziel froze and looked back toward her, confused. 

“Have a good day at work!” 

Jaziel smiled and offered Shani a wave before continuing on his way. Shani smiled, then turned and ran once more toward the gardens. She needed some fresh air. 

Shani pushed through the garden doors with more force than she meant to. They swung open quickly and effortlessly. She could have sworn they were heavier, but it was a passing thought. Once the doors closed, Shani took in a deep breath. 

Cool wind brushed against her skin, but the sun was warm. Despite it being autumn, the sky was bright blue, without a cloud to be seen. Zephys must have been happy, she supposed. At least she was partially sure that was the God of wind. She had a hard time remembering them all.

She shrugged. She supposed knowing all the Gods wasn’t super important. 

Shani walked along a white cobblestone path that stretched out from the palace doors, leading toward a grand fountain at the center of the garden. She dipped her fingers in the water as she walked around the fountain and over a bridge. A small river passed beneath it. She had been told it was one of the waterfall branches. She had never seen Gildan's falls, but she had heard they were quite impressive. The maids, however, seemed very happy to have a water source so close to the palace. 

Past a broad grassy lawn, mature trees lined a pearly white wall. Although the trees had grown to an impressive height, the wall still towered above them. Shani reached out, pressing her hand against the wall. It was cool despite the sun and eerily smooth. Not a single crease or crack. She pressed her cheek against it to examine it more closely. Still no cracks. 

The wall was still impossible to climb. 

“Ahem.” Shani heard an older man clear his throat. She straightened immediately and spun around, snapping to attention. 

A knight around Nimue’s age was staring down his nose at her. A cold sweat prickled along Shani's spine, but she smiled cheerfully at him nonetheless. Her mother had assigned him as her physical education tutor. But for some reason, he didn’t seem to like her very much. She didn’t mind, though. She didn’t like him either. 

“Nothing to say today?” he asked in a gruff tone. Shani shook her head. The sooner they started the lesson the sooner she could have some free time. He nodded, something akin to approval gleaming in his eyes. 

“Today… we will start with some running,” the older man began. Shani’s face lit up. She was good at running. She was about to dart away when the older man grabbed her by her sash. She froze and looked at him utterly confused. 

“I didn’t finish… I want you to run twenty feet away from me, then back—”

“How far is twenty feet?” Shani asked. Her head tilted slightly. The knight let out an exasperated sigh. He pointed to a tree a fair distance down the grass.

“To that tree and back, in six seconds. And if you don’t make it in six seconds, I will have you do it until you do. Understand?” he asked sharply. Shani simply nodded. He released her sash.

“Good, now I will count—”

“You can actually count, mister?” Shani asked. Genuine curiosity crossed her face. The older man's face turned red. Shani's eyes widened, and she took off before he could yell at her. It hurt her ears when he was loud.

The man counted out loud, but Shani barely heard him. She made it to the tree, turned, and rushed back with all the speed her legs could muster, her pale hair flowing in the wind. She closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. She only opened them again when she heard his voice getting much louder than it had been. 

Shani leaped the final foot or two and landed behind him with a smile. His eyes widened as he looked at her.

“How’d I do?” she asked, practically beaming. 

“Just over five seconds…” he mumbled, his voice eerily quiet. Shani’s face lit up. She opened her mouth to say something, but the man cut in. 

“But I told you to run, not jump. Do it again.” 

Shani’s face dropped. With a frustrated frown, she followed his orders and did it again. Then again. Over and over until it felt like her lungs were burning. Each time, he found something wrong, whether it was her form or even her not touching the tree, which she was sure he'd never made a requirement. After what felt like forever, she came to a stop. 

Shani crouched over gripping her knees as she gasped in air, sweat dripping from her brows. The man raised a brow at her. 

“I suppose that will do.”

A frustrated flush crossed the young girl's cheeks. That will do? She wanted to collapse onto the grass and sleep for a full fortnight and all he could say for her effort was, that will do? She wanted to kick the old fart but her mother told her she needed to treat the elderly with care. So this grandpa survived another day.

Not caring about decorum, Shani sat on the grass and took in a deep breath. The wind suddenly felt much cooler than it had before. The man, who was in his mid-forties, looked at her for a moment.

“You know, princess… if exercise isn’t up your alley there’s no harm in that… you are only a girl after all,” his voice almost sounded affectionate, but Shani stiffened. When she didn’t say anything he continued.

“Perhaps… needlework, dance, music, and art might be more suited to you. Her Majesty was quite gifted at weaving.” His tone had more approval in it than Shani had ever heard. Weaving? Art? Needlework? She supposed some people would enjoy that but that would mean more time in the palace. She didn’t want that.

“No… I like running…” She replied quietly. She didn’t meet his gaze.

“I see…” the knight replied. Shani couldn’t help but flinch at the sudden disappointment in his voice. Silence followed for an unnerving amount of time before the man finally spoke once more.

“Well, that’s all for today's lesson. Do you have any questions before I leave?” Shani glanced up. His mossy eyes told her she wasn’t supposed to ask anything. But she had a question anyway.

“Yes, why does the palace have a wall around it?” she asked as she danced a finger through the soft blades of grass. An exasperated sigh escaped the knight's lips. Shani didn’t feel too guilty, after all if he didn’t want to answer questions he shouldn’t have asked in the first place.

“Centuries ago this palace was used as a stronghold against the Thornbloods—”

Shani tilted her head in confusion at the word. The knight sighed.

“The people who live in the Silva Mortis,” he clarified. Shani’s eyes widened. The forest, he was talking about the people in the forest. She nodded her head.

“Is it still a stronghold?”

“Technically… no. Not since the peace treaty that happened forty years ago.” 

Shani lifted her brows. Peace? Didn’t that mean they were basically friends? Why did everyone seem to still dislike them though? Her mother said it had gotten better since she took the throne but she still heard rumors and mockeries about the people who lived in the forest beyond the second wall.

But looking at the frustration on his face Shani figured he was done with this conversation. She didn’t want to risk having to run or do something harder for the next class, so she didn’t ask the millions of questions that kept popping into her mind.

“Thank you, sir… I enjoyed the work today,” she replied. The words sounded almost rehearsed. The man nodded and offered a shallow bow. Shani forced a smile and offered him a wave. Even if she didn’t like him, it would be rude not to see him off after all.

Once the knight was finally gone, she collapsed onto the soft grass, taking in deep breaths as she stared blankly at the sky. When her heart finally calmed, she pushed herself to her feet and began to run once more. 

But not toward the palace. Further into the garden. 

Shani ran until she reached the farthest corner of the palace garden. A massive old tree shadowed the walls, a swing hanging from one of its thick, twisting branches. Silver, nearly translucent leaves rustled in the wind. The sound they made was like crystals shuffling together. 

But a tree was a tree. 

Shani slipped off her sandals and discarded them without a thought. Then she gripped the sandy-colored bark and began to climb. Her body moved effortlessly. Her hands found holds. Her feet adjusted easily against the bark. It felt natural. 

She pulled herself onto a thick branch that hovered above the palace walls and leaned back against the warm wood, her gaze drifting outward.

Beyond the wall lay a plain of lush grass, a large river cutting through it. Further still stood a second wall. Further still stood a second wall. Further still stood a second wall. This one was much older and taller, although the trees behind it dwarfed even the ancient structure. The trees rose impossibly high, swallowing the horizon. The forest went on and on, never seeming to end. 

“Silva Mortis…” Shani whispered. It was old Gildan. She didn’t quite understand what it meant, but it made the hairs on her arms stand up. 

She'd heard there were monsters in the forest. Some nights howls could be heard on the wind even in the palace. No one went in, and the ones who dared to brave it never came back. Well… except one. Her mother. Shani wondered how she did it, whether there really were monsters, and what the people there were like. 

Her mother would simply say she would take her there one day. 

Shani frowned. Did she have to wait for her mother? She was above the wall… with a jump perhaps she could…

Shani shook her head.

No. It was a bad idea. She had no idea what lay beyond her wall. It was thin on top… what if she tripped? The cliff dropped sharply beyond this side of the palace. It was too dangerous to go alone. She could wait. Her mother promised, after all, and Jamila never broke their promises.