After countless corridors and several staircases, we reached an isolated wing of the palace where there were no servants at all. Finally, at the end of a long, empty corridor, we arrived in front of a door with two knights standing at attention on either side. They offered sharp, well synchronized bows to the Second Prince before returning to their original positions. 

The Second Prince held out his hand as we approached the door. The knight on the left immediately produced a key and unlocked the door. He handed the key to the Second Prince and took a few steps back. The knight on the right opened the door for us and also stepped back. Their movements were so well coordinated that I wondered if they had rehearsed it.

The room inside the doors was flooded with natural light, yet there wasn’t a single window that I could see. The walls were covered in a burgundy and gold wallpaper, with paintings and tapestries hung in various locations, making the space look cluttered and small. To one side, there was a golden mantle with a fire already burning in its hearth. Next to the hearth were a couch, chair, and small table that were set atop a fluffy, white rug. 

On the opposite side of the room was a bed covered in emerald silk sheets that looked far too luxurious to actually sleep in. Next to the bed, in the far right corner was the largest bookshelf I'd ever seen, built right into the wall with a small ladder to reach the highest shelves. There had to be hundreds of books housed on those white and gold shelves. A single book could take a scribe almost a full moon cycle to create, so seeing this many books being kept in an unused area felt wrong to me. 

When I finally managed to pull my gaze away from the books and look upward, I discovered the reason for all the natural light in this windowless room. The ceiling, which was nearly two stories high, was made entirely of glass panels held together by a golden frame. It was an asymmetrical marvel that let the sunlight in during the day and allowed you to gaze at the stars by night.

"This room, we call it the Sun Room. It was once a private tea room designed for enjoying the midwinter sun, but it hasn't been used as such for many years. This is where you shall stay. The beasts will arrive tonight, but you won’t greet them until tomorrow. Wait here until we come for you.”

He looked me in the eyes to confirm that I understood. I gave him a short nod and he turned to leave.

“Oh, and Julien,” he said as he reached the door, “you are not permitted to leave this room, but please feel free to read any of the books on the shelf that interest you. They were chosen with the intention of being read on a sunny afternoon, so you should find them to be pleasant, light reading. You can read, can’t you?”

I nodded that yes, I could. My mother, unlike most commoners, was not illiterate. Perhaps she had learned while she was the Duke’s maid. She’d made sure to teach me how to read the written word from an early age, even if I couldn’t scribe it myself. 

“I’ll have the kitchen send you something light for now, and dinner will be served to you at the top of the seventh movement of descent. As long as you make no attempt to leave, feel free to do as you please. Enjoy your food and the books. This may be your last night, so I suggest you make the most of it.”

With that, he walked out of the room. The knights bowed sharply in unison as he passed by.

After the Second Prince was gone, one of the knights turned to me. “If you need food or drink, knock twice.” He gave two taps on the door to demonstrate his meaning. The voice from inside the helmet sounded disciplined and no-nonsense. “There’s a chamber pot under the bed. If it needs to be changed, knock three times.”

Without waiting for my acknowledgement, he closed the door.

I stood in stunned silence, alone in the sunny room. The transition from the carriage to here had happened so quickly that my head was spinning. The beastmen would arrive that night? I’d thought they would be a week or two away at least. Everything was happening so fast. 

I broke into a cold sweat as I processed this new information. During the journey here, I'd been too enraptured by the outside world to really think about such things. I had just assumed there would be more time. 

None of it had truly felt real until this moment. All that had mattered before now was that I was finally free from my father’s house. But now I was all alone in this beautiful and inescapable room where I would possibly be spending my last night... The more I thought about it, the more terrifying my thoughts became. The beastmen would arrive tonight. Tomorrow, my life could be over. Or I might be wishing it were.  

I started having trouble breathing. It was too much. 

My heart was racing at an alarming pace. Too soon. It was too soon. 

Blackness spotted in my vision. It was too fast. I'd thought I still had time. But why was I so convinced that I still had time? It had all been wishful thinking, hadn't it?

A foggy haze danced in my peripheral vision. I wasn’t ready. It was too soon. I started choking as I tried to pull in a full breath. I had no air. I couldn’t breathe. 

I don’t want to die!

I fell to the ground, my breaths shuddering in and out in ragged gasps. I felt dizzy. I felt sick.

No, no, no, no! What should I do? 

I want to go outside again. Why would they show me all of that just to take it all away again? 

I’m scared. I’m so scared. I don't want to die.

It’s too much. Too soon. Too fast.  

As my body fell to the floor, my consciousness drifted into a familiar foggy haze that quieted my panicked thoughts.