Chapter 3-Frustration, Adversity, Resentment
The battered broom, with straws missing and the remaining going in every direction, swept furiously in the courtyard. It was not an uncommon sight to see: a woman, dressed in the scarlet and white robes that all of the occupants of the warriors' retreat wore, sweeping the large square courtyard. As time was precious to all dedicated to learning the fine arts taught there, schedules for work were drawn up, and everyone took their turn (although some considerations were made in certain circumstances). Today was not Reisha's turn, and yet, she was the erratic sweeper. Her usually systemic rhythm was disturbed, as were her thoughts–although the latter was not an uncommon occurrence.
Reisha frowned to herself as a large cloud of dust gathered around her. Although she had done nothing out of the ordinary recently and was certain that she had not hurt herself during lessons and practice, her body felt sore and bruised. In fact, she had found bruises that seemed to have developed overnight: she had no idea how she had gotten them, and she was sure she they had not been present before. She was tired, achy, and developing a cold. The acute sinus infection that accompanied it did nothing to improve her temper.
Normally, she would have tried to relax and calm her spiritual self by meditating–alone. She tried, but the fire kept showing her several images, and she had eventually left the room of the Sacred Fire in anger and frustration. She possessed magik, which none of the warriors were supposed to have, and while she kept it under tight rein, it would not relent. To escape the pictures that had appeared, the most prominent among those being the face of the young man that had staggered in a few days ago and was still in bed in the healers' ward, Reisha had attempted, for one of the few times in her life, to seek out companionship.
Unfortunately, the only thing that the other young women of the temple wanted to discuss was Jalen Eridian: his looks, his gentlemanly manners, his charming smile, and how cultured he was. She hated men like him, who attracted women everywhere they went and used them however they wished. She figured that at this rate, by the time he was gone, a large percentage of them would have become intimately familiar with him. Reisha could only tolerate hearing his praises sung, likening him to some divine being, and after approximately twenty minutes of hearing them chatter on, she had stalked out of the room in disgust, claiming cleaning duty and feeling that her annoyance with the world in general had increased.
Having cooled down slightly, Reisha was able to admit to herself that perhaps she wasn't being quite fair. There were nice-mannered, handsome men at the temple; she preferred warriors who followed the way of life she knew and loved herself. They were far outnumbered by those she couldn't get along with, however. But Rei could admit that she wasn't an easy person to get along with most of the time. She could be completely wrong about this Jalen Eridian. She would be more open to the notion had his face not kept plaguing her throughout the day.
Whenever she heard his name mentioned, her ears sharpened, and she listened to whatever was being said about him. His features and supposed qualities, as well as the details of his background as a traveling scholar, seemed to be permanently imprinted in her memory. Most disturbing were his eyes, which kept haunting her, following her throughout the day just as they had done so the night before, when those who had answered her summons had carried him away. Something about their impossibly clear, azure blue made her feel that he could, uncannily, see through the protecting wall of fire she had built around her soul.
Sighing, she was suddenly curious to see if anyone was on the airy balconies of the four buildings that boxed in the courtyard, held up by fragile-looking wooden supports that were, in reality, infinitely stronger than they appeared to be. Just like Reisha herself. She glanced up, scanning the balconies briskly, feeling much better. Before long, this Jalen would leave the temple, and her world would be righted once more. He was merely a temporary annoyance...or she thought, until her eyes met his.
He stood directly above her, and judging by the easy, relaxed way he leaned against the spindly railing, he had been looking down at the top of her head for quite some time. The broom dropped from her suddenly nerveless hand, but she recovered herself quickly. She returned his friendly smile and casual wave with a meaningful glare, bent to retrieve her broom, and turned on her heel, preparing to stalk to the open doorway in the opposite building. Although Reisha preferred to get out of his line of sight as soon as possible, she wasn't about to go into the same structure he was in if she could help it. Halfway across the courtyard, the wind suddenly blew stronger, and the piled mass of loose braids she had quickly put her hair in came loose. As she reached up in dismay, the majority of the ties came away in her desperate hands, and her glorious dark hair spilled forth unhindered. Rei hurried to confine the wild tresses, and as she tried to recapture it back into a long ponytail, she caught him still watching her from the corner of her eye. Forgetting her hair, she fled, and he was left with the impression of untamed, fiery beauty.
****~**~****
"Are you sure it must be her?" a sad, ancient voice asked behind him.
Jalen turned around, his expression sympathetic. However, his eyes and tone were determined. "I'm truly sorry to take her away from you, sir. But it is indeed necessary. I promise that had such a sacrifice on both your parts not been so needful, I would never have even proposed such a thing."
The old priest sighed and acquiesced with dignity. "Very well. Tonight, then, I will tell her, and she will go with you tomorrow. I know she would not understand about her destiny now, but you will tell her all about it soon, won't you?" When he replied in the affirmative, the priest's wizened, bent shoulders straightened as he met the younger man's guileless blue eyes. "There is one another thing you must promise me, Jalen Eridian. You will be kind to her, and you must protect her and keep her safe while you can. She is more precious than anything else in this world to me, and to lose her would make our land a poorer one."
"I understand. She will be looked after; have no fear or doubt."
"By you," the old man insisted, "and you especially, Jalen Eridian. There will be others–but it must be you, most of all, who stands as her protector and compatriot."
The blond-haired man frowned, perplexed, but nodded his agreement. "I will."
"And remember," he added, "she needs to be tamed, somewhat, but she will always be free. She will never be bound by restraints that she does not first accept."
He smiled. "I understand, and I respect that. I'll remember." And he would, for a long time afterwards.
****~**~****
The next morning, Serenitatis was rudely shaken awake. She sat up drowsily, blinking at the man in front of her and the room she was in. "Where am I?"
None-too-patiently, he replied brusquely, "In my house, princess. Now, if you'd be so kind as to get up, we start out early."
Her light blue eyes flicked towards the window quickly, and although they took account of the time of day, the magik spells scrawled heavily on the transparent screen were invisible to her still. At any rate, it was still dark outside, and she was unaccustomed to waking before the sun had risen. "Now?" she asked plaintively.
His deep blue eyes darkened at the whining note he heard in her voice, and his eyebrows rushed together alarmingly. "Yes, now, if you please, princess."
She glowered murderously at him. "My name is Serenitatis, Darrian."
Darrian ignored the jolt than ran through his body when she said his name and just shook his head, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you getting up anytime soon?"
"Would you care to tell me where we're going?" came her acidic reply.
Bowing elaborately, the ebony-haired youth drawled, "Oh, forgive for not informing you of your royal schedule, your highness. We're leaving the city as soon as you get dressed." Striding over to a nearby chest of drawers, he opened one and pulled out a dark blue tunic and a pair of black trousers. "These are the smallest clothes I have available. If they don't fit you, it's just too bad. Oh, and if you have any complaints about the colors, don't bother–when people travel, they tend to get dirty. White or pretty, pastel colors get dirtied pretty quickly, in case you didn't know."
Outraged, Seren stared at him for a few minutes, unable to speak with her anger at his insults. The first of many questions she was able to voice was "Where are we going?!"
Exasperated, he snapped, "I just told you! We're leaving the city! How thick does your skull have to be for that to get through?!"
The silvery-haired girl sat still, clutching the blanket as she willed herself not to cry. For all of her life, she had been sheltered and treated with the utmost respect and kindness. Neither Kent nor her mother had ever said anything like this audacious commoner had dared to say to her. Her voice quavered slightly as she demanded, "What about Kent? Are you leaving him here?" Before he could reply, she continued, "You're a coward!"
That drove him past the point of calm. Glaring at her, sapphire eyes blazing, Darrian leaned over and stared right into her frantic eyes. "Listen up, Serenitatis Divine. Your brother gave you over to my care. You obey me, and you don't waste time arguing. If I thought I had any chance of rescuing Kent now, I'd be on my way right now, doing it. But because we don't, the only logical choice is to increase our numbers by soliciting the aid of some of the magik people I know. The elves and land nymphs are our best hope, because they're much easier to reach in comparison to the dryads and water nymphs. Do you understand everything I've said?" he asked, holding her gaze.
"Yes," she answered softly, her eyes still brimming with tears. However, she still thought he was deserting Kentan. She also resented his instant assumption that she was worthless and brainless because she was a female–and a princess. He was nothing to her but a rude, cruel chauvinist...and her brother's only hope.
"Then get dressed," he ordered, tossing the clothes at her more gently than the annoyed expression on his face indicated. As he stalked from the room, the only thing that ran through his mind was that she was a good-for-nothing princess who didn't know anything about the world, had no common sense, and couldn't do anything for herself. To sum it all up, he thought she was the most ignorant person he had ever met, and if she became the next queen of the realm, it was in trouble, because she was too dense to understand anything beyond the simplest concepts.
****~**~****
As expected, Malina woke up with a splitting headache, a foul taste in her mouth, and slight nausea. It would have been worse had Nath not prevented her from continuing the drinking, flirting, and dancing she had planned to fill the long night before. Her pale cheeks burned as she looked at herself in the flower-draped looking glass. Closing her eyes, she twined her fingers gently in the delicate chains and vines, inhaling their sweet scent and feeling that she had never been so grateful that fresh flowers were distributed in the Palace of the Nymphs every other day. A brisk knock on the door interrupted her reverie, and she sighed, preparing herself to meet who she knew would be standing on the other side of the door.
"Malina, you look horrible," he greeted her, strolling in casually, although his words belied his impassive face.
"Thanks." Remembering her state of dress, she hurriedly pulled her dressing robe on, drawing the thin material around her impatiently. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" she replied in kind, trying to brush out the tangles in her hair.
He shrugged, and watching her grow paler with the effort of maintaining equilibrium while she was obviously dizzy, said, "I know how you're feeling, Mina. Sit down before you collapse."
Scowling at the ground, she muttered, "If I did, maybe I could put it off longer. Oh, never mind. There's no point in evading the issue anymore. I'll just have to face it, so I may as well do it gracefully. And with dignity." Despite her decided manner and confident words, she disappeared into the nearby bathroom with sad look on her face.
After she washed her face and returned, it was as though she had been restored to her former self. Looking repentant, she tugged the book her friend was examining out of his hands. Quietly, with a remorseful look at the bruise that remained on his face, she said, "I'm sorry, Nath. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean the things I said, and I didn't mean to hit you."
Equally softly, he replied, "It doesn't matter, Mina."
"Of course it does!" Her temper flared slightly as she began to pace through her bedroom. "I hate it, whenever this happens to me. I hate losing control. I've worked so hard to stay calm and to always been in control of my emotions, but they always break free sooner or later. These embarrassing situations always pop up, and I'm afraid that one day, it'll go too far." Her voice began to break as she turned back towards him. "What am I going to do, Nath?" she asked sadly.
"You're trying," he said gently. "It's all you can do for now. It's enough. One day, all your hard work will pay off. For now, I'll make sure you don't do anything too stupid and bear the marks of it." He grinned ruefully at his last sentence.
"I can cover that up," she offered, flushing.
Easily, Nathair replied, "Don't bother, Mina. If I was able to save you from something worse happening last night, then I don't mind at all. I'd gladly take responsibility. It doesn't matter to me." She was speechless–and very touched–and he understood that. To save them both more embarrassment, he coughed and said, "Speaking of responsibility, I shouldn't be here, you should remember not to answer doors in your sleeping attire–which is shorter than it should be, and don't you have to be somewhere to be very soon?"
She cursed viciously. "Since you reminded me, I'm throwing you out now, Nath. Shoo. If you leave peaceably and let me take a shower, I'll forget that comment about my nightwear."
"I merely suggested that you consider my recommendation, which is to acquire a less revealing wardrobe. Whether or not you take me up on it is completely up to you." Smiling pleasantly at her, he ambled out, whistling.
She glared at his back. He knew she couldn't whistle, and she was always annoyed when he did it to spite her–and he knew about that, too.
****~**~****
Half an hour later, Mina had made herself presentable. Garbed in an orange court gown, she entered the throne room more nervous than she had ever been upon passing through the gilded doors. The first thing she saw, gazing straight across the room, was her cousin the king, standing in front of the throne. He was speaking to a young man of medium height, whose curly fair hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Stepping quickly to the right of the great doors, as the guards shut them with a soft thump, she took the opportunity to study his form: it was lean and lanky, and he was very slender for a male, although his stance suggested alertness and superior balance. Suddenly, he turned, and leaf-green eyes met hers. She felt something inside her twinge, and his piercing eyes also widened, but he said nothing.
Resisting the urge to press her fingertips to her throbbing temples, she identified him immediately–with his exquisite eyes, defining hair, and slightly-pointed ears, he could only be Prince Zaccheus of the Elves–her betrothed. She swayed slightly, and a strong hand gripped her elbow. Mina looked behind her to see Nath, who had entered from a more discreet doorway. At that moment, the King of the Nymphs decided to recognize her presence, and as he addressed her, her head snapped around, and her eyes met the prince's once again. This time, however, his gaze sharpened, and a veil of hard arrogance had dropped over his keen eyes.
In the crowd, as she walked up the carpeted way to the throne, Mina could see several people she knew, including her father. Her mother was not present, but it was to be expected.
"Malina, how kind of you to join us."
She raised an eyebrow delicately, gauging his form of address. Apparently, he wanted to impress upon the young elfin prince that she was close to him and therefore a prize that the king had chosen to gift him with. "Good day, cousin," she replied politely.
"Prince Zaccheus, may I present my dear cousin, the Lady Malina?"
Of course, he could not refuse. Zaccheus executed an elegant now, and Mina tried not to roll her eyes at the whispers and envious sighs (from the women) emanating from their audience. "A pleasure, my lady." His voice, of a middling timbre, was courteous and very engaging, as was the lingering kiss he pressed on her hand. She could already tell he was a ladies' man but chose not to frown upon him yet.
"Indeed, your highness. It is a great honor you do our kingdom by gracing the court with your presence, Prince Zaccheus." And court was adjourned.
****~**~****
As she left the throne room, a voice called, "Mina, wait!"
She turned and smiled tiredly at her friend. "Come take a walk with me, Nath. I need some peace and quiet."
"I've heard that the hanging gardens are especially fine this time of year in your lovely palace, my lady," he said with a mocking smirk.
Hitting him on the forearm, she towed him away. "Hush, you impertinent boy."
The brunet smiled, withdrawing his arm and tucking his hands into his pockets. "I just wanted to praise you on your performance. Since when has your tongue become so coated with honey or your phrasing so diplomatically complimentary?"
"If you don't like the demands of court, why are you here?" she inquired icily.
Nathair held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "All right, Mina, all right. But you spoke well. The king will be pleased. He is pleased, as a matter of fact; I was observing the complex emotions expressed on his comely features."
Ignoring his lapse into the scorned "court speech," she snapped, "Well, good for him. At least he's pleased. I could care less."
"Really, Mina, what's wrong? So you don't want to marry the prince, but it isn't really his fault that he needs a bride or that he's such a good catch. From all I've heard about him, he's very dedicated to his people. He's studied hard–he's brilliant, actually–and he's fair. He isn't reported to be cruel, and the only faults he seems to have are impatience and rebelliousness."
Her eyes flared as she spun around to face him. "You sound like you want me to marry him! You don't need to list his high-flying credentials for me. I don't want to get married. I don't want to marry anyone! Not him and not anyone else! Why is it so hard for everyone to understand that?!"
Sighing, he said ruefully, "I was just trying to give you a more positive outlook. Your parents would disown you if you did anything to ruin this engagement, and you know it. So what's your first impression of the prince?"
Mina shrugged, linking her hands together. "I don't really know. The first time he looked at me, his eyes were very clear and very honest. It was like he was calling out for understanding or trust. But then...I don't know. It seemed like when I was actually standing before him, all of his emotion had been locked away. He was very polite, I guess. But he's definitely a man who's popular with the women, and he knows how to use it to his best advantage."
"Interesting fellow," Nathair commented. "You'd better watch out, Mina. Don't go all defensive on me. I know you can take care of yourself. But people like that have either been deeply hurt–or not hurt enough."
****~**~****
AN: Hey minna. Originally, Chapters 3 and 4 were both Chapter 3. Then I decided it was too long and there were too many characters introduced, and I didn't want anyone to get confused. Basically the characters were Rei and Jade, Serena and Darien, and Mina and Nephrite. I hope the names are working out all right. It shouldn't be too hard to keep track, I'm hoping, because I kept the names starting with same letters and containing an integral part of the original names. Hope the chapter went all right!
~Ice
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