Chapter Seven
It was totally unexpected that Kassen should find his mysterious angel in Verxia. Even more so that she had turned out to be the Araman that he would be spending most of the coming months with.
Yet she appeared hostile towards him. Not at all like he had imagined she would be when he finally found her. For this reason, and many others, he did not immediately mention it to Sitnen and Derio.
Kassen was also sure that he had glimpsed Raliena hold her finger to her lips when greeting Sherin. Without a doubt this was the young woman they had both seen in the castle and who he was sure had healed his almost fatal illness. For that he owed her his life and if she did not want to be revealed in front of the King, or anyone else, then he would have to be patient and find a way to thank her alone.
“It is her, Kassen.” Sherin whispered to him after she reluctantly let go of Sitnen’s arm as they entered the dining room where they would be eating. The excitement in her voice was unmistakable but she also realised that she could not reveal this secret to anyone just yet.
“Yes, it is.” Kassen replied, “but, Sherin, let me speak to her first. I don’t think she wants anyone to know she was in Attashar.”
“We have to keep it a secret, Kassen.” The seriousness in her voice almost made it a command.
“I agree.” Kassen said, but the prospect of this secret made him all the more eager to talk to the Araman. For what reason did she not want to claim the recognition? And if she was so apt at healing, why did King Baynil not send her instead of Lady Nanerter?
The hall they were led to was smaller than Kassen had been expecting. In Attashar the halls were too large. You would have to get one of the servants to relay a message to the person that was sitting at the other end of the table if you wished to speak to them. Even if there were very little people attending the meal, those large rooms were always used. King Baynil thought this an unusual idea when Kassen told him of how the Attashar courtiers ate.
“How strange. It must be quite a quiet dinner in that case.” He commented after sitting at the head of the table and inviting Kassen to sit on his right hand side. Sherin was seated on his left, which she was very pleased about. Being only young she was not normally allowed to sit at the head of the table, let alone sit next to a King as an honoured guest.
Kassen was a little disappointed to see Raliena sat on the left side of the horseshoe shaped table. She sat near the corner just one space from Sherin. He was a little perturbed to see that no one had helped her into the golden decorated chair, like they had done with Sherin and Lady Nanerter, who sat down gracefully next to Kassen.
They had spent little time talking to one another during the journey to Verxia as Kassen preferred to ride while Nanerter sat in the carriage that had accompanied them.
Their longest exchange had been when Kassen had bent on one knee before Nanerter and kissed her hand, after King Dagerten had presented her to him the evening before they were due to leave. He had thanked her profusely for healing him which had made the woman blush.
Kassen knew as soon as he set eyes on the Lady Nanerter that she could not have been the angel he saw in his room. Her eyes were neither as gentle nor her features as appealing. Nanerter was an attractive woman, but she had an air of self-importance about her that was absent in the Araman which intrigued him all the more.
“Please, help yourself to a seat, good sirs.” The King said to Sitnen and Derio, who were stood on guard behind Kassen and Sherin.
“It is our duty to be ready to protect Princess Sherin and General Kassen, your highness.” Replied Sitnen a little shyly. “It would not be appropriate to eat while doing this.”
“Perhaps in Attashar but here you are my guests and there is much food to be eaten.” Derio looked at Sitnen and then to Kassen, he was clearly longing to sit and have food. “My guests are under the protection of Verxia in any case and I assure you we have enough guards to do that.”
Sitnen and Derio both glanced at Kassen who nodded his head in admittance.
Derio looked delighted and, bowing to the King, sat the other side of Lady Nanerter.
“Thank you kindly, your highness.” Said Sitnen, also bowing to the King before sitting next to Sherin who looked more delighted than Derio.
At that moment, a man entered the room through the main entrance doors. Everyone looked at him as he moved through the hall with controlled steps. He was tall and dark haired with a slim build but his steps betrayed an authority that dominated the guest’s attention, even the King’s.
“My apologies, your Highness.” The man said. His bow was but the slightest movement of his stature. The King simply waved his hand as if brushing away the apology from the air.
“There is no need to apologise.” Baynil said then turned to Kassen. “Let me introduce my advisor, Zea Dergen.”
“A pleasure to meet you, General.” Dergen said straightening again.
“And you, Zea,” Kassen replied.
“We have also been joined by another special guest.” The King added turning to Sherin. “The Princess Sherin of Attashar.”
Dergen raised one eyebrow then smiled and bowed to the Princess. “A pleasure also, your highness.”
Sherin looked a little frightened of this man and glanced timidly at Sitnen before replying. “It is an honour to be here, sir.”
Dergen’s smile was a little disconcerting as he walked around the table to sit on the other side of Raliena.
It didn’t escape Kassen’s notice that the Araman tensed as Dergen settled next to her, and she avoided looking at the advisor.
Raliena looked up then to see him watching her and just as quickly looked away, as if he might see something in her eyes that was not meant to be seen.
Everyone was now seated at the polished wood table, with its golden tablecloth and silver cutlery. The chalices had the embossed emblem of Verxia on them. A Unisayan horn piercing a crescent moon tipped with a rose like flower. The knives and forks were also unique; their handles resembled a delicate corkscrew shape that finished in a blunted point.
Once everyone was ready a female servant in a golden sash dress brought forward a gold jug and presented it to the King. Baynil stood and everyone was silent as, from beneath his coat, he took out a cream coloured object. Kassen leaned forward to get a better look.
In his hands the King held a spiral decorated horn about a hand and a half in length. It had been hollowed out, Kassen realised, as the servant bowed her head and carefully poured red wine into the base of the downturned horn before stepping back. Surprisingly it gave the cream coloured surface of the ornament a light red, purple tinge beneath the solid looking shell.
“What is that for?” Kassen whispered as quietly as he could to Lady Nanerter sat next to him. She gave him the most seductive smile she could manage before replying.
“It is a test for poison. If purple veins appear on the horn then it is poison and if the colour turns clear once more, it is untainted.” Kassen was intrigued by this and turned to look at the vessel again.
“It is an old tradition, but a valued one.” Nanerter added.
Everyone, including the servants, watched the King as he swirled the liquid around the horn. Everyone except Raliena, Kassen noted with interest, who kept her eyes firmly on her plate. He also noticed that Dergen kept glancing at the young Araman, though it was hard to guess whether his expression was one of amusement or intrigue.
Gradually the creamy colour of the horn became solid once more and King Baynil took a large sip from it and poured the rest into Kassen’s glass and Sherin’s.
“For my honoured guests.” He declared loudly and everyone cheered as the wine was served around and the food brought out from a door to the left of the table.
Kassen looked at the wine in his glass that had just been poured from the strange horn. It looked no different from being in the implement but he stil
l sniffed to make sure, grateful he had not been expected to drink it while everyone watched. Shrugging off his apprehension, he gulped it down and was surprised at how good it tasted. It was sweeter than the wine they had in Attashar but still warmed the stomach.
Looking over to Sherin he saw that she also hesitated about drinking the wine poured from the horn. Raliena leaned over to the young Princess and though Kassen couldn’t hear her above the talk of the other guests, he saw her say, “it is safe and tastes no different.”
Sherin took another look at the liquid then sipped it carefully, looking as if she was concentrating intently on something. Then she grinned widely and finished the whole goblet before asking for more.
Kassen decided it would be a good idea to get someone to water down Sherin’s wine for her, but he was soon distracted after engaging in a conversation with the King and Lady Nanerter. Derio joined in later once he had had his fill of food and wine. Kassen himself had drunk copious amounts already and spoke freely to the King about the different customs and traditions of Attashar, and how they differed from Verxia.
The King had been most interested to hear about the many drinking games that the Attashar guards participated in, a subject which Derio engaged in passionately.
“What you have to remember is your gesture; otherwise it’s a penalty drink from the boot.” Derio explained, leaning over a disgruntled looking Nanerter, whose expression soured the more the conversation progressed.
“But surly the game would get easier as it goes.” The King queried, leaning in just as close and waving his wine glass about enthusiastically. “By repetition you would remember everyone’s gestures.”
“Ah but you see, once someone has drunk from the boot the rest of the group must choose someone to change their gesture. This can get nasty if you choose someone who you are trying to trick and give them a difficult gesture.”
“That sounds delightful!” The King exclaimed. “You will have to join me one evening and show me how to play.”
Kassen would have usually thought this an inappropriate subject to be discussing with the King of Verxia, but this Kingdom seemed to not hold many conventions and while they were both distracted, the General could watch Raliena. She seemed to have relaxed slightly as she was talking to Sitnen about something; both looked very into the conversation. Kassen found himself feeling an unexpected stab of jealousy but brushed it off quickly. He was also pleased to see that Raliena involved Sherin in the conversation as often as she could.
After a while Kassen noticed Sherin trying to hide a yawn and her eyes and posture became heavy and tired. With the ease of the dinner he hadn’t realised how late the hour was and he was also in need of some sleep.
It appeared Raliena had also noticed Sherin’s lethargy, as she gracefully stood and made her way round the table to the King’s chair. Kassen straightened in his seat and unconsciously stuck his chest out, but the Araman avoided his gaze and bent to inform the King of the late hour.
“Has the sun set for so long already?” King Baynil announced and stood.
Raliena stepped into the shadows behind him with her hands behind her back and eyes on the ground, still carefully avoiding Kassen’s.
“My dear guests, it has been a pleasure to have your company this evening and I hope I have that pleasure for many more nights to come, but I understand you must be tired and in need of rest. Dergen?”
“Yes, my Lord?” Dergen replied from his chair.
“Would you please show our guests to their rooms?”
“Of course, your highness.”
The King nodded and was about to address the room again when Dergen stood and spoke.
“And perhaps Sa Raliena would accompany me in doing so?” He said and smiled at the Araman who remained expressionless.
“Yes, of course she must.” The King replied in earnest and smiled at Raliena.
Raliena was silent for a moment and glanced in Kassen’s direction before finally bowing her head to the King.
“Of course.” She said plainly and kept her eyes on the floor again.
“Wonderful.” The King smiled and so did Kassen and Dergen but for different reasons.
This time Kassen stood and held out his arm to Raliena in the most obvious way he could, thinking that in front of so many guests there was no way she could politely refuse.
“Shall we?” He asked and gave her his most charming smile.
Even with the stares of the expectant guests, Raliena hesitated. But the pleased look on the King’s face forced her to relent and she hooked her arm under Kassen’s.
She smiled sweetly at him, a mirror of how she looked when Kassen had awoken to her above him.
King Baynil grinned and clapped his hands together like a small child before standing and addressing the room.
“My guests, let us disperse as the day has been long and there are many more to come.”
Not all of the guests stood at once so as not to crowd the exit. General Kassen, Sa Raliena and Zea Dergen were among the first to leave. They paused just below the stairs and waited for Princess Sherin, Derio and Sitnen to catch up. Once they were all gathered at the base of the stairs, Dergen led the way to their rooms on one of the higher floors of the castle.
Kassen marvelled at the wall tapestries, there was a clear theme of Unisayan hunting throughout the castle and each hanging told the story of a different knight’s struggle and triumph. He wondered if one would be made for him afterwards.
“These are magnificent.” Kassen admired aloud. He thought he felt the Araman tense next to him.
“Indeed they are, and there are many.” Replied Dergen. “I am sorry we did not have time tonight to show you around the castle but I will arrange it for tomorrow.”
“Will you be joining us, Sa Raliena?” Kassen asked the Araman directly.
“She will,” Dergen answered for her. “I will see she is there.”
“Will you.” Stated Raliena coldly back to him.
They all paused at the top of the stairs where the corridor split in two directions or continued up another flight.
Dergen turned to face Raliena, and Kassen felt that the advisor was a little too close to her for polite company.
“Unless there was something else you are needed for tomorrow, Araman Raliena?” Dergen asked.
Everyone could feel the tension between them and Kassen also felt Raliena unconsciously grip his arm tighter. He saw her glance at the sleepy Princess leaning into Sitnen and she seemed to compose herself and smile back at the advisor.
“Not at all.” She replied smoothly.
Dergen’s lip twitched into a barely visible smile.
Princess Sherin and Sitnen followed him down the left side of the corridor to the end where there were two rooms, the larger one for the Princess and a smaller one next to it for Sitnen, close enough to still guard her, but making it apparent he was considered a guest in Verxia.
Derio went with Kassen and Raliena to the other end of the corridor where the same arrangement had been set up. Both Kassen and Sherin’s room were on the outside of the castle; with large windows and a balcony that overlooked the expansive forest.
“This will be your chamber, Derio,” Raliena indicated for him to open the door.
Derio bowed his head slightly to her then looked to his General who nodded for him to leave. Then he excitedly rushed into the room, leaving the General and Araman alone in the corridor. They walked a few paces to the next door and Kassen thought about thanking Raliena properly, now they were alone.
“This is where we part, General Kassen.” She said and he reluctantly released her arm.
“For now.” He replied and she kept her eyes averted.
He was about to say more when Derio came rushing back out of the room.
“Kassen, have you seen the...” He paused at the expression on the G
eneral’s face, as if he had just interrupted something important.
“It was a pleasure meeting you both,” Raliena cut in, taking advantage of Derio being there.
“It seems odd that I should not be the one walking you to your room, Sa Raliena.” Kassen said, trying to keep her there for as long as possible and wishing Derio would disappear to his room again, but instead he came to stand beside him.
“I am quite safe on my own thank you, General. There are many guards around the castle and none who wish to harm me.” She politely bowed her head and wished them a final goodnight.
The two men watched her leave and saw Zea Dergen step from the shadows by the stairs, as if waiting for his prey. Raliena looked to slow when she saw him and crossed her arms in front of her protectively.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about him though.” Derio whispered to Kassen as they watched the two figures at the end of the corridor.
“No,” Kassen replied. “I would not like to guess at his intentions.”
“Probably anything less than honourable by the way he looks at her.”
They watched as Raliena passed Dergen without pause and started up the stairs. Dergen watched her for a moment and then followed, his long body carrying him with ease.