Chapter Fourteen
A knock at the door awoke Kassen early the next morning. He had been up late in the night standing on the balcony, thinking.
There was something not right about the King’s advisor and the way he acted towards the Araman was unnerving to say the least. Kassen also felt an unexplainable need to protect Sa Raliena. She had all but confirmed that she was the one to heal him and by the way she had acted, it was clear it was not something she could share with others.
But, he still did not know how she had achieved it, when everything the healers had tried had failed. He considered that perhaps she had some sort of ability that enabled her to do this, quickly dismissing the idea that it was an Araman trait, as would the King not have sent her instead of Lady Nanerter?
It took all night to shuffle his thoughts into place and he still felt foggy, which is why the knock on the door was wholly unwanted.
Kassen groaned and rolled ungracefully out of bed and onto his feet, then dragged his bare feet towards the door.
“Oh, uh... good morning, General Kassen.” Raliena said, averting her gaze.
“Sa Raliena?” Kassen replied surprised. “Good morning.”
“Kassen!” Came a small gasp from beside Raliena. “Cover yourself!”
Sherin pushed her brother into the room and threw the shirt, that had been haphazardly thrown to the floor, at her topless brother.
“I apologise, Lady Araman.” Kassen said swiftly pulling the shirt over his head.
“It is nothing I have not seen before, General.” Raliena replied, closing the door behind her with a small smile. She had a basket in her hand which she placed on the floor to one side.
“Did you forget about the picnic, Kassen?!” Sherin exclaimed jumping onto his bed with her hands on her hips.
“Of course not,” he lied. “I was just not expecting it so early.”
Kassen doused his face in the cold water beside his bed and grimaced at his tired looking reflection.
“That is my fault,” Raliena explained and her expression turned as grim as his was. “I am afraid a restless night made me keen to start the day.” The two regarded each other for a moment then Raliena broke the contact to stand by the far window and gaze out at the brightening sky.
“We made the picnic ourselves,” Sherin whispered to Kassen while he put boots on and made himself more presentable. “Raliena said a good Queen needs to learn how to do things for herself sometimes and her servants will respect her for it.” The little Princess seemed unsure but pleased with herself nonetheless.
“Raliena?” Kassen questioned Sherin’s lack of use of the Araman’s title.
“Oh, uh, Sa Raliena said I could call her that, as long as she can call me just Sherin.” Sherin smiled innocently. “When not around important people of course.”
Kassen chuckled. “Of course.”
“Are we ready?” Raliena picked up the basket of food and opened the door.
Sherin smiled and dragged Kassen off the bed. It was good to see her so carefree and childlike again. She took her duty as future Queen too seriously sometimes and no one had the heart to explain to her yet that it would be Prince Derend first in line for the throne, when the time came.
Raliena greeted most of the servants as they passed who in turn smiled or nodded their heads to the three. Sherin was watching the Araman with interest as she did this, and knotted her brow in thought. Kassen wondered how much of an impression Raliena had made on the young Princess, but was in no doubt about it being a positive influence.
Kassen couldn’t help staring in awe at the sunrise towards the mountains when they reached the gardens. He had not forgotten how stunning they were but seeing so far out to the distance, where the sky turned purple and pink as a backdrop to the green of the trees and grey of the distant mountains to the east, took his breath away.
They sat on the grass by the lake and placed a blanket on the ground.
Kassen listened to the water as it fell over the edge of the cliff and studied the Unisayan statue in the centre of the water.
“Is that a real horn?” Kassen asked pointing to the shiny crystal on the statue’s head.
“No, it is just a crystal.” Raliena replied. “Or we think it is anyway.”
“Did Verxia not make it?”
“It was gifted to us by the people of the lost Kingdom, long before King Baynil was crowned.”
“Then this is not his work in the gardens?”
“It is. The Unisayan was not always in the lake. It was originally placed in the throne room between the Queen and King, but Baynil took it out after the Queen died.” Raliena passed some bread to Sherin who helped herself to the dry meat.
“Why would he do that?” Sherin asked, suddenly interested.
“He claimed he could see his wife through the crystal of the horn and it was too much for him.”
“Do you believe he did?” Kassen asked wondering if Raliena held any beliefs, as she had not shared them with him in the cathedral.
“Greif is stronger than people think.” She paused to look at the Unisayan. “But I do believe that Unisayan have a power in them that we cannot understand and the people who made the statue knew more about them than any other.”
They were quiet while they all ate their fill of the picnic and enjoyed the peace of the morning. The sun was fully up by the time they finished and their conversation continued to more casual subjects.
“Will you be wearing purple to the ball tomorrow night, Raliena?” Sherin asked keenly. “Because I do not think Kassen has a waistcoat that colour, but he does have a gold one!”
“Why does what I’m wearing make a difference?” Kassen asked wiping cake crumbs off the white shirt he was wearing that day.
“Because you must match.”
“Only if we were going together.” Kassen replied.
“You are! One of the ladies in the kitchen was talking about it. They said that Zea Dergen was nasty to one of the maids because he thought it was wrong but I think it is a good idea.”
“Gold will be fine.” Raliena interrupted Sherin as she got increasingly excitable. “You can meet me at the bottom of the stairs leading to the ball room, if that pleases you.”
“Very much.” Kassen replied, slightly perturbed.
Sherin clapped her hands then decided to go see what flowers were kept in the gardens, leaving the Araman and General alone.
“I said you would say yes.” Kassen said once the Princess was out of earshot. He leaned back casually on one elbow as he considered Raliena, who gave him a withering look.
“You were the lesser of two evils.” Raliena said light-heartedly, despite the truth behind it.
“Dergen?” Kassen asked sympathetically.
“Why would you assume him?”
“He is a logical second choice from the King’s perspective and you make your feelings towards him quite clear. It is his feelings towards you I have doubts about. His intentions seem less than honourable.”
“There is no doubt in that. The maid Sherin was talking about suffered greatly last night, for which I feel responsible for, and if it were possible for me to see to her bruises...”
Kassen tilted his head to the side; imploring her to confide in him. Raliena was, against her better judgement, starting to trust him. Which in her increasingly difficult situation, was sorely needed.
She sighed heavily, “I can deal with Dergen. I am stronger than I look.”
“Yes, I believe you are.” Kassen replied, catching Raliena’s eye. “I do not think you could hold onto the side of a building for that long if you were not.”
Raliena smiled and glanced up at the castle. There was a long balcony above the lake, covered in green vines that bloomed with white blossoms all year round. It led to the balcony in the ball room and was a favourite place for conversation when b
alls were held.
“At the risk of making another assumption,” Kassen started. “Was your appearance on my balcony another avoidance of Dergen?”
Raliena laughed. “I was actually trying to avoid you asking me to the ball again.”
“Well, I am very pleased it didn’t work.” Kassen laughed too and they found themselves caught in each other’s gaze.
“Kassen! Raliena! Look!”
Raliena averted her eyes and watched Sherin bounding across the grass towards them holding something delicately in her hands.
“Is it not beautiful?” She said when she reached them and presented a red flower to them with deep green leaves growing from the stem. It looked similar to the amaryllis’ that grew in Attashar in summer but had more petals and thorns like a Lillixia and could clearly thrive in the winter.
“I did not pick it!” Sherin said quickly. “I would not want to ruin anything in this garden.”
“It is beautiful.” Raliena agreed taking it carefully from her. “It is the flower that is on Verxia’s crest. It blooms beautifully all year round but its thorns are sharp and threatening. It is called a Lillixia.”
“You can have it, Raliena.” Sherin said shyly then wondered away to the gardens again.
“She will make a good Queen someday.”
“Yes, she will,” Kassen said taking the flower from Raliena, being careful not to get caught on the thorns. “If only it was her taking the throne and not Prince Derend.” He said more quietly, but Raliena heard the bitterness in his voice.
“You are not keen on your future King?”
“I am concerned my half brother has taken too many traits of my father to be a good King.” Kassen glanced at Raliena but she appeared to know about his tie to the King already.
“My father, though it did not seem that way, loved my mother dearly and I think she must have loved him too, at the time. But his father and King before him had already found a suitable noble woman for him to marry and threatened to disown him if he disobeyed.”
Kassen looked up at the sky then back down at the Lillixia. Raliena stayed quiet for him to continue.
“My mother refused to be his mistress once he was married and crowned King. My mother also married soon after, needing someone who could look after her and I. She found a nice man who did not judge her for already having a child with the King but when my father found out, he took a handful of his men to the village where she lived and burnt the houses down till he found her.
“She gave herself up before Dagerten could do much damage and she was made to watch as the King ordered her husband to be burned alive in their house with their new born daughter. When she struggled free she ran into the fire to save them before anyone could stop her, but the flames had already taken over and she burned with them. I was but a babe when Dagerten prised me from my mother’s hands when he found her; I was taken to the castle and raised as a nobleman. The motherless bastard of a heartless King.”
Kassen hadn’t realised he was crushing the Lillixia in his fist and opened his hand to see blood pouring down his arm from the thorns. He stared at it uncaringly and was thankful he did not remember that day, he had been told the story by the Queen who hated him every day he was paraded as the King’s son.
“Not everyone takes after their parents.” Raliena placed her hand over his after taking in the story and put her other hand on the Lillixia. “You have a choice of who you want to be.”
She crushed the Lillixia in her fist, wincing as the thorns broke her skin and warm blood pooled in her hand.
“What are you doing?” Kassen exclaimed; grabbing her fist with his own blood stained hand in the hope she would let go.
“Sometimes we hide the true nature of what we are.” She said calmly and dropped the Lillixia between them then gripped Kassen’s wounded hand and pressed their palms together in front of them.
“I just hope I can trust you with mine.”
Kassen looked confused and Raliena, apprehensive but calm, closed her eyes and their palms became warmer. A cool light poured round where their hands met and the stinging from the cuts evaporated.
Kassen’s expression turned from confusion to awe. He was not in any way afraid, like Raliena had been expecting. He remembered feeling like this before, in a dream he once had about a beautiful angel who saved him from death. Kassen prayed that she would not disappear again like she had done that day, before he could reach out to her and kiss her.
The General stared at the Araman as the glowing faded, his weariness from that morning had faded also and his mind was clearer than it ever had been. Raliena blushed at his look and pulled her hand away, rubbing it absently.
Kassen inspected his hand. The only indication that there had been a wound was the drying blood crusting his palm.
“Do not leave...” He whispered making Raliena look up at him.
She opened her mouth to say something and was taken aback when the General held her face in his hands and kissed her.
At first she resisted and he released her. Raliena put a hand to her lips in surprise. It had not been unpleasant like when Dergen had kissed her and she felt a warmth stir inside her.
Kassen began to apologise when she shook her head and pulled him towards her. They were both on their knees in the middle of the King’s garden, taking in the others features, then Kassen reached out for her again and their lips pressed together sweetly, their arms reaching around each other in a passionate embrace.
Eventually, they pulled away and studied each other a moment. Kassen pushed Raliena’s long blonde hair delicately away from her face and regarded her beauty. Her blue eyes, her smooth perfect skin and elegant cheek bones, her vibrant and heroic personality. She had saved his life and he was glad it was this woman to do so, for his feelings were not just from the gratitude he felt towards her, but because of who she was.
The General of Attashar was in love with the Araman of Verxia.