Heart of Silver, Soul of Glass
by Stomlight
Chapter 11
Miaka was just starting her evening work when a young servant girl ran up to
her and dropped a quick curtsey. "Beggin’ yer pardon, but Her Majesty wishes
t’ see ye in her chambers right away," she panted.
Miaka blinked in surprise. The queen wanted to see her? That was
rather...unusual. "Thank you. I’ll be right there," she replied, trying to
ignore the sudden uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. What could Her
Majesty possibly want? She had the feeling she knew the answer to that
question, but she didn’t care to think about it. The walk to the queen’s
personal chambers was the longest she’d ever taken in her life, and by the
time she reached the elegantly-engraved door, she was hard-pressed to keep up
her calm facade. Her heart was racing and her palms were cold and damp, and
she wiped them unconsciously against her skirt while smiling weakly at the
guard standing outside the door, before stepping forward to knock lightly.
"Enter," came the soft command, and Miaka pushed the door open and stepped
inside, closing it quietly behind her.
"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" she asked brightly, trying to sound as
normal as possible.
Julietta was sitting at her dressing table, combing through her soft, pale
hair. She regarded Miaka through the mirror, smiling at the nervous girl,
although her golden-brown eyes were serious. "Please have a seat, my dear.
Would you like some tea?" she asked kindly.
Miaka hesitated. In truth, she wasn’t very thirsty at the moment, but the
last thing she wanted to do was offend the queen, so she nodded faintly.
Julietta smiled and rose gracefully, moving to seat herself on a comfortable
recliner while beckoning to a lady-in-waiting who stood nearby. Miaka moved
to a chair directly across from her and sat down stiffly, her hands folded on
her lap as the maid poured tea into two china cups from an elegant silver
pot. Once she was through, she served the queen, then Miaka, then curtsied
and silently left the room.
"Now, my dear, I believe we have some things to discuss," Julietta began
after a delicate sip from her cup. "Please don’t be nervous," she added
quickly upon seeing the expression on Miaka’s face. "I’m not going to scold
you. I can see, however, that you have a fair idea of what I’d like to speak
to you about."
Miaka lowered her head, swallowing around the lump in her throat. "A-about
Hotohori," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Julietta looked at the girl compassionately. "Yes. I know of your love for
him, my dear," she began gently. "I know also of his love for you. My maid
witnessed your...shall we say...devotion to each other in the study the other
day, and felt it necessary to report it to me." She took another sip of her
tea and watched as the girl squirmed in her seat, her knuckles white with the
grip she had on her own delicate cup.
"I...um...I was worried about Serena being gone so long, a-and His Highness
was...just trying to comfort me," Miaka stammered, a faint blush touching her
cheeks.
Julietta raised an eyebrow before allowing herself a small smile. "It is many
the maiden who has sought the heart of my son. After all, what woman in her
right mind could resist such a caring, compassionate young man? Not to
mention one so fair of face," she added with a touch of motherly pride. Then,
leaning forward as though to reveal a great secret, she added in a near
whisper, "It is a very special lady indeed who could capture his heart so
thoroughly. Nobody has ever held his attention as you have, and now I believe
I understand why he never seemed interested in the many ladies of royalty
we’ve introduced to him through the years. Even then, he loved you."
Miaka blushed harder. "A-are you terribly angry?" she asked timidly.
Juiletta sighed. "No," she replied. "I cannot be angry for something neither
of you can help. I have been watching you, you know, and I’ve seen how hard
you both fought your feelings for each other, knowing that you couldn’t be
together because of royal protocol. In the end, though, love finally won out.
Tell me, my dear, what broke the walls?"
Miaka sighed. "A marriage proposal from Tamahome," she confessed softly. "I
was considering accepting...I’m not stupid, Your Majesty. I know that loving
Hotohori probably means being alone for the rest of my life...but when he
discovered that I might marry another, he begged me to refuse. He told me
that he loved me. And I...well, how could I possibly marry another after
that? He was always the one I truly loved."
"So you refused Tamahome’s proposal," Julietta replied softly, then sighed.
"Oh, my dear. If only you had waited before making such a decision."
Miaka paled. "Why?" she asked boldly. "Is me loving your son such a horrible
crime?"
"Of course not! Love is a beautiful thing, and sadly it is rare these days.
Especially among royalty, where marrying for wealth and power always take
precedence over marrying for love. I myself am a victim of an arranged
marriage," the queen admitted. "Luckily for me, Reagan is a kind and noble
man, and eventually real love grew between us. But it was difficult at the
beginning. I was only a young girl, like yourself. I didn’t want to be
married, especially to a man I’d never even met. Still, as the daughter of a
prince, it was my duty, and on that day I was dragged kicking and screaming
to meet my husband."
Miaka stared at the queen in astonishment, trying to imagine a younger
version of this serene and noble woman throwing a tantrum on her wedding day.
Julietta noticed her expression and laughed softly. "Perhaps I exaggerate a
little," she added with a smile. "I was a princess, first and foremost, and I
was raised to behave like one. Outwardly I was calm, but I confess that
inwardly I was imagining all sorts of horrible punishments for the man who
dared to take me away from my life of relative freedom. Reagan was well aware
of it, too. He didn’t come near me for a week afterwards until he was certain
I wouldn’t murder him in his sleep."
Miaka giggled a little in spite of herself.
Julietta sighed again, and her eyes became sad. "It is my misfortune, I’m
afraid, to tell you some news that you will not want to hear." She hesitated,
then seemed to firm her resolve, looking at Miaka grimly. "Miaka, the
daughter of my dearest friend, I’m afraid that Hotohori has already been
betrothed to another."
To her credit, Miaka didn’t even flinch. She’d been expecting something like
this...perhaps not so cursed soon...but she knew it would have happened one
day. She took a calm sip of her tea while trying to ignore the fact that her
heart now lay shattered into pieces at her feet. "Wh-who is the lucky
princess?" she asked, willing her voice to sound as cold and unconcerned as
possible. "What is her kingdom?"
"Her name is Princess Shye, who hales from the kingdom of Palash, across the
sea. Many of our spices, perfumes, rugs and expensive fabrics are imported
from there, and many of our goods are exported to Palash. But trade prices
are rather high, so my husband and her father have agreed on the union to
reduce such costs. Also, Palash is a small kingdom, surrounded by potentially
dangerous neighbors. That part of the world is constantly at war, it seems.
Davinshire’s large military would greatly benefit them should the need
arise."
Miaka’s brow furrowed. "Why didn’t Hotohori tell me about this?" she asked,
trying to hold back irrational anger. "Why did he tell me he loved me if he
knew we couldn’t be together? Does he want me to be alone?"
"My son is unaware of his betrothal," Julietta replied in a low voice. "The
agreement had been made only a few months ago, without his knowledge, between
His Majesty and King Talman. He has, in fact, met the princess only once.
During the Masque held for Rei’s thirteenth birthday. They seemed to get
along quite well."
"I see." Miaka remembered all-too-clearly the sight of Hotohori dancing with
a scantily-clad gypsy woman at that Masque, and she had the strong suspicion
that she now knew who that "gypsy" had been. Even now, jealousy ate at her as
she recalled how close they’d danced, and her hand clenched in her lap
involuntarily. "Well then. I suppose there isn’t anything else to say about
it, is there?" she whispered.
"Miaka, please know that I’m sorry about this, but I cannot stand against my
husband’s wishes," Julietta told her softly. "Even though I am queen, I am as
helpless as you when it comes to matters of the heart. I’ve talked to Reagan
many times about marrying his children off for wealth or power, but he will
not be swayed. The kingdom’s welfare must always come first. Love has no
place in the monarchy of this country."
"Is anyone going to at least bother to mention this to Hotohori?" Miaka asked
bitterly. "It’s his life, you know. He should have the right to know how much
his parents are messing it up!" With that, she stood and set her still-full
cup on the floor, before bowing stiffly to the queen and turning to hurriedly
exit the room before she broke down completely.
The queen sighed sadly as she watched the young woman nearly run from the
chambers, feeling the burden of guilt weighing upon her shoulders. "Ikuko,
please forgive me," she murmured sadly, speaking to the ghost of her former
friend. "I did not wish for this to come about. I only hope that Miaka and my
son can find their happiness, even if not with each other." She lifted a
small silver bell from the table beside her and rang it once. Before the
last, tinkling peal had faded away, the door opened and the guard standing
outside peered in.
"Yes, Your Majesty? What is it you need?" he asked politely.
Julietta sighed and rubbed her fingers against her forehead, trying to dispel
the oncoming headache. Her unpleasant task was not yet over, and already she
was feeling far older than her 36 years of age. "Please summon Prince
Hotohori to my chambers at once," she murmured, her queenly mask once again
slipping into place. "I have a rather urgent matter that I must discuss with
him."
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Serena paused outside Endymion’s bedchambers, hand half-poised to knock on
the door. For once, there were no guards standing outside, and she wasn’t
sure whether or not to be relieved about that. On one hand, there would be no
curious glances and possible gossip. On the other hand...she would be
completely alone with the crown prince. In his bedroom.
And...how is this a bad thing? she asked herself wryly, mentally chiding
herself for being such a coward. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle! So
(with much more confidence than she felt), she knocked on the heavy door
loudly and waited for a response. Maybe he’s asleep or something, she thought
hopefully. If he’s asleep I’d better lea-
"Enter," came Endymion’s deep voice.
She sighed. So much for wishful thinking.
Smiling brightly, she pushed open the door and stepped into the room...only
to freeze like a startled deer under the curious gazes of Tamahome,
Mitsukake, and Nuriko, all surrounding the bed where Endymion lay. "Um..."
she began, feeling brilliant color suffuse her face. "I can...um...come back
another time..." She tried to make a hasty exit, but Tamahome was already
there, grinning evilly as he took her arm and steered her into the room.
"Why the hurry? We’re all friends here," he exclaimed cheerfully, ruffling
her hair. "Have a seat and stay for awhile." He pulled up the wooden chair
he’d been sitting in and plopped her onto it like a rag doll, then took a
seat on the edge of Endymion’s bed.
"You’re too kind," Serena muttered through gritted teeth, shifting
uncomfortably beneath the gazes of the four men. Now what should she do?
"So...Nuriko. Are you settling in nicely?" she asked politely, turning her
gaze to the violet-eyed man.
"Their Majesties have been most generous," the minstrel replied with a
cheerful grin. "I’d forgotten what living in such luxury felt like! I hope
they’ll allow me to stay for awhile."
Serena smiled wanly and nodded, having already run out of things to say. She
could feel Endymion’s gaze resting on her, but couldn’t bring herself to look
at him. She was too busy recalling the last time she’d been in his chambers,
and she just knew he was thinking of the same thing. If he says anything
about that in front of the others, I’ll knock him into the next century,
invalid or no! she swore silently.
Tamahome seemed to sense her unease, because he smacked Mitsukake in the arm
and exclaimed in an overly-loud voice, "Oh, well, wouldn’t you know it, I
forgot I had some errands to run in town for my father. I’d better get going
before it gets too late to ride."
"Riiiight," Nuriko put in. "We’ve stayed long enough, don’t you think,
Mitsukake? We don’t want to wear His Highness out or anything..."
Mitsukake merely nodded and began to gather his medicinal supplies. "I have
other patients to check on," he finished bluntly.
Endymion blinked at them. "But you just got here," he replied suspiciously.
"You’re leaving already?"
"Yeah, well...you know how it is. Things to do...places to go...people to
cure," Tamahome exclaimed cheerfully, nearly shoving his friends out the
door. "Talk to you later, Endy! Don’t get too bored now." He shot the prince
an exaggerated wink and shut the door behind them.
Serena and Endymion stared at the door, then at each other. "Well," Endymion
stated.
"Well," she repeated, squirming a little. "That was just slightly over-acted,
don’t you think? Um...how are you feeling, Your Highness?"
"Much better," he replied quietly. "And you? Are you recovering?"
She smiled and shrugged. "I’m as healthy as a horse. I guess all that
traveling agreed with me."
"I wish I could say the same," he replied wryly. Then, tilting his head, he
gave her a small smile. "What are you doing all the way over there?" he asked
teasingly. "Come sit closer to me. It makes it easier to talk to you."
She stood and moved to the chair Mitsukake had vacated, right beside the bed.
This was so embarrassing! When she got her hands on those three, she was
gonna...
"It’s been quite a long time since you’ve been up here, hasn’t it?" Endymion
interrupted her thoughts amicably. "It looks different in the light of day,
doesn’t it?"
Serena felt her teeth clench, and she abruptly stood up. "I think maybe I’d
better leave now," she ground out, preparing to walk away. But Endymion’s
hand on her wrist stopped her.
"Don’t go," he commanded quietly. "I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again. Sit
down. Please?"
She hesitated, then at his gentle urging lowered herself into the chair
again. "I’m not staying long," she told him stiffly. "I just came to make
sure you hadn’t gotten really sick or died or something. I also came to...to
thank you for taking me to the manor to discover my past. Even though we
didn’t find anything...thank you. Nobody ever cared enough to do that for me.
I guess I never cared enough either. Still, it’s nice to know where I come
from."
"Of course, Serenity. What are friends for?" he replied softly.
She cast him a sideways glance. "Why do you call me that?" she asked on a
whim.
"What? My friend?"
"No! Serenity."
"Well, it’s your name, isn’t it?"
"Well...yeah...but Serena fits me better. Everyone else calls me Serena."
"I’m not everyone else," he replied, "and I think Serenity suits you well."
She wrinkled her nose. "Not even Mama called me Serenity. Well...not unless I
was bad," she pointed out, and he chuckled a little.
"To me, you’re Serenity," he insisted. "It’s who you are."
She sighed. "Well, if you say so," she replied, deciding it was useless to
argue the point. "Look, I have chores to do, and I guess you’d better get
some more sleep. So...I’ll see you whenever."
"It feels like I’ve been sleeping since the dawn of time, and there are
plenty of other servants to do the chores," he sniffed. "Right now, I want
some company, and since the other three so kindly abandoned me, I guess
you’ll have to do. So come here." He reached out to snag her hand again when
she tried to move away, and yanked her back to the chair. Only he pulled a
little too hard, and she inadvertently found herself falling toward the bed
instead. She barely had time to yelp before she found herself sprawled across
an extremely surprised Endymion’s chest.
"Well, this is uncomfortably familiar," she muttered, attempting to ease her
embarrassment. "And you have the nerve to call me clumsy?!"
He blinked at her in surprise before a slow, cat-like smile spread across his
face. "And how do you know this wasn’t deliberate?" he whispered, giving her
a devilish wink. Her eyes widened and her face flamed as she scrambled away
from him...only he didn’t let her go. His attention had been caught by
something, and she realized with sudden dismay that the collar of her dress
had shifted so that the welts she’d painstakingly tried to hide before
visiting him were now in plain sight. "Serenity, what happened to your
neck?!" he exclaimed in horror, sitting up quickly and unconsciously raising
his hand to trace lightly along the ugly bruise.
She hissed and drew back, wincing slightly, and he looked at her with shocked
eyes. "Did somebody try to strangle you?!" he asked unbelievingly, fury
beginning to burn in his gaze.
"N-no, of course not," she stammered, trying to ease away from the angry
prince. At least, she didn’t think King Ayurhu had been trying to strangle
her. He’d been too focused on scaring the wits out of her to notice that he
was actually hurting her.
"Don’t lie to me, Serenity," Endymion said darkly. "If somebody tried to hurt
you..."
"It was an accident!" Serena blurted. "He was just looking at my pendant,
that’s all. He didn’t even realize it was still attached to my neck!" She
could hardly believe herself. Why was she defending that bully? She should be
reporting him! Still, she knew if Endymion found out who had hurt her, he’d
try to do something about it. The fool would probably go after the king
himself, and Serena didn’t want that. He would most likely end up getting
himself killed. As strong a fighter as he was, she knew in her gut that he
was no match for Ayurhu, especially in his current condition, and Ayurhu
would probably have no moral misgivings about fighting dirty even with an
injured man.
"Tell me, Serenity," Endymion said in a low voice. Serena knew that tone. It
was the tone he used whenever he gave an order that stopped just short of a
royal command.
She sighed, knowing when she was beat. "It was King Ayurhu," she muttered.
"What?" he gasped, staring at her. "Are you serious?!"
"No, I always go around accusing visiting royalty of crimes they didn’t
commit!" she snapped. "Of course I’m serious, you dolt!"
Endymion looked furious as he struggled to get out of bed. Serena looked
alarmed as she struggled to keep him in it. "Where do you think you’re
going?" she snapped.
"I’m going to find that king and give him a piece of my mind...and possibly a
taste of my sword!" he snapped.
"Don’t be a fool! Do you really think you can stand up to him in your
condition? Besides, what kind of scandal would that cause? Think of the
country, Endymion! Think of your sister!"
"I am!" he snapped. "If he hurt you, what’s to keep him from hurting her, as
well?"
"Rei can take care of herself," Serena yelled back. "He won’t hurt her! I
won’t let him!"
Endymion struggled for a moment more, before suddenly collapsing into his
pillows again. "This has to be reported, Serenity," he told her. "You know
that. My sister deserves to know what kind of a man she’s being married off
to."
"I know, and I’ll talk to her then," Serena replied quietly. "I’m just...I’m
afraid of what she’ll say. What if she doesn’t believe me?"
"Why wouldn’t she?" he asked quietly.
She smiled bitterly. "Well, they say ‘love is blind’ for a reason, after all.
I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. I couldn’t take it if I lost her
over that...that man."
"You aren’t giving my sister enough credit," Endymion replied seriously.
Serena shrugged, looking away. "She’s the only friend I have, besides Miaka.
I don’t want to lose anyone else in my life," she whispered.
Gentle fingers gripped her chin and turned her face to meet Endymion’s soft
gaze. "If you let her marry Ayurhu, you will be," he told her. "And...she
isn’t your only friend." With those words, he leaned forward and nuzzled his
face into her neck, pressing a soft, warm kiss to the bruises at her throat.
A shiver run down her spine and pool into liquid heat in her stomach, and she
involuntarily closed her eyes. Reaching out to grip her hand, entwining their
fingers together, he smiled faintly and leaned back, closing his eyes.
She stayed beside him in the chair, holding his hand and gazing thoughtfully
at his handsome profile until sleep finally claimed him. Then, after leaning
over to press a soft kiss to his bandaged temple, she stood and silently left
the room.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
She was on her way to breakfast the next morning when she encountered a
rather agitated Rei pacing back and forth in one of the smaller courtyards,
wringing her hands in a truly princess-like fashion that might’ve embarrassed
her had she been in any condition to notice. "Rei! What in the world is the
matter?" Serena called out, shocked to see her friend in such a distressed
state.
The princess started in surprise, then whirled around to throw herself into
the other girl’s arms. "Oh, Serena, it’s awful!" she wailed. "He left! Last
night, he left and he didn’t even tell me! How could he not tell me?!"
Serena blinked. "Wh-who left, Rei?" she stammered.
"King Ayurhu," she sniffled. "Apparently some urgent matters came up in
Elithia, and he had to return home at once. He wrote a message to my father
explaining things, but by the time Father even read it, Ayurhu had packed
everything and was on his way out of the kingdom! He didn’t even say
goodbye!" She sniffled again and wiped her eyes, attempting to calm herself.
Serena was in turmoil. Part of her was utterly thrilled that the man had
finally taken his leave of them. No more all-night kitchen duty for her
sister cleaning up after royal feasts. No extra laundry to wash from the
royal entourage that had traveled with him. And, the biggest relief of
all...no longer would she feel those intense eyes watching her every move,
cold and calculating and devoid of emotion.
Part of her was worried about what these so-called "urgent matters" were. She
found it rather suspicious that they came up just after her first official
meeting with the king, but she supposed she should be thankful for small
blessings, whatever they were.
The last (and perhaps the biggest) part of her was furious at the arrogant
man for daring to hurt Rei with such rude behavior. How dare he woo her
friend like that, and then just up and leave without so much as a word of
explanation, or even a promise to return?! Serena paused and blinked. Okay,
well, the promise-to-return part she could well do without. Actually, when
she thought of it, this was rather a good thing. But of course she couldn’t
tell Rei that! Still, she suddenly realized that King Ayurhu had unknowingly
made her job that much easier. No need to tell Rei about his behavior now!
She would no doubt realize that the love of her life was a beast all on her
own.
"Well, whatever his reason, I’m sure it was important," Serena stated
cheerfully in a half-hearted attempt to comfort her friend. "Men are like
that, you know. They just don’t think."
Rei nodded. "Yes, you’re right. And I’m sure that once everything is taken
care of he’ll return again," she replied, seeming to cheer up a little.
Serena’s eyes widened in horror at the words (This wasn’t going quite the way
she’d hoped...), but the princess didn’t notice. "He did finally ask me to
marry him before he left though. Look," she continued, holding out her hand
to show off a beautiful silver-and-gold betrothal bracelet that adorned her
slender wrist. The gold and silver bands entwined around each other so
intricately that it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. It
was a beautiful work of craftsmanship, and Serena grudgingly admitted that
whatever his faults, King Ayurhu did have excellent taste.
"I-I’m glad for you, Rei," she choked out, managing a sickly smile. Maybe
she’d have to tell Rei her not-so-good news, after all. Well, now was her
chance to take her aside and show her the welts on her neck and tell her what
her precious king was really like...but Rei looked so happy now, and Serena
realized that didn’t have the heart to destroy that happiness. She cleared
her throat and shifted. "I...well, I haven’t eaten yet, and I’ve got work to
do afterwards...so I’d better go," she stammered.
"Oh, Serena, I want to ask you...when I marry, will you come with me to
Elithia? You and Miaka? I couldn’t bear the thought of moving away and not
being able to see you anymore! You can both be my ladies-in-waiting, although
that would be mostly for show, you know." Rei giggled happily, her prior
worries clearly forgotten. "Oh, it will be so much fun! And of course you’ll
both have to be in the wedding! I want you to be my maid of honor..."
Serena listened to Rei prattle on, feeling more and more sick in her stomach
and hating herself for it. Maybe she was wrong, she told herself desperately.
Maybe there wasn’t really anything wrong with King Ayurhu? Perhaps she was
simply jealous because she knew, deep down, that her friendship with Rei was
going to change when she married? Rei would be a queen then, after all, and
she’d be...well...she’d be an actual grown-up! Maybe King Ayurhu didn’t like
Serena, but that didn’t mean he didn’t love Rei, after all. If she told Rei
about what had happened, she could end up destroying her best friend’s only
real happiness, and how could she live with herself if she did that?
"Serena?" Rei was asking, shaking her shoulder a little to get her attention.
She fixed a worried gaze upon her. "Are you okay? You look a little ill..."
Serena forced a bright smile and giggled a bit for effect. "Oh, don’t worry
about me! I’m fine, really! But I must go now, okay? I’m glad for you, Rei,
really I am. I...I hope you’ll have a happy life. We can make plans for the
wedding and stuff later. There’s plenty of time, you know!" She smiled again
and stepped back, before turning to walk hastily into the castle. Rei stared
after her, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Heh. Can’t say as I blame ‘er. I’d run like the dickens, too, if you were
babbling on at me like that," a cynical voice cut in, making her jump in
surprise. She whirled furiously to confront the man who had dared address her
so rudely, and nearly groaned when her gaze fell upon the familiar,
infuriating smirk of the amber-eyed, fire-haired soldier she’d met in the
dining hall only a few days ago.
"Oh, not you again!" she huffed, glaring at him in annoyance. "What are you
doing out here? Attempting to steal some chickens?"
"Gettin’ breakfast," he snorted.
She smiled sweetly. "Oh, well, if that’s the case, the horse stables are on
the other side of the castle, in the main courtyard. You’d better hurry if
you expect the beasts to leave you any."
He grinned, much to her surprise. "Tut tut. Such a mouth on a princess," he
chided.
Her eyes narrowed. "What was your name again? Tutu? Tussy?"
He glared. "Tasuki."
"Oh, right," she replied, unconcerned. "Well, Tasuki, I’m sure you know my
father does not approve of his guards sitting on their backsides all day,
picking their toenail lint or whatever it is you big, strong soldiers like to
do. If you have nothing better in mind, you might make yourself useful and
fetch me some water from the well over there. I’m a little parched."
"Whatsa matter, Princess? Too weak to lift the bucket all by yourself?" he
sneered.
"There is no sense in me dirtying my hands," she sniffed, picking an
imaginary bit of lint off the sleeve of her gown. "That’s what commoners like
yourself are for."
His eyes narrowed dangerously and he stepped forward until he was face-to-
face with her (never mind that she was several inches shorter than he was).
"It ain’t any wonder that king went an’ took off on ya," he snarled, glaring
into her startled eyes. "‘Urgent matters’, huh? Probably the only urgent
matters he was fixin’ ta take care of was gettin’ rid of you as fast as
possible!"
The courtyard immediately resounded with the echo of flesh meeting flesh, and
Tasuki’s head snapped to one side, his cheek already beginning to redden with
the force of the slap she’d inflicted. "Overlooking the fact that you’re a
shameless eavesdropper," she hissed, "if you ever speak to me in that manner
again, be sure that I will not hesitate to have your head removed from that
smelly carcass you call a body!" Her expression was furious, but he could see
the tears shimmering along her lower lashes and the wounded pain in her dark
eyes, before she abruptly shoved him aside to stomp away, her long, soft hair
brushing his arm in passing. The sweet, lingering scent of lilies followed in
her wake, tickling his nose strangely.
"Princess," he called after her softly, feeling something very akin to
remorse twist his heart. She stopped in her tracks, as stiff as an iron
spike, but she refused to turn. Squirming uncomfortably, he muttered
something under his breath.
"What?" she snapped. "I cannot understand incoherent mumbling! If you have
anything else to say to me...at the risk of your life, mind you...then be a
man and speak out!"
"I said I’m sorry, okay?" he bellowed, glaring at her back. "I was outta
line, an’ I’m sorry fer hurtin’ yer feelings like that!"
She seemed to relax slightly, and turned her head to cast him a surprised
glance over her shoulder. Their eyes met and held for a long moment...hers
full of suspicion, his full of sincerity...before she gave a single nod of
her head. "You are forgiven," she replied regally. "Now, if you will please
excuse me, my parents are expecting me for breakfast." Turning, she continued
into the castle, feeling the surprised gaze of the soldier boring into her
back the entire way.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Miaka stared down into the castle grounds from her place on the cushioned
window seat in the library, where she was currently reading a book. Or
rather, she held the book open on her lap and completely ignored it while
allowing her thoughts to drift. To say that she was depressed was rather
understating her present condition, but it was the best term she could come
up with at the moment. She kept telling herself that things would eventually
get better, that she would eventually find somebody else to love, but of
course the only reply her heart had for that advice was cynical silence. It
knew there would never be anyone else but Hotohori.
She vaguely perceived that the library door had open and shut again, but
didn’t bother to look and see who had entered. She silently commanded whoever
it was to leave her alone, but apparently the person daring to invade her
privacy wasn’t in the least bit psychic. Only when she felt a quiet presence
at her side did she deign to look away from the window. A pair of sad, blue-
gray eyes met her own, and she sighed in resignation. "Tamahome," she greeted
him quietly, feeling her heart twist in her chest.
No doubt he was there to tell her "I told you so." Hotohori had been
surprisingly vocal in his response to his mother’s news, and when he’d
stormed the throne room to openly confront his father in the middle of a
council meeting, most of the castle had gotten wind of the problem. To his
credit, he managed to leave Miaka’s name out of the fight, knowing that such
gossip would cause even more trouble for her, but it was no longer any secret
that the younger prince had been engaged without his knowledge...and that he
was not happy about it.
Tamahome didn’t say anything for a long while, and Miaka eventually looked
away again, staring at the open book in her lap in hopes that he’d take the
hint and leave. But Tamahome had never been very good at taking hints, and
instead of walking away, he knelt beside her on the floor and continued to
gaze at her profile. Finally, she’d had enough. "What is it that you want?"
she cried, closing the book with a snap. "Are you here to gloat? Are you here
to tell me that you were right all along, and I should have listened to you?
What?!"
Instead of answering, Tamahome rose to seat himself on the cushions beside
her and pulled the book out of her hands. Then, to her utter surprise, he
wrapped both arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying the
fingers of one hand into her hair and pressing his face to her shoulder and
neck. "Neither," he murmured huskily. "I’m here to tell you that my offer
still stands."
"What?" she gasped, staring at him through wide eyes. "Y-you can’t be
serious!"
"I’m very serious." He raised his head to regard her steadily. "Hotohori is
betrothed, Miaka. There’s nothing you can do about it. Why not marry me,
instead?"
"B-because I don’t love you," she sputtered.
"But I love you," he whispered, looking at her through pain-filled eyes. "It
doesn’t matter to me how you feel about me. All I want is to make you happy.
I want to give you a home and a family. I want to take care of you."
"How can you ask me to do something so selfish?" she cried, horrified, as she
pulled away from his arms.
"Selfish! How is marrying me selfish?!" he almost yelled, jumping to his feet
to glare down at her.
"Because I don’t love you!" she yelled back, feeling tears of frustration
spring to her eyes. "And you deserve somebody who does! If I marry you just
to forget the pain of losing Hotohori...which, I might add, will never
happen...I’ve ruined your chance at a happy life, as well! How can I do that
to you?"
"I don’t care about.."
"Don’t lie to me, Tamahome!" she snapped. "You can’t honestly expect me to
believe that you could be happy living your life with me, sleeping in the
same bed with me, knowing that I was wishing you were another man!"
He sucked in a sharp breath, then sank onto the cushions in defeat. "I only
want...I just don’t want you to hurt anymore. I want to take away your
pain," he whispered, looking up at her, and she was stunned to see tears
brimming in his eyes.
Her anger faded, and she wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug. "I
know," she whispered around the lump in her throat. "But it isn’t up to you
to do that. I won’t betray my heart, and this is something I have to deal
with on my own. Please...just be my friend. That’s all I need from you."
He raised his hands to cradle her face between them, his eyes searching her
sad gaze. Then, leaning forward, he caught her lips in a brief, tender kiss,
before cradling her to his chest and holding her close, one hand stroking
over her hair soothingly. "All right, Miaka," he whispered into her ear
softly. "If friendship is all you want, then I’ll be the best friend I can be
to you." She sighed and murmured a soft thank-you, even as he closed his eyes
and added silently, But I can’t betray my heart any more than you can betray
yours, and I’ll pray that one day you’ll learn to let go and love me as much
as I love you. Until then...I’ll be your friend.
Lost in their own melancholy thoughts, neither of them heard the door creek
quietly open, or saw the tall figure who peered in at the pair with sad,
golden eyes, before withdrawing again and shutting the door silently behind
him.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Endymion looked up from the books he was studying when his chamber door
suddenly slammed open with a crash and Serena stomped in, a determined look
on her face. "Wh-what’s going on?" he stammered as the girl plopped herself
down in a chair across from him and propped her elbows on the table. It was
extremely unlike her to just go barging into somebody’s private rooms, most
especially his own, but before he had a chance to become extremely worried
(or irritated), she had reached across the table and was depositing a pile of
silver chain on top of his open book.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him as her eyes fell on his bandaged head.
"Still dizzy?"
"No, I feel much better now, thank-you," he replied cautiously.
"Great! Then I need your help," she stated cheerfully, secretly enjoying the
bewildered expression on the crown prince’s face. She nodded to the object
resting before him, and added calmly, "That’s the reason Ayurhu attacked me."
Endymion’s gaze snapped down to the pendant, and he picked it up carefully to
examine it, noticing that the chain had been broken. It was a beautiful piece
of craftsmanship, if not a little tarnished, and he looked at Serena
suspiciously. "Where did you get this?" he asked.
"I found it," she replied simply. "In the tunnel in the ruins, before it
flooded. It was just laying in the mud. I think it belonged to my mother. She
must have dropped it when she was escaping. The thing is...the chain wasn’t
broken when I found it. That happened when Ayurhu snapped it off my neck. So
I’m wondering if she hadn’t deliberately dropped it there. Maybe...somehow
she knew that someday I’d find it."
He sucked in a breath. "Serena! How could you hide something like this?" he
scolded.
She shrugged. "I just thought it was a pretty piece of jewelry, is all. King
Ayurhu’s reaction to it, however, has drastically changed my opinion. He
recognized it, Endymion. And he was not happy to see it, believe you me. I
have the welts to prove it. If the guard hadn’t come, who knows what might’ve
happened. But he’s connected to this pendant in some way or other, and I’m
determined to find out how. That’s where you come in."
"Me?" He regarded her through narrowed eyes. "Why me?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Because you can get the key to the vaults where all the
history records are kept," she stated, as if it should have been the most
obvious thing in the world. "I’d ask Hotohori, but let’s face it, I don’t
think he’s in any frame of mind right now to be of much use."
"So why not ask Rei?" he questioned quietly.
She shrugged, frowning a little. "Because this involves her betrothed which,
last time I checked, she happens to be very much in love with."
"You haven’t spoken with her yet, have you?"
She sighed. "That isn’t relevant to this matter. I need to find out what this
pendant is, and where it came from, and why it would cause the king of
Elithia to react like that. Now will you help me or do I need to seek out the
council chamberlain and beg the key from him on my own?"
Endymion blew out a breath and pondered for a long moment. "Very well," he
finally replied. "When do you want to go down there?"
"Right now would be perfect," she exclaimed. "Come on! The sooner I find out
what this pendant is, the better I’ll be able to sleep at night!" She grabbed
his hand and yanked him up excitedly and headed out of the room, obviously
not caring one whit that it was the crown prince she was dragging through the
castle. Endymion merely smiled and allowed himself to be led. He was used to
such antics from her by now. On the way, she paused outside another door,
which he recognized as the room Nuriko had been given. Serena knocked loudly
on the door, which swung open only moments to reveal the surprised face of
the minstrel.
He blinked at them owlishly for a moment before asking, "Can I help you with
something?"
"Yup! We’re off to solve a mystery, and you can help," Serena replied
cheerfully.
"Serenity! What are you doing?" Endymion hissed, jabbing her lightly in the
back. "I thought you needed my help!"
"What’s the matter? Jealous?" she teased, turning to shoot him a sly look.
Before he could protest, she added, "Nuriko knows about stuff, Endy! He knows
stories about my mother through that old servant woman, remember? He can help
us look!"
"Look for what?" Nuriko cut in curiously.
"Information on this," Serena replied, dangling the pendant in front of his
face.
He blinked at it for a moment before grabbing it to get a better look. A
brief look of surprise flashed across his face and was gone again. "Where did
you find this?" he asked.
"In the tunnel. I thought it was just a bit of jewelry. King Ayurhu thinks
otherwise."
Nuriko straightened and gave Serena a sharp look. "Do continue."
"Come with us, and I’ll explain on the way," she replied, and started down
the hall again. After a brief stop in the council chamberlain’s apartments
to procure the key, they descended into the dark, chill bowels of the castle,
bypassing the dungeons to make their way to a slightly more pleasant region
of the cellars. A large door loomed in their path, highlighted by flickering
torches on either side, and Endymion stepped forward to insert the key in the
old, metal lock. A faint click, a shove, and the door creaked slowly inward
on rusty hinges.
Faint scurrying greeted their ears as the local mice sought solace from the
intruders, and Serena forced back a shiver while Nuriko lifted one of the
torches from its holder beside the door. Serena took the other one, then
gathered her courage and stepped into the room. She’d never been in the
vaults before, having never held any real interest in the histories of the
country, and not being very fond of crypt-like places to begin with. It was
just as she’d imagined it. Dark, chill, and very dirty. The scrolls and
record books weren’t organized in neat piles on shelves as she’d hoped, but
were instead stacked haphazardly in piles on the floor and the tables and the
chairs...wherever there was space. Thick cobwebs draped everything, and the
moldy smell of mildew hung heavily in the air. She looked around in
disbelief, her eyes wide at the sight of all the books. "This isn’t a history
vault. It’s a graveyard!" she uttered in faint shock. Glancing at Endymion
out of the corner of her eye, she added, "Do you think maybe my father’s
journal came here when you killed it?"
He glared at her. "That isn’t funny." Moving around the room, he and Nuriko
managed to light the other torches in the room, which were damp with
moisture. Nuriko lowered the rusted chandelier that hung from the ceiling,
and Serena nearly died of fright when a fat, hairy spider dropped off of it
and onto her shoulder, dancing around and swatting wildly and shrieking madly
before Endymion managed to kill it.
"When was the last time anyone cleaned down here?" she demanded, shuddering
when several webs stuck to her hand as she lit the candles on the chandelier.
"Probably not for years," Endymion replied. "This used to be the library, I
think, before the one upstairs was built. It was long before I was born.
Apparently my great-grandmother, who was highly superstitious, wasn’t fond of
the idea of reading books so close to the catacombs, in case she disturbed
the spirits that walked about. She insisted that she could see the ghostly
images of men who’d died in the castle watching her."
Serena looked at him in horror. "You mean there are dead bodies buried in
here?" she squeaked.
He smiled. "Of course. Most castles have them, you know. Prisoners who die,
either of age or sickness or torture...although my family has never been much
into torture...are laid to rest in the tombs beneath the surface. I think the
catacombs in this castle are under this very room, in fact."
"Ugh!" Nuriko shuddered. "That’s horrible! No wonder she didn’t want to come
down here! Neither would I, when it comes to that."
Endymion shrugged. "Well, they just turned this into a storage room, of
sorts, since there were so many history records, but this place isn’t really
the best place to house things like that, because of all the moisture. I’m
afraid a lot of them have decayed by now. It’s really rather a shame. Anyway,
we need to locate the books that deal with the nobility in the kingdoms. My
guess is the pendant is some kind of symbol. It looks like it could possibly
a Seal from a royal House."
"I’ve never seen a Seal like that before," Nuriko put in, "and believe me,
I’ve been all over the place in my travels. Are you sure you need me here? I
really don’t know if I’ll be of much help on this one."
"At the very least you can help us search for clues," Serena replied, picking
up the nearest book and dropping it onto a table with a thud, which in turn
sent up a cloud of dust that caused her to sneeze violently. She wiped the
water from her eyes and looked down at the ancient book, then at her two
companions, and shrugged. "Well, better start reading," she added with a
sigh. "Something tells me this is gonna take awhile..."
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
Hours later, Serena dragged herself into bed, utterly exhausted and
thoroughly discouraged. She’d paged through countless musty, mildewed, and
decaying books, and even more scrolls, and had not turned up a single shred
of information on where the pendant could have possibly come from. By the
time Endymion had practically dragged her from the room, she had been in
rather a foul mood, and only when the prince promised to help her look the
next day did she allow herself to be led back to her chambers.
Miaka was wondering where she’d been, of course, but Serena, upon seeing the
sadness in her sister’s eyes, merely mumbled a half-hearted excuse and bid
her goodnight, not wanting to trouble her when she had so many other things
on her mind at the moment. Now, she lay there and held the jewelry up to the
moonlight that streamed in through the window, watching the golden rose
glitter. "Where did you come from, Mother?" she whispered softly. "Where did
I come from? And why is this little piece of jewelry so important?" Laying
the pendant gently on her bedside table, Serena pulled the covers up over her
head and let herself fall into unconsciousness.
~~~{~@ ~~~{~@ ~~~{~@
In the deepest of the shadows that covered Castle Rosewood, in the darkest
hour of the night, a black-cloaked figure crouched in tense silence, well-
concealed beneath the shadow of a raised terrace as he awaited the arrival of
his companion. Two guards appeared suddenly at his left side, stopping only a
few feet away from his hiding place, and he tensed, prepared to attack or
escape. But after only a brief pause, they continued on their way, chatting
amiably, and the cloaked figure relaxed again. Feh, he thought in faint
disgust. Some well-trained guards they turned out to be!
No sooner had the thought passed his mind then he nearly jumped out of his
own skin as someone’s hand landed heavily on his shoulder. Before he could
yell, however, another hand clamped over his mouth, and a highly amused voice
proclaimed in his ear, "Now, you wouldn’t want to go and do a stupid thing
like getting us both caught, would you? I imagine the boss wouldn’t be too
fond of us if that happened."
"Criminy!" the first figure gasped, whirling around to latch his hands around
the second’s throat. "What’re you tryin’ ta do, give me a heart attack?! If
you ever do that again..."
"Save the threats for the people who need them," the second figure hissed,
knocking his hands away. "I’ve got news that you aren’t gonna like."
"Yeah? Well, spill it, before the guards come back. There’s a good card game
goin’ on in the barracks, an’ I don’t intend ta miss it!"
"Our prey is suspicious," the second one stated grimly. "They’re beginning to
search for answers. The girl holds the key, and if she realizes what it
means..."
There was a moment’s silence, and then a faint curse. "What’re we supposed ta
do now? She wouldn’t have even realized if it weren’t fer that fathead goin’
and..."
"Be careful what you say, my friend," came the other’s grim reply. "That
fathead is the one putting money in your pocket, after all."
"Feh. What’s he gonna do? Kill me?"
Silence was the only answer.
"Well, so now what? Do we pack it in an’ move base? Do we strike now, while
they least suspect? What?"
"I’ve spoken with our employer. Our priority now is to make sure the little
servant wench doesn’t discover anything she isn’t supposed to know," the
second hissed. "Things could get rather sticky for the boss if certain
secrets are discovered about his past. We’re hired to make sure those secrets
don’t come to light...no matter what it takes."
The first looked at his companion, then shook his head. "Don’t tell me yer
suggestin’ what I think yer suggestin’," he snapped. "I’m gettin’ paid to spy
on people, not murder ‘em in their sleep!"
"You’re getting paid to do whatever is commanded of you," the second replied
coldly. "You have mouths to feed after all, don’t you? But don’t worry,
everything is under control. You won’t even have to dirty a finger. Accidents
happen all the time, after all." He turned to drift silently away.
"What’re you plannin’?" the first demanded suspiciously.
His companion paused and looked back over his shoulder. The first could see
the gleam of teeth as he flashed him a grim smile. "My friend, do you really
want to know?" the second asked innocently.
The first narrowed his eyes further at the hint of bloodthirstiness in the
other’s normally even-toned voice, and abruptly decided that no, he did not
want to know at all. With a grunt, he turned and vanished back into the
night, and thus the meeting was over.
The patrolling guards were none the wiser.
To be continued...
(
geocities.com/element_sprite)