Duty

Chapter 17 Hidden motive

Vara carefully stored Eunice's wedding gift in her saddlebag. The lady Euridice had given her a beautifully embroidered shawl, woven from the finest thread and seamed with gold fiber. She was certain her friend would love it.

She glanced at the rest of the entourage. Cyrus was stiffly assisting Ariane to climb into the carriage that had been readied for her. Not far away, a servant was holding the reins of Cyrus' horse.
Torcan and Iolaus were already in the saddle. They would be flanking the carriage, along with twenty guards.

Vara almost started to regret inviting the Tirzé girl.

"Vara."

Vara turned around surprised and curtsied. "My king."

King Marcos nodded at her and offered her a sealed scroll.

"What is this?" Vara asked confused.

"My wedding gift to your friends," king Marcos answered.

"My king..."

"The house they live in, a small patch of land and ten pieces of cattle of their choosing."

"You are very generous, your majesty," Vara answered.

"They still owe ten percent of the harvest to the crown," the king replied. He sighed. "This is the only way I can afford to be generous, Vara. I wish them well."

She nodded."Thank you."

He inclined his head and walked back towards the palace. Vara stared after him. She wondered if this was his way of apologizing to her for bringing her to court when she was little. He had repaid the debt to her father, but had turned her life upside down at the same time.

"Vee."

Vara turned her head to find Cyrus standing next to her. He eyed her thoughtfully. "What did father want with you?"

"He gave me a wedding present for Eunice and Ethan," Vara answered.

Cyrus' look turned skeptical. "That is all? He didn't say anything else?"

"Should there he have?" Vara asked stiffly.

He didn't answer, but glared at her intensely. "We should get going," he told her, "you wouldn't want to miss your friend's wedding." He nodded towards the horse and helped her up, his hand lingering a second longer than was appropriate.

Vara sighed "At least talk to Ariane tonight."

"I'd rather talk with you," he said calmly. His dark eyes bored into hers.

"We'll be late," she said, ignoring his comment. She urged her horse forward and rode up the front of the procession.

Iolaus shook his head disapprovingly. Torcan only looked at her in wonder. He was trying to make sense of the situation. He had been at this court long enough to realize Darius had seen it correctly. There was more between the prince and his adopted sister, but everything Vara did when Cyrus was around looked like a flight. If she really wanted to work her way to the position of queen, why did it look like she wanted to be as far away from him as possible when she clearly cared about him deeply?

Cyrus had mounted his on animal and now reached the front of the group. "Let's go," he said and took position at Vara's side. Within seconds they were flanked by soldiers and the group set in motion.

It was a pleasant day for a ride, but Vara barely took note of it. With every day closer to Cyrus' wedding, she felt more constricted. She wanted to give her horse the spurs and ride far away from here. But she couldn't. Her heart kept her bound to this place. It was hard to keep a distance between her and Cyrus. Perhaps it would be a good thing after all that he would be leaving for Tireze soon. Perhaps some time apart would help her accept her fate.