Aliria

VII

I was being nudged in my sleep which made me wiggle for them to stop only for the nudging to be consistent making me wiggle more.

"Stop moving." Tristan's deep voice says strained making me open my eyes to see his hands gripping my breast and his body flush against mine with his manhood pressed against my backside.

"So much for staying on our respective sides, your grace." I reply, hitting his hands off me.

"I can't control my unconscious body, Cassandra." Tristan argues moving his arm from around me and stretching.

"Your body must know what you truly want then." I tell him, turning around to face him and sitting up so he has clear view of my body. "Why are you fighting it?"

His eyes dipped to my chest before looking back at my eyes, "I told you, I can never want you."

"Your body disagrees with you, your grace." I say looking at his manhood all angry and prominent.

"I can't control him, he has a mind of his own." He says, before I could say anything in response there is a knock on the door and I look towards it covering my body with the blanket.

"Come in." I call and Christa walks into the room.

She looks between Tristan and I before smiling, "You're majesties." She bows, "I'm here to start your day. Queen Marcella has made plans for both of you so that you have maximum time together."

"Thank you Christa." I smile at her, "Give is a minute to make ourselves presentable."

Christa nods her head and leaves the room.

Looking back at Tristan I grin, "Time for you to get to know me, Prince Tristan."

*

"You have to speak sooner or later." I say putting the strawberry in my mouth and sucking on it.

People are right about what they say, Alirian fruits are good. I couldn't help but groan at the flavour a little and he raises his eyebrow at me.

"Did they not feed you in Highland?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, "Our fruits are very good but I never knew we had competition."

"We do everything better in Aliria." He comments taking one of the fruits and biting into it, his lips looking very good around it.

"Except keeping to marriage agreements." I quip and he looks at me with a blank face making me laugh. "Seriously, you say being with Lysa makes you happy yet you've been nothing but grumpy."

"I've been grumpy since you came ashore." He retorts finishing the strawberry.

"Well I'm not going anywhere, Tristan." I reply laying down to enjoy the sun. "Is it always this hot?"

"Do you not get sun in the Highlands?" He questions and I shrug my shoulders

"During the summer it's quite pleasant but it's never like this." I reply honestly playing with the cloth that barely covered my body and accentuated my body, "When I first came here, I thought your women must have been whores to dress this way but I understand why now."

"Some may say it suits you." He comments reaching to get a drink of wine, he poured myself some as well and I took it taking a sip from it.

"Why is it you like Lysa so much?" I ask propping myself on my elbows to look at him.

He looks at me with narrowed eyes as if trying to gauge where I'm trying to go with this. "She was there for me when my sister died."

"I'm sure many people where there for you when Princess Reema died." I reply, "What was different about her?"

He takes a sip from his drink still watching me, "She was Reema's best friend, we understand each other in a way no one else can understand. We all grew up together, she didn't leave me when Reema died and I'm not going to leave her now that I'm promised to another."

I see what Lysa did. Replacing the mourning of his sister with the primal act of sex causes the ideas of love to be put onto anyone like a trap. It's going to take a lot to pull him out of that.

But my way of attacking Lysa isn't getting me anywhere right now. I need to do what she did and empathise with him.

"Killian is my best friend." I comment, "We're twins, bound for life. I can't imagine what you went through when Reema was taken from you, for that I apologise for the actions of my family."

Tristan stares at me, analysing my face to find sincerity then he clears his throat.

"I suppose I should say the same to you." He replies, "A mother is someone no one should live without."

I felt a little shiver run through my body as I recall my days without my mother. It had casted a darker tone over my days. That's when I started becoming a lot more manipulative, it's the only way to survive when everyone's trying to use you.

"My mother was the light of Highland. My father tries his best to be both parents since my mother passed." I tell him honestly, "It's not the same though. Killan and I haven't been the same and neither has my father." He stays quiet, either waiting for me to speak or not know what to say in response. "I don't want anyone to go through what I've gone through. Enough people have died, don't you think?"

I put my drink down and lay down once more looking up at the sun. The sun must be closer to Aliria and it is to Highland because this heat is definitely different.

"I had heard many stories about you, Cassandra." Tristan says breaking the silence that fell between us. I roll my head to look at him, motioning for him to continue. "Most of them saying you're the mad twin."

I smile at the reference. Just because I'm a little more cutthroat than my twin didn't make me mad. I think I'm perfectly sane.

"Killan despite having the word kill in his name is a softer person." I reply and Tristan scoffed.

"He killed his fair share in the war."

"He did what he had to." I explain, "If someone is trying to kill you, are you supposed to let them? He had to show his people that he'll fight with them. He didn't want to but father insisted."

"And where were you during the battles?" Tristan asks

"Well if Killan was to die, someone needs to be heir." I say taking a grape and putting it in my mouth

"So you hid?"

"With Rican and the other ladies of the court, yes." I answer, "I told father to put me out there and keep Killan behind since I'm better with my sword than he is but father refused."

"You fight?"

I sat up again to face him properly, "Do they not teach the girls here how to defend themselves?"

"They hadn't needed to learn before the war." Tristan replies which makes me laugh a little

So that's how Princess Reema was so easy to kill. Father would never let something like that happen with me.

"I've been training since I was 5." I tell him, "Someone tries to kill me and it'll be the last thing they do."

He looks at me with curiosity but doesn't say anymore, he simply gets up, dusting the dust from his body and leaving.

Figuring he's gone, I look up at the sun once again sighing. He needs to stop being so abrupt with me, it's not helping either of us.

When I had finally got comfortable a shadow was over me covering the sun making me open my eyes. Tristan stood over me and dropped a sword next to my head.

"Show me."