Kingdom's Vice Series: Journey to Alleria ( #1 2014) #Wattys2015

Chapter Twenty-Four

My fainting in the courtyard last night occurs to me as my eyes flutter open to see Alec hovering over me with concerned eyes. He has bags under his eyes, meaning he’s barely had a wink of sleep.

‘Hi,’ I croak, straightening out my legs under the covers.

‘Hi,’ he laughs, his hands clasped in front of him. He looks to the wall with a sigh, ‘Still making friends with the shadows?’ he teases.

I laugh and shake my head, ‘No,’ I reply, ‘I found my Light,’

The thing about Light and Dark is that you need to know one to know the other. Without knowing The Dark, you cannot come to appreciate The Light; without The Light, you cannot know what it truly means to endure.

He swallows back his laughter and his smile fades. Something serious is about to come up. He leans in closer and touches my forehead, his thumb skimming my hairline.

‘What happened last night?’ he asks me, pain on his face. It is the kind of pain I never want to see on his face again, the kind I want to be able to heal.

I sigh and cling to the sheets. I dig my nails into them, till I can feel them tearing. ‘It was nothing,’ I brush it off, ‘Must’ve been one goblet too many of wine,’ I laugh.

He doesn’t laugh. He’s not buying it, not one bit.

‘Now, either you’re going to tell me what’s going on, or I’m going to call for your Uncle and maybe he can read it from the lines on your face,’ he says calmly, taking his hand back from my forehead and retreating to the comfort of his chair.

‘How about you and me go for a walk down by the Water and we can talk it over?’ I try to reason, wriggle my way out of it with pouting and pleading.

He looks at me in annoyance. ‘No,’

I click my tongue, ‘Some husband you’re going to be,’

He doesn’t laugh. I stop and realize I’ve given myself away.

‘Is that what this is about?’ he asks, eyes wide, ‘Is this about the wedding?’

I nod a little, pushing the covers back so my legs dangle over the edge of the bed. ‘Maybe,’ I croak out, and I regret it the moment I say it.

He sits back deeper in his chair and sighs. ‘I’d hate to seem insensitive in saying this, but you were the one who suggested we...’

I cut him off with a wave of my hand, ‘No, I mean, yes I did, but that’s not the point. Faeore...she said that marriage doesn’t secure Immortality...even for the two of us.’

Tears flood my eyes and I try hard to blink them away as I pound my fist into the pillow. I start getting carried away with the punching when Alec’s voice breaks through to me again and shatters my thoughts.

‘Wait,’ he says, one of his hands landing on my shoulder, ‘that’s what this is about? You’re distressed because I can’t have immortality?’ he shakes his head and sighs, moving to sit beside me on the bed. I sit up with a groan, since it takes effort and energy to move. He continues, his arm wrapped around me, ‘Skaya, I don’t care if you’re the one who buries me!’ he exclaims, ‘I just want to be able to spend my life with you, however long it is. That’s all I care about. Being immortal would be a bonus, but it doesn’t mean marrying you isn’t worth it if I couldn’t have it.’

I smile. This is why I love him. He’s happy with whatever he is given. He does not possess greed like I do..used to. He brings out the Light in me I never knew I had.

‘Really?’ I let my head fall against his shoulder. He sighs and rests his head atop mine.

‘Really,’

~.~.~.~

‘There has to be something you can do,’ I protest. The sound of my own voice repeating itself sends a chill down my spine. It echoes about nine times, the same tone and the same pathetic plead. To no avail.

Uncle turns to face me from his throne and starts to descend from the stairs leading to his altar. ‘The law is strong, Skaya.’ He tells me, ‘And it cannot be so easily swayed, even for the sake of one’s kin.’

I bite my lip as anger pulses through me again. Alec takes my hand and squeezes it.

‘If I were to break a law for the sake of my own kin, would I not be obligated to break even more laws for the sake of my people? To break a rule for one means to break a rule for all, Skaya. I simply cannot grant you what you wish. It is too risky.’

I shake my head, ‘It’s not the law you’re concerned about, is it?’

‘What?’

Alec’s grip tightens a little. He knows that I am about to do something stupid. ‘This isn’t about what’s fair or unjust. This is about what happened when your Father ruled.’

Uncle’s face turns white as his eyes snap towards me. He sharpens his glare to be like daggers, ready to attack at my next word. ‘My Father is irrelevant. What happened during my Father’s rule has nothing to do with—’

‘I read The Tales of Truce and Tyrany,’ I cut him off sharply, sensing his indignation, ‘Cross-kingdom marriage hasn’t been permitted since then...and so you compensate for breaking one rule, letting us marry, by prohibiting Alec from taking an oath!’

He stands so tall he’s towering over us now. His eyes are alive with a burning fire of rage I’ve never seen before, not even in the times we’ve quarrelled or haven’t seen eye to eye on a subject. This is completely different matter entirely.

‘Il e dor vani drago benair!’ he yells, his robe flying off from his shoulders as he races down the steps instantly, to land before me. His face his just centimetres from mine when he hisses the words: ‘Never have I been so ill-spoken to by my own kin! You bring shame to this house! You speak to me of my Father’s rule as if you were there, as if you had seen the blood King Aselfer would have spilt for the sake of immortality! You know nothing! You are full of greed like the rest of them. You do not appreciate what good you have, you always want more.’

I stand tall too, trying to appear strong, unintimidated by him. But, everyone in the room, including me, knows I am. ‘All I am asking for is fairness! Kindness! Give him a chance, Uncle! Please!’

Alec jerks me back, ‘Skaya, we talked about this. I don’t care whether I live forever or I die one year from now. All I care about is you. If your Uncle will grant us our wedding after this,’ he looks to Uncle with a smile, ‘that’s fine with me. That’s all I want for us. Isn’t that enough?’

I stare at my shoes. ‘It’s not fair,’ I mumble, tugging at the collar of my dress.

‘What isn’t?’ he asks me, cupping my chin with his hand and meeting my eyes with his, ‘What’s not fair?’

I sniffle and glance back at Uncle, whose face remains unmoved. ‘I wanted us to be equals, like Faeore and Duhamas.’

I hear him chuckle then. It’s the kind of chuckle someone laughs when dealing with a child, a naive child. ‘You worry too much about other people’s lives than you do about your own,’ he says. ‘What one person has will never be the same for someone else. Cardarh is different for everyone, Skaya. Faeore and Duhamas have lived here all their lives, you and I, we came from across the sea, from different lands. We can’t just expect to be given everything we want after living here for a year.’

Uncle stands with his arms crossed. He huffs impatiently. ‘You should listen to your fiancée, Skaya,’ he says in a strong, yet kinder voice than before, ‘what he speaks is true. You know this. I have told you the same things, that night in the courtyard. You believed me then. And now, you believe it from the person you want to hear it from most.’ He smiles a little. ‘Faeore’s wedding has brought the kingdom much joy and hope this past night. The Light shines upon us all in favour, and I do hope that it will shine still when the two of you marry as planned.’

I look up at him, ashamed. ‘Forgive me, Uncle,’ I say in a hollow voice, falling to my knees.

He kneels down beside me, where Alec kneels also, his hand steadying me. ‘There is nothing to forgive,’ he smiles, brushing a finger over the string of pearls around my neck. ‘The Light guides you.’