Two Of The Same Piece || Book 1 (The Beginning)

CHAPTER 31

Rave waited for Taiskin in the courtyard in front of his apartments in Thinlin. She dully tapped her feet go together in front of her. Taiskin and Rina would leave for Bellayong today, she was here to beg him to help her return home. She had no use being here now, no need to sit here and grow old. She had her fiance waiting to marry her.

Rave sighed, she had been waiting for a while now, Contyer informing her that Taiskin was busy and it would take time. It had already been a year since her appointment as emissary here. She had no will to turn it to two. Josephine would now be related to the Bellan royal family, and Lina would lose her foothold, leaving Rave free of her job of making sure Josephine's policies were beneficial to Bellayong.

Someone cleared their throat and Rave turned to the sound. Taiskin stood under the arch of the corridor and called her to him. "What is so important that you are waiting here to ask me?"

"Did you take your contraceptives?" Rave asked.

"Of course I did, now all I need for you to do is to yell it from every rooftop in this fucking castle." Taiskin snapped.

"I want to go home. I have no reason to be here." Rave said, none too diplomatically.

"What? No, not yet. We had our spies in Dueativien tell us that Mow's younger brother, Rachid, is coming to Thinlin." Taiskin said.

"So? I have no reason to be here. Taiskin, I'm supposed to be married to Aurilean by now." Rave leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

"Are you scared he will marry elsewhere? No? Then there is no reason for you to return now. You are needed to go up against Rachid. He is a royal, like us. He is also a prince with no place where he can rule. He might be like you and have a plan to marry Josephine." Taiskin agreed.

"Is that what you think I did?" Rave asked. "That I married Aurilean for a chance to call myself queen?"

"Why leave poor Archad then?" He shrugged.

"I had an order. Papa had a letter for me and the King of Rayner had one for Aurilean. I had no choice, and neither did Aurilean." Aurilean replied angrily.

"Then why be so hurried to marry a man you don't love?" Taiskin stared her down.

"Because, like you, I made myself love him. He is my husband because it was commanded, but it doesn't mean I love him any less than you do to Hanara." Rave stared back.

"I've told you, later. But you see, Aurilean doesn't seem to call for you either. Maybe he doesn't want to marry you." Taiskin leaned closer to her. "Have you ever thought, maybe, just maybe, that neither Archad nor Aurilean wants to marry you?" He paused. "Archad gave you up without an ounce of resistance, and Aurilean can't be bothered to have you beside him. Maybe you are the problem here, Rave. Not me or any royal orders." Taiskin whispered in her ear.

Rave pushed him back. "You know nothing." She was holding back tears. "You don't know anything." She walked away.

"You don't like the truth, sister!" He called out after her.

Rave didn't bother replying.

--

Leo had known that Rave had returned in a foul mood when she had snapped at him. Rave had a bad temper. When she was angry, she was unpredictable. Rave had, over the years, learned how to manage that anger, but Leo had guessed she wasn't in the mood to do calming activities right then. Leo left her to her mood until she cooled down.

Afterward, she sat beside him with a bottle of wine and told him everything Taiskin said. "He hasn't changed. Not one bit." She said quietly.

Leo remembered the endless teasing Taiskin had put Rave through. The scars were deep, yet Rave never really said anything about it. Unlike Leo, who had often slapped Taiskin up over it, starting other, bigger conflicts. Rave had never cried over any of these, only once and after that she swore not to. She just silently rested her head on his shoulder, trying her hardest to calm herself. 

"Will I ever marry Aurilean?" She asked him.

"Yes. Yes, you will. I promise." Leo answered, holding her tightly.

His princess, for all her brilliance and grace, hid much of her pains. He could tell. All she wanted was to be loved and to be happy. He held her a little tighter as she finished her wine and poured herself another goblet of the strong wine. She also got closer to him. Enjoying his warmth and the feeling of being loved.