Chapter 19: Reginald
There are no words to describe the feelings of being home after a journey such as I had. First, being taken away to meet the eldest daughter of a king that no one really knew or likes. Then falling for her and discovering she was my Singer, the woman I was destined to be with, yet still afraid of me. After that, having to go and attempt to help settle the unrest in another kingdom with no idea when or if I would see Illiana again.
My eyes squinted as I looked down, watching the kingdom grow closer as my wings carried me through the wind, my hair waving wildly as my clothes billowed around me. The gentle glow of the evening sun bathed the land in front of me and I found myself wanting Illiana to see this as well.
I needed to know her, to understand why she was so afraid of me, of everyone. There would be very few chances for me to return there, especially if her father was going to be difficult. And I just had this feeling deep in me stomach that he would do anything to keep me away from her.
Why was I such a fool? Why did I not attempt to hold onto to her when I had the chance. To give her an escape, a safe place away from whatever caused her to have that fear? That was what I should have done but I had chose that it would have been better to allow her to stay there, to stay where she would not be safe.
"Is something bothering you?" My father's deep voice interrupted my thoughts and I turned my gaze towards him, the wind pounding in my ear. "It could not be Princess Illiana, could it?"
My jaw tightened in annoyance as I turned away, unable and unwilling to look at my father. It was no secret that the two of us were close, especially after he had named me his heir, but sometimes I still wished that he could not read me so easily. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing that he could, at least for now, so I could be saved from explaining the conflicting feelings inside.
"Not regretting asking her father for his blessing in your marriage are you?" Father questioned, his vibrant red wings flickering in the wind as he flew beside me. "After all, you were the one who said that you did not want to force Princess Illiana to be with you, even though she was your Singer."
"I know what I said, Father. And I still stand by that." How could I not? The memory of when I had asked her for her hand, she seemed so terrified, as if marriage was the worst thing in the world. Even now, away from her and the cold atmosphere of her home, I still could not understand it. She was different and thought oddly about something that the other women seemed to love immensely. So why could she not see the same things? Or in the same way? What could have happened to her?
The sad part is, there was still a part of me, a rather big part, that wondered if her father had anything to do with her actions. If he was the reason that she was so afraid of me. It was a feeling, but a strong one. And now, I may never find out and I may never see her again.
"Sometimes, my son, you spend to much time worrying about others and not enough about yourself. You need to consider what would make you happy." Father's voice was calm and non-judgmental, but it was an argument that I had heard many times before. An attribute that a good king needs, as he would say, is to care about all of your people and do what is best for them. However, sometimes one needs to remember that they also have needs and desires, but this was not just about me. It was about her as well. It was our life together, no one else. So it should be a choice that we decide on our own.
"I understand what you are saying, but things are slightly different with marriage. It is not about one person, but two. Two who will spend the rest of their lives together. Create a family." I took a deep breath as my eyes watched the world rush by underneath. "How could I be happy with someone, Singer or not, if they were afraid of me? Eventually that fear will turn to hate and disgust and neither of us could ever be happy."
"True." He responded and I groaned in frustration, my fingers curling tightly into fists. "However, if you can discover the fear then you have a chance at that happiness."
"How can I discover something when I do not have the person to discover it with?" I demanded and he chuckled, his shoulders shrugging slightly as his eyes turned away from me. I knew that face, the face of knowledge, as if he knew something that I did not and was proud of that fact. "Father, what have you done?"
"Only what needed to be." He grinned at me, his eyes twinkling with merriment. "Your mother and I are attempting to care about our son as well as everything else."
"And what does Princess Illiana have to do with it?" I demanded and he chuckled, his hand pointing down at the palace that still zoomed towards us.
"You will find the answer to that question down there." His eyebrows rose quickly, as if attempting to hint at something but not telling me what it is.
A sinking feeling told me that the answer that he seemed so proud about, so blissful, would only end with hours of suffering for me and, by extension, if what I think is correct, Illiana as well.
Tucking my arms by my side and leaning forward, my head pointing down-wards at the castle, I plummeted towards it. The wind bashed harder against me as I dropped, my hair lashing in the wind as I neared the castle.
Horns announcing our arrival rang in the distance, but I could barely hear them over the thundering cries of the wind. Then again, perhaps I did not want to hear them, the only thing on my mind is what lay below me, the secret that my father possessed.
What had he done?
The question plagued me like nothing else and would drive me insane until I knew the truth, knew what was really happening.
Zooming over the houses, the speed that I gained from the fall accelerated my as I leveled out, shooting towards the palace and my home. I knew that mother and my sister would be surprised to see us so soon, that dinner would be hectic with the chefs making sure that they made enough food for all of us.
But even that, as I thought about it, meant very little. The idea that Princess Illiana was here and would be forced to marry me against her will was what bothered me more than normal. While it was not odd for a man and a woman to have an arranged marriage, I felt that, with Illiana, it would be far worse than normal.
Not even my father understood why she was so terrified and unwilling, so why would he do something like this? Why would he hurt someone else who just wanted to try to be happy? Was that not something someone like Illiana deserved? To have a choice?
The gates of the palace sped closer, the sunlight glinting off the silver metal. The few guards that stood there turned in time to see me flash by, slipping into the palace grounds without having to stop. Whether they noticed me or now was a different issue and there may very well be men and women following, just to make sure that I was not some criminal.
A carriage stood by the steps of the palace and the men stood around it, one of them stepping forward and opening the carriage door.
"Your majesty." Surprise filled their voices as I landed, my feet colliding with the ground and a loud thunk echoing around me. Of course they were surprised. For one, I was back home a few days early and two, I did not land quietly.
"Reginald?" Mother's voice called out and I turned to see her step out of the carriage, her eyes staring at me in surprise. "Pray tell, what are you doing here so early? You are not supposed to be here until the end of the week!"
"I am fully aware of that, but things settled down earlier than we earlier imagined." A forced smile appeared on my lips as she dropped down from the carriage and stepped closer, her arms enveloping me.
"Well, early or not, it really is good to see you again, my dear. Though I wished you had sent word of early arrival, I would have made sure everything was ready." She sighed loudly and turned towards the carriage and the two of us watched my sister appear from within.
"Oh, it really is you! I thought it might be with the way you landed." My sister smiled as she rushed down the steps of the carriage and over to me. "You could end up hurting yourself one of these days, you know."
"I know, Rebecca." I sighed and then turned to my mother and watched as she stood there, smiling at me. Once again, the face on knowledge. It was something that the two of them were excellent at portraying and also something I was excellent at recognizing. "Mother, Father had said something about the two of you doing what you thought was best. What was it?"
"Only what we believe will make you happy." She shrugged, but her eyes twinkling mischievously and her hands clasped in front of her. "Of course, I am fully aware of how infuriated you will be with your father and I. In all honesty, I am not sorry now will I ever be."
"What have you done?" I demanded and her eyes flickered over to the carriage and I turned and watched in both horror and happiness as I watched Illiana step out of the carriage.
For one, I was so happy to see her again, to have a chance to actually get to know her without the depressing walls of her palace. But then there was horror, and not just from me. Her eyes widened as her eyes froze, staring at me as if doubting that I was here. I was afraid because I knew she did not come willingly and I had a feeling that there was so much more to her fear.
"Well now that you are here, we could easily move up the wedding since the others should be arriving tomorrow." Mother sighed beside me before turning away from me and walking forward, her hand sliding around Princess Illiana's arm. "Come, my dear. Let us get inside and rest before dinner."
My legs would not move and there was little else that I could do other than watch as my mother escorted Princess Illiana inside.
Clenching my jaw and tightening my fists, my gaze shot upwards as I watched Father and the others get closer. Whatever he was thinking and planning, why did it actually have to be this?