Jothan leans against the door frame of Silas's study with his arms crossed over his chest as he watches his friend pace back and force in distress and run his hand through his hair.
"What is your fascination with Dame Aiken?" The silver haired Captain asks, cocking his head to the side. Silas spins on his heels to face Jothan. He opens his mouth to say what is on his mind but the words get lost in his throat.
He takes a deep breath and casts his eyes to the floor, forcing the words to make sense in his head. "She is... an enigma. She comes to Lardel Castle with an aura almost as powerful as mine. She controls my dragon, Jothan."
He points to himself. "I am the only person capable of doing that and she just..." He chuckles to himself in disbelief while shaking his head. "...Does it with ease, without so much as uttering a single word. Not to mention, Ruadhan Dinan wanted her dead so badly. And look where it got him. Why did her presence alone threaten him so? Obviously there are some high spirits on her side."
Jothan nods even though he is still confused about what goes on in his friend's mind. "What are your intentions?"
"I think she is meant to be more. Being Dame is one thing but ruling by my side as Queen..." His head bobs up and down aggressively and a slow smile creeps on his face. Jothan's face falls.
"Are you saying that merely for the fact that with Dame Aiken as your Queen, she will increase your cogent proclamation as King?"
Silas nods, pleased that Jothan understands. "As well as hers. She is the first Dame in history, Jothan, Who deserves this more, if not her?"
"There is one major flaw in that imagination of yours. She is spoken for," Jothan reveals in case he is unaware.
"By her consort. Yes, I figured. I heard him say-" He stops in his sentence as he recalls the words he heard Tiarnan say to Delyth. He shakes the memory away. "I heard them earlier, the context of his words matters little. Engaged or not, she still has options. All I have to do is dangle myself like a carrot and convert her to me. Surely, her love can be swayed a little."
The devil on his shoulder is telling me that he was jealous of how close Tiarnan could get to Delyth without her being in the slightest disgusted by him, in comparison to when he goes near her. But, he never gets jealous. It didn't even bother him when Flavia tried to throw herself onto other men to get his attention. However, seeing Tiarnan's ring hanging around her neck spawns a burning sensation in his chest. Also, the fact that he followed her to Varusa as her consort proves his faithfulness to her.
All in all, he is not jealous. He simply hates--
HE IS NOT JEALOUS.
"Convert? What is this, the church? You cannot ruin a relationship for your personal gain just because you think that you and her can make a powerful union. I assure you, it is not difficult to find someone like her," He tries to convince him, with a slight desperation in his voice. In truth of the matter, he fears for Delyth.
It seems my dear friend has forgotten who I am? Silas thinks to himself.
Having Silas's focus on you is one thing but once he concocts a plan to fit his fantasy is a dangerous thing on its own. The moment he dreams up a plan and puts it in motion, nothing is going to stop him from making it a reality.
He points a menacing finger at Jothan. "There is no one like her. She is here for a reason, Jothan and I believe it is to reign beside me. Her little pebble in the road of a consort will not stop me."
The next morning Silas wakes as early as the first ray of sun that peeps over the horizon. Normally, he is not a morning person but he is willing to sacrifice one morning to see Delyth start her shift. He takes a different route in the castle, avoiding eye contact with everyone so she is the first thing he sees in the morning.
His eyes finally land on her and he is stunned by how beautiful she looks. Her hair is in twists. Some fall down one side of her face and the other falls behind her with gold hair beads clipped around some. He is taken aback by the way the sun shines on the exposed side of her face, giving her skin a magnificent glow.
Feeling some kind of pressure on her, she scans the room until she sees Silas standing discreetly against a pillar watching her. The moment their eyes connect, a soft gasp escapes his mouth. He cares not if she doesn't show any bit of affection towards him, the mere fact that her deep brown eyes are looking at his blue ones for more than two seconds is enough for him.
Unable to stand looking at him any longer, she looks away. A ghost of a smile passes his lips and he walks away. He decides to take a walk since he's not hungry yet. Thinking about it, he was never really interested in the insignificant things that occurred in Lardel Castle. Yet, here he is roaming the empty halls and looking outside at the empty land.
It resembles his life. Bare and alone. He has always felt like he had no one in his life, even though he is always surrounded by people. More so, the only person he has is Jothan and even then, he doesn't fully have him. He may have his company and his loyalty but everything has an extent and he knows Jothan's is wearing thin.
He knows he is to blame but this is the consequence of the things he suffered at the hands of Boaz Casteron.
Somehow he ends up walking up to a chained Kalodor with a large piece of meat in his gloved hand. He lets out a short and sharp whistle to get his attention. As soon as Kalodor spins around at the sound, Silas throws the raw meat at him.
At a close distance, he observes the way his dragon feasts on the food. "What did you see in her, Kal?"
The 80 meters tall creature glances up at Silas for a quick second before taking his last bite and runs his tongue across his mouth.
"What was it about her that made you react like that? You've never been that way with me." Silas asks, narrowing his eyes a tad bit. A low, rumbling growl releases from his mouth.
"Do you think she should be my Queen?" Kalodor says nothing but turns his back to Silas. He sighs and runs his hand across his chest. He has nurtured Kalodor since a little dragon so he knows what the gesture means.
No.
Again, Silas couldn't care less. Delyth will sit on that.
"Good morning, Future Missus Holian." Tiarnan pauses, realizing what he said. "That is, if you want to take my name. It's okay if you don't, as long as you still marry me."
"I don't mind taking your name but how will that work? Will I be Delyth Holian or..." Her eyes scour the room for any lurking eyes or ears before whispering. "Odessa Holian."
Tiarnan juts out his bottom lip in thought which gets Delyth's attention immediately. She grounds her feet on the marbled floor, fighting to grab him by the shoulders and kissing him senseless, regardless of who sees. He shrugs.
"It matters not. Whichever sounds best for you. We can decide later. But we are not getting married here." He circles his finger, referring to the walls of the Lardel Castle but specifically meaning Varusa in its entirety.
She nods in agreement. "Completely agree. We can go back to Swuybia. I'm sure Roi will be ecstatic to plan it."
"Yeah," he drawls with one eye closed in an emphasized wince, almost nervous to her impending reaction to what he is to tell her. "She already began planning the moment I told her I was going to propose. She is currently waiting on standby for us to tell her when we're coming back to keep the ceremony."
Delyth's mouth drops at Roisin's initiative. Then she rolls her eyes and face palms herself for having not known she would do something like that. It wouldn't surprise her if she is to learn that Roi began planning the wedding the sooner Tiarnan spoke to her about Delyth for the first time. Either way, she would have no one else but Roisin plan their wedding.
Later in the afternoon when the sun is pelting on the backs of their metal covered bodies, Jothan is surveying the grounds, ensuring everyone is doing their duties, he spots a couple knights bothering a white horse and Delyth protecting it.
He hides in the shadows and watches the argument. He is curious about what Silas sees in a three minute encounter with her. Sure, she carries herself differently than any of the other Varusan women, even the emotional strong ones.
"You don't deserve a horse like this. Hence, it's ours now." A gaunt, straight nose man grabs onto the horse.
"If you think you're taking my horse anywhere, then you need to wake up from that dream," Delyth takes a threatening step towards him but another man pushes her. She quickly draws for her sword in one hand and sticks it a little in the nostril of the gaunt man while she removes one of her blades from her pocket in the other hand and holds it in the man that pushed her direction.
"Clearly your ears need to be cleaned. You. are not. leaving. with my horse." Her voice goes low, carefully delivering the threat, her eyes showing how serious she is. They back away with their hands raised in surrender. Her nose twitches in irritation.
Outlaw neighs and places his head over her shoulder. She smooths her hand along his fur with a pleasant smile on her face. "Don't worry, boy. We're not leaving each other's side."
"Beautiful sword." Delyth jumps at the suddenness of a new voice. She turns to identify the intruder. Captain Jothan Kersey.
"Where did you get it?" There is something about the way he asks the question and the way he looks at her. With suspicion and like a thief.
"A friend of mine, Hias Gaisser." His eyebrows raised at the mention of the Ruler of Esadom.
"How did you manage to become friends with a man like him?" A scowl makes its way onto Delyth's face. A man like him? She rests her hands on her hip. He gives her no answer but peers down at her with the same passive look on his face as yesterday.
"We have a mutual understanding," she responds with a hedged answer. She raises a daring brow, not caring if he is a Captain or a right hand to the King. "Are you going to report that to your King?"
"I just might," He dips his chin, lying in a condescending tone.
"Good and while you're at it, tell him to stop watching me and give me a room in the Keep with the other Knights." She calls his bluff, in a stronger voice than any guard, knight or servant have ever spoken to him with.
"Careful," he warns.
Jothan gets it now. Here she is, speaking to him knowing how close he is to Silas but cares not about.
Brave and stupid. Might be what Silas needs but not on the Throne.
He hopes she lasts.
17/07/22
Au revoir...
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