LOCATION: EASTCLIFF, ELER - FARWATER, ELER
YEAR: 621 C.E
VALIA STARED AT MALVOLIA AS SHE SPOKE TO MARY AND KOA QUIETLY.
She was informing them of their journey to Helell, but she excluded the part where Valia planned to kill the high lord. Valia didn't want them to know until he was dead. She knew they would try to stop her and Malvolia understood her concerns. "How are we going to get there? We have no ship." Koa asked concerned. He turned to Valia before looking back at his mother.
They were in Mary's dining room. It had been a month since Mary told her about the fight she had with her mother and about what Zeohr had given her. The ability to freeze time. She could only hold for a certain amount of time. She had only done it a few times since finding out and she asked her uncle about it. Kaius told her it was an ability that hadn't been since in over four hundred years. The last recorded Rathmore to have the gift was Alamae Rathmore. Alamae was said to be blessed by Zeohr. Unlike the flame, the gift would only be seen every few hundred years. "King Aslan has gifted us a ship." His mother explained with a slight pause.
Valia tapped her fingers on the table with shaky hands. She didn't want to admit that she was terrified of going to Helell or to even think of killing the high lord. But she did not have the luxury of being afraid. Malvolia told her of Nikolai's plans on killing their mother and her death was even closer than she thought. Coming up with a coherent plan took longer than Valia thought, and she banged her head on the back of her chair. If she was to kill the high lord and become the high lady of Helell then she would need to be better. She needed to be strong. The nobles will test her to see if she was worthy, but she could handle that. The other thing that bothered her was the crown of thorns the high lord often wore. The poisonous thorns that made up the entire crown would seep into a person's body and instantly kill them if the crown deemed them unworthy to sit on the throne. Was she worthy? She asked herself that a lot.
"When are we leaving?" Mary asked in a quiet voice.
Mary's emotions ran through Valia, and her eyes softened. She was scared as well. "Tomorrow." The word sunk in and Valia sighed as she ran her hands over her face. She could feel their eyes on her. She could feel his eyes on her.
"We will travel to Farwater then take a boat through Lotus Cove and we should be in Azoz by the end of the month. It will take longer for us to actually get to Helell, so we will stay with the king for a few days then we will go to Helell from there. We should be in Helell before the winter months begin." Malvolia explained.
Koa nodded. "What of everyone else?"
"Your father will stay here with the girls and Drystan will come with us," Malvolia replied.
Valia knew Mary was not upset with Drystan for destroying Zeohr's temple. It wasn't his fault. He was just overwhelmed but she still seemed to be in a daze from it all. Like she wasn't completely there. She had lost a piece of herself. Valia tried to talk to her about it but talking wasn't going to rebuild the temple. "While in Helell, we must bid by their rules and customs." The priestess stated with a stern face, making sure she looked at all of them.
Valia missed her father at times. The longing got worse when she would see Eamon with his children. The love was there. Even Malvolia had it. They looked at their children with everything they had. The Delacroix siblings were the same. They showed each other such tenderness. They took care of each other when it was needed. As she watched them, her heart burned. Family was supposed to stick together. But as she grew as a person, she learned family wasn't only blood. It took less than being a part of a shared bloodline. It only took love. It took care but her family did not have that. She felt the love and the care of the Delacroix family. She felt it with Mary. It was hard to ignore at times. She sat next to Thelin's statue with her legs crossed. Sometimes, if she sat there long enough, she swore the God's presence could be felt.
A tear slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes. "My sweet girl." His voice was a mere memory. She would never be that sweet girl he once had known. She killed her. Before the tears could fall more, someone sat down next to her. She opened her eyes and saw Koa. He rested his head on her shoulder. "I once got really drunk and pissed on one of Oias's statues." He admitted softly. His voice held a lightness that calmed her down and put her mind at ease. Koa chuckled.
"Mary saw me." He chuckled again but this time it was much louder. He fell backward on his back.
Then it came to her, he heard her crying and was comforting her. "You could've pissed on a tree or something." She turned to look down at him but he was already looking at her.
"I didn't know where I was and Belio wasn't helping," Koa whined.
His voice trailed on before the words drifted away and he fell silent, sitting up, staring up at the sky. "I think he forgave me." He nodded playfully. Then that was when she finally laughed.
"Why would a god forgive you for pissing on him? You dishonored him." She said through her laughter.
"I prayed to him and asked him to forgive me deeply for pissing on you. I was extremely drunk and I needed to pee."
"And fortunately for you, he did not have me killed..."
"And why is that?"
"Because..." He thought of what to say as he pursed his lips. "you like having me around and I make you laugh. You're life would be boring without me. Don't you agree, Princess?" He turned to look at her and she froze for a moment. He looked beautiful in the morning light. She looked away for a moment catching her breath. Strands fell from the bun on the back of his head.
"You aren't that bad of a friend. You can be quite annoying though and plus, I like Mary more." She said covering up her emotions with a smirk. His eyes dropped to his hands but he had a smile on his lips.
"You wound me deeply, Princess. I thought we were the best of friends. See the tear? I weep for the loss of a friend." He dragged his finger down his cheek, faking a tear.
"I wound you now?" Valia shook her head as she bared her teeth, smiling harder now.
He stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat. She laid her head on his shoulder and stared up at him as he looked away from her. "...What happens if he agrees?" He said. His voice became serious and unforgiving.
"We go to war." She said plainly.
"And if he doesn't?" Koa placed his hand over hers that lay on her lap, squeezing her fingers.
"We find someone else to fight for us."
Or I kill him. She was what she wanted to say. Her mother would be dead by the end of the year. That fact she knew but the high lord's death was not guaranteed and he could kill her. Damn, the gods for their cruelty. She sighed as his eyes fell onto her with softness. With care. "We should head back now. Malvolia is probably waiting for us." She said softly. Her emotions swirled within her and would not rest.
"Yeah." He said as he stood before reaching out his hand to her.
They stared at one another for a moment basking in each other's company. Each other's love. Whether it was love or only care. It did not matter to her in that moment. She just wanted him around. Belio sang above them as flew in circles. Koa let go of her hand as she stood up. He shooed the bird away.
The journey to Farwater was calm and without issue until they arrived in Farwater that is. They were only supposed to cross through but Malvolia got sidetracked. Valia turned to Koa with pursed lips. "I think we might be here longer than expected." He rolled his eyes as he turned to the rest of their party of twenty people.
Mary, Drystan, and his partner, Corbin, and Jamie all looked at Valia and Koa from the side of the road with worn-out expressions. They were on the edge of Farwater. It was a great city. Nothing like she had ever seen before. There were castles made of entirely of trees that wrapped around each other. Water poured from the wells underneath into a lake. Litinae roamed around with smiles on their faces as they drank from it. Temples of the gods were scattered across the city. She watched as two Litinae lifted the ground from under them then one with the same gift as Calix lifted water from the earth. A large body of water lifted over them before they carried it to the castle in the center of the city. "Distant cousins," Koa informed her with a blank expression.
"We should head somewhere before gets dark." She shouted to everyone behind her as she held onto her horse's reins.
"If you're tired, I suggest you get some rest at the inn until Malvolia returns."
Then they all disbanded to different locations. Koa followed Valia as she roamed around Farwater. As she got closers to the castles, she noticed that between the bundles of leaves were buildings made of stone and marble. If she looked closest enough, she could see people inside. They made it inside of an inn and music played softly as they all sat down. Drystan sat with Corbin at the end of the long table, while Valia sat with Koa and Mary at the other end. Kegs of ale were placed in front of them. Condensation dripped from the glasses. Before she lifted her glass, she saw three armored men carrying bows on their backs. The three of them towered over everyone in the room as they made their way to one of the other tables.
She glanced away before picking up her glass, bringing to her lips. Koa stared at her from across the table with a weird look on his face. "What?" He shook his head as he took a sip from his own glass. His eyes wandered from her to other people. She rolled her eyes as she turned to Mary. "You okay?" She asked as she looked at her friend.
Mary nodded, "A bit tired." Her voice was as low as a whisper. Valia placed a hand on Mary's shoulder, trying to comfort her. A singer broke into a sweet melody. She sang in Feygani. Valia had picked up a few words from her time in Eastcliff. But she only understood a few words from the song. Love, heart, sorrow.
"The song is about a man and his unrequited love for a woman he could never truly have," Koa said as he turned from the singer. His glass was nearly empty. He used his arm to wipe the ale from his face. It was like he was in her head and she did not like it.
She nodded as she made sure to drink the rest of her glass. Standing up, Valia dusted off her hands and turned to Mary. "We're going to head to bed." They had secured three rooms, Koa would be alone while Drystan and Corbin shared a room.
Mary shook her head, "Can I sleep alone?" She fidgeted with her hands as they pressed into her stomach. Her eyes would not meet Valia's but Valia understood.
"That's alright." Valia turned to Koa, who stood up with a blank expression.
"Then I guess, we're sharing a room together. Oh, don't look so disappointed." Koa trailed as he wrapped an arm around Valia as she began to walk to their room.
It wasn't like she didn't want to share a room with him. She just didn't want it to be awkward. As they made it into their room, Koa shut the door behind them with a sigh, kicking off his shoes. Valia stood in the middle of the room with worry in her eyes. "They normally keep clothing in the rooms. It should be some in the wardrobe." She nodded, walking over to it, quietly. The sun had begun to set, filling the room with an array of colors ranging from deep crimson to pale orange. She found a nightgown and turned, clenching it to her chest. Koa had turned with his back toward her.
She thanked him before undressing, slipping the nightgown over her body. "I can sleep on the floor." He exclaimed as he turned back around. She blinked.
"Just sleep on the bed, Koa." She said as exhaustion came over her in waves. A yawn passed through her as she sat down on the bed. Facing the window, she stared at the sky as it darkened. Her fingers fidgeted with the silk of the gown. She glanced over her shoulder as the bed dipped under his weight. He laid with his head on the footboard of the bed. She moved to lay her back against the headboard.
"Are you well?" He asked softly.
"You've been acting a bit odd lately." He added quickly.
Valia sighed. Was she okay? Myrna's death plagued her mind often. Would her house really do such a thing? They poisoned and eat her body. All of it. It made her feel sick. She now understood why Myrna wanted revenge. Her death was over five hundred years ago but that meant she had been trapped in Kisma for just as long. Being without her daughter must've hardened her and made her the way she was. "Just thinking."
"About..." He trailed on.
"Myrna and Adele." She whispered.
Koa's feet moved next to her hips and she slapped them away. "Move your feet." Ignoring her comment, he moved his feet onto her lap. She grabbed him by the ankles and pushed him off the bed before he could react or try to pull her down with him. He groaned as he picked himself up from the ground, holding his side. Koa moved to sit down next to Valia with a light smile on his face.
"You didn't have to push me off the bed." He groaned.
"I told you to move your feet." She said plainly.
After a few moments of silence, Koa spoke in a quiet tone, "It's best not to think about what happened to them. It'll only hurt more." Then he lightly punched her in the shoulder.