Meenu’s mother hugged her tightly the morning before her departure. They were standing right outside Meenu’s large home, with a carriage waiting in front of it. “This is the first time you’re leaving to a different place alone…” Lady Kyrus said to her daughter with a smile.
Meenu smiled back, trying to hide her nervousness. “Yep.”
Lady Kyrus began to tear up.
“It’s only for a week, my love.” Lord Kyrus said as he handed Meenu’s bag to one of the knight’s. “She’ll be back before you know it.”
Meenu kept smiling. “Um… are you sure I can’t take Knight with me?” She looked over at Knight, who was being held back by two of capitals’ strongest knights. Her wolf knew that Meenu was leaving and he didn’t want to let her go without him. He tried as hard as he could to escape from the grasp of the two men, wanting to rip them into pieces but knowing he couldn’t.
Her father shook his head. “They do not allow animals inside the castle. Even if you took him, he’d be tied up outside all day and you wouldn’t see him anyways. Plus, none of the folk over there would be too happy to see a wolf.” Her father said. “It’s better if Knight stays here.”
Meenu sighed. “Alright.”
Her father pulled Meenu into a hug right then and kissed her forehead. “Don’t be nervous, darling. You’ll be fine.”
Meenu chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”
Her father smiled at her. “Everything will be okay.”
“Are you ready?” The King asked as he walked over to them.
Meenu was suddenly very nervous again. She nodded hesitantly and the King smiled. “Then we should head out.”
The King held his arm out for Meenu, but Meenu hesitated. “One second.” She said. She then ran over to her wolf and kneeled down in front of him. “Let him go.” She said to the two Knights that struggled to hold him.
The two knights looked at each other. Both of them were wearing their full armor, as they were frightened by the wolf, so Meenu couldn’t really see who they were. It didn’t matter though, she probably didn’t even know them anyways.
But after a moment, the men dropped the chains and Knight barked, leaping forward into Meenu’s arms.
Meenu chuckled and hugged him tightly, shocking the two Knights.
They were embarrassed to be afraid of the wolf when this girl was not at all frightened by him.
“I’ll be back soon.” Meenu said as she pulled away and kissed her wolf’s nose. “Just wait patiently for me, okay?”
Knight whined and dropped his head, looking up at her with sad eyes.
Meenu smiled and kissed him once more. “Be a good boy.” She said as she stood up.
Knight stopped fighting when the Capital’s knights lifted the chains again, but continued to whine when Meenu walked off.
Meenu’s heart sank as she waved at her wolf.
But then the King linked arms with her and bowed his head at Lord Kyrus. “I will be seeing you again soon.”
“Take good care of my daughter.” Lord Kyrus said as Meenu’s emotional mother choked back her tears.
“Of course.”
Meenu waved at her parents once more as the King led her to the lovely carriage. It was large, golden, covered in jewels and made to fit four people. Meenu had never rode in one of these before, so she was a little excited… but Alissa had told her multiple times that it was such a bore. She explained that riding a horse was much more fun.
Meenu stepped into the carriage and sat down on a seat. A moment later, the King joined her.
She slid over to the window as the door shut closed and kept waving at her mother and father and Knight.
And suddenly, the carriage jerked forward.
Knight got onto all his legs again and was about to run after her as the carriage rode off, but he stopped, remembering to listen to his mistress.
He whined loudly and began howling too.
Knight’s howls made Meenu want to cry for some strange reason, but as they rode past the Amberdyse Training Grounds, Meenu saw her brother, Alissa and Linkyn waving at her with all of their arms.
And now Meenu chuckled as she waved back. “Take care of Knight for me!” She yelled through the window.
Her brother gave her the thumbs up. “I will!”
Alissa began jumping up and down, still waving. “Take care, Meenu! Please come home soon!”
Meenu waved. “I will!”
And then she couldn’t see them anymore.
Meenu leaned back in her seat and sighed.
She looked up at the King, who smiled at her. “It’s almost like they think you’re never coming home.”
Meenu smiled and began playing with her fingers. “I’ve never left home for such a long time before.
“A week is not that long.” The King said.
“I guess not.” Meenu said.
“Are you excited to be my wife?” The King asked, crossing his arms. “To be the queen?”
Meenu blushed and was suddenly unable to look the King in his red eyes. “I…”
“You must not care so much.” The King said, smiling.
Meenu looked at him and was going to disagree but the King kept speaking.
“I heard you’ve faced much rejection in your life.”
Her heart sank.
“A girl who faces that much rejection probably doesn’t care much about marriage. Am I right?”
Meenu didn’t know what to say.
She looked down at her hands and felt her heart sink more and more.
“Well, that’s good, I think.” King Dukaryn said. “After all, our marriage is purely political. People would be happy if I am allied with your father, who is a noble Knight.”
Meenu looked up at the King.
“I chose to marry you, Meenu Kyrus, because I thought you’d feel the way I feel. Of course, for different reasons.”
“The way you feel?” Meenu asked.
“I’m not interested in love, or anything like that.” He said. “After all, they say a Lumynos man cannot love.”
Meenu’s heart sank to an all time low. She knew all of this was too good to be true.
“I hoped to wed someone who felt the same way as me. So I could continue to live the way I live now without a hassle.”
Meenu hesitated and began to wonder why she was acting so childish. What happened to the strong and hardheaded Meenu who could take on an ogre?
So she took a deep breath and looked at the King with a smile. “Right.” She said. “I understand.”
“Wonderful.” The King said. “I’ve chosen the perfect bride.”
Meenu turned her head and looked out the window, paying no more attention to him.
After all… their relationship was purely political.
But neither of them realized that Lord Seliaryn, who was riding his horse next to the carriage, was listening to their conversation.
He tightened his grip on his reigns and narrowed his eyes. Something inside him told him that he should have known.
And that he should have protected Meenu from such a sad fate.
The poor girl, always having to be caught up in the middle of silly things… and her life being sacrificed in the process.
~*~*~*~
Hours and hours later they had finally arrived at the castle. There was a big celebration going on for the return of the King and as the King waved at his subjects, Meenu leaned back in her seat and looked at her hands.
Not many people noticed her.
The ones who did didn’t even know who she was.
And that wasn’t a problem at all for Meenu. She preferred that.
When the entered the castle gates, the carriage finally came to a stop.
The King opened the door and jumped out, stretching. “Finally! We’re home!”
Lord Seliaryn leapt off his horse and walked past him towards Meenu.
He chuckled when he saw Meenu struggling to get out of the carriage in that big, pink dress of hers. “Meenu, you’re the future queen, you must ask for help when you need it.”
Meenu smiled at him but rolled her eyes as she took his hand. “I’m not going to turn into a snobby rich person.”
Lord Seliaryn smiled calmly. “Good.”
The King turned as Lord Seliaryn and Meenu linked arms. “Ah, since the two of you are good friends, how about you show her around, Seliaryn” King Dukaryn asked. “After all, I am busy.”
Lord Seliaryn bowed his head. “Of course, sire.”
The King smiled again before he left Lord Seliaryn and Meenu alone.
“Well…” Lord Seliaryn started. “This is the King’s front yard.”
Meenu chuckled as she turned and looked around.
The castle was massive. It was a town itself.
The King’s “front yard” consisted of a long path that started from that town and ended at the very front of the castle. There were trees and gardens and hundreds of servants tending to them.
It was beautiful. No garden in Amberdyse was as beautiful as this.
“Let’s head inside.” Lord Seliaryn said. “It was a long trip and you must be exhausted. You should freshen up and we can start the tour.”
Meenu smiled and let Seliaryn take her in.
She was led into a large bedroom where four maids were there waiting for her arrival.
Lord Seliaryn waited outside patiently as the maids bathed Meenu and dressed her in an orange dress. They brushed her hair and did her makeup and though she didn’t feel very fresh at all, they sent her out to Seliaryn.
When Lord Seliaryn saw her, he knew instantly that she was not pleased. So he chuckled. “You know what, how about we do the tour tomorrow?”
Meenu sighed in relief. “You’re my life saver, Seli…”
He smiled, used his hand to turn her around and pushed her back into the room. “Meenu’s going to just go to bed for now.” He said to the maids. “Prepare her for that, will you? I will give her the tour bright and early in the morning.”
The maids bowed their heads. “Yes, my Lord.”
Meenu smiled once more at Lord Seliaryn before the maids shut the door and changed her into a nightdress.
And once she was ready, she crawled into her bed and fell fast asleep.
She was exhausted from all the things that were going on in her mind.
It was often that Meenu’s mind worked harder than her body.
~*~*~*~
Night came soon after Meenu fell asleep… and unlike in Amberdyse, the roads and paths were filled with lanterns here in the Capital of Raffyre. This made the nights not as dark as they were meant to be.
However… the nights in the Capital were much more eerie and were filled with wanderers, whereas the nights in Amberdyse were quiet and still.
The King was fast asleep in his bed that night, his new mistress was sprawled out next to him. He slept in peace like he did every night, and as most kings, he would not tolerate any sort of disturbances.
His sleep was the most important and favourite part of this King’s life.
But this night would change that forever.
He was startled when he felt something sharp touch his neck.
And when his eyes opened, he prepared to shout, but froze in fear when the intruder, who was crouching over him on the bed, put his finger over his mouth.
“Who are you?” King Dukaryn asked, examining the man who was on top of him.
The man pushed the knife closer to the Kings neck. “You don’t know who I am… my king?”
The King flinched as the man spoke the word ‘king’ is if it were an insult.
But he pushed that aside and desperately tried to see who this criminal was.
The intruder moved his head slightly. But that movement made his dark, red eyes visible.
The King choked back his fear. “Avaryn.”
Avaryn smirked. “So you do know me.” His deep and vicious, yet soft and soothing voice resonated through the large room of the King.
And though it did that, it failed to awaken the mistress lying next to the King.
“How dare you hold a knife at my neck?” The King asked.
Avaryn lightly scratched his neck until it bled a little. “Are you really speaking to me like that?” Avaryn asked. “When I have a knife at your neck?”
The King gulped. “What do you want?”
“That girl.” Avaryn said.
The King narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“The girl from the Village of Amberdyse.” His dark, cruel, angry eyes suddenly softened. “Meenu.”
The King hesitated. “What about her?”
“I heard you are forcing her to marry you.”
“I’m not forcing her to do anything.”
Avaryn narrowed his eyes. “I’m not going to stop you, Dukaryn.” Avaryn said. “But… if you dare hurt her heart…” He pushed the flat side of the knife hard against the King’s throat. “I will slit your throat.”
A bead of sweat slid down the King’s face as Avaryn stood up and jumped off the bed.
“What is it to you?” The King asked, yelling, as he lifted himself up. He woke up the mistress in the process. “Who is she to you now?”
Avaryn turned his back to the King.
The King growled in anger. “Answer me, you bastard!”
Suddenly, Avaryn threw his knife in the direction of the King, his back still to him.
And the King sat in shock as the knife cut through his cheek and stabbed into the headboard of the bed.
The mistress screamed.
The King placed his hand on his bloody cheek and looked back at Avaryn.
Avaryn kept his back to the King.
And without answering the question, he disappeared in front of the Kings’ eyes.
Dukaryn leapt out of his bed and turned to his mistress. “Get out!” He yelled, angrily.
The mistress, jumped, startled, but slipped back into her robes and left to room, startling the guards who were standing guard. “My King?” They asked when the doors opened.
“I should kill the both of you!” King Dukaryn growled.
The two young guards looked at each other.
“There was an intruder in my room and you didn’t hear?”
The guards hesitated. Neither of them heard a thing. “It must have been a dream, sire.”
“Are you calling me crazy?” The King yelled as he paced back and forth in his room.
He was too embarrassed to tell them it was Avaryn.
“Sire… we heard nothing at all.” One guard said.
“Go get Seliaryn!” He growled. Seliaryn was the only person the King could trust.
The Guards bowed before one of them began running.
Seliaryn groaned when he heard the knocking on his door.
But before he could even say come in, the guard came charging in.
Lord Seliaryn sat himself up in his large bed. “What?” It took him a lot of energy to hold back his urge to growl.
He was just as exhausted as Meenu was… he just never showed it.
“The King needs you! Apparently there was an intruder in his room.”
That got Seliaryn’s attention. “What do you mean?” Lord Seliaryn asked. “You and Dane were supposed to be guarding.”
The guard shrugged his shoulders. “I think he just had a bad dream.”
Lord Seliaryn sighed and got out of his bed. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it and threw on a simple tunic.
He picked up his sword from his desk before he walked past the guard and towards the King’s bedroom.
When he had arrived, the tired Seliaryn bowed before King Dukaryn. “My King.”
“Shut the door!” Dukaryn yelled.
The two guards did as he said.
The King looked at Seliaryn. “There was an intruder in my room!”
“Are you sure it wasn’t just—”
“It was Avaryn!” King Dukaryn hissed. “I saw him with my own eyes.”
Seliaryn held back a snort. “Why would he show himself after six years…” His voice trailed off as he realized something. “Stay here.” He said to the King before Lord Seliaryn turned and began to run.
He ran as fast as he could towards Meenu’s room, realizing why Avaryn may have decided to show himself after all these years.
If it was really him, that is.
When he got to Meenu’s room, he hesitated in front of the door. He closed his eyes and tried to listen… to hear if there were any voices.
What if Meenu had always kept her ties with Avaryn?
But he heard nothing.
So Seliaryn slowly opened the door.
It creaked slightly and Seliaryn was a little startled by the darkness of the room. Not even a candle was lit, and the curtains in front of the balcony were closed.
He looked around the room, before looking at Meenu.
She was sound asleep, sleeping on her back, with her hands on both sides of her head, like some babies sleep. She was tucked in nicely and her breathing was deep and heavy.
Seliaryn sighed in relief.
“I knew you’d know where to look, Seli.”
Seliaryn took a sharp breath as he reached for his sword.
He didn’t recognize the voice. But he knew it was Avaryn.
The voice he was once so familiar with had grown deeper… and more vicious. There was a cruelty in his voice that made Seliaryn shudder. That cruelty was never there before. When Seliaryn was once best friends with Avaryn… Avaryn had a genuine kindness that could make anyone smile.
He once had a voice that he used to calm hundreds of people.
Now… that same voice sent shivers down the spines of thousands.
Seliaryn looked around, trying to find his old friend, his fingers twitching over the hilt of his sword.
“Show yourself.” Seliaryn said, keeping his voice down. He didn’t want to wake Meenu.
An instant later, Avaryn stepped forward.
He was standing at Meenu’s bedside, near her head.
It was too dark in the room to see much of him at all, however, his dark, red eyes were glowing. Much like a cats eyes would glow in the dark.
He was taller… much taller… which was expected.
The man was no longer a sixteen-year-old boy. He was twenty-two, like Seliaryn and King Dukaryn.
So from the silhouette that Seliaryn could see, his shoulders had broadened, his posture was straighter and he had grown a great deal of strength.
But that was all Seliaryn could see.
“What do you want?” Seliaryn asked. “Why have you returned?”
Avaryn kept his eyes locked on the man who was once his best friend. “You’ve changed greatly, Seli.”
“Of course I have.” Seliaryn said. “Six years have passed since you killed a fourth of Raffyre and ran off.”
Avaryn let out a small, unemotional, laugh.
“What do you want?” Seliaryn asked once more.
“I simply came to give your King a warning.”
“A warning?”
“That I will kill him if he hurts Meenu.”
Seliaryn snorted. “You have no right.”
“I don’t?” Seliaryn saw him tilt his head, slightly.
“No one in this world has hurt her as much as you have.” Seliaryn said. “Her life has been destroyed because of what you have done. And she doesn’t even know it.”
Avaryn didn’t respond to that.
“You committed a crime and ran off. People had to put the blame on someone so they chose your fiancée, who was just an innocent child at the time.” Seliaryn said. “If there’s anyone you should kill, it’s yourself.”
Meenu suddenly shifted in her bed, making Avaryn look down at her. She turned her body towards him and curled up into a ball, still fast asleep.
Avaryn remained silent for a long moment.
Seliaryn did too, not knowing what to say.
“I have only two goals at this point in my life, Seli.” Avaryn finally said. “The first being to get the revenge I long for, even if it kills me.”
Seliaryn narrowed his eyes.
“The second is to protect this girl. Even if it kills me.”
“Judging by the looks of it… your revenge comes first.”
“Of course.”
Seliaryn shook his head. “Get out, Avaryn.” He said. “You don’t deserve to be here.”
“I will leave, my friend—”
“Don’t call me your friend.”
“But I must say something first.” Avaryn said, ignoring Seliaryn. “I am grateful that you are here for her.”
Seliaryn let out an annoyed breath and looked away. “I’m not doing this for you. Meenu is genuinely a great girl who deserves better.”
“I know.” Avaryn said. “And that’s why… I wanted to say that I’d be happier if you were the one to marry her. She’d be happier too.”
Seliaryn’s head shot up as he looked back at Avaryn.
But he was gone.
“You won’t see me again.” Seliaryn heard, though he could not figure out where the voice was coming from. “And I don’t deserve any promises from you… but I still hope that you can promise me that you will keep her happy.”
Seliaryn scowled in the darkness.
He hated Avaryn.
He hated him so much.