The journey into Tireze had been mostly dull and hot. Cyrus wiped his forehead again and let out a heavy breath. "How do people stand the heat?"
Torcan was quick to provide the answer. "People stay inside their homes when the sun is at its peak, prince Cyrus. The houses remain cool thanks to the stone. When people do need to leave their homes, they carry sun shields."
Cyrus frowned. "It is unbearable. I would almost wish for rain."
Torcan laughed softly. "Trust me, prince Cyrus, when I say that when the rainy season starts, you will beg for the heat to return." With the rain came mud and with the mud mosquitos. It wasn't something to enjoy.
He sighed and let his eyes wander over the landscape. He had missed his home.
"You must be glad to be home," Iolaus had slowed his horse to side up with Torcan, "it has been a while."
Torcan nodded. After being taken as a child, he was always glad to see the sands of Tireze, though his family home wss far up North at the foot of the mountains. Salvire was a wealthy house with a vineyard and mews. It had been years since he had been there. He wondered how his younger brother was doing. He must be fourteen by now. The last time he had seen Mikos, his brother had been an infant. He probably wouldn't recognize him now.
His duties didn't leave him any room to return to his family. Darius was very demanding and Salve was too far from Tirzé for his family to visit court. Besides, his father had a province to rule. He couldn't afford to leave his home.
Torcan smiled sadly. Witnessing Iolaus greet his family only made Torcan miss his own home more. "We will arrive in Tirzé by nightfall if we keep this up," he said.
"Good," Cyrus growled, "I could use a bath."
"I am certain Darius will have made arrangements to accommodate you all," Torcan answered, "he will be sure to return your hospitality." His eyes roamed the road ahead. People were coming out of their houses to watch their entourage. Children gasped and pointed at Cyrus. Adults were whispering. As the large group passed, the people fell to their knees and bowed their heads.
Torcan sighed sadly at the clear sign of hunger in the land. Hopefully this alliance would change that. He turned to Cyrus. "Prince Cyrus, if you wish we can take a rest here. The village has a deep well. We can water the horses here and haul water for the rest of our journey." They still had a few hours to go and not many opportunities to fill their water skins. "We can rest in the shade of those buildings."
Cyrus thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I trust your judgement." He turned his horse. "We rest here!" he called out. He heard relieved sighs all throughout the company. He himself could use a break as well. No matter how much he would like to soak in water and clean the sweat and dirt from his body, he wasn't looking forward to another meeting with the Tirzé prince. So every minute he could postpone his visit would be welcome.
***
Vara trailed her fingers through the fountain as she listened to the musicians she had invited. Ophelia and Eudemas were sitting nearby in the small inner garden. It had been an uneventful day since she wasn't allowed to leave the palace grounds. She had sent one of the servants to the village to ask about Eunice's mother, Antonia, and had received word that nothing had changed. Antonia was still unresponsive. Vara wished she could visit her friend, but the king wouldn't let her leave without a guard. He had never bothered with that before, but after what the king had told her about the decree he had put up, she understood his reasoning, even if she wasn't happy with it.
Perhaps she could try to escape her guard by distracting him. She knew the king would expect a report on her whereabouts. Her safety was only an excuse for him to appoint someone to watch her.
She looked up when a servant entered the grounds. "Yes, Aeneas?" she asked when he bowed.
Aeneas cleared his throat. "My lady, the king is asking for you."
Vara sighed. This was it then. "Very well, where can I find him?"
"He is in the council room, my lady."
Vara nodded and motioned for the musicians to leave. "Thank you, Aeneas. I will go see him." She stood up and fixed her dress. "Do I look alright?" she asked her friends.
Ophelia stood up. "You look fine, Vee. Don't worry so much. We will go with you. It can't be that bad. You haven't had time to get in trouble yet." She smiled amused.
"He has probably found a warden for me," Vara commented with a roll of her eyes.
"Well then," Ophelia's voice took up a teasing note, "we should hurry then. The sooner you discover his weakness, the sooner you can try and shake him off. Don't look at me like that, Vara. Even the king knows you will try."
Eudemas giggled behind her hand.
Vara pouted. "You have no faith in me."
Ophelia smiled sweetly. "We just know you." She hooked her arm through Vara's. "Come on now. You shouldn't leave the king waiting." She pulled Vara with her into the palace. Eudemas followed close behind.
By the time they reached the council room the three were already laughing again.
"Vara," king Marcos drew their attention. He was standing at the far end of the room.
"You wished to see me?" Vara asked.
"Yes," king Marcos nodded, "I wanted you to meet your guard. He will accompany you everywhere from now on." The king motioned behind him and a young man stepped from the shadows with downcast eyes. "This is Iason."
...
Iason had been waiting patiently until the king called him forward. He stepped from the shadows and made sure to keep his eyes down.
"This is Iason," he heard the king say.
Iason dared to look up so he could see his charge. His eyes immediately locked onto the two servant girls he had met before. A faint smile appeared on his lips when he looked at the girl from the garden. Of course she was here. It only made sense since she was lady Vara's handmaiden.
Iason's eyes moved to lady Vara. She was pretty with light brown curls and mischievous grey eyes. She smiled at him pleasantly and he bowed. "My lady Vara. It is an honor to serve you."
Lady Vara's hand moved to her lips and she laughed softly. One of the servant girls let out a sigh and muttered something under her breath.
Even the king seemed amused. The man cleared his throat. "This is the lady Ophelia da Santi, a friend of Vara. That is lady Vara." He pointed at the girl from the garden.
She smiled at him and Iason's face turned red. He lowered his eyes and dropped to his knee. "Forgive me, my lady. I did not know whom I was speaking to. I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries. Please forgive me."
A hand fell on his shoulder. "Please don't kneel," he heard the garden girl say, "you'll damage your knee and it was only just healing."
Iason looked up into kind dark brown eyes. She wasn't angry? He had spoken to her as an equal, assumed she was a servant.
"Please stand up," Vara said.
"It seems you two are already acquainted," the king commented amused.
"Yes," Vara smiled, "we have met."
"I did not know who you were, my lady, or I would not have spoken to you so informally," Iason stammered. He felt like a fool. He should have known who she was. He should have realized she wasn't a servant. Why else would she have been in the royal gardens? And he had scolded her for picking flowers that were her own! He had seen her cry! But why. Why had she been crying?
"The fault is not yours," Vara assured him, "I did not tell you. It's nice to not have people bow to you all the time. I like it when people talk to me like I am a normal person. I may live here, but I'm just a village girl."
Behind her, Eudemas let out a sigh. "I told you you'd end up in trouble. I warned you about letting people believe you were a servant."
Vara rolled her eyes. "Yes, Eudemas, you are right." But her voice held a teasing tone.
"Hmmm," king Marcos mused, "I think it would be best if I did not ask. Vara, I expect you to listen to your guard and not make his task too difficult for him."
"Yes, my king," Vara answered.
King Marcos looked at Iason. "Good luck, young man. Protect her well."
Iason bowed. "I will not let you down, my king."
"Good," the king nodded.
"Does this mean I can leave the palace now?" Vara asked.
"As long as you let me know where you are going," the king sighed, "and when I need you at the palace, you will obey me."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Vara curtsied. "I would like to visit Dalós this afternoon and see how my friends are doing."
King Marcos sighed and waved his hand at her dismissively. "Go. Stay out of trouble. And please don't cause Iason any trouble. His task is challenging enough without you making it any worse."
Vara rolled her eyes. "Yes, my king." She smiled amused and curtsied again. "Coming?" she asked Iason with a teasing look in her eyes.
Iason bowed uncertainly and followed Vara out of the room. He was still feeling a little embarrassed. How could he have made such a mistake? But she had spoken to him so kindly. When he met her in the garden, she hadn't acted like a lady. He had seen the other girl before too. He now realized that girl really was lady Vara's maid. They seemed to be good friends. Did the lady treat all her servants as equals?
He watched her link arms with the lady Ophelia. Her maid trailed after them with a bemused expression. How could such a kind person cause any trouble? Perhaps the stories were exaggerated. She was a bit unusual, so perhaps that had earned her the reputation of a troublemaker. He couldn't imagine it. How much trouble could one young woman get herself into?
***
"What did I tell you about the silk sheets?! We need the blue ones, not the black! Go fix it!" Zara glared at the servants in anger. There were only a few hours left before the party from Zeir would arrive and the servants were utterly useless. She would have to ask her husband to replace the lot and she didn't like asking him anything. In general she tried to avoid him as much as possible. She despised him.
Back home with her tribe, men had admired her beauty. Darius barely even looked at her. The only time he paid her any attention was when he was pressing her for an heir again. Or when protocol demanded she was at his side for official gatherings.
She just wanted to be left alone. She had been glad that he was away in Zeir. She wished he would have stayed longer.
Now that Aurelios prince would come here, which meant Darius would want his wife at his side at some point. The only consolation Zara had was that Ariane would be suffering the same.
Zara smiled bitterly. Who had decided it was men that ruled this world? True power lied with women, who had the ability to conceive. Without women, men were nothing.
"Finally!" Zara threw her hands in the air when the servants returned with the right sheets. Everything had to be in order. Even if Ariane was married now, she would stay in the women's quarters for as long as she was here. She was no longer the king's daughter, but her husband's wife. Zara wasn't sure what was custom in Zeir, but in Tireze a wife only shared her husband's chambers if that husband demanded it.
At least for a while, Darius wouldn't press her for an heir again. Not as long as the delegation from Zeir was here. She didn't want a child only for it to be taken away from her.
Zara looked up annoyed when another servant appeared in the room and bowed deeply. "What?!" she asked in an irritated tone.
"His royal Highness prince Darius requests you to bathe and then join him in the courtyard."
"Requests," Zara scoffed. Demand was more like it. She narrowed her eyes at het servant who was patiently waiting for instructions. "I will abide by his command," she said haughtily.
The servant bit his lip and bowed. He knew he would have to be careful relaying that message, use more subtle words. Darius Tirzé was an ill-tempered man that didn't like defiance. Nor did he like being mocked, especially by a woman. And there was no telling what he would do to whomever brought him the message.
He carefully backed out of the room. He hoped things wouldn't get out of hand.
***
He had insisted he could ride a horse. She had been worried his knee was still troubling him. Even though she preferred to ride horseback herself, she would have chosen the carriage instead if he needed it.
Iason rode quietly behind the two girls. Vara and Ophelia were in light conversation with each other. Vara's maid had chosen to stay behind in the palace. Iason's eyes moved up when Vara's light laughter reached his ears. The sound of it triggered a smile on his face, but he forced it away. She wasn't the girl from the garden. She was a lady. And his charge at that. She was his superior.
Vara looked back over her shoulder. "You are so quiet, Iason. I feared we had lost you."
Iason inclined his head. "I did not want to disturb you. I am assigned to guard you. I will perform my duty, but I will make sure my presence does not bother you. You can pretend I am not here, my lady."
Vara frowned. Her happy mood from earlier had almost disappeared. "Not so long ago," she said, "I met this young man in the gardens. He was very nice and polite. He didn't care who I was. He was someone I would have liked to be friends with."
Iason looked down and frowned too. "If I had known who you were, my lady, I would have addressed you properly."
"Yes, I know," Vara said, "I am asking you not to. There are enough people bowing their heads and calling me pretty names. I don't need more people doing that."
"I am not of your status, my lady," Iason reminded her.
Vara sighed and looked at the village that had now become visible around the bend. "I was born here, did you know?"
Iason shook his head.
"Oh," Ophelia smiled amused, "she will give you the full tour now."
They halted the horses in the town's square. A young boy came to take them and led them towards the well. Vara turned to Euniece's house. Antonia was sitting on a chair outside in the shade. Vara knelt down in front of the woman. "Hello, aunt Antonia," she said softly and she placed a hand on the woman's arm. As expected there was no response. Vara kissed her cheek and walked inside with Iason following close behind.
"Eunice?" Vara called.
Her friend turned around from her chore. She had been folding laundry. When she recognized Vara, she smiled and embraced her. "Vara! It has been so long." She pulled back and held her friend at arm's length. "How have you been since the wedding? Are you alright?"
"I am fine," Vara assured her, "though I am happy to be away from the palace for a while. The king wouldn't let me go anywhere before finding me a guard."
Eunice glanced around Vara and studied Iason curiously. "He is a handsome one. What is his name?"
Vara laughed softly. "He can speak, Euniece."
Iason cleared his throat and bowed lightly. "My name is Iason, Miss."
Euniece blushed and a nervous giggle escaped her. She curtsied clumsily. "Euniece," she introduced herself, "now one's ever bowed to me before."
"You are a friend of lady Vara," Iason answered, "I should treat you with the same respect I show her."
Euniece glanced at Vara confused.
Vara rolled her eyes. "I will get him to drop the title. Tell me about you, Eunice, I saw aunt Antonia outside. How are things?"
Eunice smiled sadly. "Not much change, though mother seems to like fresh air. She's more relaxed outside, so we make sure she is comfortable and out of the heat."
"And Ethan?"
A loving smile appeared on Euniece's face. "He is wonderful. I am lucky with him as a husband. He is building a larger barn for the goats. Please thank the king again for his generosity. The village will benefit from his gifts. We'll have a nice flock next year to sell on the market. You should wait for him. He would love to see you."
"I would like that too," Vara smiled, "let me go get Ophelia. She came here with us. She is probably outside."
"Ah, isn't she Iolaus' fiancée?" Eunice asked.
Vara nodded. "She came to keep me company while Cyrus and Iolaus are away."
Euniece's eyes filled with sympathy and understanding. "You're going to be fine, Vee."
"I know," Vara smiled sadly, "let me bring Ophelia and we will prepare some food and wait for Ethan. Or we can bring it all outside and eat with your mother."
"That would be nice," Euniece agreed.
Vara turned and walked outside again. She found Ophelia sitting with Antonia, combing through the older woman's hair. "I was keeping Euniece's mother company," Ophelia smiled.
"We decided to have a meal together," Vara informed her, "I'm going to help Euniece prepare some food. When Ethan gets back, we can all eat out here. The weather is still nice." She looked at Iason. "You"ll join us, won't you?"
"I am on duty, my lady," Iason reminded her.
Vara sighed. "Soldiers on duty need to eat too, Iason." She crossed her arms. "No one is going to attack me here. Once we're back on the road, or somewhere in public, you can be my guard again. Now you are a guest in my friend's house."
"We are in public, my lady," Iason cast back.
Vara threw up her hands. "This isn't public! This is my family. And stop with the title. You can call me by first name."
There was a chuckle behind her. "You better listen to her, my friend, or she'll raise hell."
Vara whirled around. "Ethan!" she beamed and she threw her arms around his neck.
Ethan's chest rumbled with laughter. "Good to see you, Vee. Who's your friend?"
Vara gestured towards Iason. "This is Iason. He was appointed my guard. And you may know Ophelia."
Ethan inclined his head. "Lady Ophelia, it is an honor."
Ophelia nodded at him and Ethan turned to Iason. He held out his hand for the man to shake. "Welcome, Iason. I'm Ethan. I hope our little troublemaker isn't trying your patience."
Vara slapped his chest. "You're making me look bad."
Ethan smirked. "You don't need me for that, Vee. Your actions speak for themselves."
"Oh!" Vara feigned insult, I'm going inside to Euniece. At least there I am appreciated!" She stuck up her nose and walked back inside, leaving both Ethan and Ophelia laughing.
When Iason was about to follow Vara, Ethan stopped him. "Relax a moment. Nothing is going to happen to her in there, or do you think my wife will attack her?"
Iason looked at Ethan. "I have a duty towards my king. I have to make sure she is safe."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Does that involve haunting her every step? Will you follow her to the latrines too? Battle her nightmares?"
Iason glanced at the door, looking a little lost. In truth, he had never had an assignment like this. He was a soldier, not trained to be a bodyguard. Of course what Ethan said made sense, but he wasn't quite sure how else to perform his duties.
Ethan sighed. "Alright. Look, we can leave the door open. You can still keep an eye on her that way and make sure she doesn't make a run for it."
Iason swallowed difficultly, suddenly remembering something the king had said when still deciding who to choose for a guard. "He was serious about that?"
Ethan chuckled. "How well do you know Vara exactly?"
"We met twice, but I did not know who she was. I mistook her for a servant girl." He was still ashamed about that.
Ophelia laughed. "Don't worry, you are not the only one. The crown prince of Tireze had a similar experience. You are taking it far better than him from what I have heard."
Ethan laughed too. "You are a brave man, Iason, taking up the position as Vara's personal guard." He slapped Iason's shoulder. "A word of advice, my friend, lighten up a little. She doesn't like being called by title. She told you to call her by first name. You'll find she's much easier to handle, trust me. She'll only defy you otherwise."
Iason glance inside where Vara and Eunice were both covered in flour from making flatbread for their meal. She had turned back from the lady to the girl in the garden, though now that he knew who she was, it was hard to think of her in any other way. She got along with others so easily and he wondered how she had ended up in the palace when she had been born here. She seemed at ease here with common people, more than in the palace with nobility.
"Come," Ethan broke his thoughts, "let us get some chairs so we can sit here. The girls are almost finished. And then we can tell you stories about Vee when she was still a child."
"I heard you Ethan!" Vara called from inside, "if you know what's good for you, you won't breathe a word!"
"Aw but Vee, it is only fair if the man knows what he's getting himself into. You're a handful." He smirked and caught the apple Vara had thrown at his head.
Iason watched it all confused. This girl was not at all what he had expected. Being lady Vara's guard would prove to be a very interesting challenge.
He just hoped it wouldn't be the end of him.