Her entourage was scattered all around the room, consumed by their own activities. Vara mostly ignored them. She knew she was supposed to 'entertain' the young ladies that visited court, but it seemed her presence alone provided enough entertainment.
It was really just her company they were after anyway, something they could brag about to their friends at home. As if being in the same room with her gave them some sort of status.
She didn't even know most of these people. And some, like Giulia, who had disappointingly enough remained at court, she didn't care to know.
A few of the women were quietly conversing with each other while working on some creation with thread and a needle. Others were playing board games. At the window, Juliette was focused on her drawing while her sister arranged flowers in a nearby vase. In the background, musicians were playing their instruments.
Vara let out a heavy sigh and continued looking out of the window.
Iason, who was standing at her shoulder, leaned towards her. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Is there something you need, my lady?" He could see she was distracted.
Vara smiled and shook her head. "I just don't like gatherings like this," she answered quietly, carefully making sure no one would be able to overhear. "It's all just pretense. I'm just doing what's expected of me. Look at them. They are all occupied with their own activities. What difference would my presence make? If I left now they wouldn't even notice."
"Then why don't you?" Iason asked curiously.
Vara pulled a face. "They might not notice, the king would surely hear of it and he will not be amused."
"Can't you feign illness?"
An amused smile appeared on Vara's face. "You, my friend, are a bad influence."
Iason answered her smile, a teasing glint in his eyes. "I doubt that would be possible with all the stories I've heard about your whereabouts."
His comment made her laugh. She was glad he wasn't so reserved anymore in her presence.
Her laughter caused some of the ladies look up at her expectantly. "It seems something amuses you, lady Vara," one of the women spoke.
Vara recognized Giulia's voice and resisted the urge to scowl. "Indeed it does," Vara nodded and she smiled politely.
"Would you mind sharing it with us?" Giulia continued.
Why the girl still wanted to get into her good graces was a mystery to Vara. She disliked Giulia, but either the girl was oblivious to that fact or she just did not care. Perhaps she still wanted to get close to Cyrus.
Vara kept a polite smile. "It was a private joke, lady Giulia. I did not mean to disturb the rest of you."
Giulia's smile turned catlike and her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit. Most likely she still held a grudge for what happened with her dress when she thought Vara was a servant. "You make us curious lady Vara."
Vara's smile grew wider, but didn't reach her eyes. Her expression became a little colder. "If you insist. My guard was commenting on something that reminded me how a mistaken identity can lead to trouble. I will not bore you with the details, but it was quite funny." Satisfaction rippled through her when she saw Giulia stiffen, a light red tinting the girl's cheeks.
Behind Vara, Juliette was stifling a laugh, having heard the story from Iolaus when he had stayed the night before traveling to Tirèze.
She wasn't the only one trying to hide amusement.
Vara smiled innocently. "You had to have been there to find it amusing."
Giulia gritted her teeth. "I imagine so. Thank you for sharing that with us."
"My pleasure," Vara smiled and turned to the rest of the ladies. "I hope you will forgive me if I take my leave now. I am otherwise engaged."
The ladies all curtsied as Vara strode out of the room with Iason at her heels. Once she was out on the hallway, with the door firmly between her and the rest of the room, she let out a sigh. "So annoying," she muttered.
"I gather you and lady Giulia do not get along," Iason commented carefully.
Vara narrowed her eyes. "She is determined to sink her claws into Cyrus, even when he is not interested. She acts like she is the queen already."
"I can see why that vexes you."
"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Vara snapped at him.
Iason wasn't deterred by her tone of voice. He offered her a sad smile. "They will return any day now," he said, knowing full well she missed Cyrus' company.
Vara sighed. "They've been gone such a long time. I'm ready for Cyrus to take over the role of dutiful child again. Let him deal with the courtiers and tax reports."
Iason didn't know how to respond to that. It was obvious to him that Vara didn't enjoy playing princess, but she was the king's daughter, even if not by blood, and there was no changing that.
Outside, there was the sound of hooves against the stone. Vara moved towards the window and peered outside. A gasp escaped her lips and a smile appeared on her face. Gathering her skirts, she turned and sprinted down the stairs.
Iason hurried to catch up with her.
...
Iolaus looked up when he heard hurried footsteps come his way. He caught the girl just in time to avoid crashing to the ground. "Such a warm welcome. I didn't know you had missed me this much, Vee." He chuckled lightly.
Vara pulled away and smiled. "When did you return?"
"Just now," Iolaus answered while handing his horse to a stable boy, "it's good to be home. Dealing with Cyrus when he's moody is enough of a trial, but adding Darius Tirzé is enough to send a man to an early grave."
Vara scrunched her nose. "So much for not being an ass all the time," she said.
"Hm?" Iolaus questioned.
"Nothing," Vara shook her head, "speaking of Cyrus, where is he?"
"Lady Vara!" Iason jogged up to the pair and tried to catch his breath. That girl sure could run. "You shouldn't run off like that. The king will have my head."
Iolaus looked from Vara to Iason with a curious expression. "Iason?" he asked.
Iason looked up and made a light bow. "My lord Iolaus."
Iolaus grinned and shook his head. "We are both soldiers her, Iason. There's no need to be formal."
Vara blinked confused. "You two know each other?"
"Lord Iolaus' father is my family's landlord, my lady," Iason explained.
"Right," Vara said, "I remember now."
"That may be true," Iolaus said, "but we were both trained to become soldiers here. We were in the same squad. That makes us brothers." He slapped Iason's shoulder. "I am curious to know why you are escorting this little troublemaker."
"His Majesty the king has appointed me lady Vara's personal guard," Iason answered.
"I see," Iolaus smirked, "I hope she's not causing you too much trouble."
"Funny, Iolaus," Vara scowled, "where did Cyrus go? Did he not return with you?"
Iolaus' face became serious and he offered Vara a sad smile. "He and Ariane are with king Marcos. It may take a while. They have to discuss their visit with king Xerex and prince Darius."
"Of course," Vara nodded, "I understand. I will see them at dinner then." A smile appeared on her face. "You should go inside though and greet your sisters. They have been staying here at court. I'm sure they will be glad to see you now that you have returned."
"You invited my sisters, did you? I'd better find a place to hide then," but he was grinning widely.
Vara slapped his chest. "Shame on you, Iolaus," but she was smiling too, "you better hope I won't tell them what you just said."
"You can't be that cruel, Vee," Iolaus said, "they'll make my life hell. I have enough to endure with you and Cyrus."
Vara raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She did not look amused. "Keep talking, Iolaus. You're only digging yourself a deeper grave."
Iolaus chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I've missed you too, Vee."
"Yeah of course, you just try to talk yourself out of it," but she was already smiling again.
Iolaus grinned and looked at Iason. "Take good care of this one. Don't let her out of your sight." He watched as Iason gave a serious nod and turned to Vara again. I have to report now too. Then I will find my sisters. I will see you later."
Vara nodded and watched him go. She sighed. Even now that they had returned, she still felt alone. Things would be so different now. She sighed again and turned to look at Iason. "Can we go back to the training grounds? I need to be distracted."
Iason gave a solemn nod. "Of course we can. We will say as long as you like."
Vara smiled at him sadly. "Thank you, Iason. I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you."
"You are no burden, my lady."
Her smile turned warmer and she pressed his arm. "Thank you."
Iason answered her smile hesitantly. "You are more than welcome, my lady. Now, let us see how much you have improved since last time you held a bow."
Vara's smile turned mischievous. "Only one way to find out."
***
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Darius?" Torcan stared at the sealed document in his hands.
"Are you questioning my decisions?" Darius asked coldly.
"No, of course not," Torcan answered, "but how will the nomad tribes take this? Your father has worked hard to get their support. They are proud. If you set your wife aside, their princess, you risk insulting them."
"I'm not setting her aside. I'm just replacing her position. My father is right when he says I need an heir. This is just a way of making sure I'll have one. Zara can join the other concubines. She won't have to worry about sharing my bed and I won't have to deal with her ever again. Everybody happy. Why are you pleading her case? You despise her and she hates you."
"It's not her I worry about," Torcan said, "it's the kingdom. If you marry one of the daughters of Lavos, the entire country will hear of it, the nomads included."
"We will deal with that when the time comes. Besides, the nomads have many wives as well. If one doesn't provide children, they take another. They even take their servants for wives. When Zara's father learns she's withholding what is rightfully mine, he will not only accept my decision, he will give his blessing. Now, don't stand around any longer. Give that document to our fastest rider. Lavos is a long way. I want this dealt with as soon as possible."
Torcan withheld a sigh and bowed. "It will be done, my prince." He straightened and walked out of the room. Even though he would be glad to see Zara gone, he hoped nothing bad would come of this. They couldn't afford civil war. With most of the men fighting in Zeir, they were quite vulnerable.
He handed the document to a rider outside and watched the man until he was out of sight. "Darius," he muttered, "I hope you know what you are doing."
***
Vara wiped the tears from her eyes. "The look on his face when my arrow landed in his pastry! I thought he'd never get over the shock."
Iason shook his head in amusement. "I think you may have scarred him for life, my lady."
"I wasn't going to hit him," Vara pouted.
"Perhaps, but he had no way of knowing that."
"Such a lack of faith in my abilities," Vara entered her chambers and froze on the spot when she saw a figure in the chair in front of her vanity. The person looked up when she entered and smiled at her widely.
"Cyrus," Vara said startled.
Cyrus stood up and walked up to her. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly. "Causing mischief again? I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?"
Vara answered his embrace and pulled back, but his arms kept her in place. "I missed you, Vee. I haven't seen you all day."
Vara sighed and offered him a smile. "Iolaus said you and Ariane were within closed quarters with your father. He said it might take a while, so I figured we could talk at dinner."
From the corner of his eyes, Cyrus noticed the young man that was still at Vara's shoulder. He narrowed his eyes. "What is the meaning of this? Who are you and what are you doing in Vara's quarters? Get lost, man, before I have you removed."
"Cyrus..." Vara began, but Iason bowed his head. His voice was polite, but there was no mistaking his tone.
"Forgive me, your Highness, but your father the king has appointed me lady Vara's personal guard. I am to stay with her wherever she goes."
Cyrus glared at him annoyed. "Well, there is no need to guard her from anything in her own chambers, especially now that I am here."
Iason bit back a comment that was sure to get him on the prince's bad side. He had no doubt the king had appointed him for this situation specifically.
"Cyrus please..." Vara said in another attempt to remove herself from his arms. She wondered if he did not realize he was still holding her or was ignoring the fact that it made her uncomfortable.
Iason's expression became colder when he noticed this. His eyes were fixed on Cyrus. "His Majesty gave specific orders, Your Highness. Only he can release me from my duties. I need to stay at the lady's side." His eyes moved to Cyrus' arms around Vara. "I am here to make sure no harm will befall her."
Cyrus narrowed his eyes. "You insolent..."
"Iason," Vara interrupted. She looked at him with a pleading look, "it's quite alright. I'll be perfectly safe. Please wait outside for me." When he seemed reluctant to leave, she smiled assuring. "This won't take long."
Still reluctant, Iason bowed at her. "My lady." With a warning look at Cyrus, one that was probably far too bold for his position, he backed out of the room.
Cyrus finally let go of Vara, but only to slam the door shut after Iason. Then he turned back to Vara. "Don't worry, Vara. I'll talk to father. I understand he was looking out for your safety while we were away, but now that we have returned Iolaus can take up that task again."
Vara shook her head. "No Cyrus. He can't. Iolaus is your manservant. And now that you are married, his duties are with Ariane."
Cyrus gritted his teeth. "Then go with Ariane. Spend time together."
Vara gave him an awkward look. Spending time with Ariane was the last thing she wanted. And she knew Cyrus had ulterior motives, because spending time with Ariane would mean spending time with him too. "I don't think that is a good idea, Cyrus," she said, "Ariane will feel awkward and I'm not sure how Felix will respond to that."
"Felix?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow, "Felix Matís? What does that peacock have to do with anything?"
Vara cleared her throat. Now was as good a time as any. "He has asked for my hand in marriage. The king is considering him. I am scheduled to meet with him tomorrow."
Cyrus scoffed. "Well, father sure doesn't waste time, does he?" His eyes were filled with anger.
"What did you expect, Cyrus?" Vara was suddenly annoyed too. This wasn't exactly how she had imagined their reunion. "You are married, now. We're not children anymore."
"I can't help how I feel," Cyrus answered heatedly, "it is you I want."
Vara looked at him sadly. "We both knew that was never a possibility."
His hand found her cheek. "I can't stand the thought of you with another man."
Vara took his hand from her face and kissed the back of it. "You're going to have to. You promised me you'd try."
"That doesn't change the way I feel. And you can see as many suitors as you want, it won't change the way you feel either." His shoulder bumped hers on the way out. She didn't watch him leave. His words stung, because she knew he was right. She would always love him.
This was far from over.