Alexander took me on a tour of the castle. While touring, he made good on his promise to share his past with me. First, he told me the basics, the three basics, as I would call them. They were the same here as they were back in Larska, favorite foods, music, and personal hobbies. I was surprised swordplay wasn't on his list, but even more surprised, gardening was.
He told me about his childhood, or lack thereof, how his mother and father were taken away from him at an early age, and how it happened. The events of that night still haunted him. He didn't disclose many of the details that surrounded that horrible memory, but what he did offer to share, left me feeling great pity for the child he spoke of in the story, for him.
He said the throne of Berthold was almost seized by one of the northern settlements, by a spy. The lone spy had taken hold of Lahre Sari, and slain most of Alexander's father's court. He cut down Alexander's father and mother, both, with the kingdom's sword, Lahre Sari. Alexander watched helplessly, petrified from the brutality that was dealt to his parents.
The only good thing he could say about the cowardly spy was that he did not draw out their deaths, he gave it to them quickly, so quickly that they didn't have any time to suffer.
The rules of the kingdom stood, that any man could take the throne by force. Once conquered, the man must hold the sacred steel of the kingdom's sword and fight all who opposed him. If there were none to fight, then the kingdom would be handed over to the challenger once he or she sat upon the throne.
Luckily, the spy didn't make it into the heavily guarded throne room. He was cut down by the visiting king of Ati Harei, King Phillip Stronghold. The Northern King and his knights presented young Alexander with his kingdom's sword and protection. Alexander was much too young to run Berthold, so the lone surviving Council, Simon, took over dealing with most of Berthold's involving matters. And his first order of business was to repay the Northern King on his courageous act. Simon knew the Northern King could have easily taken Berthold as his own, but King Phillip was in Berthold for his own reasons. He had a daughter, and had hoped to join Berthold and Ati Harei, by arranging marriage between their children.
And so, Simon repaid the Kingdom of Ati Harei, by promising Alexander's hand to the Northern King's daughter, Charon.
From Alexander's description of her, she sounded like a very beautiful person through and through, deserving of the seat that she would take beside him. He said she was always mingling with the public, doing all she could to help, a real humanitarian. But as he spoke further of his betrothed, I could hear how he strained to speak pleasantly of her, the enthusiasm he projected on her behalf was artificial and sad.
His upcoming marriage to her would not be easy.
The days following our discussion, were filled with books, and study. I spent most of the week alone, working day and night, learning all I could about the gods, their stories, and their words. As I studied the words of the God's, it was just as Alexander said it would be, the words were easily retained, and soon I could read them fluently without help.
In my free time, I would visit with Alexander and he would converse with me in the Old God Language, and I would reply with all the new words I had learned that day. He fed me his knowledge generously, and was patient with my lack of experience. For someone so strong, and brave, his intellectual side did not suffer. He was a dreamer, a philosopher if you will. He'd go on for hours about the sciences that were taught back in Larska, claiming them to be false, that they were used as a pathetic attempt to control the enslaved in the settlements. He was so passionate about his theory, that I felt he was right. I mean, how could there be magic, and gods, if there were set laws in the universe that rendered them impossible.
He loved his land and the people who lived in it. He truly did. And they loved him. I could feel it. He was their protector, their savior.
This was my third dinner with Alexander this week. I sat at the end of a very long dining table. My small hands were folded politely on my lap as I listened to him. My eyes followed him as he paced from end to end of the table; he was giving me a history lesson on Berthold, telling me about each King that had sat upon the carved throne. Each of those men was a blood relative; his great - great grandfather was King Richard Blair, Berthold's founder. Succeeding him, King Alexander Blair - Alexander's father found it fitting to honor his late grandfather by reviving his name once more. Then there was his grandfather, King Sterling Blair, who had died the morning of Alexander's third birthday. And finally, there was his father, Ryan Blair... When he went to speak his name, he said it informally, he did not address him by the inconsequential titles he held, only by name - a name that when spoken was touched with a sentimental affection that only a loving son could give.
My heart clung to every word he spoke this evening, for the night before I had read from the pages of Strare Harei. There were things written within that book that were unsettling to me. One thing in particular weighed heavy on my heart tonight. It made me second guess my character - it was testing me.
"Alanis," He repeated several times, as I was in deep thought.
I had written a letter to the 'Old Man', Julian, for an item. I had hoped the raven I had clipped the letter to would have reached him by now. And by this time tomorrow-
His hand squeezed my shoulder, "You've been lost in thought all night. Do you mind sharing whatever it is that's on your mind?"
I answered without really comprehending what he said, "I was thinking."
"Oh, I hadn't noticed." He teased as he pulled out the tall seat beside me and sat in it casually.
He leaned over my plate and plucked the fork from my placed silverware. The silver prongs met with a candied piece of fruit on my untouched dessert plate. "You haven't touched your food. You should at least try it. I had my chef make this specially for you." He commented and plopped the sticky fruit into his mouth. "It's good too." He shoveled another plump piece, of what looked to be strawberries and pomegranate onto the fork.
His hand hovered to where I sat; the fork and dessert neared my mouth. The sweet aroma was tempting, but I was still anxious with the secret I was keeping from him. I wanted to tell him about my discovery. It was a great surprise, a life changing surprise that only I could give. But I couldn't tell him just yet, I wasn't sure if I had what it took to complete the ritual that the spell entailed. Once I received reply from the letter I wrote to Julian, I would see what I was really made out of - at least that's what I thought would happen.
He smiled warmly waiting for me to take the bite that was prepared for me. I took the bite, timidly from the fork he had just used. With each chew the sautéed fruit would release quenching bursts of flavor. I swallowed slowly savoring the sweet tartness that followed.
"Well," he said, while resting the fork on my plate.
"It's delicious." I answered and took a drink of dry red wine to wash the lingering taste of the sweet fruit away.
"Could you -" I paused, knowing I shouldn't have started that thought. "Never mind..."
"Go on, I know something is troubling you. Better to let it go now, before it festers."
I sat the glass back on the table. "It was a personal question. I don't want you to take it the wrong way... It was just an out loud thought that escaped me."
"Remember our talk yesterday, about trust?"
"Yes."
How could I forget, I was angered because every little thing I did was being reported back to him and his Council. Of course it wasn't kept secret, it was thrown about casually as if it wasn't insulting to me - that's what bothered me most about it. I had told Alexander the day before that I would rather his men keep their monitoring of me discreet, that I would be more inclined to spring the surprise attack they were waiting for, when I wasn't feeling the weight of their watchful eyes. He sympathized and asked his men to ease up.
"Everything that is happening between us, right now, is private. We can talk amongst each other like adults, as friends." He assured me.
I blinked, "I was wondering something about you, was all... I wanted to know how you are always able to keep it together. Like, when we fought the dragon you were fearless... you had no doubt, and you would have fought it till your death if it came down to it. Where does it come from, your drive? How did you let go of the human need to be selfish, let go of the desire to preserve your life, and disregard your safety for others."
He laughed, which was unsettling at first. Not because it was rude, or impolite, just because I could tell he didn't think of himself that way. He needed to know that what he did was commendable - that he was amazing.
"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse my poor behavior." His gray eyes lowered with his apology. "It's really quite moving that you believe in such things. The fact that I laughed so nervously at your statement shows I am capable of experiencing fear... it shows my weaknesses."
"But even so, you don't let that hinder your actions... from doing what is right."
He smiled, "So what you're really questioning is my sanity."
"No, I simply want to know, why... I've been wondering what makes you so -" I stopped and searched for the right word, something strong and protective. As his gaze met my position, the description I was searching for came to mind and I continued with one belted word. "heroic..."
His earlier smile melted into his soft answer, "Love."
The reply he gave was unexpected and strong, stronger than the words I used to describe him and his actions with. And when he said that word, it was all I needed to convince me to do the right thing, for him.
"It's the love of my kingdom, and the people who live within it. That is what makes it so. When you have something so great, you wish to protect it with all of your heart."
I shifted in my seat, "If only every man could have a Kingdom of his own to protect - the world would be a better place."
The air between us was thin, and short, too short to conceal the affection that carried in my voice for him.
"Night has fallen, and I know your day tomorrow will be filled with preparation." I spoke up while sliding my seat back.
Tomorrow James and Andrew would be back from their task to retrieve blessed cloth from Halliwell, the Divine Kingdom - Terra's First Kingdom. Alexander's Court had requested several meetings with him to discuss the planning of the ceremony. He had pushed it back so many times that he could no longer refuse them. I truly felt bad for him, not because I was attracted to him and wanted to have him all for myself - I just didn't think it was fair, that his future was decided for him when he was only a child. He was such a gentle person, who deserved something good. In all honesty I would have rather seen him happy.
"Would you like me to walk you home tonight?" He asked while standing with me.
"Of course," my real reply got lost in that simple answer, it would have been bolder and carefree if he was any other man. How I wished I could forget that fact, but I was wise not to. I took his offered arm and we walked through the castle doors together.
The stars were shining brightly against the thick blanketing clouds that were plowing across the night sky. A pair of his higher ranked Knights trailed behind us, giving us just enough space to have a private talk, as we walked - not that we were - I was still overcome with nervousness over his intimate gesture to walk me home.
"The dessert you chose was lovely." I found myself making horrible small talk, and feared that tell-tale sign would alert him to my tension.
He smiled, "How do the skies fair tonight?"
"A-ha, finally, something you can't touch." I teased and examined the skies for him. "If the clouds weren't in the way, you'd be able to see the start of Berthold's constellation. But the stars that can be seen... they're stunning, because they are so scarce." I added with a smile, thinking happily to myself that he was going to see them for himself someday soon.
"Ah, the dreaded snow clouds." His croaked reply billowed from his lips. "I trust my Council sent over thick cloaks and garments for you to wear."
"They did."
"And firewood?"
"Yes," I laughed cheerfully, wondering if he was going to ask me anymore questions. Unfortunately, my house was nearby, causing my soft laughter to decline.
He looked over at me, his linked arm tightened around mine. "Hmm, not ready to return home."
"Why - would you say that?"
An overly zealous smile spread across his lips, "Your walk has become increasingly sluggish."
"I... hadn't noticed." I replied mortified.
"We can walk longer if you'd like."
"I'd like that, but will your men mind?"
He chuckled, "Don't worry about them."
I smiled and we continued to walk.
"So, did you find any spells in Strare Harei that would cleanse -" He paused and whispered. "The Sorrow."
I replied lowly, "There was no mention of them... the book is filled with many useful recipes for potions and-"
"Hey," he stopped our walk, near an old thick oak. "don't worry we'll figure something out."
"I'm - not. I've still got plenty of time." I replied, in the whole week that I had worn the medallion the face was still unchanged. I had treated it with the utmost care, often waking from sleep to check on it as if my watchful eye kept the spell strong.
We started our walk again, the tree we stopped under rustled gently behind us.
"So what kinds of spells are locked away within Strare Harei?"
"Mostly restorative... but there are several larger tricks."
"Such as."
"Teleportation... Flight - though I'm a bit wary on that one. There are others but... I honestly didn't really read as much as I skimmed."
"You learned a second language. Give yourself some credit, you are entitled to it after all." He lowered his head to a young couple that was walking up the soft slope we were traveling down.
"Lord Alexander, Lady Oraur lahre." The green-eyed female spoke graciously, her youthful suitor, stumbled while making himself descent. He stood quietly beside her.
"First snow has fallen down in the foothills below. It's a sure sign from the Gods that your upcoming union will be blessed." She curtsied with her blessing.
"Thank you for your kind words." Alexander's head bowed then rose. "You say it's snowing already?" He asked turning the conversation away from his upcoming wedding as I had seen him do countless times this past week.
"Yes, my lord, just a little ways down the path we came."
My eyes searched the skies, there was no trace of open sky any longer - we were trapped under the glass of winter, trapped within the snow globe.
"Lady Alanis has yet to see real snowfall." Alexander commented.
"Oh, it's beautiful." She exclaimed to me. "The lit street lanterns are catching the flurries like sparkling crystals. It's just a ten minute walk back behind us. Though-" She stopped and adjusted her furs as a large gust of wind roared by. She giggled while finishing her thought. "Though, it may catch up to you before you get there."
We said our goodbyes to the young couple and walked a little further until we were greeted by the first sprinkles of snow. They were delightful to watch as they tumbled through the night air, never touching the ground - it was Mother Nature's grand illusion, the dancing of eternal snowflakes. I smiled while catching one in the palm of my hand, it melted instantly, leaving no solid evidence that it really ever existed, but it left its cold, soft touch deep in my memory.
I leaned back on the wooden bench we were perched. My head spun around as I heard Alexander's soft laughter. He was listening to a group of children who were screaming playfully further up the path. They were running wild through the frigid streets laughing, playing, catching flurries on their tongues.
"They're happy now, but in a few weeks they'll be miserable." He muttered while smiling, the cold breeze caught his hood, causing it to fall away to his back. His silver hair caught the light just as brilliantly as the beautiful tufts of white that fell. But that was nothing compared to his eyes, and the light they held.
I took hold of his hood and pulled it back in place over his head. Warm breath wisped from my mouth as I caught his eyes again, my clinging hands dropped gently from his placed hood to my lap. He was looking at me as if he could see me, but it could have been the way the light caught his eyes. I looked away nervously, while shivering against the wind.
"You're cold."
"No, I'm not." I tried my best to conceal my trembling words.
His arms uncrossed from his chest and he blanketed me within his warm cloak. I inhaled the crushed red velvet that lined the layered furs as he adjusted it over my shoulders; it reeked fantastically of his desirable scent.
"Let me take you home. We'll walk together again in better weather," he promised.
He walked me back to the guest house.
"Thank you for walking me home, and for keeping me warm - with your borrowed furs." My hands lifted to my shoulders to remove his cloak.
"It was my pleasure." He stepped back away from the raised threshold and bowed his head. "Keep it, it's seen me through many winters. This being your first - you'll need it more than I will."
"You're too kind."
His hand lifted, and I placed my hand into his open hand, accustomed, to the gallant gesture he was about to bestow upon me. And like a charmed fool, I flushed from head to toe as the butterflies awoke within my stomach. They fluttered just as quickly as the snowflakes had earlier.
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I curled up on the armchair that had doubled as my bed for the past week - I found it easier to fall asleep when I was working on something, and it was that little trick that fooled my mind into letting go of my concerns. I watched Strare Harei, it sat on the table next to my resting head. My eyes closed fearfully, blocking the image of the book, clearing it from my mind, before I got swept away in horrible thoughts again.
Mani sahre A'avi. The night before I had read that spell in its entirety - every word in that passage was burned into my memory. There was no washing it away. The fear it instilled initially was unwavering. The spell was a gift, a gloriously beautiful gift, that troubled me. It was in fact a gift of sight... but it was not without consequence. And it was that fear that hindered me. The fear of the ritual that followed the heart of the spell, the words... but after tonight, that fear didn't bite as hard as it had the night before. I sighed, snuggling shamefully into my newly acquired gift. My fingers stroked the soft fabric of the cloak steadily, repeating the same soft pattern until I fell asleep.
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A/N: As always this is unedited, please excuse the sloppiness. Let me know if you liked it. :D