Below the Peak (Sola)(64)
“Yes, Your Majesty” surprisingly her voice came out steady, unaffected by the superiority of the king. The king turned his scrutinizing gaze at his silent son.
“King Lorenz of Murisa tried to strike an alliance with us for an army in return we could fetch from the well of Var. However, I declined” Calemir recounted the short visit to Vessener in elvish as the king was expecting him to do while keeping it short.
“Does the human king not know of the old rule of Var?” King Gwainor questioned.
“He is aware of the rule. Still, he disregarded it,” Calemir replied.
The king’s eyes slightly creased at the corners, his face a hard mask to know what was going in his mind. Calemir knew better, he knew his father well enough to see he wanted to query him farther about everything during his absence but chose not too for now.
“Your Majesties I request permission I and my wife to leave for Uruloki.”
His father looked at him to her.
“You’ve married her?” his mother asked, stunned.
“Yes, to save father I had no choice but to marry her or the king of Murisa wouldn’t have granted permission to take the water of Var” he replied, his gaze focused on his father as he said this. He baited his father to speak by challenging him with his eyes. To say his marriage to her displeased him. His father’s jaw tightened and said nothing except for the contempt which burned in his eyes let Calemir know what he felt. His father won’t say a thing because he just saved him.
Huh? What was new? He thought sarcastically. Same old feelings, nothing has changed his perception of him. It never matters what I do.
“What do you think of your new daughter?” the queen asked the king.
“She is a human,” the king said dully before changing the subject. “You cannot leave today. There are important matters concerning the kingdom that need to be discussed with the leaders of the houses.”
“Yes, Sire” Calemir responded.
The queen smiled, clapped her hands once and ordered the two guards in the room, “Then go spread the news of this union. The kingdom of Forod has gained a new princess.”
His mother’s enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed by him. He reserved the thought to ponder on it later.
“May we take our leave Your Majesties?” Calemir requested. The king turned his piercing eyes back to Nara before motioning to the doors with his fingers. Bowing once again, Calemir muttered to Nara, “Let us go” before trekking together from the room.
They found Gilnith waiting outside once the doors closed behind them. The prince ordered the maid to take her back to her room as he disappeared to whoever knows where. Nara stayed in the room and didn’t leave. Her only visitors were two maids who had come to bring her more clothes and took her clothing and feet measurements. It hadn’t been easy for the girl who was tasked with taking the measurements when she had made a mistake of touching her bare wrist and tried to make her stand in a certain pose. Nara had pulled back and hissed at her. Awkward and quickly, the maids hurried out after being done, leaving her alone to her devices. Taking a sit at the edge of the soft bed, Nara struggled to stay awake. She couldn’t allow herself in this strange room, surrounded by even more strange people she didn’t know whether to actually believe as allies or still enemies. Still to no avail, with each minute that ticked off, Nara yawned more and her eyes lulled until the blinking she was doing became useless. Reluctantly giving in, she laid on the bed and promised herself she would just take a short nap. It wasn’t until later in the evening did she jolt from her sleep with the knocking at her door. Looking dazed, she wondered where she was as she took in the big room, the strange feeling bed and everything that wasn’t hers. It didn’t take long for the events that occurred recently to dawn on her. She abruptly sat up and kept keen eyes on the door as she said, “Enter.”
Gilnith with two other women shadowed the doorway. One carried a chest box and another a robe. They bowed, and Gilnith spoke. “Your Highness we are here to assist you in getting ready for the celebration feast.”
“Feast?” she asked.
“Yours and His highness union” Gilnith answered. The three other servants whispered at that and suddenly dropped their gaze to the floor when Nara flicked a glance their way.
Gilnith for a second time bowed, “Please forgive me for my earlier incompetence of not addressing you correctly Your Highness. If I had known you’re a princess, I wouldn’t have done such a grave mistake.”
“Your apology is unnecessary. I’m also not a princess.” Nara corrected. Nara chewed on her lip irritably when Gilnith started giving the command to the one with the robe to wait for her in adjoining bathing chamber. The servant arranged a silvery-blue embroidered clothing and undergarments neatly on the bed.
Nara watched captivated for a second as the maid twisted and fiddled with the device mounted on the large bathtub until it released water. It was fascinating.
“What magic is this,” she asked, fascinated. The girl stared at her, not understanding what she said.
“It is no magic. It’s a tool that controls the flow of water from the hot springs in the mountains.” Gilnith replied instead, her voice light with mirth.
She waited for the tub to fill before removing her clothes. Nara hadn’t had to ask them to turn away so she could undress for the bath, Gilnith bets her to it when she ordered the girl to do it. The silence was awkward as the women tried not to look or assist in her bathing and occupied themselves in cleaning her bedchamber as she continued to soak in the bathtub. Stepping from the tub, Nara robbed herself and walked back into the sleeping room. She looked out the window and noticed the waning sun. The evening had begun to settle over the sky.