Chapter 29
King Collin frowned at his daughter. “Vision?”
Amara blushed. “Yes… I have had them since I was very young. I used to tell you about them, but you… roundaboutly asked me not to; implying that they were nothing more than my imagination.”
“Hmm,” Collin responded, unwilling to admit he remembered something to that effect. “Tell us about your vision.”
Amara blushed, and pulled her hand from Gabriel’s. She turned so that she was facing her father completely. “There is only one thing that will make the Emperor agree to a truce – a real and lasting truce. The one thing that will, in a way, be a victory over us, and a good reason to end the war. You see, if he lets us win, he opens up the door to allowing other – once separate – kingdoms to rebel and break free.” She explained more than was strictly necessary, hesitating, hoping her father wouldn’t just scoff at her, and think her foolish.
Chelindra gasped in sudden understanding. “Marriage!”
Amara nodded. “If we propose not just a truce, but a treaty, one that makes our kingdom separate from but allied with the Empire, we can save face by keeping our hard earned freedom, and he can save face by bringing us ‘under his thumb.’”
Even Aeryc nodded, as did everyone. This just made too much sense not to be true.
King Collin sighed, “But the Emperor is… over 70 years old. To marry again now…”
Chelindra cocked her head to the side in confusion, and Collin caught her looking at him as if he had just spoken an unknown language. He looked to Amara, who shook her head – a hint of a smile suggesting that she thought him silly – and shifted her gaze to Gabriel.
“Oh…” Collin studied Gabriel thoughtfully.
Gabriel had honestly been thinking the same thing, that the Emperor might be just sadistic enough to marry a 17-year old girl. He gazed at the floor as he tried to think of another solution, when it occurred to him that it would make more sense for Amara to be married to him, politically speaking. This realization caused him to look up at Amara, then Collin, then Chelindra. They were all giving him different but similar looks. Oh… no… This is too soon! He had briefly mentioned to Chelindra that he was afraid this day would come, and here it was.
“I… I… I…” He tried to respond; tried to say anything.
Chelindra sighed. “You wouldn’t be expected to actually marry her right away; you need time to fully heal… emotionally… but Amara’s likely right. This probably is the only way the Emperor will cooperate. He may or may not take your feelings into account, however, in my experience, rulers very rarely choose their child’s love over duty and what is best for their country.”
Amara was worried. Her vision, which had reoccurred several times over the years, showed her walking down the aisle in the Imperial Palace throne room, and she could see the back of her husband-to- be. She was filled with a sense of hope, but she had no guarantee that they would be happy together, or that he would even like her. The vision gave no information about him, certainly not that he was deeply in love with another. Yet… she would still go through with it. She knew it was that vitally important.
Gabriel shrugged. “I agree with the logic.” The rest of the sentence was, but as a broken man, in love with another at that, how can I possibly make a good husband?
Haylee looked from Amara to Gabriel, and realized that there was potential there. Amara was already obviously smitten with him, and Gabriel had to be a good man or else Chelindra wouldn’t love him. Even so… Arminta wasn’t so open and accepting of affairs. Amara might suffer if Gabriel continued to openly be with Chelindra… who was also married.
The Queen sighed. Such a tangled web! She secretly admired Gabriel. He had just been through such an unimaginable horror, and yet he was trying to be considerate of Amara’s feelings.
King Collin stood, and announced, “I must take some time to think things through, and work on drafting a response to this truce.”
Chelindra instantly understood that he was dismissing the informal meeting. She stood, and gestured for the others to follow suit. “Then, if you will allow it, I would like to take my leave.” This was an awkward statement. She was following protocol, which stated that no one may leave the King’s presence without permission, and yet she had never done so in the past.
Collin realized that she was suddenly feeling self-conscious now that he knew she was in line for a throne herself. Her thoughts were probably: how could they still maintain a familial-like bond now that there could no longer be any pretense that she belonged here? He hugged her. No words were needed.
Chelindra relaxed, and returned Collin’s embrace. She had been afraid that he would put up a metaphorical wall between them now that he knew all of her secrets. She often wished that he really was her father.
Aeryc was a bit confused. These two had hugged more than once since their return, and he wasn’t sure if this indicated another rival for Chelindra’s affection. He caught Gabriel’s eye, and silently asked if he should be concerned. Gabriel smiled, and shook his head.
Chelindra led Aeryc, Gabriel, and Randy to her quarters. Randy following mostly because he was interested in watching the dynamic between the trio. Chelindra wondered how to convince Aeryc that it was time for him to return to the Elven Realm.
Once the door to Chelindra’s chambers had clicked shut, Aeryc knew that it was time to go. “Chelindra, I still wish to witness when this truce is made official, but it seems that it will be some time until then. Please take me back home now, I’m fairly sure that I have been away longer than His Majesty intended to let me.”
Chelindra smiled at him, “Of course. Gabriel, Randy, I also need to talk with my brother, so I will be gone a while. Randy, if you wish to wait for me, feel free, and Gabriel, will you please send a servant off to bring us some food?”
Gabriel eyed Randy, prior to his abduction, there had been a good deal of jealousy and tension between the two of them, but that seemed to have disappeared. “I would actually be glad for the company. Spending time alone is…”
“I can imagine,” Randy had relived the small amount he’d witnessed enough times to have a pretty good idea of what went through Gabriel’s mind whenever there was nothing to distract him.
“Gabriel,” Aeryc extended his hand, and Gabriel clasped it in a gesture of male bonding. “I am glad I met you.” This was nearly a lavish compliment coming from an elf!
Gabriel chuckled. “I am glad I got to know you as well.”
“Take care of yourself,” Aeryc bade, and turned to Chelindra. “I’ve been meaning to ask, now that I am officially a member of the royal family, can I be taught how to open a door between the Realms?”
“No,” Chelindra stated. “It is not a taught spell, it is a specific ability. Just as opening or closing the border of them Realm can only be done by a member of the royal family, using the royal scepter as an aid.”
“I see… I was rather hoping that if I opened the door, it would not be so… fiery,” Aeryc admitted.
Chelindra laughed, closed her eyes, and concentrated on opening the doorway. The moment it appeared, she knew it, despite the fact that her eyes were still closed, and she concentrated on it just a bit more to see if she could diminish the fire to a gentle haze. The wind in the room decided that this meant that she wanted it to come and play, which only made her fiery doorway burn all the brighter. She opted to stop before her room decided to catch on fire.
“Oh that helps, thanks,” Aeryc muttered sarcastically, and Chelindra opened her eyes to stare at him.
“Sarcasm? From an elf?”
Aeryc shrugged as if to say, hey! It happens! “After you, My Lady.”
“Did it hurt you? Going through the doorway before?” Chelindra asked.
“It stung for a moment,” Aeryc replied honestly. He looked at the doorway, a bit apprehensive since this one looked even hotter.
“Hmm,” Chelindra thought about this. “Here, take my hand. Perhaps I can shield you from it.”
Aeryc smiled. “I thought you would never ask.”
Randy and Gabriel both rolled their eyes, and looked at each other, as if silently asking, can you believe this?
Chelindra ignored her lover and Second in Command, and concentrated on her husband’s energy. After a moment, she felt it shimmering on the surface of her skin, and smiled in satisfaction. She led him through the door, and asked, “Well?”
“Didn’t hurt a bit,” Aeryc grinned.
“You know he’s going to try to steal her while she’s gone, right?” Randy asked Gabriel.
“He doesn’t have to, she belongs to him,” Gabriel replied. Chelindra smiled and waved at them as she released the door, causing it to vanish.
Go To Chapter 30
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