Chapter 30
Cai
An Argonian banquet held similarities to a Norrandish and Evernean one when you took into account the wine, the food and the loud chatter. But the atmosphere was unfamiliar and the air was humid. Even my attire was uncomfortable.
Instead of my usual breeches and jacket, I was dressed in a robe, held together by a golden waistband. I wouldn’t have humiliated myself had it not been for Aries’ insistence that we wear his “gifts” for the dance that was to be held after dinner. Elara had yet to grace the room with her presence and I found myself missing Thatcher’s sense of humour to calm me down. I was on edge.
Linus and Theuses met my gaze from some distance away and they raised their glasses in greeting. They were dressed in the same style of clothes as I was and looked equally uncomfortable. Of course we fitted right in with the rest of the court, their robes all bright colours, following elegantly around the room to the music, which consisted of flutes, drums and old-fashioned lyres. Some of the guests clapped along to the beat.
“Are you all right, Cai?” Her voice came from behind me. I turned to face Elara.
Her clothes had been fashioned in Argonian style as well. The teal dress had a low neckline with golden leaves on the seams. The upper part of her hair had been braided out of her face and more golden leaves had been pinned to her head. I was momentarily speechless.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “All good.” She came to stand next to me. “I just don’t think I’m really in the mood for a party.”
“I know what you mean.”
I guided us to the nearest standing table. “We’ll just show face for the sake of it and then leave as soon as we can.” I gave her half a smile.
I reached for a cup of wine, but before I could bring it to my lips, Elara grabbed it away from me. “What are you—?”
She quickly took a sip.
My shoulders sagged. “Don’t tell me you’re testing if it’s poisoned.”
“I’m not going through that ordeal again.”
Never mind what it might have cost her if it had actually been poisoned. She wiped the corner of her lips and handed me the cup back.
“And what about you? What if there was something wrong with it?”
She looked up at me from under long lashes. “I spent the majority of my teenage years trying to build immunity against poison, so I stand a much better chance than you.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head at her.
She remained standing close to me, staring out at the crowd, but I was only watching her.
“Are you nervous about the meeting with Aries tomorrow?” Elara said after a while, and I sighed.
“Who knows? Maybe something positive can come from it. Maybe we’ll find a way to prevent a war.”
“Do you really believe that or are you trying to remain optimistic?”
“I’m trying to remain idiotically optimistic, because if I don’t, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.”
Her expression was tense, her eyes full of worry.
“What?”
She looked around at everyone before pulling me behind one of the large pillars. It gave us a little privacy from the crowd.
“I think Aries knows .”
“Knows?”
“About the stones,” she said in a hushed voice. Legends of the Myrgonite stones had been around almost as long as time, though I wondered what made Aries so sure that he would be willing to send out an army.
“What did he say?”
“This morning, on my way to breakfast, we ran into each other. The conversation led to Argon and Norrandale, and he said that he doesn’t care about your reign as much as Norrandale has something he wants. What else could he mean?”
I leaned my head back against the pillar. “Even if Aries marches into Norrandale, it would take him for ever to find those caves up in the mountains.”
“But is he ever going to stop unless he’s dead?”
“Is that a suggestion?” I asked with slight surprise.
“No.” She thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
I could tell by her fidgeting that she was nervous, agitated.
“Did he say anything else?”
Elara looked at me and then away again. “No.”
The air around us was dense and hot, as it always seemed to be in this place.
“Let’s get some fresh air.”
Outside, the party was calmer, with fewer people, the music further away. The evening was still warm, but it felt easier to breathe.
Elara was gazing up at the stars as if she was looking for answers.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I never thought I would miss the forest this much.” The world she’d grown up in was different from this one in every way. It was still a game of survival, but the rules had changed.
“I’m sorry about Arthur and Ray and everyone else you had to lose to get here,” I blurted out.
“It’s not your fault,” she replied.
Arthur, no, but Ray . . .
“I don’t want them to have died for nothing. Their sacrifices have put me in this place, and as much as I want to run away, I cannot let their deaths be in vain.”
“Their deaths will never be in vain. They died for you and that’s worth more than anything.”
Her eyes softened. “I know there is a part of my life before you, but I’m afraid the more time we spend together, the less I seem to remember of it.”
“Marry me.”
The night was silent around my words.
She laughed after a moment. “I believe you already asked me, and I also believe that I already said yes.”
“No.” I took hold of her waist and gently pulled her in to me. “I mean tonight. Marry me tonight.”
“Tonight?” she asked. “Here?”
“You can say no,” I promised her.
“No, I mean . . .”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
Her eyes widened. “You just took me by surprise. How do you plan on doing it? You and I both know Aries wouldn’t allow it out of spite.”
“I don’t think I need Aries’ permission to make you my wife.”
“Maybe not,” she agreed. “But you certainly need a priest.”
“Well . . .” I tilted my head slightly.
“Well, what?”
“Only for the legal part of it.”
She pursed her lips. “The legal part is kind of important.”
“We can sign a marriage contract when we get back home,” I responded with nonchalance. “Marry me, Elara.”
Her expression grew warm, and she nodded. “Okay.”
We chuckled and I pressed my forehead to hers.
“I have to tell you something, though,” she said, as if she’d just remembered whatever it was, and I suppressed the urge to worry.
“Yes?”
“You know that marital agreement you signed at Woodsbrook Manor, that you thought was false?”
My eyes widened slightly.
“Well, turns out it’s not really that false,” Elara said, almost apologetically, and bit her lip.
I couldn’t help but start to laugh. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to force you into an alliance or marrying me.” She shrugged. “I wanted you to want it.”
“Come on.” I pressed a kiss to her lips and started leading her back inside.
“Oh, you mean like right now?”