10. The First Day of a New Life
ten
The First Day of a New Life
*AZADEH*
T he moment the door closes behind us, Simin runs and jumps into my queen-sized bed. I’m used to comfort, but what King Gillean has provided for me here is beyond anything I expected. My room is actually three rooms big: a bedroom with a wardrobe that’s filled with clothes my size, clothes warm enough for this region; a little library and reading corner with a loggia attached to it, so that I can sit in a rocking chair and read while watching out of the window, and a little study or office, depending on how I want to use it.
Simin jumps up from my bed and hurries to her own room, just to return a minute later, her eyes wide. “Mine isn’t this big,” she stutters. “But… for a mere servant… I’ve never had such a beautiful room. There are cute curtains and a little loggia, too.” She twirls around. “I love it here! And everyone is nice.” She pauses. “I’m sorry for being so awkward though.”
I sit down on the little chaise in my room and wait for her to calm down. “You are you,” I say. “You are just shy with people you don’t know. They will soon realize that you are such a sweet and fun person.”
“But how?” she groans. “The moment someone talks to me, I’m dumbstruck. Well, unless it’s you or General Shayan.”
“How about you start with taking Princess Alana up on her offer?” I suggest. “She seems to be truly interested in getting to know you better.”
“But then, I’d need to learn how to ride a horse properly,” Simin sighs. “Well, sacrifices.”
I chuckle.
“Do you need help with unpacking?”
“No, just go and get some rest,” I say. “And, sleep well.” Before Simin can leave, though, I call her back. “I…I’m really thankful that you decided to accompany me. The Everlasting Desert was your home, too.”
In a flash, Simin returns and gives me a hug. “You are my best friend and like a sister to me. The only family I have. Wherever you and Shayan are is my home.”
“You are like a sister to me, too,” I say quietly.
She smiles at me. “We’ll make sure to be happy here. Not everyone gets a second chance in life. And aside from it being freezing cold here, I don’t think this place is bad.”
“You are right,” I say. “Let’s make a real effort.”
Simin nods and waves at me shortly before disappearing from my room. Silence falls upon me, and while I start unpacking I can hear some low noises coming from my left side, where Kilah’s room is. It sounds like she is practicing an instrument, the flute, I think. I need to ask her about it tomorrow.
I don’t need long to unpack, as I only brought my most necessary things along, and some sentimental items. Once done I decide to battle my initial fear of the bathroom. To my surprise, it’s fairly easy, as there are two strings with warm and cold water, respectively, and I make sure to take a steaming hot bath to warm up from the long ride outside.
Once I’m done, I switch into my nightgown and decide to go to sleep. When I blow out the candles and lie down in my bed, the lingering darkness seems to catch up with me. My own father hated me so much, he would have sold me as a slave. I just got lucky to be here. A land full of strangers that accepted me more than my own home ever did.
Tears fill my eyes at the thought.
Princess of the Sun.
My eyes fly open when I hear the voice in my head, the tears momentarily forgotten. “Who is there?”
Princess…
The voice gets lower and less distinctive until it’s just a whisper and disappears fully. I sit up, feeling my heartbeat coming down. What was that?
*SHAYAN*
“General, good morning!” I have barely made it out of my room the next morning, when I bump into the tall, bulky warrior who accompanied us from the pack at the borders to the royal pack.
“Good morning,” I say, trying to remember his name. I have only ever met Ita; he was a new acquaintance to me. “Tynan,” I say. Good thing I remembered it. Wouldn’t want to offend one of the elite warriors here on my first day.
To my surprise, Tynan smiles brightly. “Here,” he says, handing me a small bag.
“Well, thank you,” I frown. “But, allow me the question what-”
“It’s beef jerky, the meat from my last hunt,” Tynan says proudly. “The chef prepared it for me.”
“And, why do you give it to me?” I ask.
“As a welcome present,” he says. “You are going to stay here after all.”
This must be a custom I’m not acquainted with. I’ve accompanied King Naseem to his diplomatic meetings a few times. Later, I went to visit King Gillean and his ranked members to make sure Azadeh would be in a good place. But, local customs differ, and the town Tynan is from might offer their newcomers food.
“I’ve got the room next to yours,” Tynan says. “Do you mind if I accompany you to breakfast?”
“Not at all,” I say. “You are free to do as you please. You live in this castle and can go wherever you want to and whenever you want to.”
Tynan sighs briefly, but soon his face lights up with a smile again. “Then, allow me to show you to the dining room.”
“It’s not the same as yesterday?”
“No, usually the royal family and ranked members take their breakfast in the dining hall, together with other pack members.”
“That’s very commendable,” I say while I follow Tynan through the corridor and down a staircase. On our way, we almost bump into Azadeh and one of King Gillean’s daughters. I think her name was Kilah. The young girl chats excitedly while Azadeh smiles and listens politely. I watch her carefully, noticing how her shoulders are slightly tensed, and while she seems joyful, there is a sadness lingering around her. I have known her since she was little, and it’s hard to make her let her guard down and be anything but perfect.
Once the two young women see us, Azadeh bows her head slightly to acknowledge our presence, and Kilah slips back into what she thinks is a perfect princess attitude; the poor girl is so lost. She thinks she is subtle, but it’s just a show she is putting on.
During my few visits to the Kingdom of Eternal Ice, I never went to the capital; most of the times, I met the king and his ranked members in one of the towns close to the borders, which is why the view in the dining room truly surprises me. Tynan wasn’t joking when he said the royal family likes to take breakfast with the regular pack members.
It’s buzzing. There are tables with warriors and omegas seated next to each other, women, men and some children. One huge table is reserved for the royal family and the ranked members. The dining room is huge and easily fits a few hundred people in it. Breakfast is offered via a buffet. Kilah takes Azadeh’s arm and tugs her towards the buffet, excitedly telling her how the breakfast works and obviously trying to dote on her. I’m glad the princesses are already taking Azadeh and Simin under their wings, but I’m still feeling a trifle wary.
An old habit I can’t shake off. “What’s her deal?” I ask Tynan quietly. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s very kind of the princess to help Azadeh, but I noticed a lot of tension.”
“You noticed that already?” Tynan blinks. “Well, us wolves aren’t really subtle, I guess. Kilah is known for having bullied some of her siblings,” he explains in a low voice.
So, that’s where the tension comes from. I noticed the juvenile prince, Flinn, last night and how his gaze got harder when Kilah tried to push Alana. At that time, I wasn’t sure because it could have been a rather innocent talk between sisters, but now it’s obvious there is more to it.
“However,” Tynan adds. “Kilah was very excited about Azadeh coming here. I know, she can be arrogant,” he whispers. “But she isn’t vile. At least, most of the time she isn’t.”
“As long as Azadeh is happy, I won’t complain.”
“What is she to you?” Tynan asks while it’s our time to take a plate and fill it with whatever we want. The choices are very savory. There are eggs, ham, fresh bread, sausages. The girls and I will probably soon miss our fresh fruits and sweet breakfast choices. Well, different countries, different customs. I load my plate with ham and eggs, raising my brows when I see that Tynan easily took triple my portion, and I’m certainly not a small eater. “You look at her like a father looks at his child,” Tynan continues.
“To me, she indeed is like my own child,” I admit.
“That’s why you chose to come with her?” he says.
I nod.
His eyes wander towards my bionic arm.
“It was an injury during an attack,” I explain calmly.
Tynan looks flustered. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“I’m used to it,” I say. To my surprise, Tynan shows a hint of upset by my words, but he recovers fast.
“We are seated at the royal table,” he tells me.
“How come?”
“You are a general and a high-ranking member of an allied kingdom,” he explains. “And I’m an elite warrior. I was chosen to be in the king's inner circle.”
He must be trustworthy and strong then. I follow Tynan to the table, politely greeting everyone who is present already. The only ones missing are Alana and Nevyn, both of them on different duties this morning. Royan is already here and sitting close to Azadeh, keeping a watchful eye on her and the triplet princes.
The one with the black hair and silver eyes is talking with Azadeh and Simin, while his two brothers are entertaining their youngest sister and their father.
“Do you like your breakfast?” Tynan asks me. “I noticed you didn’t get any deer ham,” he says. “Want some from mine?”
I look at him surprised, while he shifts around on his chair, looking at me expectantly. His question has aroused Ita’s interest, too, and she just stares at him. She furrows her brows while her eyes gloss over as they always do when the werewolves mind link.
“It’s because you are a guest,” Tynan stutters, looking utterly embarrassed. “It’s impolite to have the best pieces while you don’t.”
“It’s alright,” I tell him. “I’m very content with what I got from the buffet.”
“What do you normally eat for breakfast?” Ita asks, turning towards Azadeh. “Is it the same as here?”
“No,” she smiles slightly. “We have a lot of fruits, and white bread and jam.” She pauses. “But this here is wonderful, too,” she declares to everyone.
“Is she always doing that?” Tynan queries, much to my surprise.
“Yes,” I say, understanding his question without him clarifying it. “I hope she can finally be happy here,” I add quietly. “And, be herself.”
Tynan beams and gives me the thumbs up. “We will make sure of it.”
*AZADEH*
“You two need to come with us,” Flinn says. We’d just wrapped up breakfast, and Simin and I were wondering what to do next. “It’s going to be fun.”
Something about his casual attitude makes it easy to talk to him.
He winks at Simin. “Just me with two charming ladies.”
Simin looks both flustered and amused, and also slightly curious. I’m not sure what to make out of Flinn’s juvenile attitude, but I’m curious too. Endellion said he would lead the training today, whatever that means. Also, Alana is still working with the horses, and I would like to see what exactly she is doing.
“So?” Flinn looks at us expectantly.
“Thank you for the offer,” I say politely. “I’d like to take you up on it and see how you train.”
“Then, come,” he grins. “Just dress warmly.”
Simin and I make sure to take our thick coats and follow Flinn outside. Fortunately, King Gillean provided enough clothes for us. It’s so cold outside and we can see our breath, yet Flinn seems completely unfazed. He is just dressed in a shirt while he leads us out of the inner gardens of the castle and to a building close to it. Noises reach us, panting but also shuffling, and yells. My curiosity grows the closer we get. Flinn leads us through a side entrance so that we won’t disturb the training.
“How come you aren’t training?” I ask him.
“Because I wanted to show you two around,” he says, gesturing towards the huge training hall in front of us.
The place is packed with warriors of both genders, currently sparring with each other. I’ve watched Shayan train with his fellow soldiers a few times, secretly, but their training differs so much. This here is so much rawer.
“Are wolves always fighting with their fists?” Simin whispers.
“No, honey,” Flinn shakes his head. “We do learn to wield a weapon, but the first thing for us to master is fist fighting and using our body. When we shift, we can’t carry any weapons, and we have to be able to defend ourselves with or without one.”
“It makes sense,” I admit, noticing how Endellion walks around and corrects some warriors, helps them with their stances and moves, and shows them how to do better. His movements are so much more elegant and refined. He has removed his shirt, presenting us his perfectly chiseled upper body, his hair tied back, not to distract him.
“Which one of you is the strongest?” I ask Flinn.
“Between Endellion, Caelan and I?” He tilts his head, grinning thoughtfully. “It’s hard to tell. We have different strengths while fighting. I’m more of a strategist, Caelan goes by strength, and Endellion is the most athletic. But, none of them has my wit.”
Simin giggles, making Flinn flash a grin at her.
“Wow, Ita is amazing,” I point out while watching the Gamma spar with Royan. I was wondering how she would hold herself up against these bulked-up men, but she has no troubles at all.
“Yes, but not my type.”
“Who is your type?”
Flinn gestures towards a male warrior, more of an athletic build than bulky. I smile, suddenly feeling a lot more comfortable with his flirty attitude. “I see.”
“Yes, he is cute,” Simin says, equally to me, sounding more comfortable, too.
I let my gaze roam over the warriors, noting that Tynan is with them, and to my surprise also Shayan. Endellion talks with him and gestures towards the other warriors.
“He is offering for him to join their training,” Flinn explains, catching on to my curiosity.
“Can you really hear that well?” Simin whispers.
“Yes, besides, as triplets we share a particularly tight bond and link,” he admits.
“It’s nice of Endellion to invite Shayan to the training,” I point out. “Shayan might have lost an eye and arm, but he was our best warrior.”
“That’s why Endellion asked him to join,” Flinn verifies. “It’s not just kindness or, worse, pity; it’s because he hopes we can learn something new from him.”
I watch how Shayan nods and joins the group. Tynan seems to be happy too, and waves at him, offering him to be his sparring partner. Meanwhile, Endellion spars with his younger brother, it makes me smile to see this huge, strong guy be so nice and patient with his siblings.
“Horses next?” Flinn asks us.
I toss one last glance at the warriors, realizing that Endellion raises his head to look at us. I feel worried for a moment that he might not want us here, but then he smiles at me, his silver eyes almost boring into mine even over the distance. I return his smile and politely bow my head at him before Flinn tugs me and Simin away.