Chapter 23 Ariana #2
“You want us to lie to you?” Kole asked, with the plate in front of him completely cleaned.
“You devoured it!” I pointed to his plate, and then to him. “And now you are getting seconds!”
“I don’t want to be rude,” he commented, spooning a rather large serving of seconds for himself.
“You have zero qualms with being rude,” I informed.
“I take offense to such accusations,” he replied with a full mouth. “I am a gentle Lysian.”
Taking a deep breath, I sighed and took another bite of what was on my plate.
The taste reminded me of home. So many feelings were linked with the flavor, most of them of joyous occasions from a time where I remembered very little for my mother had taught me to make this. I found myself savoring it.
“Honestly, I did not expect to like this at all.” Erik’s voice pulled me from the thoughts I was slowly burrowing myself into. “But I am finding it enjoyable.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad.”
“Me too,” he replied, and his smile faltered. “There is something I need to ask of you.” The way he said it made it sound like I had no true choice in the matter.
“Ask or demand?”
Erik ignored my question as he continued, “My brothers . . . they would like it if one of them came along for your Ascension ceremony.”
“Why?”
He licked his lips. “You and your kind are still largely unknown to us, and your customs—”
“Are private.” I couldn’t help but interrupt. “What happens when a new Leader Superior ascends is sacred. Never have outsiders been present. It’s not some special event for your brothers to enjoy.”
Erik remained silent a moment, though by the look in his eyes, it was clear he was contemplating his next words. “I am going to be honest with you.”
Kole looked to Erik with a completely unreadable expression on his face. They both were so good at becoming impossible to read with a snap of a finger.
“Please do,” I said, putting my fork down, and giving the Lysian King my full attention.
“I need them to see you in your world, to understand you better.”
What did it matter whether they understood me better? “You think this would help them agree to let me go?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“It may help buy you more time,” he stated matter-of-factly.
More time. More time for my life to hang in the balance.
He wanted me to change my mind, to decide to simply do what I was told while under the thumb of the Lysians.
If I took too long to fall in line, then Erik would likely feel pressure to do something about it.
If I became an unruly obstacle, then his brothers would probably call for my removal.
Erik likely thought more time would cause me to switch my view on things, but he was wrong.
“I do not need more time,” I replied, and Kole turned to me with hope in his icy blue gaze.
“You will help us?” Kole asked while Erik’s lips pressed in a thin line, for the King knew my answer.
“Not until I am free to go home and the Lysians leave my city.”
“As long as that remains your answer, then you need more time,” Erik pressed.
He was wrong. I refused to be controlled in this way, not anymore.
I was determined to get myself out of this situation.
But that was not known to him, and I needed to keep it that way.
If I was to pretend that I had no hope of freedom, then I needed to grasp at every extra second I got to keep breathing.
“Why do you think allowing this would help me?” I asked, genuinely curious about his thoughts behind this request.
“When I saw you in your lands, the way you interacted with your people and even us, the Lysians—it will help them see you as more than just a Bavadrin in the way of their goals. They would be forced to see you for what you are: as someone deserving of life.”
Was that what changed? Erik was never unkind, but he was certainly making more effort to get to know me, his prisoner. Was it because he no longer viewed me as the lying monster they assumed Bavadrins to be?
“Fine. Which of your brothers is coming?”
“You may choose.”
“All of them wish to go?”
“It does not matter what they wish,” Erik answered flatly. Clearly, some preferred to stay.
I thought back to his brothers. My interactions with them had been relatively brief.
The eldest had eyes filled with cold hate whenever he looked at me.
Without saying it out loud, he obviously saw me as an obstacle between him and his sister and wanted me removed.
The other brother Jorn also seemed shrouded in a cape of suspicion.
Iver, on the other hand, looked at me with curiosity, and when he spoke it was direct.
If he plays games, then it is clear he is doing so.
I wanted none of Erik’s brothers in my city, but if one of them had to join, then it was better if it was the one who desired my death the least.
“If it is my choice, then I suppose I choose Iver,” I answered.
Kole sighed but did not speak a word after catching a glimpse of Erik’s dark gaze settled on him.
“That is a fine choice,” Erik replied in agreement while Kole shook his head to himself as if he could not believe what was being agreed upon.
The rest of dinner flew by, just as the days did.
Between my training with Eislyn and the dinners with Erik, I found myself too busy to worry about Edda.
From the very sparce information I could gather through snippets of conversations I was able to overhear, there was some sort of issue regarding the safety of the Lysian lands.
Their forces were planning on being split.
Some will stay behind, protecting the capitol, while the rest would attack the Sidhe.
Did they expect the Sidhe to somehow retaliate and threaten their capitol?
But the Bavadrin lands were in between the two.
I did not understand the concern or the tactics.
And it wasn’t like I could ask Eislyn or Kole about it.
It was not until the day before we left for our trip back to the Bavadrin land that I finally saw Edda. At this point I didn’t even know why she bothered to come with me to the Lysian lands only to alienate herself from me.
Edda helped fix the sacred stones to my hair, twisting strands in various ways and braiding others till one side of my head was intricately decorated as one expected of a Leader Superior.
We hardly spoke to one another during that entire time except for her directing me to turn a certain way or hold a strand of hair for her.
Edda did not apologize, and I did not ask her to, nor did I ask her what her reasoning was to hurt me. Whatever it was, she would have told me if she wished for me to know.
The pain of it all was a weight that sat deep within my chest. For someone whom I trusted so explicitly to go out of their way to force distance between us left me confused and wounded.
Edda never acted rashly or without reason.
She didn’t hate that my feelings towards the Lysians softened.
What she wanted was to place a wedge between us.
To pull our bond and relationship through thick mud which now clung to me, weighing my limbs down, and making it difficult to move on.
As soon as she finished my hair, she left without a word, leaving me incredibly confused, angry, and hurt. I didn’t see her again until we went to the stables to leave.
I was given my own horse. A large gray beast with a dark luxurious main was to be my riding companion. Kole let me know that her name was Rain, for she had dark splotches of gray marking on her hide, as if wet by rain.
I greeted the enormous animal with caution.
“Hello, Rain.” I spoke calmly, lifting my hand to her. The horse moved its nose into my hand, and I ran my fingers over her. Slowly, I moved around her, running my hand down her muscular body. She shook her head but did not bolt or revolt against my touch.
“She likes you.” Erik approached us holding an apple, which he handed to Rain. “I was going to have you bribe her, but it seems that is not necessary.”
“She is beautiful,” I commented, stepping back to get a better look at her.
“While you are here with us, she will be yours to use whenever you like.”
“Am I able to ride her even when we are not traveling?” I asked, turning to view the King, who was patting the horse’s side.
“As long as Kole accompanies you,” he answered with a smile.
Kole approached with his mount. “Mine is the strongest and fastest,” he stated, and the message was received.
“Here, let me help you up.” Erik came around the horse as I readied myself.
“It’s alright, I can . . .” I began refusing only to feel his hand under my leg, pushing me up higher until I could throw over my other leg.
“You’re welcome.” He smirked, then left to get his stallion.
While I was allowed a horse, Edda still seemed not to be trusted. She was forced to ride with a Lysian, and Kole, again, was the unlucky one stuck with her. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.