Chapter 19 #2
Emperor Altair stood and held out his hand to me, but he didn’t smile.
Commander Talon continued by my side as we approached the dais.
My first real look at the man who was to be my husband, and I felt underwhelmed.
Next to his cousin, he seemed much thinner and frailer, like he spent most of his time indoors.
They both had similar features, like straight noses, though the emperor’s was slightly more curved, reminding me of an eagle’s beak, which I supposed was appropriate.
They both had strong, angular jaws, though Commander Talon’s was shadowed with dark hair and more pronounced, whereas the emperor still had baby-smooth skin.
Their mouths, too, were similar, with full lips that seemed to balance out the more masculine features.
Commander Talon handed over the treaty with a bow. After a quick glance at Ama’s signature, Emperor Altair passed it over to a servant dressed all in black.
“Commander Talon has returned from the Mid-Plains bearing a signed peace treaty with the Children of Earth,” Emperor Altair announced as I climbed the steps of the dais and turned to face the crowd of people. “The war is officially at an end.”
Murmurs ran through the crowd along with shared looks of surprise. No cheers or other expressions of joy, though. You would think everyone would be happy for the end of a war.
Emperor Altair motioned to me. “May I present First Daughter Zara of the Children of Earth,” he said to the people. “In a gesture of goodwill for both our peoples, I will be marrying First Daughter Zara in one month.”
Silence greeted me. No bows or curtsies or any other sign of respect.
One man with closely cropped hair approached the dais, brought his hands together over his abdomen, and bowed—but only toward Emperor Altair.
“Yes, Lord Heron?” Emperor Altair said, his hooded eyes contributing to the impression that he found this whole process tedious.
“Will the Children of Earth be in attendance?”
“No.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised, not really.
It was impractical to say the least. How would we even get everyone to the palace?
There was no way any of them would consent to being carried by eagles—the thought of Mariyah allowing that to happen forced me to suppress a grin.
I also didn’t want anyone to witness my participation in the humiliating ceremony.
But I couldn’t ignore the fact that it was insulting, and my lip curled as I glanced from Lord Heron to Emperor Altair.
It seemed obvious that the question had only been asked to make sure my people wouldn’t be there to foul up the ceremony.
Commander Talon took a step forward to draw the emperor’s attention. “With your permission, Lord Emperor, now that the treaty has been safely delivered, I will give the order to recall the Eagle Riders and infantry.”
My breath caught in my throat at his words as I pictured our enemy leaving the battlefield at last—something we hadn’t even dared dream about for so long.
Emperor Altair nodded once, and Talon saluted him before turning on his heel and striding out of the throne room.
I swallowed hard when I glanced around the room now bereft of anyone I knew.
At least I still had Shazeera with me. I leaned into her warm side, enjoying the momentary flood of relief that spread through me.
No longer would daughters and sons face the horrors of war.
Thanks to you, Shazeera said.
Thanks to manipulative Queen Samira, really, I said, barely able to hide my smile.
Emperor Altair returned to his throne and gestured for me to join him. I left Shazeera at the bottom of the dais, my back prickling at the many unfriendly eyes that watched me walk to the smaller throne beside him.
“Let the zither player come and entertain us,” Emperor Altair said.
An older man came forward then, his beard neatly styled and shot with gray.
He wore a black tunic with silver embroidery, black pants, and boots trimmed in fur.
In his hands was an instrument with many strings, small enough to fit in his lap.
As he bowed to Emperor Altair just as Lord Heron did, I could better see the beautifully carved instrument.
The reddish-brown wood was polished to a high shine, and beneath the numerous strings were hand-painted images framed in gold: an eagle, the mountains, and little curlicues of blue and silver that I think must have represented the wind.
The man settled the zither carefully in his lap, his posture impeccably straight, only his neck bent gently toward the instrument.
Everyone else in court sat in wooden chairs facing the throne and the zither player.
The music came then, tinny and spidery, like an arachnid making its way across its web.
The sound increased in intensity until it was a strong, driving rhythm, to the point where the audience could clap along, but they did nothing even close to that.
Emotionlessly and without moving, they watched him play.
It was so far removed from the music of my people, with its primal drums and vocals that forced my blood to pump faster and compelled my feet to move.
This was a lullaby in comparison. A beautiful lullaby.
After a time, some of the women who had been seated off to the side stepped forward, dressed in flowing white robes with subtle embroidery.
They moved like swans, elegantly graceful.
Slowly, and with arm movements that were as smooth as water cascading over rock, they danced.
They moved around one another in time to the music, their feet hidden by the folds of their clothing, which trailed behind them.
They kept their faces absolutely still, and I came to realize it was like an art form to them.
Though it was beautiful at first, the zither player continued to play, and the dancers to dance, until my eyes grew heavy.
I was tired from the stressful journey, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I glanced at Emperor Altair several times, but he always seemed entranced.
Who would have thought it possible to be bored to tears in the palace of my people’s enemy?
Beside me, Emperor Altair shifted so that he was leaning closer. “Do you like music?”
“I do, but ours is very different. This is beautiful, though.”
He looked at me with interest. “What is yours like?”
“Much faster, with drums. We dance with our horses.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I would like to see that.”
We could dance now, if you’d like, Shazeera said, amusement filling her tone.
I barely restrained letting out a laugh. Can you imagine what they’d do?
Already, the crowd kept stealing glances at Shazeera with varying degrees of disdain. I thought of their jaws dropping with horror at Shazeera’s and my fast-paced dancing and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
To Emperor Altair, I said teasingly, “That could be arranged.” When he smiled back at me, I added, “Though I have to admit, I’m surprised you’re even interested.”
Even before our peoples had been at war, the Zephyrians had never made any attempt to travel to our lands and learn about our culture. Even in the common port cities, they treated our people with contempt. To my knowledge, Commander Talon had been the first to ever attend one of our feasts.
He didn’t say anything to that, so I decided to ask him what I really wanted to know. “What made you sign the treaty with us?”
“This was my ancestors’ war—not mine. In truth, it’s been a colossal drain on our resources. I want to rebuild my empire’s coffers.”
“So you decided to tax my people to do that.”
He gave a small shrug. “It’s better than being at war, right?”
Queen Samira certainly wouldn’t agree, but I tended to think he had a point. Maybe in time I could change his mind on the percentage. The Zephyrians controlled so much of our continent already—how many more resources could they need?
I glanced at the man who was supposed to become my husband. In this unfamiliar place, I didn’t know what to expect. We treated relationships so differently on the plains. “Can you tell me more about royal marriages here? What are the expectations?”
He looked momentarily stunned. “You agreed to this without knowing what would be expected of you?”
“I would have agreed to almost anything to save my people.”
“That’s very brave,” he said, and when I searched his face, he looked sincere. “Usually, the goal is to produce an heir as soon as possible.”
Now it was my turn to be blindsided. Somehow, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
I had only imagined how difficult it would be to leave my people and live here amongst my enemy, but my imaginings had never gone so far as to think of what it would be like to have a baby here.
A baby without Ama or any of the other daughters, who wouldn’t be there to help.
We never raised children alone. Everyone helped.
Everyone shared the knowledge of their mothers.
I knew in this cold place that none of that would be the same.
Never mind that I didn’t want to have a baby for many more years. And certainly not here.
The horror must have been apparent on my face, because he said, “I can see that wasn’t what you had in mind. Things are different amongst your people?”
“Yes,” I managed to say.
“You will have a month to get used to the idea, then,” he said before returning his attention to the zither player.
My breaths were coming too fast, and my vision narrowed. Every instinct inside me told me to run. But even if I was willing to throw the treaty away for my own happiness, I would never make it off the mountain alone.
I was trapped.
Just breathe, Shazeera said, her voice a soothing balm in my mind.
I closed my eyes for a moment. There’s no way I could ever do that—have a baby here without any of my family.
You will have time to figure out a solution.
I repeated her words like a mantra until my breathing slowed.