Chapter 7 Ariah
ARIAH
It has been four days since my fight with Luna, and less than a day since a messenger delivered her wedding invitation. Council wasted no time spreading the happy news. Greedy bastards. I wonder what they’ll be getting out of this beloved union.
The solicitation came in thick, expensive parchment.
The type one only splurges on for the most important things.
It was bound by a lace ribbon and held a single azalea—not because they are Luna’s favorite flower, because they aren’t—because they are Haymel’s kingdom flower, and how dare they not represent the Queen in a practice she hasn’t officially put into law.
The invitation read:
To the Tyddel Residence,
Galen, Adreena, and Ariah Tyddel, you are cordially invited to the union ceremony of Morren Beetlerum and Lunessa Trivy. The ceremony shall be held at the Beetlerum Estate on the eleventh day of Hellera at seven o’clock. It will be an evening of pure joy.
In celebration,
The Council of Foxhead
It was short and straight to the point. A waste of paper, in my opinion.
Today marks the tenth of Hellera, and in only a day my best friend will be married off to a man she doesn’t know. A man who was meant for me. I hate that she’s in this position, but is it bad to be glad it’s not me?
Ella, my black-and-orange striped, chubby cat, nibbles at the silk wrap around my head, the way she does every morning, and I know it’s officially time to get up.
The sun is slowly waking; a few rays of light break through my window, but the corner of my room furthest away still remains in the shadows. I’m surprised after last night’s rain to even see the sun coming up.
Pulling myself out of bed, my nightgown drags across the floor until I reach the fireplace, where I take a bellow to the dying fire, breathing new life into it. The flames illuminate the remaining dark corners and spread a needed heat throughout the room.
Mornings are usually easy, but the past few days have been difficult. Last night, I stayed up far too late sketching and stressing.
Not ready to get dressed for the day, I sit at my desk and play with yesterday’s drawings.
My newest piece is a midnight-blue gown, tight in the bust and around the hips, resembling that of a mermaid, with a long train running down the back.
Crystal-like beads are sewn all over. The hardest part is the embroidered design I want on the torso.
Everything I’ve tried seems overdone and not worthy of the piece.
A knock at the door sends Ella jumping into my lap. A second later my mother stands in the doorway.
She has on a moss-green dress that compliments her complexion. Her braids are tied up and she has placed golden clasps within her tresses. She looks like a walking embodiment of a divinity.
“Your father left for the Simol’s early this morning. Their baby is having a hard time.” She traces a finger over my design. “Beautiful as always.”
“Thank you.” I place Ella on the ground. “I should get ready for work. Mrs. Kimpol should be back today.”
My mother holds out a letter for me before I can get up. “Came for you this morning.”
She squeezes my shoulder at my heavy breath. It’s a letter from Mrs. Kimpol telling me she and her husband have traveled to another city and she will send word when she returns. No wonder she gave me so much money.
“You can come with me to see Jaleese and Peace. She has a physician coming in to make sure Peace is nice and healthy. She trusts your father, but our new mother wants to be certain.” She lifts my head up to her. “You can’t hide in this room, Ariah.”
“I’m not hiding.” Only sulking, but she doesn’t need to know that. “I’ll go see them tomorrow. I think I might take a walk.”
“Good. Maybe you can stop and see Luna while you’re out?”
“I don’t think she wants to see me.”
She takes a seat on the edge of my bed. “Luna made her choice. She may have had to make it because you turned them down, but still, she had a choice. Just like you had one. I don’t think one is right over the other, but you must each deal with your decisions.
It’s called life. Throwing away a lifelong friendship isn’t worth it. ”
Maybe she’s right, but it means one of us has to admit we were wrong. Both of us are far too stubborn for that. Maybe I can bend this one time.
“Why Foxhead?” I ask, and see the confusion on my mother’s face. “The amount of villages in Haymel and you had to choose this one.”
She releases a pathetic laugh, and I watch her eyes drift to the window and become distant. “Your father and I weren’t given much of a choice. Plus, Foxhead isn’t the only village with these practices. Even the Queen arranges marriages that benefit the crown. Us common folk are no different.”
My parents rarely talk about life before they moved to Foxhead. I know that they used to live within the city limits of the castle. My father ran an apothecary shop with an elderly gentleman and says my mother used to come in everyday and pretend she was buying something for her family.
She claims she was truly buying something for a sick family member, but I once got her to confess that my father was the primary reason for her visits.
She said he had the greenest eyes she had ever seen and with one look, knew he was the kindest soul in the entire world.
She couldn’t rationalize it, but she knew right away that their fates would forever be intertwined.
She pats my hand and pulls herself up from my bed. “I have to get to your sister’s. Go get some fresh air. Clean. Cook. Write. Do something to distract yourself.”
Leaving me behind, she takes off for Jaleese’s, and I take her advice and stop sulking inside.
I don’t make my way to the pond as planned. Instead, Ella and I steep a cup of tea and tend to the garden I have been neglecting for days. A few of the tomatoes are ripe for picking and I get a few good cukes for supper tonight, which I should probably have ready by the time my parents get back.
Once I’m done with the vegetables, I move to the flower section of the garden.
We have rows and rows of assorted flowers.
As always, I check on my babies first. We have four different beds of hydrangeas.
Each one with different types of soil, or as my father would say, “Soil with different levels of acidity.” The different acid levels help produce different colors in the petals.
I wonder if I let a few magis worms roam free, as Shea suggested, if the blossoms would turn out like the ones he had given me? I’m certain my father has some in his study.
Many have warned me about my love for hydrangeas—they’re just flowers.
And yes, I know the flowers represent our kingdom’s greatest threat—Saden—but just because those in power have issues with our neighbor doesn’t make those people my enemy, too.
I snip a few pink blooms and pair them with some tall astilbes.
Perfect for the vase above the sitting room mantel.
By the time I leave the house, the sun’s position is high in the sky. I can’t decide if I just want to take a stroll to clear my mind or if I want to sit by the pond.
In case I decide on the pond, I brought along some food and a sketch book—I’m thinking a belt of sorts would be a pleasant touch to my latest piece.
Also in my bag is my medicinal spray. While the temperature is perfect, not requiring a coat or the need to remove a layer, it creates the perfect opportunity for creatures and critters to roam around carefree, as they should, and most leave particles in the air that can sometimes make it difficult to breathe.
When I was younger, Luna and I went on one of our many grand adventures.
It wasn’t too far from my parents’ cottage, but at the time, it had felt like we had traveled for miles.
We came to rolling fields covered in pastel purple flowers.
Ones I had never seen before at that age.
After exploring the field, my chest became tight.
The running didn’t help either. That was the day I learned lilacs and I would never be friends.
It was also the day my father started making the spray mixtures for me to carry.
If it wasn’t for Luna’s quick thinking and running to get my parents, I would not be here.
The pond is near a bridge that connects the village with other homes on the outskirts.
Approaching the water, I see a few people fishing and farther off, kids are playing tag near a grouping of trees, some of the trunks covered in mud from last night’s rain.
Then I spot one lonely soul who sits on a blanket shaded by one of the grand oaks.
Luna.
She looks up in my direction, making it impossible to walk away unnoticed. Her face is stern and suggests she wants to be alone. That is until it melts and puddles into a smile. I don’t deny her one back and I’m thankful she’s even smiling at all. I suck in a breath and walk her way.
“Mrs. Kimpol’s shop was closed again this morning,” she says, and I notice as soon as I reach her blanket, she is fiddling with her hands. “I thought the pond was the next best place to find you.”
“You were looking for me?” I sit next to her and look out at the pond. Sensing her about to respond, I speak quickly. “I’m sorry the consequences of my decision impacted you. You have to know that was never my intention.”
“I know.” She nudges me. “It came with a shock, is all. My parents would have probably disowned me if I told the council no. I wanted to though.” We look at each other and she puffs up her chest. “I told myself if Ariah could do it, so can I. It was on the tip of my tongue until they brought up my parents’ debt.
Said they would add on another ten thousand moinlings to their dues if I declined.
They don’t even have the first ten thousand.
The thought of them working their lives away and then it falling on me, and future generations, until it’s all paid up was agonizing to think about.
A crushing weight that would destroy anyone.
They offered to make it disappear if I agreed to marry Morren Beetlerum. ”
“We could disappear, you know. Go east, sneak our way into Saden or maybe even Ethmay. O-o-oh, we could venture into the Land of Moonlight. No one will find us there.”
She laughs and I join her until I see tears fall. I waste no time wrapping my arms around her. Salty water seeps into my top and I’m pretty sure some snot is mixed with it, but I don’t care. I hold her until she wants me to let go.
She sits in the comfort of my arms for a few minutes until she pulls away, wiping any evidence of sadness from her face. “While those are all wonderful options, we would miss our families too much. Plus, I hear you just had a niece. Congratulations, Aunty.”
A heavy breath flows out as I sit back down. “You’re right. I would miss them too much. And thank you. Her name is Peace.”
“Awe, that’s a pretty name. I bet Jaleese is obsessed.”
“Utterly.”
She locks her arm with mine and we watch ducks waddle to the water.
“Now that we’re talking again, I want to ask you for a favor.”
“No, I do not want to meet your betrothed. I met him once and that was more than enough.”
A snort slips out when she laughs. “No, that’s not it. I need a dress for tomorrow.”
“You don’t have a dress? What have you been doing these past couple of days?” I tease.
“Brooding and waiting for an apology from you,” she teases right back, and I know our little conflict is over and gone.
“I certainly can’t make one from scratch overnight, but I might be able to touch up something I already have. You’re about Jaleese’s size before the baby. I’ll see if she’s got anything I can work with.”
She pulls me close and plants a kiss on my forehead. “I owe you. My mother found one but it is ghastly—like wearing a fishing net. Made my entire body itch.”
“Fine,” I cave. “I got you.”
My mind starts spinning with ideas. Her ceremony is a day away and I have to make something perfect.
Jaleese has an old, lavender dress. That’s definitely Luna’s style, and it goes with the marriage custom of the brighter the better. The event is close to dusk, so something with longer sleeves will help with any cold the night brings.
Luna and I part ways after a few hours. She needs to get back and help with last-minute arrangements the council is forcing her to do, and I need my workspace.
Taking the same path home, I’m struck with glee. Not because of what Luna is about to embark on but because we’re speaking again, and a slither of that happiness is because she asked me for help with the dress. If one thing is going to be perfect about tomorrow, it will be the blushing bride.
“Move girl!” A loud, deep voice calls out from down the road.
Too occupied in thought, I didn’t see the carriage speeding my way, and despite me still standing in the road, they make no attempts to slow down.
Jumping so they can pass, I lose my balance and fall into tall grass.
I know the grass is going to trigger wheezing, but before I can dig in my bag for the spray, the carriage passes and rolls into a puddle where it then shoots out water from the wheels, spraying my clothes and face.
This not only happens once but three times, as three different carriages go by.
You have got to be kidding me. I wonder if all of it has to do with tomorrow.
I curse after them, but they are long gone.