Chapter 3: Akward


1... 2... 3... 4... 1... 2... If she listened to the sound of footsteps carefully it almost sounded like hoot beats. Almost, she mentally berated herself, but not enough. The heavy silence seeped in to her bones begging her to surrender, to give in to the temptation to apologize. Why should I apologize? She wondered, I've done nothing wrong. So why do I feel so guilty? No, she could not apologize, that would just make everything worse. She felt her hand subconsciously hover over her broach, it was perfect, she could just disappear. I cannot run away forever. She sighed and looked at him out the corner of her eye.

Deep almond eyes met her gaze. She cursed herself, the only time I look at him and he has to catch me. I shouldn't have looked at him, I should not be encouraging him to chase me not when...Karigan thought of Yates, left somewhere in the palace corridors, she had to put an end to this for him. How does one tell a King that they do not love them, am I mad to choose a commoner over the High King? Lost in her thoughts she did not realise that Zachary had stopped. As she realised she stopped and turned round to see him standing with a bemused look on his face a few meters back.

"I am sorry your Highness. I was lost in thought." She murmured.

"I see." He sighed, "Kari we can't leave things like this... we need to talk."

"Drent..." She started, it was a very good excuse even the King did what the fearsome Arms Master said. For a moment she saw a flicker of doubt in his face, her heart skipped a beat as she thought about getting away without the awkward conversation she could feel on the horizon.

"Arms Master Drent can wait." He decided.

Karigan smothered a groan. "Your Highness..."

"Please Kari... for once forget your duty, talk to me as if I'm just another suitor."

"Just... just another... just another suitor..." She spluttered staring at him incredulously. Looking at the slightly guilty look on the Kings face the flame inside her that until now had been burning slowly, ignited in to a full blaze. "I will not forget my duty, Your Highness. You are the King; you would not lightly put aside your duty not even for a woman you claimed to love. That is why you are a good King you will never put anything before your country. You ask me then to forget my duty? How can I? How can I put aside that you are my King when you cannot? As for suitor..." She paused as she noticed the raised eyebrows of the Weapons behind the King, deciding she did not care anymore. She had started so she might as well finish. "As for you being my suitor, how could you push your suite with me while you are engaged? What would my family think? What am I supposed to think? You propose yourself a suitor but you would not marry me. You could not. Am I then to follow you forever lamenting what I cannot have? Am I to let you have prior claim to me even though you could never be fully mine?" Karigan shook her head fighting back the tears. "What do you want from me?"

She looked deep in to the eyes of the man she had thought she loved. She watched in disbelief as his King's mask cracked to reveal the man below, he seemed so weary. Zachary took a step towards her, in his eyes she saw the person she had been a few days before, lost in a sea of emotions.

"Kari... I..."

She could not take it anymore. Everything had been easier when she was at Selium, no one had been interested in her then, she had always been too common, too troublesome, to consider as a possible match. She could not bring herself to hurt him. She let her gaze slip past the King, Fastion met her eyes, a look of understanding crossed his face and he nodded.

She turned and ran. Zachary may know where she was going but she doubted he would be desperate enough to follow her until he had regained a measure of composure. If he hasn't had time to see me officially to congratulate me on my knighthood I doubt he'll have the time for a personal visit, she frowned, why was he avoiding me before? Am I only interesting when a new barrier is thrust between us? She slowed to a walk as she approached the practice area; it looked like she had arrived on time.

In fact now she came to think of it, the practice field was completely empty. She frowned; Drent had never missed a training session before. Karigan had assumed if he was ever ill, if something like that would even faze the Arms Master enough to give up his favourite sport of dancing in circles around her, he would send a member of the Green Foot. She stood in the middle of the field unsure of what to do, she did not want to raise Drents ire by leaving prematurely, nor did she want to be in such an open place alone with the confrontation with the King hanging over her head.

Karigan was starting to wonder what she could do with her free morning before Yates was relieved from his teaching duty. She smiled and started thinking about riding Condor in the woods beyond the city all morning when a small figure in green caught her eye. She frowned as the small girl rushed up to her, the girl's auburn hair pulling loose of the green cap it had no doubt been pinned neatly under not too long ago, the runner bowed to her and smiled nervously.

"Rider Sir! The Captain wants to see you in her office." The girl announced.

Karigan nodded and watched the girl hurry back across the grounds towards the castle. Karigan followed at a more leisurely pace, no doubt the Captain had a job for her and a job had a high possibility of coming in to contact with the King. She sighed; I have to face him eventually.


A quick chapter. Sorry there's no Yates in this one!

Anyway enjoy,

Rhii