Disclaimer: Under no circumstances am I allowed to claim this universe with its trouble-riddled characters as mine own. And without further ado, here is Ch. 6.
Fragile Innocence
By: Renachi
CHAPTER SIX – LETTING IT FREE
As Layla's heels clacked on their way to the throne room, curiosity buzzed in her mind. What in the world had happened? When she go to the doors, with a strong push on the tall coral doors, she glided in, donning poise fit for her title as Andros's crown princess.
"Mother," she acknowledged with a pearly white smile and a graceful curtsy. They too acknowledged her arrival with the curt bow of their heads, but that was all, nothing more and nothing less. In the throne room, their job placed a bottomless rift between daughter and parents.
"Layla," her mother, Niobe, acknowledged back in a contralto voice as she reclined against the throne.
When Layla glanced over to the neighboring throne, she found the seat empty. "Where's father?"
"I'm afraid he just left to attend to some business with other kingdoms, though he would have rather stayed here to tell you what I'll be saying in a second."
Layla's curiosity heightened even further. Where was she getting at?
"We have called you here to discuss about your marriage," her mother revealed. Immediately, every fiber in Layla's body clenched, and she could feel deep trepidation pooling in her gut. "But before we speak any further, we wish to confirm that you currently aren't in a relationship."
Layla was tempted to lie. No. She truly wanted to lie, but did refrained. If she lied here, her dishonesty would be quickly revealed within a few minutes after her parents asked to meet the nonexistent man she was dating. "I am afraid I am not," she bitterly replied.
"Then I assume that you wouldn't mind discussing the subject of your fiancé then?"
Her eyes widened as she tried to nonchalantly voice the lie, "I supposed."
"Perfect. Your father and I have set up your next engagement."
Layla felt a half gasp coming up her throat, but luckily Layla stopped it at the last moment and quelled her surprise. Be calm Layla.
"You have never met this man before yet, but I'm sure that you have heard of him through Nabu at some point," she continued.
Nabu?
A nerve twitch at his name, bringing forth an unwelcome wave of nostalgia.
Layla could feel her head churning with possibilities of her next fiancé. Was he a friend of Nabu's? Nabu had spoken about his friends from his wizard school on multiple occasions, and most of them sounded pleasant, maybe even intriguing, but it didn't make sense. Her parents wouldn't betroth her to a friend of Nabu's unless he was a royal. That piece of knowledge instantly limited the playing field; Layla knew only of two princes her late fiancé mention.
Was it Jordan, the prim and proper, history nut?
Or was it Rio, the opinionated, pigheaded prince.
Layla hoped it wasn't the latter. If the man was a stubborn chauvinist, Layla could guarantee that majority of their time together would be spent butting heads. Unlike Musa, Layla had no intention to tame a "bad guy" into nice, boyfriend material.
"It interesting to add that this man had originally planned to court you before we made plans for the engagement," the queen added.
"I do not wish to be impudent, but who is this man?"
The corner of her lips curled up into an amused grin. "You'll find out very soon. In fact, he arrived today and is currently making his way over here."
Layla could feel the steel butterflies of anxiety ravaging her gut. She softly gulped as her eyes flickered to the ground for second, trying to digest the unprecedented situation.
Her reaction to the news was unlike the previous she learned of her engagement with Nabu. Last time she learned of her engagement to Nabu, she pigheadedly refused to meet the man. This time she was curious about her future partner. Even though she wasn't ready for marriage and that the memory of Nabu was still fresh in her mind, she couldn't help but wonder who this fiancé her parents picked out for her was. At the same time, she hoped, desperately, that this man would be able to finally help her move and start anew. Perhaps a new love would erase away the stains of heartbreak.
"I'm sure you'll be surprised when you see him."
She cocked a brow, wondering why she would be surprised.
A moment later, at the sound of the doors groan, Layla whipped her head backwards to see the new arrival, thinking that it could be her anticipated fiancé. Horror reflected in Layla's eyes. She could feel the fresh twang of memories impale her as she gazed at the man's face. His frame was hauntingly familiar; his eyes the same soft brown that she knew so well.
"It's my pleasure to greet you King, Queen, and Princess," his suave voice greeted.
"Welcome to our kingdom. I would love to introduce you to our daughter Layla. Layla, this is your new fiancé, Haran. He's Nabu's younger brother."
For a moment, Layla considered disregarding all rules of etiquette and rudely insisting that she wouldn't. She wanted to scream at her parents, asking them why they were doing this to her. But instead she just stood still as a false as a friendly smile crawled up on her face and lied. "It's a pleasure to meet you too," she cordially greeted.
As Haran flashed a brilliant smile, Layla couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one suffering under the stifling, precarious tension in the room. Without an inflection, she excused herself using the subtle excuse of remembering that she had to go do something. Another lie. "I am very sorry for leaving so abruptly," she apologized to Haran. "Hopefully we can get together to chat sometime tomorrow."
"Oh, do not worry. We are going to see each other again at dinner tonight."
The corner of her eyes twitched. "That is a relief."
Giving a farewell and a forced grin, Layla inwardly cursed before she left. With all the anxiety running through her body, what Layla needed the most at that moment was a relaxing walk outside the castle and preferably by the sea. The two guards eyed her warily as she told them that she was only going to be out for an hour at the most and that she would definitely be back for dinner. Either way, as a grown adult, she knew that they couldn't stop her even if they wanted to. She wasn't the same helpless girl that could be trapped inside a fortress of formalities called home.
Out of all the men in the universe, the man she was to marry had to be the brother. And he had to be the spitting image of Nabu. This man who can torture me with just his appearance...How am I going to deal with him much less marry him?
Gathering up the train of her verdant gown, the princess made her way up a well-worn path, enjoying the hike with her bare feet scuffing the rough terrain. She didn't mind the blisters, cuts, or scrapes she got when sharp bushes brushed against her or when the unmerciful blasts of wind knocked her down. Or rather, the pain helped her current mindset by stealing her attention from her problems. With her mind focused on reaching the goal, she forgot completely about her new engagement and the baby nestled in her womb.
By the time she finally reached the end of the path, the wind had fashioned her unruly locks into a scarecrow nest and her soiled gown was tattered at the hem. But the refreshing view at the top quickly outweighed all costs. Layla always relished in the deafening gust struggling to knock her off her feet at the top of the cliff. Here she could scream about her worries and troubles to her heart's desire and no one would ever know. She loved the rush of adrenaline as she fought against the unrelenting howls of wind.
She carefully edged closer to the brim of the perilous cliff, taking a quick look at treacherous waves beneath her. Suddenly a pang of pain struck her, and dizziness shrouded her vision. She found herself gasping for breath, and suddenly the ground slipped out from beneath her. By the time she had realized her heads of heels decent, it was far too late, and with the nausea rushing through her body, each second seemed to take forever. Finally she slammed into the wave, but before the water swallowed her, she let out one last scream for help. As always, no one heard her.
ººº
When the heavy weight of sleep lifted, Layla found her eyelids glued tight. It took all the strength she could draw to open them, and when they she blinding white light forced them shut again.
"She's awake," someone loudly rejoiced. "Her eyes just twitched!" Layla swore she heard the sound of sobs before her consciousness slipped out of her grasp.
The next time she awoke, opening her eyes was an easier feat. The morning light filtering through the infirmary's lucid drapes made it easier for her sensitive eyes, allowing her time to adjust. When she had no sounds, Layla almost frightened herself, thinking that she might have lost her hearing from the violent fall, but when she heard the rustle of her curtain being drawn to her left, she let out a sigh of relief. Or at least, she would have if she hadn't seen the person who pulled the curtains. Eyes falling shut, Layla pretended that she was fast asleep.
"You fake. I know you are awake," Haran's hostile voice said. Layla instantly gave in, and her eyes fluttered back open. Nabu's—Haran's face stared straight back at her, cold and empty. "For a princess, you sure are a handful. You don't swim even though you are the princess of a planet mostly made up of water; you toss this castle into a bedlam and reveal that you are pregnant; and then still have the urge to act in front of me. You're reputation as a flawless princess is a sham. Ha…in fact, it's actually pretty funny."
Teal eyes were fasten on him as he spoke, studying even lip movement. Layla felt like a ghost was in front of her. Then she comprehended what he said.
…reveal that you are pregnant…
Layla almost swallowed her tongue in the mad frenzy that overtook her senses. Shock fell on her face as her body jerked up in haste and sent of an explosion of pang through her lower back to her neck, which forced her back down. "Pre-Pre-Pregnant?" she breathed. "Wa-Wait! What do you mean by reveal?"
"And then you have the audacity to be shocked," he added.
Layla's heart ran at a hysterical rate as her hands slid down to her womb. "My b-baby," she breathed. "Is—no…alive...but…I didn't kill…right?" Eyes, brightening into a startling electric blue, widened in horror. She could feel the emotions within her wrapping around her reserves of magic at the very gruesome thought.
"Calm your marbles. Shouldn't you be happy that you problem is gone?" he pointed out, a half bemused grimace on his lips. "I mean, seeing that you parents have no knowledge whatsoever about the baby, I'm sure hiding that problem child of yours must have been a chore."
Layla narrowed her eyes. "You're crazy."
"It's called logic."
"You two-faced man…acting like a gentleman in front of my parents when you're actually obnoxious," she spat.
The man, with Nabu's ebony eyes of gem, glanced at Layla condescendingly and scoffed, "You're one to talk. Aren't you the same way with all your lies?"
The words in Layla wouldn't budge, stuck in her airway as she tried to think of another way to reply, another witty remark to shoot back at Haran, but she met a dead end. She was a liar, Layla knew that very well.
"And to think that my brother fell in love with such a mess. I'm disappointed."
Layla frowned. "In me?"
"In my brother's taste. Because of his love, he died. You—You killed him by dragging him into your fight," Haran accused, sharp venom on his tongue as he lashed each word out that stung and uncovered the scars in Layla's heart. The knot in her throat began to take root. It almost seemed like Nabu was right in front of her berating her for killing him. Her throat grew dry as she tried to refute his words, but that task grew increasingly more difficult with each passing second. She couldn't look at Haran's face any longer.
"I should have given up on you the second you agreed to sleep with me that night," he continued.
Layla could feel her expression softening into a pool of befuddlement. "Huh?"
His brows furrowed as he stated in mock disbelief, "You don't remember." He emanated a low and amused chuckle which heated up into full blown laughter. "That's—That's just incredible. You really don't remember what you did on Valentine's Day a few months back?"
It took Layla some time, but eventually the memory slammed into her like a steamroller, and she was left feeling humiliated. "You? You were that gigolo? You're joking."
"I didn't think you would forget someone who looked like your ex-fiancé so easily," he snorted.
Layla was utterly speechless even though there were a bunch of things she wanted to yell at him like, "Why did you do that? You may not know, but because of your actions, you set off a chain of events that led to this baby in my womb. You…You created this baby." But Layla didn't say any of that. Instead, she stayed completely still and silent as a headache racked her mind with anxiety.
"Cat got your tongue?" He let out a shallow sigh, as if talking was a chore. "I'm afraid it is time for me to leave. I must say farewell to you my dear fiancé," he said mockingly as he donned his polite mask. Haran left the princess to her thoughts with a light peck on the back of her hand, sending ill chills up her arms. Somewhere along the line of thoughts of worry about her baby that might possibly be dead, her fiancé, and the possibility that the whole castle knows she is pregnant, Layla fell asleep. The next time she awoke was when someone gently nudged her shoulder.
"Princess, wake up please," the voice whispered. Even though it was heavy with fatigue, her mind immediately registered the pleading voice of Mariah.
"What's wrong?" she mumbled, her head rising off her pillow with a lazy drag as if her head was a dense weight.
"I heard from umm…your new fiancé that you had already awoken so I thought it would be a good time to fill you in on what has happened while you were asleep," she informed in a whisper.
Layla's spirit dropped at the mention of her hateful fiancé, but at the last bit of information, apprehension swelled up to the unbearable brim. "C-Continue," she stammered.
"Well first of all, I want to apologize beforehand for anything that I may say that may startle you," she started.
Nearing the brink of nervousness, Layla nodded stiffly. "So?"
The woman drew up in deep breath before unraveling the news. "First of all, your baby is living."
Layla surprised herself with a heavy sigh of relief. That one act of reassurance instantly relieved half of the load that was weighing against her mind since her conversation with Haran. If all the news was going to be good as the first, then she could rest assured.
"Secondly, Mister Helia is the baby's father, and Miss Flora knows. "
With dread, Layla could sense a fine tear in her veil of lies growing taller and sharper.
Author's Notes:
Poor Layla. Poor Helia. Poor Nurse. Poor everyone.
Renachi
