Note: Here's Chapter 7!
Debt of Honor - Chapter Seven - And So It Begins
Oh dear me, I wonder what he wants? Serelise asked herself, glancing about as if there was any chance of escape. Corin continued his confident approach, and she, resigned to her fate, returned to her seat and folded her hands, staring at the myriad of colors swirling by on the dance floor courtesy of the women's skirts. Serelise felt his presence and her cheeks began to redden unconsciously. Why was he just standing there? She risked a quick glance in his direction, and was met by his open stare, ever curious. This of course, made her even more self conscious.
"Do you like spiders?" he asked suddenly and she jolted in her seat. He laughed, almost pleasantly, but there was something about him that screamed mischief.
"No," she answered, no clever response coming to mind.
"Too bad," he mumbled. Now she was staring. "Well, you're likely to catch some that way," Prince Corin pointed out humorously, his greenish-blue eyes sparkling. Serelise realized in horror that she had been gaping with her mouth wide open. She snapped it closed and a look of such glee crossed the boy's face that she was strangely reminded of a seven year old on Christmas.
"Do you like balls?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow and nodding her head at the dancers.
Ah, I should have said that when he asked if I liked spiders! she thought.
Corin glowered at her.
"Apparently not."
"They're alright except for. . . the dancing. . ." he tried to explain.
"You seemed to be dancing fine."
"Well, yes, but it's dancing. I had to learn it." His grin returned. "Now, if you don't like spiders, why didn't you scream?" he questioned, changing the subject.
Serelise turned her head away, back to the swirling couples. It may have been rude, but she didn't know if she liked where this conversation was headed.
"Lady Serelise?" She looked up to see Lord Kagan, who had returned. He was eyeing Corin with a hint of suspicion.
"Yes?" she asked softly.
"Would you care to dance another with me?"
Serelise glanced over to the prince watching, interest all over his face. "Yes, yes of course," she agreed readily, taking his proffered hand. They moved to the dance floor.
"Did you find the prince good company?" Kagan asked lightly as she twirled to a lively melody.
She smiled. "I hardly know. He was there for but a few minutes." Kagan nodded, but his mind seemed elsewhere. "I saw you left earlier with the king."
He looked at her strangely for a moment and she subconsciously lifted her fingers to brush her neck, as if there might be some other bug crawling up her skin.
"Yes," he said. "I was with the king."
"And my father?" Serelise put in hesitantly, noticing his short response. The man looked away, his mind somewhere else once again. "Sir Kagan?" she said, attempting to draw him back to reality.
"What? Oh, pardon me, my lady. What was it you were saying?"
"Was my father there as well?"
He shifted uncomfortably as Serelise did a quick curtsy to start the next dance, followed by a bow from him. "Yes," the man responded. He turned with her to the side and skipped a few steps. "He was there."
"What was the meeting about? Or is that private, important information that I mustn't know," she said teasingly, her eyes bright.
He looked back at her quite soberly, and her joviality disappeared. "It is very important information, indeed. I believe the telling should be left to your father."
"Was it about him?" she asked, a little worried by Kagan's solemnity.
"Very much so."
"How curious," she mumbled softly. He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Are you feeling alright?" she questioned as the dance came to an end.
"Yes, of course," he said reassuringly.
Just then, Serelise caught a glimpse of Jakin over the Lord's shoulder. The boy clutched two glasses and the girls were swarming him once again, a couple pinching his cheeks. Immediately, Serelise remembered her "duty" and she might have felt a bit guilty if the situation wasn't so comical.
"Sir Kagan," she said, focusing on the man's brown eyes. "I'm so sorry, but I must go give a little time to my brother. He is waiting."
"Of course," the man responded.
Serelise turned, and began to approach Jakin and the group of girls. She glanced at the tables, and quickly saw that Drestor and King Lune were still absent. Sir Kagan must have gone for a few minutes and then returned, while father stayed with the king.
A relieved expression settled onto Jakin's features when he saw her coming toward him. The assorted girls standing round gave her slightly suspicious looks. They had never seen her before tonight, after all, and she was unfamiliar. Jakin quickly handed her the glass of wine.
"Hello girls," Serelise said, before taking a sip and enjoying it immensely, her tongue exploding with flavor. They muttered a few responses, but a short girl with blazing red hair came from the dance floor as if she had noticed an awkward situation approaching. She was dressed in a deep pink ball gown that contrasted sharply with her red hair. She whispered to the other girls, then smiled and stuck out her hand.
"The name's Belina," she said brightly.
"I'm Serelise."
The others soon introduced themselves as Talia, Amaris, Celina, Maraline, Loralai.
"Where do you all hail from?" Serelise asked as Jakin stepped to her side.
"Talia and I are from Terebinthia; Maraline is from Galma; Amaris has returned to Narnia since the White Witch's defeat; and Celina and Loralai hail from Archenland," Belina answered quickly.
Serelise nodded, smiling to herself when Jakin poked her back. "You come from all over," she commented. "I myself am from-"
"Right here in Archenland," Belina interrupted. "I heard when your family was announced."
Serelise nodded just as Jakin poked her again, harder than before.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed, without realizing she spoke aloud.
"Excuse me?" Belina asked, a dumbfounded look coming over her face.
Serelise laughed nervously. "Nothing at all."
She hurriedly finished her drink before handing it to Jakin, who handed it to a servant who luckily just happened to be passing by at that moment. "If you girls will excuse me," Serelise said, grasping Jakin's arm. "I think my brother and I are going to share a dance."
Jakin sent her a venomous look, but she dragged him onto the dance floor anyway.
As she left, the other girls were staring and she thought she heard one whisper, "I wanted him to dance with me, but he wouldn't."
Serelise grinned as she and Jakin performed a waltz-type dance, her brother looking extremely unhappy. Belina was alright, but the rest of the girls seemed unfriendly. Perhaps they were just shy, though.
Jakin groaned softly, and Serelise couldn't help but giggle. "It's not so bad," she encouraged.
He glared half-heartedly. "You have no idea," he responded in a hurried mumble.
"Well, actually, even your big sister had someone speaking and dancing with her," she replied, winking teasingly.
"I know, but at least it's not a boatload at a time!" he exclaimed. She placed a finger over her lips, signalling for him to lower his voice.
"Well, I suppose that's your lot in life," she said, patting his shoulder while suppressing a smile. "But you'll live."
"Maybe," he said, eyes downcast, looking terribly unconvinced.
"Tell you what," she said quickly, "I'll distract the girls again while you do whatever it is you do for fun."
His eyes sparkled. "Alright," he agreed instantly as the song ended.
Serelise approached the group of girls again. They were already searching through the crowd for Jakin. Another smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
I'm very smiley today, she realized. Was it the excitement of actually doing something besides sit around at their mansion in Rineguard all day embroidering?
Serelise accomplished her purpose, engaging the girls in conversation while Jakin escaped to have a little fun.
"So, what is your opinion of the prince?" she asked casually, growing suddenly interested in her bitten fingernails.
Surprisingly, this time it was Amaris who spoke. "Which one? Cor is very nice and I suppose they're both handsome." She smiled at her own confession.
"Corin," Serelise responded, as the other girl's smile faded like a wilting flower.
"Well," Amaris said nervously. "He is. . . interesting. But I don't know so very much about him."
"Celina was seated with him as his companion for the evening," Lorelai offered.
Serelise glanced at Celina who she hadn't paid too much attention to before. She confirmed to herself that she was, indeed, the girl who had been seated beside the prince. Even now she wore an uneasy expression. In fact, all of the girls looked uncomfortable now, since the prince had been mentioned.
I wonder how bad he actually is, Serelise mused.
The celebration continued with much hand clapping and gaiety. When she finished talking, Serelise danced with several gentleman, and even caught another glimpse of Sir Kagan, a worry line between his eyes.
As the hours ticked by, she wondered how those gathered could remain so festive. Their feet must be growing tired now. She, not accustomed to such revelry, was almost certain she must have worn holes through her dancing slippers by now.
At around eleven, the royals from both Archenland and Narnia retired for the evening, leaving the people to continue the celebration. Serelise was also coming to a state of near exhaustion and was happy when, at eleven thirty, her mother whispered in her ear that it was time to return to their apartments for the evening.
They left quietly with Jakin in tow. As the great doors opened and closed behind them, the music continued to play merrily.
Lord Drestor stood in the hallway, nervously twisting his hands. As soon as he caught sight of his family, he turned on his heel and disappeared down the hall. His wife and children followed wordlessly.
Why is he acting so strange? Serelise wondered.
They arrived at their apartments, and each person entered their bed chamber. Serelise could hear soft words coming from her parents' room, but she didn't bother eavesdropping. With a sigh, she flopped onto her bed, allowing her tired body to relax. She looked around a moment before realizing she had given Emine the night off to attend a celebration the servants were having.
It didn't matter though. Serelise was well able to prepare herself for bed. She leaned down and pulled her blue slippers from her aching feet, then changed into her white nightdress.
She rubbed her eyes and could almost feel her strength being sapped with every moment that passed. She pulled the combs and clips from her hair wearily, and finally crawled into her bed with a small feeling of accomplishment. The girl snuggled under the comforter, pulled it up to her chin, and turned onto her side.
It may have been several hours later, but Serelise felt as if she had just closed her eyes when they popped open again. She had heard a noise- a yelp.
Jakin! she thought frantically, sitting up in bed. He was probably having one of his nightmares. Perhaps it was about- She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Should I go to him? The last time Jakin had a nightmare and she had hurried to his side, he had complained that she was treating him like a child. No, she should wait.
Just then, however, she heard disturbing noises, like a scuffle was occurring, and these sounds were coming from the central room- the sitting room. With fresh worry sprouting within her, Serelise leapt from the bed. A door closed and she quickened her pace, opening her own door.
With a quick glance she saw that the parlor was devoid of people, so she hurried to her brother's room, the door of which stood open. Willing herself to be brave no matter what, Serelise peeked in. The bed was disturbed, blankets thrown everywhere, but Jakin was not there. Serelise froze as memories churned in her mind.
"What do you mean?" Drestor questioned, looking up from his paperwork.
"Nalia," Jak said softly, her name spoken tenderly. "She was kidnapped from her own home and murdered in the forest by some. . . some creatures who have come over from Narnia."
Thirteen year old Serelise, who sat stitching a sampler burst into tears. "Not Nalia!"
"Well, as you know, I never approved of your planning a wedding with that common girl," Drestor said, ignoring his sobbing daughter. "Perhaps it is Aslan's judgement for going against my will."
Jak's hand curled into a fist, and he slammed it onto the desk his father was seated behind. "Aslan is good, and I am certain he was not displeased with my decision. I loved her!"
"I will not be treated disrespectfully in my own home, boy," Drestor thundered.
Jak turned, pulling a broadsword from a rack on the fireplace.
"Where are you going?" their father demanded as Jak slid the sword into a sheath by his side. Nine year-old Jakin watched worriedly from where he was seated next to his sister.
"I'm leaving," Jak replied, running a hand through his hair as he turned red-rimmed eyes to his father. "I'm going to hunt down whoever did this, and make sure they receive the justice they deserve for their actions." Jak's eyes were blazing fire.
"Forget it," Drestor said immediately.
"What?"
"Forget her. There are plenty of more. . . suitable girls that you could marry."
Jak stepped back as if he had been slapped, a pained look in his eyes. Then it was replaced by a great anger.
"Nalia was not just 'some girl' father. To me, she was the most beautiful, lovely girl in all our land. She may not have been rich or have a title, but she, more than anyone, deserves to have justice and be remembered." He turned toward the door to leave.
"Jak, if you leave now, don't bother returning."
The young man stiffened, before his shoulders relaxed. "Goodbye father," he said and walked from the room.
"Oh Jakin," she murmured, tears coming to her eys. Could something similar to Nalia's fate have happened to her little brother?
"Mother! Father!" she shrieked, then sank to the floor, covering her eyes.
Note: :) Pm/review if you have any questions/comments/concerns. I'd love to know your opinion of this chapter!
Story to read: Masks, by Feste The Fool
