Not All is Fair in Love and War
Chapter 13
Hailey had butterflies in her stomach. She wanted to get there already and get it over with. She was cold and covered herself with her cloak and crossed her arms and looked out the window. She had a look on her face as if trying to work out a complex problem- which she was- she had a nagging feeling that Ishmael would look at her with those huge brown eyes and see right thru her like he had done before.
"What's wrong?" Trip asked. She looked at him as if she was coming out of a haze.
"Hmm?"
"You look like something is off."
"Sorry, I'm just anxious about our destination. I wish I could have done some more research but I exhausted every book store and library in Atlantica."
"So what's the problem?" Alex asked.
"There isn't a problem- I just usually like to know everything about where I am going before I actually go."
"But that's the point of going somewhere- you get to learn about the place in which you are going." Alex pointed out.
"True, but from a tactical viewpoint- we Marines like to have all angles covered- isn't that right boys?" Lomi and Trip silently nodded in agreement.
"But I thought Marines worked in pairs." Alex asked testing the atmosphere.
"We do- but she counts as two all by herself." Lomi poked fun at her. She play hit him in the shoulder and he recoiled pretending it hurt, it actually did but no guy wants to admit he was hit by a girl and it hurt right?
She gave him a sideways glance and a smirk to show she was kidding. She looked out the window to see endless fields of sea grass and coral reefs pass her by then she felt sleepy. She opened her bag and took out a pillow and put it on the side of the carriage to take a nap.
"Hey- where did you get the pillow?" Trip asked.
"Out of my bag- why you didn't bring one?"
"No."
"Do you want one?"
"Maybe."
Hailey looked at Lomi and Alex as if to ask them if they wanted their own pillows too.
"I doubt you brought enough for all of us- that bag looks like all it could carry was the pillow you just pulled out." Alex said.
"Well that's the great thing about this bag- it's a carry all and when I say carry all- I mean it." She then reaches in and takes out 3 more pillows.
"How did you do that?" Trip asked now looking in wonder at her little satchel.
"It's magic." Hailey said in a sarcastic tone.
"No seriously- how did you do that?
"A girl has to have some secrets Trip- the sooner you figure that out the sooner you get a girlfriend."
"Ouch- oh that's harsh." Lomi said in defense of his friend.
"I know- I can be mean sometimes, sorry Trip- I just don't get why the whole squad doesn't have girls hanging on their every word." Alex looked at Hailey as if she had grown a second and third head.
"Are you serious?" Alex asked.
"Well- while I am not at all normal- I would think most girls would be drawn to strong, well disciplined guys."
"Most girls your age however are still at a shark and bait stage though. They like a guy to be focused on them instead of any serious endeavors- like running a kingdom or completing a mission or anything else of real consequence." Alex argued.
"But not every girl is a simpleton or completely stuck on herself- some are genuine and kind and would give their right arm for a guy of real consequence to look at them twice."
"Those are called the 'diamonds in the rough'. They are hard to find- it seems that you have to hack your way thru a briar patch of crazies to get to the one sane girl." Alex was making a sound argument. Hailey had to admit that even in her own extended family there were the majority of her girl cousins who were fickle and self absorbed and relished the thought of toying with some poor guy's heart and emotions- it gave them a sick twisted sense of power.
"Well when you are right you are right I guess." She looks back out the window her thoughts returning to her task at hand. Then the sleepiness took her over and she settled into sleep. She woke up a few hours later to find that it was just her and Alex that were awake in the carriage.
"Am I safe to talk?" Alex asked. Hailey looked at Lomi and Trip who were still asleep and played it safe-
"Neither of them know Kaldinion- that would be our safest bet." So they proceeded to talk to each other in that language- which the translation would be…
"Do they know?" Alex asks
"Yes."
"Lomi acts as if he is none the wiser."
"He does what he is told."
"So what's up with that?"
"I saved Lomi's life a while back, he keeps his head in stressful situations and he is turning out to be a better friend than anything else."
"And Trip?"
"He is a great tactical thinker and he can find a way out of anything. He also has the ability to see what's going on underneath the surface and he's one hell of a fighter. Plus both know how to keep a secret. You know my family already receives criticism for Sephira's involvement with my parents. Alex- I didn't tell you this before but everything you see is a result of Sephira imparting a portion of her own life to me- that's what it took to bring me back to the world of the living and this is how I 'present' her power coursing thru my veins. Now from a purely political standpoint it would make sense to come out and tell everyone what happened and who I really am because I would gain power and pull in any court- but I don't want it. And further more I can't have children because of what happened, so any thought of marriage is out of the question too- because who would want to marry a weapon, a monster, a freak of nature like me? So out of my concern for you reaching the throne, which you will because you know as well as I do that you are the best suited for it." Hailey explains.
"Well thank you for your confidence but I think you judge yourself too harshly."
"I speak the truth- because at the end of the day- what does the average guy want? A family- which is something I can not provide- I can be a great soldier- I can protect anyone I deem worthy, I can do things that most can not even fathom- I can be the x factor in any fight, any war. I am the extraordinary but I will most likely live my life alone. Unless a guy wouldn't want to see his DNA passed on to the next generation, then maybe I won't but until that rare and unexpected day comes- I will accept my fate as it is right now. I am choosing to live my life this way for the safety of my family which includes you- and my kingdom which also involves you. Which leads me to a concern- why did your dad send you? It is a very risky move to send the crown prince half way around the world to a kingdom which may not even lend its support."
"I am confidant they will." Alex answers with a smirk.
"What brings you this confidence? Do you have that much faith in my abilities? Or do you have a trick up your sleeve I don't know about?"
"Both."
"Really? And what trick do you think you will pull?"
"Now what fun would I have if I told you now?" Alex teased.
"I could play along instead of unknowingly be a hindrance."
"Ishmael has two sisters- does he not?"
"Oh that's low- I didn't even think you would play that card." Hailey says, disappointed.
"I hear they are very beautiful."
"If they look anything like Ishmael- without a doubt, but you don't have to play that card. Please Alex."
"Hailey- I'm nearly 27 and I still don't have a mate and at the urging of my own parents I was told to come along on this endeavor. You are not the only one under pressure."
"That is so unlike your parents though."
"You haven't been around my mother lately."
"But Abigail is still a little girl- she's nearly 5."
"But my mother's health is starting to fail- and out of fear that we may appear weak it would be best if I had all my fish in row don't you think?"
"True but this is a political mission- no girl in her right mind wants to marry a guy to make a political alliance- she would want to marry out of love."
"I know that's why you are coming- my mother hopes that you will be the centerpiece and I'm the added bonus." Alex says bitterly.
"So this is your mothers doing?"
"Well…both of my parents have concerns but mostly my mother- yes."
"Fantastic... did you even want to go?" Hailey asks, irritated at the very notion.
"Did you?"
"No- I wanted to be a secret remember but out of respect for official orders and because you were coming- I came."
"Same here." Alex answered.
"Nice- so what do we do?"
"We will go and do our best."
"It's not like we have a choice." Hailey grumbled.
"Yup."
Then Trip and Lomi stir awake and Hailey says quickly-
"We can finish this conversation later."
They go back to speaking their native tongue and change the subject.
"Well I hope their food isn't too spicy." Alex notes.
"No such luck- from what I have read- Tezrah's food is some of the spiciest."
"Are you serious? Dang it." Alex huffs.
Hailey smiled and chuckled at her cousin. Trip and Lomi look at each other trying to comprehend what they are hearing.
"What about spice?" Trip asks.
"I was just saying that Tezrah is rumored to have some of the spiciest food in the ocean- Alex was lamenting that."
"Have you tried their food?" Trip asked Hailey.
"Yes- it is on the spicy side but I'm sure we will manage."
"Don't talk about food- I'm starving." Lomi said- his low stomach grumbles could now be heard.
"Oh you poor baby." Hailey lightly teased while opening her bag and pulled out a few surprises. She hands each of them a wrapped sandwich.
"Seriously I have to get a bag like that." Trip said while opening his sandwich and they began to eat.
"Oh you're a life-saver." The guys would say in between mouthfuls.
"This is Mama Hoss' isn't it?" Alex asked.
"You know it- she is the best cook on the west side." Hailey replied after swallowing a big bite.
After she got done eating she felt something buzzing in her bag. It was a communicator.
"Hello?" Hailey asked- she heard Rory on the end giving her a coded message. Hailey shuffled thru her bag looking for a notepad and a pen. She was furiously writing down the code that was given- she answered back in code and looked at the communicator confused and repeated the coded message.
"What the fuck..." Hailey whispers to herself with a groan.
"Excuse me?" Trip asks- all of the guys are staring at Hailey waiting for her to tell them what was going on. Hailey holds up her forefinger- the international sign for hold on a minute. She asks something in code and didn't like the answer she was given. Hailey says goodbye and her head falls into her hands she is whispering curses at herself barely audible.
"What's going on?" Trip asks.
"I can't…tell you, I got to go…I will catch up with you all tonight." She takes off her cloak and starts speaking the ancient language to her cousin Alex who nods in acceptance and she climbs out the window and disappears. Trip and Lomi look at him like 'Dude! WTF?'
"You should be grateful she's on our side." Alex answers the looks given to him.
"But where did she go?" Trip asks.
"She went ahead of us- the message she just received was a warning- there were a few gangs waiting to ambush us. She… went to kill them." Now granted that was only a fraction of the message she received from Rory and a fraction still is what she told Alexander but that's what they needed to know.
"All righty then. Yeah- glad she's on our side." Trip said but what he didn't understand is why she just didn't say that in plain English and to the rest of them. Trip could sense he was out of the loop and felt uneasy. But as the journey went on he was lulled into sleep again and was soon fast asleep. Then the faint sound of screaming could be heard in the far distance. Both Alex and Lomi look in the direction of the sound.
"I hope that's her causing that." Alex said with a grimace.
"Me too. So what do you think of her, doing this? Being a soldier."
"If I were in her fins- I would probably do the same thing to tell you the truth. I think she's focused, she's brave, strong and she's sensible enough to realize what a great thing she has going for her. I'm proud of her."
"Do you ever stop to tell her that?" Lomi asks, wondering how much support she really received from her family.
"I think none of us really tell the people who matter the most to us what we really feel." Alex truthfully answers.
"So I'm aware of the fact that your father, the King and her father, the Admiral are close friends- does that relationship transition to Hailey and yourself?" Lomi asks, curious.
"Yes- she might as well be my sister- she talks to me more than my real sister anyway."
"Really?"
"Hailey's usually pretty open with just about everything, so this 'keeping secrets' thing must be so foreign to her. I can see it takes a toll on her too- you can see it especially in her eyes."
"How can you tell?"
"Well, I have been watching her closely ever since she got back and her eyes can reflect her mood when she's not thinking about it. I know blue is happy- orange is scared, red has two meanings one is angry the other is intensity because I have seen when she talks about Mama Hoss' sandwiches or riding her sea horse and her eyes get blue but right on the outer edge they go red but black is…sadness, depressed, it means something is wrong. And I've seen a lot of black lately."
"That's interesting- almost disturbing, thanks for the heads up."
"You're welcome; it's only fair that you should be aware of these things."
"Thank you, so what do you know about Tezrah? Besides the spicy food..." Lomi asks, changing the subject.
"I know the waters are warmer, but I know the Crown Prince as does Hailey..."
"Oh Prince Ishmael." Lomi replied, doing his best to hide his bitterness.
"I take it she has mentioned him a time or two."
"Or 3 or a hundred." Lomi replied.
"Yeah, I figured as much, they actually dated for like...a day, he danced with her which I don't know if you dance but for Hailey's back round and personality has huge brownie points. He even tried to take her out before the accident and come to think of it, he was there in the hospital waiting room with the rest of us when she got in the accident and had to be rushed out. Oh and before that- like the night before- the Admiral invited him for a private dinner with just his family and afterwords her family, Prince Ishmael and my family all went to the game room and she played cards with him- she is a card shark by the way- I don't know if you knew that or not but she is, anyway he was a graceful loser and she practically fell into his arms that night- weather or not it was an 'accident' that she did that remains to be seen. And from talking to her brother- Ayden even likes him and Ayden doesn't like just anyone. But I heard she broke things off with him despite Ayden and Ishmael becoming good friends."
"Do you think she likes Ishmael?" Lomi questioned.
"From the way she danced with him, the way she talked to him and how she was super nervous when he came to dinner- yeah I do. But since her accident- she feels…inadequate as a princess so she became a soldier to get away from it."
"Well she told me she can't…have children- if that's what you are referring to when you say inadequate."
"Yeah that's exactly what I'm talking about- which is a partial truth- the purpose of being a princess is that some prince can marry you- make you his queen and have little princes and princesses of your own and since she can't do that- it defeats the purpose."
"But just because she can't have children of her own doesn't mean she's unlovable or anything like that- she doesn't have to be alone." Lomi argued.
"Now that's what I wish she could get thru her head- because ever since she got back it's like she swore off mermen and marriage and it's as if she has convinced herself that all she could ever be is a soldier- no matter what anyone tells her. It's frustrating- because you want to see your friends and family be happy and for her being a soldier means a lot to her but I know she feels like she's missing out by depriving herself of any of those possibilities."
"I agree it is very frustrating but unfortunately it's her decision."
"It sure is." Alex and Lomi did that head nod meaning they came to a mutual understanding and agreement and from that point on they would remain friends. But as if on cue Trip wakes up.
"What did I miss?" Trip asks still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Nothing" Lomi and Alex say at the same time. They finally reach their first destination- a good stopping point where they could find a good and safe place to stay the night. Hailey is there waiting for them. She is leaning on the door way with a smile- she was grateful they made it safely. She had already gotten the rooms ready and taken many safety precautions.
"Did you guys have a good trip with out me?"
"Yeah- Trip slept most of the way." Alex answered and Trip nodded in agreement.
"Good- I'm glad to hear it."
"Talked about you a lot." Lomi said in a very low husky voice as he passed her in the door way. She gave him a concerned and confused look then looked at Alex then back at Lomi- both boys looked at her with the same mischievous smile.
"I was afraid of that." She said while she helped them unload the carriage.
"Don't worry- your secret is still safe with us." Alex whispered as she passed him on the stairs.
"It better be." She whispered back, giving him a warning look.
'Oh this is going to be such a lovely trip' She said to herself in complete sarcasm. She was dying to know exactly what was said…but how to find out…surely an opportunity would present itself sooner or later.