Hello! It's been quite some time, but here I am with a new chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it. Let me know what you think!
Chapter 15 - Hidden truths
It had been clear since the beginning that nice words and big smiles wouldn't have been enough to gain the Lusitanian people's trust. Much to Étoile's and her men's relief. They were well aware of their utter incompetence when it came to motivational speeches and such. Lusitanians were pragmatic people whose worth was decided on their deeds rather than oratory skills.
They didn't waste time. Since the day after the king had shown them to the small square, Étoile and her men started spending every whole day with their fellow compatriots.
It hadn't been easy at the beginning, but as time passed, the Lusitanian people began warming up towards the newcomers. Even if they still couldn't completely trust them, they at least recognized how useful it was to have four fully-fledged soldiers to help them out with their daily chores.
Malakai, Thibaut, Yanis and Kostàs accepted every single request, as long as it helped their fellow Lusitanian citizens. They acted accordingly to that Lusitanian common assumption that actions speak louder than words, hoping it would have increased people's trust. And it did. Soon enough, those Lusitanians living in Pars trusted them enough to tell them their stories.
Odart was one of them. He was a young man, a former soldier who had joined the battle to accomplish a great many things. His dreams were shattered the moment he witnessed the cruelty and brutality of war. Back in his homeland Odart had been an apprentice blacksmith in his father's workshop. That's what he intended to do now in Ecbatana as well. Next to his house was a small cabin he turned into a workshop. The people living nearby really appreciated his efforts. He was a natural when it came to his job, as Yanis himself said when he asked him to sharpen his sword.
There was a small, ruined house at the bottom of the narrow path that led to the square. There lived Darrel. He was a priest. The middle-aged man once lived in a village in the Lusitanian countryside. One day, some soldiers, the Temple Knights, came to his house and enlisted him as one of the clergymen who had to follow the army and bring solace to the soldiers in the face of the upcoming attack on Pars.
Darrel, a fervent believer but smart enough to understand that Lusitania only considered the Faith of Yaldabaoth a means to gain power, tried to oppose, but he had to submit when those knights threatened to set fire to his small village.
He was there when Ecbatana was conquered and pretty much destroyed. He stood there watching as his fellow Lusitanians killed, raped, pillaged indiscriminately. He had wanted to something, anything to stop that massacre, but fear and horror had seized him, and he couldn't move even a single muscle. Darrel had been living in guilt since then. He rarely left his house and lived in solitude. He was the only one who hadn't met Étoile's knights yet. All the other people living around the small square had had their chance to witness Yanis' incredible strength, to hear Thibaut's hilarious tales, to learn of Kostàs fervent ideals, to ask Malakai, the wisest one, for advice.
And then there was Étoile.
The young commander had become immediately popular among the small community. Not only she had proved to be a valiant warrior since the moment she had set foot in the square, she was also a good and attentive listener, as some women said after Étoile had offered to talk about their troubles, and she was strong enough to carry out whatever chore she was asked to do, much to the elder men's dismay.
Étoile's social and practical skills weren't the only things to have caught people's attention. Those long blonde hair and amber shining eyes surely couldn't go unnoticed, much to Kostàs' jealously. The young men living around the square particularly admired her delicate yet sharp gaze, her feminine figure and the way she moved confidently among all those former soldiers and grown-up men. And they weren't subtle about that, not the slightest bit, Kostàs thought.
He was proved right in a sunny afternoon. The young man was working on a fence with Odart and two other boys, who suddenly stopped fixing the axes captivated by the sight in front of them. Kostàs followed their dreamy, mischievous gazes and his suspicions were confirmed.
Étoile was just a few meters beyond the fence, carrying heavy sacks into a nearby stable. She was literally glowing in the sunset light, sweat drops falling along her face and neck and her shirt stuck to her toned body. She worked unaware of the indiscreet gazes scanning her from head to toe.
«Stop staring you two!», Odart told the boys, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. «She's not in your league. You couldn't even approach her»
«So what? You couldn't either», said one of the youngsters.
«I wouldn't say that…», Odart grinned. Kostàs glared at him. «That woman is like no other. A lady like that has no interest in young lads like you.»
«And what's that supposed to mean?», asked the other boys sneering, Kostàs' glare grew even darker.
«Being in the army for years she must have seen the worst of men. I bet she didn't really have the chance to feel appreciated enough, not in a respectable way at least.»
Odart's assumptions on Étoile's life as a knight upset Kostàs even more.
«She needs a real gentleman to restore her trust in our gender», the blacksmith stated.
«And that would be you?!», the boy laughed leaning against the fence.
«I know I have what it takes to make her feel like a woman. Maybe I could show her a trick or two later tonight…», Odart said staring naughtily at the young woman.
«Watch what you say!», Kostàs snapped. The blacksmith looked at him apologetically.
«Oh, right! I forgot we're talking about our friend Kostàs' commander. Didn't want to sound disrespectful!»
«That's not it!», the young knight spat out clenching his fists as his face became red in frustration.
Odart looked at him skeptically, then he gasped unexpectedly.
«Oh…OH!», he stuttered, raising his hands in the air to fend himself. «I'm sorry my friend. I hadn't realized you two… well…», Odart said glancing at Étoile.
Kostàs' gloomy glare turned into a questioning scowl. He blinked a couple of times, unsure of what had caused Odart to change his attitude that quickly. Then, it hit him. The way the two boys were looking at him, with astonishment and maybe a bit of jealously, confirmed his thoughts. With his harsh remark, Kostàs really didn't mean to imply anything else than his annoyance over hearing other men's thoughts on Étoile. For some reason, however, now Odart and those boys thought his relationship with the commander went beyond the boundaries of duty.
Kostàs knew what he had to do. The right course of action was to deny Odart's suspicions and clear their misunderstanding. That was the only wise thing to do and he knew it very well.
His words, however, didn't match his honest intentions.
«Yeah… That's exactly how things are», the said crossing his arms. Kostàs knew he was supposed to tell them the truth, yet he lied and what made it worse was that he didn't even feel bad about it. The young knight smiled triumphally at Odart. His jealous look gave him a sense of pride that easily overcame the guilt of lying.
Kostàs cast a quick glance at Étoile, who was still working, unaware of what was happening on the other side of the fence. For a moment he allowed himself to believe his own lie and imagine what it would be like to call a woman like that his own. A grin bent his lips. One day, perhaps, when they all made it back home, he would have known that feeling, he thought.
Little did he know that Étoile was spending almost every night in Arslan's arms.
As commander of the Lusitanian knights, she was officially asked to report to the king on their daily activities with their fellow citizens: as time passed, however, the official reports became shorter and shorter, as the two young lovers preferred to spend their alone time in bed rather than discussing in the king's private office. They did talk about the improvements in the Lusitanians' attitude, of course, as it greatly mattered both to Arslan and Étoile, except not in the formal, conventional way people were supposed to report to a sovereign.
They would often cuddle in bed, sipping wine, or lie in a tangle of sheets after making love. Sometimes they were both so tired they would simply fall asleep in each other's arms. Either way, Étoile would always leave the king's bedchamber before sunrise, careful not to be seen nearby the royal quarters, and return to her own room. Elam had a huge role in all of this, for he was the one to move the guards accordingly to Étoile's supposed movements to prevent her from being seen. There had been a silent agreement between Arslan and his best friend. The king didn't even have to say a word, as Elam already knew what he had to do. He was the only one who knew the true colors of Arslan and Étoile's relationship. Or at least, that was what the Lusitanian commander thought.
She was proved wrong on a hot summer morning. Alfreed had asked her to spare some time before leaving for the lusitanian quarter to help her with her daily training session. Étoile agreed with no hesitation, happy to be able to spend some spare time with her red-haired friend. What she couldn't even suspect was that Alfreed's plan was quite different.
They had just decided to take a break from their swordsmanship training when Alfreed suddenly dropped a most unexpected remark.
«I had no idea you liked jewelry… », the red-haired girl said nonchalantly, handing the lusitanian woman a glass of water.
«What?», Étoile almost dropped the glass.
«That ring», Alfreed resumed pointing at the amber stone on Étoile's hand. «That's a pretty fancy ring!», she chuckled.
«It's not mine!», Étoile said in a rush, trying to cover the precious gem with her other hand.
«Well it does suit you though… that amber stone matches your eyes», Alfreed told her taking a sip from her own glass. «His Majesty sure knows how to highlight that gaze of yours!»
Étoile almost choked on the water.
«What?!», she cried out blushing deeply.
«Oh, come on Étoile!», the red-haired laughed. «Did you really think I wouldn't have figured out something like that?»
After a moment of bewilderment, the embarrassed look on Étoile's face turned into a gloomy scowl. She slammed her glass on the small round table standing between them and got threateningly closer to Alfreed.
«Who the hell told you?», she whispered, clenching her fists in annoyance. «It was Elam, wasn't he?»
«No», the parsian girl answered grabbing Étoile's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.
«Actually, it was you. Right now. I had my suspicions of course, but your reaction pretty much confirmed my theory. Elam knows too? Good to know!»
The look on Étoile's face changed again. She was literally horrified, equally ashamed and embarrassed. Her face turned bright red. She was even more upset now by the way Alfreed had so easily fooled her.
«When did you- … How?!», the Lusitanian girl asked her, trying to keep her voice low. Alfreed chuckled.
«Well, it's not that hard to tell…», the red-haired answered. «I mean, you guys are pretty much glued to each other whenever you're in the same room, constantly glancing at one another, awkward cheesy smiles. You can fool Daryun maybe, but not me!»
As Alfreed kept talking, Étoile's face became hotter and redder. She still couldn't believe she had exposed herself like that and Alfreed's words sure weren't helping. Étoile started wondering if they had really been that careless. She thought she and Arslan were doing a fairly good job at keeping their love affair secret. Did her men see through their apparently poor act too? A shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps she had just fooled herself, or perhaps Alfreed was particularly skilled and could easily see beyond appearances.
Either way, she had to be stopped.
Étoile finally snapped out of her shocked state. Alfreed was still listing the many hints that had led her to think that there was something between the king and the Lusitanian woman, and didn't stop even when Étoile grabbed her arm and dragged her to the corner of the square, the nearest safe place she could think of in the heat of the moment. Alfreed couldn't help but chuckle at Étoile's flustered face. She did not expect the young Lusitanian commander to pin her against the wall and threateningly grab the collar of her shirt.
«Shut up!», Étoile hissed. «There's nothing to laugh about! If someone were to find out that we… our current… situation, it would be a complete disaster.»
Alfreed stopped laughing and her gaze focused on Étoile's distressed face.
«Do not tell anyone about this. Do you understand?», the Lusitanian woman asked her tightening her grip on Alfreed's shirt.
The red-haired girl sighed, shaking her head.
«Damn it, Étoile. I was just fooling around…». The stern gaze of the young commander softened a bit. Alfreed grabbed Étoile's hands and finally freed herself.
«Of course, I'm not telling anyone. And I wouldn't have even if you didn't ask me to», Alfreed told her smiling gently.
For a moment, Étoile was taken aback. She hadn't expected that from Alfreed. She had always considered her an extravagant, outspoken, brave girl… a bit too immature perhaps. Even Alfreed had grown up, Étoile thought, like everyone else, and the reassuring smile painted on her face proved that.
«I am your friend, Étoile», Alfreed told her squeezing her hands. «And you can count on me, remember that.»
Alfreed's sympathetic behavior made Étoile feel bad about her angry outburst.
«I… Thank you…», the lusitanian commander finally stuttered, as a faint blush covered her cheeks.
«This sure is a beautiful ring», Alfreed said admiring the amber stone shining on Étoile's hand.
«Yes… it is», Étoile agreed smiling gently.
«Of course, I won't tell anyone…. But on one condition», Alfreed stated out of the blue. Étoile's bright gaze instantly turned into a frightening scowl.
«What?!»
«I want you to tell me everything that's happened!» Alfreed said happily as her eyes beamed in expectation. Étoile blushed furiously, equally embarrassed and horrified.
«Forget it!»