Thank you to everyone who has reviewed or is following this story. It means a lot! I hope that you continue to like it as much as I enjoy writing it. Let me know what you think!
One can never underestimate how hard it is to sit in front of the man who destroyed your life and his spawn. It was not any old meal it was a three-course torture session. Musa sat across from Riven as the king sat at the head of the table.
Since entering, the king had done nothing but send insults and digs Musa's way. For the sake of the charade, she kept her mouth shut. She could not afford to lose what progress she had made recently.
Prince Riven, on the other hand, just ate his meal and ignored his father's attempts to engage him with the insults. Musa kept looking at the prince. His slouching and casual posture was the only thing giving away that he was bored out of his mind. His face was still stoic, preventing Musa from reading anything else about him. He never looked at Musa, never intervened his father, and he never joined in. He really did not seem to care whether Musa existed or not.
Halfway through the main course, the king relented enough that he could enjoy his food. Musa, remaining the perfect lady, sat up straight in her seat and politely ate at her meal. It was a bit better than what she has been accustomed to as an in-house prisoner, but it was still Valkarian food. Thick slices of meat, steam vegetables and other hearty foods for growing warriors. Complete opposite to the light and fluffy meals known to Melody, such as souffles for dessert and cauliflower rice in the signature Melody meals.
"My dear boy, you never did tell me how your studies at Red Fountain went," King Kataar finally changed the subject.
The prince looked up from his plate and looked at his father. He suddenly sat up straighter in his seat.
"It was fine, Father," Riven replied, then continuing eating his meal.
The king seemed unhappy with his answer. "Did you learn anything more important than heroics. Honestly heroics? Why on earth would you decide to attend there?"
"It was enlightening, Father," Riven answered avoiding the jabs by his father.
"How can a school survive on heroics? I sent you to that school to teach your fellow students about bravery and weaponry. You have not told me if you succeeded."
"I succeeded in gaining allies, Father," Riven answered again.
"We do not need allies, Prince Riven!" King Kataar growled. "If you really want something, you do not stop for anyone or anything until you get it."
Riven did not respond to his father. To Musa, it seemed like Riven was accustomed to his father bagging on other schools. Why would the king send Riven to that school if he did not approve of their teachings? Perhaps Riven was correct, the whole point was to gain allies but the king's behaviour was odd.
"Look at the Siren, my son," the king continued. "Her realm was built on love and respect. Ha! Look where that got them. You cannot make people love you, Riven, but you can make them fear you."
Musa's hands clenched tightly around her cutlery.
"Look where all that love got them, we defeated their armies in a week. Fat load of good it did them. Now Valkarians, people fear us, so they dare not challenge us. That is what you need to remember, son. I hope that you put fear into your classmates while you were there. Fear gets you allies, son."
"I got allies, Father, do not worry," Riven smirked.
The response seemed to satisfy the king for he laughed and patted his son on the back.
"That's my boy. Your people will learn a lot from Valkarians, Siren," the king added.
Musa counted to five before she put on a smile and looked at the king, giving the best smile she could muster.
"Q-quite r-right, Your Highness. I-I am learning a lot already," Musa replied.
"Too late if you ask me," the king mumbled under his breath.
It was enough though that both Musa and Riven heard him. The prince did not respond and filled up his glass with more wine. If only Musa could drink that in Melody now. She would have loved to use it to forget the horrible night. She was not allowed anything more than water to drink. Even at royal events, Musa drank sparkling water to convince others in the room that it was champagne. The king tended to go overboard to parade Musa around like a trophy and turn her citizens against her.
It was another few hours before the king excused Musa and allowed her to be escorted back to her room. Suffice to say it was the worse night she had experienced in years. Luckily Tecna was waiting for her in her lounge room. Musa immediately ran to her friend and cried for hours that night.
It had been two weeks since Musa's first dinner with the king and Prince Riven. Tecna and Musa would spend their mornings doing the rounds then study the books that afternoon. Then Musa would sum up all her strength and endure dinner with the 'royals' for hours.
The king was relentless, he always threw insults and digs at Musa. She had to endure it all to keep up appearances. Prince Riven never spoke. He hadn't spoken to her since the first dinner she attended. It was getting harder for Musa to break through the prince's walls and she was starting to lose hope.
The only thing that kept her going was the thought of her father rotting away in the prison underneath the castle. So far, the only progress she had made was with the courtiers. They were all pleasant to her now especially Lady Mitzy. The woman was one of the most horrid people Musa had the misfortune to know, however, the black-haired girl had grown attached to Musa and saw her as some sort of friend. If friend meant that Musa did everything she said and agreed with her all the time, then yes, Musa was her friend. Luckily, Mitzy was the type that loved gossip and always knew what was happening in the palace, so she was a great source of information.
Over the last two weeks, Musa and Tecna managed to read close to a hundred books between them. The knights were shocked that after two days, Musa was requesting new Valkarian books. She proved the king wrong and, due to their contradictory belief of keeping their word, she always got new books delivered to her quarters. She had learnt that Lady Mitzy was the only daughter to a top-ranking fighter pilot for the king's royal air fleet. The pilot became a hero, according to the history books, when he saved the king during a siege on the palace on Valkarus by an unknown rebellion force. From that day forth, Mitzy had become a member of the court and she loved retelling the story over and over again.
That morning, Musa met up with Mitzy in the Western Gardens for, what Mitzy claimed as tea. However, Musa knew it was the chance to watch the soldiers train. Training meant hot muscular men.
Musa and Mitzy sat underneath the pergolas, on a white metal outdoor tea table. In the distance, chanting from the soldiers and orders from their superiors echoed across the field. Tecna remained inside to study the Valkarian books. That meant that Sir Jet and Sir Hammon stood near the palace and kept close eyes on Musa. Their presence, although annoying, was better than before. The guards increased their distance upon seeing how the court was enjoying her company and viewed her as a Valkarian.
Musa laughed at an obviously fake story told by Mitzy. Mitzy giggled with Musa.
"I know, right?" Mitzy said with a laugh.
Mitzy glanced her gaze over to the two bodyguards in the distance, and she scoffed.
"Honestly, this is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," she said suddenly.
"What is wrong, Lady Mitzy?" Musa asked suddenly concerned.
"Those so-called knights of yours," Mitzy replied. "They follow you everywhere you go like you are an enemy."
Musa managed to produce a fake blush. "I apologise if their presence is uncomfortable."
Mitzy scoffed again. "They are not uncomfortable. It just baffles me. I mean, you are not an enemy anymore. You are learning how to be a Valkarian after all. You dine with the king and prince every night too."
"Yes," Musa said sadly, looking down. "But they are right to be concerned. I may act like a Valkarian but sadly my blood is not. The king has a right to be upset."
Mitzy gave a sympathetic smile and placed a hand over Musa's.
"You cannot change your blood, no matter how much we wish it. I am glad that you saw the error of your ways. The court see that at least."
"Thank you, Lady Mitzy. I really appreciate it."
"Just try not to screw it up," Mitzy suddenly said with a laugh.
Musa had to fake out another laugh with her.
"Would you like me to talk to those meatheads?" Mitzy offered.
"That is very kind of you, but it is not necessary. I will prove to them and His Highness that he should not be worried about me."
"How very Valkarian of you," Mitzy smirked. "You are learning. A Valkarian never shows weakness."
"Thank you," Musa replied.
"But that Sir Jet…" Mitzy muttered.
Yes! Musa thought. It had been a few days since Mitzy had given any gossip to Musa and she would have latched on to anything at that point.
"Oh?" Musa said innocently. "What do you mean?"
Mitzy gave a look of disgust as her eyes subtly looked at the knight.
"He's just a creep," Mitzy answered. "I am surprised none of the other ladies of the court have warned you about him."
"But I feel my friend would?" Musa dared to joke.
Mitzy gave a slightly warm smile to Musa.
"Of course she would," Mitzy immediately replied. "As you know, he is a womaniser. He will hit on any of the courtiers, even if they are promised to someone else. Unfortunately, he does this out of sight of other men. If one were to find him….jeez….I do not want to think about what they would do."
"Really?" Musa said suddenly nervous.
"Valkarian men can be brutes, I will not lie, but they have honour. They value that more than anything, as you have learnt through your studies. Giving unwanted advances to a woman, particularly one that is spoken for, is incredibly stupid and dishonourable."
"Have….have any of the courtiers spoken out about it?" Musa questioned.
Mitzy gently placed her teacup back on its saucer with a sigh. She traced her finger around the rim as she thought of her answer.
"Sadly, some have tried," Mitzy began. "However, he is too high up in the ranks and unless there is unquestionable evidence, to speak out against a knight is considered treachery."
Musa was left completely silent for a few minutes. She had never heard of anything so horrid in her life, and she was a prisoner in her own home!
"You…you mean…h-he just gets away with it while…."
"While the ladies are considered liars and are stripped of their titles," Mitzy answered.
Musa let out an involuntary sigh of relief. It was less bad than what she feared.
"So now all of the ladies steer well clear of Sir Jet. They only appear near him if they have other women or a man with them. He seems to show his advances if the lady is alone."
"He….he would not want me, right?" Musa asked suddenly. "I-I m-mean…m-my blood. I am unfit for a Valkarian."
Mitzy scoffed. "You think that would stop a creep? Besides, to most of us you are a Valkarian now. You are a guest of the king. You are flavour of the month and a forbidden fruit all wrapped up in one. I caution you, my friend."
"What…what do you suggest I do?"
"What the rest of us do. Stay in a group and pray that one day he decides to marry an unfortunate soul."
At the mention of marriage, Mitzy suddenly turned her attention back to the rows of tall muscular knights training with Prince Riven.
All the men were wearing their training uniform – long black fighting trousers with a tight-fitting white shirt. The Prince wore this, except he had the royal crest on the top left corner at the front of his shirt.
"Watch your footing, men!" Prince Riven barked as his men spared against each other.
The men were using long wooden sticks to spare against their opponent. Most of the men were doing well from what Musa saw, except a handful of new cadets. Musa noticed Mitzy's eyes staring at the young prince and she couldn't help but notice him as well. The shirt Riven wore exposed all his muscles. They were like rock melons, bigger than any of the other knights in front of him. He was tall, stood with authority that made any girl with an authoritarian complex swoon over.
Musa's face heated up a little at the thought. She had to pinch her arm to force her focus back. She would not fall down the rabbit hole. He was her enemy and she had to remember that.
"Speaking of the prince," Mitzy began breaking the silence. "What is Prince Riven like in person?"
"Pardon?" Musa asked confused.
"Prince Riven," Mitzey repeated. "You have dinner with him and the king every night. What is he like?"
"I thought as a member of the court you speak to him?"
"I do but everyone knows that he acts every bit of a prince in public. I want to know what he is like behind closed doors."
Musa knew she had to tread carefully. She cannot be seen gossiping about the royal family, but she also had to lie and appease Mitzy too.
"Well….um…h-he's charming," Musa lied. "He does not talk much but he is polite."
"I bet he is a real gentleman," Mitzy said, staring at the prince.
"Ah….yes, yes he is," Musa answered.
"My father hopes that one day the king will propose a marriage between myself and Prince Riven."
"What?" Musa blurt out in surprise.
Mitzy turned to look at Musa and raised an eyebrow.
"I-I m-mean congratulations! No one would deserve that more than you," Musa quickly recovered.
"Of course, I agree," Mitzy replied with a smile. "My father has been one of the king's most trusted friends. There would be no greater sign of respect for all my father's years of service than to allow me to become Queen."
'Over my dead body' Musa thought.
"Y-yes, Mitzy," Musa managed to stutter out.
A shadow over the table broke the conversation and the two girls looked up to find Sir Hammon standing over by the pair.
"I beg your pardon, Lady Mitzy," Sir Hammon said with a bow. "Excuse the interruption, however the palace has received a letter for Lady Musa."
"A letter, for me?" Musa questioned.
Sir Hammon did not respond and handed an elegant gold envelope to Musa.
"His Highness recognises your dedication to the Valkarian culture and has allowed you to receive letters, however, only from our allies and only after they have been searched."
'Of course,' Musa sighed inwardly.
Musa turned over the envelope and noticed it was a letter from the royal palace on Tides. Layla had managed to get a letter through and as it had passed security then she had managed to create a secret code for them.
Musa looked at Mitzy and gave a sad smile.
"Forgive me, Lady Mitzy," Musa began and stood up from her seat. "This is my first letter in years. Would you please permit me to read it in my quarters?"
Mitzy looked at the envelope then back at Musa. She rolled her eyes seeing that the envelope was not precious to her, but she decided to indulge her friend.
"Very well," Mitzy replied. "However, you must continue our conversation later."
Musa gave a quick curtsey and agreed. She would happily give gossip on the lady's crush if it meant she could rush back and read her letter.
"Thank you, your ladyship," Musa said gratefully.
Mitzy waved as Musa departed with her two knights in tow. The trio were silent until they arrived at Musa's quarters. She thanked them for their time that morning and she closed the door behind her.
Just as she was when Musa left, Tecna was sitting in Musa's lounge room with books opened all over the ground. The purple haired woman sat crossed legged in the centre reading the latest history book.
"You are back early," Tecna exclaimed.
Musa showed Tecna the envelope and the purple haired woman gasped.
"Is that a letter?"
"Yes!" Musa replied excitedly. "Apparently the king has allowed certain letters to be delivered to me. According to Sir Hammon, the king has noticed my dedication to Valkarus and has allowed it. It is from Tides."
Tecna shoved a few books around to make room for Musa. Musa walked over and sat down next to Tecna and she opened the envelop. Just as predicted, the letter had Layla's royal seal and letterhead on the top of the letter.
Musa started to read it and the room fell silent for a few minutes. Soon, Musa dropped the letter into her lap and wore a confused look on her face.
"I do not get it," Musa said suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"It is from Layla but, some of the stuff in there does not make sense."
"Let me see."
Musa handed Tecna the letter and she started reading it.
This is amazing! Are you really seeing this?
Super hope you are, my dear friend. King Kataar has kindly allowed letters from allied realms to send you letters. Could not wait to be the first to send you one.
Only this will be my first letter for a while. My time is limited now as I prepare for my princess duties. Please don't be mad! Lots of things to do, you understand. Everyone else will try to send you letters when they can too. Try to send one back if you can. Everyone would love to hear from you as well.
For me, I must sit in on complainers, listen to their complaints. Over three whole hours. Really? Can someone just speed up their protests? Enjoy their presence, my father says, as it means they show trust. So boring! Funny sometimes, but more boring. Only Bloom would find it more rewarding. Remember when she got mad at Stella for falling asleep during a speech? Most of us would have done the same too, haha. Except you. Do you remember that time?
I did the funniest thing that I just had to share with you. Never been more embarrassed in my life. Today my foot got caught on a log and I tripped. I did not break anything. Dad was there and he laughed. Even a knight could barely contain his laughter. Some protector! Laughing at his princess. I did not see the log before and it just happened. Never doing that again. People do trip, it happens, but not a princess. Have to show pose, my mother says. Even though she has embarrassed herself once or twice. Are you laughing at me too? Some friend you are, just kidding. Only friends can laugh at each other.
Little by little, I am working on my pose. Are you learning about valkarus? Really proud of you for increasing your knowledge. I know that you are a great valkarian. And I know I am not the only one who thinks so. And I am glad. Not that you weren't already one before. Did you do anything on the weekend? Seems like you have been reading all day. People do need a life, Musa! Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself.
Really sorry this is a long letter. King kataar allowed a letter and I intend to make up for lost time. Second letter will be shorter, I promise.
Bloom says hi. Little miss is heading for a weekend getaway. Only her. Of course. Man, she is so lucky! Her friends, however, must stay behind in their own realms. Erakleon could be a nice vacation but she's decided somewhere else. Are you going to guess? Dude, I could tell you. Enjoying the suspension? Do you want me to tell you? Fine. Only for you though. Red is going to an out of the box place. MAGIX!
Right? Every realm at her disposal and she chose to go to magix. Boring! Everyone has their own taste, I suppose. Let's see how she goes. Lots of things to do there, I hear. I am not so sure though. Only thing I know of is the museum. Not really fun, in my opinion, if there is no water park. Love that she is going somewhere though by herself. Even if it is in a boring place like that.
And you are probably going to side with her. Dear Musa, you have the same taste as her. Ever hear of fun? Reading by the pool or going to the museum has always been you and Bloom's thing. Not the rest of us. Only her.
This trip might see her do something else, I hope. Find a cute guy on the way, maybe. Or perhaps she could sail. Under the full moon. Need to take her shopping so she is fully prepared. Do you think a one piece or two-piece bathing suit would be better? Yes, I know, I can be pushy. Everyone needs a new outfit for a holiday. This could mean a new wardrobe for myself too.
What am I thinking? I am not the only one who needs a new wardrobe. Let's see if I can get the rest of the girls to go on the shopping trip with us. Lot's more clothes! She cannot escape when there are three of us ordering her to buy clothes. Everyone will make sure she is boy ready. Never thought I would say that. Do not remember this.
Under no circumstances are you to tell Bloom of my plans. Parents could hear this and then an arrange marriage might be considered! Daddy dearest has mentioned it once to me.
Anyway, I see my letter is massive now. This will be my first and only long letter to you. Even I don't believe myself, haha.
Layla xoxo
"Wow, that is very odd," Tecna agreed. "Layla hates shopping and is never excited for chores. Her punctuation is atrocious too."
"None of the girls have ever mentioned anything about an arranged marriage before either, and Layla was always the best at punctuation," Musa added.
"Why would Layla send a long letter that was virtually pointless?"
"Perhaps she just got excited that she was able to send me a letter?" Musa offered.
"No, it can't be it," Tecna said. "The girls said that they would try to find a way to communicate with us, right?"
"Right…" Musa answered unsure.
"So, what if this is Layla's way of communicating?"
"Layla would not risk her life and mine on sending a letter detailing our plans."
"She wouldn't openly," Tecna corrected.
The pair looked down at the letter and then back at each other.
"You think Layla managed to write a secret message within a message?" Musa asked.
"It would be perfect!" Tecna said. "She can get messages easily through the system and not break our plans."
"How are we going to find out how she did it? It is not like she could include instructions of decoding a secret code within the letter."
"Let's look at the letter. There are no numbers and all the words are spelt correctly."
"Her punctuation though is little to be desired," Musa added. "The only thing done correctly is starting sentences with capitals, just as taught."
"That's it!" Tecna exclaimed.
Musa quickly shushed Tecna so the knights did not hear.
"She's done an Acrostic Code!"
"What is an acrostic code?" Musa asked.
"It is when the first letter of every sentence spells out a secret message," Tecna explained.
"So, if we write down the first letter of each sentence, what does she say?"
Tecna reached for a blank sheet of paper from the coffee table and started scribbling down the letters. When she was done, she handed it back to Musa for her to read.
"I assumed capital words are part of the code too," Tecna whispered as she handed it back.
'Task complete.
Forces formed in Tides, Linphea, Solaria and Sparks.
Bloom headed for Magix. Rebellion leader not found yet.
Will send update.'
Layla xoxo
A few tears fell from Musa's eyes and she gently wiped them away. Without a word, she handed it back to Tecna to heard. A small gasp came out of her.
"The girls did it," Musa whispered. "They got their parents to arrange secret forces for Melody."
"And Bloom is heading to Magix. I bet she is going to try to find the rebel leader," Tecna whispered back.
"Hope is not lost after all," Musa said.
Tecna placed the paper underneath the lose floorboard with their stash of rebel documents and gave Musa a hug.
"There is progress, Musa. I promise you," Tecna whispered to her friend. "I see it."
"I cannot," Musa replied.
"When you are in the thick of it, sometimes it is harder to see the reality. I promise you though, Musa, you are making progress. I mean you met up with a court member for tea today. You have been for a while."
"True."
"Do not doubt yourself."
Musa nodded and went to the washroom to clean her face. After a few minutes she came back and joined Tecna.
"Let's compose a reply," Tecna said, offering a paper and pen to Musa.
Musa nodded and spent the next twenty minutes writing a coded response.
"My dear friend, Layla.
Everything sounds so exciting for you and the girls. Shopping is a great idea. So is magix and finding her a handsome man. Arranged marriages are so old school too. Go out with the girls and enjoy your lives! Exciting times are ahead!
Really wish Bloom went to another realm, like you said, but it will be good for her. Everyone has their tastes though. Can you send me photos of the clothes you pick? Even funny ones. I know some shops may not allow photos though. Very slim chance but I thought to ask anyway.
Enough about that. Do you think the reason she is hesitant is because she has her eye on someone? Can you try to find out? Any man would be lucky enough to have her attention. Need to find her a strong handsome guy at that. Tell me everything in your next letter.
Though I think she does not like anyone. Her heart probably will find someone in magix. Any guy will admire her in the great clothes I bet you will find while shopping. No bikinis. Kind and wholesome men prefer one-piece bathing suits. Yes, it should be red. Only red. Under a cute sarong for the beach.
Enough with that. Now, your letter was very long but it was great. Only letter I have received in years. Under no circumstances are you to shorten your letters if you are worried. Go write whatever is on your mind, my friend.
Have a good shopping trip and sending my love to you and the girls.
Musa xoxo
Musa passed it to Tecna to double check.
"Message received. Can't thank you enough. Musa," Tecna whispered.
"Correct," Musa replied.
"Then it's perfect."
Musa nodded and folded the letter and placed it on the coffee table.
"I will send it on your behalf," Tecna answered.
"Thank you."
"Now, back to the other conversation. How was your tea thing with Lady Mitzy?" Tecna asked.
"It was fine," Musa answered.
"Really? No new gossip to share?"
Musa thought about what Mitzy had said about Sir Jet. It did unsettle Musa but she knew that she was always around people so there was no use worrying about it. She also did not want to worry Tecna either.
"Just that she has her eyes on Prince Riven," Musa answered.
"Oh, that could be a problem," Tecna replied.
"I agree. Her father is hoping that she gets an arranged marriage with the prince," Musa added.
"Worsens the problem," Tecna muttered. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. She seemed sweet on him, but I need her as an ally for information."
"If she finds out you are trying to go after the prince then she will see it as a personal attack against her since she told you today."
"I know. I just need a reason to be alone with Prince Riven. See if he can open up to me more. Mitzy cannot be my enemy and get mad at my time with him if it is a necessity or something."
Tecna thought for a moment. "Then we just have to find a way to get you alone with the prince more."
"He was training his men today. He has been doing that a lot since his return. There is very little I can do to divert his attention away from that."
"He needs more help to train his men," Tecan thought allowed. "I do not want them trained as they are a force to reckon with already, but if he can do something else and leave other people in charge of his men's training, than that could work. No one is better at training the army as Riven is. Being trained by lesser teachers would also be our advantage."
"Who else would he bring?"
"Did you not say that he attended Red Fountain and made allies?"
"Yes, but they could be enemies of ours. We cannot help the enemy by getting them more trained in combat," Musa replied.
"Okay, then let me think of a plan."
"Please do because an opportunity is not just going to present itself to us."
Tecna laughed at Musa's statement.
"How is the studying going on in here?" Musa asked.
Tecna sighed tiredly. "It is going very slow. There is little about the history of the royal family. I found that very strange."
"Some realms like privacy."
"True, but they all but proclaim daily how good they are. Surely there is at least a family tree."
"What did you find out?"
"There is a small paragraph written before they left Valkarus," Tecna explained. "Valkarus was just an ordinary planet. It had forests, streams, animals, normal stuff. Then there was a thing called the Golden Age. The Golden Age started when King Kataar married Lady Miranda Cantatio. Lady Miranda Cantatio was Prince Riven's mother."
Musa listened intently as Tecna explained all that she discovered.
"During their early reign, resources just seemed to increase. Water flowed daily and in large amounts. Farmers never saw drought and thus resources were always in surplus. People were happy. Then suddenly, the resources just stopped."
"What do you mean stopped?"
"They just started decreasing and farmers were struggling to produce anything. They became reliant on the seasons but as the people of Valkarus were so used to always having things every day of every season, they did not know how to save and store. The realm seemed to collapse. The books called it the Black Age."
"When did that happen?"
"The books did not say a date. Then, something happened to the Queen."
"What?"
"I do not know. The books never said. It's just, one page had the Golden Age with the Queen and the next, it talked about their 'move' to Melody. One minute there is a queen and the next it is like she did not exist. It is like a page is missing."
"Why would history books just forget about their queen. If she really did reign during their most prosperous time, why would she just be left out of the history books?"
"I cannot answer that."
"The only reason someone would be written out of a book is because they either abandoned someone or they died," Musa summarised.
"The Queen died during the Black Age of Valkarus," Tecna repeated. "That would make sense. Valkarus lost a queen and lost all of their resources so they fled to another realm, one that could provide the same resources."
"Some place like Melody."
"Why would the history books just miss a page that explained what happened to the queen?"
"Mitzy today mentioned something about her father saving the king from rebellion forces years ago when she was a child. It is a story she loves retelling repeatedly."
"You think rebel forces invaded Valkarus?" Tecna asked.
"Why would some unknown rebel force invade a realm on the verge of collapse?" Musa said confused. "That does not make sense."
"So, now we have a hypothesis why the Valkarians left their home world. But we have more questions than answers. What really happened to the queen? Why did Valkarus suddenly have a prosperous time, the only time in their entire history? Why can they not recreate it?"
"I guess I have to get alone with Prince Riven and find out," Musa answered.
That evening, Tecna was helping Musa prepare for another agonising dinner with the royals. To start having Prince Riven noticing Musa, Tecna had managed to corner the handmaiden of Duchess Europa. During the afternoon, Tecna had overhear the Duchess yelling at the handmaiden and throwing a gorgeous dress at her. Apparently, the dress was last season and she refused to wear it more than once. Following orders, the handmaiden was about to throw the dress out when Tecna said she will gladly take it off her hands. She also hinted that if the Duchess ever wanted to get rid of other dresses, just give them to her.
Thanks to Tecna, Musa now work an elegant black satin mermaid style dress that hugged her curves perfectly. There were long see-through sleeves on top, and the bodice, skirt hem and the elbows had intricate gold lace artwork. Tecna also curled Musa's long dark blue hair and pinned it so that her hair fell over her left shoulder. To soften the look, Musa added neutral make up to her skin and eyes with pink lipstick.
Musa sat in front of her vanity with a nervous look on her face.
"I do not know, Tecna," Musa begun hesitantly. "Are you sure this is appropriate to wear to dinner?"
"I do," Tecna replied. "I am sure of it. I know for a fact that the courtiers all wear elegant dresses like this for dinners, especially with the royals. According to Valkarian literature, courtiers must always look princess-like, to show the men of the court how they would stand as an actual princess."
"You mean to say they always went out of their way to look like a princess in the hopes they would become one?"
"Yep, like a male bird showing off its colourful plumage to a female to show they were the best of the best," Tecna answered with a laugh.
"I must say it is not a crazy idea. They could see how they match up to other perspective 'princess' candidates."
"I would not be surprised if Mitzy wore extravagant dresses to every dinner, however showing more cleavage, in case she ran into the prince."
"Okay, I guess if the other courtiers do it and the literature say then I guess I would not give myself away," Musa said still a bit unsure.
"Musa, we need to show that you are learning something from reading their literature. We also want the prince to start noticing you. What better way than by showing the world that you are not a prisoner, not the Siren, but a kind and beautiful woman. We need the prince to see you as a gorgeous woman, not a prisoner."
Musa listened to Tecna's words and she knew she was right. Musa could not stop the odd feeling of Mitzy's words about being the flavour of the month. She needed Riven's attention, but could this plan also give her unwanted attention too?
"If you are uncomfortable though I will quickly help you into something else," Tecna quickly added. "I will not force you into anything."
"No!" Musa quickly replied. "I agree, I need to change the way the prince sees me. This dress though does remind me of something similar I once saw my mum wear. Black and gold was a symbol of strength in Melody and only the royal family wore this during times of strength, such as meeting with important delegates."
"By strength I hope you mean inner strength."
"Of course," Musa said with a smile. "King Kataar may disagree but Melodians are not weak. My mother put up a big fight when they invaded. Strength comes in many forms, including brute strength."
"Well," Tecna began as she leant to her friend and smiled at her through the mirror. "My friend, Valkarians may have brute strength, but you have the inner strength of a true ruler. You are showing just how much inner strength you have by biding your time, formulating a plan, and taking them down from the inside out."
Musa felt tears start to well in her eyes and she tried fanning her hands in front of them.
"Thank you, Tecna, that is beautiful. I cannot let my mascara run, though."
The two girls laughed.
"We are almost out of books again too," Tecna added. "Since the king has been so, and I use the term loosely, generous, then maybe you could ask to have access to the library. Perhaps you could convince the king to make Riven your escort?"
"Hmm…" Musa thought for a moment. "I will try, if the conversation steers that way."
"Great, now let us go and capture a man's heart."
Musa nodded her head in agreement and opened her door. Her two guards greeted her and she immediately smiled at them and gave a small curtsey.
"Good evening, gentlemen," Musa greeted. "Shall we get going?"
Sir Hammon nodded his head but Sir Jet walked up closer to Musa and started eying her up and down.
"Good evening it is," Sir Jet muttered.
Musa's body immediately went rigid and quickly moved her eyes over to Sir Hammon. The man cleared his throat causing Sir Jet to break the spell he was under and moved away.
"I shall be escorting you this evening, Lady Musa," Sir Hammon explained, subtly eying Sir Jet.
"No," Sir Jet replied. "I-I mean, Sir Hammon, you have had a long shift. Allow me to escort the Siren to dinner."
"Sir Jet…" Sir Hammon started in a deep tone.
"The prince would not approve of you doing long hours now would he, Sir Hammon?"
Musa was almost willing Sir Hammon to keep disagreeing but obviously the knight was more concerned about dealing with Prince Riven's wrath than helping the Siren.
"Of course," Sir Hammon said almost cringingly.
Musa had never seen the knight struggle with attempting to hide his emotions. In fact, she had never seen him argue with his partner before either, especially not to help Musa.
"Of course," Sir Jet smirked. "Shall we?" he added holding out his elbow for Musa to take.
Musa reluctantly placed her hand on Sir Jet's and the smarmy man started leading her away.
"Sir Jet," Sir Hammon called.
The duo stopped and looked back at Sir Hammon.
"Remember, Lady Musa is a guest of His Highness. She must stay…safe," Sir Hammon said sternly.
Sir Jet returned a smirk in response.
"Of course. Ladies are always safe with me," Sir Jet muttered before they continued down the hall.
The entire walk to the dinner made Musa's skin crawl. Every time she attempted to remove her hand from Jet's arm, he tightened his hold. She felt him eying her. She knew this dress would get her all kinds of attention. For the first time in weeks Musa could not be happier to see the door to the formal dining room.
The doors opened and another knight announced Musa's presence. Musa felt relieved when she saw Prince Riven and King Kataar already in the dining room. She never thought she would think that. That meant Sir Jet could leave her alone.
Musa noticed King Kataar sitting at the head of the table and the Prince staring out the window with his arms behind his back.
"Ah, Siren!" King Kataar greeted with his half smirk half smile.
As enforced, Musa managed to free herself from Jet's hold and dropped to a low curtsey. With a nod from the king she stood back up.
"My sincere apologies, Your Highnesses, if I kept you waiting. I thought I was early," Musa quickly said.
"You are," Riven merely stated without giving her a look.
"What the prince means, Siren, is that you are early. My son and I just finished going through the training roster. Besides, even if you were late, if that is the result then I guess we could forgive your tardiness," King Kataar said.
Musa noticed that even though the king gave her a backhanded compliment there was no malice behind the so-called compliment. He meant that the outfit was appreciated, and he was not ogling at her. In fact, King Kataar sent his focus to the prince when he said those words. Musa did not feel like a piece of meat, not like how she felt with Jet's smarmy comments earlier. What was the king playing at?
"Do you not agree, Prince Riven?" King Kataar added.
Prince Riven finally turned around and met his gaze with Musa's. His eyes shifted for a second then back at Musa. He did not answer his father, just kept staring into Musa's eyes.
"Prince Riven," Sir Jet practically yelled, gaining the Prince's attention.
Musa did not miss the hint of anger and jealously at Sir Jet's tone. It appears that neither did Riven. Riven's eyes immediately snapped away from Musa's and landed on her creep of a knight.
"If you continue to use that tone with me, Sir Jet, you shall be met with a world of pain," Riven said sternly.
Sir Jet immediately put his head down and backed away from Musa. All the while King Kataar watched the interaction with laughter written on his face.
"Riven," King Kataar began. "Do you not think the Siren looks as every bit of a Valkarian woman should?"
There it is, that was his game, Musa thought. The king wanted to tease Musa in the fact that she was becoming a Valkarian. Well the joke is on him. Musa was not giving in and he was not putting salt in the wound. She may look Valkarian on the outside, but on the inside, she was pure Melodian. Riven turned his attention back to Musa and Musa suddenly saw a flicker or emotion in his piercing eyes. It still haunted Musa at how different they were to a Valkarian's normal eye colour.
"Yes," Prince Riven replied before he turned and took a seat at the table next to his father.
Musa quickly followed and sat at the table across from Riven.
"I see you are taking your studies very seriously," King Kataar said as Musa sat down at the table.
"I am, Sire," Musa replied politely.
"I also hear that you have my knights running rampant every two days with requesting new books," he added.
"My apologies, Sire," Musa began. "I read fast and this is all so fascinating. If it is an inconvenience, then is there a way I could have access to more books without imposing on your knights?"
There was a silence that fell over the room as the king thought over Musa's response. Perhaps she should have waited till later to bring that up.
"Perhaps I could allow you access to the library, since you have improved yourself as of late," King Kataar eventually said.
'Well that was easy,' Musa thought.
"If…." He continued.
'Too easy,' Musa added internally.
"You are escorted by Sir Jet," King Kataar finished.
Musa subtly looked to her right to see Sir Jet standing guard by the main door trying to stop his smirk from appearing. King Kataar just loved messing with Musa.
"Of course, Sire," Musa said. "That is very generous, thank you."
Great, now Musa had access to the library but would be left alone with Sir Jet. She also had less time with Prince Riven. This was starting to get a bit more complicated than she thought.
That is chapter 6.
Let me know your thoughts in the reviews.
Till next time!
~AngelAlexandra~
