Disclaimer: I do not know Gail Carson Levine nor am I Gail Carson Levine. Many of the settings and some of the characters used in this story are hers.
A/N: I have officially declared, complained, and dubbed April and May as the busiest school months ever. Why do teachers have to give us so much to do?! Seriously!
But anyway, this has got to be the longest chapter I've ever written in my whole entire life. Or something like that. But it sets up the plot for the next few chapters. AND THERE IS A POINT TO GRANDS (person in this chapter)! She isn't just there for random purposes, I promise, lol.
Aria's Melody
Chapter Four: Unraveling Events
Terence reluctantly unscrewed the cap of the light-brown tinted bottle, grimacing as the bittersweet smell of the medicine wafted through the air. Slowly, trying to stall as much as possible, he poured a spoonful out and swallowed the Tonic, making a face as the syrupy liquid slid down his throat.
After quickly screwing the cap back on and swallowing several times to get the unwanted taste out of his mouth, the prince took out a letter out of his pocket, the creases on the paper worn from the numerous times he'd folded and refolded it.
It was from his mother, and he'd received it that morning, but Terence had read it enough times that he practically had the first few sentences memorized. It gave him a good dose of Kyrria, which he greatly needed.
He carefully smoothed out the letter on the mahogany desk next to the candle that was still burning, flickering gold casting yellow in his curls of hair. Terence began to read, a smile on his face.
Dear Tere,
I hope all is well in Ayortha, and since the magic book hasn't shown anything disastrous, I gather that no one has found you sliding down the banisters yet. Everything is fine here, although the whole family misses you very much. Without his older brother here to set a good example, Brendan will not drink his Tonic as voluntarily as he did before—and I do hope, along with Mandy, that you are drinking your Tonic too. Emmie wishes you were here to teach her archery and asks daily why her brother has to travel all the way to Ayortha.
I have heard from your Father, and it's to my great happiness and relief that he reports that the uprising of the ogres has ceased dramatically. If we are lucky, he will be able to return soon, and we shall be able to visit Ayortha.
Are many of the Ayorthaian noblemen as untalkative as before? I remember your Father telling me this in a letter of his from Ayortha when he spent his year there. The last time he and I visited, it still seemed to be the case. However, that was five years ago, and things change so quickly, as we have learned. But, if the same still applies and you yearn for talk, I am sure Areida will gladly welcome you at her inn in Amonta if you arrive at a chance to visit. The address for the Avicenne Inn I will include at the bottom of this letter.
As promised, I shall tell you of Hattie's latest visit to the castle. With Olive's marriage, I cannot help but notice that Hattie has become somewhat…desperate. I found her outside the entrance of the castle today, trying to flirt with one of the castle guards. I felt sorry for the poor man, whose face showed more fright than if there was an attack on him by a band of very vicious and very hungry ogres. It was quite a pleasure to tell Hattie that the guard was already married.
Reply soon, as your brother and sister, as well as the rest of us here miss you so.
With love,
Your Mother, the best roly-poly pudding maker (after Mandy, of course!)
Terence folded the letter back up again and bit his lip, feeling slightly homesick, but less lonely than before. He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper from the desk and dipped his pen in ink, before bending over and scrawling across the page.
He was eager to tell his mother whom he'd met again in Ayortha.
* * *
King Joelm looked through the castle window at the deep forest below and the vast, drab mountains behind the trees that drew the boundaries between his kingdom of Tallkes and Ayortha. He stroked his gold-gray beard for a moment, before smiling.
"Ayortha will be conquered," King Joelm said, turning from the window to look at his close advisor, Lord Newfrey.
Observant and insidious eyes returned King Joelm's look of greed, the thin lips of the advisor raising in a pinched smile. "Oh yes?"
"Yes." The King turned his body back to the window and stared at the sea of woodland that stretched for a mile in front of the castle walls—dark, immense, and sinister. "King Randall is weak. His wife's death has caused him to crumble. That is why," he said, turning for a moment from the window with an air of almost drunken arrogance, "I resolve to never get stupidly attached to a woman."
Lord Newfrey kept his hawk-like eyes on the King of Tallkes and remained silent.
"Prince Frederick should be easy to kill, a weak and cowardly rat he is, or so I have heard. I could arrange a murder—people could believe it to be a suicide of some sort."
"Who shall do the killing?" The low voice of the advisor floated through the air from where he sat in the corner of the dark room.
There was a pause before the ruler of Tallkes spoke. "I know the perfect murderer." King Joelm spun around, a glint in his eye. "The most unexpected assassin…"
* * *
"Oh dear Gods!" Emily sighed with feeling as she clasped her hands together dramatically. "That is so romantic! And just because it's so romantic, I shall forgive you for not telling me all this in the beginning."
Aria groaned, covering her face with her hands to shield her furious blush. "It's not romantic! Terence and I are friends." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I think he's extremely kind, that is all."
The two friends were walking slowly through the hilly grass near the palace, strolling aimlessly as Aria spilled her secrets about Prince Terence. It was a relief to tell Emily this, but Aria played down her feelings about the prince, embarrassed by what she felt. She'd never been one to be entirely open about everything in her life—especially where love was concerned, even though Emily was her best friend.
Not that she loved Terence or anything. She hardly knew him. But he had been on her mind for the past week since the ball, and with some embarrassment, Aria realized she liked him.
As the two friends walked along the hills of grass, they came upon Laurie and several girls, playing archery. How pathetically girlish can you get? Aria thought to herself, as she watched for a moment with raised eyebrows as Laurie strung a rounded-tipped arrow on her bow, barely pulling the string taut before letting it go. The arrow pitifully landed in the grass a foot in front of her, and Laurie and her companions giggled, as though it was the most amusing thing in the world.
They stopped, however, when they noticed Aria and Emily. Instead of Laurie's usual caustic remarks whenever she lay her sight on Aria, she smiled snobbily at them before walking over, gesturing for a girl who was standing beside her to follow.
"Allow me to introduce to you, Aria and Emily, my new and very good friend, Jessalyn Tervann of Varlyn." Laurie said the introduction with a triumphant and boastful air, obviously extremely proud of her new acquaintance.
Laurie turned to a beautiful girl beside her, her voice low but loud enough for Aria and Emily to hear. "These two aren't exactly the best to be seen with—especially the one with brown hair, she's against King Randall for heaven's sake—but I shall introduce you to them anyway, just so you can see that there are parasites in this kingdom that you should make sure you never become friends with."
Aria resisted the urge to roll her eyes right out of her head as Laurie finished her "secret" talk with Jessalyn.
The girl beside Laurie turned to Aria and Emily as though Laurie had not said a thing and swept a deep and elegant curtsy. "Good day Aria, Emily. It's an absolute pleasure to meet so many wonderful Ayorthaians. This is my first time in Ayortha—I'm from Tallkes," she explained, her red lips curling in a smile to show pearly-white teeth.
Aria and Emily both curtsied. "Are you visiting relatives?" Aria asked politely, watching with slight envy as Jessalyn threw back waves of golden hair from her crystal green eyes and smiled a flawless smile.
"Yes, I am visiting my aunt and uncle. Ayortha is such a lovely kingdom, and I am quite eager to learn more about it. Laurie has been kind enough to allow me companionship amongst her friends, and I must say, if all Ayorthaians are as benevolent as all that I've met, I think I shall make this visit permanent!" A ripple of velvet laughter escaped Jessalyn's lips. Laurie stood beside Jessalyn silently with a proud and smug smile.
"Is there anywhere or anyone in particular that you would like to visit or meet in Ayortha?" Emily asked amiably. Aria admired her friend for being able to be so friendly to someone so nauseatingly perfect.
Jessalyn gracefully leaned forward, as though to tell Emily and Aria a secret. Laurie leaned too, attempting to position herself the exact way Jessalyn was doing.
"I learned from Laurie that the Prince of Kyrria is here in Ayortha. I'm quite excited to meet him. However," Jessalyn smiled, "I'm very eager to meet Prince Frederick."
* * *
The sun threw its beams across the canopy of trees, rays of light reaching the dirt path underneath where they found Aria, walking blissfully and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the spring atmosphere. She carried a basket under her arm, containing a loaf of bread, a jar of molasses, and a container of soup, along with other foods she'd managed to sneak out of the kitchen that morning.
Aria was headed for Amonta, a town on the outskirts of Ayortha, located an hour's walk away from the kingdom's capital, Aloya. She remembered when she was little, her mother used to take her to the small city, showing Aria where her mother had grown up before Aria's father had married her.
Her mother had shown Aria the livelihood and warmth of people in the town, but also the poverty of many. After her mother had died when she was nine from sickness, Aria wasn't able to go back to Amonta. But then her father had begun to go frequently on business trips for King Randall to other kingdoms, and the governess hired for Aria usually left her to her own doing.
So one morning, the idea of visiting Amonta secretly again had struck her. Aria snuck out that day with a map of the kingdom she'd taken from the library at home and headed for the small town.
Once there, she befriended an old lady her mother had visited with her on one of their trips to Amonta. Though feeble and almost blind, the lady was kind and understanding, and Aria had become deeply attached to her and began to take care of the old woman whom she had begun to call "Grands".
It'd become a routine now for Aria to sneak out to Amonta monthly, with some food and drink to visit Grands, who Aria had grown to love as though she were her own grandmother.
As she walked along, a sack of coins jingled quietly in the hidden pocket of her dress. It was in case of an emergency, for Grands never accepted any money Aria ever offered.
Aria picked a bundle of flowers for Grands along the path as she went, and noticing the silence around her except for the chirps of birds, she wondered what would happen if she began singing. She opened her mouth and paused. Thinking better of her action, she closed her mouth, angry that for once, she'd decided not to break a rule. Even though the rule was actually a law. But a stupid law!, she thought furiously.
Aria arrived in Amonta at noon, loving the bustle and friendliness the town offered. Children ran unattended in the streets, laughing and shrieking as they played their games. Peasants set up markets alongside the road, selling colorful cloths, fruits, and more. Aria wished she could stop and look at each stand more closely, but time was short. If she arrived home late, her governess was sure to suspect something.
Aria arrived at the tiny house that offered shelter for Grands, thinking of all the stories and happenings that she was bursting to tell her about. But with alarm, she noticed the shutters of the windows closed, the house dark and silent. Grands had always left her windows open until dark, when she said thieves and danger were out and about.
Aria worriedly knocked on the door of the small house, and putting her ear to the door and hearing nothing, she quickly opened it, heart pounding and mind racing of horrid what ifs.
The one-roomed house was dark and dreary, and Aria waited for an agonizing moment for her eyes to adjust. She saw a small figure in the tiny bed in the corner of the room, silent and still.
"Grands?" Aria whispered softly, afraid that the response would be only silence. She was relieved when she saw a shift in the blankets on the bed at her voice.
"Aria dear? Is that you?" The voice was weak, thin, and very sickly.
Aria sped to the bed, dropping the basket she held on the ground. "Grands! Are you alright? You're sick!" She struggled to find a match and candle on the wooden stand beside the bed, and finally finding both, she struck the match and lighted a tiny stub of candle, gasping at the shrunken face of Grands in bed as the light shone feebly in the room.
"I've been waiting for you." Grands' pale lips raised in a fragile smile, her bony hand reaching to touch Aria's. "I'm afraid it's time."
"Time? You were fine last month." Aria panicked. "I should have come earlier…"
"No dear. I knew it was time soon, but I wanted to wait until you were beside me…" Grands' voice trailed off, her already cold hand becoming even cooler in Aria's hold.
"Grands! No, please," Aria begged, her voice becoming shaky. This couldn't be happening. How could it? How could someone just…die? Memories of the death of her mother came sweeping over Aria, and a strangled sob rose in her throat. She couldn't cry, she couldn't cry, she wouldn't let herself…
"You are a wonderful girl Aria, and my years of knowing you have brought me happiness." Grands sighed, her voice becoming lighter and lighter.
"I love you Grands," Aria choked out, tears threatening to fall any second. She bent lower and strained her ears to hear Grands' last words.
"I love you too Aria…Thank you… Nothing at all like your father…" Grands' voice trailed off, life leaving her eyes, her complexion becoming duller than before.
Heart breaking, Aria reached over and closed Grands' eyelids, her fingers trembling as they touched the cool skin. The lump in her throat won its fight and Aria burst into shaky tears as she huddled over Grand's bed, the basket of food beside her on the dusty floor long forgotten.
* * *
Two hours later, Aria stood at the doorway of Grands' empty house, her face sore from crying. She'd notified the town of Grands' death and they'd come to take Grands' body away, along with most of her possessions. Grands' burial was scheduled for the next day.
Thinking of Grands' burial brought fresh tears to Aria's eyes, and she lowered herself against the door of Grands' home, sobbing and clutching the necklace Grands had left for her, a beautiful cerulean stone, the center translucent. She rocked herself against the wooden doorway, new waves of sadness and grief overcoming her.
Aria didn't realize she'd fallen asleep. She woke to find the sky dark and the streets silent, her back aching from leaning uncomfortably against the wooden doorframe for so long, and her heart aching from her loss of Grands.
What was she going to do? It was obviously already nighttime, although a blanket of dark clouds covered the moon. Aria had never stayed so long in Amonta, and she wasn't sure where she could go. It was too late to head back to the capital, and staying in Grands' empty house would make her feel worse.
With only little hesitation, she got up from the ground, and with a final look at Grands' house, she turned and walked down the dark street, trying to find an inn or other places of lodging in which to stay. Aria estimated that her hidden bag of coins could pay for a night's lodging along with the money for Grands' burial.
Suddenly, a large, gruff hand grabbed her waist from behind and another hand clamped over her mouth, stifling Aria's scream.
"What's a perty thang like you doin' all by 'er lonely self at nigh', eh?" The voice was slurred and rough. "Gerl like you be needin' some comp'ny.."
Aria smelled fumes of spirits from her captor's mouth, strong and sickening. The man was drunk. Realizing that he was trying to pull her into an unlit alley, she began to kick as hard as she could, her voice muffled from behind his hand, feeling more helpless than ever. The arm around her waist tightened, and Aria gasped for breath.
She needed help, and she needed it fast.
Unexpectedly, as though the Gods were answering to her prayer, Aria suddenly heard a voice from behind.
"Let go of the girl, now."
Aria stopped struggling for a moment, wondering if her ears had fooled her. Her captor turned with a stumble, the spirits plainly doing its work. Aria's eyes widened when she saw the origin of the voice. Terence? she wondered through her tired daze.
"No," her captor growled, stumbling to one side of the alley. However, his voice faltered when Terence unsheathed a sword, the metal glinting slightly in the dark entrance of the alley.
"Let go of her," the prince repeated, his eyes flickering to Aria's for a moment before back to the face of her captor.
Shaking with intoxicated fear, the man turned and began running down the alley, dragging Aria for a moment before dropping her on the dirt.
Aria's body tumbled to the ground, her head meeting the hard wall of the alley. The impact knocked her unconscious and her body numbed, darkness quickly seeping over her.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter was slightly on the boring side, but I had to set everything up. You know what to do! ;) Anyway, back to homework for me… luv, daydream.