title: Elusive Thoughts | Chapter 3
rating: PG
author: Mir
email: incandescence@juno.com
website: http://cathedraldragon.tripod.com/sm/
disclaimer: Sailor Moon, et al. belongs to Naoko Takeuchi,
etc., etc., and so on and so forth ^_^. The other characters
belong to me...for whatever that's worth. I have no money
to speak of, so suing me will not make you rich. Yes, and
this story was inspired by Melanie Rawn's *Dragon Prince*.
Kudos to her, it's an excellent novel.
AN: There's one more main group of characters to
introduce...Sorry folks, not much action in this one - mainly
plot/character development. Oh and if you haven't noticed,
everything between single quotes '...' is thought by characters,
not said out loud. I think this chapter should clear up a few
of the questions raised by the last. I'm not sure how long this
story is going to be...many thanks to Jessica M. Moonflower
for bolstering my flagging confidence after each part.
PS - note: Here's the revision! It's taken me longer than I
thought it was going to...but there's a whole new scene at the
end, and the chapter _is_ a full 13kb longer than it was
before! Hope you enjoy it... ^_~
*Chapter 3*
Berlyn curled her lip in disgust. 'Why do I always find myself
surrounded by idiots and savages?' she mused as she swept down the
long, elegant hallway. Golden light filtered in through stained-glass
windows, highlighting the mosaic patterns of the tiled floor, but Berlyn
stormed forward without giving her surroundings a second glance.
Negauta Castle was renowned for its fabled beauty, although few were
allowed within its walls. The commoner would say the reason for this
was because it was the seat of the High Prince, but Berlyn knew the real
reason with painful intimacy - High Prince Raonus's embarrassing surplus
of illegitimate daughters.
"Berlyn, is that you? Stop lurking miserably around the hallways
and come here. I've been searching for you all morning!" Elvira
proclaimed, hands on her hips, eyebrows knitted together in worry. She
gathered her skirts together and fell into step with her older sister. "We
need to talk," she whispered through clenched teeth. "What are we going
to do with Nora? If she has a boy...."
Berlyn lifted a thin eyebrow in smug amusement. "You think that
after three girls she'd finally bear Father an heir?" Her chuckle was a light
peal that ricocheted off the empty walls only to sink into the think carpet
Elvira glared in response and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh, if
someone hears us -" She twisted around as if she expected to catch a
servant loitering in a doorway.
Her sister merely snorted in disdain. "And who would hear us?
Who would care if they did? They all know how Nora dealt Father's
other mistresses one by one. No one cares shit about her."
Elvira shrugged and countered, "You never know, the impossible
has been known to happen. And if Nora gives Father a son, you know
what we are? We're nothing, less than nothing."
Berlyn smiled inwardly. She'd been working on her sister, subtly
molding the other's thoughts and moods to suit her purposes. 'Now just
a few more words, another choice phrase or two and I'll have her'. "Yes
of course I know. If father doesn't have an heir he'll have to choose the
next High Prince from among our sons." She patted Elvira's arm in feigned
reassurance. "There are several servant girls who are at about the same
stage as Nora. We'll switch the babies. Who cares if our stepbrother is
a prince or a servant?"
Elvira eyes lit up briefly, then fell in disappointment. "We have to
marry and have sons before Father can even consider making one his
heir. If only all successions were like the Desert…I still can't believe that
bitch, Kerri, was allowed to inherit the crown in her own right - and while
there was a younger brother alive as well!"
Berlyn, though, wasn't paying attention to Elvira's ranting. Rather,
she was trying to decide whether she should pass along the latest bit of
gossip she had happened to overhear. "Oh, then I guess you'll be
pleased to know that Kerri had an accident recently, a rather fatal accident
actually - and that little twerp, Darien, is going to take the throne."
Elvira regarded her older sister with poorly disguised suspicion.
"And when did you begin to take interest in matters of state?" She pulled
a paper fan from her waistband and pointed it toward her sister in
accusation.
Berlyn laughed, a low chuckle that reverberated through the empty
hallway. "And when did you begin to take interest in my affairs? I'll do
as I like. I always have, you know." She smiled patronizingly down at
Elvira. "Haven't you heard? The walls are whispering - Father's going to
try to marry one of us into the Desert Fortunes." And with a toss of her
skirts she sauntered off, leaving her sister to her racing thoughts.
Berlyn knew she'd find Nora still in bed. Eight months into a
difficult pregnancy, the older woman hadn't made a public appearance
before lunchtime in weeks. 'Father hates to see her pregnant anyhow'
Berlyn though to herself as she made her way purposefully through the
winding halls. 'And who can blame him? She looks like a bloated
mushroom'. She threw open the doors to Nora's rooms, and her
stepmother groaned in annoyance. "What do you think you're doing,
Berlyn? For Heaven's sake, shut the doors."
"Why, Nora? It's a beautiful summer day. Just look at the
sunshine, how can you resist such an invitation for jovial frolicking?"
She replied, tossing a silk dressing robe from closet to bed.
"I can 'resist' because my poor ankles are swollen beyond
recognition," she replied dejectedly. Nora pulled the covers up over
her head and sighed heavily.
"I do hope this will be the last one." Berlyn cooed in feigned
sincerity as she drifted over to the bed and patted Nora's stomach
gently. "You should really tell Father you're getting too old for this."
Her stepmother shook her head in maternal acceptance. "You
know how badly he needs a heir..." she began.
And Berlyn frowned in disgust. 'Oh, ick, she actually likes it
when Father appears unexpectedly in her bedroom at night…then
disappears for the next nine months without a backward glance. Will
wonders never cease'. Any previously entertained thought of spending
the day attempting to gain Nora's confidence fled from her mind, and
Berlyn turned away, disgusted. "Suit yourself then. Just don't go saying
that I never warned you."
- - - - - - - - - -
Darien managed to evade Ariane until late afternoon, and when she
finally cornered him in his rooms, he was reluctantly preparing for the
coronation. She knocked twice upon his door, rattled the handle in disgust,
and was pleasantly surprised to discover the Prince had been careless
enough to leave the door unlocked. "Darien, you reprehensible scoundrel -
I go to all the effort to drag myself out here to this wasteland you call a
castle and you have the gall to scamper off and leave me to the mercy of
that despicable arms master your sister employed - "
With a smug grin, Darien gently took his Godmother's hands and
brought them to his lips. "I'm glad you came, Ariane. You wouldn't have
wanted to miss the coronation, would you?" He hoped to play to her
weakness, a penchant for splendid occasions, but this time the older
woman would not be diverted.
"What I want to know is what you said to Serena after you so
gallantly pulled her out of the river, why you left us all standing there and
went galloping back to the Castle on that monstrous horse of yours, and
why you've made no effort whatsoever to give your honored Commune
Representatives any sort of official welcome. You do know who Serena
is, don't you?" She pulled away from his grasp, hands planted firmly on
her hips
Darien grimaced, unsure of whether Ariane's asperity was genuine
or merely feigned for his benefit. He breathed deeply, then turned away
from her and continued laying out his clothes for the evening's event. "I'm
surprised, Ariane. I would have thought that you, of all people, would
have understood my position," he replied calmly. And Ariane smiled behind
his back - oh yeah, she knew. "Tell me, Darien."
It was those three words that gave her away, and Darien mentally
relaxed, acknowledging that her curtness was merely an attempt on her
part to bring difficult matters to the surface. She meant for him to use her
as a sounding board, and for that he was grateful. "The Prince's Assembly
convenes this summer, and Raonus will expecting that I'll be young, naïve,
and ready to latch onto anyone who'll offer me the promise of support or
alliance. I expect he'll try to get as much as he can out of me...treaties,
trade agreements, or land. He'll probably also wave a marriage proposition
underneath my nose." He shuddered at the thought of the High Prince's
daughters, both legitimate and illegitimate, locked away at behind castle
walls.
Ariane sat down on edge of the bed, silently waiting for Darien to
continue. Her fingers danced lightly over the silver embroidery at the cuff
of the black jacket, tracing the subtle patterns the Prince was so fond of.
"But, you know as well as I that if I were to marry one of the
daughters I'd be counting down the days till my demise." Darien paced
deliberately back and forth across the room as if the flow of his thoughts
depended on the mileage covered.
Ariane started noticeably at his comment; she hadn't expected him
to see into the covert implications of Raonus' predicted offer and had
sought to protect him by bringing Serena to his side - but she had to
concede that she might have underestimated the young Prince. "Explain,"
she prompted, eager to know the scope of the Darien's foresight.
Darien played along without complaint. "Even Raonus wouldn't
dare slight me by offering the hand of one of the illegitimate ones.
Whichever of the others I took back to the Desert with me would bear
a child sooner or later, and as soon at that day came, I would become
expendable. With an infant on the throne and his daughter as its mother,
I don't suppose the High Prince would think twice about annexing my
lands onto his. Of course the vassals wouldn't hear a word of it, and
they'd give him as good as they got, but the Desert hasn't had a standing
army since my parents' time, and Raonus would win eventually...."
"So you'll marry Serena before you leave as a safeguard against
marriage propositions?" Ariane suggested with hope in her eyes. She'd
be the last to admit to ulterior motives, but the life in her tone wasn't
completely due to desire for Darien's safety and happiness.
Darien's expression darkened, his eyes squinting into cold slits.
"Just stay out of this, Ariane. Even you don't know everything." Then,
with unexpected abruptness, his magnanimous nature got the better of
him, and he added, "but I do plan on marrying her, and I promise you,
I won't hurt her if I can avoid it."
"I don't know what game you think you're playing..." Ariane
scowled, preparing to wrestle her Godson's plan out of him even if she
had to revert to somewhat primitive forms of torture, but even as the
words left her mouth, a flash of inspiration floored her. "Why you
conniving little rascal. I see what you're going to do. You're going to
pretend to look over Raonus' daughters, tempting him with a marriage
and getting him to sign papers while you deliberate." She waggled her
finger at the Prince in warning. "He's not going to be pleased when you
and ride off together into the sunset. Are you sure you can afford to make
an enemy out of him?"
Darien, if anything, was equally surprised and rather annoyed that
Ariane had once again guessed his thoughts, but he somehow managed
to keep his expression neutral, keep his brow from furrowing in frustration.
"The risk is well worth what I hope to gain. I want to rule by the law not
the sword. When I die, I don't want my promises to die with me...like my
parents', like Kerri's." The tower bells chimed four, and Darien flinched;
he hadn't realized how much of the afternoon had slipped away. "Thank
you, Ariane. Thank you for bringing her to me." He came up behind her
and caught her in a brief, plutonic embrace, his eyes glittering. "Just wait,
I'll give Raonus a good run for his money. He won't ever know what hit
him."
Ariane laughed, suddenly feeling her years melt away. "Ah, well,
let's just say, completely off the record, that I'm looking forward to
watching you blink those big blue eyes of yours at the High Prince and
trick him into thinking you're nothing but an imbecile. Only make sure you
don't push him too far. He's quite nasty when he's angry; and believe me,
I know." One hand on the doorknob, she tilted her head to the side, and
with a light swirl of gray skirts disappeared into the hallway.
- - - - - - - - - -
Serena lingered lazily in her room, supposedly recovering from the
morning's trials but actually doing nothing more than enjoying the plush
surroundings. Lady Ariane had been furious, simply livid, when the Prince
had left them at the river, and Serena couldn't help feeling somewhat miffed
as well. 'But he asked me to trust him, and I have to have faith that he
knows what he's doing'. Her loyalty to someone she'd met once surprised
her, but she rationalized her thoughts as she lay back on the bed and shut
her eyes. 'He's always been in my dreams so it's not as he's a complete
stranger'.
"Ah ha, I was right. I knew your room was bigger than ours."
Mina's excited voice startled Serena out of her peaceful mood. She poked
her head through the doorway and then, without invitation commenced her
exploration. "And you're the only one who had a private bathing room too!
The rest of us have to share a common one at the end of the hallway." She
nodded in satisfaction. "What does Lady Ariane know? She kept going on
and on about the Prince's poor manners and about his lack of a proper
upbringing, but I knew he'd make sure you were well taken care of - " and
she grinned with a mixture of awe and amusement, " - after his behavior down
by the river. Wasn't that so sweet?"
Serena blushed and stammered evasively, "W-what behavior?" She
shifted from her supine position on the vast bed, rolling onto her stomach,
legs swinging in the air behind her.
Mina faced her friend, hands on hips. "How couldn't you have
noticed - Pulling you out of the river like he did? Talking to you on the
shore? Do you realize how many people would give anything to be that
close to the Prince...some to kiss him, some to stick a knife in his gut."
Serena shrugged without commitment, although her stomach
flipped at the mere idea of anyone wanting to hurt her Darien. "Hey,
give me a break, okay? I'd just undergone a *life and death*
experience, after all..." but a smile began to spread across her face, a
smugness that lit her eyes and sunk dimples into her cheeks. "... I did
notice, though. I'm not as blind as you guys think I am."
"Ah ha, so the truth finally comes out," Mina replied with a hint of
triumph in her voice. She threw open the doors to the wooden dresser
and began to rummage through it. "Lady Ariane said that there were
dresses in here that we could wear - considering that most of the baggage
was lost to the river." She pulled out a long gown, deep marigold with navy
a soft trim. "Oh my, have you ever seen anything quite like this?"
It was beautiful, Serena had to admit that much. "When would you
ever wear something so...formal?" she asked quietly, already knowing the
answer.
"To the coronation, silly. We've all been invited, you know." She
held the dress up to her chest and twirled around the room. "While you
were in here sleeping Lady Ariane told us that we'd all be going to the
coronation tonight and that we'd find clothes to wear in the dresser in your
room."
Serena closed here eyes and groaned. "Lita's skirt will be up past
her ankles, and I'll be tripping over mine. No one ever realizes that girls
come in more than one size." But despite her complaints, she couldn't
suppress her curiosity forever and eventually snuck up behind Mina to peer
into the dresser. Her hands flew to her mouth, and her eyes widened.
"It's perfect for you, isn't it?" her friend proclaimed, holding a
simmering gown up before her. All Serena could do was stare.
- - - - - - - - - -
Left by Ariane to a maelstrom of swirling thoughts and emotions,
Darien cast one last look toward the clothes piled upon his bed, then
turned sharply and left the room. His boots struck the marble steps with
ringing clarity, and he held his head high for the benefit of the servants who
scurried past. Everyone was frantically preparing for the evening's great
event, everyone save the main participant.
He detoured from the main stairway and snuck into the quiet back
hallways, glancing from side to side to see if anyone was watching. Silently,
he lifted a frayed leather chord from around his neck, and, grasping the
dangling key tightly, he leaned against a paneled door and slid the covering
from a lock. A sharp clockwise twist of the key brought the familiar grating
sound of bolts sliding, and with one last glance over his shoulder he stepped
into the awaiting darkness.
The winding stairway was not a landmark to be found on any floor
plan of the castle. Wedged into the substructure by the first Princes of the
Desert, it was meant to be used as an escape route by the royal family in the
event of a prolonged siege. Darien, however, didn't see any reason why it's
usefulness had to be restricted to such dire circumstances, and he often
found himself feeling his way down the treacherous passage when he wished
to escape from the endless monotony of life.
It flowed into a narrow passage well beneath the castle grounds and
then opened into the center of the gardens - a shady grove of overarching
trees at the heart of the cultured maze. The gentle crashing of a languid
fountain beat a lyrical melody upon the air of late afternoon, and Darien
climbed the stairs back to the surface, squinting into the early-summer sun.
He strolled, one foot placed unhurriedly in front of the other, and
relaxed as the warmth of the atmosphere soaked into his back and shoulders.
He knew the route by heart, and with one hand gently brushing the towering
bushes, he could walk the maze with his eyes closed.
And it was in doing just that that the Prince stumbled upon a
newcomer in his gardens, a bewildered pixie with wide blue eyes and cheeks
flushed in frustration. He reached for her arms without thinking, trying not to
end up in an undignified jumble of arms and legs on the ground. He didn't
realize who was standing before him until he felt the familiar tingle shoot
upwards from his fingertips.
"Please don't be angry," she began, not making any move to shy
away from his touch. "I only wanted to see the gardens. One of the
gardeners warned me away from the maze…but I couldn't resist a little
peek, and then I couldn't find my way back out."
It had been so long since he'd been truly lost in the gardens that
Darien could only barely remember ever feeling frightened while amongst
the greenery. But he could remember - and he gently shifted his grip from
her arms to her shoulders. "Shhh, it's okay. Why would I be angry?" His
voice was a low whisper in her ear. "Was I mad at you down at the river?"
Serena found herself shaking her head and leaning into his arms
before she remembered that they'd only just met - that it wasn't proper
behavior to do so around someone as important as a prince, and a ruling
one at that. Somehow it all seemed so perfectly natural. "No…" she
admitted quietly
"Come, I'll show you the center of the maze." He smiled and, as if
suddenly becoming aware of their closeness, Darien disentangled himself,
took a step to the side, and offered Serena his arm as any chivalrous prince
was taught to do.
"Go further into the maze you mean?" Her voice was tinged with
disbelief as she responded, eyes narrowing. "This isn't some trick to lose
me forever, is it?" She stood her ground, hands on hips, lower lip jutting
out into space, and started at the Prince, not caring that she was a guest
at his castle.
"Oh, don't worry. I haven't gotten lost since I was five," he replied
with a casual wave of his hand. "It's been helpful to know my way around."
Tired of waiting, he reached for her hand and began to drag her in towards
the center of the maze.
And so they walked, one eager to share the sanctuary of his
childhood with the angel from his dreams, the other following reluctantly
behind, trusting her morning-savior but still thinking he was crazy nonetheless.
Removed from the hectic bustle of the castle, the sky was a
seamless expanse of blue marred only by the occasional cloud that tumbled
head-over-heels in the breeze. The pebbled ground was warmly gray and
brown beneath two pairs of feet, and as they neared the center of the maze,
the greenery began to shift from cultured perfection to wild overgrowth,
spilling into the path and obscuring the route. At one junction Serena was
sure she spied the delicate pink blossoms of climbing roses out of the corner
of her of her eye. At another, it was the gentle bobbing of orange lilies on
their long stems that caught her gaze. But Darien's pace was too rapid for
her to sit back and enjoy her surroundings - so she concentrated on not
tripping on his toes.
Their destination sprung up from the path without warning, an
unexpected expanse of twisting foliage and flowing water. Serena gazed at
the lushness of the scene before her, a richness that contrasted so harshly
with the white desert sands beyond the walls. Even the air was devoid of
the dryness that coated the throat and stung the eyes while out on the
unprotected sands. "How?" she questioned, turning circles in an attempt to
take everything in, "How is this possible?"
Darien chuckled softly. "That's a question I should be asking you,"
he replied. "My ancestors built the pipes that brought water to the surface
from deep within the ground, but it was magic from the Commune that's
kept them working for centuries." He left her side to prune dead leaves
from a wisteria vine dripping with purple blossoms.
"Do you take care of all of this?" The shock of stumbling upon
such a place was beginning to wear off, and Serena followed at his heels,
mind brimming with questions. "How did all these plants get here?"
He paused in his work, fingers loving caressing the vine as he
replied. "Yes...at first the gardeners would trim everything back, but after
my parents died..." He resumed pruning, collecting the dead leaves in his
left hand, "...I told Kerri that I wanted to take care of the center myself,
and she told the gardeners to stay away. Not many people remember
how to navigate the maze anymore."
He moved on to the next wisteria, this one a soft pinkish-white.
"You met Jack at the river, right? He's been the ferryman for years, and
ever since he learned of my interest in horticulture he's kept his eyes open
for anything beautiful...or unusual."
Serena's gaze flickered from corner to corner, and she was still
unable to believe that such a place existed. Even the arboretum at the
Commune was a pale shadow in comparison. "And no one minds...?"
The thought slipped out of her mouth without warning, and she cringed
mentally, realizing how stupid she sounded.
Darien, though, just chuckled, abandoning his wisteria to return to
her side. "No, I can't say they do - it's one of the advantages of being a
Prince, you know." With a good-natured shrug he led her to the side of
the pond and sat down at its edge. In the shadow of an enormous maple
tree, the water was a deep blue-green, alive with shifting shadows and still
as the morning sky right before down. He dipped his fingers into the water,
making languid ripples across the surface.
"I first saw you here at this pond...Ariane conjured your face in the
water," he explained with a quiet grin. "The pond was special to me then,
but because of that night it means even more to me know." He met her eyes
with sudden seriousness, his brow slightly furrowed. "I waited for you ever
since, looked for your face in everyone who visited the castle, imagined what
your voice would sound like...I always knew that one day we'd be together."
She sat unblinking, as still as a butterfly pausing on a flower, her
hands folded in her lap. "Me too...I'd dream of you, each night, dream of
a shared future." But despite the feelings that raced through her body as
she listened to him speak she couldn't shake the question that had been on
the tip of her tongue since that morning. "But, Darien, what did you mean
by what you said at the river?"
He'd hoped to avoid the issue, hoped that it wouldn't invade their
first conversations, but he knew that if anything they had to be honest with
each other. He began to explain to her what he'd explained to Ariane,
infinitely grateful that he'd had the practice in his rooms. His eyes never
once left hers, and he didn't realize how fast his heart was beating until his
voice trailed off in uneasy conclusion.
And before he could catch his breath she'd all but thrown herself
into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and almost toppling into
the pond herself. "I knew it had to be something...something important."
She looked up at him, the smile on her face and the dampness in her eyes
sincere. "I haven't a clue how we're going to pull it off, but we're going to,
you crazy prince, somehow we'll do it, together."
*end of Chapter 3*
Ah, finally...I must admit that I've completely forgotten what I've written in some
of these chapters! All I can say is that it's quite fun to go back and reread the
story...while making it better at the same time! Again, email is wonderful and
always appreciated. I promise that I'll write back if you send me something, and
I always love your comments (positive or negative) about this story. Please visit
my website if you have the chance (http://cathedraldragon.tripod.com/sm/) because
I'm trying to start a library ~ submit your fiction! There's also a story contest if
you'd like to win a cool (in my view) prize!
- Mir (12.10.00 ~ 04.05.01)
.
rating: PG
author: Mir
email: incandescence@juno.com
website: http://cathedraldragon.tripod.com/sm/
disclaimer: Sailor Moon, et al. belongs to Naoko Takeuchi,
etc., etc., and so on and so forth ^_^. The other characters
belong to me...for whatever that's worth. I have no money
to speak of, so suing me will not make you rich. Yes, and
this story was inspired by Melanie Rawn's *Dragon Prince*.
Kudos to her, it's an excellent novel.
AN: There's one more main group of characters to
introduce...Sorry folks, not much action in this one - mainly
plot/character development. Oh and if you haven't noticed,
everything between single quotes '...' is thought by characters,
not said out loud. I think this chapter should clear up a few
of the questions raised by the last. I'm not sure how long this
story is going to be...many thanks to Jessica M. Moonflower
for bolstering my flagging confidence after each part.
PS - note: Here's the revision! It's taken me longer than I
thought it was going to...but there's a whole new scene at the
end, and the chapter _is_ a full 13kb longer than it was
before! Hope you enjoy it... ^_~
*Chapter 3*
Berlyn curled her lip in disgust. 'Why do I always find myself
surrounded by idiots and savages?' she mused as she swept down the
long, elegant hallway. Golden light filtered in through stained-glass
windows, highlighting the mosaic patterns of the tiled floor, but Berlyn
stormed forward without giving her surroundings a second glance.
Negauta Castle was renowned for its fabled beauty, although few were
allowed within its walls. The commoner would say the reason for this
was because it was the seat of the High Prince, but Berlyn knew the real
reason with painful intimacy - High Prince Raonus's embarrassing surplus
of illegitimate daughters.
"Berlyn, is that you? Stop lurking miserably around the hallways
and come here. I've been searching for you all morning!" Elvira
proclaimed, hands on her hips, eyebrows knitted together in worry. She
gathered her skirts together and fell into step with her older sister. "We
need to talk," she whispered through clenched teeth. "What are we going
to do with Nora? If she has a boy...."
Berlyn lifted a thin eyebrow in smug amusement. "You think that
after three girls she'd finally bear Father an heir?" Her chuckle was a light
peal that ricocheted off the empty walls only to sink into the think carpet
Elvira glared in response and put a finger to her lips. "Shhh, if
someone hears us -" She twisted around as if she expected to catch a
servant loitering in a doorway.
Her sister merely snorted in disdain. "And who would hear us?
Who would care if they did? They all know how Nora dealt Father's
other mistresses one by one. No one cares shit about her."
Elvira shrugged and countered, "You never know, the impossible
has been known to happen. And if Nora gives Father a son, you know
what we are? We're nothing, less than nothing."
Berlyn smiled inwardly. She'd been working on her sister, subtly
molding the other's thoughts and moods to suit her purposes. 'Now just
a few more words, another choice phrase or two and I'll have her'. "Yes
of course I know. If father doesn't have an heir he'll have to choose the
next High Prince from among our sons." She patted Elvira's arm in feigned
reassurance. "There are several servant girls who are at about the same
stage as Nora. We'll switch the babies. Who cares if our stepbrother is
a prince or a servant?"
Elvira eyes lit up briefly, then fell in disappointment. "We have to
marry and have sons before Father can even consider making one his
heir. If only all successions were like the Desert…I still can't believe that
bitch, Kerri, was allowed to inherit the crown in her own right - and while
there was a younger brother alive as well!"
Berlyn, though, wasn't paying attention to Elvira's ranting. Rather,
she was trying to decide whether she should pass along the latest bit of
gossip she had happened to overhear. "Oh, then I guess you'll be
pleased to know that Kerri had an accident recently, a rather fatal accident
actually - and that little twerp, Darien, is going to take the throne."
Elvira regarded her older sister with poorly disguised suspicion.
"And when did you begin to take interest in matters of state?" She pulled
a paper fan from her waistband and pointed it toward her sister in
accusation.
Berlyn laughed, a low chuckle that reverberated through the empty
hallway. "And when did you begin to take interest in my affairs? I'll do
as I like. I always have, you know." She smiled patronizingly down at
Elvira. "Haven't you heard? The walls are whispering - Father's going to
try to marry one of us into the Desert Fortunes." And with a toss of her
skirts she sauntered off, leaving her sister to her racing thoughts.
Berlyn knew she'd find Nora still in bed. Eight months into a
difficult pregnancy, the older woman hadn't made a public appearance
before lunchtime in weeks. 'Father hates to see her pregnant anyhow'
Berlyn though to herself as she made her way purposefully through the
winding halls. 'And who can blame him? She looks like a bloated
mushroom'. She threw open the doors to Nora's rooms, and her
stepmother groaned in annoyance. "What do you think you're doing,
Berlyn? For Heaven's sake, shut the doors."
"Why, Nora? It's a beautiful summer day. Just look at the
sunshine, how can you resist such an invitation for jovial frolicking?"
She replied, tossing a silk dressing robe from closet to bed.
"I can 'resist' because my poor ankles are swollen beyond
recognition," she replied dejectedly. Nora pulled the covers up over
her head and sighed heavily.
"I do hope this will be the last one." Berlyn cooed in feigned
sincerity as she drifted over to the bed and patted Nora's stomach
gently. "You should really tell Father you're getting too old for this."
Her stepmother shook her head in maternal acceptance. "You
know how badly he needs a heir..." she began.
And Berlyn frowned in disgust. 'Oh, ick, she actually likes it
when Father appears unexpectedly in her bedroom at night…then
disappears for the next nine months without a backward glance. Will
wonders never cease'. Any previously entertained thought of spending
the day attempting to gain Nora's confidence fled from her mind, and
Berlyn turned away, disgusted. "Suit yourself then. Just don't go saying
that I never warned you."
- - - - - - - - - -
Darien managed to evade Ariane until late afternoon, and when she
finally cornered him in his rooms, he was reluctantly preparing for the
coronation. She knocked twice upon his door, rattled the handle in disgust,
and was pleasantly surprised to discover the Prince had been careless
enough to leave the door unlocked. "Darien, you reprehensible scoundrel -
I go to all the effort to drag myself out here to this wasteland you call a
castle and you have the gall to scamper off and leave me to the mercy of
that despicable arms master your sister employed - "
With a smug grin, Darien gently took his Godmother's hands and
brought them to his lips. "I'm glad you came, Ariane. You wouldn't have
wanted to miss the coronation, would you?" He hoped to play to her
weakness, a penchant for splendid occasions, but this time the older
woman would not be diverted.
"What I want to know is what you said to Serena after you so
gallantly pulled her out of the river, why you left us all standing there and
went galloping back to the Castle on that monstrous horse of yours, and
why you've made no effort whatsoever to give your honored Commune
Representatives any sort of official welcome. You do know who Serena
is, don't you?" She pulled away from his grasp, hands planted firmly on
her hips
Darien grimaced, unsure of whether Ariane's asperity was genuine
or merely feigned for his benefit. He breathed deeply, then turned away
from her and continued laying out his clothes for the evening's event. "I'm
surprised, Ariane. I would have thought that you, of all people, would
have understood my position," he replied calmly. And Ariane smiled behind
his back - oh yeah, she knew. "Tell me, Darien."
It was those three words that gave her away, and Darien mentally
relaxed, acknowledging that her curtness was merely an attempt on her
part to bring difficult matters to the surface. She meant for him to use her
as a sounding board, and for that he was grateful. "The Prince's Assembly
convenes this summer, and Raonus will expecting that I'll be young, naïve,
and ready to latch onto anyone who'll offer me the promise of support or
alliance. I expect he'll try to get as much as he can out of me...treaties,
trade agreements, or land. He'll probably also wave a marriage proposition
underneath my nose." He shuddered at the thought of the High Prince's
daughters, both legitimate and illegitimate, locked away at behind castle
walls.
Ariane sat down on edge of the bed, silently waiting for Darien to
continue. Her fingers danced lightly over the silver embroidery at the cuff
of the black jacket, tracing the subtle patterns the Prince was so fond of.
"But, you know as well as I that if I were to marry one of the
daughters I'd be counting down the days till my demise." Darien paced
deliberately back and forth across the room as if the flow of his thoughts
depended on the mileage covered.
Ariane started noticeably at his comment; she hadn't expected him
to see into the covert implications of Raonus' predicted offer and had
sought to protect him by bringing Serena to his side - but she had to
concede that she might have underestimated the young Prince. "Explain,"
she prompted, eager to know the scope of the Darien's foresight.
Darien played along without complaint. "Even Raonus wouldn't
dare slight me by offering the hand of one of the illegitimate ones.
Whichever of the others I took back to the Desert with me would bear
a child sooner or later, and as soon at that day came, I would become
expendable. With an infant on the throne and his daughter as its mother,
I don't suppose the High Prince would think twice about annexing my
lands onto his. Of course the vassals wouldn't hear a word of it, and
they'd give him as good as they got, but the Desert hasn't had a standing
army since my parents' time, and Raonus would win eventually...."
"So you'll marry Serena before you leave as a safeguard against
marriage propositions?" Ariane suggested with hope in her eyes. She'd
be the last to admit to ulterior motives, but the life in her tone wasn't
completely due to desire for Darien's safety and happiness.
Darien's expression darkened, his eyes squinting into cold slits.
"Just stay out of this, Ariane. Even you don't know everything." Then,
with unexpected abruptness, his magnanimous nature got the better of
him, and he added, "but I do plan on marrying her, and I promise you,
I won't hurt her if I can avoid it."
"I don't know what game you think you're playing..." Ariane
scowled, preparing to wrestle her Godson's plan out of him even if she
had to revert to somewhat primitive forms of torture, but even as the
words left her mouth, a flash of inspiration floored her. "Why you
conniving little rascal. I see what you're going to do. You're going to
pretend to look over Raonus' daughters, tempting him with a marriage
and getting him to sign papers while you deliberate." She waggled her
finger at the Prince in warning. "He's not going to be pleased when you
and ride off together into the sunset. Are you sure you can afford to make
an enemy out of him?"
Darien, if anything, was equally surprised and rather annoyed that
Ariane had once again guessed his thoughts, but he somehow managed
to keep his expression neutral, keep his brow from furrowing in frustration.
"The risk is well worth what I hope to gain. I want to rule by the law not
the sword. When I die, I don't want my promises to die with me...like my
parents', like Kerri's." The tower bells chimed four, and Darien flinched;
he hadn't realized how much of the afternoon had slipped away. "Thank
you, Ariane. Thank you for bringing her to me." He came up behind her
and caught her in a brief, plutonic embrace, his eyes glittering. "Just wait,
I'll give Raonus a good run for his money. He won't ever know what hit
him."
Ariane laughed, suddenly feeling her years melt away. "Ah, well,
let's just say, completely off the record, that I'm looking forward to
watching you blink those big blue eyes of yours at the High Prince and
trick him into thinking you're nothing but an imbecile. Only make sure you
don't push him too far. He's quite nasty when he's angry; and believe me,
I know." One hand on the doorknob, she tilted her head to the side, and
with a light swirl of gray skirts disappeared into the hallway.
- - - - - - - - - -
Serena lingered lazily in her room, supposedly recovering from the
morning's trials but actually doing nothing more than enjoying the plush
surroundings. Lady Ariane had been furious, simply livid, when the Prince
had left them at the river, and Serena couldn't help feeling somewhat miffed
as well. 'But he asked me to trust him, and I have to have faith that he
knows what he's doing'. Her loyalty to someone she'd met once surprised
her, but she rationalized her thoughts as she lay back on the bed and shut
her eyes. 'He's always been in my dreams so it's not as he's a complete
stranger'.
"Ah ha, I was right. I knew your room was bigger than ours."
Mina's excited voice startled Serena out of her peaceful mood. She poked
her head through the doorway and then, without invitation commenced her
exploration. "And you're the only one who had a private bathing room too!
The rest of us have to share a common one at the end of the hallway." She
nodded in satisfaction. "What does Lady Ariane know? She kept going on
and on about the Prince's poor manners and about his lack of a proper
upbringing, but I knew he'd make sure you were well taken care of - " and
she grinned with a mixture of awe and amusement, " - after his behavior down
by the river. Wasn't that so sweet?"
Serena blushed and stammered evasively, "W-what behavior?" She
shifted from her supine position on the vast bed, rolling onto her stomach,
legs swinging in the air behind her.
Mina faced her friend, hands on hips. "How couldn't you have
noticed - Pulling you out of the river like he did? Talking to you on the
shore? Do you realize how many people would give anything to be that
close to the Prince...some to kiss him, some to stick a knife in his gut."
Serena shrugged without commitment, although her stomach
flipped at the mere idea of anyone wanting to hurt her Darien. "Hey,
give me a break, okay? I'd just undergone a *life and death*
experience, after all..." but a smile began to spread across her face, a
smugness that lit her eyes and sunk dimples into her cheeks. "... I did
notice, though. I'm not as blind as you guys think I am."
"Ah ha, so the truth finally comes out," Mina replied with a hint of
triumph in her voice. She threw open the doors to the wooden dresser
and began to rummage through it. "Lady Ariane said that there were
dresses in here that we could wear - considering that most of the baggage
was lost to the river." She pulled out a long gown, deep marigold with navy
a soft trim. "Oh my, have you ever seen anything quite like this?"
It was beautiful, Serena had to admit that much. "When would you
ever wear something so...formal?" she asked quietly, already knowing the
answer.
"To the coronation, silly. We've all been invited, you know." She
held the dress up to her chest and twirled around the room. "While you
were in here sleeping Lady Ariane told us that we'd all be going to the
coronation tonight and that we'd find clothes to wear in the dresser in your
room."
Serena closed here eyes and groaned. "Lita's skirt will be up past
her ankles, and I'll be tripping over mine. No one ever realizes that girls
come in more than one size." But despite her complaints, she couldn't
suppress her curiosity forever and eventually snuck up behind Mina to peer
into the dresser. Her hands flew to her mouth, and her eyes widened.
"It's perfect for you, isn't it?" her friend proclaimed, holding a
simmering gown up before her. All Serena could do was stare.
- - - - - - - - - -
Left by Ariane to a maelstrom of swirling thoughts and emotions,
Darien cast one last look toward the clothes piled upon his bed, then
turned sharply and left the room. His boots struck the marble steps with
ringing clarity, and he held his head high for the benefit of the servants who
scurried past. Everyone was frantically preparing for the evening's great
event, everyone save the main participant.
He detoured from the main stairway and snuck into the quiet back
hallways, glancing from side to side to see if anyone was watching. Silently,
he lifted a frayed leather chord from around his neck, and, grasping the
dangling key tightly, he leaned against a paneled door and slid the covering
from a lock. A sharp clockwise twist of the key brought the familiar grating
sound of bolts sliding, and with one last glance over his shoulder he stepped
into the awaiting darkness.
The winding stairway was not a landmark to be found on any floor
plan of the castle. Wedged into the substructure by the first Princes of the
Desert, it was meant to be used as an escape route by the royal family in the
event of a prolonged siege. Darien, however, didn't see any reason why it's
usefulness had to be restricted to such dire circumstances, and he often
found himself feeling his way down the treacherous passage when he wished
to escape from the endless monotony of life.
It flowed into a narrow passage well beneath the castle grounds and
then opened into the center of the gardens - a shady grove of overarching
trees at the heart of the cultured maze. The gentle crashing of a languid
fountain beat a lyrical melody upon the air of late afternoon, and Darien
climbed the stairs back to the surface, squinting into the early-summer sun.
He strolled, one foot placed unhurriedly in front of the other, and
relaxed as the warmth of the atmosphere soaked into his back and shoulders.
He knew the route by heart, and with one hand gently brushing the towering
bushes, he could walk the maze with his eyes closed.
And it was in doing just that that the Prince stumbled upon a
newcomer in his gardens, a bewildered pixie with wide blue eyes and cheeks
flushed in frustration. He reached for her arms without thinking, trying not to
end up in an undignified jumble of arms and legs on the ground. He didn't
realize who was standing before him until he felt the familiar tingle shoot
upwards from his fingertips.
"Please don't be angry," she began, not making any move to shy
away from his touch. "I only wanted to see the gardens. One of the
gardeners warned me away from the maze…but I couldn't resist a little
peek, and then I couldn't find my way back out."
It had been so long since he'd been truly lost in the gardens that
Darien could only barely remember ever feeling frightened while amongst
the greenery. But he could remember - and he gently shifted his grip from
her arms to her shoulders. "Shhh, it's okay. Why would I be angry?" His
voice was a low whisper in her ear. "Was I mad at you down at the river?"
Serena found herself shaking her head and leaning into his arms
before she remembered that they'd only just met - that it wasn't proper
behavior to do so around someone as important as a prince, and a ruling
one at that. Somehow it all seemed so perfectly natural. "No…" she
admitted quietly
"Come, I'll show you the center of the maze." He smiled and, as if
suddenly becoming aware of their closeness, Darien disentangled himself,
took a step to the side, and offered Serena his arm as any chivalrous prince
was taught to do.
"Go further into the maze you mean?" Her voice was tinged with
disbelief as she responded, eyes narrowing. "This isn't some trick to lose
me forever, is it?" She stood her ground, hands on hips, lower lip jutting
out into space, and started at the Prince, not caring that she was a guest
at his castle.
"Oh, don't worry. I haven't gotten lost since I was five," he replied
with a casual wave of his hand. "It's been helpful to know my way around."
Tired of waiting, he reached for her hand and began to drag her in towards
the center of the maze.
And so they walked, one eager to share the sanctuary of his
childhood with the angel from his dreams, the other following reluctantly
behind, trusting her morning-savior but still thinking he was crazy nonetheless.
Removed from the hectic bustle of the castle, the sky was a
seamless expanse of blue marred only by the occasional cloud that tumbled
head-over-heels in the breeze. The pebbled ground was warmly gray and
brown beneath two pairs of feet, and as they neared the center of the maze,
the greenery began to shift from cultured perfection to wild overgrowth,
spilling into the path and obscuring the route. At one junction Serena was
sure she spied the delicate pink blossoms of climbing roses out of the corner
of her of her eye. At another, it was the gentle bobbing of orange lilies on
their long stems that caught her gaze. But Darien's pace was too rapid for
her to sit back and enjoy her surroundings - so she concentrated on not
tripping on his toes.
Their destination sprung up from the path without warning, an
unexpected expanse of twisting foliage and flowing water. Serena gazed at
the lushness of the scene before her, a richness that contrasted so harshly
with the white desert sands beyond the walls. Even the air was devoid of
the dryness that coated the throat and stung the eyes while out on the
unprotected sands. "How?" she questioned, turning circles in an attempt to
take everything in, "How is this possible?"
Darien chuckled softly. "That's a question I should be asking you,"
he replied. "My ancestors built the pipes that brought water to the surface
from deep within the ground, but it was magic from the Commune that's
kept them working for centuries." He left her side to prune dead leaves
from a wisteria vine dripping with purple blossoms.
"Do you take care of all of this?" The shock of stumbling upon
such a place was beginning to wear off, and Serena followed at his heels,
mind brimming with questions. "How did all these plants get here?"
He paused in his work, fingers loving caressing the vine as he
replied. "Yes...at first the gardeners would trim everything back, but after
my parents died..." He resumed pruning, collecting the dead leaves in his
left hand, "...I told Kerri that I wanted to take care of the center myself,
and she told the gardeners to stay away. Not many people remember
how to navigate the maze anymore."
He moved on to the next wisteria, this one a soft pinkish-white.
"You met Jack at the river, right? He's been the ferryman for years, and
ever since he learned of my interest in horticulture he's kept his eyes open
for anything beautiful...or unusual."
Serena's gaze flickered from corner to corner, and she was still
unable to believe that such a place existed. Even the arboretum at the
Commune was a pale shadow in comparison. "And no one minds...?"
The thought slipped out of her mouth without warning, and she cringed
mentally, realizing how stupid she sounded.
Darien, though, just chuckled, abandoning his wisteria to return to
her side. "No, I can't say they do - it's one of the advantages of being a
Prince, you know." With a good-natured shrug he led her to the side of
the pond and sat down at its edge. In the shadow of an enormous maple
tree, the water was a deep blue-green, alive with shifting shadows and still
as the morning sky right before down. He dipped his fingers into the water,
making languid ripples across the surface.
"I first saw you here at this pond...Ariane conjured your face in the
water," he explained with a quiet grin. "The pond was special to me then,
but because of that night it means even more to me know." He met her eyes
with sudden seriousness, his brow slightly furrowed. "I waited for you ever
since, looked for your face in everyone who visited the castle, imagined what
your voice would sound like...I always knew that one day we'd be together."
She sat unblinking, as still as a butterfly pausing on a flower, her
hands folded in her lap. "Me too...I'd dream of you, each night, dream of
a shared future." But despite the feelings that raced through her body as
she listened to him speak she couldn't shake the question that had been on
the tip of her tongue since that morning. "But, Darien, what did you mean
by what you said at the river?"
He'd hoped to avoid the issue, hoped that it wouldn't invade their
first conversations, but he knew that if anything they had to be honest with
each other. He began to explain to her what he'd explained to Ariane,
infinitely grateful that he'd had the practice in his rooms. His eyes never
once left hers, and he didn't realize how fast his heart was beating until his
voice trailed off in uneasy conclusion.
And before he could catch his breath she'd all but thrown herself
into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and almost toppling into
the pond herself. "I knew it had to be something...something important."
She looked up at him, the smile on her face and the dampness in her eyes
sincere. "I haven't a clue how we're going to pull it off, but we're going to,
you crazy prince, somehow we'll do it, together."
*end of Chapter 3*
Ah, finally...I must admit that I've completely forgotten what I've written in some
of these chapters! All I can say is that it's quite fun to go back and reread the
story...while making it better at the same time! Again, email is wonderful and
always appreciated. I promise that I'll write back if you send me something, and
I always love your comments (positive or negative) about this story. Please visit
my website if you have the chance (http://cathedraldragon.tripod.com/sm/) because
I'm trying to start a library ~ submit your fiction! There's also a story contest if
you'd like to win a cool (in my view) prize!
- Mir (12.10.00 ~ 04.05.01)
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