Rion spent three days trying to speak to Ari. When she didn't come to visit
him, he decided to take matters into his own hands and go and visit her.
His attempts only gained one answer: "Princess Ariessa does not wish to
speak with you." Rion wondered how he could possibly make things right if
she wouldn't let him apologise. He didn't think he ought to apologise,
since it was Mir who was in the wrong, but he didn't want to ruin their
friendship over it.
A part of him, aided by Mir, tried to convince the rest of him that it was probably better if things stayed the way they were. If he didn't mend his relationship with Ari then it wouldn't hurt so much to leave her.
He gained some satisfaction from the fact that they hadn't been locked in the cells. As he sat with Mir in the library on the forth day since the incident in the garden, he mentioned this.
"So?" was Mir's response.
"So Ari hasn't told anyone what we're planning," Rion said, "meaning you were wrong."
"Maybe what I said shamed her."
"Or maybe she never meant to spy on us and you ought to apologise."
"What does it matter?" Mir asked, "We'll be gone soon, leaving her and everything else behind." Rion nodded, but said nothing. "That's assuming that you still mean to go home?"
"Of course I do!" Rion's angry response was almost a shout. He glanced across to the soldiers standing guard at the library doors, but they didn't appear to be paying any attention. "Gondor is my home," he said more quietly, "that's where my family is. I wouldn't stay here for anything."
"It didn't look that way."
"Ari and I are friends," Rion said, "I care about her, but not enough to abandon my family, my duty to my people, or you."
"You'd better not," Mir said, grinning slightly, "or you might find a bucket of cold water above your door again." Rion began to chuckle, not at that, but at the memory of what he'd done to get revenge.
"I think that would be inadvisable, or you won't know what you may find in your boots."
"Well, at least I won't find out how I look in pink." Rion raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't?" Rion said nothing, and Mir's expression began to look slightly more desperate. "Please say you wouldn't."
"I could," Rion replied, "but Father doesn't like it if I lie." He only managed to keep his face serious for a few moments, before the expression of worry on Mir's face sent him into hysterics. Soon Mir was laughing along with him.
Deciding to stretch his legs, Rion wandered over to the window. Rain was falling outside in a thin sleeting drizzle that penetrated any fabric and soaked anyone outside in an instant. The snow had completely gone now, disappearing into hundreds of streams and rivulets.
Staring through the rain, Rion look down to the harbour. From this room, he could see about half of it, the other half hidden by the rocks that sheltered it from the sea. A ship was pulling into the harbour. Not one of the little, fishing boats that never strayed far from the shore, but a great warship. It must have to travel quite far out to avoid rocks. He wondered where it had come from, since he didn't recall seeing any harbours nearby when on Traag that would be large enough to hold this ship.
"What are you looking at?" Mir asked, moving to his side. Rion pointed, then went to look at one of the maps they had spread out. He was right, there was nowhere near here. That meant that ships were risking travelling further away from the shore. Maybe the threat of violent storms was over.
He didn't have time to speak his thoughts to Mir, because the door opened and Graynal entered. He said something quietly to the soldiers, then walked over to Rion.
"Come with me now," he said firmly. Rion wondered if Ari had said something about their plans, and judging from Mir's expression he was thinking the same thing.
Rion followed Graynal from the room, two soldiers falling into position behind him. He wondered what was going on. They were heading to his room, probably to lock him in there until they did whatever they were planning on doing with him.
Once they reached his room, Graynal nodded to a set of clothes laid out. "Change quickly," he said, then disappeared out the door. The clothes were as formal as the ones he had worn for the feast, but he wondered what was so urgent about this occasion. He changed anyway, not wanting to risk anything when they were this close to escape.
Dressed in a green tunic, embroidered in gold with beech leaves, he set the circlet on his head. There was a knock on the door, then Ari entered without even waiting for a reply. She was dressed just as formally, but looked very unhappy.
"Ari," Rion began, "I'm sorry about what. . ."
"Father asked me to escort you down," Ari interrupted, and turned to leave the room again.
"Ari, please don't hold a grudge. You don't want to know what happened to Mir the last time he held a grudge."
Rion knew that Ari's curiosity wouldn't let that one go. "What did you do?" she asked. She walked from the room, meaning that Rion had to walk with her in order to tell her, his guards following behind as always.
"I managed to get him up on the roof then took the ladder away, meaning he couldn't climb down. He was stuck up there all night, and it was raining."
"No, I meant what did you do to make friends again?"
"I just told you."
"I dread to think what you did to make him angry."
"Nothing worse than some of the things he's done to me. One time he convinced one of the maids to dye all my white shirts pink, and then made sure that they were all I could find when I was in a hurry." Ari laughed, and Rion laughed with her. He kept on with his stories, delighting to have made her smile, even if it was at his own expense.
So it happened that when they reached the great hall they were both laughing. The king standing near the door, speaking to another man. The man had his back to the door when the laughing couple entered, though he turned at a nod from the king.
The laughter died on Rion's lips.
He stared at the man in front of him, filled with shock.
***
Author's note: Review, or I'll leave you with that cliffhanger. Don't think that I wouldn't.
A part of him, aided by Mir, tried to convince the rest of him that it was probably better if things stayed the way they were. If he didn't mend his relationship with Ari then it wouldn't hurt so much to leave her.
He gained some satisfaction from the fact that they hadn't been locked in the cells. As he sat with Mir in the library on the forth day since the incident in the garden, he mentioned this.
"So?" was Mir's response.
"So Ari hasn't told anyone what we're planning," Rion said, "meaning you were wrong."
"Maybe what I said shamed her."
"Or maybe she never meant to spy on us and you ought to apologise."
"What does it matter?" Mir asked, "We'll be gone soon, leaving her and everything else behind." Rion nodded, but said nothing. "That's assuming that you still mean to go home?"
"Of course I do!" Rion's angry response was almost a shout. He glanced across to the soldiers standing guard at the library doors, but they didn't appear to be paying any attention. "Gondor is my home," he said more quietly, "that's where my family is. I wouldn't stay here for anything."
"It didn't look that way."
"Ari and I are friends," Rion said, "I care about her, but not enough to abandon my family, my duty to my people, or you."
"You'd better not," Mir said, grinning slightly, "or you might find a bucket of cold water above your door again." Rion began to chuckle, not at that, but at the memory of what he'd done to get revenge.
"I think that would be inadvisable, or you won't know what you may find in your boots."
"Well, at least I won't find out how I look in pink." Rion raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't?" Rion said nothing, and Mir's expression began to look slightly more desperate. "Please say you wouldn't."
"I could," Rion replied, "but Father doesn't like it if I lie." He only managed to keep his face serious for a few moments, before the expression of worry on Mir's face sent him into hysterics. Soon Mir was laughing along with him.
Deciding to stretch his legs, Rion wandered over to the window. Rain was falling outside in a thin sleeting drizzle that penetrated any fabric and soaked anyone outside in an instant. The snow had completely gone now, disappearing into hundreds of streams and rivulets.
Staring through the rain, Rion look down to the harbour. From this room, he could see about half of it, the other half hidden by the rocks that sheltered it from the sea. A ship was pulling into the harbour. Not one of the little, fishing boats that never strayed far from the shore, but a great warship. It must have to travel quite far out to avoid rocks. He wondered where it had come from, since he didn't recall seeing any harbours nearby when on Traag that would be large enough to hold this ship.
"What are you looking at?" Mir asked, moving to his side. Rion pointed, then went to look at one of the maps they had spread out. He was right, there was nowhere near here. That meant that ships were risking travelling further away from the shore. Maybe the threat of violent storms was over.
He didn't have time to speak his thoughts to Mir, because the door opened and Graynal entered. He said something quietly to the soldiers, then walked over to Rion.
"Come with me now," he said firmly. Rion wondered if Ari had said something about their plans, and judging from Mir's expression he was thinking the same thing.
Rion followed Graynal from the room, two soldiers falling into position behind him. He wondered what was going on. They were heading to his room, probably to lock him in there until they did whatever they were planning on doing with him.
Once they reached his room, Graynal nodded to a set of clothes laid out. "Change quickly," he said, then disappeared out the door. The clothes were as formal as the ones he had worn for the feast, but he wondered what was so urgent about this occasion. He changed anyway, not wanting to risk anything when they were this close to escape.
Dressed in a green tunic, embroidered in gold with beech leaves, he set the circlet on his head. There was a knock on the door, then Ari entered without even waiting for a reply. She was dressed just as formally, but looked very unhappy.
"Ari," Rion began, "I'm sorry about what. . ."
"Father asked me to escort you down," Ari interrupted, and turned to leave the room again.
"Ari, please don't hold a grudge. You don't want to know what happened to Mir the last time he held a grudge."
Rion knew that Ari's curiosity wouldn't let that one go. "What did you do?" she asked. She walked from the room, meaning that Rion had to walk with her in order to tell her, his guards following behind as always.
"I managed to get him up on the roof then took the ladder away, meaning he couldn't climb down. He was stuck up there all night, and it was raining."
"No, I meant what did you do to make friends again?"
"I just told you."
"I dread to think what you did to make him angry."
"Nothing worse than some of the things he's done to me. One time he convinced one of the maids to dye all my white shirts pink, and then made sure that they were all I could find when I was in a hurry." Ari laughed, and Rion laughed with her. He kept on with his stories, delighting to have made her smile, even if it was at his own expense.
So it happened that when they reached the great hall they were both laughing. The king standing near the door, speaking to another man. The man had his back to the door when the laughing couple entered, though he turned at a nod from the king.
The laughter died on Rion's lips.
He stared at the man in front of him, filled with shock.
***
Author's note: Review, or I'll leave you with that cliffhanger. Don't think that I wouldn't.