~*~

Some say I am lucky to be the daughter of the great rulers Char and Ella, and the brother of the valiant Owen. But who am I compared to them and their fulfilled deeds? I am lucky but I am overshadowed. Who is Catleya?

~*~

Those three days were one of the worst days of my life. I kept on thinking what would happen in those three days. In those three days, Owen was in danger. He could be killed, assaulted once again. Who knows how determined his assailants were? Mother was right; worrying was unhealthy. Another cause of my anxiety was Tristan. His actions befuddled me, making my thoughts for him nebulous. What were his real intentions? Surely, my childhood enemy would not just do anything too beneficial for my part. Certainly, he would be content in sympathizing for me, but not actually doing anything as significant as that. I also worried about my parents.

Father went with the group of knights who came to fetch Owen. He was concerned about Owen's state but I knew he was more concerned with the fact that someone tried to kill him. I knew that Father recognized Owen's ability with regards to combat; he was confident that if anyone wanted to do away with him, that person would have to try his very best, and his very best could not even outmatch that of Owen's. Father knew that the real issue was the motive. Someone was drastic enough to try and attempt to kill his sovereign. During his reign, discontent was a rarity in Kyrria. The assault to Owen meant that someone was more than discontented.

When Father left, Mother was driven more into worry. She worried about her son, and now she worried about her husband too. I felt that the burden of worrying was laid upon my mother's shoulders, she being the queen, wife, and mother. She thought about her kingdom, and at the same time she was bothered about the recent events regarding her son. With Father's departure, another concern was added to her.

But fortunately, I came to the conclusion that the only solution to this was for me to think of "happy" thoughts. It sounded childish and dim-witted but yes, this was the only way to get out of this. Instead of thinking of Owen's probable danger, I thought of his return. I would imagine him, riding on horseback, next to Father, without a scratch on him. Father and Owen would soon tell Mother and me that everything was fine, and that this situation was something we could handle. Sometimes, it made me sick when I thought of this. Somehow, I felt that it was the men able to go out on adventures, while the women waited for their return. As for Tristan, I convinced myself entirely that it was all an act of friendship, and also an act of reparation for his past evil deeds to me. I also willed myself to ease the burden of Mother. I hid all my worry underneath vivaciousness and smiles. If I let it out, she would soon be worried of me. For some reason, I was scared that she would worry herself to death.

My "happy" thoughts were effective. I was not as anxious as before, though I was still. I didn't know how I survived those three days of foreshadowing. On the third day, I retreated to the library.

During the past days, I did what a visiting princess did; I toured the kingdom, courtesy of Tristan. He showed me all the new sites that were instigated during the five-year interval. There were new monuments, for one. There was one I particularly liked. It was located near the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Underneath was the jagged rocks and crashing waves. When I was there, I could smell the salty air and the hear the sounds of the sea, something I have not encountered for so long since Kyrria was located in the middle of everything. The only water forms there were rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. The statue was made out of bronze. It was the sculpture of a mermaid. When I looked at her, I could only say she was beautiful. Her hazel-shaped eyes were looking at the sea, and I could sense some longing in them—long for the sea, I supposed. Her features were carefully molded, from the cherubic lips to the shapely body. It was a work of art that should not be exposed to such harsh elements like the sea. There was a plaque at the bottom with Aida, an Ayothaian word meaning water maiden, engraved on it with flourishing calligraphy.

"Why is this statue here?" I asked Tristan. Most of the time, the statues were of past rulers or famous historical icons.

He was still gazing at the statue. "You were supposed to be knowledgeable," he accused me.

I scowled at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," he replied. "Did it ever occur to you where the origins of the word aida are?"

"Of course I do. It came from the word naida, a Kenesan term for mermaid or water maiden."

He smirked. "Well, you're right but you're wrong. Naida and Aida are not just terms but mermaids of the same legend. This was the legend where the popular fairytale was derived from."

Of course I knew of the fairytale. It was all about a mermaid, defying her father and becoming a human. She went to the sea-witch just to be one. The reason behind was because she loved a human prince, who she saved once. The only way to achieve his love was to become a human also. Unfortunately, her voice was lost along with her tail. She was a mute, and could not speak to the prince at all. The prince could not love her because he could only love the person who saved him. Ironically, the person who did was right beside him, but he refused to love her. Sadly, she couldn't tell him the truth so the prince married a princess. The mermaid was heartbroken and killed herself. When she killed herself, only then did the prince realized it was her all along. I admired the protagonist and I basically hated the prince for being so thick.

"Now, the connection with this is because the legendary ties of Ayortha and Keneisha are actually interlocked. Naida and Aida are actually the names of the mermaid in the tale. This meant that somehow, the ancestors of Keneisha and Ayortha are related. Maybe they were friends, cousins, no one knows. When Keneisha and Ayortha had this minor disagreement," he paused.

"Of course I know about it," I scoffed. "Owen was directly associated with that instance."

"I thought you didn't, considering the fact that you only think that naida is Kenesan."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Are you going to continue or no? If not, then I might as well push you down the cliff, as you are wasting my time."

He eyed me squarely. "You can't do that," he said firmly. Then he continued with his explanation. "This statue was put up to symbolize the bonds of Ayortha and Keneisha. It would serve as a reminder that Ayortha and Keneisha once shared a past with each other. This also means that they should share the present and future. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Of course. It is like the statue in the middle of Ayortha and Kyrria." In my mind, the statue of Vaia appeared. It was not like the Aida statue. It was actually abstract, more like a sculpture than a statue. It was a monument of a tree in the sea. The tree was the symbolism for Kyrria because Kyrria was agriculturally linked. It was also because Kyrria had many forests. The sea was the representation for Ayortha because Ayortha was a maritime kingdom, considering that it was next to the Agua Sea. The tree growing in the sea meant that Ayortha and Kyrria was not one, but two separate kingdoms, although connected with each other.

I turned to him, frowning. "But, what if it doesn't last? A statue after all, is but a statue. No one knows if this statue could actually prevent something from happening."

"No one knows if it could prevent something. It is, after all, just a reminder and a statue"

We were both quiet for sometime. I was thinking that maybe the statues weren't just there to serve as reminders for the nation, but also to the rulers. The rulers were also the representatives of their own respective kingdoms.

"You shouldn't really have accompanied me in going around Ayortha. It must be so redundant for you to see these things, again and again," I said to him.

"But you've forgotten that I was away from my home for two years." He was still gazing at the statue. He looked so meditative and introspective. He was lost in his own thoughts, and I had already evaporated into thin air, an evanescent.

When I looked at him, it was in that exact moment that I thought he could even be more than a friend. 

~*~

On the third day, I was on pins and needles. I woke up when the sun was not yet in the horizon, and paced around in my bedroom. I was always like this. If I was anxious, I always woke up earlier than the usual. Certainly, I was more anxious now. If Father and Owen were a day late, then I might just lose it. I kept thinking that maybe something happened on the way here. I didn't want to think about unfortunate events that could happen, but it's was just that I couldn't help it. I was walking round my room, occasionally looking at the window for a distance cloud of dust that meant their coming. Once in a while, I sat down and poured my frustrations on pen and paper. I was drawing, if someone considered those stick figures drawings. It was one of the ways I could relieve myself of walking around in circles.

 I was an artist worthy of every bit of abhorrence from society. I could only draw stick figures and animals whose biological structure was a long thin body with a hundred legs. The only decent drawing I could make was of a straight line or a perfect circle. My drawing was even worse when I was in this situation. The paper was soon tarnished with inconsistent loops and doodles, with occasional ink blots. When I couldn't look into the paper without wincing, I stopped drawing.

I knew nothing was going to be accomplished if I just paced around in my room, which happened for duration of three hours.

"You are stupid girl," I muttered to myself. I glanced at the clock. It was already nine thirty in the morning. I shook my head. "Yes, indeed. Very stupid." I had kept myself in here for oh so long without any contact to a human being and what did it get me? It only made me more worried.

I stood up and went out of the door. The corridors were deathly silent. By this time, I was already irritated to my wits end. Locking myself up in my room was a very idiotic act, considering the fact that I couldn't last stagnant in one place for more than two hours. Soon, I was storming around the castle. I wasn't exactly screaming, more like grumbling to myself. I checked every room in the castle. I caught one maid dusting some furniture in one of the many solariums.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I managed to control myself this time. I hated to be seen as a dictator.

The girl was humming to herself while dusting a china cat figurine. When she heard me, she spun around and almost knocked down the cat. She dropped down on her knees. Of course, I was looking at her strangely, mainly because she need not drop down on her knees. I didn't even mind if she didn't curtsied.

Her head was bowed. "Eyese…y-yo…" her voice quivered. I realized that she was trying to speak Kyrrian when she couldn't.

"It's alright," I told her in Ayorthaian. "I can understand Ayorthaian as well as I understand Kyrrian."

Her eyes were huge and awed. "Yes, your Highness," she said in perfect Ayorthaian. "What may I do for you?"

"I am wondering where all the people are. I can't seem to find anybody in the hallways," I said.

She was looking at me with rapt adoration, for one reason or another. I was soon beginning to question the sanity of this young girl.

"Your Majesty," she giggled softly. "They are all in the great hall. His Highness, King Orono, called for an audience." 

My jaw dropped. "Really? Thank you!"

I turned back and half-ran to the great hall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," I kept on chastising myself.

The great hall was as great as it could be. The walls were lined with the tapestries that depicted Ayorthaian history and culture. Marble columns held the whole place up. There was a grand staircase at the right side of the hall, used only for the introduction of important nobles and sovereigns. We didn't use this when we arrived because our introduction happened during the Sings, but I wasn't there. At this moment, there were many people in the hall, all looking at the thrones situated at the end of the halls. Seated in the thrones were Uncle Orono and Aunt Vanessa. Standing at their right side was Tristan, he being the crown-prince. At the left side were Ettore and Adara. I couldn't find Mother.

I was about to push my way through the crowd to demand her whereabouts to Uncle Orono but when he spoke, I realized that it was all useless.

"It is with deep regret that I say that the royal family of Kyrria will now return to their kingdom three days hence because of undisclosed circumstances," he said in Ayorthaian. If we were in Kyrria, the whole court would be buzzing with murmurs and whispers. But we were in Ayortha, and Ayorthaian nobles didn't talk. Instead, they just exchanged meaningful glances at one another, somehow transmitting a message. One of the ladies of the court spotted me and gingerly pointed her fan on my direction. Soon, heads were turning and looking at me. They were all bowing their heads, and some were saying "By your leave." There were many reasons why they did so. Maybe they just wanted to look at me. Or maybe because the words that Uncle Orono had spoken meant more than what they seemed.

Deep regret?

Undisclosed circumstances?

Maybe Father and Owen didn't return.

They might not have made it back.

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

…suspense…

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

He couldn't even look at me when I asked what happened. He just turned away his eyes and focused on the table. I sighed. We had been talking for a considerably long time, and then suddenly, when I asked him what happened, he just quieted down.

I hit him playfully in the arm. "You idiot. You know all too well that you can't keep this from me."

Owen smirked. "Yes I can keep it away from you. Catleya, it's just that—"

"What? My ears are too sensitive to hear about it?" I replied.

"No," he answered calmly. He looked like Mother with the black hair. "You think too much. I just don't think that you should hear about it.

Father and Owen did make it safely back. They arrived seven in the morning, and I was already awake. I wasn't informed because they thought I was still asleep and didn't want to disturb me. I should not have locked myself up in my room. If I didn't, then maybe I wouldn't be so lately uninformed. When I was in the great hall with everybody looking at me, I thought I would faint right then and there. I felt that the world was spinning out of control for some reason. I really thought that it was the end. I blamed Uncle Orono for that because he had to speak with the gravest words. If he had only said that he was sad that the royal family of Kyrria would return and not with deepest regret then I might not have felt so crestfallen. It was a good thing Tristan went to my rescue. He quickly went beside me and whispered, "What are you thinking?" When he asked me that, it struck me that what I was thinking could not be possibly true because his tone suggested that he could've laughed hard if he didn't tell me this. He told me that Owen was in his own room, resting form the journey. By the time he had finished his sentence, I was already dragging him to the hall, demanding where the room was. We were now sitting in the window seat where Owen was staying.

I frowned. "It's my business too. You're my brother, and I'm your sister. I should know."

He shook his head. "If you want to know, you can ask Father. Not me." His voice was suddenly forceful. I stared at him and realized that his thoughts were somewhere else. His eyes clearly showed nostalgia, but what was it? He really couldn't look at me. There was slight sadness in his face, for some reason.

I could read my brother's mind just as well as he could mine, and I was always determined to know what he was thinking about. He ran his fingers through his hair and I caught sight of the ring Lucinda gave him. His was different. It was made of a golden band and had a garnet for a gem. I instinctively glanced at my own ring. When I did, a rush of memories came to me. The blood and the scream. Those hallucinations—but were they truly hallucinations?

"Someone died."

Owen looked at me sharply, his eyes glaring. At first I was taken back; Owen seldom looked at me like this. But then, I realized that I had struck something in him. Someone did die. I was triumphing because I finally found a little about it, but I was also turbulent inside. If someone did die, then this affirmed the strange events with relevance to the ring. It would prove that there was something about that ring…but what?

"How did you know?" he asked.

I paused before answering. How could I possibly explain to him that I experienced some pain on my finger, and the next thing I knew I was plunged into a series of emotions and synesthesia that I actually fainted, which was also unordinary? I decided that I should tell him. I had to lie to him. I didn't want to tell anybody that I actually fainted because of an inanimate object. He might just think that I was in the brink of hysteria. He wouldn't believe me anyway. I smiled at him. "I guessed," I replied matter-of-fact. "You look so…"

He cut me off. "Yes, someone did die. Two people, in fact."

"They killed themselves. That is no reason for you to be so troubled," I said. "You're not telling me everything."

He stood up and walked away from me. "That's not the reason why I'm so troubled. And still, I will not tell you."

He must have known that I would keep on trying to get it out of him. He left just to prevent me from knowing. What was his problem? I remained seated, gazing at him dumbfound. But before he completely went out of the door, he said, "It's not you. But I think you should know that this occurrence means someone is after the throne." Then he closed the door.

Of course I knew. I knew that no one would just attack the crown-prince of Kyrria, and those people couldn't be bandits. Bandits rarely stole from a group of knights, let alone from a sovereign with a group of knights. I figured out that this was pivotal. We had to solve this problem quickly, if we would want peace and prosperity to remain in Kyrria. What I couldn't understand was that this was not the whole lot. Owen—maybe even Father and Mother—knew more about this. I could only ponder on the reasons why Owen wouldn't tell me.

~*~

Anyway, I guess you are all wondering where on earth I got the idea that Ayortha is actually near the sea!?!?! Well, the book didn't say anything, so basically, I made that up. BUT I have proper analysis and substantiation.

Earlier in the book, Ella mentioned about the RIVER LUCARNO. Now, rivers actually end up in the ocean, but I bet you already know that.

Also, Ayortha is considerably not near Kyrria because of the difference in the language. Usually, countries that are other countries have languages that have commonalities, but we can see that Kyrrian is English (if it IS English...) and Ayorthaian starts and ends with a vowel. These two languages are COMPLETELY unlike each other. Therefore, they are not near each other. An example of such instances is here in the countries in Europe. The basis of French, Spanish, Italian, etc. is based on ONE language: LATIN. Therefore, love could be amor, amore, amour...or whatever. I'm not sure about the spelling but we studied this in history!

So, Ayortha is not near Kyrria, and the River Lucarno is located in Kyrria but ends up in the ocean. Therefore, the distance between Ayortha and Kyrria could be the distance traveled by the River Lucarno to end up in the ocean! Do you get it? And the name of the ocean is AGUA but I made that up so don't even think of suing me because you couldn't find it in the book!!!

Ack..I updated late AGAIN. I am so extremely sorry! I'm so busy with this school year for some reason! And I still have to prepare an argumentative case for my auditions in the club! (Whoever passes the auditions would get to debate in a NATIONAL debate tournament!!!)

X-(

I am so harassed, as I have kept on saying for the past chapters!! But I do hope you like this chapter, no matter how hasty I wrote it. Our classes were suspended because it was raining hard (frankly, I don't like it because our class lectures would be rushed because of lack of time) so I had the time to write this chapter!!

I really hope you like it!!

Thanks so much to the reviewers!!! ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ