Chapter 8 – Promise Me

Queen Napea stood at her ivory-framed mirror, gazing deep into her reflection. She squinted, and to her horror, saw a single strand of pearly white hair among her waves of black. She took a second look, and found it gone. Perhaps she was seeing things. She ran her finger over her smooth skin, smiling when finding no blemishes or wrinkles. But was it really like that? Was her beauty really intact and unflawed? From the corner of her gaze, Queen Napea swore she could see a small fold at the corners of her eyes. On second look, it wasn't there. Her mind was tumbling over itself, confronting her with inexistent imperfections.

She scowled. It seemed all of her schemes had been untangled apart these last few days.

The assassin had truly failed her. Solita would have never gone in the same room with him alone again. The queen had managed to keep all word of his death from escaping the royal family and a few servants.

Tomorrow, a cloaked man would emerge from the palace and leave the kingdom, posing as Sir Leo once more. With his heavy pockets, the queen was almost certain he would not return. She would have to announce to the court that the arrangement had not been successful between the princess and the sir.

Queen Napea cursed under her breath. She wished so dearly that girl would evaporate. Then… her son would be king, and she, too, would wield much power, always being able to coax him into anything. Being the second youngest child in her bloodline, she had once believed there to be no way of obtaining the throne. But now… if Ethel ascends, then all of the future rulers would be her descendants, and her name glittering in gold. The most appealing thing, however, was that if the wretched girl was gone, then Queen Napea would no longer be overlooked for her once-legendary beauty. She would be the fairest of all in the entire kingdom, and all surrounding kingdoms. Queen Napea smiled thinly.

But.. how? How could she get rid of the girl without arousing suspicion? Ethel, for one, could be coaxed into helping with her disposal. Yet her other son…

The queen furrowed her eyebrows, and gazed out into the distance from her gold-framed windows.

A young man, seated at the rim of the fountain and his head resting upon his hands. His back was turned, and one could assume he only fell asleep while admiring the snow blossoms, but that was not so. They all stared in horror as they saw a thin blade emerge from the front of his chest, and blood pouring out into the tranquil waters, staining it crimson red...

It had been three days since Sir Leo had died. Solita had been taken back by this sudden turn of events, although she could not say that she wasn't relieved. She had a vague idea who his murderer was, though no one breathed a word of it, even as they watched "Sir Leo" ride away from the kingdom. It was as if the entire thing had never happened – things quieted down and went back to how it was before.

Solita was fully cautious she was under danger and the subject of murder attempts, and she carried the blade wherever she went, covered and strapped to her waist. She strolled around the West Gardens, stopping to scowl at the bloodstain "Sir Leo" had left behind. Solita would order for servants to remove that stain as quickly as possible.

The air was thick with the scent of flowers, for spring had just reached its peak. Ethel and Alaric had probably gone venturing into the woods, capturing stags. Solita decided to take a walk around the streets of the kingdom, and left the palace abruptly. Two guards insisted on trailing her, and reluctantly she allowed them to.

The streets were filled with the chatter of peasants and merchants, haggling for prices. From under her coarse brown cloak, Solita quietly observed the people of her kingdom. She glanced at the silks and spices being sold, and let herself be pulled by merchants to their stands. Smiling, she shook her head, and went on to the next street.

"…yes, I hear the war begun just a few days ago," said a bearded man to a merchant as he purchased a few yards of silk.

"Perhaps that's why Sir Leo returned to his kingdom…" Solita froze when she heard his name. The commoners obviously didn't know much about Sir Leo other than his acclaimed heroism and his heritage to Avienal.

"They are running out of resources, I hear. Sooner or later they will come running to Nivalis, looking for soldiers!"

"No doubt the queen will send some of our men to fight for them." His voice was sour.

She moved away from the men, and made a mental note to ask Chandi about the war between Avienal and the other kingdom. Nivalis had generally been a kingdom of peace, although wars did forge once in a while. The last few years, which were completely under the queen's rule, had neither been of prosperity nor ill luck. Solita glanced at the street beggars and casually dropped a few coins into their clay pots. A small boy, his face layered with dirt and mud, gazed up at the princess with innocent black eyes. Solita's heart softened as she smiled and rubbed his cheek clean, squeezing a few gold coins into his ragged pocket.

Suddenly, a rush of wind came as two horses carrying uniformed messengers tore through the streets. Scarlet flags fluttered in the air – the flags of Avienal. A distant voice said boastingly, "See! I told you they would come to seek help!"

Solita's eyes sharpened, and swiftly followed the riders into the palace.

"Our enemies have twenty fleets of fifty men each. We only have three hundred men who can fight, and our good king has requested for the aid of your kingdom's soldiers." The messenger bowed slightly.

"What has he to offer in return for our help?" asked Queen Napea coolly.

The messengers looked at each other, lost for words.

"Well, uh… he has not brought up the subject of… a fee."

Solita marveled at the queen's hostility. It was her own people who were being torn up in war. She has the reigns of power of Nivalis for the next two years, why not be a bit benevolent for her homeland?

The queen's expression was unsmiling and cold. "If he expects foreign aid without any – "

" – I will go." A voice interrupted her. She turned sharply to look at the speaker.

"Alaric." Queen Napea said, a bit surprised. "…darling, you will be risking your life to fight for a foreign –"

"Mother." Alaric's face was serious, and sincere. "Have you forgotten? It is our motherland, and yours, too. It is the kingdom I have lived in for fourteen years. I will go, and fight in honor of my uncle… and in honor of the memory of my father." His voice faded into silence.

Queen Napea continued to look at him in a bewildered expression when another voice spoke.

"Then I will also go," Ethel said. "In honor of my mother," he added slyly.

Solita smirked. This was a way of his charm that made him so irresistible to the noblewomen.

Yet the queen said nothing, only pondering in silence for a bit. In a resigned voice, she said, "I will have one hundred of our soldiers accompany my sons to Avienal tonight."

The messengers bowed again in relief and thanks, and abruptly left.

Solita sighted Ethel and Alaric practicing their archery later that day. So…it will be four hundred men against one thousand, she thought grimly. Her stepbrothers were skilled with arrows and both undefeatable with swords, although it was Ethel who tends to show off at games and such. Still, Solita could understand why the queen was reluctant about sending her sons to war, and it was not because of not being paid a fee.

The hours drifted by, most of which Solita spent on her studies and being tutored by mentors. And yet she constantly felt something tugging at her heart, her mind filling with worries about the war. She would miss Alaric, and inwardly rejoice at the absence of Ethel. Alaric's absence provided Queen Napea with better opportunities to take Solita's life. Passing through the palace halls, Solita sighted Alaric, dressed in armory and wearing a grim expression. Ethel was next to him. Solita walked towards them, and stared intently in Ethel's piercing green eyes.

"Have a safe journey, and best of luck," she said stiffly and politely. Ethel nodded with a hint of a smile. Or perhaps it was a smirk. He left, murmuring, "We will be waiting for you by the gates, Alaric."

Alaric put his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. With his armory on, he did not look a bit like the light-hearted eighteen-year-old he was. Solita sensed soaring inner strength in him, realizing that her younger stepbrother was now truly a man. Much to her surprise, her eyes began to gaze over with a tear. She didn't know what she was crying for, but sadness had gripped her all of a sudden.

"Solita…" he peered into her wet eyes. "What is wrong?" Solita carelessly wiped her tears away with a sleeve, and said in a semi-choked voice she did not recognize as her own, "You will return, right?"

Alaric smiled broadly, realizing that this was what she had been crying for. "Of course! Do not worry about me. We will be fine."

His expression changed suddenly to one of cautiousness. "Be careful, Solita. Always carry with you the blade I had given you, but use it only as a last resort."

She nodded, lowering her eyes.

In the distant they heard the sounds of hooves and clanging of weaponry. A horn sound erupted from the edge of the kingdom. The men were preparing to leave for battle.

"I must go," said Alaric. He squeezed her hand, and took a few steps when Solita grabbed him again.

"Wait." She stared unblinkingly into his deep blue eyes. "Promise me you will return."

Solita didn't know what urged her to be like this, but it was just as if a piece of her heart wouldn't settle. She knew that despite being against a thousand men, it was nevertheless unlikely that either of her stepbrothers would suffer from life threatening injuries. But still…

Alaric's face was solemn. "I promise," he said softly.

He slipped away, and left for the gates on his horse while Solita ran along to see the men off. Queen Napea, Lord Castel, and many nobles were accompanied by servants at the iron gates. The princes were mounted atop gleaming white stallions and heavily armed, flags of Nivalis dancing in the wind. Alaric and Ethel exchanged a few farewells with them before leading the soldiers out of the kingdom, into the distant mountains. Alaric cast a glance back as he left, and met eyes with Solita. He smiled.

The sunset spilled into the sky, and Solita stared into their distant silhouettes until it faded, softly and slowly

Let me know if you think I haven't shifted the events smoothly enough, from Sir Leo's death to the war. I really hope it was okay, but I have a feeling...

To my wonderful :hugs: reviewers!

fireworksinmypocket: Yay! I love you for reviewing! .
CareBearErin: Yes, Alaric is adorable.. like a dog:hehe:
panemonium: Nope, I decided to not include dwarfs in this version...
EvenSong: Honestly, I'm impressed with your insight to this... I haven't even thought about some of the reasons you brought forth.. As for the item.. hmm.. ... I'll leave it to you to wonder what it is . .:Evil laugh:.
Paperbagprincezz: No, no love triangle.. you'll see why soon. The queen is not only wanting her son to be king, but she is also savagely jealous of Solita's beauty... (I only wrote it according to the fairy tale) Wanting Ethel be king is a cover-up... it gives her a reason to kill Solita. Nope, you're right, Solita isn't a servant girl, but obeying her stepmother's wishes is expected in a fifteen year old at that time, and you'll see that on some occasions she does not, in future chapters. Great questions, by the way!
mistyqueen: Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!
dreamingdaemon: Haha.. That's probably what I would have done too! Yes, well I try not to encourage romance between them... you'll find out later why! . You could just use author/story alert to see when I update... :happy to be stalker-ly loved: