Within a few minutes her nerves had been replaced by intense interest. She had always assumed that these meetings Laren attended were useful albeit boring but with formalities complete, the delegates got down to business straight away and her attention was held.
The morning passedquickly as the position of Second Empire and the battle readiness of Sacoridia was discussed. Rhovanny shared their strategic progress and Karigan could tell that like herself, the Sacordian party was surprised and pleased to hear how far advanced the Rhovan preparations had come. This is good, she thought. It will be easier to convince them that we need more help.
As she sat engrossed in the discussions, she kept feeling a sensation of being watched. Her intense interest in the proceedings had begun to dwindle as her pain increased. She started to shift slightly in her chair every few seconds in an effort to relieve the worsening muscle tension. As she did, she took the opportunity to glance out of the corner of her eye, trying to see if it was the king watching her. She couldn't tell but the feeling grew more frequent and she was fairly sure he was the cause of it, although his gaze from the Rhovan consul never wavered. She felt a slight bead of sweat break out across her brow and she glanced at the time piece. Wow, she had lasted a lot longer than she had thought possible. She stopped paying attention to the talks and focused on her breathing as the heat in her back grew. All of a sudden she heard a throat clear.
"Gentleman, we have made wonderful progress. I think it is time for a short break, if you will?"
The request came as somewhat of a surprise to the group as they had been in discussion for only a bell. But one did not disagree with a king. The Rhovan's assented and the General stood and walked directly to the king to pay his respects more personally. The clamour of shifting chairs and people standing drowned out the conversation. Karigan's breathing hastened and she bowed slightly in the direction of the king before looking at Laren, who inclined her head slightly as permission to be excused. Karigan softly fled, walking as rapidly as she could towards the royal gardens instead of lingering outside or heading back to her rooms. She wanted to be away from people, away from Riders who would ask her questions. She opened the gates and found the closest walkway, deserted in the late morning. She let out a breath she had been holding and moaned loudly. She moved her body in every direction, trying to find some relief in the agony. A solid stone bench was hidden beneath the shade of a giant willow tree and she sank on it, clutching her back. The cold penetrated her seat and in a flash of insight, she slid down it, feeling the heat immediately leave her back as a delicious sense of cold sunk into her back flesh. She moaned again, this time in pleasure as the pain dwindled. This was going to be much harder than she anticipated. She sat there for what seemed like an age. Her mind whispered, you need to go back, but her body whispered, don't move.
Eventually she opened her eyes and slowly moved to her hands and knees before hoisting herself up with the seat as a prop. She felt a lot better. Hearing the bell sound she cursed. Dammit, had that much time passed?
She hurried as well as she could back to the meeting room, surprised to see that the delegates were still milling around. She slipped in and began edging towards Laren when she heard the king recommence the meeting. She went to her seat and noted with surprise that a cushion had been placed at the back. Shrugging, she sat and paid attention again.
The meeting continued where it had left off and she found herself engrossed again in the technical aspects of the defensive and offensive strategies of each kingdom. She was most interested in how many different possibilities each army had considered and how this fed into their decision to target locations where there would be the least loss of life. There was great heart in both their nations.
Again that familiar pain trigger started. She sweated, breathed and wriggled. The king called lunch and they exited towards the garden beneath the throne room balcony. She kept well away from the king and chatted with Laren and Laren's Rhovan equivalent whilst they were served a light lunch. Easing her hands onto her back, she sighed quietly. Gods, I can't do another one, she thought.
"Colonel, Lieutenant, thank you for your company during this wonderful lunch. I must offer my excuses, as I have duties to attend to this afternoon."
Laren winked at her as the Lieutenant nodded politely.
Karigan looked around and saw the king talking to the general under the balustrade. Calculating that she was far enough away to pay her respects without notice before sneaking off, she walked around the edge of the group to the bottom of the stairs and turned to face the king and bow.
"Sir Karigan, are you heading off!?" came a familiar voice. She looked up in surprise and realised he was much closer than she thought. He looked at her with warmth and the General smiled, clearly interested.
"Your Majesty, General Khodell," she bowed to both him and the general. "I was about to attend to my afternoon duties and did not want to disturb your discussion, sire." She glanced at him and met his gaze, then lowered her eyes.
"I do not want to stall you, however may I present you to General Khodell? General, this is Rider Sir Karigan G'ladheon, Champion of Sacoridia. She has been fundamental in our attempts to thwart Mornhaven and Second Empire, at great personal cost."
Karigan blushed at the compliment and greeted the General with interest. She sized him up, noticing how the smooth muscles of his arms and shoulders belied many hours of training. His jet black hair was tinged with a touch of grey and his face was lined with the stressed wrinkles of managing an army. She liked the lines around his eyes though. They crinkled as he smiled. He had a lovely smile.
"It is an honour to meet you, Lord Khodell."
The man bowed. "The honour is mine, Sir Karigan."
The king smiled at her again. "If you would honour us with your presence, it would be wonderful if you would dine with us in my quarters tonight, at about 8 bells?"
Karigan was stunned and nodded weakly, before hurriedly adding, "of course Sire, if you wish." His eyes lingered on her.
He nodded to her and she bowed again, this time turning for the stairs before he could say another thing.
She felt more flustered the closer she got to riders quarters. Her hand trembled on the doorknob to her room. Shutting it securely, she quickly de-robed and felt immensely relieved as the stiff fabric fell away from her skin. She collapsed on her soft bed with a sigh of pleasure, naked from the waist up. Tears welled up in her eyes over the enormity of the morning and the strain it had cost her. She was relieved and a bit chuffed she had managed to get through the meetings. Exhaustion stalled any further thought as she quickly descended into darkness.
It was mid-afternoon by the time she woke from her deep slumber. She yawned and lay for a bit longer, feeling lazy as she watched dust motes float in the soft golden rays. Nature called before long so she opened the wardrobe and grabbed a robe before heading to the bathtub once more. She completed her ablutions then with a sigh of happiness she poured lavender oil into her steaming bath and inhaled as the scent hit her nostrils. A second sigh arose as she placed her feet into the tub, which was followed by a deep groan of pure pleasure as she sank back into the heat. She felt her back loosen as the heat and oil eased her muscles and tight skin. She drew patterns along her flesh as she watched steam trail patterns along the ceiling. She loved hot baths.
The water grew tepid and she began the task of getting out. As she did so a frown deepened the crease between her eyes. Dinner with the king! What was she doing? Not that she had an option to say no. She dried herself absentmindedly and thought through her clothing options. She couldn't wear her uniform again. It was probably the right thing to do but she might only last through the first meal if she had to remain upright in that outfit again. Hmmmmm. Tarla had ended up making her a fifth gown, a very fine cotton gown that was lovely and respectable, with sleeves that finished at her elbows. It was lined with a heavier weight cotton that started at her hips, which made the skirt more full and formal without adding another layer near her back. It was a deep forest green, similar to her uniform. That could work, it was not showy and was at least the same colour as her uniform. That had to count for something.
She knocked on Mara's door. "Mmmmmmmmm?" came the reply. Karigan opened the door to find her lounging on her bed reading a book.
"I thought you had Chief Rider things to do?" Karigan asked tartly.
Mara rolled her eyes. "Gee, sorry for having one afternoon off in a month. How will you ever forgive me?"
"Help me into my dress and you can consider yourself forgiven?"
Mara pretended to consider the deal deeply. "As you wish, slave driver."
Karigan giggled and they walked back to her room. Checking to see no one was listening to them, she explained her dinner plans. Mara's eyes widened.
"Ooof. I do not envy you."
"Thanks Mara, so supportive."
Mara laughed and grabbed the dress from Karigan's wardrobe, taking a moment to admire Tarla's lovely handiwork.
"Are you sure you don't want to wear your uniform?" she asked Karigan, looking at the discarded clothes.
A crease formed between Karigan's eyes. Was this her friend or commander asking?
"I really don't think I can. It's just, a bit too much after today. I thought this might be ok?" She hoped Mara would say yes.
Mara had already started folding the dress down to be able to fold it over Karigan's head. "More than ok," she enthused as she clambered up on Karigan's bed and stood towering over Karigan's head. "Up," she demanded, then said more softly, "hold still."
Karigan dropped her robe to the floor and held up her hands as far as they would go, gritting her teeth against the pain. Mara gently lowered the dress and the silky cotton shimmied down her body all the way to the floor. Mara jumped down and continued to chat, tightening the robe gently that lay at her hips.
"Ok, what do you think?"
Karigan twirled around slowly and Mara smiled.
"You look lovely. Want me to do your hair?"
Karigan smiled gratefully, her shoulders aching from dressing. Mara brushed her hair and inserted a fine, silver filigree clip at the top of her head to keep the clip off her face, and let her long locks flow down to cover her skin.
Karigan collected her cloak, waving her thanks and goodbye before heading to the dreaded dinner. Smiling, she realised that she had thoroughly enjoyed dressing with Mara. It felt good to chat and worry about things like dresses, instead of Mornhaven. Or Second Empire. Or Nyssa. Or dinners with kings. She exhaled shakily and all traces of her good mood vanished, to be replaced with trepidation. What would she say? What would he say? Oh god, this couldn't be happening. The bell sounded for 8 and she hurried down the last few corridors before reaching the Royal Suites. Fastion and Donal were on shift at the door and greeted her with warmth. She nodded at both of them and took another breath. Fastion looked forward with a stony expression and Donal turned to open the door for her, winking as he did. Karigan smiled weakly back, and entered into the king's rooms.
Warmth immediately flooded Karigan's face and she felt a blush creep up her cheek. There was no one there. She placed her cloak on the hook next to the door and walked to the fire. She breathed slowly as Drent had taught her and felt herself calm. She was staring into the flames and watching the ever changing patterns form when she heard a door open softly at her back left. She immediately turned around and dipped into a curtsey.
"Karigan!" beamed Estora. "How wonderful to see you!"
"And I you, Your Majesty. Might I ask how the twins are?"
"They are happy little things, full of energy. I wish they would sleep at the same time! They never tell you that about twins, although I suppose it is not wholly unexpected."
Karigan smiled at Estora with genuine warmth, thinking back to all the twins she had baby sat as a young girl in Corsa.
Estora came forward and gently laid a hand on Karigan's shoulder. "How are you?" she asked softly, her eyes full of empathy.
Karigan lowered her eyes. "I am as well as can be expected, my queen. Some days are better than others."
Estora didn't reply for some time. "I am glad to hear. Now, please let me escort you into dinner."
Estora took Karigan's arm through her own, which Karigan found most awkward. Thankfully her arm was let go in order to enter the side corridor that fed into the King's private dining parlour. The king and General Khodell were seated at the end, talking animatedly over a glass of wine.
They stood to receive the ladies and Karigan curtsied again. Estora seated herself next to her husband and Karigan was placed opposite the general, who smiled into Karigan's eyes. Karigan couldn't help but smile back.
"The king was beginning to tell me of some of your exploits of the last few years and I must say, they seem fantastic."
His manner was mild and despite his words, he didn't seem disbelieving. Karigan considered her words carefully, aware that this dinner was more probably more important politically than the delegation meetings. This was where their worth would be measured.
"Truth be told General, sometimes I can barely believe them myself. Events in my life seem surreal even to me. But I don't need to pinch myself, I have daily reminders that they happened." She waved vaguely to her eye and back. He nodded with considerable sympathy, clearly aware of her misfortunes.
"Some of the things I have seen though…" she softened in memory as a glade shifted before her minds' eye and the faint sound of a barely remembered Eletian song whispered through her thoughts. She smiled at the General.
"The Eletians are fair wondrous. They have a beauty and grace that can't be compared to, and are fearless and deadly in battle." The General nodded at her words. Her face darkened as other memories surfaced.
"They are also nosy, and need to remember to mind their own business sometimes. For a race that purports to not be interested in human affairs, they have an annoying way of getting involved when they're neither wanted nor needed." This sparked a surprised laughter from the General. She had no way of knowing how intriguing she looked; this beautiful young woman in her dark green, soft with wonder in in one moment and scowling at the lands most enigmatic race in the next. Yes, most intriguing.
The dinner continued and Karigan grew easier as the night wore on. The General was an animated speaker with tales not only of his military campaigns but also of his home, which interested Karigan the most. He spoke wistfully of his family's vineyards and Karigan was reminded of her own father's estate.
"G'ladheon, but of course!" he interjected at one point, putting two and two together. "But I had not realised you were the heir to the clan. Your father is much admired in Rhovanny. I expect he is proud to have such a daughter take up the mantle in due course."
Karigan smiled in appreciation. The Rhovans were notoriously conservative and would ordinarily struggle with the notion of a female clan leader. Her estimation of the General rose by the minute.
They entered a new discussion on trade agreements and Karigan had almost forgotten where she was. She leaned forward with interest at the General's opinion on tariffs for merchant goods when a spasm shot its way up her spine. She gritted her teeth and hissed softly, clutching at the chair arms. Please don't notice, she thought desperately but to her dismay the General looked towards her. Seeing her deathly grip on the furniture, Estora smoothly asked the General, "I was interested to hear about the embargo limits you had placed on your wine exports, would you be happy to share more?" and steered the conversation away from Karigan. She had never been so grateful for Estora's presence, and that was saying something. After a few minutes the pain eased, and she sipped her wine, feeling warmth settle into her belly and flood into her body. She glanced down the table to find Estora and General Khodell carrying on the conversation with ease, although a slight undercurrent of strain had entered the room. The king was silent and attentively listening but Karigan could detect rigidity in the lines of his posture, and saw that he watched her out of the corner of his eye, clearly worried.
Time to go, Karigan thought, uneasy at this open display of concern in front of others. Well it seemed obvious to her anyway.
As their conversation concluded, the servants appeared to take away the ice cups and begin serving coffee or liquor. Karigan made her move.
"Your Majesties, I have had a wonderful evening and I thank you for the honour of sharing a meal with you. I was especially grateful to meet the General and learn more of Rhovanny. I wonder however, if you would excuse me for the night, if that is acceptable to you both?"
The king's expression softened. "Of course Karigan, We thank you for joining us."
Karigan stood to bow her still little bow and was surprised to see the General stand and bow as well.
"Whilst I understand it must seem rude, I would also beg your leave, Your Majesties. I am by nature a poor sleeper, and avoid late nights and stimulating drinks where possible. I would prefer to be sharp at tomorrow's proceedings, and would be happy to escort Sir Karigan on my way to the guest wing."
Zachary assented and Estora led the way out.
"Whilst I too have very much enjoyed our evening, I am somewhat happy it has come to a close early." She struggled to hide a yawn. "Twins are quite the workload, it seems!" The men chuckled and Karigan smiled as brightly as she could manage.
Karigan's last view as she left the apartment was the king slipping his arm around Estora to lead her to her rooms. A pang went through Karigan's chest and she stiffened.
There was an awkward moment of silence between Karigan and the General as the door shut. He bowed to her.
"Please Sir Karigan, lead the way if you would."
She looked at him with her most serious expression. "Only if you call me Karigan." She broke into a warm smile and the General laughed. "As you wish."
"I am curious that you work in the military and own a winery. That must take a great deal of work, and I would imagine you would have a wonderful retinue of stewards." She thought back to her father's property and Sevano's calm handling of the estates business. Stevic wouldn't be without his right hand man.
Khodell sighed. "I feel like I am forever falling behind in paperwork and decisions. You would be surprised to know that running a winery is almost as difficult as managing the army!" This elicited a laugh from Karigan to his delight.
"It is fortunate that at the end of a tiring day, I can sit with satisfaction with a glass of my own making, to reflect on the state of the world."
They quickly fell into conversation again about the wines they preferred from various regions and despite their slow walking pace, soon arrived at the guest wing. He looked her over with kind eyes.
"I am sorry for all you have been through. I've been made aware of how your injuries came to be and am honoured to meet the lady who so bravely protected her king. His Highness was most eloquent in regards to your rescue earlier today and now that I have met you, I can see his praise was not misguided."
Karigan blushed horrendously and averted her eyes from his face. His lovely, toned, kind, handsome face.
"Thank you General, that is very kind. I, I just did what anyone else in the same situation would have done. At least, I hope."
The General shook his head and laughed gently. "Alas, I fear there are few who would have made the sacrifices you chose to make. But I can see this talk makes you uncomfortable. I bid you goodnight, Karigan G'ladheon."
He took her hand and kissed it gently before entering his rooms. Karigan stood, stunned and a little weak. But for once, it wasn't related to the mess of muscles in her back. No, this time it was the weakness of warm lips caressing her skin. She shivered and walked away, giggling slightly at her silliness. She felt light, and a smile crept over her face as she began the stiff walk back to her quarters.
Zachary stood hands on hips and stared into the fire. He had helped Estora into bed the moment their guests had left, the exhaustion from their new twins weighing heavily on her. He himself wanted to collapse between his sheets but energy buzzed through him as he went over the dinner in his mind. He would go for a walk on the parapet, he decided. Setting off silently with Weapons in tow, he walked along the corridors and went over their conversation. He had spent enough years dealing with diplomats to know that these readings gave the true measure of how the relationship would proceed. He gathered that the General was impressed by their response so far and earnest in his desire to assist, yet he seemed slightly cautious in making any commitments. Most likely the conservatism that pervaded Rhovan culture affected his ability to understand the true seriousness of their dilemma. Magical doings were not part of their vocabulary, and thus it was hard to truly appreciate the risk. They needed to convince him utterly that this was the ultimate battle, and the cost would be great to both nations even if they were successful. But how to do that?
He reached the walkway that was suspended above the guest wing and eagerly strode forward towards the door at the end, which held the key to his freedom. Glancing down, he stopped mid stride, surprised to see the General and Karigan at the door of one of the guest suites. They must have walked slowly, been in deep conversation, to arrive at the same time he had. He watched the General say his goodnight, and Karigan turn around with a smile on her face. His stomach dropped and he clenched his teeth unable to look away from the sight of her. Longing exploded through him, catching him unawares as he ached to be the one putting that smile on her face, the one she returned home to in the dark of night. His unfettered thoughts caused his loins to harden. He turned away and forced himself forward. He slammed the door open as the strength of his jealousy flooded through him and marched towards the observation deck that was reserved for his personal use. Clenching the rails he gazed out unseeing at his kingdom and breathed slowly as the emotions passed through him. Eventually he loosened his grip and stared at his hands with his head bowed. It was getting stronger. The worry, the desire, the love. It had to stop.