Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: This chapter's a long time in coming, but it pretty much marks the halfway point for this story. Yes, there's another half (or so) of the story to go, haha. Hope you enjoy it!
Anne Iriel Devay – Apparently it is according to Solblade44 who coined it a few reviews ago. *shrugs* That depends on whether or not it catches on, although I like it. And yeah, I wish I had the artistic talent to draw that scene. Sadly, Piers and Nowell will not be showing up in this one, due to the fact that if I write anymore characters into this thing my head will explode, lol. Maybe next time.
Gravaja Umbros – I'm glad you like it! About the lake freezing over, I think that's what most of them thought, because they were alarmed when it started happening. I would love to look over your fanfic. Unfortunately, I don't check my email too often, but if you remind me to, I'll take a look.
Linkblade1 – So I've heard, lol. Apparently it's a Mint. I need to go check it out, but part of me doesn't want to, since I've already beaten the game, and the only thing left to do is fight bonus bosses…and I don't really feel like doing that. Anyway, glad you like the story, and I hope Ivan's reaction works for you. (Also, for future reference, I am a she, not a he, ^_^)
XxXxX
A Different Kind of Storm
CHAPTER 10
Intention
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Ivan watched Amiti out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the road between Ayuthay and Passaj. He walked to the head of their party, discussing something with Matthew. Karis walked with Sveta just a few feet behind them, a thoughtful frown on her face as she stared down at the ground. There was no sign that Amiti had acted on what they had discussed the other day, but then again, the king had spent yesterday enclosed in several last minute meetings.
He frowned, turning away from them and looking straight ahead of him as he recalled the conversation.
"I ask for permission to court your daughter."
Ivan's eyes widened slightly. He had been observing the two of them for the better part of the two weeks he had spent here, but he had not expected that that was why Amiti had come to see him. The Mercury Adept rose from his bow, looking up at Ivan as if waiting for a response. He stood still, as if he was completely at ease, but Ivan noticed the way his fists clenched and unclenched, and his eyes drifted all over the room.
"…That's not really my decision to make…" began Ivan.
"Actually, it is," said Amiti. "…Ayuthayan custom dictates that I cannot make any advances without permission from the family."
Ivan nodded. The people of other lands had similar customs, but they tended to leave the final decision in the hands of the family instead of at the hands of the people directly involved. Amiti watched him for a few moments before speaking again.
"…The final decision would be Karis's," he assured.
But if he refused Amiti here, Karis would never have to make that decision. From what he had seen of Ayuthay's king, he would not try to go behind Ivan's back. Ivan sighed. It was a decision he was hoping to never have to make, even though he knew it would be inevitable. Karis was nineteen now. The fact that it hadn't happened yet was a miracle. [1]
He offered Amiti a small smile. "I understand," he said. "Why don't you sit down?"
Ivan indicated one of the armchairs in the room and Amiti sat, the fingers of one hand gripping onto the armrest tightly.
"Why?"
Obviously, that had not been the question Amiti was expecting. He looked up. Ivan waited patiently for an answer, studying the Adept in front of him carefully.
"…Because I care about her," he said finally. "…I have for a…for quite a long time. Karis is…" He hesitated. "…unique. She's intelligent and…strong. If she would have me, I would like to have her at my side."
"I see…" said Ivan. He looked at Amiti, his violet eyes taking on a serious expression. "…So you're not at all interested in a possible trade treaty with Kalay or with stabilizing your rule in a volatile political climate?" The question was harsh, but it needed to be asked. And judging from the way Amiti suddenly flushed, the question wasn't completely unfounded. Ivan leaned back in his chair, waiting expectantly.
Amiti exhaled slowly, looking away for a moment before looking back up at Ivan. "…I won't deny that those things would be good to have. Ayuthay would benefit greatly by having Karis here, and not just for those reasons. She's a good deal better at economics than I am, for one. But…consider that I already have treaties with Morgal, Nihan, and Sana, and Ayuthayan stonework is the best in Angara. Even considering the fact that we are basically supporting Champa…and I'm no expert at economics…we're still doing alright. A lucrative trade treaty with Kalay would be nice, but at the moment money isn't as important as military strength, which Morgal and Sana have."
"…As for stabilizing my rule, that would also be useful, and it would get the court members out of my hair, but if that was my only reason for doing this, wouldn't I benefit more by choosing Hou Ju of Sana or Himi, both of which are princesses of allied nations? I certainly wouldn't have waited so long if that was the only reason. Those things would certainly help, however if they came to Ayuthay, they would come because I chose Karis and not the other way around."
Ivan scanned his face, looking for any signs of deceit. Amiti looked resolute, but not deceitful. There was an almost challenging look in his eye as he waited for Ivan's answer.
"…Don't misunderstand…" began Ivan.
"…There's no misunderstanding," said Amiti. "They're perfectly logical questions, and you have every right to ask them." He paused for a moment, considering his words. "…Sometimes, I doubt my motives as well, but not in this. You may read my mind if you wish, to prove that I'm sincere."
The offer was tempting. Years of reading minds had taught him that some people were very good at saying one thing and thinking another. But it also taught him another thing. Having to read Amiti's mind now would indicate that he had no trust, and that was a very difficult foundation to build anything on. A part of him felt as if he should, though. Karis was, after all, his only child.
And Karis trusted him.
Amiti waited, obviously seeing the conflict in his eyes.
"…I wouldn't hold it against you," he said. "You've only known me for two weeks. It would be perfectly reasonable."
Ivan shook his head. It was quite possibly the hardest decision he had ever made, including his decision to exchange the Shaman's Rod for Sheba on top of Venus Lighthouse. "…I've only known you for two weeks, but Karis has known you for three years," he said. "I'll let her decide."
Amiti nodded, considering his words. "…I have permission, then?" he asked.
Ivan slowly nodded.
He watched as Amiti and Matthew stopped talking, both of them turning around to ask Karis a question. She looked up at their voices, shouting back an answer that he couldn't hear from where he stood. Amiti and Matthew nodded in reply, the issue apparently resolved, and they turned back towards their walk to Passaj.
He would not make this decision for Karis. He would stand by his choice. She would decide.
XxXxX
Everybody settled into their roles fairly quickly, even though it had been a while since they had last traveled together. Karis finished tying down the tarp on her end, throwing the rest of it over the tent's frame where Himi waited. Sveta had gone off to search for dinner. She had always been the best hunter out of all of them. She straightened up and rubbed her stiff shoulder, turning around to watch Matthew and Amiti set up their tent.
Amiti settled back into his old role without complaint, moving forward to help Matthew with the tent despite his elevated status. Karis smiled. It must be nice to be free of responsibilities for once. Even back when they were traveling, when they had been crossing the land or traveling in Eoleo's ship, there hadn't been any rank among them. Now, although inside the towns they were Princess and King and Queen so-and-so, outside them there was no rank. They were friends.
She looked away from Amiti, turning back to her own work. Her hands shook slightly as she fumbled with the cords, making sure that the tent was secure. She felt her face heat up as she remembered the other day. After everything that had happened, she couldn't say that it was nothing anymore, but what was it? What was he playing at with this whole thing? She had tried to corner him yesterday to ask him about it, but he had been too busy with putting things in order before he left, and she had eventually ended up preparing traveling supplies.
She let go of the tent cords as Himi finished, going over to the other side of the tent to inspect the younger girl's work. She made up her mind. Karis wasn't usually one to beat around the bush. She would ask him tonight.
XxXxX
It was just her luck that Amiti drew first watch. Unfortunately, so had Jenna. Karis swallowed hard, walking over to the older woman as she exited her tent.
"Go ahead and sleep, ma'am," said Karis. "I can't sleep anyway, so I'll stay up a little longer."
Jenna looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure, Karis?"
"I'm sure," said Karis, giving Jenna a tired smile. Jenna looked over Karis's shoulder at the Mercury Adept that sat in front of the fire, his back to them. She smiled knowingly at Karis.
"Alright," she said. "Good luck."
Karis shifted uncomfortably, nodding her head. Jenna retreated back into the tent she shared with Isaac, and Karis gathered up her courage, walking over to the fire.
"Hey," she said, sitting next to Amiti.
Amiti looked up at her, a surprised look on his face. "Wasn't Miss Jenna supposed to be taking this watch?" he asked.
"I couldn't sleep," said Karis. "So I volunteered."
"Ah…" said Amiti, turning away from her to stare at the fire. Karis swallowed, her fingers curling over her skirt. It was now or never…
"Actually…" she said. "…I wanted to talk to you."
"Hmm?" asked Amiti, looking up at her. "What about?"
"…I've been thinking lately and I wanted to ask…" began Karis. She took a deep breath. "…about what happened during the coronation…"
Amiti's expression darkened. "…I see…" he said. His change in expression didn't go unmissed.
"…You remember, don't you?" asked Karis. "…I wasn't sure if you did."
"I did," said Amiti. "I wasn't…quite…that drunk." He took a deep breath, clasping his hands together. "…What did you want to know about it?"
He didn't look at her, the firelight reflected in his green eyes. Karis placed her hand on the ground beside her, tracing circles in the ground with her fingertip as she watched him. Suddenly, she didn't feel so sure about this. But it needed to be aired out. "…Did you mean what you said?" she asked.
"When I asked you to stay?" asked Amiti, turning his head towards her slightly.
Karis nodded. He looked away, picking up a twig from the ground next to him and poking the fire. It crackled, embers floating up on the wind and drifting away in the slight breeze.
"…I did…" he said. Amiti sighed. "…I'll admit that part of it was the drink. I didn't intend to ask you that way. But I meant it, Karis. I wanted you to stay."
"Why?"
Amiti looked up at her, and any further questions died in her throat. She couldn't quite describe the look in his eyes as he watched her. There was genuine regret in there, as well as embarrassment, but beneath it all was an emotion she couldn't quite place. Hope? Longing? He looked away, and the moment ended.
"…I should have apologized," he said, staring back at the fire. "I should have at least explained myself to you. But I was afraid. I thought you would be furious at me. And when you didn't come down to breakfast the day after…"
Karis's face burned. She looked down, hugging her knees close to her chest. She should have talked to him too. But she was embarrassed…and also afraid. Maybe it would have been so much simpler if they had had this conversation sooner. Instead, she left.
"…It was my fault too," she said. "I should have talked to you, but I didn't. Because I was also afraid…"
"No, Karis," he said quickly, turning his head towards her. "It's not your fault. It was mine. I should never have done that. Drunk or not."
Karis shook her head. "I've thought it over a lot, Amiti," she said. "Even though I tried not to. I couldn't stop thinking about it, and what would have happened if I reacted differently." She took a deep breath. "…I wanted to believe I didn't care. I told myself that I didn't, but even then, I didn't visit Ayuthay. I told myself it was because I didn't want to. But when you invited us…I wanted to see you again. I didn't even realize it, Amiti, but I missed you. I'm sorry."
She sighed, laying her arms on top of each other on top of her knees as she rested her chin on her forearm and looked down at the fire. "…The whole time I was away, I was thinking about what would have happened if I said yes."
She heard Amiti shift position and turned her head slightly. He had turned his body around a bit so that he was facing her, a stunned look on his face. His hand reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing against her cheek. Karis shivered and leaned into the touch unconsciously. Amiti pulled back, so that his fingers still brushed the side of her face, but he wasn't actually touching her fully.
"…If you could change what happened, would you have decided to stay?" he asked.
Karis looked into his eyes, hesitating for only a moment. She reached out, her hand covering his and pressing it against her cheek. She took a deep breath.
"Yes," she said.
Amiti stared at her for a moment, his stunned expression fading away. The hesitation in his eyes disappeared, the emotions behind it coming to the forefront. His fingers beneath her hand curled inwards so that he was cupping her face as he stared at her. He leaned forward slowly, his eyes drifting closed. Karis sat there, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest.
He kissed her.
Unlike the first time, Karis didn't pull away. Her eyes drifted closed as she leaned forward, kissing him back. A surge of electricity ran through her body, sending a tingly feeling all over her skin as her stomach did flip-flops, her heart beating so quickly that she thought it might burst. She released his hand, her other hand going up into his hair as he pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her back.
They pulled apart for a brief moment. Amiti stared at her with dark eyes, before pulling her back into another kiss.
Belatedly, she realized that she forgot to ask him what his intentions were. She supposed that didn't matter, though.
He had answered that himself.
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[1] Ages – We don't get details on the character's ages, so this is assuming Karis was 17 during Dark Dawn, which seems to be the most common age for Golden Sun characters. Amiti would have to have been at least 19, since it's stated that the "unknown" Mercury Adept showed up in Ayuthay 20 years before the story started.