Chapter Twenty Eight
It took another three days for Nel to completely recover, sleeping through most of it. She would wake up at random times, usually for no more than an hour. Whenever she did, someone was there with food for her. Nel almost laughed at Selethen's overprotectiveness, although she couldn't really blame him. She was horrible at realizing her own limits and her recovery would've taken twice as long had he not made sure she was getting proper rest. She winced at the overall hypocrisy. She was always lecturing her family about their health and yet, when she got sick, she didn't listen to her own advice.
At night though, when he got home, was surprisingly her favorite time of the day. He would sit with her and talk about his day, about what he had done or who he'd met with, about his childhood with his parents, anything that came to mind. Nel would smile, curled up on the bed, and listen to him until she fell back asleep. She didn't even register most of what he was saying, but his voice was soft and smooth, filling her chest with warmth until she drifted off.
There were times that she worried he would get sick as well, but the days passed and he remained completely healthy. Nel had to wonder how much damage sitting next to an open window all night in nothing but her nightgown had done. It made her realize once again how much more there was to learn about sickness and the human body.
She smiled as she remembered the night before when Selethen had measured out her tonic before dinner. He was so determined to take care of her, it was honestly endearing. She did wonder what had changed though. This was so different from the man she had gotten to know the past few months. Or, at least, she thought it was. There was still so much that the two of them didn't know about each other.
Nel finished getting dressed, eager to get to breakfast and finally have something other than broth and toast to eat.
Selethen smirked as she came rushing out.
"Busy day?"
"Not really." she said, smiling, "I'm just happy to be feeling better, but I also want to keep reading my mother's journal."
"You said she was different than you thought." he said as he sat down at the table.
Nel took a breath before answering, sitting across from him, "A-Apparently, she was a n-noble in Hibernia. I-I just wonder how she got from there to married to a Ranger in Araluen."
"Your father told me that they had to flee to Araluen," he said, giving her a curious look.
"What?" Nel looked up in shock, "They fled?"
He nodded, looking confused, "Yes. That's what Halt said. He didn't go into details, but he said that someone was trying to hurt them, so they fled to Araluen for safety."
"W-why would someone be trying to hurt them?" Nel asked. Could it be that they hadn't had approval to get married? Was her family against their noble-born daughter marrying a commoner like her father? The situation was more confusing than before.
Selethen shrugged, "He didn't say, only that it was shortly after they were married. Didn't he tell you?"
Numbly, she shook her head, whispering, "My dad didn't tell me anything."
"I'm…sorry," he said quietly.
"W-When did he tell you?"
The Wakir coughed uncomfortably, "When I went to ask for his blessing."
"You…asked for his blessing?" Nel was astonished.
"I know how much your father means to you and I thought that you would be happy if you knew we had your father's approval." he said, embarrassed, "Needless to say, he didn't give it and seemed angry that I would even ask for it, but it did lead to a conversation and that is when he told me."
She didn't respond right away, still looking at him in amazement.
"What?" he finally asked.
"It's just, for all your talk about not knowing how to be a good husband…you keep proving yourself wrong." she admitted shyly, blushing.
Selethen suddenly couldn't meet her eyes, clearing his throat and becoming very focused on his meal.
She almost giggled, deciding to turn to her own breakfast.
That was one thing she truly loved about Arrida, the food. Everything was so new and delicious, the flavors bursting in her mouth with every bite. Nel looked forward to every meal with pure excitement.
They ate mostly in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, but a knock on the door roused them both.
"Come in." Selethen called out, finishing his coffee right after.
A young man that Nel didn't recognize came in, greeting them with the Arridi hand movement, "Your excellencies, an urgent message came from Araluen via the Silisian Council."
"Araluen?" Nel asked in confusion, "Do you think something's happened?"
"I don't know." Selethen said, equally curious as he accepted the message, "Have you heard from your family at all?"
The young man left as Nel shook her head, "Nothing since we left, but I thought they were busy with their own missions."
"Hmmm." he hummed, scanning through the contents on the page.
"What is it?"
"Your uncle. He's asking if there have been any further assassination attempts against us." he told her.
"Why would someone assassinate us months after the treaty is signed?" Nel was more confused than ever.
"He says that someone attempted to poison the king and princess." Selethen read, "His theory is that the attack in Araluen before our wedding wasn't against us, but Cassandra. He's contacting us trying to confirm it."
"No one's tried to attack us though."
"I know." he put the paper down, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "But why would someone go after the princess? Killing her doesn't affect the treaty, not unless it's meant as some sort of declaration of war from any of the other countries."
"I have a hard time believing any of our allies would target Cassandra like that." Nel said softly.
"Me too, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." he sighed, "We're in a world war that we only have a slight chance of winning. Anyone could've joined with the Temujai to try and save their country."
"Is there any word about Toscana?" she asked nervously.
"Nothing new. Our soldiers are there, but the Riders haven't invaded."
"Do you think they will before winter?"
He shook his head, "I wouldn't if I was in their position. They overtook Gallica and Iberion not too long ago. The smartest thing would be to completely secure that land before the snows set in. Taking care of an entire army is tough enough, let alone in those circumstances."
Nel pressed her lips together. That nagging feeling about the war had returned, like they were missing something.
"What is it?" her husband asked her, looking curious once again.
"I-It's just something Gilan and Will told me when they picked me up from Malcolm's." she mumbled, "It's probably just silly thinking on my part."
"I'd still like to hear it." he said.
Nel sighed to herself, figuring out how to phrase it before responding.
"I, um, they said that the Temujai were forcing soldiers from the countries they conquered to fight for them."
He nodded, "Probably threatened their families to make them do so."
"R-Right…b-but that means that there are less Temujai actually invading these countries, right?"
He nodded again, not sure what she was getting at.
"So where are they?" she raised a questioning eyebrow, an expression she had inherited from her father, "Thousands of Riders don't just disappear."
He was silent for a long moment, thinking over her words, before replying, "You're right. I'm sure that they left some of them to defend the Steppes, but certainly not all of them. Some would've been left in the captured countries, to keep the people in line, but after defeating them, it wouldn't have taken very many to keep those countries secure. That leaves a lot of unaccounted Temujai and I highly doubt they are just standing around waiting for orders."
"Could they be invading someone other than Toscana?" Nel asked quietly.
"We put all of our defenses in Toscana because that's where we thought they were going to attack next." Selethen mumbled in realization, "Everyone else is more vulnerable now."
Nel gulped, "Who would they go after?"
"Araluen is protected by the sea, same as Sonderland," he said, checking off countries on his fingers, "Skandia has the passes guarded by the archers, Toscana's well protected and they can't get to us without first attacking Toscana, not without losing too much of their army. That just leaves-"
"Nihon-Ja." Nel finished, "With their civil war, they're a sitting duck."
His eyes widened, "Their northern border…that's the edge of the Eastern Steppes. If they've been calling soldiers back home, they could be ready to attack by spring."
"T-The northern border, th-that's where the Hasanu live…that's where Will and Horace went!" Nel burst out in a panic, heart thudding in her chest, "Th-The Hasanu don't have enough numbers to fight off an invading force of that size on their own!"
"Hey, hey, calm down." Selethen was at her side instantly, kneeling next to her chair and holding her hand comfortingly, "It's only been about two months since they left Araluen, they've got another couple to go before they even get there. They're ok."
"But they won't be in the spring!" she protested, shaking her head, "We have to do something!"
"And we will," he said firmly, "I'm not going to let people you care about blindly walk into danger. I'll write back to Crowley immediately and to anyone else I can think of, let them know what we think is going on. This is just a theory right now, but if we're right, at the very least they'll have some warning and we can start planning a defense."
Still shaking a little, she nodded her head, "What can I do to help?"
Selethen smiled at her again. Scared out of her wits at her family being in danger and she still wanted to help, "There isn't much else we can do, sadly, short of traveling there ourselves."
"If only, if only." she said, the corner of her mouth twitching back up in a small grin.
He chuckled before standing back up, "I should get started on those letters. If we're lucky, everyone should know what's going on before too long."
"Selethen?" she called out before he could leave, "...Thank you. For everything."
He inclined his head, still smiling, "Anytime, habibi."
He left without another word, leaving her flushed and stammering yet again.
Nel had never been more frustrated with a man in her entire life. First it was months of cool friendship, then explosive, hurtful fights, followed by touching apologies. To top it off, he was so caring while she was sick, practically doting on her while she recovered, and then calling her that; it was like he enjoyed seeing the range of emotions he could put her through.
But, as frustrating as he could be, Nel couldn't deny that her heart had lifted immediately and a grin seemed permanently plastered on her face. Why one little word could make her so happy so quickly, she didn't know.
Her Uncle Crowley and Lady Pauline's words were still echoing in her head, even days later. Could she be developing feelings for Selethen? Could that be why she was so happy? Could you even start to have feelings for someone that quickly? She definitely wasn't in love, but what if she was on the way there? What did she do then? Did she tell him? They'd agreed to try to make things work, to be friends, but they'd never discussed possible feelings getting involved. If anything, Selethen had said he didn't expect her to fall in love with him. They had just barely gotten to a healthy point with their friendship, with trusting each other. This would change everything once again and the idea that Selethen might reject her once he learned about how she felt was too terrifying to consider. What would their lives be like if he never felt the same? And how would her family react? They'd been so against her marriage, especially her father, she could only imagine the response she'd get if she told them what was going through her head right now.
She desperately wished that she had someone here to talk about this myriad of emotions inside her, but Nel hadn't exactly put a lot of effort into making new friends while in Arrida and something told her that Maajid wouldn't want to sit down and discuss her possible love life with the Wakir. Not for the first time, Nel really missed Cassandra.
Nel finished her breakfast in almost a daze, still thinking of Selethen's parting words. When she was done, she rushed back to her room, eager to read more of her mother's journal. If what Selethen told her was true, then she still had a lot to uncover about her parents.
Why were they fleeing Hibernia? Who wanted to hurt them? Why wouldn't her father tell her?
She curled up on the bed with the book in her hands. At least if she read herself into exhaustion again, she would be ready for it.
Opening it, Nel picked up where she left off.
'Father's health isn't getting any better. Mother hasn't left his side in weeks and Marion refuses to let me see him. I'm worried. Father has been sick before, but never like this.
I went for a ride today as that usually clears my head, but for the first time in my life, it did nothing. It doesn't help that I know Father is still having his meetings. Marion says that they are of utmost importance and not even his illness can stop them. I see messengers from the palace all the time. It must be important if it involves the king. I just hope Father knows what he's doing.'
'I saw Mother for the first time in weeks. I was more surprised that she had left Father's side than anything.
But the surprises did not stop there for Mother proceeded to cancel all my lessons for the day and drag me off to the dress fitter's where we spent hours designing a whole new wardrobe. I found the whole process to be completely insane and tedious, especially since we just ordered a new wardrobe four months ago. I haven't outgrown them yet, so why we are getting new dresses now, I don't know.
When I asked Mother about it, she said that we were expecting some very important guests for my birthday next week, but would say nothing else. I am excited for that, although not for the reasons that Mother thinks. Even if my 15th birthday is some sort of giant banquet that I don't want, I'm guaranteed to see Father there. I don't even care who the guests are. The king himself could be in attendance, I wouldn't bat an eye.'
Nel grimaced. From the way things sounded, it would probably be the king. If all the meetings had been messengers from the palace, chances were that there was going to be a royal presence at the banquet.
Still, Nel was touched that Claire was so concerned for her father. It seemed like family loyalty wasn't something she had inherited from just her dad.
The same could be said of their tastes in fashion. Claire was drawn to the simplest, most practical dresses she could wear, although her mother protested it strongly. Everyone always said that Nel took after her mom, but it made her happy that she could pick out small traits like this that they had in common.
'I take it back, I do care! I care very much! Of all the people in the world to show up for my birthday celebration, I never suspected the princes would show up! I mean, yes, I got to see my Father for the first time in who knows how long, but I barely noticed, so shocked by our guests!
They showed up a few days early, the king and both of his sons. Apparently the queen felt that the princess was too young for such a long journey and stayed home with her.
My mother insisted that I wear one of my new gowns. I hadn't realized that any had even been completed, Mother must've paid a very hefty price for such quick work. However, no one would tell me who I had to dress so fancy for, so imagine my complete shock when I am suddenly greeting most of the royal family! I was so surprised that I could barely stammer out any sort of proper greeting.
I suppose it was nice meeting the king and his sons. As Mother says, there is no greater honor than having them attend my birthday party. I'm still curious though. Why would they come all this way so suddenly? What kind of meetings is Father involved in?
Anyway, after greeting them, I spent barely any time actually talking with them. All three were very focused on Father and their 'final negotiations'.
Still, I guess it could've been worse. The few times I did talk to them, they were all very kind. I know the princes, as twins, just turned 18. They are completely identical, yet I had no problem telling them apart. Their expressions, their very demeanor, show them both to be very different people.
The elder, Halt, is in training to take the crown, but he didn't seem full of himself as I had expected. No, his brother, Ferris, takes that crown. As kind as he was, Ferris had this look in his eyes as if he was looking down on everything and everyone he saw. It was quite unnerving. I can only hope that whatever plans Father has, they don't involve him.'
Nel narrowed her eyes at the latest passage. Her mother was talking about the crown prince of Clonmel…who had her father's name.
There was no way it was actually her dad. It couldn't be. He would've told her if they were royalty. Her father was known for being able to keep secrets, but he had never kept any from her unless directly ordered by Crowley or Duncan. Even then he at least stated that he was under oath to not tell her. Dad had always been completely honest with her about everything. From his missions to his worries to the frustrations he had about how Duncan ran the kingdom, he'd even consulted her before ever taking Gilan or Will on as an apprentice. The only thing he never discussed with her was-
Nel gasped to herself as she looked at the book in realization. Dad had never talked about her mother. How they met, how she died, nothing. He'd only ever say that Nel looked like her or was similar in personality. Absolutely nothing about their past.
Somehow, this was true. Her father was the true heir to the throne of Clonmel.
Professor:
Translation:
'Habibi' means 'my dear, my love, sweetie, sweetheart' and probably a lot of other endearments in Arabic. At least according to Google Translate. If this is wrong, please let me know.
Thanks for reading!