The Nightingale

Chapter 3: Arrival

Summer. Year x491.

Maranni of the Blue Mountains, that's what the kingdom was called before it was conquered by the king of Avanta. It was a great kingdom, with a great army, with a great leader, and it all fell on the night when the battering rams broke through the main gate of the city and the king of Avanta entered the castle.

The fight of the kings, which happened that night in Maranni's throne room, was something that was talked about for years. The way in which the King of Maranni had defeated the King of Avanta in that single combat was, without a doubt, what gave rise to The Accords of the Fall. The king of Maranni knew that if he killed the king of Avanta, the soldiers of Avanta were going to conquer and exterminate them anyway; no king went to war alone, and the kings of Avanta were always accompanied by the Second Prince as Commander of their army.

The Accords of the Fall were documents that stipulated the conquest of the Maranni kingdom along with other clauses that served to protect the family of the fallen king of Maranni; these agreements were signed with the blood of both kings at the dawn of the conquest. The king of Maranni became Lord of the city where they lived and the crowns were given to their conquerors; a kingdom in exchange for the lives of his children and his people. The king of Maranni was a great leader, he could not allow more innocent blood to be spilled.

Now, of that great kingdom called Maranni of the Blue Mountains, only the memory remained.

Maranni was the name of the city where Rukia and her family lived and the Blue Mountains, which were still the source of several rivers and where their crops were planted, became part of the name of the Avanta kingdom along with all the lands that they had previously belonged to Rukia's ancestors.

Rukia let out a sigh before getting out of bed, she knew that this day was going to be a long and heavy one. Ever since Yuki had reminded her that she could end up married to one of the princes of the kingdom, she had lost the dream of her thinking that they would make the Accords valid. She stretched and listened as her back thundered as she stretched out.

She went downstairs to the kitchen after getting ready, as she did every day, and grabbed some mint leaves before her mother used them to make tea that morning. She tucked them into her hair and was revitalized by the fresh scent; it was as if she made her forget all her troubles.

— Everything is ready. The food will be ready for the banquet and barrels of wine and beer are on the lounge, the tables are accommodated and musicians should arrive before we go to the Temple of the Deities.

Her mother was updating her on everything that was done, as well as various other things that were not quite finished but that she could not control. Her brother's wedding will take place that day, and as the future lord of Maranni, it must be celebrated as tradition dictated. Rukia only nodded to what her mother said, she knew that she couldn't go near the garden and she couldn't go around wearing her old clothes around the house and helping in the kitchen.

— My father will arrive in time for the wedding? — She asked, setting aside the cup of mint leaf tea.

— Yes, he left the capital of the kingdom several days ago. He will be on time. — Rukia nodded but her mother's voice sounded concerned, as if she feared that he would not arrive on time.

Few times in the year they saw their father, he was always there on important dates, but most of the time he was in the capital attending to the demands of the king and the people. His father lived in the castle, had his own rooms and his own soldiers who always traveled with him; he was the only one of the councilors who had that privilege.

— Then I'll go get ready, mother. — She said that and got up from her place at the table, kissed her mother on the cheek and left there avoiding one of the maids who was carrying a large bowl of something that seemed to be soup.

— When you get married, we will also have a party this big. — Her mother promised her when she was about to leave the kitchen. Rukia just nodded at that, the idea of getting married scared her a bit. Damn Accords.

The day she will have to get married. She knew that she must inevitably marry, nuptial arrangements were still a custom, and she hoped that the man she had to marry was not an old man drooling in dreams; she preferred it to marrying one of the princes.

Rukia kept thinking about how lucky her brother had been, and how beautiful his fiancée was, the way they fell in love while he was traveling through Jetaiya seemed magical to her. Her brother had always had the choice of who to marry and she was sure he would marry a lady of the kingdom, but his fiancée was an exiled princess. Something unusual and rarely seen.

She finished putting on the dress with the help of Yuki, who was hiding in her room to escape the endless work, and took the mint leaves to put them in a small hidden pocket that she had managed to sew onto the dress near the neck.

— Come on, go help the bride, she must be very nervous and scared. — She said, shooing Yuki away to finish dressing herself, as discreetly as possible so that no one would notice her. She did not like the idea of attracting attention, she preferred to see everything in the distance.

The wedding procession, from the Temple of the Deities to the Great House, was accompanied by music and fireworks brought from beyond the Sunset Sea. The newlyweds sat in a horse-drawn carriage and tossed brightly colored paper-wrapped candy and small bronze coins; they did it to share their happiness and bring good luck and wealth into the marriage.

Rukia looked at her brother who was completely happy, as if there were no better days than that in the rest of his life; she was looking at her sister-in-law who had a radiant smile and was wearing the ancient Blue Crown, the tiara that her mother, her grandmother, and all the women in her family had married from the time Maranni was still a kingdom. Hisana was a princess and she looked like one at the time.

Many times she wondered, since Hisana arrived at the Great House and it had been known that she was an exiled princess, if for love it was worth leaving a kingdom, a crown and all that just to become the wife of a lord; but at that time, seeing how happy they were newlyweds, she had no doubt that many incredible things were done in the name of love.

The feast, held on the grounds of the Great House, lasted all day and most of the night. Small lanterns were lit everywhere, giving a warmer appearance to that summer night, and lighting up the guests who did not stop toasting on behalf of the newlyweds.

Rukia's father had arrived just in time for the ceremony, at the wedding banquet he welcomed Hisana to the family and then, as everyone celebrated and watched the fireworks lights explode from time to time in the sky, he asked Rukia to accompany him inside the house. As she entered, Rukia noticed that the house was empty and that made her feel a kind of anxiety that she couldn't explain, it was as if something was about to attack her and she couldn't see where it was coming from.

Her father was serious and she did not understand why he had chosen that moment to speak with her, outside was her brother celebrating his wedding and her father must be with him.

— Father, is something wrong? — She asked curious and concerned at the same time when she saw the expression on her father's face. Her hands were sweating from her nerves and she was discreetly cleaning them with the skirt of her dress.

— There's something you need to know, and now that your brother is married, I can't wait any longer to tell you. In a couple of days I will return to the capital and you have to come with me, you have been called to be part of the queen's court. — Rukia widened her eyes in surprise at her father's words. That fear that haunted her jumped on her and swallowed her in one bite.

— Can I refuse to go? — She asked but it was more a reflection than a hope that it was possible. Her father shook his head and she just nodded.

— You will not be alone, several young women will also arrive at the castle. — Her father tried to cheer her up but that only depressed her more. The idea of being called to the queen's court was something she did not like, it meant that the queen was going to take them under her care but they were also the private reserve of princes.

Suddenly the party outside didn't seem so much fun anymore.

Her mother didn't want her to go to the capital, she didn't want her to be in the palace. Her mother had been called when King Isshin was still a prince, and although she never shared his bed, she saw what happened to girls who did; she watched the way the Kahya prepared the girls to spend the night with him or one of the other princes.

All the girls who passed through the bed of one of the princes were married to important lords, friends and councilors of the king, but that did not mean that it was not something disgusting.

Her father tried to calm her mother, he promised her that the queen would not allow the princes to approach Rukia beyond protocol but her mother did not seem completely convinced; promises were useless when you were in the castle and a prince wanted to spend the night with you.

Rukia said goodbye to her mother, her brother and her sister-in-law, and went along with her father to the capital of the kingdom, the trip lasted so many days that it became eternal; she many times she wished her father would turn around so they would return to Maranni. She couldn't deny that she was afraid of being in the castle, she was afraid that one of the princes would want to spend the night with her and she would have to do it even if she didn't want to.

Her father's voice, from outside her window, brought her out of her fatalistic thoughts about her stay at the castle. She opened the thick curtains that covered the window and could see, for the first time in her life, the Great Adelaar Castle towering imposing and magical on that cliff. The castle was impressive and she, for that brief moment, she forgot that she did not want to arrive.

They passed through the main avenue of Clifftown, which was the name of the capital of the Kingdom of Avanta, and Rukia could see and hear the bustle of people who stood aside to let them pass; they left the city and advanced along a long wooded road before reaching the castle grounds, she was surprised to note that the castle was separated from the city.

They stopped in front of a huge wooden door and she heard her father identify himself to the soldiers guarding the door, a moment later the door opened and the carriage began to move again, this time on the white road that led directly to the main entrance of the castle.

Rukia kept looking out the carriage window, her eyes darting from one side to the other, marveling at the place itself and at the buildings they had built on that cliff. The white road, which went from the wooden gate to the entrance of the castle, shone in a magical way when the sunlight fell on it; the salty sea breeze ruffled her hair and left a salty taste in her mouth, and the heat there felt more intense than that felt in Maranni.

To the left of the road was the Temple of the Deities of the palace, she recognized it by the symbol of the Deities at the top of the roof next to the bells and by the gabled roof it had; To the right of the temple there was a view of the immense sea and, just in front of the white road, was the Adelaar Castle, magical and wonderful. To the right of the white road were gardens and the forest, she supposed that beyond it were the soldiers who trained there. The castle grounds were almost as big as the city.

The car stopped at the end of the white road and her father helped her down; she was surprised that a black-haired woman, with a large bunch of keys hanging from her belt, was waiting for them at the main entrance of the castle.

— Lord Kuchiki, so she is his daughter, she is beautiful. — The woman looked at her, as if she was observing something new and about to be used. Rukia felt a chill run down her spine and, everything magical and wonderful that she felt upon arrival, it vanished when the woman in front of them spoke.

— Rukia, she is Retsu, the Kahya of the castle. Retsu, my daughter Rukia. — Her father made the formal introductions and she made the greeting that was expected of her to housekeeper.

— Lord Kuchiki, the king's council is waiting for you in the Dome. Don't worry about your daughter, from now on I'll take care of her. — Her father looked at her for a moment, resisting to leave her with the Kahya but he had to, he couldn't keep the councilors waiting.

This time there were no hugs or kisses on her forehead, as her father used to say goodbye to her, just a meaningful look that tried to convey security. Rukia nodded slightly, assuring her father that she would be fine, and he rushed into the castle.

The Kahya motioned for her to follow her, Rukia hesitated for a moment to do so but, seeing that the woman did not stop, hurried to catch up. The interior of the castle was huge, bright and spacious, there were plants in several rooms and paintings of kings and queens in some corridors.

Rukia thought that it would be magical to live there, without life worries, just living but that did not go with her; she was used to working in the garden and on her family's farm; her mother was angry about it, she preferred that Rukia learn to be a lady and not a peasant.

Retsu walked with a fast step, as if she had many things to do, it should be like that, she was the housekeeper of the castle and had many things in her charge besides guiding her to who knows where through those long corridors. The woman stopped in front of a door and Rukia almost collided with her because she was in a hurry walking behind.

The Kahya opened the door and Rukia could see a large room where there were many beds, some of the girls who were talking about something very funny fell silent at that moment. No one got up to greet the Kahya and the woman seemed more intimidating than she already was.

— You will sleep here along with the other girls, they all come from a family as noble as yours and they are all here to learn, if the Deities want it, as much as possible about how to behave in court.

The Kahya explained to Rukia and then looked at the girls who had not moved from their place, they were all looking at the Kahya with curiosity. Rukia understood why none of her had greeted her, they were all daughters of lords and must have been brought up as if they were a princess, just as her mother had tried to raise her. The woman spoke again.

— In a few more moments, the maids will accompany them all to the bathroom, where all you will bathe, get ready, put on perfume and a nice dress because I suppose all of you brought your best clothes to be at the palace.— Retsu spoke in a serious tone while still looking at the young women who were there. Rukia walked away from her and headed to the end where there was an empty bed.

— Excuse me, I did not bring any dress "according" to the palace. — Said a girl who seemed somewhat scared by that.

— Then you will wear the dress that you brought. All of you aim to learn and serve the queen, if you do well you can have her favor and in the end, marry an important lord of the kingdom.

And with that said, the Kahya left the room.

Rukia realized that she did not mention being in the princes' bed but the silly smiles of the girls who were there indicated that it was not necessary to say that, surely their mothers had served with the queen in turn and had explained that to them.

She wondered how many of the girls' mothers, who were to share the room with her, had spent the night in Prince Isshin's bed before he was crowned king.

Thank you for reading.