To Stand Beside Her

by B. Kristin McMichael

  Nalick smiled at her, “You are so practical. Next time there is a council meeting I shall bring that up.” He moved closer to her and she did not move away. He was finally beginning to build her trust. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

  Shivering at the warm breath on her ear, Leila winked at him. “Well, I figured, since I am meeting your father and all, I could at least behave for one day. Maybe.”

  Leila turned and looked over the horizon at the front of the ship to distract her from him. She could see a city up ahead. “Is that Dria?” she asked. Leila had never approached Dria from the river before. The boat swayed slightly and Nalick put his arm around her to grab the rail and steady both.

  “Yes,” Nalick returned his gaze to the water but did not remove his arm.

  “How long has it been?” she asked, aware of his arm being so close.

  “I have not seen him in five years. He refuses to travel to Lexia, and for the most part, I refuse to travel to him.” Nalick was anxious about the trip. Leila reached over and touched his hand. Nalick’s heart raced. It was the first affectionate gesture she had shown him.

  “Your father is one of the few kings I have not met. Trust me, he can’t be as bad as some of those men,” Leila tried to reassure him. “The palace is on the water, right?” she asked. Nalick nodded. From the shores of Dria one could see the beaches of the North Country. Leila was eager to be so close to home.

  “My King,” a sailor said approaching them from behind, “we should be there shortly. Your father will have horses waiting at the port for you and the queen. Would you like Master Theo or Macarius to accompany you to the palace?”

  “No, that is fine,” Nalick replied as the man bowed and then left. Leila giggled.

  “See,” Leila replied, as Nalick also laughed.

  “I saw the wanted posters yesterday,” Nalick commented. “Are they all you?” he asked.

  Leila smiled coyly not responding.

  “We attribute anything to you that they have no witnesses or cannot tell who committed the crime,” he added.

  “Oh, I don’t commit crimes,” Leila smiled at him. “If it was a crime, then it was not done by me.” Nalick nodded his head sarcastically. He was marrying a thief - and a good thief at that. “I merely right some previous wrongs,” she explained. “And yes, they were all me. Though it is a bit disappointing,” she paused.

  “Being on a wanted poster is disappointing?” he asked.

  “Well, I noticed that you are only actively looking for four of my previous identities. I have been to Lexia quite a few times, and yet you only want to find four versions of me,” Leila said while grinning at him.

  “The only version of you I want to find is standing right here in front of me,” he responded and gazed back over the water not wanting the boat to stop and him to have to move his arm.

  Leila smiled as the boat pulled up to the port filled with people. Nalick protectively kept his arm on the rail around her. Below the crowd cheered as they saw Leila. Nalick slipped his arm around her waist as she turned. Leila looked down at everyone. Nalick stood and waved to the people, who cheered louder.

  “They are all here to see you,” he whispered in her ear.

  These people will be so disappointed if nothing changes, she thought.

  Nalick escorted her off the boat and to the waiting carriages. It was a quick ride through the city filled with smiling faces of those wanting to see the king and his future queen.

  “Your majesty, your father is in his study,” a man informed Nalick as they approached the palace.

  Nalick took Leila’s hand and led her through the palace. If he had not been as nervous, he would have been more appreciative of how easily Leila accepted his hand. Unlike their palace in Lexia, the Dria palace was all one level, and there were no stairs to climb. Nalick led Leila through many passages until they arrived at the back of the palace. Nalick opened the door for Leila. As she entered, Leila glanced around the room with books lining the back wall. Off to the right was a room with an open balcony over water. Nalick led Leila to the room on the left. Lying on a couch with a book over his face was an old man. His hair was white from age and he had a long thin beard that reached from beneath his book down to his chest. He did not move as they entered.

  “Lule, I am taking a rest. My son should be here soon, and I want to be rested,” the man complained.

  “Hi, father,” Nalick said coolly, startling the old man causing him to drop his book to the floor.

  As the former king regained his composure, he sat up and smiled. Even though his hair and beard were white, he was not as old as Leila originally thought. “Welcome,” the man said jumping up and kissing her hand. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Nalick’s father greedily eyed Leila.

  Leila did not know how to respond. From the look he was giving her, he was just like any other king she had ever encountered. Luckily, Nalick responded for her.

  “Father, please behave yourself.” Nalick gave the old man a disapproving glare. Leila was not the only one that noticed the former king’s attitude. “Did you not just take a new bride last year? Even younger than Leila?” Nalick commented. The former king had several wives. “Remember father, this is my future wife here.” Nalick continued to glare at his father while putting a protective arm around Leila.

  “Leila, this is my father Godfrith,” Nalick introduced his father but continued to hold Leila near himself. Leila could feel the tension between them.

  Godfrith understood his son and apologized, “I am sorry miss if I offended you. I had heard tales about you, but they just don’t do you justice.” The old man’s attitude changed. He walked over and shook Nalick’s hand.

  “It is so good to see you son.” Godfrith was sincere. “How long has it been?”

  “A few years,” Nalick replied. The strain in the air had not lifted. Not wanting to be between the two men, Leila drifted over to the window.

  “After being on a boat all morning it would be good for me to go for a walk,” Leila suggested. Nalick did not like the idea of her being alone, so she took Nalick’s hand and squeezed it. “I will be down by the shore. Would you like me to go get Theo or Macarius?” she asked. Nalick shook his head no.

  Godfrith walked over and opened the hidden door. “This is the best way to get down there.”

  Leila gazed one last time at Nalick, but he did not try to stop her as she walked down the stairs to the shore. At the end of the stairs, Leila removed her shoes and wandered out onto the sand. From her position on the beach she could see the shore of the North Country. She was so close to home, yet still very far away. Cautiously, Leila lifted her dress and wandered into the water to get her feet wet. Amused at the contrast of how cold the water was compared to the hot sun that was beating down on the beach made Leila laugh to herself. Boats passed going out to sea. The colorful sails billowed in the wind. Sailing off on an adventure was the kind of life Leila always expected to have, yet now she had agreed to be stuck in one place; Leila again began to doubt her decision. Leila did not need to turn around as she could hear a single person walking down the staircase from the palace. Theo or Macarius? she wondered. Without turning to see who was watching over her, she continued to walk along the shore.

  Nearing the farthest end of the former king’s beach, she could hear the laughter of children. Looking up she could see five children running through the gardens near the beach. All five were running full speed toward the area where Leila was standing. As the first child neared Leila, he stopped in his tracks.

  “Mica, who’s she?” a young girl dressed in a filthy blue dress asked the first child. The boy did not respond but just stared at her.

  “I am Leila,” she said to the girl in the blue dress.

  “Where did you come from?” the boy with bright yellow hair standing next to the girl asked.

  “Over there,” Leila pointed at the staircase that Macarius was sitting on.

  “She’
s the new queen,” the first boy finally spoke. “Sorry for disturbing you,” he said to Leila beginning to usher the younger children back towards the garden.

  “Why are you leaving?” Leila asked.

  “My mother said you are a dangerous person,” the boy replied.

  Leila laughed. “Do I look dangerous?”

  The children stopped and pleaded with the older boy. The little girl whispered loudly, “Is she really a queen?” The girl eyed Leila from head to toe.

  “Can’t we stay?” the younger boy asked.

  “Yeah,” the tall thin boy behind him begged.

  The older boy began pushing his friends. “My mother said she robs and steals from people,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “Oh,” the short fat boy shook his head in understanding. “You’re a courier.”

  The tall boy joined his friend and gazed at Leila. She was not tall like he imagined couriers to be, or even strong. She was a normal girl not much older than themselves.

  “They let girls be couriers?” the thin boy asked in amazement. “I thought you had to be strong.”

  “Girls can be anything,” the little girl pushed her friend aside and curtsied. “Pleased to meet you my majesty,” she said sweetly before pulling Leila into their game.

  Chapter 8

  Nalick watched out the window. He was trying his best to talk to his father, but it had been years since they had seen eye-to-eye on any issue. It was much easier to watch Leila than listen to his father. Nalick did not hear the last statement his father made, and soon Godfrith was standing right next to him.

  “She sure is a beauty,” Godfrith said looking out the window at Leila alongside Nalick. “So I heard you are forcing her to stay. You know you can’t win a woman’s heart by force.”

  Nalick walked away from his father to the doorway. “And you would know.” He opened the door and walked out onto the top step. Below, in the sand, Leila was blindfolded as the children cheered. She tried to catch them as they ran away from her.

  “Do you think she will really stay?” Macarius asked Nalick when he passed.

  “I hope she does,” Nalick replied.

  Leila removed her blind fold after catching the last child and noticed Nalick sitting with Macarius, while above King Godfrith watched from his window. Godfrith loved his son, but just didn’t know how to communicate with him.

  “Hold on one second,” Leila said to the children. She ran over to Nalick and grabbed his hand. “It is your turn, my king.” She pulled him back to the children and tied the blindfold around his eyes.

  Leila and Nalick played with the children until dinner time. After washing and redressing for the meal, Leila followed Nalick to the dining room. Former King Godfrith greeted Leila at the dining room door.

  “Leila and Nalick, this is my newest wife, Lule,” Godfrith presented his young wife. Lule was short and a bit heavy set. Her round face smiled brightly as she was introduced. The girl was younger than Leila. Lule’s hair and other body parts bounced as she did her best to curtsy for Leila and Nalick, but the young woman was quite uncoordinated and almost tripped over her own feet. “And here dear is where you will be sitting, to the right of your future husband,” he added. Leila counted the four seats next to the former king. Four wives, she thought.

  “The guests should be arriving soon. Lule, please go get the others.” At Godfrith's order the girl quickly ran out the front door and down the hallway, stumbling along the way.

  “Picking them quite young now,” Nalick commented to his father. Godfrith did not respond.

  Turning to Leila, Godfrith asked, “If you could stand here with me, I would like to introduce you to the nobles as they arrive.” Godfrith led Leila to the door on the right of the room. Nalick followed close behind. From the other door entered four women all elegantly dressed. Leila noticed Lule was the last in the row of women.

  As each woman approached, she bowed to Nalick and then to Leila. Each woman was extravagantly decorated with jewels and each younger than the one in front of them. They looked more like street performers than wives to a former king to Leila, but she kept her comments to herself. Godfrith waved his hand and the younger three women walked over and seated themselves. The oldest wife stood to the right of Godfrith while Leila stood on his left. In pairs, the nobles of Dria arrived to the dinner. A lady stepped forward followed by her equally ornately decorated husband.

  “She married the father so that she could be with the sons,” Nalick whispered in Leila’s ear. Leila watched as the two men behind the lady both purposely escorted their step-mother to their seats with their hands in places they should not have been, as their father stopped to talk to Godfrith. “They have been trying to get me to marry their daughter since she was eight and I was seventeen,” Nalick said.

  “King Nalick,” the bushy haired father called out. “It is so great to see you. Have you thought about my offer?” The overweight man asked.

  “One wife is more than I can handle,” Nalick replied as the man was ushered into the dining hall by the next group that approached.

  “They never give up,” Nalick whispered to Leila.

  Leila continued to meet people until the dining hall was filled. Nalick escorted her to her seat before sitting himself beside his father. Staff served the guests in a well-orchestrated manner so that everyone was fed at the same time. Leila was amused to watch as waiters dipped and danced around each other. Not a single plate of food or drink was spilled.

  After dinner a dancing troupe and band were brought in. As the music started to play, guests meandered through the hall greeting old friends they had not seen in a while. Leila watched quietly. She studied each intently trying to remember the names of the specific nobles. Leila had never done a job in Dria. Dria was just across the border from the North Country, and it was too hard to do jobs so close to home. She scanned over the crowd. Suddenly, Leila stopped. Across the room, she recognized a face from their one and only encounter. He was a courier based in Samael the country directly to the west of Lior.

  Leila leaned over near Nalick and asked, “Who is the family over there?” She pointed in the direction of the man she recognized.

  “Nobles from the western border,” Nalick replied studying the group and noticing the one that stood out.

  “He is a courier from Samael. The last I heard about Seth was that he stopped working for his courier station and was working directly for King Jahangir.” Nalick understood without Leila finishing.

  “How good is he?” Nalick asked worriedly.

  “Not better than me, but that is not why I am concerned,” Leila continued to stare at Seth. Seth noticed and raised his glass to Leila before giving her a wicked smile. Leila stood up, and Nalick rose to follow her. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Wait here,” she instructed. Leila passed the crowds of people and walked out onto the dining room’s adjoining balcony. Theo and Macarius followed her from a distance. She stood looking over the city waiting for Seth to join her. It was not long before he approached.

  “The famed ghost courier. It is an honor to be in your presence,” he said with a flamboyant bow. “Your own personal guard. I see you have moved up in the world.”

  Leila turned to look at the man who had been tracking her for years. “What do you want?” she asked directly staring at him. Seth was a rather small man who barely stood the same height as Leila. He was not a threat personally, but his knowledge of her becoming the next queen of Lior would be a problem.

  “I am here to extend to you an invitation to join me on my way home to Samael,” Seth smirked at Leila.

  “Do you even need to ask?” she replied. “Hasn’t the last few years taught your king anything?”

  “Oh, yes, to catch the legendary ghost courier, one needs to get the upper hand.” He walked around to the other side of Leila. “Or so I have been told. How did he do it? Please do tell.”

  Seth flicked a finger towards Nalick who was watching the two o
f them intently. “From what I have been told, he is just like any other kings, boorish, self-centered. Yet, somehow he convinced you to stay.” Leila looked over at Nalick who now visually starting to get upset.

  “Go back to your king, and tell him I am not interested. I was not then, and I am not now.” Leila started to walk away. Seth grabbed her arm to stop her. Leila swung back around and slapped the man across the face. Nalick rose to join her as Macarius and Theo moved closer.

  Seth chuckled. “Feisty as ever.” He let go of her arm. “I was offering you an invitation so that we can avoid what will come next if you do not join me. One way or another, King Jahangir will not stop until you are his queen.”

  Leila walked away as Nalick quickly came over to her. Seth disappeared into the crowd before Macarius or Theo could stop him.

  “Are you okay?” A worried Nalick asked Leila.

  “You brought Anatolio with,” Leila said to Nalick. Nalick was shocked to find that Leila knew that the young tracker was with them. “Send him to follow Seth. I don’t know what he is up to, but I doubt it will be anything good.”

  Chapter 9

  Before dawn, Leila woke to a gentle shake and a hand over her mouth. Opening her eyes, Leila was face to face with Anatolio. He put his finger to his lips to indicate to her to be silent and motioned for her to follow him. Leila passed Macarius and Theo asleep on the two couches in the room. Neither man stirred as Leila and Anatolio walked past them. Leila could make out a faint hue of the sun coming near the horizon.

  Not very good guards, Leila thought.

  “Does Nalick know you are back?” Leila asked.

  “Not yet. I was told to follow Seth on your orders, so I thought I should first report back to you,” the young man explained. “I followed him across the border. He met up at a war camp. Just outside Lior, King Jahangir has an army set ready to march here to take you back with them. I could only hear parts of the conversation, but I know they will be here by midday.”