by J P Anderson
"Genny wait, you know what I mean, you know..." he grabbed her arm; she turned and pulled her hand away swiftly. The chirping stopped and the 'don't walk' sign flashed.
"Don't tell me what I know Peter, never, ever, tell me what I know."s walked backwards holding her hands up, shrugging.
"Babe" he whined in his 'come on' voice.
"The sign says don't walk Peter. I'm just, not worth the effort, but you knew that." she smiled but it quickly faded. Peter's hazel eyes just looked into hers, and she knew she went a little too far. Too late now, she thought and watched him leave. She just stood there a while until a blaring horn made her blink back into reality. She was in the middle of a four lane highway just standing there. She retreated to the other side of the sidewalk.
"Now to meet the relatives" she reminded herself and shivered.
Chapter 5: Aldura
They arrived at the beach just as Aldura touched the horizon. The view was amazing, more amazing than any view in the entire world of Akadia. The eroded rocks stood proud, taking abuse from the crashing white waves until the calmed to their usual crystal blue. The sand was white and was seaweed free, only shells the size of your fist dirtied this pristine sanctuary. No one was allowed here, it was the royal's cove. Anyone caught without royal blood coursing through their veins would be executed if found.
"Alister" Andria asked turning to face him, her arm behind her head lying in the sand.
"Yeah?" he asked in an identical pose.
"Do you think he'll like me?" she asked looking away from him. He had always thought she was beautiful. She was like a china doll, perfect in its fakeness. He knew most of what she said to people was a lie, to hide herself from people. He could also tell when a child was afraid. And this child was very afraid and she is not pulling off the nonchalance in her tone.
"Anyone would be a fool not to love you." he answered watching for a glimpse of red on the horizon.
"I'm serious!" she squealed, she got up and awkwardly crawled on her knees into the view of his horizon, a much prettier view to his eyes. Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest Al, but the greatest of men can resist such fruit, a voice said to him, a regarded friend who watches over him.
"What's he like?" she asked, her smile melting his will to reframe from his vow of silence about the entire affair leading up to the death of Alison, including the major factor, Mr. Prince of Ranicus.
"Andria honey," He looked into her eyes and just didn't have the heart to tell her,
"He's amazing, kind and generous, just like all the princes from your fairy tales, don't worry about it." he said caressing her cheek with his knuckles.
"Alright, if you insist." she said completely uncertainty in her voice. He sat up against a rock.
"It's beautiful out here," she said resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he breathed, mostly to himself or his inner desire or perhaps even to Alison herself.
"Why ever for?" she asked her eyes looking everywhere but into his eyes.
"Joshua must be heartbroken." That caught her attention. She whipped her head from his shoulder and looked at him with a bewildered face.
"What are you talking about Alister Grey?" she asked her voice on high with fear and fret.
"You know what I'm talking about. You're having an affair with the servant."Alister said bluntly. He was tired of being the man who knew, the man knew told none who he knew. There were too many secrets under his belt. He had no reason to keep this one now. He had known for about as long as they had been trying to keep it a secret. Joshua Evingston, a house servant a little older than Andria had been looking extra long at her whenever she was near him, and then one day, she also looked too long. Long stares went to whispers in passing went to secret meetings went to an all out saucy affair.
"Am not!" she denied, getting up, kicking up an unnecessary amount of sand.
"Are too!" he said following her are she trotted to her horse.
"Are not!" she said as she swiftly turned to face him and then jumped onto her horse.
"Alexandria Hope Grave!" he yelled in a parentally tone. She got onto her horse and stared into his eyes. He walked over to her and put his hand on hers that clutched to harness to her stallion for dear life.
"I know you did not pull the guardian card Alister Eden Grey!" she said whipping her hand off his, but not pulling forward to go.
"I most certainly did," She looked down, somewhat defeated.
"No one ever calls me Alexandria." she said seeming to try to change the subject.
"Well it's your name." he said looking at her standoffishly, she rolled her eyes and smiled.
"If you must know, yes I am. But unfortunately love has little to do with marriage." she said fluffing her dress. She hadn't even bothered with sidesaddle.
"Yes, that does present a problem." Alister said obviously preoccupied with an inner thought.
"What? Are you having a prediction?" she asked in her sweet tone, looking at him with her regular childish gleam in her eyes again.
"The two times I had predictions they were unreadable and completely irrelevant. All I see now is a bouquet flying in the air, you wearing black crying and an arrow flying from a gleaming heroes bow."
"Really, that could be important. Maybe it has something to do with my wedding; maybe my husband has something to do with the hero." she volunteered, perhaps pondering what the images could mean.
"Ha, yeah and last time it said if I sang to the heavens I would become king. I sang for a week and no crown."
"And what a week that was!" Andria giggled, he pushed her playfully.
"Don't poke fun at my singing." he laughed.
"I did and I will again!" He laughed but slowly his thought came to a startling discovery.
"I just can't believe I'm about to marry someone I've never even met." she whispered shaking her head at the thought.
"You met him before." He said without thinking nodding and then at the realization shook his head.
"What?" She said, her voice deep, leaning over her horse to be near to him.
"Yeah, you've never really been told what happened the night you were born and I feel like you should know." he said trying to keep his footing although he knew telling her would mean death, no matter what he was long ago.
"Like what?" she asked precariously.
"He was there the night you were born, it was him who named you and-"
"Is that a...a...a..."
"A ship?" he answered for her. A childish smile crept across her unpainted face, her eyes gleaming with happiness.
"Therius!" she screamed. She kicked the side of her horse she was off, towards the port.
"And your sister, we named you and your sister, yeah that was worth the six hours in front of the mirror." Alister jumped one handed onto his horse and kicked it's side and hurried to catch up with the anxious princess.
Chapter 6: Hello, I’m Genevieve
Genevieve had been trying to walk off the fight for 5 miles but Peter's eyes still burned through her. Why can Peter get to me when no one else can? He can just look at me and I want to apologize. I guess it's because I've done so much to Peter over the years I just automatically think I've done something I should be sorry for. She walked down the sidewalk and realized she had no idea where she was going. She took a chug of her Mountain Dew and stuck out her hand for a taxi. One immediately stopped and she crouched inside pulling the address out of her pocket and handing it to the sweaty foreign old man.
"That's quite a ways, you got enough?" he said looked at her through his rear view mirror.
"How much?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"About fifty nine dalla'." he answered shaking his hand to say about.
"Yup, just drive please." he looked unconvinced. She pulled out a hundred dollar bill and he immediately drove on without another word to the subject. She sat in the back munching on her moon pie and chugging her mountain dew when finally about twenty minutes later they arrived at a very
nice estate. She handed him the hundred and told him to keep the change and he drove away. With her letter in one hand and the other clutching the snap of her messenger bag she walked up the sidewalk to the grandiose entrance.
"Can't go back now I suppose." she said to herself and started to walk up the sidewalk. There were fountains on either side of her the entire way up. She finally reached the colossal door and she knocked on the gargoyle knocker. A lady who's outfit clearly marker her as maid looked at her inquisitively.
"Hello?" she said uncertainly with a slight Mexican accent. This is where Peter would tell me not to be so racist.
"I need to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Baker."
"No one under that name lives here." The woman said. Her heart fell. They moved. They left this house, maybe even the town altogether. She bit her lip.
"They had a daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Baker." She desperately tried to clarity, hoping the woman simply hadn't understood her.
"As I've already said, no one under that name lives here." The woman started to close the door but Genevieve shoved her boot in the door.
"But they did," she quickly says, "maybe, twenty years ago, but they did live here. If I could just talk to the owner of the home, maybe they left something. Please, you have no I idea what it would mean to me." She appeased, hearing the desperation in her voice and hating the look in the woman's eyes before her. Her mouth was dry. Her hand now holding the frame of the door to make sure it didn't slam in her face. The woman thought for a long moment.
"Hold on." The woman whispered and closed the door slowly. When she pulled her foot out of the doorway she knew that door was never going to open. She cupped her face and slid her hands down her face in frustration, minding her eye makeup. She stepped backwards trying to get a good look at the home. It's huge, too huge. Who needs a house this big? No one, that's who. Did my mother really live here? Did she love this house or hate it? I have to admit, it's beautiful, all covered in ivy and such a crisp color of white. This house, this lawn, where I'm standing is the closest I've ever gotten to my mother and I still have no idea who she is. Maybe I should get used to the idea that I'm never going to know who I am and where I come from. Maybe I shouldn't try to look for my father. What am I going to do when I find him? Hello, my name is Genevieve and I'm your daughter. I'm eighteen so it's not like I need anything from you or anything, and it's kind of late to have a real relationship but here I am, now love me! Maybe Peter's right, maybe I'm thinking too much into how important family is. Even as she thought the words, she could feel a sick feeling in her stomach telling her to not give up. She walked down the walkway and onto the sidewalk.
"What should I do!" she screamed in frustration, balling her hands into fists and forcing her palm into her eyes, outstretching her fingers into her hair. No one wants me. My mother is dead. My father probably doesn't know I exist. Peter is going to Berkeley, and what right have I to stop him? He has a future, why should I drag him down with me? I just keep going over and over everything I've done and I feel like I'm missing something, something very important, some event that means something to me. Acruz Deveartae has something to do with that event. I can feel it deep inside me. She sat on the sidewalk, put her head between her knees, exhausted, and fell into a dreamless sleep.
A blaring horn made her snap her head up and was immediately blinded by the headlights of a car that had pulled up to the curb.
Chapter 7: Therius’s Return
"Do you understand me Andria?" Alister asked. He had just finished telling her exactly what she was to do when Acruz showed up. She looked at him, her glossy smile gone and replaced by a blank frown of malcontent. He knew it was a lot to ask of a newly eighteen year old girl but he was certain she could do it. She nodded.
"And Mr. Evingston? Will you tell him of his duties?" he asked. She nodded again looking down and blinking back tears.
"As soon as we can be alone, I promise. I'll miss you Alister Grey, you know that, right?" she whispered, biting her lip.
"Be free my beautiful song bird, only a little longer will you be behind your gilded cage."
A man about thirty flipped his shoulder length medium brown hair from his face, for lack of hands. He wore a duffle bag strapped across his back and carried an oddly shaped bag in one hand and his father's sword in the other. He looked around, trying to find a familiar face though the crowd of greeting faces. Andria had her back turned from him, stroking her horse and wiping her tears away. He ran to her, Alister tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to Therius. A blood curdling scream deafened Alister as Andria threw herself into her brother's arms. Therius dropped his bags and twirled her in a circle with ease. Her dress billowed up when he finally set her down.
"Look how much you have grown, little sister. I can hardly call you little. You have grown into such a beautiful woman." She giggled and her ivory cheeks afire. Alister stood reserved as a man with long blonde hair crossed him, the man wore all white and nodded to Alister, tipping an invisible hat.
"Alister Grey," He greeted in a whisper not stopping even a tad.
"Murderer," Alister greeted with a wry smile.
"Not yet." The man brayed looking at Andria and kept walking, his bag slung over his back. She, who was oblivious to the man, kept chattering.
"You've cut your hair. Why?" Andria asked lifting strands of Therius's considerably shorter hair.
"Makes me look older, don't you think?" He was twenty when the twins were born and when the twin's mother left their father (the king) married his mother, princess of Corinth. His mother was widowed when his father was killed in a war with Castor when he was seventeen.
"Oh yes I see it now." She giggled going to pet Therius's new horse.
"Alister!" he yelled far too loud and bear hugged Alister.
"I got your letter." Therius whispered leaning into Alister, making sure he was out of ear shot of his sister. "You must tell me what you meant. I can't make any since of it, of course I will take care of Andria but why from Acruz, what's he going to do to her?" Therius said reaching into his satchel to pull out the letter itself but Alister grabbed his forearm.
"Later," Alister whispered. "You must tell me everything of your apprenticeship with the king of Ranicus's megastar when you get settled," Alister said in his normal boisterous tone "and how you survived a month on a ship with Acruz."
"How I did what? Acruz was not on my ship." Alister cocked his head in question.
"I just saw him with a bag come from the direction of your vessel." Alister insisted.
"Perhaps he took his own, he was always well-to-do, and I mean the man was exiled for 18 years, maybe he didn't want to be public about the whole "coming back" thing." Therius blabbered.
"Where is your horse? I would like to give her an apple and introduce her to my horse. They would have gorgeous colts don't you think Therius?" He looked from down and said in a serious tone.
"There are always going to be casualties in war little sister. I'm sorry."
"Oh…" she said with so much discontent in her eyes and voice until she realized.
"War?" she squeaked, gripping his arm.
"Yes with Corinth, but its fine. We won so there is nothing to worry about Andria."
"How did she, you know, die?" she whispered.
"Arrow" he answered simply.
"An arrow was too close to you!" she said hugging him he grabbed her shoulders and semi-kneeled to be to her level and said;
"Little sister you mustn't worry about me, I will always be fine." He noticeably flinched when she wrapped her arms around his abdomen and squeezed but she was too preoccupied pressing her head against his bad shoulder to notice him staggering back and holding himself up with his sword.
"You don't know that and I'm not short enough to do that. You look silly stand up." she said looking around nervously.
"I'm starving I've been on that ship for a month so I could be here for your wedding..." He finally remembered why he had really come.
"Are the r
umors true? Are you really engaged to be married to that man?"
"Yes." she said now looking wise instead of juvenile.
"I need to talk to your father now." he ordered in a strong voice.
"There is a nice pub on the other side of town that I'm sure young Andria would love, on a count of at a certain age one is allowed to drink certain substances." Alister suggested trying to break the tension. Andria's eyes lit up.
"Yes, let's go there." she squeaked. Therius sighed.
"I guess your father will be there when I get back, to the pub." Therius said whistled with his thumb and pointer for a brown horse and put a bag on both sides of the saddle.
