The Go-Between

by Andrea Ring

  XLVIII. NILARUNA

  I have dreamt of seeing the great city of Indrapur.

  In those dreams, I was mounted on a white steed, surveying the pointed turrets and spiraling steeples from a hill on the city’s outskirts. The sun’s rays bounced off the ocean beyond and lit the city from behind.

  I would enter the city and dismount, preferring to walk to take in the sights and sounds. I imagined color, jewels and silks and fruits and trinkets all the glorious hues of the rainbow. I imagined spices, hot cinnamons to wrinkle my nose and peppers to make me sneeze and breads and sweets and meats whose smell alone could fill a hungry belly. I imagined people of every color and shape and size, from every land, mingling and haggling and smiling, and I would blend right in.

  My dream did not become reality.

  I was near senseless with fever when we raced down that shining hill, blurred down the roads and through the marketplace, and finally entered the palace compound.

  I remember none of it.

  “How long was I out of it?” I ask Zara, a girl who’s been cleaning my room for the last hour I’ve been awake. She’s young, but seems to be a hard worker.

  “Two days, my lady,” she says. I notice she doesn’t look directly at me, and I wonder if that’s because of my caste or because I’m so grotesque.

  “And you said Prince Kai is coming?”

  “He’s been told that you’re awake, my lady.”

  “Yes, but is he coming?”

  Zara twists the dust cloth she’s holding in her fingers. “The king always comes at his leisure, never when summoned. I do not…I have not been around the prince much, so I cannot say.”

  I frown. I suspected things would be different when we reached the palace, but I didn’t think about how different.

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “I heard he was at the docks, my lady.”

  “And how far away are the docks?”

  “It depends, my lady.”

  I huff a frustrated breath and struggle to sit up. The healer left me a brew of herbal tea when I first woke, and I take a sip of it. The bitter concoction is ice cold and vomit-inducing. I set it back down.

  “Zara, could you help me stand?”

  She finally looks at me and quickly averts her eyes. “Oh no, my lady, the healer said you should not. You need your rest.”

  “I also have to work my scar tissue or I’m going to become a corpse.” I swivel my legs off the side of the bed and my hip burns. A wave of dizziness passes over me, but I push my blankets to the side and get my feet flat on the floor. “I’m not going to run around the palace. I just need to walk a few steps. Please.”

  She takes a step closer. “What do you need?”

  “Just a hand.”

  She holds out her tiny hand, and I give her my healthy one. No need to cause a panic.

  I push myself upright, and Zara helps. I’m a little shaky, but I’m up.

  “Tell me about yourself. How long have you worked here?”

  “About myself?” she asks.

  “I need a distraction,” I say as I limp heavily, breathing hard though I’ve barely gone ten paces. “This is painful for me, but necessary. How did you get here?”

  “My mother works in the kitchens,” she says.

  “And what of your father?”

  “He’s a soldier, my lady.”

  “A soldier’s daughter works as a maid?” I ask, surprised.

  “He…I am not acknowledged, my lady,” she says.

  Oh.

  “And how old are you?”

  “I’m—”

  Suddenly the door to my chamber bursts open, and there’s Kai, sweat pouring down his beet-red face, a smile wide on his lips.

  “Nili!” he says, running to me. He collides with me so hard Zara’s hand is torn from mine, and I cannot help but grin back at him. “You’re awake! Thank the gods you’re awake.” He crushes me against him and buries his sweaty face in my hair.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” I say. “When I woke up and I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know who to talk to or what to say…I’m just so glad you’re here.”

  The door creaks. I peek over Kai’s shoulder and see Zara trying to edge out of the room.

  “Zara,” I say.

  She stops, eyes wide, like she’s been caught doing something naughty.

  “My lady?”

  “Thank you. Thank you for helping me.”

  She smiles, gives me a nod, and slips out.

  ***

  “Your cheek is finally pink rather than fever-red,” he says. “But you should be in bed. Why are you up?” He’s already guiding me back to the mattress.

  “I have to walk. You know that. Just a few more steps. I’ve only been up for a few minutes.”

  Kai guides me about the large room, which I’m only now noticing. It’s bigger than my entire house in Dabani. And pinker.

  Pink silk lines the walls and is even draped from the ceiling. A sparkling crystal chandelier dangles from the center of the room. A bowl of pink lotus flowers sits atop a gold chest of drawers. Even the blankets on my bed have been dyed a deep pink.

  “Do you like your room?” he asks.

  “I haven’t had much time to take it in,” I say. “It’s like I’m living in a rose petal.”

  He laughs. “It is a bit pink. We can change the colors if you wish.”

  “I love the colors,” I say. “I don’t want you to change a single thing for me.”

  Kai stops and brushes a lock of hair from my scarred cheek. “This is your home now. You can make it whatever you wish.”

  I blush. “I think we have more important things to do than decorate.”

  “Actually,” he says, “you have one task and one task only: to get well. Once you’re back on your feet we can discuss other duties.”

  “I’m on my feet,” I say.

  “And you’re already perspiring from head to toe,” he says.

  I rub the back of neck, and it’s damp and sticky. He’s right. “That’s because my fever just broke.”

  “Two days, Nili. You were out for two days. You need more time to recover.”

  Reluctantly, I let him guide me back to bed.

  “Will you at least tell me what I’ve missed?”

  “Not much,” he says, sitting beside me. “Faaris and Saphala are inseparable. She’s doing well. We gave her a noble suite, and Faaris has been doting on her. I think he’s close to proposing.”

  “Already?” I gasp. “He barely knows her.”

  “She’s been conducting herself with grace and humility. Since our discussion, I’ve tried to keep a discreet eye on her, and I cannot find any fault. Maybe you need to give her a chance.”

  “She’s my oldest friend,” I say. “Of course I’ll give her a chance. I don’t even know what I was thinking. The whole situation just has me paranoid, I guess.”

  “All of us are feeling that way,” Kai says.

  “So what happens next?” I ask him. “When will our engagement be announced? What do I have to do?”

  “My father will issue a royal proclamation in a few days. We would have done it sooner, but he wanted to meet you first.”

  I grip the edge of my blankets. “When do I meet him?”

  “When you’re ready,” he says. “I didn’t think you’d want to meet the king while sick in bed.”

  I blow out a breath. “Thanks for that. I definitely don’t want to meet him here.”

  “Then we’ll arrange it for tomorrow, if you’re up for it. We can have dinner together.”

  I nod, my head wobbly. “Okay.”

  Kai laughs. “Don’t be nervous. Yes, he’s the king, but he’s also just a man. My father. Nothing scary.”

  “Does he know about me?” I ask.

  Kai nods. “I’ve told him. He has no problem with your caste.”

  “It can’t have been that easy.”

  Kai shrugs. “Nothing is.”

  XLIX. THE KINGr />
  I shouldn’t be this nervous. I’m the king, for heavens’ sake.

  I wanted to be clear-headed for my dinner with Kai and his intended, but my damn head, and the seizures…the seizures started two days ago. I haven’t told Kai. I take the medicine the healer brews, and I try not to leave my chambers unless it’s important.

  So I down the sour brew that he’s spiked with mint, as though mint could make shit palatable, which it clearly cannot, and I fidget with my clothing, and I ring for the healer again.

  “I need another,” I say. “Something for my nerves.”

  “What I gave you will work if you give it time, my lord,” he says.

  “Bring me another!” I yell.

  He complies.

  There’s a knock on my door just as I finish the second brew, and Mita sticks her head in. “Are you decent?” she says with a wink.

  “I’ve never been decent,” I say.

  Mita laughs and enters, closing the door softly behind her. “Are you ready to meet the future princess?” She smooths a hand down my sleeve and picks a bit of lint off my cuff.

  “Thank you for agreeing to join us,” I say. “I don’t think I could do this alone.”

  “I cannot believe Silvia has refused to meet her,” Mita says. “What could cause such a rift between mother and son?”

  I blink hard, trying to keep my eyes in focus. “I need to prepare you,” I say. “This is not an ordinary marriage.”

  Mita raises an eyebrow at me.

  “Nilaruna was burned horribly in a fire a few cycles ago. Before that, she was a vibrant flautist, a healer’s daughter, respectable in every way. But since her accident, she became an outcast. Kai says…her scars are fearsome.”

  Mita takes a step back from me. “She is an untouchable?”

  I nod. “Through no fault of her own. She survived a fire where most would have died. She’s been tormented, both body and soul. She is a testament to what a true Jatanian should be—strong, brave, proud.”

  “But…Kai has chosen to marry an untouchable?”

  “I will tell you two tales, both of which occurred only since she and Kai met. First, she initiated the rescue of her childhood friend, who was kidnapped six cycles ago. The girl was exchanged from her kidnappers successfully and is now safe and back to living her life. And second, on their journey here from Dabani, they were attacked by bandits. While Kai and his friends dealt with two of them, three others snuck up on the women, and Nilaruna killed them with a knife. She protected herself and her friend. She is a hero.”

  “An untouchable girl did all that?” Mita says.

  “She is untouchable no longer,” I say. “Do not utter that word in my presence again. She is the woman Kai fell in love with. She is a shining example of what every one of our people should be. She will one day be your queen.”

  Mita bows her head, and I wonder if she’s going to walk out.

  But she surprises me.

  “I am honored, my king, that you would invite me to this meeting. Such extraordinary tidings…” and she lifts her head and smiles, “such an amazing gift for our kingdom. I cannot wait to meet her.”

  “Then give me your hand,” I say. “I’m on that infernal medicine again. Let’s go meet my new daughter.”

  L. PRINCE KAI

  “I’m wearing the veil, Kai, and that’s that,” Nili says.

  “You don’t have to wear it. Father knows what you look like. It’s unnecessary.”

  “Trust me, your father won’t be able to eat while looking at my face,” she says. “It’s better if I just wear it.”

  “That’s ridiculous!”

  “Ridiculous is my middle name.”

  I sigh. Nili’s going to wear her veil no matter what I say. Why do I even bother?

  As she settles it over her head, I lift it up and pop my face underneath it. “Kiss me,” I say.

  “Now? We’re about to meet your father!”

  I grin. “For good luck.”

  She gives me a reluctant peck, and I laugh. “Fine. Oh, and Father says someone else is joining us.”

  Nili goes rigid. “Who?”

  “The palace seamstress. Her name’s Mita. She’s making our wedding clothes and overseeing the plans. Father thought we might want to chat with her.”

  “Oh. Okay. I guess…okay.” Nili heads to the door, but I stop her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nili.”

  She sighs. “Our wedding clothes…it just makes everything seem so real. I haven’t really thought about the actual ceremony, and it…I’m not…”

  “You’re not what?”

  “I don’t like being the center of attention,” she whispers.

  I smile. “You think anyone’s going to be looking at you? Heavens no, they’re going to be looking at me, the handsome prince.”

  Nili sighs again. “I wish it were so.”

  I caress her scarred cheek through the veil. “One thing at a time. Let’s get through this dinner, then we can worry about the wedding.”

  Without warning, Nili whips up her veil. Then she presses her lips to mine. I respond, gods do I respond.

  She pulls away laughing.

  “What was that for?” I ask.

  “Luck.”

  ***

  Father and Mita are chatting softly at the far end of the dining hall when we enter. They don’t turn at our intrusion. Father likes to make people wait.

  But time is short and his life is shorter.

  “Father,” I say, taking Nili’s hand and leading her over to them.

  They both turn. My father’s face looks pale and clammy. Is he ill?

  “Kai,” my father says, striding toward us. He plants a kiss on each of my cheeks.

  I bow to him. “Father, may I present my betrothed, Nilaruna Nandal.”

  Nilaruna bows low. “My king.”

  “None of that,” my father says, pulling on Nili’s arm. He gives her the double kisses and hugs her tight.

  Nili squeaks.

  “Nilaruna,” he says, releasing her. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our family.”

  I can only gape at him.

  This was not the reception I expected.

  Two days ago, he felt a little differently.

  “An untouchable? What in the name of all that is holy is Shiva thinking? You can’t marry an untouchable!”

  “If you’ll just listen,” I said, “you’ll understand—”

  “There’s nothing else to understand!” he roared. “You’re not marrying her, and that’s the end of this discussion!”

  And then Shiva appeared. He shooed me out of the room.

  Later that day, a message was delivered to me

  It’s your choice. I’ll not say another word about it. Let me know when I can meet her. I’m praying for her good health. Your Father

  So I expected him to be polite, but I did not expect him to be so…enthusiastic.

  Nili bows again. “It is my pleasure, King Jagir. I am honored to be here. Thank you for the warm and gracious welcome.”

  My father nods at her and waves Mita over. “I’d like you to meet our court seamstress, Mita Kapoor. She’s been helping me plan the wedding, and I’m grateful that you’re finally here, so I don’t have to do it anymore.”

  We all laugh. Mita bows low. “Prince Kai, greetings,” she says. “And Nilaruna, what an extraordinary honor to meet you.”

  “Thank you, my lady,” Nili says. “The honor is mine.”

  “We need drinks, something to celebrate,” Father says. A servant appears with a tray full of goblets of honey wine. Father reaches for one, but then drops his hand.

  I follow his line of sight to the corner of the room. Father’s healer is standing there, shaking his head.

  “What’s going on, Father?” I ask him.

  “Just my gout,” he says. “The healer has given me a brew to lessen the pain. He doesn’t think I should imbibe while on it.”<
br />
  I look at him skeptically.

  “It has nothing to do with…anything else. In fact, the healer can go to the crows. I’m celebrating whether he likes it or not.” He picks a glass up off the tray and downs half of it in one loud gulp.

  Nili slips her arm through his and takes the glass from his hand. She puts it back on the tray.

  “My king, I haven’t been well, either. We certainly do not need spirits to enjoy this moment. The prince and I want you healthy.” She deftly steers him to the table. “Let’s sit and get to know one another. I bet you have some amazing tales to tell from the Sevens’ War. Am I right? You were what, about twenty at the time?”

  I gape at them.

  Mita reaches for a glass of wine, and I notice her knuckles are gnarled and misshapen. She grasps the goblet with effort and moves closer to me. “Did I just see that?”

  “I don’t know,” I say. “What was that?”

  “That was your betrothed, manipulating the king. Granted, it was for his own good, but deary me, that’s a first.”

  A laugh bubbles out of my throat. “She took the glass right out of his hand,” I say. “And he didn’t throttle her. Maybe he’s mellowing with age.”

  “Maybe Nilaruna Nandal is just that good,” Mita says. “The tales are already spreading. I figured they were manufactured, but I’m beginning to think I was wrong.”

  I turn to her. “Tales?”

  “Of killing bandits, with only a knife.”

  “True,” I say.

  “Of rescuing her friend from kidnappers.”

  “True.”

  “Of bringing a black dragon to his knees.”

  We stare at one another.

  “Where did you hear that?” I say.

  “So it’s true?”

  “You’ve met her now,” I say, taking a swig of wine. “What do you think?”

  Mita meets my eye. “I think you’re either the luckiest man in the world and Jatani will be saved, or we’re all doomed.”

  “And what, do you suppose, does Jatani needs saving from?”

  Mita’s gaze roams over Nili and my father. “She will one day be queen,” she says. “Kingdoms prosper or fall because of their leaders. Isn’t that so?”

  “I didn’t know you were interested in politics, Mita,” I say.

  She turns back to me and smiles. “I’ve lived my entire life in this court. Politics are unavoidable.”