by Day Leitao
He swallowed, trying to suppress the array of feelings coming to him. Of course, he shouldn’t get too excited about this alternate reality because Cayla obviously hadn’t considered the logistics of the situation. Still, the prettiest girl in the world, the heir to Whyland’s throne, and, most importantly, his Cayla, was ready and willing. They’d need to talk. He recomposed himself as best as he could and walked to the central table.
Cayla was sitting across from Lylah. Darian sat by Cayla, and took her hand in his.
Lylah stared at him for a moment. He had the feeling that she could read his thoughts but hoped it was more about reading emotions and intentions because it would be extremely awkward if he caught even a small glimpse of what was going through his mind.
“We’re about to go through some difficult times,” Lylah said. “And I’ll need your help.”
Lylah was looking at both Cayla and Darian, but he couldn’t think what kind of help she expected from him.
“Is it Arlenia?” Cayla asked.
Lylah sighed and nodded.
“I can go there,” Cayla said.
Darian squeezed her hand. “I’ll go with her.”
Lylah shook her head. “Well-meaning, but young King Conrad will kill you, Darian.”
Darian let go of Cayla’s hand and got up. “I can’t let her go alone.”
Again Lylah shook her head. “Cayla’s not going either.”
Darian sat down and exhaled.
“What do you need us for?” Cayla asked.
“I am going,” Lylah said.
Cayla seemed surprised. “You think they’ll negotiate with you?”
“He’ll try, but his terms are disgusting.”
“You know the terms? What are they?” Darian asked.
Lylah looked at Cayla. “You. Either you marry the king, or he’ll invade us.”
Indeed Darian’s dread of the Arlenia king was justified.
Cayla had a look of disgust. “He’s crazy!”
“Definitely not husband material, I know.” Lylah snorted. “Terrible seduction skills. So we know our answer to Arlenia’s request.” She looked at both Cayla and Darian. “But we need time, and we’ll need to act. Somebody needs to stay on the throne while I’m gone. It’s not superstition, Whyland stands in an important convergence of portals and the castle needs to be occupied by the blood of a Guardian. That’s Cayla.”
Darian looked at Cayla. She was as puzzled and surprised as he was.
Lylah continued, addressing Cayla, “I will explain this, but I can’t do that now. Just know that you need to stay on the throne.”
Cayla squinted. “But what about when you were imprisoned?”
Lylah laughed. “I was still queen—in a way. I was in the white castle, which was connected to this one. Nobody else was proclaimed queen while I was there. My brother’s work, of course, as he was the king’s advisor.”
Darian didn’t like that conversation. “You can’t make Cayla interim queen when we are in the brink of a war. It’s too dangerous!”
Lylah took a deep breath. “I agree. But I have no choice.”
“Stay here,” he pleaded. “Send someone else.”
Lylah shook her head. “My powers will make a difference when I’m there. I need to go.”
She couldn’t be serious. “There’s a nutcase who wants to…to…” Darian was shaking and couldn’t even think the right words. “He wants Cayla. She needs to hide, not be put in the most obvious and prominent position in Whyland.”
Lylah stared. Darian felt a hand pulling his. Cayla looked at him. “Darian. I can handle it. It’s my duty.”
He realized he was standing and sat down. He closed his eyes, trying to slow down his breath, trying to calm down. He opened his eyes and noticed Lylah looking at him.
She said, “But he’ll want to murder you, not her. You need to be careful and have security with you at all times. The castle is somewhat safe, but security will be tightened.”
“But Darian doesn’t live in the castle,” Cayla said. “That king could hire an assassin at any moment.”
“Darian will be given a room here, in the castle. That’s what I wanted to discuss next. Cayla, could you give us a moment?”
“No,” Cayla replied. “If I’m going to be queen, even for a day, I need to know about your decisions. And whatever you want to tell Darian you can tell me as well.”
Lylah waved a hand and Cayla closed her eyes and dropped back on her chair as if she had fainted.
Darian checked Cayla’s pulse—still beating—then turned to Lylah. “What did you do?”
“She’ll be fine. No time to argue, that’s all.”
A feeling of dread overcame Darian. If that was something Cayla couldn’t hear, it couldn’t be good. “What is it you want to discuss?”
“You. Her. What are your plans?”
“You could have asked us both this question.”
“I want to know your plans, Darian.”
That probably had something to do with what she’d just seen. No matter. Darian decided to be honest. “I want to stay by her side until she gets old and we both get wrinkled—”
“Not happening.”
Darian clenched his fists. “What?”
“She won’t grow old. At least not fast enough for you to see it.”
“So she can’t be with me?”
“She can. If she wants to. I think she wants to. I’m just explaining she’ll take longer to age.”
Darian’s head was spinning. “Are you going to explain this to her, or do you want it to be a neat surprise for her some forty years from now?”
“As I said, I’m going to explain it. Do not tell her. That’s not your duty, but mine. She needs to learn it at the right moment. I’m a guardian, and she’s a guardian. What you need to know is that it basically means long life, the need to remain as a ruler in Whyland, and some special powers.”
“What powers?”
“I don’t know. It varies from person to person. It might freak you out one day, maybe, but I don’t need to know anything about the far future. Ten years from now is no concern. I just want to know now.”
Darian looked down. “I like her. I want to be by her side.” Of course, now he wondered if she would want to be by his side fifty years from now, but Lylah was very clear they weren’t supposed to think about that far.
“See, the thing is, there’s a wacko who wants to marry my daughter, and I’ll have to leave her here, as you said, in the most prominent position in Whyland. Do you want to be the guy who hangs out with her? I don’t have a problem with that, I just want to know.”
Darian snorted. “You have no idea how much I’d like to declare to the whole kingdom that Cayla and I are a couple. Is that what you need to know? But I can’t. It will look ridiculous. How can the interim Queen be with a low-ranking officer? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Lylah stared, a stare that would be uncomfortable had he not been used to it. She said, “I was testing you. You passed. How would you like to lead the army? Did you notice that the post has been vacant for all this time? Never wondered why?”
Darian was taken aback. “I don’t want to be given anything, not even for Cayla. I want to deserve them.”
Lylah squinted. “Deserve. Merit is a strange concept for a kingdom whose rulers are chosen because of their bloodline, but I appreciate your feeling. It doesn’t have anything to do with Cayla, though, but your own work. You had a key role in the uprising, you would have deposed the previous king—without my help. If I hadn’t returned, there would have been some more conflict, against your brother perhaps, but your little revolution did depose the King. Mostly your job, Darian, even if you were humble enough not to vaunt it. The people in the army, they trust you, they follow you, Darian. Despite your age, you are the right person for the job.”
“I’m General Keen’s son. Is Whyland ready for another general Keen?”
“Since when do you use second names in the north? T
hey know you just as Darian. You’re also your mother’s son. Like her, you have the talent to lead. Plus, you’ll need to help Cayla. But that’s the matter I was getting to. It might be rushed, it might be early, but you two need a public declaration of affection at the latest tomorrow.”
Darian looked down. “Tomorrow? There’s no time for an engagement party or anything.”
“No need for a party, just the engagement.”
“If she wants it.”
“If she doesn’t, convince her.”
“What am I now? King Conrad?”
“There’s nothing wrong with convincing,” Lylah said. “The issue is how you do it, Darian. You move to the castle tonight. Be careful. Don’t walk alone. Tomorrow you’ll be proclaimed supreme general. Help Cayla. But also trust her. She’s tougher than she looks.”
“I know.”
Lylah leaned back and crossed her hands over the table. “There’s something else. What about your brother?”
Darian was startled. “What about it?”
“Any news from him?”
He wondered if she knew what that had happened, or how much she knew. He decided to tell the truth, sort of. “We received written communication from him. He’s alive.”
Lylah narrowed her eyes. “Is that all?”
Cayla had asked Darian not to say anything about helping Sian or anything about the garden of the Lost Castle, but he felt guilty and didn’t think it was right to keep certain things from Lylah. Part of the truth wouldn’t be a problem. “Well, we got communication from him when we were in the south. Near the Lost Castle. We heard about some strange creatures crawling out of the ground and terrifying some villagers close by.”
Lylah looked at him attentively. “What kind of creatures? Were they well formed?”
“Interesting you mention that. They said they didn’t have eyes.”
She snorted. “Kyons. Someone’s playing with ancient, residual magic. I’ll check the Darloom castle, I mean, the Lost Castle, when I return. Don’t go there, and don’t send anyone there. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“There’s one more danger, though.” Lylah snapped her fingers. Cayla woke up. She wasn’t startled, confused, or anything. It was as if her fainting had never happened. That was super creepy. Lylah looked at Cayla. “Be careful and don’t eat or drink anything different, or that wasn’t prepared by trusted cooks from the castle.”
Cayla frowned. “You think King Conrad could poison me?”
Lylah shook her head. “Worse. Love potion.”
Darian’s stomach turned.
Cayla didn’t seem concerned, “But they are forbidden, aren’t they? No potion maker would risk their life and reputation to make one.”
“Cayla, dear,” Lylah replied. “There are people in this world who’ll do anything for the right price.”
“Fine, there are stupid people.” Cayla rolled her eyes. “Still, love potions don’t really work. They can’t create a feeling, they can only amplify it, and it doesn’t even last. Second, as far as legend goes, every single person who has attracted someone using a love potion was driven to insanity. Who would be mad to use it?”
Lylah shook her head. “There’s your answer, dear. When someone is already mad with love, they’ll think madness is a small price to pay. You did learn well, though.”
“But a love potion from King Conrad will never affect me because there’s nothing there to be amplified,” Cayla said.
“You’re wrong, darling. It needs very little, just a tiny spark. A small, temporary, physical attraction, for example, would be enough.”
“But there’s nothing!” Cayla insisted. “I’ve always thought he was creepy and disgusting.”
Lylah shook her head. “He’s a very handsome young man. Why call him disgusting? Old? Overcompensating for something?”
Cayla crossed her arms. “No. Because he’s always been creepy with me.”
Lylah nodded. “Definitely. But you don’t need to be aware of your attraction.”
Darian wished Lylah had done the hand thing with him for this conversation because it would be very hard to live with the thought that Cayla had a tiny unconscious attraction for that king.
Lylah then asked Cayla, “Your heart was Darian’s, wasn’t it?”
Cayla looked down and nodded. Darian exhaled, relieved.
“There you have it,” said Lylah. “You wouldn’t notice any attraction. And then, maybe, there isn’t any, and the potion wouldn’t work. But you can’t be sure.” She got up. “I have to prepare my departure. You two, since your hearts belong to each other, do something about it. Well, I don’t mean…” She pointed towards the area Darian and Cayla had been caught making out. “I mean—never mind. Do something.”
Lylah left. Cayla looked at Darian and squinted. “What does she mean?”
Do something. Darian had to do something but it was hard when he felt that his chest was going to explode. By tomorrow. No pressure. It would be easier to get it out at once. “Cayla, would you… uh… one day… perhaps…”
“Just say it.”
Darian swallowed, then spoke as fast as he could. “Do you think one day you’d want to marry me?”
Cayla stared as if his words hadn’t made any sense.
Darian remembered to add, “Oh, I’m the new leader of the army. Like my father. But not like my father. Like me. But it means… I’m not just a bum low-ranking officer anymore. In case that would affect your decision.”
She squinted. “Are you proposing?”
He froze. It was like a nightmare. Cayla wasn’t happy, wasn’t excited, wasn’t smiling, wasn’t looking at him in that special way that reverberated through his bones. She was mad and almost disgusted. He felt awful and didn’t know what to say. Do something. Congratulations, Darian, you just ruined everything.
She continued, “Tell me. Are you asking me if I want to marry you?”
Silence. Cayla wanted an answer. He barely had any voice to answer. “Uh, yeah, sort of.” He then added quickly, “But it’s fine if you don’t want to think about it now—”
“Darian,” she was laughing. “It’s not that I don’t want to think about it, I mean, we are too young to think about it. It’s just… I always thought it would be more romantic. You know, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Darian felt confused. “You’re angry because my question wasn’t worded in the most romantic way?”
“Not the question. The place, the occasion.”
So she’d almost given him a heart attack because the occasion wasn’t right. “Oh, I didn’t know there were special rules to talk to you. I didn’t know that.”
“Darian, it’s not that. You’re proposing. I always thought… I always dreamed about it, and I imagined you—” She looked sweet.
“You dreamed about it? With me?”
Cayla rolled her eyes “Who else would that be with?” She smiled—then grimaced. “But it wasn’t in an old stinky library.”
“Well, sorry. A nutcase wants to start a war just because he wants to marry you, and maybe we need to tell him that you already have someone. If you say yes, of course.”
Cayla squinted. “What do you think I’d say?”
Darian shrugged. “I don’t know, but I sure never thought it would be: what are you thinking? How dare you propose and not be super romantic? So see, I’m disappointed as well.”
She laughed. “Sorry. It’s just. Sorry. I… You know the answer, right? I mean, it’s obvious. I just wish we were somewhere nicer.”
“You know, there are lots of things I dreamed about. Involving you. We almost just did one of these once-in-a-lifetime things. In this library. And you were fine.”
“Ugh. No. I was just in the moment. We’d regret it even if my mother hadn’t walked in. I also want a nicer place for that. I don’t know what’s wrong with you today.”
Maybe she was right. Darian took a deep breath. “Let’s start over, then. Forget everything. We can go
to the private garden. Remember we went there when we were kids?”
“We weren’t kids. But… yeah, it’s special. It’s no longer private, though.” She seemed worried. “Someone could walk in on us.”
All right. The demands were getting ridiculous. “And I can’t propose in a place where someone might come by? Is it a secret or something?”
“Oh. Propose. That’s perfect. Perfect. That’s exactly the place I imagined you’d ask me…” She laughed. “If I’d be your girlfriend.” She looked down as if embarrassed. “That was a long time ago. I thought our first kiss would be there.”
At that moment she reminded him of the girl from three years before and why he’d fallen in love with her. Darian held her hand, kissed it, then they left the library and walked to the small garden where they used to come when they first met, as friends.
He still had a question. “What were you thinking? When you said you were afraid someone would walk in on us in the garden?”
“Did I say that? I think I’m confused.”
“Yeah, we’ll have some tough days ahead of us.”
Of course, with so many serious things happening, Cayla’s priority was to make sure he proposed in the most romantic way possible.
But she was right. Outside, among trees they’d climbed when they had been much younger, knowing that they were there for something special, gave the words a special meaning, a special weight. She looked at him in the eye and told him she wanted to be with him forever. This was not some random conversation, but an important decision for their lives. They made promises that would live with them forever. His chest felt heavy, though, with the thought that it wasn’t a fair choice for her if she didn’t know that he would age and she wouldn’t. He tried to chase away the disturbing image of him as an old man with beautiful, young, Cayla, but sometimes it came to his mind. Well, nothing was yet set in stone, and Cayla would be free to change her mind once she learned about her nature. The thought filled him with dread, but the important thing was to think about the present. Lylah was very clear that her concern wasn’t ten years from now. Maybe she knew something. But never mind; ten years with Cayla could be enough.
