Sapphire

by Sarah Olson

  “It has to do much more with the ancestors of a kingdom than the people. The Malanese trace their roots to seafaring people from the Western Ocean. They came from a chain of islands. From what I understand, they landed on the coast where the Glacier River fed out into the ocean and followed it inland. With them, they brought their culture.”

  I did not respond to Betsy’s history lesson because I was far too engrossed with the passing buildings as we climbed the sloping streets. After half an hour of crossing through the city streets, the carriage rolled through another gate into the castle’s courtyard. It was smaller than the one in front of King Luther’s, but still beautiful. The ground was made of perfect square stone tiles of various shades of gray. Flowers bloomed on trees in the middle of a lawn of bright green manicured grass. A perfectly trimmed hedge ran around it enclosing the garden. A statue of a Malanese king, carved from white marble stood tall in the center of the lawn.

  The soldiers dismounted their magnificent steeds as the carriage rolled to a stop. A servant dressed in white opened the door for us. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the carriage.

  Chapter 23

  IN COMPARISON TO the male servants that roamed the halls of King Luther’s castle, these were much more relaxed in their attire. The man who led us through the great doors of the castle wore a loose fitting white long sleeved shirt with white baggy pants to match and gold sandals. A beautiful red silk sash was tied around his waist and fluttered at his side.

  “This way, milady,” he said, in an accented voice.

  He led us straight into a cavernous room lit with candles. They glinted off the marble floor and the steps of two grand staircases that rose up. We passed the stairs and entered through another pair of doors.

  “The king’s throne room,” the servant said, his voice echoing off the high stone ceiling.

  The marble floor was slick and shined in the sunlight that entered through the tall windows on either side of the room. Thick beige towering columns lined the aisle to the extravagant golden throne. The high ceiling arched sharply over the long room and was lined with Malanese flags. They were solid red with a gold trim and a circular design in the center that reminded me of the sun. In between all the columns were white marble statues of the past kings of Malan. A beige sheer curtain hung in each archway, parted before the statues.

  The throne was beautiful. As we got closer to it, I could see the intricate designs etched into the gold. It stood out brightly against the dark and polished wood of the wall behind it.

  “Where’s King Darius?” Raphael asked the servant.

  “Patience, Sir Raphael,” a man’s voice said from our right. King Darius came before us in all the glory and majesty a king could possibly have.

  He appeared to be middle-aged for the faintest trace of gray had begun to sprout at the temples of his pitch-black hair. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair fell right above his shoulders. The golden crown on his head was stunning as it was lined with large rubies. He wore a large necklace of thick gold squares with a carving of the circular design on the centermost one over a white shirt embroidered with gold thread. His robes were red velvet lined with white fur and he wore his black pants tucked into polished boots.

  “Your Highness,” I said, bowing before him with Raphael and Betsy falling suit.

  “Rise, my Princess,” he said, stepping forward. “Do not think you must ever bow to me.” He gently lifted my hand and kissed it. “You may rise as well,” he said to Betsy and Raphael. “I must say I was quite honored by your acceptance to come and stay in my castle, Princess.”

  “I was honored to receive the invitation.”

  King Darius smiled kindly. “I gather your journey went well.”

  “Yes, your Highness,” Betsy said.

  “Please take the Lady’s cape,” the king said, gesturing to the servant.

  “Long have I awaited this day,” King Darius said as the servant took my cape allowing the king to see my sapphire. “To see the stone on you brings more happiness to my heart than there has been in a long time.”

  I smiled.

  “You look a lot like your mother,” King Darius said. “She was a fearless woman and I am sure, should your rebellion succeed, you will rule Asteria with the same strength and grace as she did. Your father chose his queen wisely.”

  “Thank you,” I said, blushing, “but I can only ever hope to be half the person she was.”

  “Never underestimate yourself, Princess,” King Darius said. “Because the moment you do, is the moment you stop trying.”

  I nodded, knowing he was right.

  “Now, I understand you were ordered to bed rest for your pregnancy?” the king said, gesturing to my stomach.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Well, trust me when I say that for these next two months you will never have been more comfortable. Nadia?”

  A woman came out from behind one of the curtains. Her servant’s uniform was one of the strangest I had ever seen. She was in a plain sleeveless dress with only one strap on her right shoulder. The other side went right under her arm making the top of the dress fit snuggly over her bosom. A gold band ran around her hips and down the center of her dress. In between her shoulder and elbow was a large thick gold bracelet on each arm. Her wrists were covered in thin gold bracelets and her thick pitch-black hair was pulled up tightly in a braided bun. Her dark skin was beautifully smooth matching her brown eyes. She was stunning.

  “Yes, your Highness,” she said to the king with a bow.

  “Please escort Princess Layla and Mrs. Fallon to their quarters. I would like a word with Sir Raphael,” King Darius said.

  She bowed to the king and then to me. “Right this way, milady.”

  We followed her back out of the throne room and climbed one of the marble staircases. She led us down corridor after corridor and up different staircases all lit with burning torches.

  “The castle is built directly into the Northern Mountains,” Nadia said. “The halls have been carved out and rooms have been made from existing caves.”

  “Incredible,” I whispered, taking it all in.

  “These will be your quarters, milady,” Nadia said, opening one of the thick wooden double doors at the very end of a hall.

  The room was cavernous inside, it did not seem like it ought to be a bedroom. The cold solid stone floor peeked out from underneath a carpet woven with dark blue and silver threads resembling the night sky. Unlike the hall, this room had two large windows with a door in between that led out onto a balcony overlooking the mountainside. In the center of the room sat a round bed draped with a beaded royal blue bedspread that was patterned with elaborate silver designs. The material glittered in the firelight. Thick columns stood around the bed with a shimmering silver curtain. Instead of feeling fascination, memories of Richard sprang up at the sight of the bed.

  “Your belongings have all been put away in the armoire and the vanity,” Nadia said, gesturing to the furniture on the other side of the room. “Now, rooms like this do not have a bath per say. We do things a little different.” She walked to another set of doors and opened them into a much more cave-like room. The torch revealed a bubbling spring of water. “This is where you can bathe.”

  “What?” I asked surprised.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not deep and the only access to this room is through yours. That stream enters and exits through a hole in the bottom of the wall, and is not big enough for a person to get through.”

  My surprise was not from fear of someone getting in, but just the strange idea of bathing in a spring that resided in a cave.

  “I’m sure you probably want some time to yourself to settle in,” Nadia said, leaving the cave. “Mrs. Fallon, would you come with me so I may show you your quarters?”

  “Of course, will you be all right, Layla?” Betsy asked.

  “Yes, I’ll be fine. I think I’ll be quite happy here,” I said, smiling.

  “I will be by later,”
she said, following the servant out.

  “Oh, and milady?” Nadia asked, stopping by the door. “Since you are to be on bed rest, the king has asked me to bring your meals up to you. Is that all right?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “And is there anything I can get for you right now?”

  “No thank you,” I replied.

  She bowed and left the room.

  The door closed with a heavy thud and I was alone. I walked over to the door between the windows and let myself out. From the balcony, I could look down onto Kings City and out into the far distance at the expanse of the forest. With a view like this, I could definitely get used to staying here.

  A soft canapé sofa and chaise lounge had been set out with a table. I sunk into the cushion of the chaise lounge that felt as lovely as a cloud. The mountain breeze brushed my hair back as I closed my eyes listening to the soft melody the birds sung. The warmth of the sun caressed my cheeks and arms and the smell of pine filled my nostrils. Malanese music from the city drifted up to meet me as I felt sleep wrap it’s fingers around my mind. For once in a long time, I felt wonderfully at peace.

  Chapter 24

  AS THE DAYS passed, I grew increasingly relaxed. Coming to Malan was a good idea. It was peaceful and beautiful.

  “Aunt Betsy?” I asked as we finished our lunch one day on the balcony. “You never told me about your time in the south.”

  Betsy looked up at me and slowly placed her napkin on the table. “It’s not something I like remembering.”

  I looked at her expectantly. “I need to know what is happening to my people.”

  She sighed. “I don’t really know where to begin. It was not as if I actually stayed among the work towns very long. We passed through a town called Greenfield. During the years of your parents’ reign, as well as before, it was one of the most successful farming towns in the kingdom. I had not seen it since you were born. And let me tell you, it has changed.

  The people looked tired and dirty. Those who were in no shape to work and not lucky enough to own an inn or a shop were in the streets as beggars.” Betsy took a took a sip of water and then continued. “There was a strictly enforced curfew so we had to stay in an inn for the night. At about sunrise, soldiers went through the streets shouting orders for all workers to head out to the fields.”

  “But it was winter,” I said. “You can’t grow crops in winter.”

  “It doesn’t snow down there so they can grow some in the cold,” Betsy said, shaking her head. “We left that morning but the road crossed through the fields and Mrs. Remmings had to cover the eyes of her children as we passed a man being beaten by a soldier. I know we were not there very long, but all I can say is what is happening in Greenfield is barbaric. The people may be paid for their work but it is not much. I do not even think Robert knew how bad it was there now. We had known the situation wasn’t good, but it’s even worse than I imagined.”

  I pushed away the images of my people working like animals to provide for Luther’s table. “Regardless of pay, it’s still slave labor,” I said bitterly.

  “In a way, yes, but King Luther would argue that they aren’t forced to work—which is true. If you want to make a living to provide for your family and have a place to live, you have to work. This is how he and the nobles defend their actions.”

  I balled up my fists as anger washed over me.

  Betsy placed a hand on my knee. “You are going to get a chance to make it right, Layla. I know you will.”

  I took a breath. “I have to,” I whispered. “I have been so blind. I don’t even know how you can still love me. I have been nothing but trouble”

  Betsy stayed quiet for a moment and then took both of my hands. “Robert and I knew what taking you in entailed. Do not even think for a moment we did not consider doing so could cost us our lives. We loved your parents, Robert loved you, and I love you. Nothing could ever change that.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, leaning towards her in an embrace.

  “You know,” she said, “this room is the very room your parents stayed in when they visited Malan.”

  “What?” I exclaimed, pulling back.

  “You didn’t think all the blue and silver colors were Malanese,” Betsy said, smiling. “It was decorated specifically for the Royal Family of Asteria. The room of your grandparents and great grandparents and it has remained untouched until you came. Not even King Luther was ever allowed to stay in here.”

  I stood up and walked through the open door into the room that held so much more meaning now. It seemed to come alive as if the very souls of my parents lingered watching over me.

  “You never told me what they were like,” I said distantly.

  Betsy stood up and walked passed me. “I just never knew where to begin. It’s not like I knew them their whole life.”

  My back ached and I settled down onto the bed.

  “I began to work at the castle when I was twenty-two. Your father was about seventeen then. I didn’t serve him directly, but I remember that every time I passed him in the great halls, he greeted me as if I was his equal.”

  “What did he look like?” I asked, laying back and closing my eyes so I could picture every detail.

  “Well, he was tall and handsome with brown hair and brown eyes. He kept his hair short and always had a faint hint of stubble. Whenever I saw him, he usually had a smile on his face. The women that came to court loved him.” Betsy laughed. “And while your father could have taken advantage of that, he was very respectable.”

  “He must have been wonderful,” I whispered.

  “He was. About ten years later, I was assigned to care for Lady Aria of the Western Ocean. At least that’s what they called her,” Betsy continued. “She was the only daughter of a wealthy sea captain. Her mother had died when she was six and had since then spent her life with her father. When he was at sea, she was at sea. When he was at their estate, she was at the estate.

  “I remember thinking she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen when I entered her chambers. She had golden blonde hair that seemed to glitter in the sunlight, and piercing green eyes. It was difficult to keep her gaze. If there is anything you got from her, it was her beauty and her eyes.”

  I smiled as I imagined her standing at the railing of a ship letting the ocean spray her face.

  “I found it strange, that a woman that looked like her would still be unmarried at eighteen,” Betsy continued. “But, living in a castle full of gossiping servants, I learned why. Many men had courted her. The problem was she was not a submissive woman. It was probably because her father raised her for most of her life. Men didn’t like that she wouldn’t just be an ornament on their arm.” Betsy chuckled. “Would you like to know what scared one of them away?”

  “Mhmm,” I murmured.

  “Some rich man from the south came to visit her and found her with a sword sparring with one of her father’s men. Needless to say, he watched her win and did not hang around much longer. Before long, word spread throughout the kingdom that the sea captain could not control his daughter. It was greatly frowned upon by the upper class of society, but many women viewed it as a potential change in status for them.

  “When word reached King Hector’s ears, he was determined to meet her and invited her and her father to stay in the castle.”

  “What did my grandparents think?” I asked.

  “Well, your grandmother had died about a year before and your grandfather’s health was poor. Shortly before Lady Aria was invited, he had Hector crowned king because he felt he was in no condition to rule. He also knew it was important for his son to find the perfect woman, so no opposition was made when he began courting Lady Aria. Robert told me when Aria entered the room to meet the new king, King Hector could not keep his eyes off her. But it was not in a disrespectful sort of way. It was in a way that he knew he had found his bride. It was love at first sight.

  “Despite what everyone said, he asked Lady Aria to
spar with him to see if the rumors were true. Now, King Hector had been trained to fight since he was very young, and when he and Lady Aria sparred, they both met their match. After their marriage, she confessed to me that was the moment she fell in love with him. He did not scorn her for her abilities and accepted her for the woman she was. King Hector didn’t try to be her savior, but her best friend and lover.”

  “They must have been so in love,” I whispered, remembering the painting in the old castle of the two marrying.

  “They were,” Betsy said. “They held the kingdom’s greatest respect and Queen Aria served as a role model for what women should be allowed to do. Sadly, it was all short lived.”

  Betsy’s voice was quieter now. “After five years of reigning together, the old king died and Luther took the opportunity of the kingdom’s mourning to begin his assault. Queen Aria gave birth to you a week after the war began and never presented you to the people. All anyone knew was she had a daughter but not her name, all for your protection. And then you know the rest of the story.”

  The words left the room void. I felt tears in my eyes. My parents barely had any time together. My mother did not even make it to twenty-five. “If I have a girl,” I whispered, “I’m naming her after my mother.”

  “I’m sure she would have been honored.”

  Chapter 25

  AS THE WEEKS rolled by, my last two months of pregnancy were coming to a close. King Darius had sent for the best midwives in Kings City. During the last month, they were given quarters in the castle near me in case the time came swifter than expected. The anxiety of the becoming a mother loomed over me despite Betsy’s prodding to stay calm.

  “Excuse me,” Nadia said, walking into my room. “Miss Charlotte Livingston is here to see you. Would you like her company?”

  “Of course,” I replied, smiling.

  Nadia opened the door and Charlotte ran in. Once again, she was in men’s clothing. “Oh, Layla!” she exclaimed. “How are you?” She hugged me lightly trying not to squash my stomach.