His parents had come here some time ago while he was still within his mother's womb, they had made it to the border with nothing but the clothes on their backs and his father's book of inventions. They had often said it was because of him that they had taken the chance and escaped from the prison-like paradise that was Dravia. Their many stories had successfully removed all desire from him to visit there, but clearly the princess and Serin, a man he had once thought he knew, must have gotten another version. It bothered him that she had fallen into Serin's web of fantasy, but he could not blame her, the man had a silver tongue that even he had often struggled to resist. But he blamed himself for not seeing that his fantasies were a dangerous poison that proved to be the accelerant to the fire of Princess Ruby’s rebellion.
Many of the other soldiers believed that Serin had been set up, that he had not propositioned the princess, but Deswald knew Serin, he knew that his eyes wandered, and his heart was far from Aldor. A part of him was truly saddened over Serin’s plight but another part of him stewed over his audacity. He used his position of closeness to the princess to pursue his own romantic ambitions, ambitions Deswald had never been aware of until the other night when he was caught with Princess Ruby.
What haunted him though was the way the princess was looking at him since Serin was imprisoned, like she somehow believed he had something to do with it. It was the cost of looking the way he did in a kingdom such as Aldor, his motives, integrity and loyalty were always questioned. But if his loyalty to the king was not enough, then his loyalty to El should be too. Because El knew that if he could find another kingdom where he could serve El and be all that he longed to be, he would not because it would be hindered by his loyalty to Aldor.
Harried murmuring caught his attention from below, rousing him from his mental commentary. Tightening his grip on the edge, he leaned over to get a better look. He frowned, he could not make out what was being said, it was as though they sensed someone was listening, even from this height though, he doubted he would ever make out their words. The lavish tunic and thick braid trailing down the back of the shorter man, revealed him to be Tyattarian, but Deswald was not sure if it was the king or his son, the shadows in which they suspiciously stood, made it hard to tell if the braid was grey or jet black.
Whoever the man was, he was leaning forward, his hands gesturing to his companion with a sense of urgency. The other man was Aldorian for sure, even in the dimming evening light Deswald recognized his stance. He had seen him around at many of the king’s events, he was a court official of some kind, hardly ever said a word if Deswald remembered correctly.
He frowned as the court official leaned toward the Tyattarrian and jabbed what looked like a threatening finger toward him. From this height, even Deswald could feel the tension emanating from them. His frown deepened as he watched the Tyattarrian stomp off, leaving the court official to look about him conspiratorially before slinking away.
The loud clanging of the city clock drew Deswald back to the reality of his duties, as odd as he found what he witnessed he knew his place and he was no spy. He was a guard and as much as he desired to be an Aldorian Knight, his duty remained to guard the princess.
He rose to his feet, careful to maintain his balance on the edge, the last thing he wanted was to fall to his death from the top of the castle. He strapped on his sword once more and climbed down from his spot. He had an hour before his shift at the castle and he intended to spend it at the temple as he often did.
Deswald made his way to her door as he often did around this time and almost ran into Prince Haydward who was hustling from the princess’ wing with a pleased smile on his face.
Deswald frowned down at him, “excuse me sir,” he said in his most authoritative tone, “these are the private quarters of the princesses.”
The man smirked, despite the height difference he still managed to sweep his gaze from Deswald’s head to his feet condescendingly.
“You do not know who I am… guard?”
Deswald nodded, maintaining external cool while his insides boiled, this man clearly did not know the ways of Aldor. He often wondered how the king could consider him a worthy match for his daughter.
“It is my duty to know… prince, but even to one as… stately as yourself the princesses wing is off limits to guests.”
Prince Haydward chuckled and reached out to tap him on the shoulder, causing Deswald’s grip on his sword to tighten.
“I know, I was merely there to deliver an invitation, which given the level of protection you guard’s give, hardly seemed inappropriate.”
Deswald nodded, “next time deliver your invitation to her handmaidens or palace officers.”
Prince Haydward royally glared at him and walked way. Deswald looked back at him, and to think that there had been a time when men like him had fought beside his people. He made his way to the princess’ door and nodded to the soldier standing there; Serin's replacement. He was new, not just to this assignment but to the Royal Army, he could tell this from the glimmer in his eyes and the way he regarded him with wary respect.
After pledges successfully completed their training, they would be allowed to return home for a week of celebration with their family, after which they were to report back to the palace barracks where Deswald now spent most of his time, and was assigned duties and further training in what was called their initiation year. Deswald had completed his initiation year last year, just after he had turned nineteen, yet he was still here, doing initiation year duties and babysitting young soldiers like this one.
"Is the princess awake?" he asked.
The young man nodded, his beret leaning to the side like it was about to topple over.
"She was asking for you. They have been in and out of her room all morning, preparing her for the..."
Just then, the large wooden doors creaked open and the princess poked her head out, a blanket sat awkwardly atop her head. Deswald always thought it odd that the princess never wore her hair out. Aldorian women always considered it an honour to flaunt their hair, often wearing it in lavish creative styles for special occasions. But princess Ruby never did. He could tell though that it was not because she was bald, for he could sometimes see the outline of what he imagined to be beautiful Aldorian hair, but then again, there was a lot about the princess that was not very Aldorian at all. Starting with her blatant disregard for authority and ending with her shimmery golden skin. She looked nothing like her twin sister, but then again, she did not look like any people he had ever encountered.
"Oh there you are," she said, her gaze going directly to him.
It was not customary for royalty to be shadowed by a soldier, particularly in the palace. Even though the king had four beautiful daughters, the Royal city was safe for them to be on their own most of the time. However, Ruby had proven herself to be a hindrance to her own safety and she seemed to have a knack for upsetting the king. He mentally frowned at her cheery smile, for they were hardly ever civil to each other. Yet here she was smiling tightly at him as if they shared some friendly secret.
He stepped forward, "your highness, how can I be of assistance?"
"Oh, I just heard you were leaving me, have I scared you off?"
He knew she was teasing and some part of him must have responded, but it was not his face, he could see from her expression that she was not taking his stoic gaze to heart.
"Yes, I am going home for a bit, but it has nothing to do with you, I assure you there isn’t much I am afraid of. Do not worry I will be back before you know it," the playful hint in his voice surprised him and he wondered if she had noticed it.
He had always tried his best to control his emotions on duty, especially when it came to the brown eyed beauty looking directly at him. He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.
"You will be in good hands for I have requested a worthy replacement," he said in a tone that was more like him.
He did not miss the hint of disappointment in her eyes
and could not believe it was because she would miss him, although a part of him was tempted to hope.
"And of course, you will have..." he gestured to the man on the other side of the door.
"Arit sir," the boy added.
Deswald nodded, "Arit here will take good care of you."
She did not even look at the young man, "surely you will not be missing my ball?"
He frowned, internally of course, she hardly ever acknowledged his presence, why the sudden interest in his whereabouts? He wondered.
"I would not miss it for the world," he replied, "I should be back tomorrow, before the evening's celebrations."
She smiled stiffly, "splendid", came the forced response.
And without warning, she shut the door in his face. This he was accustomed to.
Arit leaned over, "is it true what they say? Is she the most fearsome of all the sisters?"
Deswald took his place beside her door, "she merely has a sharp tongue and is blatantly defiant. Otherwise, she is a peach."
Arit snorted at his sarcasm, "I hope your replacement is as good as you say."
"She is the best."
CHAPTER 7
Tossing aside the cloth she had thrown over her hair, Ruby plopped down onto the stool in front of Bianca, who was patiently waiting to resume the work on her hair.
"I did not know you were so chummy with the ice soldier," she teased.
Ruby rolled her eyes, "hardly," she turned her head, so Bianca could start the twists on the left side of her head. Though she never wore her hair out, she still liked to make it look pretty, even if she was the only one who got to see it.
"You will look absolutely stunning when I am finished with you," Bianca said proudly, "we will just sweep this all up into a high bun, and I will do a very classy wrap that will have women all over the kingdom raving about head wraps. But don't worry, it will go perfectly with your crown."
"I hope so, it is my one and only 18th birthday," her gaze went to the dress on the opposite wall, it was quite lavish, with its rich red and gold trim. She would look elaborately royal in it, and more princess-like than she had ever looked before. It was the first time she would wear a crown as well, it was almost tempting.
"How old do you suppose he is?"
"Who?" she asked, snapping out of her reverie.
"Blue eyes, out there." Ruby scoffed, "he might be nearing a hundred, he is such a grouch. Do you fancy him Bianca?"
She turned to look at her friend. Bianca shoved her head back around, "oh please, you know my heart has been spoken for, I could hardly see anyone else. It is just that there is something about him. He is so strong and mature, and those eyes, you would think he held all the answers to every question asked. He’s so different to the other guards you see around."
She chuckled, "the two of you would make such a pair, a flaming mare and an immovable block of ice. You would inject some excitement in his black and white world and he would temper your passion."
Ruby slapped her hand playfully, "you will put that idea out of your head. The guy is incapable of smiling, I do not think loving someone is his style."
"You might be surprised."
Ruby leaned down to rest her head on her friend's soft thigh and closed her eyes, thinking about how different Serin was from the man standing outside her door. It was not uncommon for Ruby to fall asleep while Bianca worked her magic on her hair, so Ruby's actions did not stop the rhythm of her friend's skilled fingers.
Bianca was beautiful and shapely, her curves and smooth cocoa brown skin were often openly coveted by Ruby, as was her kindness. If there was one thing that had shaken Ruby's resolve it was the thought of never seeing her friend again. Bianca was so loyal, so trustworthy and sacrificial. She was everything Ruby was not. She sometimes thought Bianca would make a much better princess, but it chilled her to think about where that would leave her, for there was nowhere she felt like she truly belonged. Once she stepped behind those gates, there was no way her father would forgive her, much less let her back into the kingdom or claim her as his daughter once more. She sighed deeply, it was a hard decision to make but it was one she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life if she did not go through with it. As always curiosity was her weakness, she could only hope Serin was right and life beyond the gates, life with him, would be more than she could have ever imagined. If she managed to find others who looked like her, it would make her decision even more satisfying, if not, at least she would have love.
"Ruby?" the worry in Bianca's voice surprised her, "are you crying?" She leaned over her, her brows drawn together in concern.
"Oh no," Ruby replied huskily, she lifted her head from Bianca's lap, quickly dashing her hand against her eyes, "my eyes are just a bit irritated," she said huskily.
"Oh," came the disbelieving response, "well let me hurry up here, so you can rest. You need to look your best tomorrow."
"Can we… can we finish this tomorrow morning?" Ruby asked, “I am getting a terrible head ache.”
“Oh no, did I braid it too tightly?”
“No no, it’s fine, I just have a lot on my mind.”
Bianca as always, knew when to play along, she nodded, “okay, let me finish the top and we will finish the rest tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Bee.”
Ruby loved her best friend, but tonight she couldn’t wait for her to leave her bed chamber.
As soon as her friend was gone, Ruby got up from her bed and opened the wooden jewellery box, Jasper had brought for her some years ago. It was after his very first mission. She withdrew a crumpled piece of parchment and sighed. Written in Serin’s hand, were the words: It must be tonight. She had hoped she would at least get to celebrate her birthday with her family. But Serin had risked so much to have her come with him, she could not let him risk waiting a day longer to go through with their plan.
This was no easy decision to make, to run away from her home, from her father, from her family, from the only way of life she had every known, but she was feeling more and more out of place. As she approached her eighteenth birthday and would be eligible for marriage. Even as she thought about it, she could hear the conspiratorial whispers among the people, she could see their odd stares and suspicious expressions. She knew that there were only so much people her parents could have fooled, and those who did not blatantly reject her as Aldorian, looked at her as some illegitimate love child that the king and queen tried to keep secret.
So, despite what her father intended, there was still so many in Aldor who did not approve of the rights she had as his daughter. Her origins were still unclear to her, and her father had been less than forthcoming about it, always saying it was for her own good that she did not know. She just needed to escape it all, and go to a place where she could fit in. Dravia was such a place.
She had considered what her actions would mean to her loyalty to El, but there were stories of secret followers in Dravia, which meant that El was not confined to Aldor as they had been led to believe. After all, she had gone to temple earlier today, she had inquired of the priest and she had pleaded with El himself to talk her out of her decision, but as he had been for over a decade, El was silent. So here she was about to give up everything not only for the love of a man, it was never just about the love of a man, but for freedom, identity, for acceptance. The people of Aldor would never accept her as a true princess, but maybe the people of Dravia would, maybe she and Serin could live among them comfortably, they would continue to worship El but without the confines of the kingdom.
It was not a perfect plan, but it had great potential, enough to make her want to take the risk. She closed the jewellery box and shoved the paper into her bosom. She then set about packing a small travel bag, but only after carefully laying out a small gift basket for Topaz’s birthday the day following her own. With her father in meetings with the royal council, which she knew was about her and the role she would play in the kingdom, she knew she had a small window of opportunity and she
had every intention of taking it.
✽ ✽ ✽
Deswald alighted from his horse and brought it around to the stable at the back of his mother's brick cottage. As usual he would not risk tying Ryder out front. He was an Eastern Strider, a rare breed known for their speed and loyalty but mostly for the rare gem embedded between their eyes, it was why Ryder was one of the few that were left and why Deswald kept it covered. Foolish collectors often hunted them for their gems, which they could not survive long without. If there was one thing all Saharians loved, it was a shiny stone. Here in Aldor they were protected and safe, but that did not stop Deswald from being cautious. Things were changing in the kingdom, and it did not take a scholar to notice it. El had been quiet for too long, the people’s loyalty was waning.
He guided Ryder into a stall and unsaddled him, "is it not good to be home again boy," he whispered, rubbing his neck.
They had been together a long time, since his father had brought Ryder home as a weakened foal and placed him under Deswald's care, they had never left each other's side. The horse snorted and jerked his head.
"What kind of son secures his horse before he greets his mother?"
He turned to his mother, who was standing behind him, a smile on her rested face. She was a small woman, lived most of her life in the shadows of tall men, her husband and her son. They were once like strong pillars beside her, until her husband bade her good bye forever three years ago.
"The kind who is a soldier," he replied.
“And oh, how proud I am of him,” she said proudly.
He stepped out from the stall and with two easy strides was before her.
"Would these help my case?" he lifted a basket of fresh bread, which came straight from the palace baker; she loved it.
Her smile widened, "quite a bit," she replied, snatching it from his hand with a wide grin.
"I expected you hours ago," she said, as they made their way toward the house.
It was a wooden brick cottage, like most of the houses on the outskirts of the city and it had the most colorful flower garden in the village; a testament to his mother’s skill as a gardener. When his parents had moved to Aldor, they had first been given a room in a small community dwelling house, just within Stone Vale. It was where refugees such as they were then, were kept before they were given citizenship and assigned to a territory based on their skill set. His father was a scientist and avid inventor in Dravia and the king immediately saw his worth to the military. So, they were moved to Stone Vale to this very house and together they had made it a home for him. His mother had been captivated with the clean air and fertile land, and had managed to work around the characteristic stone work of Stone Vale. Since then she had developed a reputation as one of the best flower gardeners in the Royal City. She would even provide fresh flowers to the palace for special occasions, such as the Princess Ruby’s coming of age ball. Deswald could not have been prouder of her.
Kingdom of Refuge (Gemstone Royals Book 1) Page 6
