by R J Kaldanis
A small cracking noise broke her from the warm dream she was in, to the stark, cold and damp reality. Within a second of opening her eyes, the cold rushed back into her body and any sensation of warmth she had managed to generate was quickly extinguished.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed what appeared to be ice. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, trying to understand if her mind was tricking her. The ice seemed to be forming stairs, curved and leading towards the open end of her cell. She crept over towards the edge trying to get a closer look at the stairs and perhaps a hint of who or what was creating them. The stairs snaked around until they finally reached the ledge of her cell. A heartbeat later a small red and white canine pounced down them beaming up as he reached Aardriyah. She cried tears of happiness and held the canine closely, sobbing into its warm fur. It didn’t allow the embrace to linger, fighting itself out of her embrace and gnawing on the ropes that bound her hands. Within what seemed like seconds, the ropes fell to the floor and the canine began tugging the sleeve of her cardigan. It was motioning her towards the stairs. She cautiously stepped upon the first and slipped forward. In what seemed like a last act of ironic cruelty, she had to be careful in her escape from this prison. Instead of sprinting at a pace she had never sprinted before, leaving the damp cold cell behind her at lightning speed, she had to take this slowly or risk perishing on the rocks below.
With each step, she got closer to freedom, closer to home and potentially closer to understanding why she had been kidnapped in the first place. As she reached the top of the cliff that the stairs had led her to, Aardriyah was ready to embrace Chastion and apologise for how rude she had been. She was willing to concede that maybe he was as brave and heroic as everyone believed, at least for tonight. She sighed as her foot finally reached solid, non-slippery ground and she raised her head looking into the blue eyes of her savoir. Except, they didn’t belong to the person she was expecting.
Instead the young woman standing in front of her simply gave a small smile and nod of the head, as she worked to turn the ice stairs to water and let it fall into the ocean below.
“Princess Kibo, how did you?” Aardriyah struggled to get the words out of her mouth. The red and white canine ran up to the Princess and she bent down to pat the dog in appreciation for its bravery.
“Kit led me to you.” The Princess responded in a quiet voice.
Aardriyah waited for further explanation or reason but realised that the last few words the Princess had spoken were the most Aardriyah had ever heard her speak.
“Kit?” The word managed to escape her lips, as she was confused by what the Princess meant and how that possibly explained this unexpected rescue mission. The princess simply nodded towards the canine, before turning her back and walking towards a horse and carriage luminated by a single lantern. Aardriyah desired nothing more than getting as far as possible from this Undina forsaken place and almost ran after Princess Kibo. As the two women got near, the driver of the coach looked over and said in an unwavering voice,
“We must go.”
“Old Man Teme?” Aardriyah asked as she squinted towards an older man in formal coachman regalia. His fuzzy white hair sat under a small pillbox hat, while his beard and facial hair had been trimmed and groomed into a tidy manner. Regardless, Aardriyah would recognise him if he were bald and clean shaven as his aura was unmistakably familiar to her.
Old Man Teme nodded and wordlessly motioned her to get into the carriage.
“Keep the curtains closed.” Was all he said in response to her question.
The night around seemed to dim once again as the heavy clouds covered the moon, blanketing the world below in darkness. Thick, wrinkled hands grabbed the reigns and readied the two large white horses decked in royal navy cloth. Princess Kibo held a hand out for Aardriyah to steady herself as she entered the intricately carved white coach. She continued to hold her breath, afraid that at any moment this perfect escape might be halted, and she would be hoisted away once again to the damp cell with only three walls.
Aardriyah sat upon the deep velvet carriage seats across from the princess who had now resumed her usual silent state. The red and white canine had curled itself into a tight ball and was resting beside the princess, now delicately stroking it’s fur with a careful hand. The white and red fur was slightly illuminated by the carriage light entering the window. While darkness had never caused fear for Aardriyah before, she was still trying to take in the sight before her, afraid that perhaps the darkness would whisk away her saviours and put her back in the hands of the expressionless guards. She was trying to reassure herself that this was in fact real and that she hadn’t simply fallen in the damp cell.
Finally choosing to heed Old Man Teme’s words, she pulled the curtains tightly shut and fastened them with the small velvet buttons down the centre. Right on cue, the carriage jerked forward and Aardriyah found herself in a small carriage heading once again towards a destination unknown.
CHAPTER SEVEN
explanations or excuses
Aardriyah realised in the darkness of the rumbling carriage that when you didn’t know your destination, the journey seemed to take an unnerving length of time.
The truth was, she had only been in a carriage on five occasions, two occurring within the last day. Otherwise most journeys she took were down well-trodden paths, to the neighbour’s house, to the markets, the docks and to work. They were quick journeys all taken on foot and none filled her with the same amount of anxiety as she felt now. She wanted to believe she was being taken home, that this was all a misunderstanding and she would receive a royal apology in due time. She smiled contemplating Chastion apologising for his guards wrongly arresting her, now that would be a sight to behold, she thought to herself.
As the royal carriage wound the corners, it dawned on Aardriyah that she wasn’t being released from the cell, but she was in fact escaping. She wasn’t led out of the prison the way she was taken in, Kit had undone her bindings, not a guard. The escape route was destroyed and vanished into the water below, so as to not leave a hint as to how she broke out of the cave side cell.
Then there was Old Man Teme, his bizarre appearance was one thing, but for the life of her she couldn’t put together how Old Man Teme and Princess Kibo were somehow working together.
“Did Chastion send you?” She asked quietly into the rumbling darkness. Unable to make out the woman she was talking to as the carriage maintained an eerie veil of complete darkness. If it wasn’t for the quietened response, hardly louder than a whisper, she would believe she was alone, perhaps she was dreaming again.
“No.” Came a solitary response.
Aardriyah realised she wasn’t going to get any answers from Princess Kibo, at least not now, so she sat back in her chair and started to ponder the turn of events.
In complete darkness it was easy to let her mind focus on the facts, without visual distractions. Perhaps Chastion had organised the kidnapping to discipline her, now that she was sure he had nothing to do with the current rescue attempt.
No, she thought to herself. Chastion may be many things, but there were several truths that would impact him ever committing such an act. The first was that his loyalty to Sonas and Pateras would prevent him from ever truly hurting or shunning Aardriyah; she knew it grated on him that they loved her so, but it was a truth he couldn’t deny and therefore had to adhere to treating her as an almost equal. The second truth was that his image must be maintained - any slight controversy or indiscretion could end up costing him loyal followers and believers. The Queens had instilled a fear in their children that at any moment the United Water Kingdoms could rebel, therefore Chastion and Kibo had to be held to a higher moral standard to ensure peace and loyalty. The third truth, which was the hardest for Aardriyah to accept, was that Chastion had a good heart and his moral compass was almost perfectly on point. It drove her insane as it usually exerted itself in self-righteous rants and lectures. But it of course
meant that he would never kidnap or entrap an unblessed without a fair trial and solid proof of any wrongdoing.
It couldn’t be Chastion, she decided, which ended up making her angrier given that if he wasn’t responsible for her kidnapping, he should at least be responsible for her escape. Regardless, she moved forward on her list of suspects.
Maybe it was her mother, as it was peculiar that she didn’t seem to be the slightest bit startled when the guards took Aardriyah away. Stella had always been callous and unwavering in the disappointment she held for her middle child, but wouldn’t kidnapping be too far for a mother? It was a question she couldn’t answer. They’d never shared the typical mother - daughter relationship she so longed for with Stella. The little she knew of the woman made her question how far she would go to rid the family of the burden that she always told Aardriyah she was.
“Do you know who -”
Princess Kibo put two fingers directly on Aardriyah’s lips and quietly whispered a shushing noise. Her accuracy at the placement of her fingers in the thick darkness was remarkable and caused Aardriyah to jump at the touch.
“Sorr-” she tried to speak but the Princess repeated the action, hushing Aardriyah into silence.
Resigning herself to silence and darkness, Aardriyah hoped the journey wouldn’t take much longer as her thirst for answers grew with each second that passed. The silence and darkness only allowed her further time to build up a slew of questions she would rattle off to the first person who spoke more than the Princess.
Presently the carriage came to a sharp halt as it neared a large gate of ice spikes. Old Man Teme requested passage for Princess Kibo and her guest to the lodges for the royal staff, and they continued down the steep gravelled path. The staff lodges were underneath the royal lodge and housed the various divisions of staff and servants, both blessed and unblessed. The lodge was carved into the side of a cliff with complex caves and tunnels throughout. Once the carriage came to a halt Princess Kibo, Aardriyah and Kit made their way indoors while Old Man Teme parked.
Several staff bustled about in the early hours as they were finishing their shifts and waking up others to begin the changeover. Aardriyah noticed it was predominantly fire blessed who were up at this hour, needing to constantly heat the royal lodge in this unusual cold had to be tasking on them. The staff all wore the same uniform, a long sleeved, loose fitting, white tunic was tucked into long navy pants or a skirt, depending on what the servant felt best suited their tasks. A navy vest with silver buttons and intricate silver embroidery spread across the back with the flag of the United Water Kingdoms. The only clear difference between the blessed staff and non-blessed servants were simple velvet chokers around their necks, a different colour for each of the elements and a glowing crystal affixed in the centre. Fire blessed wore red, water wore blue, earth blessed wore green, air blessed wore yellow and the unblessed, black. Black of course because there was nothing colourful or exuberant about being an unblessed servant.
Princess Kibo walked through the servant’s chambers and several stopped, mouths aghast to see her in their quarters without any guards. Aardriyah and Kit followed the princess towards a door at the end of the long-curved cave halls. The Princess opened the door with a small silver key and stepped inside.
The moment Aardriyah was inside, a tall man with short white hair rushed to her and embraced her tightly.
“Thank Undina you’re safe!” Chastion breathed out, kissing his little sister on the forehead before taking a step back to inspect her for any signs of assault. Normally, Aardriyah would have fought off this affection, asked her brother what was wrong with him or simply walked away. But tonight, she needed the warm embrace of someone she knew to shake off the growing fear creeping in.
“I am.” Was all that Aardriyah could manage to get out, though she wasn’t sure if it was a statement or question, still desperately needing answers. Noticing a small jug of water on a bedside table, she rushed towards it and poured herself a much-needed drink. Old Man Teme entered the room, addressing both Chastion and Kibo with a mandatory bow before bending down to scruff Kit’s neck. After several sips of water, Aardriyah finally felt her thirst was somewhat quenched and she was able to focus on piecing together the past few days.
“Where is Sonas? Is Pateras …” She couldn’t bear to finish that sentence, fearing that if she spoke the words they would manifest into reality.
“They are both fine, shaken, but fine. They are at home and well protected, as I have stationed several guards around the house.” Aardriyah spat out the water she had just sipped,
“What? How is that a smart idea? Your damn guards are the ones who cau-” she was cut off by Old Man Teme who stepped in between the siblings. He placed his arms on Aardriyah’s shoulders and looked into her eyes,
“They are safe. I promise.” He solemnly spoke. Aardriyah took a breath and mumbled,
“Are you sure?”
“Yes” Chastion and Old Man Teme spoke in unison. Old Man Teme stood aside, trusting Aardriyah wouldn’t harm Chastion regardless of the simmering temper beneath her surface.
“But the guards, your guards, they slammed Pateras to the ground - they took me to a” she struggled to find words dark enough to describe the cell in the mountain she had just escaped from.
“To a… to that… place! How can you trust them? How do you know they won’t kidnap Pateras or Sonas next time? How can you choose them to protect our family?” The words spewed out of her mouth at an increasingly angered tone and pace.
“Those guards weren’t mine!” Chastion roared in response. “Why would I put Pateras and Sonas through that?” He questioned, hurt by the implication in Aardriyah’s words.
With this, Aardriyah decided to pour another glass of water and break from her brothers stare. It bothered her that the guards wore the United Water Kingdoms sigil on their breastplate.
“If they’re not yours, then whose are they?” She glanced over to Princess Kibo sitting quietly on a small chair near the door. The princess said nothing and simply watched the scene unfolding before her, while Kit curled up at her feet. Chastion sighed, placing a hand on his forehead and responded,
“They are of the United Water Kingdom Royal Guard, but they weren’t acting on royal orders.”
“Great! You don’t even have control over your own guards!” She put the glass down and moved towards the door,
“You can’t leave.” Princess Kibo finally spoke in a soft tone.
“I need to get Sonas and Pateras away from those guards!” She exclaimed as she placed a hand on the doorknob, turning it to the right. The door, however, didn’t open. Instead, a trail of frost and ice covered the knob and worked its way up Aardriyah’s arm, freezing all in place.
“Stop it!” She yelled at Princess Kibo, who wasn’t even looking at her now.
“Not until you agree to listen Aardy.” Prince Chastion said. Aardriyah put her left arm upon her right, trying to pull it free of the ice contraption. She tried to use her leg, to kick the door but each new attempt was pointless as Princess Kibo was the only one able to free her and she clearly didn’t have any intention of doing so.
“You don’t need to worry about the guards, Aardriyah. They will not bother your family.” Old Man Teme explained,
“You are the one they are after and I fear if we let you leave, they will hunt you down again, but this time they won’t allow time for us to find you.”
The ice suddenly broke turning into a wet puddle on the ground. Aardriyah suddenly fell into the puddle as she was released from the contraption she was furiously trying to free herself from. She panted on the ground, exhausted from her efforts and took a moment to understand what Old Man Teme had just said. It didn’t make sense, there was nothing she could offer the world either good or evil that could warrant a kidnapping attempt. She was unblessed and therefore unworthy of any attention; she knew this because her mother had told her each and every day since she could re
member. Then when her mother left, Aardriyah continued to tell herself to ensure she remembered where she stood in this world, now and for the rest of her pathetic life.
“But I haven’t done anything.” She quietly responded, keeping her eyes down towards the puddle of water.
“Perhaps.” Said Old Man Teme, “Perhaps you haven’t done anything that you are aware of. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t done.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Said Aardriyah dryly, rolling her eyes and glaring up into his.
Princess Kibo stood and reached two porcelain hands to the wreck of a girl on the floor. Aardriyah hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether the princess who had her just frozen in place was offering a hand of helping or a hand of harming. She took the risk and grabbed them, raising herself from the wet floor. The room was small and contained only the necessities, two single beds accompanied by one bedside table between them, a small table with two chairs and an inkwell and quill upon it. Aardriyah decided to sit upon one of the beds, her rear definitely needed a softer place to rest given the time she had spent on the hard cell floor for Undina knows how long. Chastion placed himself upon the bed across from her and carefully watched over Aardriyah who was wearing her usual scowl and annoyed expression.
