by M. Dalto
Alex’s jaw dropped slightly, trying to figure if he was poking fun at their current situation, or if history was, indeed, repeating itself.
Apparently, it was the latter.
“Don’t think Reylor was the first to concoct such a plan,” he turned to her. “There’s obviously something in the bloodline.”
“What bloodline is that?”
“Ours,” he said. “Or mine, anyway. The males resume the positions of Crown Prince or Lord Steward, respectively, depending on the order of their birth.”
“And if there’s a daughter born?”
He looked to her at there. “There are never females born to the Empire’s royal line.”
She blinked as she met his stare, wondering if it was a joke. That she heard him correctly. But nothing in his gaze hinted that he was poking fun.
Alex pulled her gaze away first, focusing instead on the desolation before them. “You’d think you’d learn something to keep history from repeating itself.”
“Reylor doesn’t have this manpower.” He nodded back towards the battlefield. “They say it took the Betrayer who caused this years after his banishment to recruit the forces he used, even going so far as to bargain with the mages high in the North Mountains for their servitude. The Empire never saw it coming.”
“Were they Empireborn, the ones who marched to fight here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been beyond the Borderlands to conduct a census on its population, and I’m not about to begin now.”
“Maybe we should think about starting,” she muttered under her breath. Wondering how many of the Empire’s people could have possibly deflected to Reylor’s cause sent a shiver straight through her.
“There was also a legend about the battle ending with the birth of a child,” he continued on as though he didn’t hear her. “But I have no idea how an infant could cease such a bloodbath.”
“Perhaps we’ll have history on our side this time,” she tried to convince herself.
“Let’s instead hope it will never come to this.”
He clicked his tongue and dug his heels into the horse’s flank, quickly turning away from the graveyard. Alex was happy to do the same, nudging her horse into a trot to match Treyan’s.
The rest of their morning's journey was less somber, and quite beautiful. Alex was beginning to feel like the contrast dial in the Empire was cranked all the way to ten—everything seemed more vibrant and colorful than anything she came across in Boston. Every blade of grass seemed to emanate with its own green effervescence, and the sky's blue was deepest cerulean that she had ever seen. When he brought her to an outcropping of forested lands, even the scent of the trees infiltrated her nostrils with such a sweet intensity.
They bantered back and forth in between Treyan's commentary of the flora and fauna surrounding them. He tried his best to compare the animal and plant life to creatures and organisms she would have known back home, and she made mental notes though she knew she would never be able to remember their local names.
It was those names, deriving from a language she’d never known before her arrival, that triggered her mind to realize she had been hearing it the entire time. Only it was Treyan who remained consistent with her, speaking to her in English when it was the two of them, or when he was speaking directly to her. The others around her—they’d been speaking in the foreign tongue of the Empire, and Alex knew every word. Even when she would respond in English, no one seemed confused or offended.
Was there the chance she had been speaking their language as well, and no longer knew the difference between the two?
Such thoughts led her to finally find the time to breach the subject when they stopped for a picnic lunch Treyan packed for them.
“Your language...there's something I've been meaning to ask.”
“What question would that be?” he inquired as he put a piece of bread in his mouth.
“How is it that I know it?”
He chuckled slightly. “Yui sel ilnasrdeln na faseira irrui esa dha Enfsarr.”
She glared at him slightly as she pieced together the flurry of words as fluently as if she had been born speaking it.
You understand it because you are the Empress, he had said.
“Being able to understand a language I've never even heard of, and fluently I might add, has nothing to do with being an Empress!”
“Doesn't it?” he asked, smirking.
“I can't even speak it.”
Treyan shrugged. “Consider it another mark.”
“What kind of mark?” Now it was her turn to perk a brow.
“They say Empresses carry certain marks, tell-tale signs that they're the predestined one. Knowing the language of the Empire is one.”
“And another?”
“Being able to activate the Empress' key is also a huge giveaway.”
She rolled her eyes.
“But honestly,” he said as he leaned over to her. “I knew you were the Empress the moment I saw you.”
“Oh, really?” she smiled, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.
“Really.” He smiled.
“And when was that?”
He coughed slightly on the bread he was chewing and sat up next to her. “It might have been a year or so before we bumped into each other?”
Now it was Alex's turn to choke on her cheese. “A year?”
Treyan shrugged sheepishly, and Alex could have sworn she saw a flush on his cheeks. “Or so.”
“How?”
“It wasn't easy! Boston's a rather large city.”
“No shit.” She laughed, playfully shoving him out of the way. “How did you do it?”
“Starbucks.”
“My job?” she asked incredulously.
“You're an adorable barista.”
She groaned as she reached for an apple out of the basket. “There are way too many Starbucks in Boston.”
“I had almost visited each and every one before I found you.”
“Why?” she asked, incredulous.
“That symbol—the one of the naked woman with two tails. In my dream, it was on you, like a tattoo—very peculiar, I thought, but it effectively remained with me.”
Alex found herself chuckling. “How did you find my Starbucks?”
He smiled slightly as he, too, reached into the basket, taking out a bottle of wine that was hiding at the bottom of the basket. “Chance. And the desire for a strong cup of coffee.”
She perked a brow.
“You see, other than the obvious differences between the Empire and your Boston, there is one thing the Otherrealm can provide that the Empire cannot.”
“And what’s that?” Alex asked carefully.
Treyan took a swig of the wine from the bottle before handing it to her. “There is no coffee in the Empire.”
“None?” she asked, the shock evident on her face as she took the bottle from Treyan and sipped the wine herself.
“None.”
“How did you come to find it?”
“Happenstance, I suppose. The adjustment period between the two realms was difficult at first, but the magic of caffeine was more powerful than any magic I had learned in the Empire. Starbucks became part of my daily ritual.”
“So, in the end, it was a mutual appreciation of coffee that's brought us together?” She couldn't help but smile.
“It would seem so.” He took the bottle of wine, held it up to salute her, and took a swig. “The day I found you was like none other, though. I don't even think I remembered my coffee that day.”
“Tell me.” She brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Leaning her chin on her knees, she prepared to listen to his story.
He looked at her for a minute, then chuckled uneasily again, taking his hair out of its leather wrap and running his hands through it.
“There's really not much to tell. I happened upon your store one morning in my non-stop search, and it wasn't until I had placed my order that I
realized she was right there, in front of me.”
“How did you know it was me?”
“Your laugh.” He finally looked at her, his blue eyes reflecting the light of the suns above them. “The moment I heard it, I just knew, and I completely lost myself. I didn't know what to do. You didn't see me—you were behind the barista bar, but I saw you. I felt as though my heart was going to stop right there. So, I left.”
She bit her lip, watching him. She tried to remember back, but there had been so much traffic, day in and day out, that the chances of her remembering the day Treyan spoke of was a million to none.
“Did you ever come back?”
He shook his head, letting out a breath. “Never. Maybe that's why it took me so long to approach you. The instant connection I felt the moment I saw you...” He shook his head again. “It was unreal. I wasn't ready for it.”
“Now maybe you know how I felt when you first brought me here?” She smiled slightly.
He looked at her for a moment, as though contemplating what she had said. “How do you feel now?”
Now it was her turn to contemplate before answering. How did she feel? So much happened so fast that she didn't have the time to actually consider the weight of the question he posed.
“I guess I don't really know.”
“Oh.” He looked down, brows creasing as if he was suddenly suffering from a great discomfort.
“Oh, no—not like that!” she reassured him quickly as she reached over to hold his hand. “I suppose I should say I'm okay. Good, actually. But maybe because I just hadn't thought about anything else otherwise.”
“So, think about it now,” he offered, handing her the bottle of wine as he sat back.
She took the bottle gratefully, using the large sip as a delay of the inevitable. She found that she didn't want to think about the life she left behind, or the people she could be missing, because it would make her consider everything she's lost, and may never see again.
The look on her face must have made her inner turmoil obvious, for now it was Treyan who took her hand in his. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...”
Alex shook her head. “No, don't...it's just...” She looked to him. “Can we ever go back?”
“I don't know.”
She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.
“It would be dangerous,” he tried to explain. “Traveling by Key is never guaranteed. The creation of a Key is time-consuming, and the materials are hard to come by. Not to mention, I don't know if the Councillor would ever allow us to leave, especially together.”
“But it's possible?” She didn't mean to sound as hopeful as she came across, and she could tell Treyan was having a difficult time with the conversation himself.
“I suppose.” He sighed. “But I hope you wouldn't consider leaving without telling me, especially with the coronation on the way, and you won't be in any condition to travel soon anyway...” he trailed off.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He brushed the air as though swatting a fly.
She looked at him for a moment, trying to decide her next move, placed the wine bottle aside and knelt next to him, placing her hands on his cheeks to make sure she had his undivided attention.
“I'm just asking questions. I'm not going anywhere. And I definitely won't go anywhere without you.” She placed a kiss on his lips, and he returned the kiss, smiling though it seemed there was still a hint of sadness behind it.
“Good. Let's clear this up now so we can continue on our travels.” Alex let the conversation about a return to Boston end there.
At least for the moment.
15
On the other side of the forest grove rested a village, but by the time they arrived the suns had already begun their descent over the horizon. Treyan informed Alex this was the closest village to the palace, for no homestead wanted to rebuild near the desolate battlefield from centuries ago, and for security reasons, it was also where his guards and rangers lived with their families.
“It would be rude to travel this close and not proceed without the proper introductions.” He smiled as he opened the door to a small cottage at the center of the village.
He introduced her to Jamison, the Captain of his guard and his right hand on all other matters, and to his wife, Mallia, who, Alex discovered, would be her Mistress, one of the personal handmaidens assigned to the Queen Empress once the coronation took place. Finally meeting people other than the inhabitants of the palace made things very real, and she began to feel anxiety of the unknown gnawing away at her stomach. Was there a certain way she was supposed to act, knowing that she was the Queen Empress the Empire had been waiting for?
“You mean to tell me my invisible servants will finally have names?” Alex mused to Treyan as she took a seat at the small table they had in the center of their cottage.
Mallia scoffed and looked to Treyan. “You better make sure they’re taking care of her until I get there.”
Treyan chuckled at the idle threat, but Alex’s attention remained on her soon-to-be Mistress, and because their hosts seemed anything but formal, she asked, “Why is it you aren’t at the palace now? Aren’t there others who already live there?”
“Because our Crown Prince has it set in his head that those who work for him have the choice of where they want to live their lives,” Jamison added as he added a few more logs to the fire. “And doesn’t consider his own safety in that selfish decision.”
“The fact that you just brought a child into the world has nothing to do with it, I’m sure,” the Prince countered.
Alex’s eyes lit up. “You’ve just had a baby?”
Mallia gave her a broad smile. “A boy. He’s sleeping in the other room.”
“The last thing the Crown Prince needs is a newborn interrupting his beauty sleep.” Jamison snorted. “At least, not yet anyway.”
Treyan tossed an apple from the basket at the center of the table towards his Captain’s head with a groan, and Jamison caught it with a hearty laugh.
Perhaps things with Jamison and Mallia didn’t need to be so formal after all.
They were invited to remain for dinner, but Treyan insisted that they leave as soon as possible. As he spoke, Alex could see a storm front begin to overtake the day's remaining sunlight, and she began to think leaving sooner rather than later might be the better idea.
They did, however, stay long enough to enjoy a beverage. Or two. Alex couldn't tell if it was beer or cider, but the alcohol content was high, and it kept her warm. All the better, she surmised as she and Treyan began to say their goodbyes, for the weather had turned darker, and rain was beginning to fall as they saddled their horses for the return trip to the palace.
"If we're lucky, we'll be able to get back before the worst of it," Treyan informed her as he mounted his mare, looking up at the darkening sky. "We don't get rain much, but when we do, it's like we're making up for what we don't get."
"Wonderful," Alex muttered as she, too, climbed into her saddle. The idea of riding in the pouring rain was less than ideal—riding while intoxicated in the rain was going to be next to impossible.
She discovered the same as they began to make their way back towards the palace, when the skies opened, and the terrain grew too dangerous for them and the horses both.
“Going around won’t be an option,” Treyan informed her as he jumped down from his horse, moving to assist her in doing the same. “It will take us double the time, and that’s not something I want to do in the middle of the storm.”
Better to be pulled along then knocked off, she supposed as she allowed him the help he offered, his strong hands wrapping around her waist as he helped her out of the saddle. They decided they would be best to walk the horses through the nearest wooded area and attempt to search for cover to wait out the storm, or for the night, whichever came first.
No sooner did they disappear beneath the copse of trees than did a clap of thunder sound with a simultaneous flash of lightning, st
artling her and her horse both. The rain had moistened her grip, and the distraction from the thunderclap was enough for the horse to shake loose his rains and take off deeper into the woods. Alex yelled after him, calling his name but to no avail, and Treyan had a hand on her arm before she could give chase.
“The horse will find his way back, and probably faster than us,” he assured her over the gusting winds. “Let's keep moving.”
Moving was slow-going, and by the time they returned to where they had their lunch, the woodlands were becoming marshes, with the water level rising above Alex's ankles. She had pulled her hood up, but it was no use—the rain was blowing in from all directions and she was soaked to the bone. Treyan was not much better off, his hair pulling from its ponytail and whipping him in the face.
“We have to find shelter, and soon,” he yelled to her. “We can't stay out in this much longer.”
“What, out here?” she asked, the strong wind carrying her words away. The heavy rain was already flooding the ground beneath them- where did he think they would be able to go?
“Trust me, I know a place,” he informed her with a wink, and nodded for her to follow.
Together they trudged through the slick mud and unrelenting rain until they approached a cliff side. By that time, Alex’s shirt had plastered itself to her chest, her travel cloak useless against the downpour. The water running through her hair and down her back was too similar to the waterfall created by the excessive rain along the rocky face before them. From where she stood, looking up seemed to be a bad idea as she craned her neck, attempting to find the peak. But between the pelting rain and low-lying clouds, visibility was too poor to discern any details.
While she examined their surroundings, Treyan unhitched the saddlebags from his mare, and before Alex could ask him what he was doing, he smacked the horse in the hindquarters, sending her off on her own into the woods.
Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped at the outcome of his actions, but when he turned to her, adjusting the bags on his shoulder, he only smiled. "I told you to trust me. Let's go." And he began walking ahead of her, up a washed-out path that led along the side of the hill before them.