by Lyza Ledo
Chapter 11: Memories
Kohl
We set up in the library. Jayde had been drawn to the photo albums ever since I placed them on the table she barely looked away from them during breakfast. She was itching to peek through them. She sat down on the brown leather sofa placed near one of the many desks in the house. I sat beside her with one of the heavy books on my lap and handed her the other.
“This one is of your father’s childhood and your grandparents.” She nodded and turned to the first page. It was Christoph as an infant, wide eyed in his mother’s arms.
“These pictures are in black and white.” She said confused.
“He was sixty years old when you were born it’s understandable that pictures from the thirties and forties are in black and white.”
“Will any of them be in color?” She asked again.
“This whole album is in color.” I said hoping to make her disappointment subside. She flicked through pages asking questions as she went along mostly about Christoph and my father, and Syrus. As a boy, Syrus and my father had been very close. Christoph had been much younger but had always been around and had grown to be close to our fathers as well. It was something that would help keep the peace in the kingdom for another generation. Only it didn’t help and Syrus broke away from his friends and co-rulers.
Jayde reached the end of the first album that had ended with her father’s crowning as prince and his engagement to Sarah. She grabbed the second album and continued. It started with a royal wedding.
“I look just like her.” She said a little surprised. I nodded in agreement. I didn’t remember much of Sarah, but looking at the pictures with Jayde. I realized she had the same devastatingly beautiful green eyes, the same long waves of dark hair falling down her back, the same mischievous smile that made it so hard to get Jayde out of my thoughts. She was practically her mother’s twin. “This is me?” She asked turning a few pages and seeing a bright eyed new born. Her eyes welled up with tears. “They did love me.”
“Very much. They gave up everything for you, Jayde.” She nodded out of acknowledgement mostly. I don’t think she really believed what I was saying or even heard me. She leaned into me crying silently for a few moments. Unfortunately for us the moment was rudely disrupted. The library door slammed open.
“Am I interrupting something?” Sy said with that same condescending smile he always wore. I was up in an instant walking towards him. How dare he show up in my mansion unannounced? Philip came scurrying in a few seconds later.
“I’m so sorry, Kohl. He…he insisted that he see Lady Jayde and that he had the right to see her now and not wait.” Philip said his head bowed slightly in apology.
“I think you need a new assistant.” Sy said , “One who isn’t so insolent.” I rolled my eyes.
“What do you really want Sy?” I said cutting through his crap and getting to the point of this disruption.
“Like I said I wanted to meet Lady Jayde.” He said with an over formal bow in Jayde’s direction. Jayde stared at him confused.
“I thought I wasn’t meeting you until tomorrow?” She said her voice still hoarse from crying.
“Plans change, love.” Sy said with one of his supposedly disarming smiles. Jayde didn’t seem to be buying it though.
“Your plans may change, but since you did not call I have already planned my day accordingly. So sorry to have wasted your time, Sy, but I have several meetings today and an event to begin planning. If you’d like I can make our meeting tomorrow earlier?”
Sy’s jaw visibly tightened. I wanted to smile at Jayde’s slight jabs at him but that wasn’t in the spirit of rivalry.
“I do hope the journey was not too long and that you have a safe trip back.” She walked forward and extended her hand to Sy. He shook it begrudgingly and then lifted it to his mouth and kissed the top of her hand.
“I look forward to a delightful breakfast with you tomorrow, Lady Jayde.” They smiled amicably at each other and he left quickly after that. Jayde closed the door behind Philip.
“Wow, that was intense.” She said with a sigh of relief. “Does he normally drop by like that?” She asked sitting on the sofa.
“No actually, he’s usually not even allowed in Encante-North, but due to special circumstances, I can see how he was let through the checkpoint.” She nodded in understanding.
“Why did you blow him off?” I asked not really caring how inappropriate it was to ask that question.
She smiled that devious smile of hers. “He reminded me of Antonio, he always wanted me to drop what I was doing to attend to him. I don’t like that and I had plans today. I have to help Isadora with the coronation ball, I have several meetings with advisors today, and a public meeting I can’t be attending to someone that knows our meeting is for tomorrow.” I actually couldn’t help it. I smiled despite seeing Sy and all his theatrics. Jayde was smarter than I could hope and after yesterday she had taken my advice she was putting the kingdom first.
“You already sound like a phenomenal queen.” She blushed at the compliment.
“Thanks,” She muttered and opened the second leather bound book to where she had left off.
“That’s you!” She said staring at a picture of when she was still a baby and I was holding her. “Aw look how chubby your cheeks were.” She teased. Her mood had brightened since Sy’s interruption. We went on for a few more hours and left to our first meeting. It was going to be incredibly dull. I hated military meetings, it almost made me want a finance meeting which I wasn’t very fond of either, but they were both necessary evils.
“These are different people.” She said sitting at the chair beside me not at the long rectangular table.
“These are my top military people. We are going to talk about progress, new plans, and so on.” She nodded about as enthused as I was.
Jayde
Maybe I should have taken Sy up on his offer to ditch my plans. These meetings were intolerable. Half the men were trying not to fall asleep if they weren’t talking. I thought back to finally meeting Sy. He was different than what I had expected, besides being more attractive than I ever would have given him credit for. He didn’t seem as benevolent as Kohl had made him out to be, but he did seem to have a temper. One that he barely held in check when I turned his invitation down.
This was all leaving me even more confused. I had never expected to think twice about Sy. He was supposed to be some pompous jerk that would push me further into Kohl’s arms, wasn’t that the fantasy? When Sy walked into the room I was at a loss for words. His dark hair was tousled in a careless, but controlled manner. A muscular physique that no amount of clothing hid. His jaw was chiseled and square covered in stubble and I was so tempted to touch. His gray eyes showing some challenge, a challenge I wanted to take up. A challenge I would win like I always had. Maybe that was the old Jayde though. The old Jayde liked difficult, hard to tame men that always ran away at the first sign of difficulty. Isn’t that why Antonio was around so long? I was different, my life had changed, did I want to resort to bad, old habits?
“I think you need to end these foolish negotiations now, your majesty before you or someone else is injured.” One of his advisors stated passionately.
“I understand your concern, but our options are limited by what was set into place by my father’s treaty to end the war.”
That treaty again. I knew what it basically said but I think I needed to do more homework on it. I mean it was the document that said I had to marry either Kohl or Sy. It was something I should know like the back of my hand.
I mauled over what Kohl had told me about the treaty. It would effectively end the war with my marriage to one of them. One of the “great” leaders of Encante. It was a lot to ask of an eighteen year old, but here they were asking that question, pressuring me to choose who I thought would better serve the people. Honestly, wasn’t that the only thing that mattered, it really wasn’t about love or even friendship. It was a
bout who would be the better co-ruler. A chill ran through me as I thought of that. I had been looking at this whole situation wrong until Kohl had told me I needed to think like a queen I never even would have considered marriage without love, but now. Now anything was possible, because I had found the mindset he was begging me to find.
The second meeting was a financial meeting that was just as dry as the last. I kept pondering how I would determine if Sy was a good person for the kingdom. I ignored the nagging voice in my head telling me it really doesn’t matter what Sy is like you won’t marry someone you don’t love. It was a losing battle I wouldn’t be able to decide until I actually got to know Sy. Maybe he’d be as wonderful as Kohl. Maybe he was just misunderstood and needed a shoulder to cry on. Maybe he would make it perfectly clear how awful he was and I would have no doubt in my mind that Kohl would rule Encante well. There was a lot of ifs and maybes that I needed to figure out.
Before the third meeting started, I excused myself to help with coronation plans with Isadora. She was in my private living room with a massive white book resting on her lap.
“Oh Lady Jayde I’ve been patiently awaiting your arrival.” She said standing with the massive book. “I went to town and some of the best designers drew up some designs for your coronation gown. I hope you like one.”
“Have you done anything else?” I asked not helping it but smiling at her eagerness to make me the belle of the ball.
“No,” she said a little embarrassed.
“It’s okay, I’m going to look through these sketches and you can talk to the cooks about possible dishes and we can choose a menu today.” She nodded with a wide smile stretching into her freckles and walked away. I opened the book to see some of the most beautiful dresses I’d ever laid my eyes on.
Isadora had left a note on the first page saying: Navy was the typical color of coronation gowns in Encante but another blue could be discussed if I wanted. All the gowns were massive ball gowns that each would weigh ten or fifteen pounds. The drawings were done to my exact measurements which I’m sure Isadora had already acquired by some means I was not aware of. Maybe she had measured in my sleep? No, she wouldn’t do that.
The first one had a tight bodice with thick beaded straps rimmed with stones and a wide, round ball gown bottom. There was lace and frills and jewels everywhere frankly it was a little too much to handle. I flipped through a few more gowns before I had found the one. It was lovely the same tight bodice that nearly every other dress had but it had draping shoulders and instead of being round it was more loose and flowing with a train that contained a ring detailing down the center reminding me of the shoulders. It was quietly beautiful and unique. I loved it.
Isadora came back in a few minutes later with several sheets of paper. “These are the options,” She said placing one sheet on the coffee table in front of me. “These are their suggestions.” She said placing another sheet beside the previous one. “And these are the dishes from Kohl’s coronation, his parents’, and your parents’ coronation.” She said placing another three sheets on the table. I had to admit the woman was thorough.