"I guess that makes sense?" She wasn't entirely sure he was sane. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"Why are you afraid, Alikos?" Jaklyn asked her guard.
"I'm afraid for the same reasons. Battles result in death, and I know many men that will fight in them." Right. How selfish of me. He'll actually be losing friends in battle. "I fear that whoever wins control of the nation will make bad choices regarding our rule."
"True. Rulers don't make choices based on what's best for everyone."
He laughed. "They don't. Minndi, though... It's as if she learned things from a different book than everyone else. Which she might have, actually, depending on where that mysterious place is."
"Yeah..." Jaklyn could feel he was holding back on something. "What else are you afraid of? There's more."
"I don't want to tell you that." He glanced at her. "You could just read it, though."
"I won't. Not intentionally, at least... Not if it's personal and you've asked me not to. Sorry," she added, blushing.
"It's fine. I just do not think that now is the time for my other fears to be discussed. It might be inappropriate, in fact." He was lying, but his intentions were not bad. Jaklyn fought the urge to go against her word to read what his fear was.
"Alright." She attempted a smile.
It worked well enough to make him smile back. "Try not to be too afraid, okay? I promise that I will do my best to keep you safe."
"That not what I'm concerned about."
"That's all you need to be concerned about, though. You'll go mad if you concern yourself with everyone's issues and I like the way you are when sane."
"What about your sanity?"
"It's holding up, but it won't be if I think you're terrified of everything." He sat down by her again. "Aren't you tired? Maybe you should go to sleep."
I don't want to be alone. But that wasn't the proper thing to say. "I am, but..."
"But what?"
"I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I tried."
"Ah." He was debating something in his head. She had no idea what it was.
"I'll try, though. Good night, Alikos."
"Lyn?"
"Yes?"
"Don't be afraid," he said, following her to the door. "Even if it was you and me against the world, we'd be okay. Trust me."
"I don't know if I can." She turned, and his chest was mere inches from her face. She looked up, into his eyes, as she said, "I can't help but be afraid," and something in his expression showed her that he couldn't help but be afraid, either.
She yawned, and in her exhaustion she felt his hand graze the side of her cheek, and in his grogginess, he registered the tears his motion had wiped away. And in his half-awake state, he leaned over to brush his lips against hers. And in her half-awake state, she let him.
With only a dim understanding of what had transpired, she pushed her heavy feet back down the hallway to her room, and once more, she laid down to rest.
She didn't sleep.
Chapter 9
Jaklyn forced herself to the kitchen the next morning. She could feel the bags under her eyes.
Through the clouds over her pupils, she could tell her guardian wasn't much better rested. He poured two cups of a warm liquid and handed her one. She didn't bother considering the possibility of refusing.
Her exhaustion didn't even let her flinch at the burnt tongue the liquid gave her. She was just relieved that she was getting somewhere that resembled "awake."
"Is there something... in this?" she asked.
"It's enchanted, yeah. I figured now was an excellent time to make use of such a substance.”
Jaklyn nodded, sipping from her cup. "Thank you."
"Any time." He glanced at the clock. "We probably should let Minndi know you haven't been murdered overnight or anything."
"Already handled," said Arro, entering the room. This already? I don't want to deal with him this early, Jaklyn thought. He continued, "Minndi still thinks you'll die as soon as you leave the building, though, so she's not letting you move."
"Are you kidding me?" she groaned.
"Nope."
"Great."
"It's not that big of a deal," Alikos tried to convince her, "there's plenty we can do here."
She raised her eyebrow. "What would you like to do, then?" She tried to be cooperative, but wasn't sure whether there was an innuendo in his statement.
"Okay, fine. There isn't really anything to do here."
She laughed. "It seems to me," she mused, laying her head on her arms, "that this whole guardianship thing is a lot of getting orders to do absolutely nothing. Hey, Arro, did Minndi mention if or when she would speak to us about the situation?"
"Yes," he said, frustrated. She couldn't imagine why. "The empress said that she would come by here when she was finished fighting for the day."
"Thank you." Her complete respect seemed to make him even angrier. She enjoyed it a little more than she thought she should.
"I'm going to go keep Eryx company. I'll keep you informed." Jaklyn noticed he spoke to Alikos exclusively. She bit her tongue so that she didn't scream something after him as he left.
"Someone's bitter that he can't fight anymore," her guardian muttered loud enough for only her to hear. She burst out laughing.
"Probably shouldn't mock someone with that much experience and connection," she whispered back.
"I figure that I have as much connection as I need. After all, you're going to determine the outcome of the war, right?"
"Ugh. Not this before lunch."
He just smiled and turned to make the next meal.
Wait a minute.
"So... wait. My life will determine the outcome of the war?"
"So says the prophecy."
"Does it mean the actions I take will, or my life itself will?"
"Your guess is as good as any."
"Maybe I should do something to help the fight then."
He turned to look her in the eyes. "No."
"I'm just... suggesting..."
"No."
"I was going to ask you to talk to Minndi about it first," she mumbled.
There was a knock on the door. Alikos looked at her, but she shook her head. She wanted to see what was going on this time. Eryx cracked it open.
"Hello. Who comes?"
"Your empress. Get the fuck out of the doorway." A flash of red hair put Minndi in full view, tired and sweaty from the looks of her uniform. Alikos went to make another round of magicked tea.
"How is the battle going?"
"It's hard to tell. There's way too much trickery, way too many people who wear similar uniforms on both sides. We think we're coming off better at the moment." Jaklyn could hear the distaste Minndi had toward uncertainty. The empress stumbled and caught herself on the table.
"Would you like me to make up a bed for you?" Alikos asked.
"No, have Eryx do it. Eryx?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed, and Minndi didn't bother cringing.
"Alikos. Arro. Jaklyn. I have something to tell you. The enemy keeps looking for something. I've heard one or two of them mention a prophecy. Now, I don't know if this means they've found something in the Records of the Foretold that we don't know about, or..." She looked at the two soldiers meaningfully.
"Look, Minndi, I know about the damn prophecy." Jaklyn interrupted.
Arro stared. Minndi froze. Alikos put his arm around her and pulled her tighter in what seemed like a flagrant flaunting of the rules.
Jaklyn continued, “So, if you'd just talk about the thing in front of me, I'd be much obliged."
"How dare you." Her mouth got smaller and smaller, whiter and whiter in anger. "Did you tell her about it?" she accused Alikos.
"No, Your Majesty, I did not."
"Did he, Jaklyn?"
"No, Your Majesty, he did not."
"Then how the hell do you know about it?"
Minndi's head was cycling through the different peop
le she'd told about the prophecy. Jaklyn picked a name out from the group.
"Ezra told me, actually."
"I see. Well, then, you know my motivations behind ensuring your safety, and you'll understand that, if the enemy might know about your role, caution is even more important. We need to be more careful just in case."
"Are you seriously telling me we need even more people guarding this girl? We have three guards on it already—"
"Yes, I'm sure, Arro."
Jaklyn swallowed her anger. She wasn't sure who she directed it toward at this point.
Minndi's eyes scorched the oldest guard. "Any more well-meaning questions?"
Good to see I'm not the only one with venom right now, I guess. Jaklyn thought.
"No, Your Highness."
"Excellent."
"I have a small question..." Jaklyn bit her lip.
Minndi almost yelled. "Yes?"
"How would they have found out? I thought there'd only be a few people who knew about it…?"
"I really don't know. Clearly, no one around here can keep a secret." Her eyes flickered between the two soldiers and Jaklyn. She still didn't believe Ezra had let her down. "I'm going to sleep for awhile. Be careful. Get me if you need me. Don't be idiots."
"Thank you, Minndi."
The empress barely nodded before going upstairs to find the bed.
Hours passed. Alikos and Jaklyn played cards to pass the time, but they realized their efforts were failing when they both stared at their hands for five minutes straight without actually registering what was on them. Arro and Eryx were very good at their jobs; they showed no signs of boredom despite that Jaklyn could feel it within their heads. Minndi didn't emerge from the bed she had fallen into for a long time, and when she did, it was only to drink some warm tea and lay down once more. Arro cooked, trying to hum away his anxiety without avail. The soldiers by the door finally gave up their posts at the promise of actual food, and the four gathered around the table to share a silent meal.
This is ridiculous, Jaklyn could feel Arro thinking, There's no point to this. We're wasting our time.
Despite her irritation with him, Jaklyn couldn't shake the feeling that he was right. There wasn't a point to it as far as she could tell; no one was coming after her, and she wasn't accomplishing anything with her time.
See, she mused in her boredom, I can't be the Object. Not if I'm not actually doing anything that affects the war.
Night came. She was thankful for the excuse to go to bed even if she wouldn't be able to sleep. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with the sideways glances and constant watch put on by her guardian and the empress, once Minndi finally awoke.
Meanwhile, the battle continued forth. Days later, those at the Phoenix estate were showing their irritation with their confinement. Minndi stopped in only to rest, or so she said. Jaklyn knew that it was also to make sure she, "the Object," hadn't tried to escape. It was unnerving her.
"Is there any way we can take a walk outside or something?" she asked one day in frustration. "I need to know the sun still exists."
Minndi pursed her lips. "I... suppose that would be alright," she said slowly, her expression saying the extreme opposite. "You must go with Alikos, Eryx and Arro must follow at a distance, and you must be back within these walls before dark."
"Thank you."
"Mhm," she said, absorbed in a letter.
Jaklyn turned her back to the Empress before she could change her mind and went to find Alikos. She grazed over the details of the exchange, noting that his face lit up slightly when he realized he'd be able to go outside for awhile.
"Did you want to go anywhere in particular?" he asked Jaklyn, a slight amount of confusion behind the excitement.
"Not really," she admitted. "I just want to get out. There's too much tension in here."
He nodded. "There is. Let's go."
Alikos decided on the direction of their walk after checking with Minndi on where the battle was taking place. For once, his overprotectiveness made Jaklyn grateful; she didn't want to see men fighting to the death if she could avoid it. They struggled to find an area where signs of the war had not yet reached. The entire town seemed to be responding to the battle.
As they walked the streets of the slums, Jaklyn noticed with shame that the people of her class were thriving from the chaos. Small children sold goods stolen from corpses, and women in negligible amounts of clothing offered men a vacation from the fight. Nausea threatened to overcome her, and she forced herself not to consider which she would have been had the fighting come before her attack.
Then again, she considered, it's not like the nobles ever cared what it cost us if they came off successful.
A hand pulled at her skirts, wrinkled and frail. "Please, ma'am... I haven't had a decent bite in weeks..."
Jaklyn bit her lip and shook her head, then tore her eyes away.
Another person looked at her from a distance away. Her hair was a brown, lighter than Jaklyn's but with the same texture. Her shoes heightened her figure, and her legs were on display to the world. In her eyes, however, there was a certain yearning and determination. She was doing what she had to do.
Jaklyn wanted to ask her "why," to find out what her life was like and what she needed the money for. But Alikos had noticed her discomfort; his hand held her arm, and he was escorting her through the masses as quickly as he could manage. It left her with nothing but a trembling lip and, though she didn't register it until later, tears. Tears that she really did not want to explain to her guardian.
"What's wrong?" he asked, unaware of this. She shook her head. "What is it, Jaklyn?"
She wanted to believe him. He put on a mask of such sincerity.
But they were in the slums. Where she belonged was obvious when she was in the world she had grown up in. Though Alikos had tried, the lines were no longer blurred. They were strikingly clear, and she would not cross them.
"Lyn?"
The tears flowed more freely now.
"Did you know someone we saw?" His eyes were almost pleading for her to tell him now. "Did you want to help someone?"
She inhaled, realizing that there was no way she was going to be able to continue her silence.
"No, I didn't see anyone I know. One girl—woman—reminded me of someone I once knew. Well, and I have other problems too, I guess. But those don't matter," she rambled. Alikos wasn't shifting his gaze from her eyes. "Look, none of it matters. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Let's go."
He didn't budge. "Who did the girl remind you of?"
"My sister."
"You have a sister."
"I had one."
He paused. "'Had?'"
"She died." Jaklyn forced herself to look into his eyes to convey another meaning behind her words.
This got him to look away from her for a moment in contemplation. When he looked back and spoke, it was measured.
He nodded. "I'm sorry."
"What, were you a customer?"
"No, of course not."
"Then you didn't do anything. You don't need to apologize. It happens to someone every day here. She wasn't a special case."
"Were you very close to her?"
She shook her head. "I barely saw her. She worked a lot, and she died at a young age."
"That's common?"
"I don't know. You're going to keep prying for information until you get the entire story, aren't you?" Alikos nodded. Jaklyn sighed. "People don't talk about those things, but it was hard for me not to notice my sister's habits after awhile. See... she didn't like where she was in life. She didn't realize how badly she wanted to get ahead until it was too late. She didn't have a chance. But she decided that she wanted me to have that chance, so she took a job so that she could pay for me to go to school. Minndi's parents put us through a lot of problems, but they gave us that chance. Most of us just can't pay for it.
"Anyway, she got the money. She enrolled me in classes and started taking me to school. Fat
her didn't care that I was gone from the house. He probably thought that I was just playing on the streets or something.
"One day, my sister and my father were arguing about something. I don't remember how it came up, but I remember him yelling at her, 'You're wasting your money!' She yelled at him about something, and then he hit her. She had a bruise on her arm for a long time, and after that she was gone both during the day and at night. Father stocked a larger supply of mead, which I guess to him was a better use of the money. But I didn't have to stop going to school. I didn't put the pieces together until much later on. She eventually died from something she caught, but she had stashed away enough money to pay my way through most of school beforehand. Any questions, now that I've sufficiently bored you?"
He was deep in his thoughts. "No questions, no boredom."
"You know, you don't have to be a gentleman to lower-class people. No one would think poorly of you."
"I'm not going to be mean to you."
"It's not that you're not mean, it's that you're nice." She shrugged. "It's weird to be with a noble who doesn't talk down to me."
"I know some do..."
"Nearly all do, Alikos.”
Half of his mouth lifted in a smile. "There's your answer. Nearly all is less than all, so I'm in the nearly none that respects you." He noticed the lines the tears had made on her cheeks again. "However, I think that we should leave this area of town as it is obviously not helping your stress levels."
"Not really, no."
With that, he placed his arm around her and steered her back toward safety from assassins and heartbreaking nostalgia.
"Where the HELL have you been and WHY did you take so long? How dare you in such a time of war? You idiotic subjects. Where are Arro and Eryx? Why are they so far behind you? ERYX! ARRO!" Minndi screamed as soon as they returned to the estate.
Jaklyn cringed. Minndi shot her a look and raised a hand as if to hit her. Jaklyn felt Alikos's hand on her arm when the empress turned away. She took an instinctive step away from him. Now was not the time.
Arro and Eryx entered. Eryx was shaking. Alikos was confused and wordless. It was Arro who spoke.
"What are you concerned about, Minndi, Your Highness?"
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