She found something to wear, grabbed her journal, and left, slamming the door behind her. She walked to the garden and sat down on the bench. She spent the rest of the day writing.
Chapter 16
At dinner, she stayed quiet, not even bothering to try and make conversation with him. He ate silently beside her.
She left right after she was done, going to their room. She figured she would have a little time to snoop before he came up. But when she tried to open the drawer at his desk, it was locked. That only made her more suspicious.
She put on the nightgown she had worn the night before and crawled into bed. As soon as she'd brought the covers up, he came inside.
He went to the bathroom, and she tried not to look at him as he made his way to the bed, shirtless again. Thankfully, he had pants on.
She was on her side, but she could feel the bed shifting under his weight as he laid down on his back. She could hear him reaching for something. Curiosity got the best of her, and she turned to find him reading a book. He was leaning against the headboard, the book in his lap.
"What are you reading," she asked.
"A book," he said. "I assume you had those?"
God, he is so fucking infuriating.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did. I know it's a book, asshole. What is it?"
He lifted it so that she could see the cover, Greek Mythology.
"Oh," she said, turning back around.
It wasn't late; she wasn't sleepy or tired. But she didn't really want to get up either. She kind of wished that he would leave. But she doubted that he would even if she'd had the nerve to ask.
"Why is that sword hanging there? Above the bed," she asked, not turning over.
"It's an important sword," he said.
"Do you have to act like that? Do you have to be such a smartass?"
"But I am. Smart, I mean," he said, smirking at her.
She sighed. "Forget it."
"Okay, okay. I apologize," he said, closing the book. "The sword is hanging above us because it really is an important sword. I used it before I was crowned the king."
"Used it? For what?"
"To kill the former king."
"What?"
"I used that sword to kill the man that was king before me," he said.
"Why?"
"That's a long story," he said.
"You've already said that. And last time you said you'd tell me. So tell me. Unless you have something better to do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He sighed. And to her surprise, he closed the book and put it beside him. He turned to face her, lying on his side. He rested his head on his right hand and began talking.
"I wasn't the king's son. I was...I was a bastard. My mother had me before she married the king. With who? I'm not sure. The king didn't even know I existed," he said.
"The king before me...he was a cruel man. Unjust. Evil, some might say. That's why people talk about this place the way they do. He and his men were banished from the Terra lands long ago. They were sent here. But they were resourceful and resilient. They lived off of the land and steadily built this place."
Aria turned to face him, lying on her side. Just as he was.
"They raided other lands. They took whatever they wanted. Most of the time, they brought people back with them. Slaves. That's how this place is populated. My mother was one of the women that had been taken. She became one of the servants in this very palace. She'd already been pregnant then. Somehow, she kept it a secret and had me. A few days later, she'd paid someone to take me to a village, as far from the palace as possible—a poor place. One the king rarely ever visited. They'd had an orphanage there. There weren't many of us. But that's where I grew up."
Aria stayed quiet. Completely swept up in the history of his life.
"My mother, she was strong. And incredibly beautiful. The king became so obsessed with her that she was forced to marry him. She came to visit me when she could. When she was crowned queen, she obviously had more power, more money. More to give. So she'd come by every couple of months. She pretended that she had a soft spot for the orphanage. And maybe she did. But I figured it was because that was the only way to explain why she kept coming back."
He took a moment to gather his thoughts and then continued talking.
"The king...he really was an awful man. And not only because he sent his warriors to other lands to pillage and steal and do much, much worse. But he was no better to his own subjects. Any crime, no matter how small, was punishable by death. But sometimes he'd order other things.”
He winced at the memory.
“One time, one of the boys in the orphanage was caught stealing. It was just a loaf of bread. They cut both of his hands off."
Aria shuddered.
"He treated my mother terribly. Beat her. Raped her. But he did that to almost all of the women in his palace. The first time one of them had fought back, he had her hung in the center of the village, the one right below us. He and his men were cruel for sport. No other reason."
Aria could see the anguish on his face. She couldn’t resist reaching out to clasp his hand, trying to offer some comfort.
"So, I grew up in secret. But when I was six, my mother had Grace. The king was furious. He didn't want any female children. Somehow, my mother convinced him to let Grace live. Probably because she promised that she'd birth him a boy eventually. Grace grew up in the palace. My story was that both of my parents had died at the hands of the king, for treason or something. But it didn't matter. No one really cared. But honestly, I had it better than all of the others.”
He smiled wistfully at that.
“My mother made sure I had enough food to eat, clothes on my back. She secretly paid a woman to teach me to read, to write. When I was eight, she hired a man to teach me to fight. When I was 12, my mother brought Grace to meet me for the first time. She was scared, hesitant, but I already loved her. She reminded me so much of my mother. There was nothing, nothing about her that reminded me of the king."
He smiled, thinking of his sister.
"Anyway, I trained day in and day out. Every single day. My anger at the king and his men and how they treated the rest of us was what fueled me. Eventually, I could beat everyone in my village. Even men who were twice my age," he said.
And it didn't sound like he was bragging. If anything, he sounded sad about it.
"Grace would visit with my mother when she could. But we had to keep our meetings short for fear of being discovered. Each time she came, she begged to stay. More and more. I finally asked her why she wanted to stay at an orphanage when she lived in a palace. And she told me about the things the king did to his servants, to our mother. She told me about how he'd beat her. She was a child, and he was beating her. I think that's what finally pushed me over the edge.”
“When I turned 18, I went from town to town, training. Staying until I could beat every single person there. I went back to my village eventually. By that time, I'd already made friends -or should I say allies- in every single village in this kingdom. I had support. I was making my final preparations, my allies and I would storm the palace, and I would take the throne. A few nights before we were supposed to leave, Grace came to my village. She was only 12, and she'd come all the way from the palace on foot by herself."
He gripped her hand so tightly it bordered on painful before he continued.
"She told me that our mother had given birth to another girl. The king had her and the child killed. Grace ran because she knew she was next. I lost it and killed all the king's guards in my village," he said and paused to study Aria.
She focused on making her face as impassive as possible.
"Anyway, a few days later, we surrounded the palace. The king knew that he was surrounded; there were a lot more of us. But he had stronger men, better weapons. So I challenged him to a sword fight. And he agreed, assuming I would be easily beaten. He was the king, after all," Lex said, a smile playing at his lips.
"And so, we
fought. The king was good, but I was better. I had him on his knees within minutes. Before I killed him, I told him who I was. And then I slit his throat in front of all his men and took the crown."
Aria didn't know what to say. Holy shit.
"Not exactly what you were expecting," Lex asked, smirking at her.
"What happened after that? I mean, did they all just accept you like that," she asked.
"Of course not. Some men were very, very loyal to the old king. But they were just as bad as he was. I had them killed first."
Aria swallowed and looked away.
"When I took the throne and killed the men closest to the king, I gave the others an option. They could stay and serve me, or they could leave. Most of them stayed, at first anyway. Once they realized I was nothing like the previous king, they left. And I made it clear they were to leave this land altogether, or they would pay with their lives. I moved my men into the palace. My people. Grace."
He smiled at the memory.
"I was 18 when I began my reign. The first couple of years weren’t great. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do, how I wanted to rule. But I knew it was the opposite of how the man before me had ruled. I wanted to make this place good. I wanted it to become a safe haven. It’s been 5 years. I'd like to think we've come a long way," he said.
"So that's why you brought us here? Well, that and your curiosity," Aria whispered, laughing lightly.
He nodded.
"Do you regret it," she asked.
"I don't regret anything I've ever done," he said.
Chapter 17
"Is that the best you can do," he asked, hovering above her.
They were in the training area, only a few days after their wedding. They went there when Lex asked her during dinner if she'd gotten any better since the last time they'd fought.
"Wanna find out," she'd snarked back.
Now, after landing on her ass for the fifth time, she regretted it.
"I'm done for the night," she said, trying to control her anger.
"I would be too if I'd ended up on the ground as many times as you have," Lex said, with that stupid fucking smirk on his face.
He hadn't been holding back like he did the first time they fought. This time, he defended and attacked. And every time he got her into an open position, he showed her how he'd kill her—a knife to her heart, a slit across the throat, a sword to her abdomen.
"Fuck you," she said before she could stop herself.
"Maybe later," he said back, licking his bottom lip.
Her mouth fell open.
"I-I didn't...You're a pig," she yelled.
"Is that any way to talk to your husband," he asked, offering a hand to help her up.
She didn't take it. Instead, she got to her feet by herself. She had an idea.
"You're right. I'm sorry," she said, in as sincere of a voice as she could muster.
"W-what," he asked, surprised. "I was just kidding."
"No, you're right. I shouldn't be talking to...my husband...like that," she said, inching closer to him. "And what you said," she began, timidly "about later..." going to walk around him.
His eyes widened a little.
She took the opportunity to kick the back of his knee. He dropped to the ground at the impact. She stood behind him and grabbed his hair with one hand, pulling his head to her stomach.
She moved the other across his neck like she was slitting it with her thumb, just as he had the first night they fought.
"Maybe in your dreams," she whispered and pushed him forward.
She walked around him, ready to leave. But she stopped at the door to take a look at him.
He was still on his knees, looking right at her. His teeth were biting into his bottom lip, and the look in his eyes was dark, dangerous. And he looked so, so fucking turned on that Aria had to look away. Her face and chest felt like they were on fire.
She could feel his eyes on her, watching her walk away.
They'd been married for about two weeks before Aria started getting used to how people were treating her.
Many people had moved out of the palace by then, but a few of them remained. She figured Lex kept the ones he wanted around. Among those who stayed were Martinez, Brent, Peter, Mara, Isla, and Adrian.
"He's an asshole," Aria said one night over dinner. "You could have picked someone nicer in his place."
"He's misunderstood," Lex said. "There's a difference."
Aria rolled her eyes.
The only person who was bitter about living in the village instead of the palace was Ben. He was seeking her out more and more each passing day.
She was in the village with Mara and Ben, who’d insisted on sticking to their sides when he spotted them, one afternoon when she picked up a pretty black nightgown one of the vendors was selling. It wasn't too revealing...but it was sexy. She'd just picked it up to examine it, really, she wasn't considering actually buying it when Ben spoke up.
"Why are you even looking at that," he asked an edge to his voice.
"Shut up, Ben," Mara said. "It isn't any of your business."
Aria glared at him, but he glared right back, not backing down.
"Excuse me," she said, still staring at him. "But I'd like to purchase this."
She handed the merchant a few coins and put the garment in her bag. She didn't plan on wearing it, but she bought it just to see the look on his face.
He shook his head in disgust. "Wow, Aria."
"What?"
"Nothing...I just didn't realize you'd given yourself over to the king," he said like Lex was some sort of monster. "All in the name of our people, though, right?"
"Shut up, Ben. I told you not to talk to me that way," she said, her anger coming through. "You don't know anything."
"Is that so," he asked.
She started to walk away, but he caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
"Or are you forgetting that I could destroy your marriage and this alliance with one sentence? I could get us all sent back," he said.
Her stomach dropped.
"Let her go," Mara yelled, "And back the fuck off!"
"Stay out of this, Mara. It doesn't concern you," he said, but he let go. "What do you think about that, Aria? Maybe I should have a chat with the king tonight?"
Before Aria could say or do anything, Mara punched him. Right there, in the crowded center of the village. Right in the nose.
She didn't wait a second before grabbing Aria's hand and leading her back to the palace.
They made their way back in silence.
"He was just saying that to get to you," Mara said when they went through the front doors. "He isn't stupid enough to actually do it. He knows his life and yours would be on the line."
Aria nodded. Maybe Mara was right. But the fact that he held that over her made her furious. Fuck. She wasn't sure if he would actually tell Lex that she knew about that night with the dagger. But if he did, then Lex would know that Aria had been lying to him for weeks.
And they were barely getting along as it was. Yeah, they'd bonded that night he told her about his life. Yeah, they'd even flirted a bit. But most nights, they went to bed with scowls on their faces, their backs turned to one another.
That night, she thought about what she should do. Maybe she should tell Lex herself. Because if he heard it from her instead of Ben, perhaps he'd be more lenient? But how much more lenient could he be? He'd already forgiven them twice. She wasn't sure that there'd be a third time.
"Can we eat in our room tonight," Aria asked that evening. He was at his desk, and she was sitting on the loveseat in the middle of their room.
"What? Why," he asked, turning to face her.
She hadn't really thought about what she should say.
"I-I kind of feel like trying something new," she said. It was stupid. She knew Lex would never buy it. "I mean, I kind of just don't feel like eating with the crowd tonight."
"Okay then, you can eat here," he said like it
was a dumb request.
"I don't want to be alone," she said.
"So, invite Mara."
She sighed.
"I want us to eat here tonight. Alone. I'm the queen...I thought you said I'd have a say here," she said, hating herself.
"You are the queen. And you do have a say here. But I'm the king, and I don't take commands from anyone. But maybe if you tell me the real reason you want us to eat here, alone, I'll consider it," he said.
"Screw you," she said, angry. "Forget it.”
She felt hopeless. She was upset, and she couldn't even hide it.
He sighed, getting up and making his way towards her. "You really want that?" he asked, sitting down next to her. He picked her feet up and placed them across his lap.
"Yeah," she said.
"Tell me why."
"I-I just feel like I can't really talk to you in there. There, you're the king, and I'm the queen. I-I'd like to have dinner with you, get to know you. As Lex." It was stupid. And embarrassing. But maybe he'd buy it.
"Fine," he said.
She felt so, so guilty. But mostly, she was relieved. If Ben came by, he wouldn't get the opportunity to talk to Lex. Hopefully, by tomorrow night, he'd calm down enough to forget about their argument.
That night, they ate at the table in their front room. They ate in silence for a while. And Aria realized that she should be trying to get to know him if she wanted him to believe that was actually why she wanted them to stay in.
"So, what do you like to do for fun," she asked.
He glanced at her with a confused look in his eyes. She tried not to roll hers.
"Fun?"
"Yeah, you do know what that is, right," she asked, fighting a smile.
“That's funny. Coming from you."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"If anyone doesn't know how to have fun here, it's you."
"And why do you say that?"
"You've been nothing but...somber and serious since you've gotten here. I don't think I've ever actually seen you having fun. You train, you're serious, you talk, you're serious. You go into town; you're serious. Hell, you get drunk, and yet you remain serious."
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