by Eboni Dunbar
When Akil and the King, Omar, made their way into the room, Aaliyah couldn’t help but stare. They were so much alike in their features that she felt like she was watching herself, though his movements were more graceful than her own. Akil sat beside the King and poured him first iced tea and then wine. He made the King a small plate of food, poured himself some tea and sat back on the sofa. He looked at Aaliyah and then at Mercy.
“What happened, Mercedes? Something must have, for you to prompt this reunion.” Akil sipped his tea. “Odessa has named Aaliyah a traitor.” The King’s gaze was appraising as he took her measure. “And are you a traitor?”
“If asking why my sister abandoned her promises makes me a traitor, then yes,” Aaliyah said.
“That doesn’t seem treasonous to me,” Akil said quietly. The King put a hand on the back of his neck.
“You met that girl, habibi. Paranoid and power hungry. But she told me you were one of her greatest assets. The Champion of Titus. Conqueror of the Southern lands.” The King returned his attention to Aaliyah. “So she called you a traitor and you came running to Galavera. Did you seek to find your father’s favor? To move my hand by your blood bond? Are you just as power hungry as your sister?”
“I didn’t even know he was here.” Aaliyah met Akil’s eye and he squirmed in his seat. He looked down into his tea cup.
Mercy cleared her throat. “I brought her here without telling her what we would find. I thought you might back her in a play to be Queen, your Majesty,.”
The King laughed. “Odessa is quite powerful. A stone mage of great strength. When she came to me, I told her nothing she offered me was worth an alliance, but now that I see you, you are quite tempting. Still, I have no intention of going against her.”
“I’m tempting?” Aaliyah asked. “Mercy said she offered herself in marriage.”
“No,” the King said, leaning forward. “She offered me you. At the time I didn’t know you looked so much like your father.”
Mercy looked down into her wine glass. “Omri, please,” Akil said. The King stroked his thumb along her father’s neck. He pulled Akil closer against his body and kissed the top of his head.
“I’m only teasing, habibi. No one could replace you. But you must admit, it’s like looking at yourself in the glass.”
“Odessa knew you lived here?” Aaliyah asked. Akil looked a little embarrassed. “I met her on one of her visits. The King walked her as far as my gate. She must have seen your face in mine. She told me whose daughter she was, asked if I knew about you and...told me I hadn’t missed much. We didn’t speak again. Omar has told me everything about what she’s said in her meetings with him.”
“I met him after that, when I was trying to find out what Odessa was up to,” Mercy said. “I told him more about you.”
Aaliyah noticed how still Sherrod and Helima had gone. How intently they were listening. She tried to meet Helima’s eye but she was studying her tea.
Aaliyah looked at Akil. He nodded his head slowly. “Your mother never told me about you. And I...” he paused, seeming to consider his next words carefully. He cleared his throat. “Even if she had I don’t know that I would have been a part of your life. I was young and selfish and...I didn’t love your mother. We—”
Omar rested a hand on his. Akil smiled up at the King. “Coming here, loving Omar. It changed my priorities. What I cared about. Mercy and my meeting when we did was advantageous. I...I realised I had likely missed my opportunity to have children,” Akil said. “I’m too old now to start from scratch. But I wanted someone to love and she brought me you. The great warrior who was conquering the southern lands and ended the tyrannical reign of the old King. I was proud of you.”
Aaliyah stood up, Helima and Akil rising as well. “I need some air.”
Aaliyah waved off Helima. She could hear Akil following close behind her as she strode out of the room. When she reached the garden, instead of turning toward the sitting area she followed the maze of the path, aware of him at her back. Eventually she reached a fountain laden with sweet smelling flowers and sat on the stone bench beside it. She waited for Akil to sit beside her but he didn’t, instead perching on the edge of the fountain, one hand toying with the flowers. He plucked a bloom and sniffed it, pretending not to notice her.
They sat in silence. Aaliyah took deep, long, shuddering breaths. She was calm. She was calm. She was calm. It didn’t stop the tears from running down her face. She couldn’t stop the sob that ricocheted through her chest. Akil sat at her feet. He didn’t touch her, his hands gripping the flower too tight.
“I’m so sorry, Aaliyah.”
“For what?” she asked, wiping her face. Her father had never known about her. She’d lived on the street, been forced to steal to eat, and he had never known.
“For all that’s happened. Everyone around you has betrayed you in one way or another and you are the only one who’s blameless.”
“I’m not blameless.” Akil looked up at her. “What did you do?”
“I backed her every move. I fought every battle she put before me, without question. I knew her better than anyone and I still made her a Queen. Mercy thinks power is Odessa’s drug. She’s not wrong. I knew that. And I gave her more and more and more. She even has the southern lands now. Maybe if I hadn’t been such a fool, Mother could have...” She closed her eyes, pulling away from the pain of that thought. “It doesn’t matter. I must love women who lie. Even when I know they’re liars. Look at Mercy. She never told me about you.”
“You were gone.” She opened her eyes, wiping away more tears. “It changes nothing.”
“You acted from a place of love. Who of the rest of us can say otherwise,” Akil said.
“You love the King, don’t you?” Aaliyah asked. He looked down at the flower. “Yes, but I still acted from a selfish place. I could have stayed with your mother instead of chasing my heart across the kingdoms. For my part of it, I’m sorry. That will never be enough but I hope it’s something.”
Aaliyah nodded and he smiled up at her, lowering his hand to her lap and twining their fingers together. They lapsed into silence again. The water in the fountain and the breeze through the leaves were the only sounds. Aaliyah pressed the heel of her palms to her eyes, trying to block out everything. She’d defeated warlords and killed a King but this was all too much.
“What did you come here for?” Akil asked. “Mercy thinks that I will make a good Queen for the people of Titus. She thought King Omar could be persuaded to provide me troops.”
“I know what Mercy wants. She’s shared enough. Do you want to be Queen?” Akil asked. “You could just as easily live here with me, safe and sound. Omar would find a use for you in his army I’m sure. You could become a soldier here. Perhaps work your way up to General again.”
“I don’t want to be Queen, but I can’t leave the people of Titus and the southern lands to suffer. Not when I promised them things would be different,” Aaliyah said. “Even if I’m not their Queen, things have to be different.”
Akil smiled and stood up. He pulled her to her feet and kissed her fingers. The skin felt strange as she let him lead them more slowly back down the path.
“Mercy’s right. You’ll be a great Queen. If only because you’ll do it to serve your people and not yourself. Your Odessa craves power and her enemies on their knees. It’s an impossible task that never ends.” Akil said. “As for troops, you’ll have them.”
“You’ll convince the King?” Akil laughed. “He won’t require any convincing. He told me if you were here to go against Odessa he would gladly support you. Apparently, he didn’t like her attitude, nor her disparaging remarks about me. He just likes to antagonize Mercedes.”
He led them back into the house where Mercy and King Omar were in the middle of heated disagreement. Helima’s eyes sparkled with humor but she sobered quickly, when Aaliyaand Akil cam
e in the room. Sherrod too sat up, taking in their joined hands. King Omar held out his hand and Akil went, releasing her with a small squeeze, settling himself beside the king once more.
“All settled?” the King asked, his hand coming to rest possessively against Akil’s neck.
“Mmm, once you promise her the use of your army for her campaign then yes, we will be,” Akil said.
King Omar smirked.”Is that all it will take? Does the girl even want to be Queen?”
“I don’t,” Aaliyah said. “You see? Why should I give such a useless person access to my warriors?”
“Omri—”
“I’m not...” Aaliyah stopped herself, clearing her throat before she spoke. “I have no power, your majesty, only my sword. And my word. I don’t want to be queen, but as everyone keeps telling me, I owe it to the people to fight for them.” King Omar tilted his head, eying her. “She can do this, Omar, she can defeat her,” Mercy said. “All it takes is—”
“Enough,” King Omar said. “You know, Aaliyah, they say no one’s steel is as powerful as yours. If you can defeat me in a fight then I will give you a hundred soldiers.”
“Omar—” Mercy and Akil said in unison. “Fifty soldiers and fifty mages,” Aaliyah said. Omar smiled. “Every soldier in Galavera is a mage, General. One hundred soldiers, each wielding the great powers. But you have to beat me first.”
He held out his hand, and Aaliyah took a deep breath before she took it. “Deal.”
Akil led them out to an area of the garden that had been paved smooth. King Omar took one side of the paved circle and Aaliyah took another. He removed his shirt, revealing a muscular torso crossed with pale scars. Aaliyah pulled off her over shirt, leaving only a sweat soaked undershirt and her binding.
Mercy stood beside her as she stretched. She looked nervous, though she said nothing. Sherrod vibrated with energy, bouncing on his toes.
“Are you sure you should do this?” he asked. “We’ve been on the road for days and you spent days in a cell before that.”
“I don’t have a choice. We need his backing,” Aaliyah said. Sherrod opened his mouth to say something else but Helima shot him a look. She drew her blade and handed it over to Aaliyah. She grabbed Aaliyah’s hand and held her eye.
“We’ll support you either way. Galavera or no,” she said. She turned back to the King. Omar gave Akil a quick kiss on the cheek and stepped forward to meet Aaliyah in the circle.
“Shall we go till first blood?” Omar offered. “No,” Aaliyah said. “Till the death blow.”
“Aaliyah!” Mercy hissed, grabbing Aaliyah’s bicep and trying to pull her away. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes wild. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Omar laughed. “I like your style, General. Of course, no one will die today. And whatever injuries can be healed.”
The two of them squared off. A calm settled over Aaliyah. She knew how to do this, how to fight. How to win. They circled each other, sizing each other up. Aaliyah danced forward, not really seeking to land a blow but trying to get an estimate of the man she faced. The King shook off her blow, side stepping the strike.
“Is this how you are in battle? Nervous and shy?” Aaliyah didn’t let herself be baited. She watched the man as he moved, noting his strength and his obvious skill. He struck. To anyone else it would have looked wild but Aaliyah saw through that; he wanted to see how strong she was. She spun beneath the strike, using his own motion to knock him away and put her own blow under his arm.
Omar ducked back, reaching beneath his arm to pull away a bloody hand. He smiled. “I bet you’re wishing you’d chosen first blood.”
“No, sir. You want to see what I’m made of, I’ll show you.” Omar struck again, no longer wanting to play games. Aaliyah deflected. His attacks came fast and furious. He wanted her tired. She had no time to play his game. To win, she needed to change the rules.
She knocked his blade away and then kicked the open canvas of his stomach, doubling him over. She brought her blade down toward the back of his neck but the ground rumbled and she was knocked flat on her back. She rolled away from where she’d landed, narrowly avoiding Omar’s strike. She jumped up, slashing at him again and nicking his arm. This time wind knocked her back, and she flipped away from him again.
“I forgot,” Omar said. “Magli, aren’t you? Not a lick of power. What are you going to do against her? Stone filled, isn’t she?” The ground rumbled again and Aaliyah stumbled back. She tried to find her center but the paving stones reached out to trip her. Her sword went flying and she landed with a thud. Omar’s blade moved relentlessly toward her neck. Her resolve slipped. Odessa would do the same soon. It didn’t matter if she had a hundred men or a thousand. And then she caught sight of Helima. Hel, who had backed her since that night, all those years ago. Who didn’t seem to care whether they lived or died together so long as they were still a family.
Aaliyah rolled. She flipped onto her front and jumped up on raised stone, striking Omar in the nose. He grunted and stumbled back. Aaliyah put her knee into his chest, and then again into his groin. She could hear shouting in her ears but no one moved. She kicked Omar’s hand and he released his blade, landing flat and hard on his back. She reached out to grab his blade and felt another against her throat. She stilled.
“You’re beaten,” Omar said in a hoarse voice. “I lost, but I’m not beaten,” Aaliyah said. She backed away until she felt a firm hand at her shoulder. Helima turned her, looking Aaliyah over for any scratches.
“You were alright,” Helima said. “Bit slow.”
“You’d have done better,” Aaliyah said. “Probably.” Aaliyah turned back to Omar where Akil was clucking over his wounds. The King stared her down before breaking free of Akil’s hold. “You were even better than I thought.”
“Thank you. We’ll get out of your hair now,” Aaliyah said, nodding to Mercy, Sherrod and Helima.
“There’s no need for you to leave,” Omar said. “I won’t give you a hundred soldiers. You lost and I don’t reward losing.”
“Of course.”
“Enough games, Omri.” Akil crossed his arms. “I’ll give you five. Two archers, and three guards— “ “And I will go too,” Akil said. Omar looked down at him, his eyes bulging. “You have not been in battle in years. In armor even. What exactly will you do?”“Support my daughter in her bid to be Queen. However I can.”Omar gritted his teeth. “You would do better supporting her from here.”
“Omri.” Akil raised an eyebrow and Aaliyah bit her lip. She’d so rarely stood her ground with Odessa but this must have been what her face looked like when she did.
Omar sighed. “Habibi.” He turned to Aaliyah. “Two Archers, three guards, an old man and a King. Will that be alright with you?”
“Yes...I...thank you for your faith,” Aaliyah said. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and closed her eyes. Relief washed over her even as her stomach twisted. Here was yet another person to disappoint.
“You’ve earned it.” King Omar held out his hand and Aaliyah took it. They shook hands and Aaliyah lowered her head. Omar released her and pulled Akil toward the house. Aaliyah sighed. Five people was nothing compared to the hundreds Odessa had on her side.
“Four Galavarans is good, we can do a lot with that,” Sherrod said optimistically.
“We’ll make it work,” Helima said. And for all her bluster and need to come to Galavera, Mercy was silent. It didn’t make Aaliyah any more optimistic about their chances.
Akil offered them beds for as long as they wished to stay and rest but Aaliyah could only agree to one night. Aaliyah felt strange preparing to sleep in her father’s house. What would it have been like to grow up here, with everything she ever wanted within her grasp at all times? Would her father have been attentive to her or would she have constantly been competing with the King? She hoped not—it didn’t seem like a battle she
could have won.
There was a knock on her door that pulled her away from her thoughts.When she opened it, Mercy stood in the doorway, fresh from a bath, her twists pulled high on top of her head and only a thin robe to cover her. She smiled coyly but Aaliyah recognized it for what it was, the sort of look she wore with a client, never reaching her eyes.
“Wassup?”
“May I come in?” Mercy asked. Aaliyah stepped aside and Mercy entered. She looked around at the bedroom and Aaliyah somehow felt self-conscious about it even though it wasn’t hers. Mercy settled into a chair by the fire, kicking off her little slippers and stretching her toes in front of the warmth.
“Are you angry with me?” Mercy asked.
Aaliyah sat down in the chair opposite her. Mercy’s eyes focused on the flame engulfed wood instead of her face. Aaliyah sighed.
“What do you think?”
“I would be, if I were you.”
“Well, I am.”
“I should have told you about him, and about what she’d done. I should have—”
“Why didn’t you?” Mercy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you were safer this way. You didn’t know enough to be hurt.”
“Maybe you were.”
“What?” Aaliyah stood up and crossed the room until she stood in front of Mercy. “Maybe you were afraid if you told me all this, I wouldn’t believe you. That you’d drive me into Odessa’s arms and lose me forever.”
Mercy chuckled derisively. “Who says I want you?”
“Odessa. And she may be wrong about a lot but I don’t think her jealousy is misplaced. She’s always been the smarter of the two of us.”
“You’re not dumb,” Mercy said. “You’re avoiding the point.” Mercy bit her lip. Looked up at Aaliyah and then down at her hands. “And if she’s not wrong? If I...If I do want you?”