Managing five minutes of privacy with Rialt had been impossible all day, but she found an opening that evening to speak alone with Chizeld when Rialt went for a bath. With the door firmly shut (and locked, which tickled her funny bone), she had a beautiful opportunity to get some advice. She did take the precaution of dragging Chizeld out into the hallway first, though. She knew from experience that everything could be clearly heard through that bathroom door.
Chizeld followed along amiably when she grabbed him by the elbow and hauled him outside. He didn’t say anything at all, either, when she closed the door quietly and just stood there for a long second.
But once she had him, her tongue felt tied and she didn’t know how to say anything. Her face started heating up with a hot blush just trying to formulate the words.
“That’s a pretty blush, Jewel,” Chizeld offered in amusement. “Need an ice bag for it?”
Strangely, the jocularity helped and she choked on a laugh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to say this. But I need your help.”
“Ask,” he encouraged, tone saying that’s what I’m here for.
Jewel took in a deep breath for courage and blurted it out all at once. “I just realized I’m in love with Rialt, only I haven’t found a chance to talk to him about it, not that I know how to talk to him about it, but I don’t think it’s wise for him to sleep in the same room as me tonight, only I don’t know how to tell him that without hurting his feelings and I hoped that you might be able to help advise me because I have no idea what to do.”
Chizeld put both hands on her shoulders and advised dryly, “Breathe. Breathing would be a good start.”
After saying all of that in one shot, she needed to take a breath.
“Need to speak with Rialt,” Chizeld told her.
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same way?” she nearly wailed. “Then it just makes things awkward! And I don’t want that!”
“Hmmm…doubt that. Very much doubt that. But will go and ask on Jewel’s behalf.”
She was so relieved by his offer that her knees felt weak. Throwing both arms around his waist, she hugged him tight for a moment. “Thank you!”
Chizeld chuckled and returned the hug tightly for a moment. “Sit with Sarvell for a moment,” he ordered. Stepping back a pace, he knocked on his and Sarvell’s door before opening it. “Sarvell? Keep Jewel company a bit.”
“Certainly,” Sarvell responded, a note of curiosity in his voice. “Come in, Jewel.”
Still blushing and feeling painfully awkward, she stepped a foot inside and abruptly stopped. Until this point, she’d never entered the men’s room. She assumed that it had a similar layout to the room she had, but she didn’t know that. And Bortonor was sound asleep on her bed, so she couldn’t ask for his help.
Sarvell’s hand found hers within moments and silently guided her forward and into a chair. He had indeed learned a great deal about her in the past two months to be able to respond so instantly to her needs. “So what’s this about?”
Her blush, if possible, darkened. The courage and words she had a moment ago with Chizeld seemed to have fled somewhere as well. “Um…”
His stare at her face was so intense that she could feel it distinctly. “Anything to do with Rialt?”
If her blush got any hotter than this, she could fry an egg on it.
“Ahh, I see. I hoped you would realize it soon.”
“Why does everyone know about this?” Jewel complained while throwing her hands up in the air. “And not one person talked to me about it!”
“Don’t pout, Jewel. To us, it was obvious. But it doesn’t do any good to force a person to realize their own heart. It feels awkward and rushed if that happens. It’s better for things to come to their own natural conclusion, like now.”
She shook her head. “You really think I don’t feel awkward right now?”
He chuckled, rich and deep. “Not the awkward I meant. But you have nothing to worry about. I wish you could see how Rialt looks at you. Everything about him softens when his eyes are on you.”
“Really?” she asked wistfully.
From the wall, she heard Rialt’s voice rise in a muffled exclamation. “What?! No!”
“Uh-oh.” Sarvell, despite making that sound, didn’t particularly sound worried. In fact, he sounded like a man that was watching a play and the next act was about to open. “Whatever line of attack Chizeld tried to use obviously wasn’t the right one. Brace yourself.”
“Hiding under the bed sounds better,” she muttered anxiously. Jewel had a whole new respect for every heroine in a love story that had confessed her feelings. This took a lot more courage than she had previously guessed.
Within seconds, the door crashed open. “What be this about, now?” Rialt demanded, his accent deeper and rougher than normal.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Sarvell announced to the room in general. As he passed her chair, he reached over and gave Jewel’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze.
Promising herself that she would strangle Chizeld later (and Sarvell), Jewel took in a deep breath and stood from the chair so that she could turn and face Rialt directly. It took two tries before her mouth cooperated enough for her to quietly command, “Close the door.”
It shut almost before the words left her mouth.
Praying for strength, she sought for the courage that had let her talk about this before Rialt had burst in.
“Jewel?” he asked searchingly.
Deep breath. In. Out. “Rialt, do you remember a conversation we had several nights ago? When you were massaging my hands to help me sleep?”
“Eh, lass, I remember,” he answered cautiously. Clearly, he didn’t know where she was going with this.
“You said something then, and I thought you were teasing, but now I really hope that you weren’t. You said, out of all of you, you were the best choice. Rialt, I—” heart, don’t fail me now “—can I choose you?”
The shortest and most eternal moment of silence hit the room. Jewel didn’t even dare breathe for fear of breaking that silence. Then Rialt darted forward and caught her tightly against him, lifting her feet off the floor. Her pent up breath whooshed out at the impact.
“Eh,” he whispered tenderly against her ear. “Eh, you do that. You choose me, as I already chose you.”
Relief washed through her body in an all-consuming wave. Feeling dangerously on the verge of tears, she wrapped both arms around his back and up to his shoulders. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t say that.”
He relaxed his hold on her just enough so that he could put a soft kiss on her forehead. “For the courage of your heart, I thank you.”
At that, she was truly afraid she would cry.
His hand came up to cup her face, tilting it slightly. Then, with practically no warning, his lips softly touched hers. Her heart skipped a beat at the soft caress. Oh. So this is what a kiss felt like? It was like sunlight.
They lingered in that world of soft kisses and a warm embrace for an endless time before Rialt dragged himself away from her and put her feet back on the floor. “Lass,” his voice was rough, “I do no think it be safe for me to sleep near you tonight.”
“I don’t think so either,” she panted. “I’m liable to attack you.”
A rich laugh filled the room. “Perhaps you will think on marrying me, then?”
He said it in a teasing way, but Jewel had learned that when he said things like this, he wasn’t teasing. “Soon,” she said firmly. “We’re marrying soon.”
“No arguments here, lass.”
“Good.” Jewel pointed a finger heavenward. “Otherwise you’d have to take the matter up with herself.”
“Oh?” Rialt sounded amused by this instead of alarmed, as most prospective grooms were. “Gave us marching orders, did she?”
“You could say that.” Jewel had no doubt that both of her exiled armsmen were lurking in the hallway, trying to listen in. They were both nosy, curious men that way. “U
m…how do you want to tell the two outside?”
Rialt hummed to himself thoughtfully before turning around and taking two long strides to the door. Opening it, he proclaimed calmly, “We will be married on the morrow. For now, Chizeld and I will swap beds.”
Someone clapped, and another person let out a low whistle. “Well done,” Sarvell congratulated. “I’ve never seen a courtship this fast in my life!”
“Pah, not true,” Chizeld protested. “The courtship well in progress for weeks. Those two only that didn’t realize.”
Jewel really wished that she had a comeback for that but…she didn’t. Clearing her throat, she decided a change of subject was in order. “Chizeld, a high priestess has the authority to marry people, right?”
“Yes. Priestess Alexandra could perform ceremony.” Chizeld paused before adding slowly, “Believe it will be the first time in history that a high priestess has done ceremony for another high priestess.”
Jewel had already done quite a few things that were history in the making. What was one more? “I’ll ask her tomorrow. For now…it’s a bit early for bed, isn’t it?”
“A little,” Rialt agreed.
“Why don’t the two of you just spend a little time together?” Sarvell suggested with saint-like benevolence. “Chizeld and I will handle swapping the luggage and bedding around.”
Jewel didn’t mind that idea one bit. “There’s an informal den downstairs, isn’t there? We can go there to stay out of the way.”
“Fine by me.” Rialt returned to her side and tucked her hand into his elbow.
The newly minted couple retreated into a quieter section of the inn. Jewel felt like she should be talking to Rialt about all sorts of details that revolved around their future, but she couldn’t begin to figure out where to start. She needed to sleep on it, and let her mind sort things out, before she could properly talk about it.
Perhaps Rialt felt the same way. Or perhaps he sensed that she was a little overwhelmed. Whichever the case, he didn’t attempt to ask questions, but guided her into the small den and to a chair next to a table without a word spoken.
“Hmm…quite a few games and books in this room.”
Jewel perked right up. “Games? I haven’t played one in ages.”
“Ohh?” he sounded slightly surprised by this. “What games do you fancy?”
“Board games are my favorite,” she admitted. “With the way the board has grooves in it, it’s easy for me to play. I can play cards, too, as long as they’re marked for me.”
“In that case, I will pick up a deck next we be out,” he promised. “For now, let us see…we have a few options. There be Tactics—”
“Tactics?” Jewel repeated in delight. “There’s a Tactics board in here?”
She could feel Rialt’s incredulous look at her. “Lass, you play?”
“Of course!”
“Without even able to see the board?!” he protested.
“Rialt,” she responded with forced patience, “I can memorize every step of a castle’s layout and you’re surprised that I can memorize something that’s only forty-eight squares?”
“…you know, lass, put like that it seems simple. Alright, then, let us play.”
Rubbing her hands together briskly with anticipation, she quickly turned and cleared off the table in front of her. “Don’t give me a handicap,” she warned as she set books aside. “You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“Ohhh, challenging me now, be you?” The wooden board made a quiet thunk as it was set on the table. The chair made a soft whooshing sound almost immediately after as Rialt’s weight settled into it. “So, which will you be? Queen or king?”
“King.”
“Should no a woman playing automatically be queen?”
“Why?” she asked innocently.
“Eh…I can no think of a reason,” he admitted. “Alright, king it is.”
They set up the pieces on the board in silent camaraderie. As Rialt played the side of the queen’s board, he was the first person to move a piece forward.
“Ah,” Jewel snapped her fingers. “I almost forgot to tell you. For me to keep track of what you’re doing, you must tell me which piece you moved and to which square.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “And here I thought you can track it all by ear.”
“I’m good,” she admitted dryly, “but not that good.”
“Alright, then. Infantry to square 18.”
The object of the game was to move the king (or in Rialt’s case, the queen) to the center of the board with at least six pieces surrounding it in order to win. There were many opening strategies and tactics to start this process off, and so the first few moves were automatic and without any surprises. Then they started to get a feel for how the other moved, how they thought, and the game became much more challenging.
Jewel lost all track of time as they moved pieces back and forth, sometimes losing or gaining pieces in turn as the game played out. Aside from them talking back and forth about which piece was moved where, there was absolutely no sound in the room.
That’s probably why the quick knock on the door startled her so badly that she nearly leaped out of her skin. Jewel put a hand on her heart, sure that it had tried to leap into her throat.
Chizeld’s voice came from the doorway, “The hour is late. Wasn’t sure what the situation was in here.”
“I will tell you,” Rialt grumbled. “She be beating me!”
“Beating?” Chizeld repeated in bemusement as he walked further into the room.
“The lass has a head for strategy as I have no seen afore,” Rialt continued to complain good-naturedly. “Here I sit, with two good eyes in my head, and she keeping it all up in her noggin, and still she can think three moves ahead of me!”
“I’m used to memorizing things and having them moved about on me,” she explained again, only this time smugly. “A game like this isn’t a challenge. Now, put me in a castle full of people that are moving in every direction, people that like to change where things are put no less, and then I’ll lose track of things.”
Chizeld stood next to the table for a long moment before asking, “How did Jewel drive the queen into a corner like that?”
“No idea,” Rialt bemoaned. “I sat there and watched her all the while, and I still do no ken.”
“Plans for how to get out?” Chizeld inquired in bemusement.
“No idea on that, either.”
Chizeld suggested, “How about a rematch?”
“Only option at this point,” Jewel agreed sweetly. “I’d take the center in three moves anyway.”
“I be rusty,” Rialt sighed. “And here I thought to take it easy on her.”
“Perhaps I should take it easy on you?” she offered with that same sugary-sweet tone.
“I would no mind.”
“Flirt tomorrow,” Chizeld suggested dryly. “Sleep now.”
If they really were going to get married tomorrow (although Jewel somehow doubted that Alexandra would be ready to marry them on the spot) then he was likely right. “Alright, bed it is.” Very reluctant to part from Rialt, she stood only to hover in place.
“What?” Rialt asked gently.
“This feels strange,” she complained. “I’ve been with you almost constantly for two months!”
“I know, I know.” He snaked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a warm hug. “Why do you think I be insisting on marriage so soon, eh?”
Chizeld grabbed her around the waist and pulled her free. “Flirt tomorrow,” he repeated sternly.
“Ah—” she protested inarticulately.
Grabbing her by the elbows, he stood behind her and frog marched her out of the room.
Rialt sniggered as he followed along behind. “You make a good chaperone, man.”
“Someone has to,” Chizeld muttered under his breath. “Good night, Rialt.”
“Yes, yes, I be going. Sleep well, heart.”
Je
wel flushed slightly when she realized he was now calling her by endearments. “You too, darling.”
Chapter Thirty
“I knew something was going on!” Alexandra exclaimed in delight, clapping her hands together.
Of course she did, Jewel mentally grumbled to herself. Everyone seemed to know except her. Sighing, she shook the matter aside and focused on the question she’d asked—the unanswered question. “So, will you marry us?”
“Of course! It would be a great honor to do so. From what I’ve read, it’s unusual for a High Priestess of Elahandra to perform a marriage ceremony. We just don’t get the opportunity very often.”
“That’s true,” Jewel admitted. “And Chizeld—did you know he’s an Order historian?—well, anyway, he told me last night that this will be the first time in history that a high priestess has officiated for another high priestess’s wedding.”
“Hoooo, now that is very interesting. So I’ll be making history. Again.” Alexandra sat back in her chair with a slight bounce of the springs.
Jewel had come straight to Alexandra’s study directly after breakfast, partially to ask this favor, but also to see if the architect had given an answer yet about moving the crystal. Chizeld and Rialt had a quick side errand of sending the shrine blueprints and written instructions to Broeske Axheimer. But they promised it wouldn’t take any time at all, and they’d meet her directly. At the moment, only Sarvell and Bortonor were with her.
“I’d have to study up on the marriage ceremony,” Alexandra warned. “For that matter, I’d have to find it first. Is it alright if I draft Chizeld’s help with that?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then, when do you want to marry?”
“Rialt is hoping you’ll say today,” Jewel told her dryly. “We recognize that things probably can’t happen that fast, though.”
“Heavens, no!” Alexandra protested in something close to near-panic. “I insist on preparing a formal dinner of celebration at least. I know that we’re short on time, but surely we can delay enough to do a proper ceremony for the two of you. This is history in the making, after all.”
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