“I see... so it's beneath him, but not beneath me. Got it.”
The prince flushed.
“No, no, it's not like that! I had other reasons for, um, 'hiring' you. Please let me explain. I promise, it's not what you think.”
Aasimah was beginning to ask where this was heading when another figure appeared in the door frame. A familiar face peaked around the corner, and Aasimah's heart beat frantically. Itholera shyly entered the room, looking battered. Despite her injuries, she walked with dignity and her noble spirit remained unbroken. Aasimah noticed that her wounds appeared to have been tended to.
“My father only sent me for one,” the prince explained, “but Glanen and I saw her wandering the streets this morning. There was no way I could stand to leave her in such a state. I wish I could have taken all of the girls in the marketplace, but I fear that would only be making the problem worse.”
Aasimah felt the uncomfortable heat of tears forming in her eyes, burning her cheeks as they began to trickle down.
“I think you have some catching up to do, so I will take my leave. When you are ready, I would like for you to meet me in the garden. There is much more that we must discuss.”
With that, the prince left and closed the door respectfully behind him. The two stood in silence for a while, unsure of how to proceed.
Aasimah was the one who spoke first.
“What happened?”
“It was Jonellea,” Itholera answered, crossing over the plush carpet and taking a seat at the end of the four poster bed. After... after that night, she just wasn't the same. I think she knew I'd been the one that hit him. After milord rescued you, he... I tried to fight him off, but the master – he was strong! And so, so angry. She tried to stop him. She did stop him.”
Itholera's face fell into her hands.
Aasimah sat down next to her. “Is she dead?”
“I don't know,” Itholera confessed, “I didn't turn back. I was too afraid – I was a coward.”
“Sometimes it takes more courage to leave than it does to stay.”
Itholera nodded, though she looked unconvinced. “After that, I was on the street and I had nowhere to go. I was so afraid I'd be recognized somehow. I went to the market, thinking it would be busy, so it would be harder to be noticed.”
“That's smart. Most people would try to hide in the shadows, where they're more likely to draw attention. Good move,” Aasimah said approvingly.
Itholera's cheeks turned a shade pinker. “I was terrified, and I felt so lost. When I ran into the knight, I thought for certain it was over. Surely, he would realize I didn't belong there.”
“The knight?”
“Oh, you haven't met him yet? Milord says almost never leaves the palace without him at his side.”
“That's odd,” Aasimah mused. “The prince had guards with him, but it doesn't sound like any of them were the knight you're talking about.”
“Well, the knight was definitely with milord this time. I suspect they're good friends. I ran right into him – no, really! My nose still hurts from it,” she added sheepishly, rubbing her slightly swollen and red nose.
Aasimah barked a sharp laugh, and immediately felt like a horrible person for it. Fortunately, Itholera wasn't offended in the least.
“That was his reaction, too! He roared like a bear! He asked me if I was with someone, and I panicked and said, 'no.' He asked me if I was lost, and I just didn't know what to say to that. It was obvious I didn't belong there, and he knew.”
“So you stood out like a sore thumb,” Aasimah offered. “Yes, quite! Well, in this case, it was really more like a sore nose. He just smiled. He's – he's very handsome, really–”
Aasimah smirked, to Itholera's embarrassment.
“Go on,” she urged, “finish your story while you've still got my attention.”
“Oh!” Itholera said, clicking her tongue disapprovingly. “Well, at that moment, the prince came by. He had two guards with him, and they looked none too pleased to see me. They thought me a beggar, and began shooing me away, as if I were some stray beast. But the prince recognized me, and he had me brought back to the palace. I was escorted by his knight friend, and he told me that I could stay if I wished to. He allowed me to wash myself and even to eat. It's been so long since I've had fruit! I forgot how good apples are!”
“Forget apples! I'm just glad you're alive, and not there anymore.”
“He seems nice,” Itholera sighed.
“You mean the prince?”
“Yes. He doesn't act like you would expect from a prince. I met a prince once, from Toluduna. My parents wanted to arrange a marriage between us. He was a foul man. This one seems different.”
Aasimah knew what she meant: Prince Adsuni had an unusually patient temperament for royalty. He seemed far more compassionate and kind than anyone would expect from a man of his bearing. Despite that or rather, because of it, Aasimah didn't trust him. She wondered what sort of game the man might be playing.
Then again, Aasimah supposed, she did frequently assume the worst out of people. Perhaps the prince of Dinavhek truly was a kind person at heart. In any case, she was relieved to have been reunited with Itholera.
“Should we go down to the garden now?” Itholera asked.
“I don't see why not,” Aasimah answered with a small nod. The two left the room and had only managed to take a few steps from the door before almost walking headlong into a tall, armored man. Itholera yipped and fell back a few steps, bumping awkwardly into Aasimah, who stopped in her tracks.
The man wore a great, beaming smile upon his lightly freckled face, a grin that reached all the way up into his rich amber eyes. He had short, slightly messy red hair, and it seemed as though it remained somewhat wild despite his best efforts to tame it. His armor was smooth and shiny, and accentuated with red and gold painted markings. It seemed a bit foolish, Aasimah thought – after all, such extravagant armor would easily stand out on a battlefield, but she suspected it was more cosmetic than anything else.
“Oh, ho! Looking to rush back into my arms again, are we?” the man boomed, winking playfully at them. Itholera's cheeks burned crimson. Aasimah smirked again.
“I don't believe we've met,” the man continued, regarding Aasimah with a great deal of interest. “I am Sir Glanen, Commander of the Fifth Order of the Dinavhene Royal Knights, and personal aide to the Prince, himself.”
“That's quite a mouthful,” Aasimah observed.
“It sure is!”
He offered his hand, which Aasimah accepted, and was nearly yanked off of her feet by his firm handshake.
“My apologies,” he was saying, reaching his other hand out to steady her, “sometimes I forget my own strength.”
“Not to be rude, but were you waiting for us?”
“Ah, yes! I am to escort you to the garden.”
Itholera appeared worried. “Oh, sir knight, I am sorry if we've kept you waiting.”
“Oh, not at all! While you were busy, I occupied myself with making certain that the floors were clean and safe to travel upon. After removing everything I deemed a potential tripping hazard, I set about dusting, replacing the used torches, scrubbing some areas of the walls, and making my rounds about the floor to make sure that everything is in proper order, checking for rats and mice, and possible security flaws. One can never be too careful!”
“Goodness, you did all of that in just the few minutes we were talking?” Itholera asked, her eyes wide.
Aasimah wondered why they were even needed at all. Then again, the prince did mention that he had other ideas for them. She suddenly felt uneasy as she found herself wondering what he had in store for her.
“Why, of course! It is my duty as a knight of such esteem to protect all, even from the poorest of peasants, to my prince and king. No stone must be left un-turned, no bush, er, un-inspected, no shadow un-lighted.”
Aasimah had to respect the man's dedication. He seemed a simple fellow, but a genuinely self
less one. She had no doubt he, at least, was honest. He would be an easy opponent to best if it came down to it, and she needed to escape. Perhaps she could turn him into an unwitting ally?
“I see. I admire your, um, devotion to your post.”
“Thank you, milady. Now, shall we be off? If you need more time, I can keep myself occupied, but there is much I would like to show you!”
Aasimah and Itholera nodded in unison and began following Sir Glanen the Simple, as he gave them a more in-depth tour of the palace. He spoke in such great detail about nearly every feature that Aasimah found herself tuning him out on more than one occasion. How much did she really need to know about the stairs, anyway?
Aasimah did manage to get one question in, at least: She asked Glanen about that odd silver-haired fellow that had accompanied the prince to the market the previous day.
“Oh him? That's Prime Minister Hymuse. He's a fine man – finer than almost any! Actually, he was there to invest—he was there to, erm, guide the prince through his... investment,” the knight finished lamely.
He was about to slip up! Aasimah thought. She followed up with a series of questions, but try as she might, she could not goad the knight into revealing any more. He merely pressed on with his guided tour, eager to put that near-disaster behind him, and Itholera elbowed Aasimah in the side to quiet her. Though Aasimah barely felt it, for Itholera was rather fragile, she understood her companion's meaning well enough. Finally – finally – they left the palace. Of course, Glanen had as much to say about the outside of it as he did the inside. He led them across the courtyard, to a very tall set of hedges that clearly marked the entrance to the inner portion of a garden. Aasimah could see immediately what made the place so special.
Although the palace had shown signs of neglect, the garden was truly magnificent in every way. Aasimah found herself standing in a sea of flowers. She was surrounded by a rainbow of plants in every color and shade conceivable, and it smelled heavenly.
Glanen led them through a winding path that led to a lone pond, small and simple, yet just as beautiful as the rest of the garden. The pond was lined with little stones, and adorned with lily pads. A few small fish, flittering about without a care in the world.
Prince Adsuni stood on the opposite side, near the edge, gazing down into the shallow depths at an array of shimmering coins and stones. Aasimah wondered why there were so many copper coins at the base of the fountain, but the thought was put out of her mind rather quickly when the prince greeted them.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” he asked warmly.
“Yes, it is,” Itholera answered sweetly.
“It was my mother's favorite place in the whole world. She and Father would travel to distant lands, but at the end, this was always her sanctuary.”
Aasimah wondered if it might also be the prince's favorite place to hide. She wasn't sure why that thought even occurred to her in the first place, but if she was right, she couldn't blame him. She would hide in the garden, too, and she found herself wondering if she might someday have to.
Aasimah was not accustomed to living free from the threat of looming monsters. No matter where she found herself in life, one thing that was always certain to her was that there was a threat lurking beyond every corner.
“Does your family leave Dinavhek often?” Itholera asked, jolting Aasimah back into the present conversation.
The prince seemed a bit uncomfortable.
“Ah, no, not anymore. Now,” he said, changing the subject, “you may be wondering why I summoned you here.”
It did cross Aasimah's mind to ask. After all, why would the prince share such a special place with them; a stranger his friend picked up off the street, and another whom he bought against her will? Why would he trust them with something so dear to his heart?
“My late mother was a remarkable woman,” the prince continued, answering her unspoken questions for her. “Due to her efforts to heal and rebuild Dinavhek after the Takirar War, poverty is now at its lowest point that it has ever been in our country!”
That's what you think, Aasimah wanted to say, but wisely refrained.
“She refused to feast while her people starved, and she was kind even to the poorest of peasants. She did not fear any street of Dinavhek. I have been told that she believed that every generation has its own major struggle. Hers was ending the crippling poverty that came with the war, and I believe that, as her son, it is my duty to continue that work.”
Cynical as Aasimah was, she couldn't quite believe that the late queen of Dinavhek could be so generous. In the end, weren't all rulers simply looking out for themselves?
“I know,” the prince said with a rueful grin, “it sounds like a children's tale, a story of a woman frozen in perfection. We certainly do tend to think of our lost loved ones in the most positive of terms, sometimes blindly. I barely knew her. She was taken from me when I was a small boy.”
“Milord, I am very sorry for your loss,” Itholera said, her own expression heavy with sorrow – she, too, knew the pain of losing her family.
“Oh, it happened many years ago,” the prince said, attempting to brush it off. “I remember next to nothing, only that she was ill, and it passed quickly, but that isn't the point. The point is that I want to be a worthy successor, not just as a future king, but as a man, as a person. I believe in a Dinavhek that is safe for all of its citizens, a proud nation, a beacon of light, warmth, and above all, hope. But such a place cannot exist if so many of our citizens are being treated like vermin.”
“Well said, my prince!” Glanen cried animatedly in agreement. “I myself cannot imagine going another day in a land where bandits run free in the streets, terrorizing our people—”
“Ahem! I was speaking about something a bit different, my friend. Something that tends to operate only in the shadows. You see,” the prince said, turning his attention back upon Aasimah and Itholera, “slavery is technically legal, only through a series of rather clever loopholes regarding captives taken during and immediately following wartime. It's... a complicated mess, and I wish to close those loopholes.”
The women exchanged a glance. Itholera seemed impressed, even eager. Aasimah was a tad skeptical.
“Then, what's stopping you from closing them?”
“Well, for one, the council. I know for a fact that some of our council members benefit from this system, and they're very reluctant to allow any sort of revisions to the law. There is also the cultural element of it, and the backlash we're sure to suffer from our noble families and those who profit off of the system. Simply passing a law isn't enough, and even that is going to be a challenge.”
“Then, this means that you need our help, doesn't it?” Itholera asked.
“That is exactly what this means! You see, I can try to pass whatever laws I want, when I'm king, but that will – I'm hoping – be a long while from now. And even so, the council can protest against changes to the law if they think it might threaten a significant portion of the population. I also can't propose changes to the law if I don't have a thorough understanding of the situation, so, an equally thorough investigation is a must. You don't cure an illness by only addressing its symptoms, after all. It won't be an easy or quick road, but it's one that I am willing to traverse, and I would feel much more confident if I were not alone.”
“And what part do you expect us to play in this?” Aasimah asked.
The prince's smile faltered.
“I have not witnessed directly the conditions in which the captives are kept, nor I suspect would I be granted access were I to request permission to enter any of these businesses.”
'Business' is a funny word to describe it.
“Each time I have sent out men to investigate,” the prince continued, “they have returned with little to no information of any real value. I wish to know, from both of you, what is really happening along the border.”
“And if you don't like what we have to say?”
The prince appeared g
rave and determined. “Then I will do whatever I can to earn your trust, and make right of the wrongs that have been done to you. You have my word, as your prince.”
“But I am not of Dinavhek,” Aasimah pointed out.
“You are now.”
“I was taken away from my people,” Aasimah continued. “And one of them was murdered before me. Can you really right that wrong? Can you bring him back from the dead before my very eyes?”
The prince hesitated. He wasn't expecting such harshness from the woman, and against the horrors she described, he felt very much out of his element.
A tense silence followed Aasimah's claims.
“My lord,” Glanen suddenly said, catching everyone off guard – he had been unusually quiet during the discussion, so much so that they had forgotten he was even present. “Why not send me to investigate? No scoundrel can hope to evade me, and there is no part of the world I wouldn't explore. Why, I would hasten to the Underworld itself if it meant—”
“That's quite enough!” the prince said. “I appreciate it, I really do, and I know that in an honorable duel, no one could stand a chance against you. But it's not honorable opponents I fear. Truth be told, I worry that you might return as a body, with a knife jutting out of your back. Besides, I need you here, and we need more information if we are going to continue our course.”
“You aren't going to send us back, are you?” Itholera asked, looking troubled.
“I wouldn't dream of it,” the prince answered. “It would be tantamount to torture.”
“Or murder,” Aasimah put in. “One of the men in our group was stabbed and left for dead on the road because he tried to escape.”
Adsuni nodded. “yes, that's how I found you. A local farmer had been transporting his crops, and he found the body. It seems it had been set upon by wolves.”
Glanen frowned. “But there have been no wolves in our land for decades, my prince. Dinavhek has been proudly beast-free for at least eighty years!”
Dinavhek- The Fall Page 7