My parents were led to a room on the far end of the courtyard. They entered their room and I was shown the door to my room, which was perpendicular.
“I would like to offer you something,” the man said in a low voice before I could open the door. His voice also had the slight accent of the people of Fanarion. It was mesmerizing. “I know you would like to freshen up from after such a long journey, but if it wouldn’t be much to ask I wouldn’t mind taking you on a tour of our city. I can imagine that you might be bored with no one your own age around.”
I contemplated it for a second—and only a second. Truly, I would probably have stayed in the room until the royals of Fanarion returned to this palace and it would be lonely without Lunamae with me. While he still was only a servant, I couldn’t imagine anyone denying such a handsome face.
“I would love to go with you,” I said with a coy smile. I figured I could practice my feminine skills on this one before I would have to start looking for a match myself. I knew that the pairing of Lunamae would take first priority, but I would be soon after. I didn’t have to worry about having feeling for a servant because I knew better—there was no way my family would let me marry one. Of course, that didn’t stop Lunamae’s senseless obsession with Marcus.
“I will wait for you at the entrance to the palace,” Theron said, leaving me to myself. Well, he didn’t talk much like a servant. I wandered in the room and shut the door behind me. There was the lovely smell of incense and I could see some being burned by the bedside. These beds were so very different from the ones in the keep (and both were more elaborate than my simple pallet). The bed was sitting on some sort of platform. There was a traditional Fanarion dress robe on the bed with sandals nearby, asking to be worn. I took it and wandered through the apartment, looking for a place to wash myself. I was expecting only a pitcher of water but I was greeted by a large pit in the floor, full of hot water. I could see the steam coming off. I touched the water carefully with my foot. It was just the right temperature. I quickly took off my clothes which seemed so much heavier than what the people of Fanarion wore. I assumed this was due also to the temperature, although Kyrians wore something similar and it was a colder climate up in northern Orinda.
I noticed some soap near the tub and a washcloth. I scrubbed all the collected dirt off, a little embarrassed that I had presented myself to royals in such a state. They knew we would not be arriving in pristine condition, however. I found a towel after I was finished bathing and dried myself off. I put on the dress robe and took the rope-like belt and tied it around my waist. The whole thing was so open and airy I felt a little naked, but it was good to be out of hot, dirty clothes. Once dressed, I walked out to the palace, the sea breeze floated through the robes and my open-aired feet.
“You are here,” the servant said joyfully. He ruffled his brown hair and offered me his hand. “Come with me, I have much to show you.” I took it without thinking that in Feyris, only those courting did such a thing. Perhaps it was seen differently in Fanarion. The area surrounding the palace was full of activity and people so I used that as a mental excuse to justify my actions. I didn’t want to get lost. He led me a few blocks away from the palace to view a very large structure with pillars all around.
“This is the temple of the goddess Athasia,” he commented, lifting his hand to the direction of the building.
“Goddess?” I asked curiously. “What is that?”
“You do not have gods and goddesses where you hail from?” Theron inquired, surprised.
“We have the Creator and the Destroyer. The Destroyer was one of the creations gone evil. He wanted power over the world, to be like the Creator and was exiled, only allowed to roam the rot of Orinda.”
“I have heard of the Creator from the talk of some of the mages here. Very few Fanarions have kept to that old faith,” he explained.
“If it is an old faith, why do you choose to not follow it?” I asked him.
The man laughed lightly. “I do not follow anything in particular. I do not see the sense in appeasing a multitude of deities. If I was a god, I would feel offended if I didn’t have singular worship from a person. I don’t know enough about the old faith.”
“You’ve heard of the Teacher?” I asked Theron.
“Only by overhearing,” he admitted. “Come. Let me take you to the beach. It is to the left of the docks and is a bit quieter. I have a small boat and I can show you the city from a different vantage point. Perhaps you can view your cousin and aunt from there.”
We walked through what seemed like meeleys of stone roads and finally they led down to a sandy beach. I looked at the great expanse of water that led all the way to the horizon and couldn’t believe my eyes. I had never seen so much water and it was hard to take all in. It was beautiful and yet foreboding. What was at the other end of the water? I followed Theron onto the beach as I thought. The sand was so different from the hard earth I was used to. It gave way a little under my feet.
“Here,” Theron said. “Give me your sandals. It’s much easier to walk with your feet bare.”
“But it isn’t appropriate for a woman,” I remarked. He shrugged me off and knelt down to remove them.
“Nonsense! It might not be appropriate in Feyris, but it is in Fanarion. You are dressed like a Fanarion woman, no one will notice you. You even have the hair color to disguise yourself.”
“Very well Theron,” I said, allowing him to remove them from my feet. He also offered to carry them which I obliged.
“It is nice to hear my name,” he said, his face brightening. “I am only called that when needed.” We walked down to the boat he had spoken of earlier. It was not as small as he made it seem. Small to me is a canoe, able to channel through the Shibher. This boat had a sail and even some room below decks for storage. He caught my confused eye and clarified, “It’s just a fishing boat. I acquired it from one of the courtiers. They had challenged me to a game of pairs and I won.”
“Game of pairs?” I said, not sure of what he meant. I had never heard of the term cards before. We didn’t have such games in Feyris.
“It is a card game. Cards are individual pieces of a paper coated in a film. The game is called matchmaker. The cards come in a deck which is a set of fifty-two. You have cards of four elements—earth, fire, water, and air. They are numbered two through ten. Then there is the courtier, queen, king, and deity for each element and then two bard cards which count for anything. The idea is to get enough matches that you don’t have any cards left in your hand. If you have some more spare time here I should like to show it to you,” Theron explained. He showed me into the boat, holding my hand again so I wouldn’t slip.
“It sounds interesting,” I declared. “I don’t know what my aunt or the royal family has planned for my cousin yet but I’d imagine there would be some free time available. Speaking of which—how do you have free time available?”
“In all reality, the king and queen asked me to be an escort for you. I suppose they had sympathy towards the fact that you weren’t married yet and neither am I and it is something in common. I could keep you preoccupied from thinking about it.”
“Well, it’s working,” I admitted. I sat down on the deck of the boat and he loosed the sail. He pushed off the boat and we were off into the Sea of Ayreni. The sails enabled us to move faster than any row boat and soon we were at a distance from the city. I looked back at Midonia and held my breath. It was so massive compared to my little village of Feyris or even Moir Awin. I could have never imagined a place so large and with so many people before, but here it was in all reality. I could compare the city buildings to the ones in Feyris from this vantage point and I realized the architecture of the houses weren’t so very different from our house. They were painted starch white and their roofs were unique. There was no thatch in sight, only red scale-like things. To ease my curiosity, I asked Theron what they were called.
“Clay tiles,” he answered. “We found that thatch is more easily co
mbustible with our heat and dry spells and clay isn’t. It is much safer this way.”
“I see,” I murmured. I decided to change the subject. “So what do you do for fun here?”
“Fun?” The Fanarion laughed and cocked his head. “You were wondering how I had available free time.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot you were a servant —” I started but Theron interrupted.
“It’s fine. The king and queen allow us available time when we can do as we please. They figured that it is better for the staff to be happy. A happy worker is a better worker.”
“I can agree with that,” I said with a smile. The king and queen seemed like decent people. They cared about their visitors and the people in the kingdom. I think Lunamae could be happy married into such a life. If, of course, she didn’t take up the throne in Feyris.
“So … your cousin,” he started, “What is she like? She seemed quite solemn.”
“That’s because she’s infatuated with one of our prisoners,” I inquired. “Angharad had taken some Kyrians prisoner years ago and she has visited them every single day since then and has been secretly caring for them.” I stopped myself. Had I said too much? I don’t think anyone else should know that. Perhaps this Theron was a Kyrian spy. He didn’t look like much of a spy though.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe,” Theron said calmly. I looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Your face turned pale. I could tell you weren’t supposed to say anything. So you mean that Lunamae is in love with someone else? I didn’t think it would be fair to Alexo if she married him and loved another.”
“Fairness is irrelevant,” I stated and then explained myself. “It’s for the good of Frys, to keep the peace. Our clan needs allies, especially since some of the clans have been violent.”
“Does the girl understand all this?” he asked me with genuine concern in his voice.
I shook my head, uncertain. I replied to him, “She knows it for I have told her several times. I think her mind is all in fantasy-land. Deep down she thinks she can marry whoever she wants. My father did not but he is happy. My mother is good to him and I believe they love each other.” Theron decided to let me ponder for a bit while he navigated the boat around the coast. I could faintly make out my cousin and aunt with the king and queen near one of the giant ships.
“That is the Aelos. She is the fastest ship in the fleet. While we haven’t had any need for battle, we do not know what lies beyond the great blue expanse. The king and queen think it is always best to be well prepared for anything so they had a fleet made,” Theron explained proudly.
“What is beyond the great expanse?” I wondered. Truly, someone must have ventured forth at some point in time.
“No one knows. Some have tried but they got lost because they have never returned. Perhaps they did find something—something better on the other side. It’s hard to plan rations and such when you don’t know how long you will be at sea,” Theron said as I listened with interest. I had always considered Orinda to be our world, never thinking there might be something more out there waiting to be explored.
“What about the Chalosians? They border the sea as well,” I asked.
Theron huffed. “They are too big-headed to share anything with us. We trade merchandise but that is all. That is why we keep the thermapota to ourselves.”
“Thermapota?” I queried. “What is that?”
“The hot baths in the apartments are heated by a means we call thermapota. The area underneath the bath is heated and that heats the water. It’s a truly ingenious design,” Theron explained. So that’s why the water was all nice and toasty. I assumed it would be a lot faster than carrying in buckets of hot water as we do in Feyris and a lot less tiresome. Speaking of hot, I was feeling warm. I hadn’t really noticed it before. I touched my skin and it was hot.
“I feel hot,” I said simply. Theron looked sick to his stomach.
“I forgot,” he told me.
“Forgot what?” I inquired, wanting to lay down on a stone floor in the middle of a cold Feyrisian night.
Theron gulped slowly. “I was supposed to give you a salve to protect you from our solis. It is more powerful than you are used to and I think you are now burnt,” he clarified.
“My skin is burnt? How bad? Will I be okay?” I hammered. I did not like this feeling. It felt uncomfortable.
“It’s only your exposed skin, which is I am afraid, a bit more than you would be used to since you are wearing Fanarion robes. We have a plant called grevaro that will help.”
“Lovely,” I said sarcastically.
“Let me take you back. While we head back to the city, go down below decks so the solis doesn’t touch you. You will start to notice it more I’m afraid,” the servant Theron said. I couldn’t be too mad at him because the look on his face was both of sorrow and horror. I couldn’t imagine what would happen to him when he returned to the palace taking me with him in my state. I sat quietly in the depths of the boat as Theron maneuvered it back. When I felt the boat stop I got up. My skin hurt from the solislight hitting it.
“Won’t my aunt and Lunamae have solis issues with their skin?” I wondered.
“No. The servants brought the salve as well as an instrument we call a thurasol or ‘shield for the solis’ which is effective as well. Luckily the sail was shading you a little so it’s not quite as bad as it could have been,” Theron said. I realized how strong his arms were as he helped me out of the boat, tan muscles rippling and glistening under the warmth of the solis. After we got back on firm soil, he gave me back the sandals. Unfortunately they rubbed against my feet which were burnt as well.
“I’m so terribly sorry,” he said earnestly. “I wanted to be with you so much that I forgot.”
“What makes me so special?” I inquired. “I’m old. I’m practically a spinster. Why would anyone want to be with me?”
“You are beautiful. You look intelligent. You are nice. You aren’t even mad at me. Some women would be yelling at the top of their lungs,” Theron said. I had never considered myself to be beautiful. We don’t have mirrors in our house but there is one in the keep that I look into periodically. My nose was too round on the edges, my face too wide and my skin was blotchy. I didn’t like the way my hair parted and my lips were thin. I didn’t see anything that could be considered beautiful other than my eyes.
“Well you are only a servant,” I said coldly. I instantly regretted it from the look he gave me. It made me want to take back the words. There goes my bluntness getting in the way of me trying to be nice. I hated when I did that. I thought I was doing better now that Lunamae was around. I was trying to set a good example. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You were right to say such things. I have been lonely,” Theron said solemnly.
“Me too. I suppose that’s why I’ve been so bitter,” I admitted.
“Let’s get you back. I’ll see if I can help sweeten you later,” Theron said as he led me back to the palace.
“I’d like that,” I said, a broad smile across my face. We got nearer to the palace and my mother was running down the stairs of the palace entrance, frantic.
“What on earth has happened to you? Your face is all red,” she exclaimed, gently touching my face and hands. “You are burning with fever!”
“I’m burning from the solis. It will heal. I think,” I told her.
“What were you doing out of the palace? I have been looking for you all over!” she shouted. She gave a wary eye to my companion and said loathly, “Just who is this? A servant?”
“Didn’t anyone tell you that Theron was taking me out to explore the city?” I wondered, puzzled.
“No and the king and queen have been worried sick—thinking you had been napped and taken hostage for monetary profit,” my mother said, her anger turning into concern. I looked at Theron and shook my head. Why would he put me in all this trouble? I felt betrayed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I have to g
o.” I watched as he left us there and ran away.
I turned to my mother. “He told me the king and queen wanted him to keep me company. I believed him.”
“I cannot exactly say that I would not have done the same thing. He is quite handsome. But he is also a servant and you need to remember that. You can’t trust strangers. This is a foreign land,” my mother warned.
“I know. He knows he is only a servant,” I stated. Mother led me up the stairs to the palace. She took me with her to her room in the royal apartments and grabbed her herb chest.
“What do I need?” she asked herself. “We don’t have burn issues in Feyris like that, and those who might accidentally burn themselves on iron or while cooking know how to mend it themselves.”
“I don’t know either. Not from your herbs. Theron mentioned a grevo plant or something, but I wouldn’t know how to prepare it. Perhaps we could ask him?” I said, my mouth stinging from the burn as I spoke. My lips were chapped as well.
“We are not talking to that man, and not you especially,” she said, pointing at me.
“But Mother, I feel horrible. I mean not emotionally—I’m mad that he did that—physically. I feel like I’m on fire all over,” I moaned.
My mother nodded in understanding, though I could tell she was upset and not at all wanting to find the servant. She didn’t want to see me in pain, however, so she went out to look for him—or at least someone who would know about the plant. When she left I just sat perplexed, wondering why Theron would lie to me and risk his position or life. It was very much like napping. I didn’t understand the game he was playing at and even if I did, I don’t think I would have liked it. My mother returned with Theron in tow, rolling her eyes. I suppose there was no one else who knew about the plant.
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