Leo smiled through the tears that also trickled down his face. He nodded, and sighed before patting Jayson hard on the back. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“It‘s okay, man,” said Jack, his eyes were red too. “We’re in this together, no matter what, okay? You’re not alone.”
They refilled their mugs of tea, and headed back to bed, their heads pounding again from crying. They crawled beneath the soft linen sheets that were beginning to become as familiar as their beds from home. They stared at the ceiling or walls, and each vowed to themselves that when they awoke it would be a new start. Chartile was their home now, and they would fight for it together.
After the Council meeting, Piper had gone straight to her rooms. Valar had followed close behind. He yammered away about the next day’s battle strategy meeting and other obligations she now had as the heir to the Elven throne. Piper opened her door in the Sapphire Quarter, stepped in as gracefully as a Queen aught, and shut the door in Valar’s face. She bolted it shut quickly, and leaned against the door relieved. She heard Valar’s boots shuffle away down the stone hall, and smiled a little as she sighed. She headed for the bedroom, letting her mother’s dress fall to the floor where she walked. She fell into the feather stuffed mattress, and buried her face in the silk covered pillow. No more running. No more hiding. No more sleeping in drafty stone caves or digging in the dirt for mushrooms. She fell asleep still smiling, dreaming of fruit custards and horses whose coats shined like starlight.
She dreamed she was riding along one of the main roads through the Belirian Forest. The Elven Palace towered ahead of her. She laughed as her hair blew in the wind. She looked back and saw Dimitri quickly gaining on her. She kicked her horse to run faster and whooped as they neared the front gates. Too late, she saw the guards on the battlements above the gate. They fitted flaming arrows to their bows and loosed them at Dimitri.
One. Two. Three. A dozen flaming arrows flew over her head and landed in Dimitri’s chest. She tried to scream. She tried to turn her horse back. Dimitri fell to the ground, completely engulfed in the fire. The front gates of the palace opened before her, then shut again just as quickly. She leapt from her horse and ran to the closed gates. She cried out for Dimitri and demanded the gates be raised. She pounded against the metal over and over again, until her fists pounded in sync with the sound of a tiny bell.
Piper came to enough to realize someone was ringing the little bell by the main door. She smothered the pillow over her head, ignoring both the bell and the tears that had made her face sticky. The ringing soon ended, and Piper shifted in and out of dream and nightmare.
The smell of fresh bread filled Piper’s room several hours later and managed to penetrate through the pillow she still held over her head. She sat up, her hair still clinging to her face, and hurried to dress. She chose a style that was neither Dwarvik nor Elven. The wardrobe held a fitted tunic that had been too long for her. She grabbed this and pulled on the black linen pants she had worn while living in the mountain. She tightened a jewel encrusted belt over the tunic, and hurried to pull on her boots.
She had decided last night that it was too difficult to balance the ways of her allies, the dwarves, with the culture of her own people. And figuring out how her own personality would work with how an Elven Queen was expected to behave would be an impossible task. Therefore, she decided that as a queen, she would do as she liked, dress as she liked and act as she pleased. At this moment it pleased her to be comfortable, and to stuff her face with that delicious smelling bread.
She opened her bedroom door and found Dimitri lounging across her fainting sofa, a plate of golden brown biscuits in hand. He smiled when she crossed the room in three strides to snatch a biscuit from the plate. She stopped, the sweet smelling bread inches from her lips. She dropped her hand and asked, “Wait. How did you get in here? I locked the door.”
Dimitri laughed. “I hope your instincts for safety soon override your love of food now that you are the Queen-To-Be, he said. Piper scowled at him. She placed her hands on her hips and sent little crumbs of biscuit scattering across the floor. “Honestly, I picked the lock.”
“Dimitri!” Piper scolded.
“As Empress Nefiri’s retainer I have been sent on some errands that have required certain…skills is all. I wanted to surprise you. Especially since you were so kind to tell Valar where to stuff it last night. I thought you could use some cheering up this morning.”
Piper shook her head and sat on the sofa beside Dimitri. She finally bit into the blissfully delicious bread, and sighed, a smile spreading across her face. “He’s angry with me, isn’t he?” she asked after a moment.
“Surprised, yes. Angry, no. I believe I heard him mutter something about “Just like her mother” and “a woman of few words.” He does wish to meet with you as soon as possible. Before the strategy meeting, if possible.”
“You been speaking to Valar without me? What is Nefiri up to, Dimitri?” Piper moved on to a second biscuit. It was as tasty as the first. Soft, and subtly sweet with its honey glaze and buttery center. She took another bite and sighed again.
“Nefiri is, to be forthright, furious at Jayson, Jack and Leo. She was bent on forcing them to live with the Black Diamonds. I was able to talk her out of it. I cannot say I blame her. It is hard to dismiss the grudge you have had for so long in a heart’s beat.” He ran his fingers through his black hair and shrugged. Piper had forgotten how much she enjoyed his company and his little quirks. He always fidgeted with his hair when he was nervous.
“Well, I do thank you for that. Though their methods may at times be rather unusual, I do believe it will be best for everyone in the end. Now, exactly why does that matter in regards to you speaking with Valar?”
“Seeing as you and I have been friends for so long, Nefiri has asked if I would be the liaison between you four — I suppose five if you were to consider Valar — and the dwarves. After you shut yourself in here last night, Valar asked to speak with me. He thought I could coax you out of your shell and convince you to meet with him. He has an alternate plan regarding Taraniz.” Dimitri pulled the last bite of biscuit from Piper’s hand and tossed it in the air, catching it in his mouth with a smug smile. “Have I succeeded?”
“Succeeded in what? Annoying me? Yes.” Piper’s voice was firm, but she smiled as she spoke. Dimitri leaned in, pushing her tangled mess of hair out of her eyes.
“Have I succeeded in coaxing you out of your shell, you uptight little fireball?” He did not wait for a response. He kissed her warmly. He pushed her back into the corner of sofa and wrapped his arms around her back.
Piper kissed him back. She allowed herself to become lost in the familiarity of him. She felt his strong, knotted muscles encircle her, and felt his breath in her ear. He moved to kiss her chin, and she leapt from the sofa.
“Dimitri, this has to stop,” she said, her voice shaking. “I told you, now that I will be Queen, we cannot be together. My — my marriage will be arranged by the Elven Council. There is nothing to be done about it.” She turned back towards her bedroom, ready to shut herself away once more. Dimitri’s grabbed her wrist, and instinct over took her. She twisted, stepping on Dimitri’s foot, ready to elbow him in the stomach. This was a trick he had taught her. As soon as her foot came down on his, Dimitri spun her around. He pressed her back against his chest and crossed her arms in front of her.
“Let me go!” she cried. She fought the tears ready to slip down her face as much as she fought against Dimitri. Dimitri said nothing. He simply held her there. She struggled against his body, but it was no use. Eventually she gave in. She gave in to his strength and to her tears. She slumped to the floor, holding her face in her hands. He still held her, more gently now. He let her cry and let her hot tears splash against his arm like he did three years ago beneath the beech tree. Finally, her crying subsided to little hiccups, and he wiped her face with his tunic sleeve.
“I do not care what an
y council says,” he whispered to her. “I am never going to stop loving you. Stop fighting this. You know we’re—”
“I don’t want to lose you,” she breathed through her hands. “If anything ever happened to you because of me, I—” Dimitri pulled her hands away from her face. Even when she cried, she was beautiful. He wiped the tears from her face again. “Dimitri, you are my dearest friend. I love you more than anyone I have ever known. I cannot bring myself to let you—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “That is a burden for me to carry, not you. I will never force you to do anything against your will. But you cannot stop me from loving you.” He kissed her fingers softly, and left the room, leaving the empty plate of biscuits sitting on the sofa.
The sun outside the boys’ window had begun to turn the sky from black to dark gray. Shades of red and gold streaked through the clouds, diminishing the grandeur of the Dwarvik gem murals. Jack, Jayson and Leo had slept through most of the day and night. When they awoke, it had still been dark. They sat in the common area, playing checkers with a strange board game they had found in one of the cabinets as the sky outside their window grew brighter.
“Hey, let’s go visit Piper!” Jayson cried, startling them out of their bored stupor.
“Yeah!” Leo cried. Then his face fell as quickly as it had brightened. “Uh, does anyone know where her room is?”
“Gemari told me how to get to the Sapphire Quarter a few days ago. I’m sure there are enough people around that could help us too,” said Jack.
Jayson and Leo nodded in agreement and hurried off to their respective rooms. They dressed quickly in the original clothes they had arrived in. Jack was thankful to wear jeans again, but he still kept the boots Piper had traded for them. Soon, they found themselves walking the familiar corridors and tunnels of Fortress Kelsii. Word had spread about the boys’ involvement with the Black Diamonds. The news seemed to have made the citizens nervous. They moved aside and turned their faces away as they walked past. Some even turned the opposite direction to evade an encounter all together.
Jayson, Jack and Leo spent fifteen minutes wandering the tunnels aimlessly with no help from passersby. They slumped against a nearby wall, looking rather defeated and considered their options.
“Well, that didn’t go according to plan,” said Jack. His shoulders sagged and he began fidgeting with a hole in his jeans.
“I guess we aren’t exactly the most popular at the moment. I didn’t think about that,” said Leo.
“Hey, I don’t know what their mad at Jack and I for,” Jayson leaned forward to look at Leo who sat on the other side of Jack. “It was your idea to conspire with the enemy.” Leo glared at Jayson, who laughed and nearly hit Jack in the head as he tried to punch Leo in the arm. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” he chortled. “Looks like we’re in this together whether we planned it that way or not.”
“Yeah, anything one of us does, it’s like we all did it,” said Jack. He leaned away from Jayson who was still recovering from his laughing fit.
“I guess I didn’t think what would happen after the council decided,” said Leo. “I just assumed everyone would get along and work together. I guess even adults from another world can’t grow up sometimes.”
“Hey, they got the job done. Mostly,” said Jack. “And you did that, Leo. Believe me, I wouldn’t have had the guts to do what you did, man. That was definitely righteous!”
“Word!” Jayson agreed, giving Leo the rock and roll sign this his hands. A middle aged man passed by and stared over his shoulder at the boys before hurrying on. They all started laughing into their hands.
“What do you think will happen after Piper’s Queen?” Jayson asked, still giggling and rubbing his chin. After seeing the dwarves’ magnificent beards, he had been determined to will his facial hair to grow. So far, he had only managed to make his chin itch when he went to bed at night.
“I thought maybe we’d keep trying to find a way home,” said Leo. “But I’m worried people will start to think we’re a threat if we stay together.”
A large group was making their way down the hall. Leo stopped talking when he saw them. Jack and Jayson turned to look. The party did not shy away as the others had. They walked determinedly forward, their footfalls almost perfectly in sync. It was Nefiri, Una and Gemari with an armed guard. The boys scrambled to their feet. Leo and Jayson attempted a proper Dwarvik bow until Jack elbowed them in the ribs. Commoners did not bow to royalty. It was an insult that put them on the same level as everyone else. The troupe slowed as Nefiri narrowed her eyes at them.
“My Lady,” whispered Jack. Nefiri broke from the group and the soldiers stopped. Una rolled her eyes, and Gemari refused to look at them at all. “I—we…we wanted to visit Piper. Could someone show us to her room?” Nefiri squinted at the boys a moment longer, then nodded to one of her guards. The Empress gave the smallest of bows to them, and the group continued their trek down the hall.
“Follow me, if you please,” said the guard. His tone was polite, and a smile pulled at his lips beneath his dark brown beard. He led them down two long tunnels then stopped before of the magnificent bejeweled doors. “The Lady Piper,” he said, and winked before walking away. Jayson, Jack and Leo stared after him for a moment before pulling on the little bell string beside the door.
“That was weird,” Jayson whispered.
“Guess Nefiri must be pretty mad,” said Leo.
“You could say that,” Piper said, opening the door. The redness in her cheeks and eyes said she had been crying, but she smiled warmly at them. “Please, come in.” She stood aside, and they paraded inside, each hugging her in turn. “I apologize I did not stay to celebrate with you,” she said. She glanced at the fainting sofa then took a seat in a chair across the room.
“You didn’t miss much,” Jayson lied, “We—uh, we’ve pretty much slept all day.”
Piper nodded. She looked from the floor to the window, and took no notice of Jayson’s forced tone. “I am sorry I have been neglecting you.” she said, and began twisting her hair between her fingers.
“Neglecting us? What do you mean?” asked Leo. He picked up the biscuit plate beside him and ate the remaining crumbs.
“I have shut myself away. I was afraid. I see that now. You needed me, and I have not been here for you. You are…my friends, like my brothers, and I have been thinking only of myself. I should not have left you alone for so long. I am sorry.”
“It’s okay,” said Jayson. “Dimitri took pretty good care of us.”
Piper smiled weakly. “Yes, he is good at that.”
An awkward silence fell between them. The only sound came from Jayson shuffling his feet and the whistling wind outside Piper’s window, indicating a storm on the way.
“Alright,” said Jack breaking the quiet. “If we’re your friends, then you’re gunna talk. That’s what girls need anyway, right? Talking?” The silence that followed was even more uncomfortable. Jayson and Leo looked at Jack confused, and Piper refused to look at him at all.
“That’s what we’re doing, Jack,” Leo raised his eyebrows at Jack and shrugged.
“No!” cried Jack. “Isn’t it obvious she and Dimitri just had a fight or something?” More silence. “Seriously, am I the only one that notices this stuff?”
“Did you guys have a fight?” Jayson turned to Piper, and Leo punched him in the ribs. “Hey! I broke that, ya know!”
“How long are you going to use that excuse?” Leo rolled his eyes.
“For as long as I can,” Jayson whined, and his friends laughed. “Okay, but seriously. Did you guys fight? Is Dimitri like, your boyfriend or something?”
“Dimitri and I have been friends for many years,” said Piper. “He— he came to me when I was first banished. He taught me my magic. He wishes to be more than friends.” Piper continued to study the floor.
“So?” said Leo shrugging. “We already thought you guys were. What’s the big deal?”
<
br /> “I cannot risk putting my truest friend in danger because I will be Queen. The Conclave of Nobles will decide my marriage. Our relationship would be secret and put him at grave risk.” She rose from the chair and began pacing the room. “This is ridiculous.” She laughed. “I should not be discussing this with you.”
Jayson and Leo looked at Jack. They shrugged, encouraging him to continue what he’d started.
“Well, I mean, if you guys are friends, and everyone already thinks you guys are a couple, wouldn’t that put him in danger anyway?” asked Jack.
Piper whipped around. Her green eyes were wide and wild. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, if some group of people is going to decide who you have to marry, you probably aren’t really going to love that person, right?” Piper said nothing. She remained still, her green eyes piercing Jack as he continued. “And if you really do love Dimitri, regardless of…well… just regardless of anything you decide… they could still use him against you.”
“What are you implying?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she carefully calculated Jack’s words.
“You’re making this way crazier than it needs to be,” said Leo, “Either you’re his girlfriend and then you’re both happy, or you’re not his girlfriend, and you’re both miserable. People will use him against you anyway.”
“So, just suck it up and…stuff,” Jayson shrugged.
The bell rang at the door. They jumped. Piper covered the length of the room nearly at a run, and opened the door. It was Valar. She was both happy and disappointed it was not Dimitri. She stepped aside to allow him through. He smiled at seeing the boys already gathered.
“Fantastic to find you all here!” Valar beamed a wide smile at them. “I do not believe we have properly met. I am Valar, head advisor to our late King Aramor, and now unofficial advisor to Queen Eva Ruani.” He bowed to them in what the boys presumed was more of the Elven style. They attempted to return the gesture, but were mostly unsuccessful.
Chartile: Prophecy Page 14