Fragments of Light

by Beth Hodgson

  Councilor Zane’s face remained still, but a hint of worry came over him. “Your Majesty, we will still have our resources after the invasion. It will just be delayed by two weeks.”

  “By your account, half of Arcadia will be up in flames in two weeks. You should have been more on top of the corporation. Remind me, how many billions of dollars are we paying for such incompetence?” Damaris briskly walked away from the councilor, seating himself once again.

  “Your Majesty, you have my word that the army will be ready in two weeks’ time.”

  “It had better be, otherwise there will be severe repercussions.”

  The councilor bowed to him, then sat down. Damaris observed the sweat on his brow; the man was obviously nervous about his predicament. Good, he thought. He is lucky I haven’t thrown him in the cell blocks. Or had him executed.

  There was the sound of the doors opening, and everyone’s eyes turned to the entrance. His daughter appeared with one of her handmaidens. She waved her hand to dismiss the servant, who then bowed and quickly exited the room.

  Councilor Emerys gave the princess a slight nod, Count Jadeth scoffed, and the other three remained silent as she approached him. He didn’t even have to guess why Emerald came before him.

  That damn prince.

  She bowed, her eyes firmly meeting his. “Father, please forgive my interruption.” She nodded at the men at the table. “Council.”

  “As you can see, I am busy at the moment,” Damaris said, glaring at her sternly. “Whatever it is, it can wait until this evening.”

  “But by then, it would be too late.” Emerald stood determined.

  The men at the table sat silently, their faces surprised, which angered him further. Emerald had never interrupted his meetings before. It had to be the prince instructing her to do so. Why else would she do anything so out of character?

  “Would you excuse me for a moment, councilors,” he said, his voice resonating with annoyance. Damaris grabbed his daughter’s arm and dragged her away from where they stood, over to the edge of the room, near the window. She glared at the hand he had latched onto her arm. “What is the meaning of this?” he snarled, keeping his voice low.

  Emerald looked alarmed at his tone but pressed on. “Father, Derek wants to take me out this evening. I would very much like to go with him.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  That name. He did not like that name. It was almost as bad as the name Samir.

  “Please, Father,” she begged in a soft whisper. “I have never asked anything of you before. Please reconsider.”

  “The answer is no.” He let go of her arm and began to walk away.

  “Why not?” Emerald raised her voice.

  Enraged, Damaris spun around to meet her glare, getting in her face. “Because I don’t like him! Especially him!” his voice boomed, causing the men at the table to turn their heads slightly in their direction.

  Damaris’s eyes lowered after a moment, then he saw it. A sizable emerald ring on his daughter’s finger. At once, all the feelings of hatred toward Samir were channeled into Derek, just by seeing that ring.

  Grabbing her hand, he held it up between their faces, shaking in anger.

  “Where did you get this?”

  Emerald lowered her eyes, not answering him. That was all he needed to know.

  Samir must be behind this, undermining me. Who does he think he is, having his son waltz into Arcadia to steal my daughter from me, he thought. First Elyathi, now Emerald. That bastard!

  He flung Emerald’s hand free. “Give it back to him. Regardless of what he thinks, I will not have my daughter wed anyone from York, no matter how good they think their offer is. Period.”

  Gathering her composure, Emerald got in his face. “What do you have against York?”

  “Everything. Now drop this conversation this very moment and leave, and I will excuse this insolent behavior. The councilors are waiting,” Damaris said, shooing his daughter away. He looked over his shoulder, then added, “I forbid you from seeing the prince again. You should forget about him.” Damaris returned to his seat, all the men waiting for him to resume their meeting.

  Emerald didn’t move from her spot. She stood her ground, tears forming in her eyes, holding her gaze at him. “Father, why are you doing this to me? Do you want me to be miserable for the rest of my life?”

  Damaris slammed his hands on the table. He sensed everyone at the table would run if they could, but they remained motionless, holding their breath. Marching back to his daughter, he came within an inch of her face, narrowing his eyes. “You will not be wed, especially to those who live in the other kingdoms! Ever! You will continue to do your duty and stay in Arcadia. You are too important to be married off. Do I make myself clear?”

  Emerald stood there stunned in disbelief. She took a step back, shaking her head with renewed tears. “You would hold me hostage in Arcadia for the rest of my life?” Emerald said quietly. “Because that’s essentially what you are doing!”

  “This conversation is over!” With a sharp, sweeping gesture, he grabbed her hand. Stunned, he saw his daughter’s eyes go wide, and she tried to pry herself away from his grasp.

  “Father, stop! What are you doing?” Emerald cried, struggling to free herself. “You’re hurting me!”

  Damaris ignored her, clenching her hand tightly. He yanked the emerald ring off her finger, then held it up in her face. “This is what I am doing!” he snarled.

  He flung the ring across the room. The gentle pinging sound of the ring falling against the marbled tile was all that could be heard in the chambers, minus his daughter’s sobs.

  “Guards!” Damaris roared.

  The armored men came running in, awaiting their orders.

  “Please escort the princess to her quarters, and see that she does not come out until the morning.”

  Emerald’s eyes widened, tears continuing to stream down her face. “What? Father, you can’t be serious…”

  The guards encircled her, then motioned for her to exit the room.

  “Quite serious,” Damaris said, gritting his teeth. Several guards grabbed Emerald, surrounding the princess. “Remove her. I have had enough this afternoon.”

  Emerald’s eyes narrowed at him, filled with contempt. They looked exactly like Elyathi’s eyes. It was as if she had come back to haunt him.

  “I now understand why Mother was so unhappy! There is no reasoning with you!” she yelled as the guards forcefully escorted her out the door.

  “Get her out of here!” Damaris roared at the guards.

  The guards and his daughter disappeared as the doors shut behind them. There was silence once more. Damaris turned to face the council. “Continue, Count Jadeth. What were you saying?”

  The count took a drink of water, then cleared his throat with his meaty hands, looking at Damaris hesitantly. Damaris nodded, and the count continued his report on the eastern sector.

  Suddenly, Lysander interrupted. “Sire, forgive me for what I am about to say. Perhaps the princess has a point.”

  Damaris turned sharply to the advisor. “I have had quite enough for one day, Lysander.”

  “Just hear me out, Your Majesty. Why don’t we accept the prince’s proposal and take York’s money? We need it now.”

  “Councilor Lysander is right, Your Majesty,” the Baron von Aedard interjected. “We are already planning an invasion on York anyway, so what is the issue with taking their money now? Besides, morale is low in the city, and the people love their princess. A wedding could unite Arcadia from within while we execute our plans.”

  “No. You know as well as everyone else in this room that I loathe Samir,” Damaris said, eyeing the baron. “I don’t want to give him one ounce of satisfaction, even if it is under false pretenses,” he spat. “Do you think for one moment that my daughter could continue to keep her secret to herself while she is engaged to the prince? You can see how infatuated she is with him. If the prince found out, it would ca
use alarm from within York. It’s a horrible idea. The very thought of marrying them.”

  An image flashed in his mind. Of seven years ago. Samir holding Elyathi in tears. If Damaris hadn’t discovered the plot, York would have had so much power within their grasp. To this day, Emerald still had no clue what had truly happened, nor would anyone dare speak of the incident. They knew the consequences. The cell block or death. He preferred death, personally. It always taught a lesson while ensuring compliance.

  He turned to Councilor Zane. “Our army better be ready as you said, Councilor. Two weeks, we take over.”

  “Your Majesty,” said Councilor Zane, “what about the prince?”

  “What about the prince?” A maniacal smile spread across Damaris’s face as he took a drink of his wine. “Samir will be lucky to have his son as Arcadia’s prisoner by the time we are through with him.”

  Damaris held his glass up, cheering himself as he took another drink.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Derek sat in Councilor Lysander’s personal sitting room, waiting patiently for his meeting to begin. He absentmindedly stirred a sugar cube in his coffee, wondering what was delaying the councilor.

  The councilor was an hour late, and there had been no messages given to Derek or the servants regarding the councilor’s whereabouts. One of the palace servants came in the room to fill Derek’s cup but noticed that the prince hadn’t even taken a sip.

  “Would you like a fresh spot of coffee, Your Highness?”

  Derek snapped out of his thoughts, noticing the servant. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

  The servant bowed, then left Derek alone in the chambers once again.

  Sighing, Derek relaxed into the chair, gazing out the window at the city sprawled out before him. He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day, albeit the councilor being late. Princess Emerald, the only one he’d had eyes for all these years, would be his. She said yes to him! Nothing made him happier, and he was relieved to know that she was soon to be his. Everything would be perfect. That was, unless Damaris refused to comply.

  The thought of Damaris made his heart sink slightly. What was his issue with York anyway? What had happened between him and his father for him to reject Derek so?

  Not wanting to dampen his good mood, Derek’s thoughts turned back to Emerald. He would see her tonight. He would take her to dinner and the opera house; Emerald would love that. He could see her excitement now, amazed at the city before her. He would be there for her to experience it all. Just the thought of that made him feel important, and also protective of her. After all, it was up to him to show her what Arcadia and the rest of the world was truly like. Her father and mother certainly hadn’t. All they had done was shelter her from everything all these years, with the exception of a few times for royal visits.

  Emerald. It seemed like a lifetime since he had seen her, but it had only been this morning. His stomach fluttered at the thought of how long it would be before he saw her again.

  Derek finally took a sip of his coffee. It had turned cold. Maybe he should have allowed the servant to give him a new cup.

  What is taking the councilor so long? Derek thought impatiently. He knew that the councilor had other meetings throughout the day, but this was getting absurd. Perhaps the councilor forgot? Or maybe… the councilor had decided he didn’t want to pursue relations with York. Damaris had a way to scare everyone into submission, even the strongest of men. But that wouldn’t deter Derek. He was not going to give in to Damaris’s scare tactics. Especially with Emerald’s hand in marriage at stake.

  Derek heard the door open and immediately got to his feet, turning toward the door.

  “No need, Your Highness, it’s just me,” Silas called out, appearing in the room.

  Disappointed, Derek flopped back down into the chair. “What is it, Silas?”

  “Your Highness, a transmission came in a few minutes ago. Your father,” Silas said, bowing before him. “I told him you were in a meeting with one of the councilors and that you would contact him when you were done. I assumed that you would have been finished up by now, but it appears that I was mistaken.” Silas glanced around the empty room.

  “Indeed, you are.” Derek sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. “Did my father mention any new offers?”

  “Yes, he mentioned that there are a couple of attractive offers for you to extend, but he didn’t go into details.”

  “Perfect. That’s what I like to hear,” Derek said, smiling to himself. He pushed aside his coffee, then got up from the table, fixing the collar on his jerkin. “Silas, I will send my father a transmission. I am curious to see what proposals that he is willing to offer. Will you please inform Councilor Lysander’s attendant that we will have to reschedule our meeting when the councilor has a more open schedule?”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “And what of the princess? Any word from her?”

  “None, Your Highness.”

  Derek frowned slightly. “Well, she must be busy. I’ll hear from her soon, I’d wager,” he said, smoothing his midnight curls. “If you haven’t heard from her handmaidens within the hour, please send word for me.”

  Derek started for the door while Silas flagged down one of the councilor’s attendants. After Derek was out the door and down the hall, Silas caught up with him.

  “Your meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow at one.”

  “Let’s just hope that the councilor shows up.”

  “Apparently he has been in the same meeting with the King since this morning.”

  “Is that so?” I wonder if Damaris is keeping the councilor on purpose…

  Derek and Silas stepped onto the glass lifts, and Silas pressed their floor’s button. On the way up to his quarters’ floor, Derek got the keen sense that something was wrong.

  First the councilor not showing up, then Emerald not sending word.

  It seemed Damaris was determined to make Derek fail, one way or another.

  CHAPTER TEN

  GREEN

  Emerald was still in disbelief, crying a steady stream of tears as the guards escorted her through the palace halls. She had half a mind to summon the underlying power built up within and unleash it on the guards. But she was better than that, and she didn’t want to cause a scene. It wasn’t their fault; they were just following orders like everyone else in the palace.

  Her ring. The most precious thing she had ever received in her life, and it had been ripped from her, tossed aside with no care. Just like her feelings. Her father didn’t care.

  She had not always agreed with her father, respecting his decisions because she thought he had her best interests at heart regarding her secret. But she thought that eventually, when she came of age, that she would be married off to some duke or prince. However, it was quite apparent that that was not the case. All her father cared about was himself and her power, not her or her wishes.

  Under normal circumstances, Emerald wouldn’t have fathomed arguing with her father. After all, it was just a request for an outing. But the more unreasonable he became about his decision, the more it had upset her. And now, learning that her father had absolutely no intentions of accepting any sort of proposal from York regarding a marriage, she had learned something else about him: He was deceitful. To York, to the people of Arcadia, and to her.

  When they arrived at her quarters, the guards opened the main door, bowing to her and remaining silent. Just for petty self-satisfaction, Emerald didn’t acknowledge them, still furious with her father. Glacia entered behind her, and the door shut. She could hear several of the guards positioning themselves outside her door, the shuffles of their boots and armor clanging.

  She crossed her sitting room, then let herself into her bedroom and slumped down onto her vanity bench. A new batch of tears flowed as Glacia calmly approached, kneeling down beside the bench, hugging her.

  “Princess… what happened with your father?” she asked in a low voice.

  “Everything
happened,” Emerald said, forcing the words from her trembling lips, wiping away her tears.

  Glacia sat motionless as she continued to embrace her. “What did you say to him?” she asked quietly.

  Shaking her head, Emerald said in a jittery voice, “All I know is that I will continue to remain in Arcadia… for an indefinite amount of time.” She grabbed a handkerchief from her vanity, dabbing her tears.

  Glacia’s hazel eyes studied her. “Does that mean there will be no engagement?”

  “There will never be an engagement. Not with Derek, or anyone else.” Emerald wiped her nose with her handkerchief.

  Never had Glacia been silent like she was now. She always had something to say. But what could she possibly say?

  Emerald shuddered with grief. Glacia touched her shoulder as a comforting gesture and went to retrieve a glass of wine for her. Emerald got up, then walked through her bedroom to her outside balcony. Glacia returned with a glass of red wine, bowed, then retreated inside, giving Emerald time alone to sort her feelings.

  A deep despair came over her as she viewed the city bustling with activities. More than anything else, she desperately wanted to marry Derek and be free of her father. Instead she was to be his prisoner, trapped, never to leave the palace walls ever again. Her father had withheld the truth from everyone except a few people about her gift, under the pretenses of “keeping her secret.” That was a lie. All he really cared about was her power and controlling everyone else around him. And if it weren’t for Derek, she would still be naive to the impending collapse of Arcadia’s financial markets. Just another thing her father wasn’t forthcoming with.

  Her thoughts turned to Derek, about him questioning the blood samples. Derek didn’t seem convinced. And now, she wasn’t so sure either. Come to think of it, she had never actually been sick before. Was it even possible for her to get sick, with her being born of green magic? A sobering thought came to her: What was her father doing with her blood?

  Day melted into night. Emerald watched the transports cross the kingdom’s sky, like sailing ships in endless waters, soaring through the colored fog that rose from the depths of the city. What she would give to eternally fall into those colors, to lose herself and her existence.