Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1)

by Brittany Comeaux

Elias sighed, annoyed from being torn from his thoughts and from having heard all this plenty of times before. “Yes, yes, of course. We all know of Gabriel's...prowess.” The old man stroked his white beard and added, “Though he did receive a discharge from Fairwood Academy, did he not?”

  “Well, yes,” Roland admitted, “but in his defense, the young man he struck spoke ill of our family. His actions were the reflection of his respect and honor for our family.”

  Elias peered at Roland. “I was under the impression that Gabriel had been...caught with the young man's fiancee, or was this a different confrontation?”

  Roland's cheeks flushed. “I-I'm certain that Gabriel was not to blame and that the academy directors will allow him back in once this whole situation blows over.”

  Elias was about to speak again when the two men heard heavy footsteps approaching. The doors to the study flew open and in walked Hamelin, who shifted his gaze to his brother and said, “Roland, I need to speak to you about your daughter.”

  Roland let out a sigh, placed his hand to his brow, and said, “What has Kaina done this time?”

  “She blatantly disrespected me after I caught her spying on my poor Isa! You need to put your foot down and stop her uncouth behavior, Roland.”

  Elias put his hand up and waved his son down. “Now Hamelin, we must think of this logically. It's not enough to simply tell Kaina what to do. She's grown too wild for that, with her constant questions and dangerous ideas--”

  “I blame that tutor of hers for that,” Hamelin interrupted.

  “Hamelin,” Elias said with a certain sharpness in his voice that hinted at his son to never interrupt him again, “It was necessary to educate her and it still is. No noble in the kingdom of Ilesia goes without it.”

  “She's old enough now that she doesn't need it,” Hamelin said. “I say we cease her tutoring this instant and train her to behave as a girl her age should. I promise you that if she were my daughter, she would have learned that by now.”

  Roland stood up in his seat. “Are you suggesting that it is my fault that Kaina behaves the way she does?”

  “I am suggesting that you haven't done what you needed to do in order to control her,” Hamelin retorted.

  Roland opened his mouth to argue back when Elias shot up and shouted, “Enough.”

  Both men stared at their father, who said, “Hamelin, I understand your concerns, but I have already devised a solution to this problem. Have a seat and I will explain.”

  His sons obeyed, and Elias stood up straight and began, “Hamelin is right about one thing: the Haventhorn family prides itself on maintaining a certain image, but Kaina isn't one to do as she's told when faced with social embarrassment or even threats, so how can we manage to keep Kaina in check?”

  The brothers exchanged glances, then turned back to their father who answered, “We find her a husband, of course.”

  “You intend to arrange a marriage for her?” Hamelin asked.

  “I do not intend to do anything. It is already done,” Elias said.

  “It is?” Roland said. “Why haven't I been informed that you arranged a marriage for my daughter?”

  “I plan to announce it at the ball,” Elias replied, “where she will meet her betrothed.”

  “I doubt Kaina will go along with this,” Roland said.

  “Oh she will,” Hamelin said, “or she will suffer the consequences.”

  “Now now,” Elias said. “I believe that this man is a good match for her. He's educated, well-connected, and has been known to keep a firm hand over his subjects as well as his own household.”

  “Who is he?” Roland pressed.

  Elias wasn't a man who smiled often, if at all, but when the smile spread on his face, his sons knew that what he had planned was quite possibly the best thing that could have ever happened to the Haventhorn family.

  Elias sat down at his desk and said, “Let's just say that Kaina will finally pave the way for the Haventhorn clan to live up to the glory we were meant to have, and as such, she will finally prove her worth.”

  As his sons exchanged glances once more, Elias produced a small, flat wooden box the size of a small book from his desk drawer and held it out to Roland. A bright red ribbon had been tied around it and fastened into a bow at the top, and a small tag that fell off to the side had Kaina's name written on it.

  “What is this?” Roland asked as he accepted the item.

  “An engagement gift,” Elias replied. “I had it commissioned weeks ago, and I believe you are the best person to give it to her.”

  Rolan nodded, placed the box in his pocket, stood, and said, “I'll give it to her straight away.”

  As he left the room, Hamelin turned his attention back to Elias and said, “I have to say, Father, I'm impressed with how you handled the situation. I was beginning to suspect that Roland would never put a stop to his daughter's behavior.”

  Elias twirled the gold ring on his right forefinger with his thumb and replied, “Roland has a bit of a temper, but he will be able to handle Kaina now that this situation will be resolved.”

  Hamelin scoffed. “Roland has always shirked his responsibilities. When I wear the Patriarch's ring-”

  “You will only wear the ring when I am gone, Hamelin,” Elias stated. He pulled the ring, gold with a ruby in the center and their family crest etched into the side, and held it up as he said, “This ring represents everything our family stands for: our traditions, our power, and most importantly, our loyalty to not only our king, but our family as well.”

  Elias placed the ring on his finger once more and said, “Upon my death, the ring will be bequeathed to you, and to Hugo upon your passing, and so on. So it has been since Mikael Haventhorn first came to Eboncrest, so it always will be.”

  Hamelin remained still, and responded, “Yes, Father. I understand.”

  After walking in through the doors to the manor, Kaina left the box with her mother's dress with one of the servants and quickly carried her package upstairs. When she made it to the second floor, she turned towards her room and stopped when she heard voices coming from the opposite direction.

  “But Mama...do we have to go to the ball?”

  Kaina knew that sad little voice as Tobyn, her cousin Hugo's only child. She turned to see him and his mother, Thea, standing down the corridor.

  “I'm sorry,” said Thea, “but everyone in the family has to be there.”

  “Can't I go play for a while?” Tobyn asked, holding up a wooden object that he grasped with both hands.

  After a brief pause, Thea said, “Only for a few minutes, then I want you back here so you can get dressed.”

  Tobyn smiled and ran down the corridor in Kaina's direction, but when he saw her standing there, he froze. With his caramel brown skin, tightly coiled brown hair, and dark eyes, it was easy to see why people whispered about the possibility that Hugo didn't father him. Thea, like most other natives of the Ashlands, shared the same features as her son. Anyone with a shred of sense would know that most natives of the western province of Ilesia had these features, and naturally would assume that the boy simply took after her.

  Tobyn did just as he always did when he saw other members of the household and ran off without a word. Kaina saw as he passed towards the stairs that the object in his hand appeared to be a little wooden horse with a knight riding it.

  Kaina turned back to Thea. Neither breathed a word, but in the few seconds that their eyes met, they held an entire conversation. Her body stiffened and she shifted her eyes away from Kaina. Thea didn't say a word as she turned and walked away in the opposite direction. Kaina hesitated, but eventually turned around and returned to her bedroom.

  Kaina burst through the door and untied the twine holding her new books together. Her fingers trembled as she tore away at the paper that Mortimer had wrapped them with and gazed upon her wondrous finds. The first book in the stack was the mysterious blue book, since it was smaller than the others. Instead of examining it ri
ght away, she stored it in the first drawer of her nightstand for later. Before she shut the drawer, however, she noticed a small glint of light coming from the gem on the clasp. It was similar to when she first discovered the book in the shop, but this time, there didn't appear to be any light to reflect off of it. If Kaina didn't know any better, she would have suspected that the gem actually glowed on its own.

  “Must have been my imagination,” Kaina muttered to herself, although this did little to satisfy her curiosity.

  Kaina brushed her suspicions aside and went to examine her other books. The first one was titled Ilesia: Histories and Origins, the second was a folk tale about a knight in a distant land called The Oath Blade. The third and fourth books were both books about plants and their medicinal effects, something else she'd been meaning to study up on, and the fifth book was about various animals and creatures known throughout the kingdom.

  Kaina was about to crack open one of the books to take a look inside when she heard her door swing open. She spun around, ready to loose her venom upon the one who walked into her private quarters without so much as a knock, when she saw her father standing in the doorway.

  Before Kaina could even spew out anything about his audacity and rudeness, Roland barked, “Kaina, why aren't you dressed yet? The ball will be starting soon.”

  Kaina drew in a sharp breath and said, “I was just about to get started.”

  Roland huffed. “Well before you do, I have something for you.”

  “You...do?” Kaina replied.

  “Yes...” Roland said. “Why does that surprise you so?”

  “It's just...unexpected,” Kaina said.

  Roland shook his head and pulled a box out of his pocket. “Never mind, just open it.”

  Kaina accepted the box, kept her eye trained on her father for several seconds, and turned her gaze back to the box. She loosened the ribbon, lay it off to the side, lifted the latch with her thumb, and lifted the lid. She gasped as her eyes lay upon the gift inside.

  Resting in the middle of white satin was a pure gold necklace. A ruby the size of Kaina's thumbnail had been encrusted in the center, along with a frame of tiny diamonds around it. Her fingers explored the surface of the pendant, and as she lifted it out of the box, she could feel something etched into the back. She turned it over to investigate and discovered her family seal engraved in the gold surface.

  “Give it here,” Roland said, already reaching out for the necklace.

  Kaina didn't object, and her father circled around her while still holding the necklace out in front of her. She took the hint and held her hair out of the way while he wrapped the gold chain around her neck and fastened it.

  Roland stood in front of her to examine the necklace and said, “Yes, that's perfect.”

  Kaina looked down at the necklace, which dangled just below her collar, and she turned back to her father and said, “Thank you...but-”

  “But what?” Roland snapped.

  Kaina almost jumped at the sudden sharpness in his tone, but continued, “What's the occasion? Isn't tonight's ball about Hugo?”

  Roland shifted his gaze from side to side. “Is it a sin for a father to give his daughter a gift without the need for an occasion?”

  Kaina wanted to point out that she never received gifts for no reason, but in order to prevent an argument, she simply said, “I suppose not...thank you.”

  “You're welcome,” he replied.

  He turned to leave, but stopped when he looked over at the bed and saw the stack of books.

  “Where did you get those?” he asked. “We don't have books that old in the library.”

  Kaina considered lying for a moment, but she decided it wouldn't be worth the trouble. “I had a bit of time, so while I was in town getting Mother's dress, I went to a bookshop that Aldis told me about.”

  Though Roland appeared to have something to say about this, he evidently decided against it. “Just get dressed. I'll send one of the maids in to help you to change.”

  He turned around and walked off down the hall without even shutting her door. Kaina was a bit confused as to why he held back from his usual ranting, but she simply ignored this and turned back to her books. She wouldn't have time to examine them, so she instead decided to stack them on her table to read later.

  A few minutes later, Kaina heard a knock at the door frame. She turned around to see Elaine waited to be allowed to enter.

  “Good evening, Lady Kaina,” Elaine said, “I'm here to help you get dressed for the ball.”

  Kaina nodded and drew out a long, exasperated breath. “All right, let's get this over with.”

  Chapter 3

  Elaine fetched a red, silk dress with long sleeves and a collar that draped around her shoulders. The dress had black lace trim with a high waist and a long, billowing skirt. The maid first helped Kaina slip into a white chemise, then she helped her into the dress. Bits of her chemise, mainly the sleeves and the collar, peeked out from under the dress, and the bottom of the dress brushed along the floor. She slipped out of her boots and into her black dress shoes, which covered her ankles in the back and had a strap over the front.

  Elaine fashioned Kaina's hair into a braided bun on top of her head with the bottom half being allowed to dangle freely in a cascade of curls and attached a pure gold hair clasp adorned with rubies into the braided section. Finally, Elaine applied a light coat of powder to Kaina's face, a dab of color to her lips, eyes, and cheeks.

  When Elaine was satisfied, she beckoned for Kaina to peek into the mirror.

  “You amaze me every time, Elaine,” Kaina said, admiring the maid's handiwork. “Thank you so much.”

  Elaine smiled, bowed, and said, “The pleasure was mine, Lady Kaina.”

  After emerging from the bed chamber, Elaine and Kaina walked side by side down to the bottom floor, and all the while the latter kept having to be careful of her footing. The shoes she wore had a bit of a heel, and she wasn't used to walking in such abhorrent things.

  When she made it to the ballroom, Kaina saw her mother near the center barking orders at a group of servants. In actuality, there was no way she couldn't have seen Matilde. Her collar was so low on her chest that the tops of her breasts actually bulged out, and Kaina couldn't help but wonder how such a garment could contain them. Her dress, if one could even call it that, was made with red and black velvet and gold trimmings. The sleeves were gathered at the upper arms and lower arms and again at the wrist, with the remaining fabric tapering around her hands. The bodice was pulled so tight that Kaina wondered how her mother could even breath, and the bottom of the dress billowed out so far that her father couldn't even stand directly next to her. As if Matilde didn't wear enough makeup before, now she looked like an overly painted doll complete with rose red lips, pink cheeks, and violet powder on her eyes. Not to mention that her hair was piled up on her head taller than was natural and wore gaudy jewelry wherever that she could fit it.

  Kaina avoided her mother and instead went over to the side of the room where a staircase led from the first floor to the second floor, and atop the stairs was a platform with a railing for the Haventhorns to make their grand entrance.

  Kaina finally saw her grandfather, uncle, and father huddled together in a deep conversation at the top of the platform. Elias wore a deep black doublet with gold trim and a cape that draped over his shoulder along with a matching hat with a white feather perched atop his balding head. Her father and Uncle were wearing similar fashions, but instead of capes they both wore doublets with pleated sleeves.

  Something about their conversation gave her a sense of unease. They huddled together closely, watching over their shoulders for anyone who might be listening in, and they went silent any time one of the servants passed by them. Kaina was about to look away from them when she happened to catch her grandfather uttering something. Though she couldn't hear them, she could plain as day read the word on his lips. She knew for a fact that she wasn't crazy when she saw him utter th
e name, “Kaina.”

  “Well, nice of you to finally arrive.”

  Kaina turned to see Gabriel and Devon, her two older brothers. Gabriel was the one who had spoken, and he was easily one of the most insufferable people Kaina was forced to associate with.

  “The ball hasn't even started yet,” Kaina replied. “I didn't need to be here at all.”

  “That's not what father says,” Gabriel said with a smug grin. “He wants every single member of the family here when Hugo makes his entrance. That pig can have his fun, for all I care.” Gabriel stuck his finger out and pointed towards the fresh painting that had been placed on the wall just below the platform. It depicted none other than Hugo, with ash blonde hair and deep blue eyes, strong jaw covered with a light beard and determined expression, in his knight armor holding his helm in one hand and his sword in the other.

  “I'm telling you both,” Gabriel said with a certain air of smugness that made Kaina nauseous, “that's going to be me some day. Hugo may have his moment now, but in time I will be known as the greatest knight that Ilesia has ever known.”

  “Of course you will.”

  Matilde ran up to Gabriel, who had to lean over the bottom of his mother's dress to even reach her, threw her arms around him, and continued, “I don't care what those silly directors say. You are far superior to any of your classmates, and you will forever bring honor and glory to the Haventhorn family.”

  Kaina fought the urge to gag as Matilde threw her arms around Gabriel and coddled him like a spoiled toddler. She released him a short time later, glanced at her other two children, and said, “Don't just stand there, get ready to be announced.”

  Gabriel flashed his siblings a smug grin as Matilde made her way back to Roland. He strolled away without another word, and Kaina couldn't help but find the way he marched around the ballroom acting larger than he was amusing. It reminded her much like a kind of bird that puffed out its chest to attract a female, and she wouldn't put it past him to do just that to attract women.

  The thought of that made Kaina break out into a giggle fit before she could stop herself, and that was when Devon's eyes locked with hers.