by K. Lyn Hill
“Two Guards ended up unconscious and tied up in their undergarments, all so you could go to the library?” He asked instead.
“No, two Guards ended up unconscious and tied up in their undergarments because they laid their filthy hands on me, which I warned you about.” She growled.
“How did you do it? Who helped you?” His voice rose at as he imagined her turning his own men against him.
Feigning innocence she replied, “Why do you think I had help?”
Her head cocked to the side and he had to force his temper down. “You’re a girl.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Wow, how observant you are.” She deadpanned. “I’m starting to get really pissed off at all the sexist comments of the men here.”
“It’s not sexist, it’s true. You can barely carry the books in your hand without looking like you’re going to pass out.”
“Um no, I’m straining with the books because I’m trying to concentrate on not tripping over this blasted fugly dress.”
He smirked. The dress was pretty horrible. “What books are you reading anyway.” He glanced at the title of the book on top and studied her dubiously. “Modern history of Ceranthium ....” Lifting the top book to see the next title. “Warfare of the 20th century. Why are you reading these?” Was she trying to understand his land or plotting to attack it? He surely wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.
“I want to know more about where I am.”
“You could just ask me.” He would think that would be obvious.
She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, is that before or after you lock me in your room? No thanks.”
Ah yes. He supposed that did make sense. “You never answered me about how you did it.”
Skirting around him, she threw over her shoulder. “Maybe I didn’t. Like you said, I’m just a girl.”
Chapter Thirteen
Aerity
She wondered how long her comment would harp on him. He would question which one of his guards was on her side. His paranoia was more satisfying than forcing him to believe that, even though a woman, she was capable of many things. These boys and their ignorance were going to get them killed one day. All it took would be for one intelligent girl and their entire world would burn to the ground. She knew Damien would panic, assuming she ran from him again, hence the beastly roar she had heard in the hallway. Part of her considered escaping, but again, she had nowhere else to go. This area was foreign to her but for the most part they treated her well.
Hmmm. Mostly everyone. Not so much Damien, with his cantankerous moods and all, but she was confident that she could deal with him.
Sitting down on the velvet sateen, she set off on her research. After a few hours of reading, her eyes began to blur accompanying a pounding behind her temple. The few faces she recognized in their history books didn’t match with the ones she had learned about in school. Rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand she released a frustrated grunt. It made no sense! They had the same faces but they were known for different things. She found a picture of Shakespeare but instead of poetry and plays he owned a sheep farm and was known for the quality of his wool. Tomas Edison...was a renowned blacksmith who had created the top horse bridle and carriage spoke. Each world must have a twin with different personalities. Some weren’t even born on the same day as their look alike. Some were born weeks apart. There was no rhyme or reason to how any of this was possible and yet it was all staring her in the face. It only created more questions. The first one being, how did she get to another world?
As she flipped through the page of the last book in her pile, a line of hierarchy genealogy caught her eye. The most recent picture was of a stern, coarse man with vibrant blue eyes standing next to a woman with raven black hair and bluish grey eyes. The resemblance with the boys was uncanny. These were Damian and Siel’s parents. As she stared harder at the page, she wondered why the woman in the picture looked so familiar. The picture had obviously been taken when they first came to rule because of how young the king and queen looked, but Aerity couldn’t get out of her head that she had seen this woman before. The chances that she had ever crossed paths with the queen’s look-alike in her own world seemed near impossible. The earth was only filled with billions of people. How much of a coincidence would it be if their mother’s twin lived in Texas? But then again, what was the possibility of waking up in another world?
Shaking her head, Aerity skimmed down the rest of the page. There was one symbol painted next to all the men’s names but the Queen had the same mark as the King along with a different mark beside it. What did that mean? She would need to ask Siel about it when she had the chance. Something about the mark next to the King’s name looked so familiar but she couldn’t put a finger on it as to why. Skimming further down, Damien and Siel’s name had been added in later judging by the darker ink on the page.
Bored with the list of royals, she paged through the rest that had the villager’s names listed alphabetically along with their birthdays and who they were born to. Curiosity got the best of her and she searched the page for Elias’ name. When she got to the E’s, there were multiple Elias’ but none with the correct last name. Maybe he was in a different part of the book? Eli had taken on the last names of his foster parents but one day Aerity had begged them for his biological last name to figure out where he had come from. Eli never knew who his real parents were and Aerity had always wanted to try to track them down but he wasn’t interested in knowing the people who threw him away. It was hard to respect his wishes when curiosity got the better of her. His adoptive parents refused to tell her, saying that they didn’t know and wouldn’t say even if they did. Eli was their son and she had to respect that. Not happy with that answer, she had begged her father for a favor. The look in his eyes as he let her down softly was what she remembered the most. He knew who Eli’s parents were but wouldn’t say. Police had access to child service records so even if he really didn’t know, it could have been found out. She considered snooping, but her father’s warning to let it go constantly gonged in her head. Eli found out about her inquisitions and flipped out about his privacy, telling her it was none of her business. She had never seen him so upset with her, so she dropped the subject.
Seemed like neither world wanted to know who gave birth to him.
Her stomach released a vicious growl. Shutting the book, she glanced out the window taking in the darkness settling in. She must have missed dinner. Their food was pretty stinking good in the castle and the promise of it on her tongue had her jumping up enthusiastically.
Swinging open her door, she was surprised by the two giants standing guard. They both stared down at her like they wanted to eat her alive. “Where is Daniel? Why are there two of you now?”
The one grunted as the other sneered. “Prince’s new orders. And believe me Princess, you won’t be able to knock us unconscious.” Ah. So they had heard about that, huh?
“So, am I trapped in my room again? Or you are to follow me around like lost puppies?” The silent one growled. Well they certainly liked their noises, didn’t they?
Silence answered her question. Okay then.
Slipping past them, she tested to see if they trailed a few feet behind her. They did. At least she wasn’t a prisoner.
Hoping to run into the kitchen without having to ask for directions, Aerity headed down the hall but paused; music and laughter echoing down the corridor. Approaching the wide-open doors, she took in the scene of well-dressed women hanging over lustful men. Shifting her attention around the room, she stopped as it landed on someone in particular. Expecting to see Siel with a woman in his lap, she was surprised to find Damien being smothered by a female. He sat at the head of the table holding a wine glass as a pretty brunette hunched forward in her seat, practically sitting on top of him. She scandalously squeezed her arms together in order to show off her ample chest and giggled shamelessly at something Damien said, placing her hand on the center of his chest.
Aerity tried
to ignore the zing of jealousy that zipped through her as she stared at the hand touching Damien. She argued it was just because she was engaged to him but deep down, she knew it was a bit more than just that. As soon as the jealousy came, anger quickly replaced it.
He had been furious at her for being around his men but he could have a whore in his lap, touching and flirting with him. Interesting how that worked out. Aerity wondered if that was why she wasn’t invited to dinner, so he could flirt with all the girls he wanted in her absence.
Forcing away the odd feeling that shifted in her stomach, she tore her eyes from him. It didn’t matter anyway. She had no intention of marrying him. Soon, she would leave and find her way home.
Back on her quest to find the kitchen, she paused, hearing much softer music being played down the hall. One could barely hear it through the racket in the dining room but ever so faintly, it peeped through the raucous laughter. Following the sound, she came to a smaller room dimly lit by candlelight. Something cast a shadow in front of a piano, but she couldn’t tell who the owner of it was. Leaning against the door frame, she soaked in the soothing sound of the keys tapping and swaying. The music was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Sorrowful, regretful and yet overjoyed. It brought back memories of sitting on her mother’s lap while her hands splayed across the keys. She was so engrossed in her memories that she didn’t notice the music stop.
∞∞∞
Siel
Lost in the movement, Siel’s hands flew over the keys. Times of laughter and happiness lit up his fingers with a speed most didn’t possess. They say his mother died while giving birth to him, to which the guilt he felt held no bounds. Just a bottomless pit that made him want to drown out his sorrows any way he could. If someone were to analyze the reason that he took so many women to bed, they would probably say that he had mother issues. They would be right. Having a woman in his arms for just a moment felt like a reprieve from his drowning sorrows. Everyone always thought he was nothing more than a selfish young boy when everything inside him swirled with indignation at the thought. But it was easier to be known as a selfish boy then a disturbed young man with issues ridden in guilt. So he kept up the facade that everyone seemed so inclined to see. Full of life with playful banter and charming wit. As entertaining as it was to those around him, it had eventually become old and dull in his own mind. A perfunctory thing he did to get through each day. Just once though, he wished that someone would see the side of him that accurately depicted who he was. But no one attempted to delve that deeply into his soul. If they had, he might have been more than willing to let them. Maybe it was for the best.
The melody was one Damien said his mother used to play and so when Siel had gotten old enough to learn, he had spent weeks, months and years perfecting the song. For her memory. The memory that his life extinguished.
He didn’t know what had made him come here tonight and play again. It had been a few weeks since he had last sat down at the well-worn bench and allowed his fingers to stretch across the keys methodically. But something pushed him from his rooms and compelled him to pour out his heart to the only thing that ever listened to his pain. The piano that her fingers used to touch. Before he killed her.
And so here he was. Playing a sad melody like his life depended on it. Like it made her sacrifice worth it because the only thing he could do in life to make her proud was to play her favorite song and hope that she could feel how sorry he was in whatever life she was living now.
Damien had told him once that although he was young when she got pregnant the second time, something had changed with her. For the years of his brother’s youth, she would visit and sing songs, read stories and finger paint with him. But Damien said all that changed when she had gotten pregnant with his little brother. She didn’t laugh anymore or come to visit him. In fact, Damien referred to the little memory he had of her as being cold and foreign before she died. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones that caused such a change or maybe her body knew then what he knew now. That he would be her last child. Maybe she even knew that she would draw her last breath with him too.
Being so lost in his thought and the hidden inner workings of his mind, he hadn’t noticed her standing there at first. Then he saw her reflection in the window and something peaceful came over him.
Her eyes were closed, shut with pain and splendor. The emotions he had been feeling splayed across her face. It was the most beautiful and alluring thing he had ever seen. It was as if she had stolen some of his agony and decided to hold it within herself to offer him some relief. Obviously, that notion was ridiculous and unrealistic but he couldn’t deny the lightness that had momentarily come over his soul. He didn’t realize his fingers had stopped moving until she glanced in his direction with haunted eyes. It was then the guilt returned. He didn’t want her to hold his burden. He wanted the light to come back into her eyes like he had seen in her since she first came back to the castle.
“Care to join me?” He tapped the bench next to him hoping she would come near. Maybe it was the moment or the music, but he craved for her presence.
With a smile she silently took a seat next to him and stared at the piano. “That was beautiful.” She whispered softly.
He desired to tell her that she was beautiful but resisted. It was the emotion from the memories, nothing more.
“It reminded me of when I was little. My mom used to play. I would sit on her lap. She was so good at playing. I could just sit there and listen to her all day. And her voice... it was magical...” She said with a shaky voice.
He couldn’t recall her mother, the queen, as having a pretty voice but then again, Siel had only met her once before so what did he know? “Do you play at all?” Their voices echoed off the walls in a serene dance. Comfortable and bundled. If this were with anyone else, the analogy he would use would be of a fly caught in a spider’s web. Ensnared and trapped. But it wasn’t like that with her. This wasn’t suffocating. More like a newborn swaddled in its mother’s arms or a warm blanket on a brisk day. It just felt right to have her beside him. He didn’t know how to handle it.
“A little bit.” She replied modestly. He ached to delve into her memories and escape his own. It was the first time he was around a female seeking more than a warm body underneath him, yet this was exactly where he wanted to be.
“Show me.” emotions filled her eyes. Something was in them brewing and gathering up rain clouds. She did well holding them back from downpouring but not before he was hit with such a raw emotion it was a struggle not to feel knocked backwards.
“Okay.” She relented, focusing her attention on the keys. The first few notes she played were out of tune but it only made her more endearing. She simply adjusted herself, catching the errors and proceeded as if nothing had gone amiss. Just as she seemed to do with everything else in life. One could see how comfortable she was in her own skin. No one could prove anything differently to her.
He listened to her melody as it tugged at his fragile heart strings. Her melody was like his. Broken yet strong. Her song stopped, her fingers paused like she was trying to compose herself or gather the will to keep going. They sat there for a moment in silence, listening to each other’s intake of breath. Both questioning if the air in the room would randomly deplete and they would be left alone to suffocate in their own gloom.
Something propelled him forward. His speech didn’t come out of his mouth as the selfish boy that everyone thought he was. No this came out as the man everyone refused to see. “My brother said that my mom used to play too. It’s hard to imagine it now but they would all sing together. My mom and dad. When they hired people to play, she would stand Damien on her toes and dance around the room. People say she lit up every room she walked in.” He didn’t normally speak about his mom. The memories were still painful but Aerity’s presence soothed him. Made him want to bare his soul a bit. Lifting his face, he met Aerity’s tear glistening eyes.
“You didn’t get to witness it
yourself?” She asked gently.
“She died while giving birth to me.” The words came out hollow and empty even in his own ears.
“She sounds beautiful.” Aerity replied softly and he finally allowed the emotions to choke him. He wanted to say that she was but the only thing for him to go off of were pictures of her. It felt fake to make such a claim of what he didn’t know.
Something warm touched his hand. Aerity’s fingers. Lost in the moment, he wound his fingers through hers. Her hands weren’t quite as soft as he expected but sturdy. Strong like if he were hanging over the edge, she would be able to pull him back up. Comfort seeped through him with her touch.
She coughed and squeezed his hand tightly before letting go as if she couldn’t stand the serious direction the mood had shifted in. Little did she know what that little mood shift had done for him. For just a moment he had felt like he truly belonged. As crazy as it sounded, he lived in the castle and had felt like a stranger all his life. Aerity had made him feel like he was home if only for a second.
Discreetly wiping at the corner of her eye she said, “Okay enough of this. It’s time for a happy song.” She tapped her foot as she began a rhythm. The song flowing out of her mouth.
“I went to the bar to get me a drink.
My date looked down and said, “now what do you think”?
I laughed and replied, “wait till I’m a few cups in.”
Crossing her arms, she yelled, “best believe I’m leavin.”