A Flicker In The Still Forest: From Forest To Flames #1
Page 25
Hopping some more, Serenity heartily agreed. "Okay!" She immediately power walked over to Siel with a slight limp.
Now to deal with these filthy guards. They hadn’t even stirred as she stormed over to them. Stepping in between their seats, she took her foot and shoved one’s chair over. He landed on the floor with a thump. Then turning around, she gave the other guard the same fate.
Grunting, they jerked up in their stumbling, drunken, stupor and snarled. "What was that about?!"
"I’m going to kill ya, you sniveling rat!" The other one belted.
Her voice came out sweet as pie in response. "I’m pretty sure if you do that, you will be hung but you’re welcome to test my theory out."
Upon hearing her voice, they both squinted at their attacker. "Who are you?!" The one slurred while the other made a move to grab her leg. She slammed her foot in his face.
"Don't you dare touch me." Her voice was calm and deadly. They attempted to stand but the wobbly ground seemed too much for their balance, so they just snarled in their heaps of dirt. "What do you want?"
"You were tasked with looking after these kids. One fell, due to your negligence."
One guard let out a harsh laugh. "They ain't nothing but little brats. We let em do what they want. It's good for em."
She clenched her fist to keep from punching them both in the face. "Good for them? You mean starving and bleeding is good for them?"
The both froze at the venom in her voice. "Look lady, we don't bother them, they don't bother us. It's a win win."
Bending down, she made sure they got a good look at her face. "I'm not your lady. I'm your Princess and you can consider yourselves fired as of tomorrow when I can send new replacements."
The one on the left grumbled. "You can't fire us! No one else will look after these brats!"
She really hated that word. "Say it again." Really, she was just looking for any excuse to hurt them.
"Say what?" The same guard chuckled. "Brats?"
Taking her fist, she slammed it into his face. He reared back as the other guard glanced from her, to him, then back again. Stretching out her finger, she sighed. They were going to bruise later but it had been worth it. She stood up, turned and spoke over her shoulder. "Serenity is spending the night with me. I suggest you start looking for new jobs."
Stalking back to Siel, his gleaming eyes peeked at her over Serenity’s head. "You simply can’t help yourself, can you?"
"Nope." Swiping her hand across Serenity’s head, she took notice of how badly the girl needed a bath. "Ready to be a princess?"
"Yes yes yessssssssss!" Serenity yelled, grabbing hold of Aerity’s hand. Siel seemed part entertained, part dumbfounded.
"Care to share what's going on? I have heard nothing except her name is now Aerity." He asked casually as all three of them headed towards the castle. "We are having a sleepover tonight and are switching names. You must address me as Serenity and she will have my name.”
Siel smiled slightly at the girl as he shot Aerity a different kind of look. "Are we going to build cool forts?"
Serenity gasped. "You can't sleep over too! You’re a boy!"
Siel’s retort sounded very similar to a plea. Aerity bit her lip to keep her laughter contained. He sounded like a little kid whose toy just got stolen. “But I don't want to be left out! Can't I join? Pretty please?!" He pouted his bottom lip. He could even have little girls eating out of the palm of his hand.
Serenity looked skeptical. "Maybe it would be alright if you played mommy and daddy. Then you would pretend be married."
Aerity found herself tripping over some invisible rock as Siel coughed. He smiled and grabbed Aerity’s hand. "Yeah Aerity. Let's play mommy and daddy." Serenity cheered, squeezing her way in between them, separating their hands so they could each hold one of hers.
Aerity had always wanted a family at some point in her life, and it choked her up thinking of what could have been if she didn’t have to marry Damien. The life she pictured didn’t match with the life of a queen, but could she see a life with Siel? She tried not to think about it since it wasn't even an option, but a subtle tug pulled at her chest when she glanced at Serenity’s little hand wrapped around his bigger one. He caught her gaze and met her eyes in a way that made her wonder if he could imagine it too. She gripped Serenity’s hand tighter and cleared her throat of the knot now lodged there. Shooting her eyes away, she froze, finding a chilling stare watching her.
The stare of a man who looked right through her and only saw what he wanted to see.
Damien stood at the castle entry way, studying the three of them as they made their way through the gate. "He always seems to pop up with perfect timing." She grumbled.
Siel rubbed a hand down his exhausted face. Damien’s steely expression dipped to the child, who ignored his demeanor and just kept chugging. "Did you meet my mommy and daddy?" Serenity shouted at Damien and bounced on her toes.
"Here we go again." Muttered Siel as Damien’s expression grew tighter.
Before he could bark at them, Aerity tried to explain. "Serenity here, is the princess for the day. She only thought it appropriate for Siel to hang with us if we were together.” Not quite sure if that wording helped their case at all but she was so tired of trying to defend herself to deaf ears.
"Aerity, may I have a word?"
At least he didn't try to reprimand her in front of everyone again. Nodding her head, she tried slipping her hand from Serenity’s tight grasp. The little girl just held on tighter. "He seems mean. Is he going to let me stay?" She asked with a pout to her tiny lips.
Aerity bent down to face her, running a gentle hand through her hair. "He better. If not, I'm going to make him say yes. Us princesses need to stick together." She gave the girl a reassuring smile as tears welled up in the girl’s eyes.
"You mean it?"
Putting her arms out, the girl immediately jumped in for a hug. "Absolutely."
Aerity tried not to think of any of the bugs that were probably crawling on the girl right now and just basked in the child’s happiness. Giving a final squeeze, she let Serenity go and the girl grabbed hold of Siel’s leg. Aerity found him looking down, mindlessly playing with the girl’s hair and she tried to conceal her smile, pretending to be fascinated with something on the ground. Turning back to a stone-faced Damien, she released a large breath and walked toward her own personal guillotine. Long lecture, here we come. She really wasn't in the mood for an argument.
As she got closer, Damien seemed to inspect her as if seeing her for the first time. With a simple nod of his head in the direction of the girl, Aerity knew exactly what he wanted to know. "She fell and scraped her knee. Her guards," She ground her teeth as she spat out the words. "were drunk and passed out. She's an orphan whose home is falling apart. I'm making her a princess for the night." Crossing her arms to her chest in a ‘I dare you to defy me’ manner, he glanced at the girl and then back to her.
"Other kids are going to want special treatment. You can't single her out."
That wasn't what she expected him to say but she still braced for the explosion. "Then I will have a sleepover with all the girls."
He continued to look straight through her. "What of the boys?"
She thought for a minute. "Maybe we could have a dinner for all of them."
He shook his head as she expected him to do. "Then all the kids with parents will want to come too."
"Why can't they?" He appeared to be mulling over her question as she pressed on. "We could figure out something for them all. Do you see how starved she is? Instead of this large celebration ball, why not use the money for the kids instead?"
His eyes shot to hers. "You want to give up our engagement party for children?"
Without even hesitating she answered. "Yes." She hurried on, so he wouldn’t blow up. "We have the wedding party. Why not let them have something? It doesn't need to be lavish. The villagers would be happy with anything that they are included in."
Aerity smiled and spun to see Siel tapping his leg to get feeling back into it. She laughed and looked back at Damien, surprised by his reaction to this. She stepped closer and rested her hand on his arm. "Thank you for being understanding." He looked into her eyes and she felt him shudder beneath her touch. He nodded once, then spun towards the castle. Aerity stared at him puzzled, until she felt a tug on her dress.
"Is he gonna let me stay?" Serenity’s hopeful expression squeezed Aerity’s soft heart.
"Yes sweetheart, he's going to let you stay."
She started twirling and jumping. "Woohooooo! Let's go play! I’m a princess!"
"Nah nah nah, we have to clean up your leg first. Come on." Serenity grasped onto her hand like a leech and followed her into the castle, wide eyed and bushy tailed.
∞∞∞
Siel
Siel had never seen a noble woman kneel before a little kid, not to mention a low class born villager. Her tenderness and kind words, the way she stood up for the girl and held her hand like a lifeline. Aerity was as brash as much as she was discreet. Tough as she was gentle. She surprised him at every turn whether it was kicking him in the crotch or helping a little girl feel treasured. He had never met someone as special as her.
He watched her carefully clean the little girl’s wounded knee, blowing on it so she could apply the salve. Her smiles for the girl were bright and unyielding, just as they were for every other person she was near.
He had seen her arms in the training yard, marked like a warrior and yet she held no anger to what put them there. She had a fierce temper, but only one she used for justice and defying what she knew was wrong. People gravitated to her. Her warmth, even her hostility. She shone brightly wherever she was. Even now, the young girl basically cooed in her presence, as Aerity told her a story of when she was younger and fell from a tree.
"My father told me not to climb it, but I refused to be held back. I fell to the ground, ripping open my elbow. I balled like a little baby. My dad crossed his arms for a few minutes and then gave up, scooping me in an embrace. He asked why I still did it even though he told me not to. I replied, ‘I didn't do it to make you sad. There was an injured bird stuck in the tree and I wanted to save him.’ Later he gave me ice cream and cake." Siel chuckled at her ending as if she was rewarded for disobeying but then she finished the story. "My father wasn't happy I defied him and told me that if I ever did it again he would beat me with a wooden spoon." That seemed a little harsh. Siel prayed it wasn't her father who gave her the scars on her body.
"So why did he give it to you?" Serenity’s voice chirped in enthusiasm.
"Because he said risking yourself for someone else was what he did every day and he would be a hypocrite to punish me." After wrapping the bandage around her knee, she delicately pushed the girl’s curls out of her eyes. "He told me that when I saw someone else in need, he always wanted me to search out a way to help them and to never let anyone deter me from doing what I knew was right.” She sounded so forlorn when speaking about her dad. He seemed like a good father, which made Siel wonder even more about where her scars had come from.
"I want to be just like you when I grow up!"
Aerity chuckled politely. "I’d rather you be like you when you grow up." She playfully bopped her on the nose and the girl beamed. "Now are you ready to get cleaned up? We can wash you, put you in a pretty dress and I can braid your hair while you eat. How does that sound?"
"Yay!" Serenity yelled. A resounding yes, then. She turned skeptically to him. "Daddy, can me and mommy have some time together?" His heart broke. This girl was an orphan and hadn't had parents or someone to care for her in some time.
"Sure." His voice sounded wobbly, even to him. Aerity shot him a knowing smile and played along.
"Yes Hunny, us girls need our alone time, you know." If only he knew what she was thinking earlier when they walked into the courtyard together with their hands firmly holding Serenity’s. They felt like a family and it was a feeling he could grow accustomed to. He couldn't help the nagging tug on his heart every time he was in her company. He begged to know how she felt but didn't dare to voice his question. She was engaged to his brother; she would heal the sickness over the land with her kind words and sincere deeds. He knew it was a carriage wreck to even consider them together, but he couldn't help it at moments like these. Moments where she smiled brightly at little girls or brought food to the starving villagers. She brought light to the darkness no matter where she touched. Their kingdom needed her as their Queen more than he needed her. As much as he wanted to fight it or to disagree with fate’s decisions, there was no arguing with it. As much as he wanted to dream, Aerity could never be his.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Damien
“She brought an orphan into the castle?" Elias’ face was morphed into a stunned expression as if he was trying to figure out a math problem with no working equation.
"Yes." No one would have known that he stood in the shadows and watched as Aerity fixed up the girl’s injured knee. As she spun the tale of her father, he could no longer imagine that it was all a ruse. She seemed so genuine with her words and touches, as if she knew the pain the little girl was feeling and completely sympathized with her plight.
"And bandaged up her wound?"
Frustration started to seep in as Elias repeated everything he just told him. "That's what I just said."
Despite the warning in his voice, Elias still decided to prod on with his incessant questioning. "And the girl is sleeping in the castle tonight? With Aerity?"
Exasperated, Damien couldn’t keep the aggravation from his voice. "Do you think my answer will change simply because you re-form my words in a question form?"
Elias slumped on the chair in front of his desk like he was wiped clean of all will to live. "It has to be a ploy. A game to throw us off guard. Make us trust her and then BAM!" He clapped his hands loudly in emphasis. "We are pulled into her lying snare."
"She didn't know I was watching her and Siel is already eating out of her palms. It seems real." Damien paused, gathering himself. "She wanted to change our engagement ball into a dinner for the villagers."
Elias eyes bugged out of his head. "You can’t be serious."
Again, he was repeating himself. "Dead serious."
Elias huffed out a breath. "That's unnerving."
Damien gritted his teeth. "Hence why I'm asking for advice."
Elias snorted. "I advise you on war and business affairs, not women. There's a reason I'm still single. They remain a complete mystery to me as well." Setting his face between his thumb and pointer finger, he sighed. "But if you’re asking my advice, I say keep an eye on her. Siel has spent the most time with her so far but I think you need to be more involved in her affairs."
Growling Damien hunched over his desk. "You act as if I'm only tasked with the mere job of twiddling my thumbs. Mind you, we are on the brink of war! People are in an upheaval over the fires and attacks and we are still no closer to finding the culprits!"
Rubbing his temples, Elias sat up straighter. "I understand that but it's important to deal with this too. As much as I'm loathed to admit it, the wedding will be a major solution to our problem."
Damien laughed bitterly. "Yeah if I can get my brother away from her for two seconds."
It was Elias’ turn to grunt. "Your brother is always intrigued by the newest skirt at court. I’m sure he will lose interest in a week’s time.” He pinched his lip in thought. “I don't know what changed from last month to now, but she does seem like an entirely different person. Before she looked at everyone like they were beneath her. The thought of touching an
orphan would have horrified her.”
Damien raised his eyebrow. "Are you saying you were wrong about her?" Elias had never admitted to being wrong before. He was a proud sort.
"No. I was most certainly correct about her being abrasive and lewd, like some dirty old kitchen scrub brush." Damien almost scoffed at his analogy but by some miracle held it in. "...however... the people seem to respond to her for some unknown reason. There may have been some qualities that escaped my notice."
Stunned..shocked...blown off his horse. Elias in his own way was admitting a mistake. Damien tried not to rub it in his face too hard. Well maybe not. "Oh Mighty One, how has your expertise failed us!" Damien wailed exaggeratingly as Elias rolled his eyes. "You were once so wise and all knowing! Who will we put our faith in now?!"
Huffing, Elias glared his way. "If you put half that much comic relief into speaking to women, you might have a happy marriage after all." Elias meant it as a joke but the truth in his words stung. As much as Damien wanted to be as relaxed around her as Siel was, it was simply ingrained in him to be uptight and proper. He didn't have the simplicities in life like Siel did. Carefree had never been his lot in life unless it was momentarily behind closed doors. He was to be king, so he was groomed to be such.
Elias took in the silence and softened his words. "It's not too late, you know."
Dread filled Damien’s stomach. What if it was too late? For weeks, he had been avoiding her, claiming to be busy with other work. It's no wonder she clung to Siel like bark to a tree. "Then maybe I should go seek her out."
Elias shook his head in a condemning manner. "Be prepared to be booted out if she is with the girl."
How had he forgotten that so soon? No wonder she had no desire to know him when he couldn't remember basic things about her. He had too much on his shoulders. She kept asking to be a part of the war affairs; maybe he should let her. It would be a way for them to bond instead of ignoring her, which hasn’t helped his case any so far.