Aricia Exelian

Exelia

Exelian lake

July 18, 4167 A.D.

Aricia gasped for air, clawing for something, anything at all that was solid and above water. In the moment of panic, she'd forgotten all her swimming experience. She swung her arms wildly, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Many had praised her for being as fluent in water as she was on land, but in her short twelve years, she hadn't yet forgotten how to walk.

"Hel-" her words were swallowed by the lake as it threatened to consume her.

"Hold in there, your highness," Ajac shouted as he struggled to remove his plate armor, the rest of her royal guards following suit. "We're on our way."

There were no waves but even the steady movements of the lake felt as if the entire world was lifting onto her. Her fingers fell under the lake as her legs gave way to exhaustion. The lake's water forced its way down her throat. She frantically coughed as her mind wavered and her vision dizzied.

As if her end was near and she could see between realms, a nafrin with dark onyx wings and a perfect complexation wrapped his arms around her waist. Even in a state of dismay, the touch of a divine force erased her fear. A smile crept onto Aricia's face, the sight of death welcoming.

Aricia was thrown onto the beach, coughing and then vomiting. On hands and knees, she struggled for breath, welcoming the cold morning air into her lungs.

When she glanced over, she realized that her savior hadn't been a divine nafrin. Instead, he was a young altor boy, no more than a year older than her. His jaw was square and even though he bore handsome features, they weren't as perfect as a nafrin's. His wings were soaked and black, water dripping from his feathers.

"Do you have a death wish, girl? If you don't know how to swim than I'd suggest asking your mother to accompany you."

"I know how to swim," Aricia snapped as she pushed herself to her feet, brushing off the wet sand from her palms. "Thank you though, for saving my life that is. What's your name?"

"You can call me Hector." He eyed the vomit, "how'd that taste?"

"Wonderful, I almost drowned. How do you think it tasted?"

The smirk on his face altered to a look of compete horror as he stared beyond her. He took a few steps back, his wings twitching as if they wished to fly but couldn't under the weight of water. Aricia followed his stare to an almost humorous sight. Her royal guards rushed over, led by Ajac, who fell to one knee in front of her. Their armor was half stripped and thrown across the beach.

"I apologize, your highness. There should always be a soldier with light or no armor and from now on there will be. I failed you and if it wasn't for this young man, my greatest fear would've become a reality. You have my deepest apologizes and I will accept any punishment that you see fit," Ajac said.

"Get up, it's fine. I should be the one apologizing for scaring you half to death. I've never lost myself in the lake like that before," Aricia said.

"Your highness?" Hector exclaimed as he fell to one knee. "I should've never tossed you onto the beach. I should've never mocked you. If I knew you were the princes-"

"It's fine," Aricia chuckled. "You saved my life and for that I am in your debt. Still, I would like to make a request, Hector."

"Anything, your highness."

Aricia dropped to her knees and lowered her gaze to his, "it's Aricia. You can call me Aricia. It's the name my mother gave me."

"Your mother was a great woman. I would've never spoken her name in vain if I'd known who she was. I didn't know that she couldn't accompany you. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I'm the only one here that did anything wrong. I wanted to ask if you'd teach me how to swim. It's clear that I need a tutor, isn't it?" Aricia lied.

. . . .

Aricia glanced down at her trembling hands as she stood outside the Grevis family smithy. Ajac commanded the rest of royal guards to take the positions they usually did when she visited.

She slowly pushed the door to the smithy open. The banging of the hammer inside was loud, drowning out any other sound. Hector was built like his father, both muscular and tall. Hethric placed a hand on his son's shoulder as Hector brought the hammer down one final time.

"Hey boy, your girl's here," Hethric turned and bowed his head. "I'll show myself out, your highness."

Aricia moved toward Hector, her body shaking as tears fell onto her cheeks. Hector placed the hammer down and closed the distance between them. Before he embraced her, he stopped and glanced down at himself. His apron and hands were covered in soot and his face was wet with sweat.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. Before he could speak, she began to sob against his dirty apron, her entire body trembling with sorrow. He silently held her, his strong hands gentle and comforting. She'd thought his closeness would ease her agony but all it did was worsen it.

"I hate my father. I wish that I was never born a royal. I wish he was dead."

"Don't say that, you don't mean it. Your father loves you and you love him. Exelia couldn't ask for a better princess. The people love you."

"I don't care about any of that. I love you and I want to be with you. I should've never kept our relationship secret."

Hector broke off their embrace and placed a finger under her jaw. He brushed her hair from her eyes. Her face was covered in soot and her blue dress was dirtied from the embrace.

"You're beautiful. Your eyes and your hair are the same misty grey as the exelian royals before you. It matches the color of our metal and our gems. It means that you were born to be our queen. Two years ago, I was too much of a fool to realize that at first sight, but it makes you special. I've never questioned why our relationship was secret because when you become queen, I have faith that we'll be together. Until then, I don't care if it's public or not."

"That's not what I mean. You'll never be my king. It doesn't matter what we want. My father's taken my life into his own hands. He's arranged me off as if I'm some sort of bargaining chip. I'm to marry the paladine of The Defectors. I'm to marry Melvrin Hastright. To make matters worse, my father intends to pass the crown down to him, not me."

"No," he whispered, taking a few steps back. "That's impossible. The royalty of Exelia have never been arranged. Our first queen, Aizai said that no soul with her bloodline or any that follow her will ever be forced into binding themselves to another that they don't love. That law has never been broken."

Aricia leaned against the far wall of the smithy and slid down, covering her face with her palms. "Aizai isn't here to enforce her laws. What should I do? I don't want to marry him. I don't want to marry a foreigner dog."

The warmth of Hector's breath and the heat of his body caressed her own. She could feel that he was mere inches from her as he spoke, "tell your father the truth. The Defectors have been living and mooching off of our resources for two years without pulling their weight. They've been using your fathers fear against him. They're playing him for a fool."

"His fear?" Aricia whispered, removing her palms from her face.

"My father says that he believes the king is afraid of The Order. That they'll come and steal our metals and gems. The paladine of The Defectors has poisoned his mind with the fear of their enemy and use it so that they can control him."

Aricia smashed her lips into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and bathing in the moment of passion. Hector ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her cheek. He was the only man she had ever given herself too and he would remain the only one.

It took all her will to break off their kiss, "I promise that you will be my king. I love you and I will always only love you."

"As will I, no matter what happens. Even if I'm not with you, my heart will be. I have something for you."

He walked over to a small metal box and grabbed it. It was nothing special. It had a top, a bottom, and a latch to keep it closed. She stood; her balance fragile as if her legs were going to give out at any moment. He closed the distance between them and opened the box, presenting her with the gift she desired more than anything else.

"Aricia Exelian, I know by marrying you I'll be giving up my family name. Even so, you're all I want in this world. Not for your title, or for your power, but for you." He reached into the box and retrieved the simple exelian steel ring, "will you marry me?"

"I will," she said, allowing him to place the ring onto her finger. Tears threatened to come forward but she refused to celebrate. "When you see me again, it will be to make you mine, to become my prince. I'm done hiding what we have."

Aricia forced herself away from the man she loved. He believed in her, and she wasn't about to let him down. If she had to move the world to be with him, she would. It was going to be his ring on her finger, and nobody else's.

. . . .

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"Father, I will not ma-" Aricia began as she pushed the double doors of the king's study open.

Her words stumbled to a halt as her gaze met Melvrin's. He was sitting across from her father, no longer sharing the laugh which laid on their tongue's a moment ago. The paladine was a middle aged altor, similar to Hector, but with white wings instead, and black hair rather than blonde or white, making him a dane, an outcast to the altor race. He was a giant; much larger than Hector and every other man she'd seen and only small when standing next to a kaval.

Until now Melvrin hadn't frightened her. He was always sweet and kind, acting as another fatherly figure within the household. But for once she saw what she'd never seen before in his eyes... lust.

"Can we have the room, father?" Aricia whispered, her eyes locked on Melvrin, his left eye hanging lazily.

"It's fine darling. This man will be your husband soon. You'll have to learn to share all your secrets with one another," her father said, wine dribbling from his lips and onto his dark beard. "And is that soot on your face and dress? I thought I taught you better than to mingle with the peasants. It's getting out of hand."

"What is it that you need, Aricia?" Melvrin said as his eyes moved over her ring finger. "I'm quite intrigued to know."

"Um, father, please," Aricia exhaled a deep breath. "Please don't make me marry Melvrin. He's not an exelian and he's over forty. That's more than three times my age."

"I apologize if it's all so sudden but you have to marry eventually anyway. I haven't seen you pay attention to any of the other noble boys. What does it matter? There isn't a better match. His stature in life, his authority, and his power. He's the only man that equals your quality, my dear," her father said.

"There isn't another man that you haven't told your father about, is there, sweetheart?" Melvrin asked.

Aricia's lips were paralyzed in spot as if she'd forgotten how to speak. She hadn't ever felt such fear of another. It was as if Melvrin could break through all of her defenses simply by looking at her.

"There is," she managed. "There has been for two years. He's not of noble blood. I knew you would disapprove father and so I kept it a secret."

"Who is he?" her father growled, smashing and shattering his wine glass against the desk.

"It doesn't matter who he is. I don't want any harm to be brought upon him. I can't marry Melvrin anyway, even if you'd like me to."

"Mhm, and why's that?" Melvrin asked.

"Because I've given myself to him. I've given my purity to him," Aricia said.

For the first time, Melvrin's composure cracked, a glint of anger passing through his gaze as he looked away, clenching his fists. "I was promised a virgin. She's tainted."

"The past can't be changed. We both need our houses to bind, Melvrin. You need a home for The Defectors and I need defenders against The Order. As for you, daughter, you've disappointed me. You've disgraced your mother's memory. No daughter of mine will marry a commoner. You've whored your body off to a man that you aren't married to. Allowing him to fuck you doesn't exempt you from marrying Melvrin. Leave my sight and go to your chambers. I don't want to see your face right now."

Aricia spat on the ground in front of them, "you disgust me father. You're a coward. The only one in here that has disgraced mother's memory is you."

. . . .

Aricia leapt up from under her sheets as her door burst open, gripping onto the exelian steel dagger that Hector had given her for her thirteenth name day. Ajac entered her chambers in full armor with the lieutenant of Aricia's guard, Ava leaning on him for support. Aricia's eyes widened in horror.

Ava wore rags worse than the poor, stained with blood. The skin was peeled from her arms and scalp and her fingernails and toenails had all been removed. Her feet were bare and covered in dried blood. Her wounds were cauterized but otherwise, she remained untreated. Ragged breaths escaped her lips as she struggled to speak.

Aricia sprinted to Ava's side, "don't speak."

She helped her lieutenant over to the bed, unconcerned for its cleanliness. "It'll be okay, we're going to get help. Ajac, fetch a healer."

"I'm afraid that I can't do that. Your father has forbidden anyone under his employ to work on her. No one will help. This was his doing after all."

"Excuse me," Aricia exclaimed.

"I didn't want to say anything. I wouldn't have said anything but then they brought my family into it. They weren't getting anywhere with me and so they threatened to do the same to my family. My little girls, my husband. I couldn't bear it. I betrayed you, Aricia," her voice cracked as she took Aricia's hand and sobbed into it. "I'm so sorry."

"Nothing you said was a betrayal of my trust. I would never want anything to happen to your family. My secrets aren't as valuable as their lives."

"Ava, tell the princess what you told them," Ajac said.

"I was held for hours after your father was finished having me tortured. Our own soldiers weren't involved. It was The Defectors. When they left, exelian soldiers released me. I told the king about Hector. I told your father where he lived," Ava said.

Aricia's breath ceased in her lungs and her heart stopped for a brief moment.

"I... I need to go," Aricia whispered, rushing toward the door.

Ajac grabbed her hand, "stop. Take a damn breath before leaving this room. If your mind is clouded, nothing good will come of it. You need to be strong right now, stronger than you've ever been."

Aricia nodded, exhaling a deep breath before wiping away her tears, "Jackson, Aeron, get in here."

Her two royal guards protecting and watching from the deck entered her chambers. Their eyes moved over Ava as they walked across the room, stopping in front of Aricia.

"What do you need, your highness?" Aeron said.

"Jackson, you're to find Vayduk so that he can heal the lieutenant. The palace healers have been forbidden from doing so. And Aeron, you're to stay here and protect her. As the sergeant on this shift, the other ten royal guards will be under your command. As of now, my father assaulted one of my soldiers. Until I find out what's going on, treat The Defectors and my father as an enemy. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your highness. Get going Jackson, and make it quick," Aeron said.

"Yes, sir."

Aricia grabbed a dark robe and threw it over her white nightgown, slipping her feet into sandals before marching from her chambers, Ajac at her side. She moved through the palace and past its walls, entering the streets of hightown. The gates that led through hightown were open with very few soldiers standing guard.

The skies afar were lit aflame. Her heart accelerated and her bones ached with worry but even so, she held her composure as she marched through the city. The streets were barren, no soldiers and only the rare oblivious civilian, transfixed on the sky.

She followed the flames to the Grevis smithy. Their home and smithy were lit ablaze, burning aggressively into the night. Hundreds, possibly even thousands of civilians surrounded exelian square, less than two hundred yards from the Grevis smithy, along with soldiers and defectors.

Aricia stumbled to a stop and grabbed her stomach, holding herself from vomiting. Hector's parents, Hethric and Luna were tied to posts in front of their home, stripped naked and hung upside down. Their bellies were cut open and their innards were spilt onto the dirt below.

A devastating scream of an all too familiar man wrenched her back to reality. Ajac followed after her, moving civilians aside as she pushed her way through the crowd. Once through, she noticed that there were a lot more soldiers and defectors than she originally thought. They took up an entire street, very few of them occupying any other area. Some stood on the roofs of buildings with bows and others stood vigil around the crowd, keeping them back.

Aricia grabbed Ajac's arm, "go find Autumn and keep her safe. She wasn't executed with her parents which means she could still be alive."

He bowed his head before taking his leave, moving through the crowd.

Her father sat on the back of his black steed next to her betrothed, Melvrin. He was dressed in the silver armor of the paladine, bearing the badge of his rank, a crown, the left side orange and the right side blue. His helm was decorated with a silver plume, only the officers of The Defectors earning the right to wear one, always matching the color of their sector.

Hundreds of defectors stood at attention behind them, prepared for the worst. Next to The Defectors was the exelian military and in lead, their commander, Carnade Shores. He was twenty, a young man, considering the position he held. Unlike the rest of his soldiers who were dressed in armor, he wore night attire, dark trousers and a dark tunic. A magic rune, emanating purple was carved into the left side of his neck, new and never seen before.

A second wail escaped Hector's lungs, ragged and weak, as a whip was brought down on his chest. He was tied to a post in exelian square in front of the giant statue of Queen Aizai Exelian, his shirt stripped from his back. Blood dribbled onto the ground, wetting his boots red. Whip marks were scattered across his chest and face, his body mutilated and his wings snapped and broken. His eyes were half open as he weakly stared ahead, pain etched into his brows.

Aricia gasped, stumbling from the crowd and sprinting forward. Just as the executioner was lifting the whip again, she leapt in front of it. At first, she didn't feel the pain but as the gasps of the people erupted, it became inflamed. She brought her fingers to her cheek, a warm liquid caressing them. When she pulled away, they were coated red.

"You fucking bastard," Commander Shores growled as he marched toward the executioner. The executioner didn't have enough time to defend himself before the commander's sword was brought down on him. The executioner lifted his hand in defense and his fingers were severed through. The commander's sword dug its way into the executioner's shoulder and deep into his upper torso. He groaned and collapsed as the commander wrenched his blade free, lifeless as Hector's parents were. "Never lay a hand on my princess."

"What is the meaning of this?" Aricia shouted at the people and soldiers alike. "Do any of you even know this man's crime? He's guilty of loving me, a thing that has been permitted openly since the days of Queen Aizai. My father has promised me to the foreign dog, Melvrin Hastright and wishes to give him the crown instead of myself, the rightful heir. He's afraid of The Order and will sell our people's honor and culture for a false security. I will die with my honor before marrying a man I don't love, a man that wishes to be our overlord."

"That's enough. Carnade, restrain my daughter and have her returned to the palace," the king commanded.

"With all due respect, your majesty, I obey my princess. She was meant to wear that crown, on this day, a year ago, on her thirteenth name day. She bears the blood of an exelian royal, as her mother did. You do not. The crown doesn't belong to you and if you intend to hand it over to an outsider, a man that's not an exelian, you've lost all of my loyalty," Commander Shores said.

"I gave your father everything. You're an outsider too, a foreigner. Would you betray your king?"

"My king is betraying his people. I stand with my princess," Commander Shores turned to the people and the exelian military alike. "Comrades, brothers and sisters of Exelia, who do you stand with? Our princess and rightful queen or the tyrant who means to hand our city over to an outsider."

One man shouted, "Queen Aricia," which was only the start of the chant. The people and the soldiers of Exelia alike shouted her name in unison. For the first time, she understood what Hector meant when he said that the people loved her. She smiled as a tear fell onto her bloodied cheek.

Her father and Melvrin both stared in awe, paralyzed on their horses. The Defectors were waiting for orders that never came. Neither the paladine or her father could conjure up an idea of how to return the night to their favor.

She turned to Hector and placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing her lips to his cheek and whispering, "everything will be alright. I'm going to get you down from here. Just stay awake."

Aricia caught a glimpse of a projectile from the corner of her eye. She glanced back, her gaze meeting Vermont Eton's, the high kalris of the earth sector for both The Defectors and The Order. He was the worst sort of man, a double agent. He held a bow in hand, a look of guilt etched into his face.

The wind from the projectile whistled by her cheek. She turned with it, as if time was slowed. A gasp escaped her lungs as blood splattered across her face. Hector's head slumped over; an arrow impaled into his right eye.

She stared into his dead gaze, placing her fingers to his cheek, "Hector? Answer me, Hector? We're going to leave here, aren't we? You're supposed to marry me. You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

The pent-up anger of the people and soldiers alike couldn't be restrained. Soldiers were at arms against defectors, standing with the people of the city. Hector may have been the fourth death of the night but he was not going to be the last.

Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, "your highness, we need to get you out of here," Commander Shores said.

"Hector. What about Hector?" Aricia cried. "We can't leave him."

"He's gone, your highness. He's dead."

He carried her in the opposite direction of The Defectors. Her eyes stayed on Hector for as long as it could but her vision was blocked by the people and soldiers which stood at odds with The Defectors. The blood of countless men and women would soon run free across the streets of Exelia.

Her hopes and dreams. The man she had wished to be her husband. His family. Everything she had. It was all snuffed away in one night.

"I'm sorry, your highness. I'm so sorry. They will pay for this, I promise," Commander Shores said.