The walls of Vitross held many secrets. Darkness lingered in the cobwebs of this narrow passageway Kaid slid through, feeling his back and chest brush violently against the stone walls. No doubt Jessamine had easily traversed these secrets as a young girl. The thought of her mischievous, ever curious nature made him smile despite the circumstance.
She was right in not letting him be in the hall with her. The decision was made to not only de-escalate the situation, but also as an act of love. Jessamine did not want his first day back to be filled with the consequences of her actions. The Empress knew what she was doing, what game she was playing. Lungor had never wanted peace, not with Bashir still sitting on that throne.
To start a war for one man was considered insanity. To fight a war for one man, now that was considered love.
Kaid watched through the narrow slits provided to witness the beginnings of this meeting. This panel would open up into the hall room like a hidden door, but Kaid knew that could only be used as a last resort. Jessamine had bestowed on him to remain as a witness, and that was a responsibility he’d uphold. Vrah paced nervously while Alec seemed to keep his eyes firmly on the portrait of his sister, Empress, and the empty throne in front of it.
The doors opened with Jessamine walking in with pace, as if she had dropped everything and hurried here. Kiev followed from behind, relieving Kaid that she would have at least one ally with her during this conversation. The sight of the Empress eased Vrah, who immediately made his way towards her with worried steps.
“Divines, Jessamine, are you alright-” he was immediately interrupted by a harsh slap. Jessamine’s palm had swiped at his cheek, heat rising from the furious sting. The action shocked Vrah, his mouth agape and eyes showing confusion.
“How dare you demand an audience for me just now, mock me in front of the entirety of Kanaf, and most of all scheme to make yourself look better. You’re a fraud, Vrah,” Jessamine clenched her jaw and her fist. She was starting off strong, something Vrah hadn’t expected.
These past two years with her, the only side he saw of her was one of a calm and shy demeanor. This was the real her, the part of her he was always afraid of.
“So it is only alright when you are the one scheming? I wanted to come back, trust me. Given the entire night blew up into flames, my father demanded me to stay until things calmed down. I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Vrah explained, pathetically.
“What a lousy excuse, that your actions are at the beck and call of your father. I worry about who you will be when he’s no longer around to hold your hand,” Jessamine scowled, her words making Kaid smile.
This was the Jessamine I fell in love with, passion as dangerous as the black ocean waves that crashed into this dark coastline.
“Two days. I wasn’t allowed back for two days. I return to Kanaf, only to find that Shailud is dead, his assistant now rules, and you return home from what I heard well and safe…” Vrah grunted, adding, “and not alone…”
“Shailud deserved what was coming to him,” Jessamine shrugged, “Don’t tell me he was some valuable ally in your grand plans.”
“No, but you were. You are,” Vrah corrected himself, taking a deep breath, “My father may be upset about Shailud but I am certain I can still make a deal with Sabine.”
“Hopefully a better deal than you made Shailud…and Pestilence,” Jessamine crossed her arms, “Tell me, why did you pick two lousy men to have even lousier discretion to their plans? Both were more than willing to share some vital insight into what you asked of them. What I want to know is, did you ask Pestilence to take my Oblivion?”
Vrah glanced over at Alec with slight concern, seeing her brother with the same seriousness.
“No. No, that's outrageous. I do not deny the plans. Shailud wanted to play the hero and I was going to let him. No harm was to come to you, or your brother if the truth got out. All you had to do was talk. I told them to not hurt you.”
“Was this before rejecting your shitty proposal?” she inquired, seeing him grow red with embarrassment.
“Why didn’t you just tell them the truth? Tell me the truth?” He ignored her own question with one of his own.
“Tell you the truth?”
“Don’t act like you didn’t keep secrets from me. Despite everything, I still trusted you to do the right thing. I thought after everything we had been through, despite the lie, we could work something out,” Vrah was the one to show slight anger this time, “Why are you acting like this?! This isn’t you-”
“This is me, Vrah. The real me. This is the part of me that you feared, the person your father feared and should still fear. I cannot and will not allow you to water me down, like some meal with an overdose of wine so that I can be more digestible for you. If you cannot handle me as I am now, as I truly am, then I’m afraid you can go and choke!” Jessamine shouted, but soon clenched her jaw, swallowing her anger down momentarily, “What you did in Kanaf, even if you demanded I would not get hurt, I did. And there is nothing you can do to change that. This is not a wound you can fix.”
“Did I really water you down? Or did your grief and your tears do that to you? I knew I was talking to a shell of a person. Now it’s clear, he returns and so does the real Empress before me,” Vrah swallowed, hurt by her words because they did sting with truth. But he refused to believe it.
“You agreed two years ago that Kaid could walk free, that he could go into hiding and not be hunted down-”
“I’m not talking about my brother. Not yet,” Vrah scowled, “That deal was made long before I knew he would send this world into chaos.”
Alec made a noise of surprise at his words, “Brother?”
Jessamine and Vrah were so close enough they could initiate a fight. Vrah wouldn’t dare touch her, not with Kiev and Alec around. Yet, the questioning by Alec made Jessamine stand back and regain control of her emotions. The words Vrah had just spoken seemed to remove any trust between the royal consort and Alec.
How could Vrah ask him of this, and not reveal this truth beforehand?
“Half-brother,” Vrah corrected himself.
Brother. Kaid was Vrah’s brother? Now it was beginning to make sense. Payne’s actions were much clearer now. Not only could the man from Caladin control time, but his greatest secret was one of his lineage. That was what Payne had been meaning to target, what Jessamine used to really gain an advantage.
Jessamine noticed the surprise in her brother’s eyes, “Looks like I’m not the only one who kept secrets. Tell me, what blackmail did you use to hold over my brother?”
“Ask him yourself,” Vrah insisted, “I wasn’t the one who betrayed that secret. Alec did so himself in revealing his presence to you, a promise I vowed to keep hidden. He was meant to monitor Pestilence, not you. Regardless, Pestilence is dead and he’s fulfilled his end of the bargain. You, however, lied about your deal from the very beginning. Don’t think this is all on me.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Vrah?” Jessamine finally asked. If he meant Kaid, then sure, she was doing whatever it took to protect him. Vrah couldn’t be this upset about that, surely. He would do the same to anyone he cared about, except his actions proved otherwise recently. It was becoming certain that he didn’t care for her, emotionally, at all.
“You can’t have children,” Vrah answered.
Kaid and Jessamine both felt their hearts stop in almost unison. Vrah knew. He knew, and somehow and somewhere that secret had been revealed to him. Kaid immediately felt a wave of anger, knowing that was none of his business. Even if Jessamine promised a marriage of union, knowing she could not bear children, that was none of his concern. Especially given the nightmare of a story behind it all.
Little did anyone else think how much that consequence had sent this world spiraling into the chaos it was today.
Jessamine felt tears well in her eyes but not of sadness. Betrayal. This one stung far greater than Kaid storming Caladin, or Vrah proposing to her in front of everyone in Kanaf. She blinked them away, turning her gaze to Alec.
“Jess, if you think I told him-” Alec began before she raised her hand for him to remain silent.
“There are only two men alive in this universe to know of such truth. One of them wouldn’t even dare to whisper it to a deaf man out of respect for me. No matter how much I could have hurt him, he wouldn’t dare utter a single syllable. You, however, had no hesitation to share such with utter disregard to my feelings or history of what happened,” Jessamine felt her voice waver, but not out of nerves, out of anger.
“Vrah said he was going to marry you. I thought he had a right to know,” Alec backtracked on his earlier statement.
“Nobody has the right to know everything! To know anything! Call me a hypocrite for those words, the mind witch who could read whispers and secrets as easily as taking a breath. For the past two years I have controlled my urges out of respect to the people I care about. For a period, I believed that I was making a difference, that I could make a difference this way. Now I realize that the people close to me used that to their advantage,” Jessamine glanced at Vrah, whose eyes remained on the floor.
“Sister, if you only-”
“Get out. Do not call me that. Get out of this chamber, now!” Jessamine shouted over him. Alec froze in his steps, wondering if she was lashing out in a moment of anger or if she was permanently dismissing him. And only after just arriving this morning.
Kiev moved to step forward, ready to drag Alec out if he disobeyed. The two old friends looked at each other, Alec realizing who his friend held greater allegiance for. Everything about Vitross, about the air, the sea, the noise was different. And so was his sister. So was himself.
The Time Paradox didn’t just alter time. It altered everything.
Alec left with his own dignity, leaving the Emperor-consort and Empress alone with Kiev still in the background. Kaid couldn’t stand to be hiding in that hallroom anymore. Jessamine was right to not let him be in the room, to not let his anger get the better over Vrah. But he wasn’t going for Vrah at the moment. He was going after the man who had been welcomed with open arms by his sister, and he betrayed her just as quickly as she forgave him for leaving.
“Let’s not lie to ourselves. We never cared about each other,” Jessamine finally spoke, looking at Vrah, “the only attraction you had towards me was physical. And the only attraction I had for you was power. A false power at that. You’re still a pawn to your father. After everything Kaid did for you, saving your life in Arilla-”
“What are you talking about? Kaid didn’t save my life,” Vrah scoffed. Jessamine blinked in confusion at the response. Had he lied about the necromancer assassin in his bed chambers? His confusion was honest, the first honest expression he had shown all afternoon.
When Jessamine entered his mind for the memory, she found nothing. Just bleak, black nothing.
“I cared about you Jess. I still care,” Vrah whispered, trying to be tender, “I wouldn’t propose to you, knowing your secret, if I didn’t care.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“You proposed because you knew Kaid would be at that party, didn’t you?” Jessamine asked, seeing the real plan, “You knew he was there, whereas I did not. You wanted to break his heart, to show that I had moved on. You knew very well he was in Uhkhtar, and you used me as bait. Pestilence wasn’t meant to confirm his location. He was meant to trap Kaid.”
“And you used me to protect him. That’s a fair game,” Vrah dejected.
“Who do you think won this game, then?” Jessamine inquired, raising a brow at him.
Clearly, she knew the answer to that. So did he.
“Can I speak to him, now?” Vrah asked, controlling his tone.
“Out of the question,” Jessamine laughed at the audacity, taking a moment to control her own anger, “I should almost thank you, Vrah. Without you, I’m not sure we would have reunited. I suppose I should give you credit when credit is due.”
Vrah seemed irked by that, “Well, I hope he learns how you had to bruise your knees to me to not bruise his own skin.”
“Oh he’s very well aware at how inexperienced you are in the bedroom,” Jessamine smirked, seeing him grow red, “I almost mistook you for a virgin, yet that would be considered an insult to the virginity I took away from the man you keep comparing yourself to. Shall we compare your lovemaking to his too?”
“You classless whore-”
“I thought you liked whores, given that’s where most of your royal funds go,” Jessamine interrupted, “No matter. Even if you did sleep with a few while pretending to be with me, after today feel free to frolic with whomever you please. And, don’t call me classless. I’m an Empress. What do you have a rule over, truly?”
“You’re going to regret bringing Kaid back here. The entire Continent will demand answers. They deserve to know the truth,” Vrah seethed.
“If they demand the truth, they shall get it. All of it. Is that how you wish your legacy to end? What will the Lungorians think when they realize Kaid is their rightful heir?”
“You wouldn’t dare-”
“I would. But you know as good as myself that Kaid has no intentions to any throne, to any sense of power. You know that. You know what he did that day was not a showcase of strength, of fear, of dominion over this earth. What he did, he did to save. And if you want to save your legacy, you have to save his,” Jessamine insisted.
“That is not my call to make,” Vrah noted, knowing all of this would be up to his father, “My father demands accountability, demands justice: for Caladin, for the deaths caused by this calamity.”
“Tell your father if he wanted accountability, he should have kept that Lungorian dick in his pants,” Jessamine shrugged, “This accountability bullshit can span back generations, our ancestors fighting each other over the silliest of reasonings or the worst of betrayals.”
“My father may want war for this,” Vrah warned her.
“I know. I do not want war and even you know that. Your father feared me enough to make a deal with me in Uhkhtar. I can very well make him fear again. If Lungor wants war, it will have to strike first. Go ahead and paint Kaid as some villain, he is nothing more than a victim of your father’s regime. Same as you. Continue down this route, and you’ll be a villain too,” Jessamine whispered, taking a deep breath, “Take your time, though. Discuss your options with your father. You have plenty of time until Christine and Kassandra’s wedding to give me your father’s answer. I only ask you to wait until after the wedding.”
“You are going to regret this, Jessamine,” Vrah insisted, again. Not as a threat, but as a pleaful warning. He too did not want war. That was very apparent.
“I’ve regretted a lot of things. Loving Kaid will never be one of them. When you love someone with the same fervor, you’ll truly know what I mean,” Jessamine retorted, “and no woman will ever love a man who hides amongst his father’s shadow. Keep that in mind for the next time you bed a whore.”
Vrah remained silent, knowing this conversation had not gone the way he had planned at all. Any idea of groveling and demanding forgiveness had been dismissed with her furious slap. Jessamine did have a kind, tender heart. She also had a fiery, passionate, unforgiving heat that burned and scorned. Vrah knew at the moment he was grateful to have received a slap, and nothing more.
“Can you let Kaid know I wish to speak with him before the wedding?” Vrah asked as a favor, knowing he wasn’t owed it.
“Yes. That’s simple enough. I can’t guarantee he will hold the same sentiments as you do. If he wishes to speak, I shall write to you,” Jessamine agreed, “Now, you’re dismissed.”
Of course, Kaid would need to calm down before accepting such a proposal. All in good time. Little did she know, he was in a righteous fury at the moment right now. Jessamine waited until Vrah asked for his portalist and left, without uttering a word.
She stood in that hall in silence, glaring up at her empty throne. By the left edge near the arm rest, there still was a wedge of stone missing. It had been chipped when she had bashed Payne’s head into it, over and over again.
How she would give all of this up for peace, peace with Kaid. She’d love to escape this altogether, to find a shack by the sea and live their days with books and sailing and fishing to their heart’s content. Yet it was far too late for that. She had grown to love this kingdom, just not the throne she was forced to sit on.
Rulers truly make bad lovers. Does that mean good lovers make bad rulers, too?
—
Kaid had walked over with pace, seeing Alec lean against the nearest wall almost in shame with his eyes closed. His body language showed defeat, maybe even a hint of guilt at the discussion. If he didn’t feel guilty now, Kaid would guarantee it would grow like a mold over his cold Kruzika heart. Alec glanced up at hearing the footsteps, not expecting Kaid to be approaching him.
Kaid didn’t give him a moment to speak, rather he wanted to hear him squeal. Kaid wrapped his hand around Alec’s throat, pinning him against the wall, pressing his knee into his thigh. The Uhkhtarian towered over the blonde Kruzika, and despite only having one hand, it was clear who was stronger.
“How dare you share a secret that was never yours to share,” Kaid spat, seeing genuine fear in Alec’s eyes.
“Kaid, you eavesdropping-”
“Oh I don’t need to eavesdrop to know what scum you are. I knew that the moment I learned you were the one to force such a procedure on her. You paint yourself as some protective older brother, she and I both know that to be bullshit. You didn’t stop Mattias. You dared to tell your cruel father of Jessamine’s seed of shame if she didn’t do a dirty deed for you. And to top it all, you fucking left her to rot.”
“Unhand me, Kaid. That’s an order!” Alec commanded. Kaid loosened his grip, but did not falter. “Guards, get him off me!”
The guards behind Kaid flinched yet did not budge. The only authority Alec possessed was through blood. An Empire like Lungor would be more than welcoming to such authority. Not Vitross, not anymore. The authority here came from respect. Kaid knew very well these guards knew who both of these men were, they also knew who held all the right to make demands.
“Guards, remove me from Sir Alec,” Kaid demanded, seeing surprise in their eyes. Yet, like good soldiers, they followed orders and gently pried Kaid off him. The anger and spite in his blue eyes was more than enough satisfaction to Kaid. Alec had known Kaid had dug his claws deep into his sister. It was clear now he had anchored himself into more than just her, but everyone in this empire too.
I’m not just going to remove your Oblivion. I’ll fucking kill you, Alec thought, already making that determination clear to his heart. It didn’t matter how much Jessamine cared. It didn’t matter if it betrayed what Lungor wanted. It didn’t matter if killing him left her vulnerable or left this entire empire in danger with the threat of Lungor. The true threat to this all was standing in front of him.
Kaid adjusted his kaftan shirt from the wrinkles of the strong guards, taking a deep breath, “Vitross is not the same as when you left. It might be wise of you to get to know your surroundings. If you ever disrespect my Empress again, especially in front of me, I’ll make you regret what happened in Uhkhtar.”
“She is your Empress, but she is my sister-”
“She is very well your Empress, too. Know your fucking place,” Kaid moved his hand to rest on his blade.
“I don’t take orders from foreign, brown filth,” Alec spat, readying to throw a punch. It was at that moment that the sound of a portal was heard, closing that was. Jessamine had slipped through the throne room doors at Vrah’s exit, soon finding her brother and Guardian in a fiery, passionate spat. And with Kaid resting his hand on his blade, it was clear that if she hadn’t intervened, someone would have gotten hurt.
“That’s enough!” Jessamine shouted, soon feeling the weight of her emotions begin to crumble.
“He started it,” Kaid defended himself immediately, straightening up in her presence. Yet all anger in his face had faded upon seeing how upset she was. He knew her walking in on this was only going to make it worse, and he was right.
“I expect higher levels of discipline from you, Kaid,” Jessamine insisted, feeling a tear begin to breach her eye, “and you, Alec…I, I don’t even want to speak to you right now.”
Jessamine had moved past them both, wanting nothing more than to escape this fate set before her now. Kaid moved to let his hand touch her shoulder but she immediately brushed it off.
“I wish to be left alone,” Jessamine scowled, knowing deep down Kaid was not the one to blame. He wasn’t. She could tell from the lingering energy in this room he was only trying to defend her honor, or rather the little of it that remained. She just felt like a failure. Kaid didn’t deserve failure, he didn’t deserve the scrutiny, and most of all she wasn’t sure if he was deserving of her in this state.
Kaid agreed silently, cursing internally at himself for hurting her. He had let his anger get the better of him. It was not the first time his anger had hurt her. His passion was just as furious as her own sometimes, and his desire to protect her could often make him hold the tool of her own harm.
Kaid didn’t know what to do now, if he should return to Mara’s company and act as if nothing happened. Or if he should sit alone, await Jessamine’s inevitable return and wish to comfort her. Yet he knew she had spent these past two years forced to comfort herself. She would return to him when she was ready, and he would be waiting for whenever she needed him. She didn’t have to be alone ever again if she did not wish.
When Kaid left, Alec rubbed his sore neck. It was then he noticed the portrait hanging on the wall, making him realize the tumultuous wall ahead of him. Kaid had been gone for two years, Vrah had stated Jessamine still held disdain for Kaid, that Vitross would not welcome him back. How very wrong that initial intelligence was. All of the planning had been around that one fact, which resulted in this failure. Perhaps the greatest failure between them both was underestimating their opponent.
Alec’s personal failure, though, was one of cowardice. Cowardice to confront Mattias, his own father, and especially leaving at the first sign of trouble. Would he have the bravery now to do the right thing? Revenge clouded many thoughts. Surely Zarya wherever she was, in whatever heaven she was in, must feel the same sentiment.
Kiev noticed Alec’s sense of defeat, feeling some slight sympathy, “Give her some time to calm down.”
“What happened to her? She used to be so shy, blush at any sort of compliment or gesture around her. She used to tiptoe around people to not offend or hurt anyone’s feelings,” Alec sighed, vaguely remembering the memories.
“She grew up,” Kiev answered, “she forced herself to grow up. All her life, you were the one learning how to rule, how to delegate, how to fight, how to survive. The only thing she was taught was piano forte and how to be an object for affection. That changed the day you left. She’s finally learned to use her voice, her true voice, without any influence from Payne or your father.”
“She’s influenced by Kaid,” Alec remarked bitterly.
Kiev took a deep breath, walking over to him, “Kaid is not a bad man. If you just got to know him-”
“He just fucking choked me, and it looks like he took your rightful place as Guardian.”
“He didn’t take that. He earned it, and rightfully so. Regardless, I’m happy in the position I’m in. Sometimes it takes a little defeat and suffering to be offered perspective,” Kiev explained, “And I believe Kaid had every right as Guardian to put his hands on you. How could you share such a damaging secret like that? Even I didn’t know of such knowledge.”
“She keeps her cards close to her chest, very close. I only knew because I’m partially the reason why she can’t…reproduce,” Alec swallowed, “Payne must have known, but he’s dead. Which means there’s another man alive who must know.”
Kaid. Neither said the answer because they already knew it.
Alec finally calmed down a bit, knowing that he had to do this smart. He couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him, especially around Kaid. He’d have to take this slow if he wanted to be smart.
“You know, I had hoped maybe you would get with her when I left. I know you always had the sweets for her,” Alec mentioned.
“I’m pretty sure there’s an honor code somewhere that mentions not marrying your friend’s sister,” Kiev laughed, “your sister is a good woman, truly. She’s changed so much, and for the better. You will see, give her some time, see the way she interacts with her people. She is no longer shy, but she is still kind.”
“Well, Vrah is out of the picture. Now’s your chance,” Alec nudged him.
Kiev couldn’t believe perhaps how oblivious his old friend was. Did he clearly not see the love Jessamine holds, had held for two years, for her Guardian? Did he think she was so incapable of such affection for a man like Kaid? Kiev didn’t need so much as a glance at Jessamine to see the way she had looked at Kaid this morning. He knew, despite everything, they still loved each other.
“Hah, that chance is long gone,” Kiev hummed, “I will leave you to your afternoon. I have a lot of work to catch up on. I still think Jessamine will give her tour of the city tomorrow. Everyone will learn of your return.”
“I know, they’ll know that I cowardly-”
“No. You will show them that you have come back and want to help. When they see that, they will understand,” Kiev gently patted his shoulder, “Again, give your sister time, and make sure to apologize. She’s forgiven worse things.”
Oh, I know, Alec thought to himself, watching his friend leave the room for him to be alone. Jessamine was very forgiving of the Time Paradox, what came after it, and most of all the person who started it all. The proof of all of that resided in the portrait hanging on the wall, one where his father had stood there for decades.
“I couldn’t be there to protect you father,” Alec whispered, “just as I wasn’t there to protect Jessamine from Mattias. I’m not meant to protect, I know that now. You raised me to destroy…and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”