“I know you often wondered why I suggested this to Maleric, but It sounded like the only way to save everyone at the time. Looking back, a dinner party probably would have turned out the same result.”
- A letter from Jaius to Ali.
The sweet music of the birds filled her ears as light streamed in through the windows. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound and were met with morning light illuminating her room. Alianna lay in her bed trying to hold onto the peace of this moment. Something inside her heart was telling her, this would be the last peaceful moment for a while. She drank in the peace that surrounded her. “Hyress. It sounds like Heiress. So many of their words sound like English with just a little bit of difference.” She shook her head, as if to push the disrupting thought from her mind. “Is that really what you want to be thinking about right now.” She admonished herself. Alianna pulled the covers over her head as if to shut out the world that was trying to encroach into her peaceful sanctuary. Soon Nisa would open the door and help her get ready. The other ladies would be in attendance. Jaius had told her the Queen in his Star Wars story would wear elaborate outfits and hairstyles and paint her face so that you couldn't tell her from the decoy's. She hated to think of her ladies in that way, as decoys meant to put themselves in harms way to protect her but that was the purpose of the ruse, and they all had agreed to assume that risk.
They had spent days coming up with different outfits and hairstyles and ways to paint a face and today was the first time they would try it. Alianna had also spent weeks experimenting with the tiara and the wiering and function of the tiara and the box they powered the invisibility sphere, and with the help of Nisa and different craft people in the village she had been able to recreate the crowns ability to change the hair and eye color of the one wearing it. But did she do it well enough, Would the people believe them?
She had pushed her mind and body hard to try to understand the crystals and the devices the woman made because she thought that if she could master them the way the woman had, maybe she could find a way to get them both home. She had discovered that when she sang at the crystals in the Tiara, and she connected the wires from the crown to the box, the box picked up and mimicked the resonance of her voice and song, and so she found that it kept the effect that she desired going far longer than normal. She had figured out a way to connect the wiring to The Tiara with the box so that it will keep the illusion going.
She had also learned that the crystals themselves will continue the effect for a time after the singing stops, the size of the crystal is a determining factor. The Larger the crystal the longer the effect. The crystals themselves are like none she had ever seen before either, they are hard as stone on the outside but as she studied them, when she sang at them the inside seemed to swim, and move and change. The effect happened very quickly and could very easily be missed, but the inside of the crystal definitely seemed to shift every time she sang at it. The Thron was still the big enigma. The chair itself will do nothing even if many people sang at it, but if you sing at the shard that she always kept with her, the chair will produce the effect. She had begun to feel that the full power or importance of the Thron had yet to be revealed.
Nisa would take her place first, pretending to be the Hyress. She was her first lady, and she also had ruled from the Thron before, and so would seem to be the most comfortable doing so. Today was the day they would set this plan in motion. Only Ye''Tul would know whether it was Nisa or really Alianna on the Thron. She breathed deeply, again trying to draw in the very peace from that moment so that she could bottle it up inside her. The thought that today would start a string of very hard days for her kept pounding in her head.
And then it came, the sound she had been dreading. “Alianna, we are all here and ready.” Came Nisa's soft voice came from the other side of the curtain. Alianna slowly let out her breath.
“Un-Childproofed, there couldn't be a better word for this world.” she said softly as she remembered the one lyric from that song Wunderkind. She pushed herself up and slowly spread the curtain. There was Nisa along with the other five ladies. “Good morning Ladies.” She said softly, still not wanting to disturb the peace she had felt. They all seemed to catch the tone in her voice, and even though they didn't know why she needed it, they all responded in soft voices. “Good morning Alianna.” It was nice to hear her name spoken to her again. The more she heard the word Hyress said to her, the more she seemed to become just the Hyress, it was good to be Alianna again.
“Is everything prepared?” she asked. “Yes Alianna, the seamstresses were up all night completing the outfits and we have all the powder's and dyes for our faces, but...” Nisa's voice dropped off. “What is sister?” Alianna asked softly. “What about our hair? All of our's is dark as night or red as a flower, yet yours is golden as the sun when it shines through the windows?” Alianna was about to respond with the solution she had worked out for this when she paused at Nisa using the word Sun. “Nisa, how do you know this word, Sun?” She said Nisa looked confused at Alianna's question but then looked over at the window and smiled. “Come Alianna and see.” She reached out her hand and Alianna took it. Nisa led her to the window and pointed up. “Look Ali, " She said softly, "The windows of heaven are here today, they come around once a month, they can be seen in the sky for about seven days, sometimes less, sometimes more. It is how we mark the months and then the years. It is a good sign when the sun shines through one, it means the Eternal is looking, briefly, down on us.”
Alianna looked up and saw the great rectangular opening in the sky that she and Jaius had seen above the creek that first night that they had a fire. “Windows of Heaven, that is what they call it, why does that phrase sound familiar?” There, floating above her, as she thought about it last time also, it did look like a window. It was a huge rectangle. Golden light poured out from this opening and bathed the valley in glory. She put her hand to her mouth. She had never in her life seen such a beautiful sight, it was even more awesome than when the moon was shining through. As she followed the rays upward there it was, golden and glowing, a star that looked a lot like the Sun on her world, yet this one seemed to waver as if she were seeing it when she was laying at the bottom of a pool.
The sight was breathtaking and filled her with a sense of joy and hope. “The true light from your sun hitting the valley makes it stand out as if I had never seen colors before and was just shown them. It looks a lot like the Sun from where I am from.”
“Alianna, what do you mean, where you are from?” Nisa said confused. Before Alianna could answer there was a knock at the door. “My Hyress, may I come in, it is urgent.” came Ye'tul's strained voice from the other side. “Yes captain please come in.” She said in formality not knowing who is on the other side with him. Ye'Tul entered quickly and then shut the door and walked over to her and bowed. When he raised back up he looked at her and she could see the great concern in his eyes. “Ye'tul, what is it. What is wrong?”
“It is Maleric, Alianna, he is crossing the river and heading towards us as we speak. There are about ten others with him, so I can't imagine he would attack us with such a small force, but I cannot believe he has good intentions either.” Alianna let shock appear on her face for just a moment, but then all the Queenly character's from her stories took over. Her face became unreadable as she looked around the room, meeting the eyes of each person here. “We've prepared for this, it just looks like we will need to move everything into action without a test run.” She looked at Ye'Tul. “Ye'tul, get your men ready and have Maleric held at the gate until we are prepared. ”
Ye'tul nodded and then turned and left the room. When the door shut, she turned back to Nisa. “As to your question about hair. I have been laboring to understand the crown that you used to wear, for it altered your hair color. I found a way to meld the box that the assassin used to power his invisibility and the way the previous crown was crafted. I tried it last night and it worked to turn my hair black.” Alianna reached onto the bed and retrieved the new crown she had fashioned. On the back of it was the box from the assassin's trap which would be hidden by the headdress part of the costume. She crawled back out and placed the crown on Nisa's head. She then began to sing and the box began to hum and the crystals flashed briefly. She imagined Nisa's hair turning the same color as her own. By now she was able to notice the very slight difference in the harmonic of her note as her mind formed the picture of Nisa with blond hair. The crystals on the Tiara began to glow and slowly Nisa’s jet black hair turned as golden as Alianna’s and her brown eyes as blue, even her face changed to more resemble Alianna’s. They waited breathlessly for a minute as the box began to hum and eventually all sighed collectively as it looked like the illusion was going to hold.
Nisa smiled as she brought her hair in front of her face. “It is most wonderful Ali, you have such great wisdom and skill, I can't believe what you were able to do with this.” Alianna blushed very slightly, but then her unreadable mask returned. “I had a lot of help from some of the crafter's. Now, we must hurry and get dressed, we shouldn't keep Maleric waiting too long.” She looked at Nisa. “Do you remember how we practiced the lip syncing?” Nisa nodded. “Yes Alianan, I have been practicing in front of the mirror.” Alianna nodded and turned to her massive closet and began to put on the garb of a Lady in Waiting. Once all the Ladies were clothed with soft leggings and blouses with a light soft pink silken dress over them and a velvet red cloak with a hood to finish it. They then began to dress Nisa in the Hyress's regalia. A stunning red Velvet gown with red and pink crystals inlaid in it. Over her shoulders they placed a shimmering pink cloak with a hood that also had pink crystals woven around the outer edges. They then painted her face with white paint and red lips with a red stripe coming down from the middle of her bottom lip and two red dots under her eyes that resembled tears.
Alianna worked at her tasks as a servant would, moving and acting with reverence. She remembered what Jaius had said about this Queen in Star Wars, that she didn’t just look like one of her servants, but she also did the duty of a servant by cleaning a robot, but did it with pride and real effort. This attribute is what had endeared her to this character, this Queen Amidala, that she had not chafed when asked to do a servant’s task. That is the inspiration that Alianna drew on at this moment. So much so that Nisa stopped her. “Ali, you are acting too much as a servant, and you are definitely not a servant, you shouldn't be doing all that you are.” Alianan looked at her. “Nisa, I love you as my own sister, I would have no greater joy than to serve you. But also, I want to never allow myself to feel above someone else again, or let myself think I am above any one of you, or any one else who follows me. I began to go down that road when I first got here and it nearly destroyed me. I want no part of worship or acclaim. I want to just be Ali.” Nisa's mouth dropped open. “I've..I've never heard anyone say such a thing before. Where are you from Ali, you said you weren't from here?”
“I come from another world. Jaius, the boy that Maleric took with him and I were standing by a creek on my world, then a strong wind came and next thing we knew we were on this world.” “I didn't know there were entire other worlds that you could go to. How do you get to your world?” A tear leaked out of Alianna's eye. “I didn't know there were other worlds either, but I have no idea how to get back to mine. It was this wind that carried us here and I have no power over that.” Nisa gently wiped away the tear and looked into Alianna's eyes. “I will do everything in my power to help you get back there, sister.” Alianna smiled and hugged Nisa. “Thank you, sister.” she whispered. Soon other arms were around them both. “We promise this also.” All the other ladies had joined in. They had all become very close these past few weeks. At this Alianna did cry, tears of joy, but still tears. After a few moments they all separated and fixed their faces. Then Alianna looked at the three other girls who also could sing the stones. “Remember to imagine the same things as I do, what I drew for you. Our voices meld well but what we see in our heads needs to also. Aya and Nara nodded their heads. They were sisters, identical twins. Both had fiery red hair and beautiful voices and could sing the stones. They were the two that Alianna had seen in the kitchen that first day that she entered the Catha-Dral. Their hair made them stand out, they had actually been very poorly treated before Ali made them part of her Ladies, basically working like slaves in the Kitchens.
She had reprimanded mistress Mol severely, but had not dismissed her over it when she learned that it had been at the orders of Nisa while she was Hyress and under the thrall of this Herald. Nisa had apologized to them also when she realized who they were. Ali had grown close to them as they practiced together. Their parents had been killed by Maleric, back when Jukas ruled the Catha- Dral.
Their parents had hidden them in a small, little used pantry off of the main kitchen in the Catha-Dral, before Maleric caught them and executed them. They stayed there for days until their food and water ran out and they had to come out. They were found by Mistress Mol, trying to get food from the kitchen. Their parents had made them promise to not sing and reveal their gift, for fear that Maleric would find and take them to those buildings he had built to use the song to power his gadgets. He tried to take their parents, but they both resisted, and so he killed them and used the excuse of their odd hair color to justify it. They had heard that Maleric does something terrible to those who can sing the stones, the rumors said it was worse than death.
Alianna nodded to them. “Okay, I think we're ready.” Alianna then turned and looked at Nisa “We await your command, my Hyress.” She said, stepping into place next to Clara, the wide eyed girl with the braid in her hair. She said it with sincere humility and desire to serve. Nisa still seemed a bit shaken by Ali's response, but she recovered quickly. She put on the regal manner she had worn when she was Hyress and nodded and then walked towards the door, the five other's spread out two on each side behind her in a staggered formation, and then one in the middle behind the others so the ladies formed a ruby red train behind Nisa as she walked.
At Nisa's word the guards on the outside opened the door for them and they entered the hallway. As they passed them the Guards slapped their fists to their chests in salute. Two more guards fell in besides them as they descended the steps to the main hall. They glided through the hall. As they passed the Thron, Ali looked up at it, and began to sing the song she had sung when she first walked up those steps. The twins joined her voice, and she knew that Nisa's mouth was moving unison with theirs. Alianna clutched the Thron shard in her hand which was covered by her long silky sleeve. The shard in Nisa’s crown was a regular amethyst crystal that looked close to the color of the Thron.
The Thron erupted with brilliant violet light. A large bean of light shot from it and hit the crown on Nisa's head. The silver and gold pattern of the Hyress's chainmail shield formed around her and around all the ladies. The crystal breastplates and helmets of the guards next to them crackled and a golden light surrounded them and their swords. Out in the courtyard Ye'Tul sat on his Horuse which scrapped the ground with its hoof. He patted the animal on its neck. A golden glow erupted from the crystal breastplate on his chest, and the crystal tip of his lance sparkled with light. The crystals on the saddle and skirt of his Horuse also cascaded into a lattice of scale like armor. He turned to look behind him. The main doors opened and out stepped Nisa as the Hyress, with the other ladies and guards following behind her. The armor of the Hyress crackling around her and the other ladies.
This was a good idea for protecting Alianna and his mind had tried to cover every single contingency, but it was the parts he couldn't see, the things he couldn't protect her from that troubled his thoughts day and night. The morning in her room with the tattooed man burned heavily in his mind. How could he protect her from what he couldn't see?
Nisa walked up to a white mare and climbed up into the saddle, it wasn't Emily, but another white mare from the herd. Alianna climbed up on Emily's back, she hoped that the other white mare looked enough like Emily to fool any of Maleric's spies, she wasn't able to part with Emily even for the sake of the ruse. She rubbed Emily's neck fondly and the horuese nickered softly. She had had her fole two weeks ago, Ali had named him Simon after her brother.
The other ladies also mounted their horuses as did the guards. Ali and the twins kept singing, but Nisa stopped her lip syncing and said in a loud voice to the guards on the wall.
“Open the gates so that we may receive our Guest.” Ye'Tul nodded and then turned toward the gates and motioned with his lance. The Guards on the wall started to pull on ropes as thick as their arms. Slowly the iron shod wood gates opened. When they were fully opened Ali looked and saw Maleric dressed in rich clothing with a blue cape that had purple crystals embedded in it and gold worked between them. Almost like a circuit board. A white sash crossed his chest with three gold bands on it. There was a sword at his hip and many pouches attached to a suspender like harness across his torso. “God, please help us.” Alianna prayed in her head. Next to him sitting in the grass was Jaius, she almost didn't recognize him, he had grown almost a foot and he had lost weight but also looked like he had been lifting weights. He wore a similar white sash like Maleric, but his only had two gold bands. Her heart leapt for joy when she saw him alive and free, but she could not figure out how he was here with Maleric. Then the joy soured a bit when she saw the two girls with him. One had honey brown hair that came to her shoulders, the other had red hair. They each wore deep blue sashes with a thin gold line around them. They stood close to him, a bit too close, Alianna noticed. “Who are they?” She said, her face clouding a bit. She almost stopped singing but caught herself.
Maleric began moving forward and motioned with his arm through the gate. Jaius, the two girls, and seven other armed men began moving towards them. Three of the men, who looked more like Jaius’s age, flanked him and the two girls. Jaius looked at the sight before him and mentally slapped himself in the forehead. “I can't believe she actually took what I told her about Queen Amidala and used it.” He thought to himself. He saw the blond girl sitting on the horuse, with her face painted. “If she really did do it then that isn't Alianna.” He looked at the girls arrayed behind her and saw that three of them were singing besides the one pretending to be Hyress. He looked closely at their faces and after a few moments was able to pick her out even though her head was slightly bowed and he couldn't see her eyes, he knew it was her. He marked her in case Maleric did something more than what he had said. He had told Alise and Lorna to be ready to follow him no matter what happened.
Maleric stopped about ten yards from the Hryess's party and looked them over. “It is very rude to keep guests waiting this long Hyress.” he said. The blond Girl looked down at him and without emotion on her face or voice replied. “Nor is it polite to come to us Maleric without forewarning. If you wished a welcome equal to your status you should have sent a messenger.”
Maleric grinned slightly. “You speak well Hyress for someone who isn't from around here. I remember finding you and my son here by that stream. It is quite remarkable that you have become so fluent in the song, and leading people in such a short time.” “I have had help from many talented people, Maleric. How has Jaius come to be your son?”
Alianna almost missed a note when Maleric called Jaius his son. “His son?” She thought. “He beat Jekk in a fight, beat him nearly to death. Can't have a weakling for a son, so I threw Jekk to the Pic's and made Jaius my son, and it is a choice I have not regretted.”
Jaius's emotions were a roller coaster behind the steel mask he had put up to cover them. His dad had never given him such a compliment before, in one moment he felt elated by what Maleric had said, but then it got mixed with the disgust he felt toward Maleric for all that he had done to him and the people who followed him.
The Hyress nodded, accepting the answer that was given. “Maleric, will you, your son, and your party do us the honor of eating supper with us?” Maleric bowed formally and then looked back at the Hyress. “It would be our great pleasure Hyress, and it will afford me an opportunity to offer a proposal to you that should greatly benefit both our peoples.” A chill made its way down Alianna's spine. Something in his voice hinted at more than just a proposal but she couldn't tell if it was a good thing or bad.
“Come then, we shall feast together, but first you will be shown to your rooms where you may rest before the feast.” Said Nisa as she turned her horuse and began to move back toward the Catha Dral. The ladies turned their horuses in perfect unison with her as did Ye'Tul and his guard. Once they came to the main doors they dismounted and those that cared for the Horuses came and led them back to the corral. The Hyeress and her entourage then entered through the doors. Three of the guards stayed behind, waiting for Maleric and his party to begin moving. Maleric looked at them, nodded, and then began to move forward. Jaius and Alise and Lorna followed along with Ruk, Lak, Selak, who had become his personal body guards and quasi friends, flanking them, and the other men flanking Maleric. Once they had moved ten yards the guards came up behind them and followed them to the main doors.
A few hours later they were led to the main hall where the Hyress's party had already been seated at a long table, with the Hyress at the head and her ladies on either side and then a man Jaius took to be the Captain of the guard. Jaius looked beyond them and saw the purple crystal shaped like a chair that had been there last time he had been in this room. It had changed since then, now it was glowing brightly and rays of energy were coming from it and surrounding the Hyress and her party in protective shields. The Hyress stood and the rest of her party with her. “Welcome to the Catha-Dral Maleric, Son of Jukas, Jaius Son of Maleric, and guests. Please be seated and I will bring in entertainment while we wait for the meal.” The Hyress motioned with her hand to the empty seats. Maleric bowed his head slightly.
“Thank you for this great honor Hyress. May this day be a new day for our peoples.” He then went and sat down next to the Captain. Jaius, Alise, and Lorna sat opposite him and the others filled in the remaining seats. Jaius stole a glance across the table at the lady that was caddy corner to him. Alianna looked up so briefly he almost missed it, but when he caught her eye, they seemed to stay locked for far longer than a single second. He could see hope, relief, joy and sadness swimming in her blue eye, and what he thought might be jealousy. He understood. “I guess Alise and Lorna would be a surprise to her.” The moment did not last and her eye moved back to the plate in front of her. The Hyress clapped her hand, and a door in the back of the room opened and twelve men and women walked in carrying instruments. Jaius's looked in awe at them. “Had Alianna taught them how to make and play instruments in two months?” he wondered to himself.
They sat at chairs along the walls and began to play a soft, happy tune. It sounded like the one that Alianan had sung many times by the creek, the one from that movie they had watched before they left school that day. Servants came and filled their glasses with a red liquid. Maleric always had what Jaius had come to figure out was wine every night at dinner. It had taken him quite a while to not pass out after dinner, as he really had no choice but to drink it. When they were done pouring the Hyress lifted her glass toward Maleric. “A toast to Maleric, son of Jukas honored guest of ours.” She lifted the glass to her lips as everyone else from her party lifted their glasses and said in one voice. “Hail Maleric, son of Jukas, honored guest of the Hyress.” and they then sipped their drinks.
Maleric bowed his head for a few seconds then stood and took his glass and raised it. “A toast to the Hyress may she live forever, may she always sit upon the Thron and guard her lands with the song.” Everyone on Maleric's side stood and lifted their glasses. “Long live the Hyress and ever may she sit upon the Thron guarding and guiding her people.” Jaius said the words that Alise and Lourna had taught him along with the others.
They sat down and the Hyress clapped her hands again and the main doors opened and a small army of servers came in bearing all kinds of food and desserts. They served the Hyress first, and then Maleric, and then each of the others anything that they desired.
After they had eaten a while, the Hyress put down her fork and looked at Maleric, who had just clamped his teeth into a large chicken leg. “Ahem.” the Hyress cleared her throat still looking at Maleric. Maleric disengaged from the leg and placed it back on his plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin. The Hyress nodded and then looked him in the eyes. “You mentioned a proposal earlier Maleric, we are now ready to hear you on this subject.” Maleric bowed his head and then stood. Inwardly Jaius gathered his courage. “Please Ali, please play along.” He thought as he looked at Maleric, waiting for his queue. “If it pleases you Hyress, my proposal is quite simple. I come with an offer of marriage, My son Jaius to you Hyress. A union that would see my lands become yours. All I would ask is to remain as head in my house.” Jaius felt cold inside. “His lands would become her's? That's not what he said back at the compound.” Jaius looked at him trying to discern the trap Maleric had formulated but could not. He knew he had to play this out and hope Maleric messed up.
Jaius stood and bowed to the Hyress. When he came upright he looked at her. “I would request the great honor of your hand in Marriage Hyress, for the peace and prosperity of our peoples. That they may grow together and fude no longer.” He spoke with a confidence that shocked even him. Two months ago he would have fainted even thinking of asking out a girl, now he is requesting a Queen's hand in marriage! It did help greatly that it was Alianna. If she didn't go for it, Maleric would most likely attack, and with the information Jaius had given him, he would probably win. “God, please let her go along with this.” The Hyress's face was unreadable as she looked at them both. She looked like she was evaluating him like a prized steer up for sale at the farm show. He saw Ali's eye flicker up to him again and he caught it. Her eyes were flooded with fear but slowly seemed to be replaced with resolve. Her fear seemed erased by something she had seen in his face. He had hoped she had seen the slight wink of his eye. After a minute or two he saw the Hyress glance around the table at everyone, when her gaze fell on Alianna, Jaius saw Ali's head nod ever so slightly. Her gaze lingered no longer on Ali then on anyone else, but Jaius had caught the signal and the agreement from Ali. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
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Alianna's head began to swim. She had not been prepared for this. “Marry Jaius? What am I doing, we can't get married, we are just kids.” She sighed in her head, “What choice do I have right now, I know Jaius isn’t a game player or trickster. I’ve relied on him with my life on the line more times than I can count. He has to have a good reason for this. Plus, he is my best friend.” This could also bring peace with Maleric, and the whole area, and at least Jaius would be back with me, that was my whole goal in the first place.We may never get out of here, and I...I don't think there is anyone else I'd want to spend my life with here. It really seems we will be here for the duration.” Her attention was turned back to the table as Nisa spoke.
“We have considered your son Maleric and your proposal and we are agreeable to this union. You shall remain as our guests for this week, and at the week's end, we will marry your son Jaius. Our lands and yours will become one, and you shall remain as Lord of your house and the land immediately around it.” The Hyress reached her hand holding her glass across the table toward Maleric, Maleric moved his glass out to meet her's and there was a loud clink as they two crystal glasses met.
The Hyress sat down and the meal and music continued. Once the meal was over the Hyress stood. “We will now retire to our rooms. Captain, please show our guests back to their rooms. We would like to speak with the Son of Maleric before he retires. Will you escort him to our rooms?” The man in the crystal armor next to her stood and bowed. He then stepped away from the table and motioned to Maleric. Maleric rose and all his party with him and they followed the man out of the room.
Once they got to their rooms Lorna and Alise both looked at him with sadness in their eyes. “We know you have to do this Jaius, but if you marry the Hyress do you really think that she will agree for us to marry you also, she seems like one who would not accept…others?” Jaius had noted some of the looks both Alianna and the lady pretending to be her had given Alise and Lorna. “You will stay here with me once Maleric and the rest leave, I talked to Maleric and he allowed it. We will be married shortly after.” Relief flooded their faces. “Thank you Jaius.” They both hugged him.
Just then there was a knock at the door. The door opened and the Hyress's Captain stood in the doorway. “The Hyress wishes to see you now Son of Maleric.” Jaius nodded and looked back at Alise and Lorna. “Don't worry, okay.” He assured them and then left the room. He left the rooms that had been assigned to Maleric’s party. Ruk, Lak, Selak followed him, keeping a constant eye on the Captain, who was also doing the same with them.
He followed the man down the hall and up a flight of stairs and stopped when he did in front of some elaborate doors. The Captain knocked and heard Ali's voice from inside. “Who is it?” “It is I Hyress.” The Captain said. “The Son of Maleric has come.”
“Show him in Captain and then stand guard outside the door.” “Yes, My Hyress.” The man opened the door and gestured to Jaius inside. The look that he gave Jaius as he went past him into the room spoke volumes of what would happen to him if anything happened to Ali. Ruk, Lak, and Selak moved to go with Jaius, but the Captain stood between them and the room. “Peace, my friends, I will find no danger on the other side of this door.” Said Jaius as he turned to look at them. They looked at the Captain, then at him and nodded. They moved back and leaned against the wall. Jaius nodded to them again and entered the room.
The door shut and then he turned, just in time to open his arms as Ali ran towards him and hugged him. He hugged her back and as she began to cry he also felt tears running down his cheek. “Jaius, oh, Jaius it is so good to see you again. I missed you.” She said, squeezing him tighter. “I'm so glad your okay Ali, I missed you very much too.” Memories flooded both their minds. Days spent by that creek relying on each other to survive. After a few moments she pulled away with a storm cloud of emotions on her face. “Not as much as I did, I think.” she said, hurt suddenly replacing her joy as she turned away from him. “Ali, what do you mean?” She stood with her back to him for a moment that seemed to draw on forever. Eventually, she shook her head and turned back to face him. “I'm sorry Jaius, that was wrong of me.” He could still see hurt in her eyes. “Who, who are those girls with you?” She said quietly. “They are Alise and Lorna. They were friends of Maleric's former son Jekk, and when I defeated him they stayed with me. They would have been horribly tortured and killed if I hadn't given them my protection. They have helped me learn what to do and what not to do to make sure that I didn’t get on Maleric’s bad side.” He told her about the barns and about their parents and the fate that awaited them. “I...I promised to marry them in order to protect them.” She almost yelled at him, but the hardness of being the Hyress must have given her a lot of self control, because she instead turned and walked to the doors leading to the balcony and went out and stood there letting the cool night breeze blow away the hurricane that was going on inside her head. “Marry, them?” She imagined Jaius in her head and then imagined her yelling at him, but slowly what he had told her started to filter in. Maleric, imprisoning people to force them to sing night and day. Never leaving those beds, forever. Her heart began to soften toward Jaius. “He did it to save them, and he isn't actually married yet.”
Jaius stood frozen for a moment, hurt and confusion trying their best to take him over. But months at Maleric's had given him a much thicker skin than he had ever had before. Then he remembered the dinner, and the jealousy he saw in her eyes and he understood. He moved toward the balcony and placed his hand on her shoulder. He felt her tense for a moment but then relax. She turned to face him and her face began to soften. “I'm sorry Jaius...I” “Its okay Ali, I understand. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I had to make a decision, I couldn't let them be dragged off to those barns and those woods.” She nodded. “What will happen to them now?” She asked softly. He looked a bit uncertain and ran his hand through his hair. “I still need to marry them, after we marry, it was Maleric’s condition for letting them leave his compound. It is the only way I have to protect them right now. Maleric offered me one request as a wedding present. I asked for them and their parents, who are trapped in the barns, to be brought to me here. They will stay here and be safe, he agreed, his only restriction was that I would need to marry them too.” Again she almost lost it, but now her head was spinning too much to yell at him. She felt an odd sensation of disgust, and then confusion. “Marry all of us?” All the catechisms she had studied screamed that it was not acceptable, but then her current reality pushed them down. How many decisions had she had to make while being Hyress that would have had her doing penance for a year at the rectory.
She took a deep breath and let it out. The realization of the fate that awaited them if she didn't agree set in and her face softened towards him. “Jaius what are we doing? We're thirteen, how can we get married? I saw you wink at me when Maleric was making his proposal. It's the only reason I agreed, why did I agree to it?” He shook his head. “I know it's a lot to handle Ali and it's probably confusing, but I didn't have a choice. I beat Jekk, Maleric's real son, but I don't know if I can defeat Maleric one on one. He wanted to conquer you Ali, he was devising ways to counter your defenses and they would have worked too, you and your men would have been caught in a trap and a lot of your people and maybe you would have died. I thought of this idea as the only peaceful way to handle it and to save you and your people. “Wait, Jaius, how does he know about my defenses? How does he know how to stop them?” Jaius's shoulders slumped “Well, first I'll tell you how he knows how do defeat them.” He took a deep breath. He didn't want to tell her this. She will think he betrayed her, but they had sworn to each other to tell the truth, and even if he lost her forever, he was going to honor that. “I told him how to defeat men mounted on horses, and the other defenses you had thought of, including your Queen Amidala routine.” A look of horror began to come across her face. “Hold on Ali, before you get lost in hurt and anger and level your laser beam at me, I didn't have a choice. Maleric is able to tell if you lie to him. I don't know how, but he has proven it a number of times. I had to tell him the truth about how to defeat your plans or else he would have killed me, or worse.” She looked at him intensely for a moment, studying him. She knew he was telling her the truth. She remembered back in the clearing where they promised to always tell the truth to each other. She let her hurt and anger go. “I'm sorry Jaius, I understand why you told him, but how did he find out about everything in the first place?”
He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “We would meet with this girl in the woods above the Catha-Draal. She was telling us everything you were doing. Maleric had something he was holding over her, because when she talked I could hear the strain in her voice as if she really didn't want to say what she knew.” A chill entered Ali's heart. “A girl? What did she look like?” She said, her expression becoming suddenly very serious.
“Long brown hair in a braid, and big wide eyes...” Storm clouds erupted on Ali's face and then, her face became set in stone like he had never imagined a face could. She moved quickly past him into the room and he stood frozen for a moment unsure of what was happening, but he recovered quickly and then went after her. She was already heading into the hall when he got back in the room. He looked left and then right and to the right he saw the captain opening the door for her. Ruk, Lak, and Selak pushed off the wall and stood poised to react to any threat. He waved them back and shook his head and then moved to go into the same room as Alianna, but the Captain's crystal gauntlet came down between him and the door. He looked up at the man's face, sizing him up, seeing if he could take him. The man seemed to be doing the same for him and the three men with Jaius.
Just then Ali's voice broke his concentration. “Let the Son of Maleric enter Captain, he will be needed for this.” Came Ali's stone cold voice. The man hesitated for just a moment before removing his hand and letting Jaius in the room. Jaius took in the scene. He saw the other ladies dressed like Ali sitting on a large bed, and the girl who was pretending to be the Hyress sitting at a vanity. The fake Hyress stood and bowed to them both, then all the ladies jumped off the bed and did the same. Ali's eyes bored into one of the girls in the middle. Jaius recognized her from the meetings with Maleric and he could see the large brown eyes flooded with fear underneath her cowl as she caught Ali staring at her. She looked at Jaius, her eyes growing wider with recognition. Ali’s face and his presence seemed to unnerve her greatly.
“Clara, please step forward.” came that same chilling voice from Ali. The wide eyed girl shuddered as if she had been hit, but ever so slowly moved out to the front of the others. “Clara, Jaius the Son of Maleric, has informed me that Maleric knows of all our defensive plans and how to defeat them. He informed me that it was you who told Maleric all these things. Choose your next words wisely Clara. Have you been sharing all of our secrets with Maleric?”
The girl's face went very pale, as if all the blood were draining out from her body. She began to perspire and shake and seemed as if she would have fainted but it looked as if Ali's icy gaze kept her from doing so. She swallowed hard and then opened her mouth, but only a pitiful squeak came out. “Our patience is running thin Clara.” The girl shut her eyes tightly, clenched her fists, and then opened her eyes again. “Al..Ali...” “My Hyress!” Alianna snapped in that same icy voice. Tears began to leak from the corners of Clara's eyes. “My Hyress....” She took a deep breath and let it out. “My Hyress, what the Son of Maleric told you was true, but...” Quicker than Jaius had ever seen her move, Alianna pulled a black crystal dagger from underneath her sleeve, raised it in the air, stepped forward and brought it down an inch from Clara's neck. “Alison!” Alianna seethed. “You have betrayed your other ladies, the people of Catha Dral and most of all you have betrayed us. Before we end your miserable life is there anything you can possibly say to justify this.” “Ali wait...” said Jaius as he moved toward her.
“Stay where you are Jaius, or you will rob her of her last chance to speak, as will anyone else who interferes.” Jaius froze, there was an intensity in her voice that he had never heard before, he even thought it might be hatred. Jaius had also caught the name that Ali called this girl that was not the same name that she had used when first addressing her. Clara was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Her eyes locked on the dagger that seemed to absorb the light around it, confusion crept across her face at the name Ali used. “Ye..yess my Hyress, I do. Please, after you carry out my just deserved death sentence, would you find some way to rescue my parents from Maleric’s Crunellas.” She said and then shut her eyes waiting for the end. Jiaus knew now why the girl had played the spy for Maleric, her parents were caught in that hell that he had fashioned for his own purposes. Jaius moved forward to grab Alianna and try to pull her back, but just before he got to her a hand wrapped around Ali's and moved the dagger to its owner's chest. The imposter Hyress now had the dagger pointed at her heart. Alianna turned her head quickly, her eyes flashing like lighting. “I said that anyone who interfered...”
“I know My Hyress, as First Lady, it is my responsibility for what Clara has done. I am the chief lady and so I should have known these things. For this, and for my now just disobeying your order, My life is forfeit. I only ask that you spare Clara's life, that I may take her penalty on myself.” Said Nisa, calmly as she looked at Alianna, her face a mask of peace, only love and compassion filling her eyes, not fear or anger.
It was her gaze that seemed to finally cut through the rage that filled Alianna. Ali's hand wavered, and then the dagger fell to the floor with a clicking sound. Alianna stared into her dear friend's eyes, and could feel the love she had for her and Clara. Nisa took a few steps forward and placed her hands on Ali's shoulder's and bent in to whisper in her ears. “Please sister, come back to me. Do not enter the doors of hatred and murder, do not be lost in the sea of revenge.” She felt it before Ali did, a wellspring of tears rising up in her. She turned her away from the other's and headed for the door, Ali's shoulder's already shaking. She opened the door, and quickly led her into the other room and shut the door. Jaius looked as they left the room, but also out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl called Clara start to fall. Before he knew what he was doing he caught her and lifted her up and laid her on the bed, then stepped back. The girl curled up in a fetal position and began to wail. The other's moved in quickly to try to console her. Jaius backed out of the room, feeling like he couldn't do anything else in there and saw the Captain standing vigil across the hall from Alianna's door. His three friends keeping watch on the room and the captain at the same time. Jaius went over to them. “Thank you for staying my friends, but this may be a while and it has been a long day. There is no concern for my safety here. Please, retire for the night and I will send for you in the morning. The men looked at him and then at the Captain and then back to him. “Are you sure Jaius?” Said Salak. Jaius nodded. The three men gave him a nod and moved off the wall and headed back toward their rooms. Jaius saw the Captain make a slight motion with his head and a second later another guard moved out of an alcove and followed behind Jaius’s friends.
The Captain then looked at him. “What has happened, Son of Maleric?” Jaius looked the man over again, noting the crystal armor and sword at his hip and he definitely had the presence of a man who knew how to use it. “The Hyress, discovered a spy of Maleric's in her midst. She was rightfully angered and sought to hand out judgment by her own hand, but the lady who was pretending to be the Hyress asked for the punishment to fall on her instead and this request seemed to mitigate the just anger of the Hyress. The lady led the Hyress into the room I assume to tend to her and console her at the revelation of this betrayal.``
The man nodded at Jaius's answer but then his eyebrow raised an he studded Jaius more intently. “Are you not the Son of Maleric, yet this revelation of your father's spy seems to not perturb you in the least? Why is that?” Jaius smirked and walked slowly over to the man. The man's hand lowered slowly to his sword hilt, but the rest of his demeanor remained unchanged. In a voice not much higher than a whisper Jaius said. “Ali seems to trust you with her life and so that is good enough for me. I hate Maleric, I would have taken him out by now, if I was sure that I could. He has done so much evil to the people in that fortress of his, to me, and now to Ali. If a chance comes for him to be removed, I'm not going to stand in the way, and would definitely help.” Jaius said with all the sincerity that he felt.
The man raised both eyebrows but slowly nodded his head. “My name is Ye'Tul, I am the C
aptain of the Hyress's Knights. You use her given name as a friend would, how is it that you know it?” Jaius looked a bit confused but answered honestly. “My name is Jaius. We come from the same world, we go to the same place of learning for the past few years and live in the same town. We spent a month and a half on the other side of the abyss in a clearing by a creek. She has become my best friend, and I'd do anything for her.” Ye”Tul looked him up and down again and then nodded. “I hear the truth in your voice Jaius, Son of Maleric, and so will hold you to your statement if Maeric ever betrays us.” Jaius nodded. “He will most definitely betray you given the chance. I don't know what his plan is, but this marriage idea was the only way to keep him from attacking you. I knew he knew how to defeat your defenses, and so I thought of this as a way to delay him, but I still feel like he wishes to conquer this land and kill anyone that stands in his way.” Ye'tul nodded. “As long as I live that won't happen.” Jaius held out his hand to the man. “I'm with you on that.” The man looked at Jaius's open hand with confusion. “You place your hand in mine, we grasp our hands together and shake them. It is a sign of greeting, and respect where I come from.'' The man still looked at his hand, trying to discern the trap, but after a few moments he placed his gauntleted hand in Jaius's and closed it and shook his hand, and Jaius returned the gesture.
As Nisa shut the door Ali collapsed onto the floor weeping. Nisa's heart ached for her friend, but she could not break through her sorrow with words and so she just sat down, pulled Ali close to her and held her. Ali wept bitterly. All the pain of the past year falling out of her, and not stopping. Images of Alison yelling at her to leave her alone, of Alison making fun of her along with the other's, using things from her diary against her, the day that Alison held her down and kept her from rescuing her Nana's book. She had no idea what else was happening around her. She felt warm loving arms around her but they couldn't penetrate this wall of emotion that was flooding out of her. Slowly she heard a voice, the voice of her new sister saying soothing words to her. Those words began to draw her back to reality, away from the ocean of her sorrows. She finally stopped sobbing and she looked up into Nisa's eyes. Nisa smiled and hugged her close. “Oh Ali, thank the Eternal you are back, I thought I had lost you. Who is Alison? “ Alianna stared at her in confusion at the question. “You called Clara Alison and you have been saying the name over and over again since we got back to your room.” Alianna wiped at her eyes, which she was sure were large and puffy and awful looking.
“She..She was my best friend since we were very little, even more than that she was my sister. My family thought of her as one of our own. Then, last year, she...she betrayed me so that she could become popular, so that she could try to please her mother enough for her mother to start loving her.”
Nisa smoothed Ali's hair back into place. “It was Clara's betrayal that brought all this out wasn't it sister?” Ali nodded. “I didn't know all that was in there, sister, thank you for risking your life to pull me back. I wanted revenge on Alison so bad that I was willing to k...kill Clara.” A dark realization came slowly into Alianna's mind. “Oh God Nisa what am I becoming where I could murder someone.” The tears almost came again, but they didn't come, as if she had just cried them all out. “These are hard times Ali, and you are in a strange place that you do not understand. I believe you have done much better than you allow yourself credit.” Nisa looked deep into Alianna's eyes trying to see what she needed, what words she could say to help her friend. “I don't feel like I have done well at all sister, but I will also not make this a point of contention between us, so I will accept what you say.” She looked over at the large vanity in the corner of her room. “I must look horrible.” she said imagining how puffy and red her eyes must look. She looked back at Nisa. “Sister, would...” She took a very deep breath and let it out. “Would you please go and bring Clara and the other laddies, and Jaius and Ye'Tul also? Give me about fifteen minutes so I can put myself back together before you come in.” Nissa nodded and hugged Alianna again and then rose to her feet. “I will go and bring them to you Ali. You are greatly loved Ali, never forget that. I hear the people talking and they all respect and love you.” She smiled at Alianna and then turned and walked toward the door. Alianna stared after her and watched as the door shut. “They love me?” She said softly. She shook her head and stood up and walked slowly to the vanity. She stared at herself in the mirror, she was right, her eyes were huge and puffy, and her hair was a mess. “I can't fix this in fifty minutes, let alone fifteen.” She sighed heavily and then took a cord and pulled her hair back into a ponytail and then picked up a smooth stone that had come from a storehouse in the deep cellar. The stone stayed quite cool even on the highest floor of the Catha-Dral. She rubbed the cold stone over her swollen eyes, eyeing up six clear and golden crystals lying near a golden hilt.
Ye'tul was showing Jaius his crystal sword when the door opened, quicker than Jiaus expected the man to move, the sword was in its sheath and he snapped to attention. Jaius turned and stood straighter also, although he wasn't sure why. Coming out of the door was the girl who was pretending to be the Hyress. She looked at Ye'Tul and then at Jaius and bowed her head slightly. “Capitan, Son of Maleric, the Hyress asks that you both attend her, but only once I return with the other ladies.” Ye'Tul bowed halfway at the waist. Jaius nodded his head. She accepted both responses and moved to the room next to Alianna's and opened the door. Jaius could hear sobbing coming from the room as the door opened. It quickly shut behind her. Jaius glanced at Ye'tul, but the man's eyes were locked on Alianna's door. He looked as if he was trying to see through wood and stone to make sure she was okay. About ten minutes later the door opened and out came the fake Hyress and the other ladies. One of them, the girl with big eyes, had definitely been crying and had her head bowed as she walked in the middle of the others towards Alianna's room. The fake Hyress opened the door and led the procession in. Ye'Tul motioned with his arm for Jaius to follow. He nodded and then went into the room.
He saw the ladies and the fake Hyress standing along the walls, with the girl Clara standing in the middle of the room with her head bowed, weeping softly. Alianna was seated at a vanity with her back to them, but he could see in the mirror that she was moving a smooth stone across her eyes. He heard Ye'tul shut the door, and then there was silence except for Clara's soft cries. After a few minutes Ali stopped rubbing the stone over her eyes and put it down on a porcelain dish. She took a deep breath and then reached out and took six clear and gold crystals and what looked like a golden sword hilt and stood and turned toward them, her face was unreadable.
She began to sing a song holding the crystals in one hand and the hilt in another. Very quickly the crystals began to glow with a silver light and they colaced together to form a sword blade with a thinner crystal piece at the bottom. She then slid the thinner part of the crystal into the golden handle and then stopped singing. The blade continued to glow and hold form. She raised the blade and pointed it at Clara. The girl flinched away from it, but then her shoulders slumped in resignation and turned back to Alianna with her head raised and looking at Ali.
Alianna looked back still aiming the point of the blade toward the girl's chest. “Clara, your betrayal is great, it is beyond words, but your motive was to save your parents, and I cannot disregard that. I don't know if I can ever forgive what you have done, but I cannot afford to have a disruption in my plans right now. I need you as you are one of the few who can sing the stones and so I offer you this, and please understand that I offer it just this once. You will renounce all loyalty to Maleric and swear loyalty to me. If you break this vow Clara, your life will be forfeit and so will your parents, am I understood?” The girl seemed dazed and confused at this turn of events, but slowly seemed to realize what Ali was saying. Slowly she nodded her head. “Yes Hyress, I understand.” Alianna nodded and then said. “Good. now kneel and take the tip of this sword in your right hand.” Clara knelt and Alianna lowered the sword and Clara took the tip in her hands. “Now, proceed as I have instructed you.” Clara looked up at Alianna and said. “I Clara, renounce any and all agreements I have made with Maleric, and swear to the Hyress upon my life and the life of my parents that I will serve her unwavering and faithfully until the day I depart this world.” Alianna nodded and then Clara let go of the blade and stood. Alianna looked around the room. “You are all held as witnesses to this oath, and I also charge you to administer justice upon her if she breaks it.” Jaius heard everyone else in the room say “It will be as you wish Hyress.” Catching on quickly Jaius said it also, but since it was after everyone else his was the only voice which was a bit embarrassing, but no one said anything to him.
Alianna took the hilt and pulled it away from the crystals and as she did the sword stooped glowing and separated into the six shards again. She set them on the vanity and then looked around the room. “Well, now that that is taken care of we have a wedding to plan.” She looked at Ye'Tul. “Captain, please have the women of the village attend me tomorrow in the great hall, and after them I will meat with the craftsmen.” He bowed. “It will be as you say Hyress.” He then stood up and turned on his heel and left the room. She turned to the fake Hyress. “Nisa, please go to the kitchens and tell Madam Mol that she has a day to come up with four different full courses for the wedding. The day after tomorrow we will visit the kitchens in the morning along with Jaius and we will select one for the wedding feast.” The girl, Nisa, bowed and said “It will be as you say My Hyress” and she turned and left the room. She turned to two girls who were obviously twins. “Please attend us here in our room, the rest of you may retire to your rooms. Please be present in the great hall for breakfast.” Clara and two other girls bowed and said in unison. “It will be as you say Hyress.” and then they turned and left the room. The two twins looked at eachother and then at Alianna. “Jaius, would you join me on the balcony.” Jaius looked at the twins and then to Alianna. “Yes, Al...I mean Hyress, I would be honored.” She nodded, either not catching his slip up or not caring and moved toward two ornate glass doors that led onto a large balcony. She opened them and left them opened for him. He paused for only a moment, and then walked out onto the balcony and shut the door. She was standing near the edge of the balcony her hands resting on the ledge. He went over and stood next to her. The view was breathtaking, a few hundred yards of grass gave way to a deep forest that extended up the side of the hills that obscured what lay beyond. The wind came rushing down the hills and poured onto their balcony. It didn't seem cold, but she still seemed to shiver. Jaius reached out his arm and placed it around her shoulders. She stiffened for just a moment, but then relaxed and fell in against him and laid her head on his shoulder. “I missed you Jaius.” she said softly. “I feel so tired Jaius, tired in my soul. It is a deep exhaustion and I don't know how to find rest for it.” She said leaning more heavily on him. He moved his arm more securely around her and held her up letting her rest on him. “I know Ali, I feel it too. Like I've done a thousand push ups but no matter how much sleep I get, the tiredness dosen't go away. I missed you too Ali. There were many days I wished we were back at that clearing, just you and me, instead of being embroiled in this mess.” She looked up at him, staring deeply into his eyes. “I've wished for that too Jaius, It was hard living there, but at the same time so peaceful and fun to be with you.” She lowered her eyes and looked back out at the mountains as the wind made the treetops sway back and forth. Jaius watched it too. After a while she looked back up at him. He looked into her eyes and she said. “Jaius, do you want to marry me?” It seemed she would say more, but then she just stopped and left it at that. “Yes Ali, I do.” he said just plainly and honestly. “Although, I have no idea what being married means or what married people do, or what marriage is besides being a sacrament.” She smiled when he said he did, for she heard the truth of it in his voice. “I want to marry you too, Jaius. It looks more and more like we may be here for the rest of our lives, and I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else here.” He smiled at her and nodded in agreement. They held each other's hand and stared out into the Paltopheren night and a future in this world that was both uncertain and longer than either of them had thought to live.