Chapter Twenty: Second Chance

         White fabric clothed my entire body, yards trailing behind me. I felt like I could hardly move. Color rimmed my eyes and a more pale complexion was set upon my cheeks, making that face of mine more beautiful then it would ever need to be.

        Abigail set the yards of white atop of my head, covering that face of mine. I was glad to see it go.

        “You’re beautiful princess,” Abigail sighed. “Now it’s time to go, we have no time to waste.”

        I understood. Nodding my head she took me out. I could make out the face of my father barely, waiting outside. His face was peaceful.

        “Callea, you look wonderful my dear,” he kissed the white yard over my head where my forehead would be, then took a hold of my arm. “This is a day you’ll never forget.”

        I ached all over. Not because the train was had to drag but because it had been a month since I had stabbed myself in the heart by letting go of the man I knew I should really be marrying.

        “You’re highness,” a man came in and started, in a hushed voice. This was it. Five minutes and I would be married. “Your highness… the groom is… gone.”

        I gasped just as my father did. “He’s gone? What do you mean he’s gone?”

        “He’s no where to be found sir… no trace of where he might be either.”

        My father let go of my arm. “This can’t be,” he grumbled. “Check all the rooms, maybe he’s been locked in one on accident or something.”

        “Yes sir,” the man replied. I was abandoned in the small room. Hadrian was gone? Where would he go?

        Moments later the two of them came back in with my mother. “Callea… we found this note in your chamber,” my mother said. I pushed back all the sheets in front of my face then reached out to take it from her. They all waited anxiously for me to read it, and I was surprised that none of them had read it themselves. I looked at it, finding immediately that my name was written on the front in Hadrian’s hand.

        Callea,

                You have been a dear friend to me understand that. And I did not lie to you about anything I have told you recently.

                I know why you came crying to me that night. It was because you had been most loyal to me that night and it pained you. And as I thought more about it, I came to realize this. Who am I to be the man to shackle you to your own misery? I don’t deserve you, princess, and for that I must leave these castle walls. I have not returned your most sincere loyalty, and of that I’m sure you’re most aware. So please, accept both my apology and thanks for making me understand where my place is at this instant.

                Of course, I understand they should be wondering where I am now, so thus may make you have to remarry. And you chose me because of what I believe. But I promise this, that I will return when you need me; and as for keeping other’s away from your hand, tell the other’s that I don’t feel worthy of having you just yet and I’ll be back when I fell as if I do. Of course, I don’t really plan on marrying you now, but it will give you time to sort things out and be free. I only wish I could do more than that for you.

                I’ll be back to help you when you’re queen and I’ll serve you loyally. You’re a strong woman. Live it. Embrace it. And for goodness’s sakes, stop listening to the stupid things I say. You’re only allowed to listen to the things I say that make you happier.

                With a deep sincerity,

                        Hadrian

        “What does it say, Callea?”

        I bite my lip to refrain from smiling. “He says he doesn’t think he’s worthy to have my hand yet. He says he’ll return when he does.” I look up at my father, pasting a heartbroken face on me. “I think I’m going to go to my chamber for the day,” I tell him, sighing. 

        But I was so incredibly thankful for Hadrian in that moment then. He must have known how much he was saving me. Nobody says anything as I pretend to sorrowfully start stepping away from my parents. 

        “Tell the guests,” my mother insisted to my father. “We have no choice I’m afraid accept to… delay it.”

        I smirked to myself now as I was past them.

        I owed Hadrian so much more than he would ever know though. When I’m queen he’ll be ranked in the highest respect I can do for him. Oh how very, very thankful I am indeed.

        Once I had managed to drag the dress all the way with me to my chamber I closed the door behind me.

        I’m free. Choices are still mine to make, mine to plan, emotions for myself to feel.

        But there was only one thing that I couldn’t go back on, and that ruined the moment entirely. I could never take back the things I had said to Kier. Not ever. And I could never see him again.

        *~*~*~*~*~*~*

        “We’ve been having troubles with an increasing number of orphans. Home are coming impossible to find and some orphans are constantly moving. The numbers are becoming so large now I don’t know how much longer we can maintain control of the situation,” one of the Lords were explaining issues within a region of Aynah. This was the first meeting we had had yet this month and the war seemed to be causing more and more of a downfall for Aynah.

        “What solutions have you come up with?” my father questions. I hadn’t noticed how wise he was until I had really started paying attention to these meetings. After they got past the topic of the statistics on the war they had some relatively interesting things that would come up after, most of them having to do with the war as well but some having to do with poverty among a certain type of job and other things of the like. My father had come up with plausible solutions to all of them as I just speculated, and time was more well spent when I wasn’t making a show the entire time. My father had been allowing me to attend some of the ones that I didn’t even have to and when the topic of a new marriage for me came around, my father would look at me then shake his head. “No need,” he’d say, “there’s already something arranged.”

        “I’m afraid, sir, that there are no more solutions in mind. we’ve simple run out of things to do, so we can only try as hard as we can to continue.

        My father seems to ponder this one. “Put it aside for now, I’ll ponder it.”

        It was not very frequently that my father did not have a solution. Almost never in fact.

        “Wait,” I said bur then immediately scolded myself as surprised faces turned to me. I never spoke at these. I usually only listened and waited, taking noted now and then. “I mean… father may I propose something.”

        He turned his head a little, with a surprised look on his face still. “Well I… suppose.”

        I huffed, then stood up like I had seen others do when they had something to say. “My lord, what sort of orphans are these? What sort of mothers do they come from?”

        “From men who died in the war, you highness.”

        I gulp, realizing he’d misunderstood my question. I was still getting confused faces all around me. “I mean, my lord, of what class?”

        The lord turns to look at my father then back at me, his face full of wonder. “I suppose they mostly belong to nobility, your highness.”

        “And are these orphans moving to houses of the class they were born into?” I question.

        “That would be correct, your highness.”

        I inhale a swift breath, shaking a little bit as my idea seemed suddenly foolish. “A wise king of Aynah once declared that whether a man be a peasant or a king, they are still humans. Both humans with emotions and responsibilities, with money being the only difference. This may be just put into consideration, my lord, I don’t mean to offend any of the wealthy in this room for that is not my intent. But when a child loses his mother then he is very often going to be in need of another, though it may be harder. But a child so desperate, so poor could be just as happy with a loving family of that of a peasant than the family of that of a noble who too has much to worry about.”

        Suddenly I was getting some very interested faces, none of them seeming accusing though. I continued. “A child could learn to love that of any mother. Sure his class may be taken away from him but wouldn’t you agree that it would be a happier fate to grow up as a man then be abandoned to die as no man at all? Perhaps we can keep files for those who are degraded for the time to be raised, so that those who wish to have it back may have it but they may also wish to stay with that of the families who took them in… I guess I mean that… that it’s a solution to consider.”

        I sit myself down, and I flush when the eyes still all linger on me. What was I thinking? Degrading nobility? Who does that?

        The men and women start to whisper amongst themselves, but nothing that I can pick up. The lord whispers to my father, and my father nods. Finally, he clears his throat and I hope it’s to just move in to the next subject. 

        “My daughter is finally becoming worthy to be a queen.”

        And for once in my life, every noble in the world did not detest me. They were actually in approval.

        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        I wade my hand through the water, back and forth as I watch the small but sure ripples come from it. I only wished it could be a warmer time of the frozen year. The coldest year I could recall in my time, anyway. Snow hadn’t stopped falling since the year begun and I wasn’t sure if it would ever stop, or if it would continue on and plague the town with it’s freezing elements, causing an uproar in pneumonia and other awful diseases to kill off both the young and old. 

        But during the cold seasons the war slows down. It doesn’t stop, certainly not, in fact some brave troops cease the moment to attack another side and leave stained snow behind upon miraculous slaughters- but the numbers still stayed lower.

        I often found myself dreaming about slaughters in the war. All the wrong people were dying- my friends and my family. Occasional someone I knew or once knew would, in fact, be killed but none of them had the same effect on me than the event that happened two years ago from this day.

        I take my hand out of the water and roll onto my back, sighing and blinking. It was never going to be easy was it? I’m not sure what it was about Vorion that made his death so terribly miserable. It might have been because I spent most of my time with him in my younger days, the fact that it came with no warning, how I felt like I had nobody to look up to now… or all of those.

        “Princess,” I heard a somewhat familiar voice call my name. I turned, my face lighting up as I did.         “Louis!” I sit up and he comes closer to me. Since about a year ago he left the castle as a guard of mine, wanting to see what else there was. He was my favorite of the guards I had so I was sad to see him go when he did, because he was the only one who never hated me- he wasn’t true Aynahn, he was from some other land, originally. Then, as he comes closer I can see he’s changed. He was no longer the scrawny Louis I knew but rather had a larger build now and he’s attire confused me. 

        “Actually,” he starts. “That would be Lord Louis now, princess,” he smiles.

        “Is that so?” I ask and he smiles.

        “Yes. My father passed away and his will clearly stated he did not want his oldest son taking over the land because he’s a fool. So that means it has been passed to me…”

        I smile, but then I find a frown peeking through. “Your accent is gone.”

        He chuckles then sits down next to me. I was having a hard time seeing him as he was now, not scrawny and not looking so young any more, but rather more like a handsome beau. It was difficult to imagine what I remembered him as. Much had changed in just a year.

        “Not always. It becomes very evident when I’m angry, actually. But yes, I suppose traveling can do that to you.”

        I nod, a little disappointed. I liked the accent. It sounded unique, in a nice kind of way. “So what places did you see?” I asked.

        “All over. I traveled through mountains, forests, a desert and I even got to sail on the sea for the first time in my life. It was most fascinating. There was only one other place that could match the wonders of Aynah though.”

        “And what was that?” I smile, even though I was pretty sure I already knew.

        “Kaithron. In it’s own sort of way I suppose. I spent about a week there, wondering all the while why the two kingdoms were even fighting. They were identical,” he concludes, “well, you know what I mean. Except the people had a different look about them…”

        “Vorion once told me they appear to be more attractive,” I tell him, wondering if that’s what he meant.

        “No. They’re just different. I’ve heard certain Kaithronese say the same about the people of Aynah. I mean they’re still human but… I guess the grass just seems to be greener on one side of a river, hmm?”

        I knew what he meant by that so I nodded.

        “How long will you be staying in Aynah?” I asked him.

        “Not long,” he admits. “I thought I’d pay a visit to you while I was near though.”

        “I’m glad you did,” I told him. 

        “But I do have a proposition for you,” Louis adds. I give him a questioning look. “And not marriage, I’m sure you get enough of those sorts of offers,” he laughs, shaking his head. “I’ve always pitied you for that, you know. Which reminds me, before I go asking you my question. I’d always wanted to tell you this but never gathered the courage. The night when there was danger in Aynah with a man coming to kill you, when you first ran away I followed you. I wasn’t going to interrupt you but I was there to make sure you were safe; especially when I realized you were headed for Kaithron. When the man came out, I was ready to protect you, if I had to; but then I saw that I didn’t need to.”

        I turn away, refusing to think about my past. 

        “Your highness, excuse me if I bring back unpleasant memories, but the reason I didn’t tell anyone about it was because I thought it would be the end of the war somehow. What happened?”

        I clench my teeth together, refusing to meet Louis’s gaze. “Louis, I never told him I was the princess,” I sigh, not thinking about his face or even the reason it had ended. That’s all I said though, then made my mind wander back to him, “now what was your proposition?”

        He allows me to drop the subject. “As I was passing through the land of Gathinbelle I visited the king and queen there. The two eldest twin daughters are to be married off so they’re holding a large royal ball before the wedding. They wish to invite Aynah along, specifically you because they wish to meet you.”

        “Me?” I ask. “Why?”

        This he says quieter. “Two reasons. For one, the prince is also in need of a wife,” he admits, “but they told me not to tell you that part considering they think there is much competition in the possibilities of that. But also because they wish to make a treaty with you, and you alone…”

        I raise an eyebrow. I wasn’t concerned about the prince of theirs, for I was sure that wouldn’t get far, but what kind of treaty would they want to make with me.

        “You see,” Louis says, then checks around us. “The younger of the two daughters is engaged to the heir of Kaithron. They want to negotiate peace between Gathinbelle and Aynah, because they’ve spoken to their daughter… well, really I should allow them to tell you, but do you understand what I mean, your highness?”

        I tighten my lips together. “Yes I understand. What about my parents?” I question.        

        “They want you to come alone if possible… and they’ve asked me to accompany you on your trip, if you chose to go.”

        My eyes widen. “The entire royal family of Kaithron will be there and then there will be me… all alone without my family.”

        “They swear to keep you under their protection,” he vowed. I considered the possibilities. If I could get through to the daughter to persuade the heir of Kaithron to stop the war, and get her on my side, then the wedding might become something to my advantage.

        “What should I tell my father?” I ask. “He expects more responsibility out of me now. I can’t run away like I used to.”

        “So you’ll go?” he questions.

        “Under the condition that Abigail comes to,” I tell him. 

        “I have already spoken to her. And as for your father; tell him the king of La Justine of my land wishes to give you a tour of the castle and that you wish to meet his son. He’ll be so thrilled that you wish to marry another man that he won’t care if he doesn’t come along if that’s what you’ll wish.”

        “When will we leave?” I ask.        

        “Tomorrow afternoon.”

        I let out a long sigh. “Alright. But if I die I hold the right to blame you for all of it,” I tease.

        “Of course, your highness,” he chuckles. “But that won’t happen. I’m sure of it.”