Chapter 6
1196 Words
-Rathilion-
Valindra...
An interesting name, and the way she looked up at me, almost scared yet a little defiant, intrigued me. I enjoyed pushing her and testing her limits, but not out of cruelty. A queen should be able to match her king.
It had been a long time since I felt this intrigued, and the scar on her neck added an interesting touch. She believed it made her unworthy, and I could understand why. Her family and others likely reinforced that belief, but a scar carries a story, and it never detracts from one’s beauty. It speaks of resilience.
It seemed I had made my choice...
-Valindra-
“Wait, Hella!”
I pushed through the crowd, trying to catch up with my sister, who headed toward another balcony. This one was far more crowded, offering us little privacy, but I needed to speak with her. Finally reaching her, I grabbed her arm before she could escape again.
“Wait! Just wait,” I pleaded.
She attempted to pull her arm away, and I released her, not wanting to hurt her. She looked up at me with anger and perhaps a hint of betrayal in her gaze, and I understood why.
“You said you didn’t want to get married!” she exclaimed.
“I don’t!” I exclaimed back, startling the nearby people.
They shot me disapproving looks as they entered, finding me too disruptive.
“Yet here you are, pressed against the king on a secluded balcony. In the dark!” she remarked, folding her arms across her chest.
Ah yes... How could I explain that?
“I... We... It wasn’t... Nothing happened!” I stammered.
“Really?” she laughed, almost mocking.
“Yes!”
“I don’t get how you manage it,” she remarked, shaking her head and lowering her arms.
“What?” I inquired.
“Even with scars, you turn heads!” she jeered, walking over to the railing and resting her hands on the cool stone.
I sighed deeply, tilting my head back. That blasted king had to spoil my newfound and improved relationship with my sister, didn’t he?
Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and approached my sister, placing my hand on hers on the railing. She turned her head to look at me but withdrew her hand. I offered her a small smile, but she didn’t reciprocate, and mine faltered.
“Nothing happened,” I reiterated in a softer tone.
“Right.”
“I swear! He was just looking to bother someone,” I insisted.
“Why would the king want to bother someone? That doesn’t make sense,” she countered, crossing her arms once more.
“Believe me, I have no idea why he followed me! He wouldn’t leave me alone,” I explained.
She shook her head gently, muttering under her breath, before saying, “That’s exactly what I mean!”
“What?” I asked, bewildered by this exchange.
In fact, I was bewildered by the entire night, and I just wanted it to be over so I could go home, lock myself in my room with a good book, or maybe even go night swimming in the lake behind our house.
“You don’t even have to look as good as you did! You don’t even have to be interesting, and you still made him follow you!” she exclaimed.
“But I didn’t!” I protested. “I really didn’t!”
“No?”
“NO! I was running away!”
“Running away?” she questioned.
“Yes, I kept to myself in the dark corner, just like I told Father I would. Then, when the king started talking to me, I quickly excused myself, and then he somehow decided to chase me! He was probably just bored,” I explained.
“Bored at his own party?” she queried, not entirely convinced.
“Well, maybe. Don’t you get bored at Father’s parties?”
She shook her head and regarded me with a look as if I had grown an extra head. I sighed and leaned my head back again, gazing out at the expansive garden, uncertain of what else to say.
“What did you talk about?” Hella inquired.
“Nothing interesting,” I replied. “He just asked me my name.”
“Your name?”
I nodded, sensing her growing suspicion, but I wasn’t sure what I could say to ease her concerns.
“What’s going on out here?” Akina suddenly joined our conversation, and I opened my mouth to respond, but Hella beat me to it.
“I found Val and the king together on a balcony away from the party,” she informed her.
“What?”
“Hella!”
Akina strode over to me and gripped my arm so tightly that it hurt, causing me to wince before meeting her gaze.
“How?” she demanded, her tone stern.
“How what?”
“How did you lure him out there?” she pressed.
“I... ah! Didn’t!” I exclaimed, trying to free myself from her grasp. “Akina! That hurts!”
“You must have done something! You couldn’t possibly have made him talk to you if you didn’t promise him something. Did you offer to sleep with him?” she insinuated.
“Did I... What? No! I tried to get away from him!” I insisted, leaning to the side in an attempt to alleviate the pain in my arm.
“I don’t believe you,” she sneered.
“I don’t know what to tell you! He followed me!” I protested.
Akina glared down at me, her grip tightening, until finally, she shoved me away. I stumbled, leaning against the railing while clutching my arm close to my body, bracing for further aggression.
“Don’t sell yourself so easily,” she admonished. “You won’t be his queen.”
“I didn’t sell myself!” I retorted, tears welling in my eyes.
“Nobody would want someone who looks like you!”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, watching as Akina turned to Hella.
“Come on. We better get back to the party. I wouldn’t want you to learn such tricks from Val,” she remarked.
Akina draped her arm around Hella and led her away.
“I didn’t use any tricks!” I shouted after them, but they didn't listen as they merged back into the throng of people.
Screw that king, I thought, gripping the cold stone railing tightly, at a loss for what to do or say. I just wanted to leave, and I had no intention of waiting for the party to end. As I turned to go, I noticed someone else on the vast balcony.
She was a stunning, tall woman with long white hair, clad in a shimmering silver dress that caught the light from the flickering flames and the night sky. She smiled at me, taking a sip from her cup. Though she seemed familiar, I didn’t want to linger to figure it out. Instead, I stormed into the crowd, determined to find my way out.
- Writer
