At Her Temple

Leela "Leela! Leela! LEELA!" "YES, mother?" Irritated, I rode towards the source of the noise. My mother stood near the stone steps of the palace, arms crossed. "Young lady, I'm certain this is not how you were taught to ride a horse," mother scolded. I threw my head back and laughed. "Mother, really! If I were to ride this horse the way you prefer me to, I shall be face first in the snow before you know it. Now, mother, if I fall face first into the snow, the likelihood of me breaking my nose is rather high. If I break my nose mother, the likelihood of me finding a nice prince to marry is rather low." "So you agree? You agree that you must be married soon?" mother responded, almost triumphantly. I was nearing my 23rd birthday. According to custom, it was indeed time for me to marry soon. In fact, I was rather late to the ball, some would say. I rolled my eyes in irritation. "I said nothing of the sort mother. But if you have any hope, any hope at all of fulfilling your life long ambitions for me, perhaps it is best that I ride this horse with my legs apart? I assume that is what I will have to grow accustomed to if I am to be married soon." "You insolent little terror! You wait until your father hears of your language!" I chuckled, enjoying my mother's outrage. She and I both knew that it was my father who taught me how to ride in the first place. "I'm going to ride now mother. Do tell father that I shall love to hear his critique of my language." It had been snowing heavily for weeks now. It had fallen thick, the trees surrounding the grey palace completely covered in white. As I spurred my faithful horse, Calypso towards the trees, my mother called out behind me. "Don't be too long Leela. Be back in time for the feast!" I raised a hand to acknowledge her words, and continued galloping Calypso faster towards the small cluster of trees that stood at the end of the castle grounds. It was my haven. The trees grew tall and they covered enough land for me to ride in peace and not encounter any servants or other residents of the castle.  I could feel my hair billowing in the wind, and pulled my thick furs high up around my collar. I pulled on the hood over my head, protecting my ears from the howling wind. The feast could wait. Before I entered the small close, I stopped my horse and turned to look back towards the palace. Mother was still there watching me, pulling the furs tightly around her against the bitter wind. I pulled at the reins, and waved to her as Calypso reared on her hind legs.  Try as she may to hide it, I saw the smile on her face as I turned and trotted into the trees.   ---   The ride had been exhilarating. I had ridden back slower than I'd left. I promised mother that I'd be back for the feast… I didn't necessarily promise I'd be on time. As I approached the stone castle, my maidservants stood waiting for me. I smiled politely at the manservant who offered me a hand and shook my head, dismounting in a fashion that would send my mother into fits. My head maidservant, Mae stepped forward. "Your ladyship, the Queen requests your presence immediately at the feast. The guests from the south have been waiting for nearly an hour." I rolled my eyes. "Tell my mother that I shall be in attendance shortly. Unless she'd like me to attend now, smelling of sweat and horse." Mae nodded and I strode past her into the castle. It had been built centuries ago by our ancestors. A tall formidable structure build of stone with high ceilings and arched doorways. The stonework above each arched doorway still fascinated me - there was always an old inscription in an ancient language I no longer understood.  The wall surrounding the royal grounds matched the grey stone of the castle. The snow brought light to what was otherwise a grey, intimidating place. It had set about three feet high along the grounds and the walls. The people of our northern kingdom of Varun were familiar with the cold. But this winter had been harsher than the others. The price of wood had gone up, and for those who could not cut it themselves, the winter had been an expensive one. In the winters before, many blankets and furs could keep the cold and the frostbite at bay. However this year, not a single home was without a crackling fire. As I walked into the castle, the warmth hit me immediately. I shrugged off my furs and my handmaid swept them up before they hit the floor. "Shall I run your majesty's bath?" "Yes, thank you, Mae." I walked to my quarters leisurely; the guests had been waiting an hour, they could wait an hour more. My robes had been set out on my bed, and four maidservants awaited, ready to help me prepare for the feast. I could not fathom why there was such a large hubbub surrounding these visitors from the south. My father had an understanding with them long before I was born and there had been no wars since. Perhaps we weren’t allies, but wasn’t an understanding enough? Mae walked out from my bathing chambers. "It is ready, my lady." "Well, that was rather quick." I replied, my eyebrow raised. Mae blushed slightly. "I was expecting you, my lady. Your mother said, I mean, her majesty the Queen had said..." I laughed wickedly and dropped my robe. The maidservants lowered their gazes to the floor. Mae followed suit, making way for me to walk into the bathing room, to the large stone pool. "Surely Mae... It is nothing you haven't seen before. You have been with me since I was five. We once bathed together," I teased. "Surely, my lady." Mae replied, though her eyes were still cast down. I sighed and walked down the steps into the hot water, the steam carrying the scent of the rose petals. I stood for a moment, letting my legs adjust to the heat, before lowering myself and sitting.  "Mmm." I relaxed completely, letting the hot water lap over my stiff muscles, flexing my shoulders. Mae took her position behind me at the edge of the pool and I leaned forwards, allowing her to wash my back with a sponge. "Give me the sponge Mae, I will wash myself. But I must ask you to heal my shoulder; I fear I will be a hunchback at this feast and cause my mother to die of shame." Mae obliged, smiling sweetly at me. She kneaded my shoulders, working her way down my back. Sighing, I tilted my head back. "The southerners are very strange looking, my lady." "Mmm. Really? How so?" I asked, only vaguely interested. "There are about a dozen of them, all men. Very dark, my lady. With dark hair and skin the colour of a tree trunk. It is as if though they spend their entire lives in the sun." I laughed. "I would too, if we had enough of it. Our summers are  wonderful but brief. I wonder how the warm blooded southerners of Zamee are faring in our merciless cold." "I would imagine they are enjoying it, my lady. The King of Zamee spent a lot of time wandering around in the snow before he entered the castle." "What?" I sat up in the water, stunned. "Well, he didn't spend that long, my lady. They arrived whilst you were riding. He seemed fascinated by the snow..." "No, no!" I interrupted. "The King of Zamee is here? I thought this was just a feast for some noblemen of the southern lands. Mother is going to kill me. Get me the towel!" I scrambled out of the bathing pool with all the elegance of a marooned fish. Mae jumped up from the side of the pool, calling upon the waiting maidservants. They wrapped me in the large, soft towel, and I immediately rushed into my bedchambers, my hair dripping over the rug as I passed the fire. I gazed at the turquoise silk robes on the bed, with beautifully woven gold thread dancing across the trail. Dropping my towel, I turned to my maids, waiting to dress me. "Be quick."    --- I swept into the passageway, making for the Great Hall, my hair stark against my turquoise robes. The looming cedar wood doors were closed, a sinister sign. As my maidservants surrounded me, I pressed my hand to the door, hoping to somehow sidle into the hall, perhaps duck under tables and make it to the head table to my father without drawing too much attention to myself. As I slowly pushed the doors, I felt a vice like grip on my shoulder. "Leela!" My mother hissed, "You are just going to enter the hall? We did not adopt you from the forest. You will be announced, as a princess should be. "Ah mother," I rolled my eyes, "I was hoping to just slip in unnoticed." "If the Gods had given me a daughter that could do anything without being noticed, I would have been a very blessed woman indeed. Now stand up straight and fix your gown," mother smoothed my gown as she spoke then started fussing over my untied hair. A small cry of horror escaped her lips. "Leela! Is your hair still wet?" Exasperated, I flicked my hair to one side, exposing my neck. "It is damp mother, it was the best I could do with the little time I had. I'm sure the King of Zamee will not notice." "He will notice everything," her mother replied, cryptically. "It has been over thirty years since we have hosted noblemen from the south. Not that we've particularly missed it," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "They are rather uncivilised. The king even hunts animals himself," she said, disdainfully. "But we must honour them still, for they are our guests. Do you understand, Leela?" "No mother, I intended to compare them to animals and ask if they wipe their asses with holly bushes," I replied, wickedly. Although after my mother's words, I was definitely curious to see this brutish King of Zamee who enjoyed hunting. "You shall do no such thing," mother hissed. "And they don't have holly bushes in the south." Smiling to myself, I straightened my back and lifted my head high. Two manservants, seemingly appearing from nowhere, opened the grand doors to the hall. The squire arose from his chair near the door, puffing his chest, his voice echoing across the Great Hall. "Introducing her royal highness, Princess Leela Veila of the Northern Lands, third heir to the throne." With my robes billowing from the breeze of the opened doors, I strode into the hall, flanked by my mother, with Mae following closely behind. At the far end of the hall on a table situated on a slightly raised platform, sat my darling father, King Armand  "Your father has requested you to sit at his left side. You know how he enjoys your company," mother whispered. I nodded ever so slightly, walking slowly towards the raised table. I bowed my head slightly as I walked past the noblemen and women of the court. I had to conceal my surprise at seeing the huge, dark men sitting nearer to the royal table. I had never seen such wonderful skin, darker than beautifully baked clay. One of the men smiled kindly and I smiled back, liking him immediately. Another one was glaring at me hard and I looked away quickly. I began ascending the stairs to join my father's side, and I looked up returned his warm smile. To his left, sat my empty chair. As I turned my gaze to his right, I froze mid-step, my heart catching in my throat.   Father rose from his seat, alongside the towering man that sat beside him. Gathering myself, I continued calmly up the steps, bowing my head to my father and my brother, Arum, the heir to the throne. I couldn't bring myself to look again at the mountain of a man who stood between them. Father spoke. "My daughter, meet King Eli of Zamee." I had kept my head down, rather uncharacteristically, as I curtseyed before King Eli but as I stood, I finally raised my gaze to meet his. His eyes were hard and impossibly black. I had never seen such eyes. He was the largest man I had ever seen. "King Eli," I addressed him, speaking slowly to disguise the tremor that had somehow appeared in my voice, "you honour us with your presence." "Princess Leela, you and your family honour us with your hospitality," he replied. His voice was deep, almost rumbling, and surprisingly gentle though his eyes remained hard. Something inside me stirred at the way he said my name and I felt my breath catch again  I felt his voice graze over my skin like a breeze through a field of wheatgrass, and I felt his eyes burning into me as I took my seat next to my father. When I had sat, the men took their seats once again – only then did his eyes leave my face. "So! What do you think?" my older sister, Keira, hissed at my left, as soon as I had taken my seat. "I haven't tried the food yet sister, but I shall give you my thorough review as soon I have my first mouthful," I replied distractedly, slowly beginning to breathe normally again. When had I stopped breathing? "Leela stop being so insufferable, you know what I mean! What do you think of the king? Mother says he is here for a union, to bring unity in the northern and southern kingdoms." "Then I think you shall be lucky to make it out of your wedding night alive judging by the size of him, if that's what you mean," I replied, smirking at my sister. Keira flicked her golden blonde hair, "Leela, that is no way for a princess to speak. Remember you sit next to father, he may hear you!" As if he'd indeed heard us, father rose from his throne. "Now that the guest of honour has arrived, may the feast commence," he said, with a smile and a wink towards me, as the hall rippled with laughter. I wasn’t exactly known for my timeliness. As he stood with his arms open, I glanced past him. My breathing quickened when I saw the King of Zamee staring right at me. I dropped my gaze, cleared my throat and glanced straight ahead, smiling as the courtiers chuckled kindly at my expense. "He is quite handsome, don't you think?" Keira asked me quietly. "I don't know." I snapped, though I glanced quickly to see him staring ahead as the servants strode in from all entrances of the hall, carrying an array of dishes. While he looked away, I took in his appearance. His nose was long and straight, almost jagged at the end. His eyes were sharp, as was his strong jaw, his short beard making it seem only sharper. His hair was jet black, the darkest I'd ever seen, with curls stopping short of his dark eyes. His lips were perfectly formed and looked soft but were drawn into a hard line, with his jaw flexing tautly as he watched the bustle of activity in front of him. I was surprised to see a thick gold ring in his ears. These men wore jewellery? Turning back to my sister, I replied, "He's not vile to look at, I suppose. I don't think it's enough for me to share bed space with him." "Hush!" Keira hissed, "father may be slightly deaf but I'm sure King Eli is not!" "Oh do spare me your theatrics, I beg of you," I replied, rolling my eyes, "I am sure he heard absolutely nothing." I spoke with conviction, but I still I gave a quick glance in his direction before my father sat again. I may have imagined it, but for a moment I could have sworn I saw his serious mouth curl into a smile.