At Her Temple

Grandest of Tours

Leela

I hissed and covered my eyes as the sun streamed into my room. 

"My lady, we must have you bathed and ready within the hour - you promised to show the southern King our land of Varun!" Mae said excitedly, as she pulled away my covers.

"Why did I agree to do such a thing?" I complained. 

"Please," I heard my mother's slow drawl, "you barely kept your eyes off of him the whole evening. And I saw how close the two of you were dancing. Not very princess-like of you, my dear."

"Mother! I kept my eyes off him just fine. And as for the dancing... well it was... just fine." I retorted, before throwing my head under my pillow. Now my mother was here to partake in my misery. Mornings had never been my favourite time of the day. 

"Well, your fine dancing has clearly left an impression. King Eli has been up and waiting for you for the past two hours."

I slowly poked my head out from under the pillow. I was more pleased than I'd care to admit.

"Well... I suppose I shouldn't keep him waiting much longer. After all, I'm only showing him the land. If he's to wed Keira for an alliance, then he should know our land the same way he knows his."

Mother laughed, uncharacteristically throwing her head back.

"Get up, my ridiculous girl. Your sister is no fool. She saw you dance with him just as I did. King Eli seems to have made his choice. We had hoped to introduce you to his brother, Prince Lucien. But it seems the king is taken with my unruliest child."

I blushed, desperately hiding my face from Mama.

"Well, whatever choice he's made, it doesn't mean I'm interested, mother."

With that, I bound out of bed and sashayed to my bathing pool, with Mae scurrying behind me.

---

Wearing a navy robe with my silver furs, I stepped outside of the castle. Mae had brushed my unruly curls and tied them in a braid. As I stepped outside into the sharp chill, father approached me with his guards. 

"My child - you grace us with your presence so soon?" he asked, smiling at me. 

"I know, I know, I missed breakfast. I had to ask Mae to sneak away bread and cheese for me from the kitchen before Cook noticed."

He laughed heartily. "Lunch will be served in two hours - if Cook Thesda makes nothing for you, it was not I who told her about the stolen bread and cheese. Now go child. King Eli is waiting for you at the stables."

I kissed my father on both cheeks before two of his guards flanked me and escorted me to the stables. It was a short walk, past the east side of the castle. I inhaled deeply as the smell of straw filled the air and I felt calm a pass over me. Calypso, my thoroughbred, golden mare understood me without words and when I rode her, I was completely at peace.

My calmness was short lived as I saw the towering figure of Eli, next to a horse that seemed simply an extension of him. A huge, black stallion, his mane thick and almost curled. He heard me before he saw me and turned, appraising me with his eyes as I walked towards him

He wore thick, brown furs, seeming almost bearlike next to his pitch black horse. 

"May the gods bless your day," he said, in our customary Varunian greeting.

"And may yours be blessed in return," I replied, surprised at his knowledge of my customs.

"I asked your father if he would like a chaperone to accompany us on our tour. He declined."

I laughed.

"I suppose he trusts the great King of Zamee to be a gentleman."

"I wouldn't," Eli replied.

My laughter abruptly stopped as I saw his eyes flash dangerously. His eyes were lined with kohl, a custom the men of my land didn't practise. It made them even darker. Everything about him was angular, sharp and brooding. Except his mouth. When he wasn't talking, his lips settled into almost a pout. 

As his mouth stretched into a slow smile, I realised I'd been staring at his lips far longer than what was appropriate.

"That's a magnificent horse you have. What's his name?" I asked, looking away quickly.

He patted the horse's flank.

“This is Niro. He ran wild in the Dark Woods. When he was captured, nobody could break him. I had the best horse trainers in the land try and fail."

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess, you were the only man in all the lands that could break him?"

Eli laughed, a deep velvet sound that settled into my skin.

"No, he broke me. Now he takes pity on me and allows me to ride him. Let's just say we found a mutual respect."

I smiled, taken aback by his humour. Perhaps he wasn't as serious as he looked.

"Well, if you give me a moment, I'll have the stable boy prepare Calypso for our ride."

"No need," Eli replied, "I dismissed the boy. He told me which horse was yours and I have her saddled and waiting. Would you like my assistance in mounting?" he asked. 

I didn't know if it was hearing him talk about mounting or asking so politely, but something was making it difficult for me to breathe. His dark eyes seemed to read my mind and a side smile crept across his face. He knew exactly what he was doing. When I stared at him without saying anything, he took a step closer to me.

"I assume you don't need my instruction on how to ride?"

Regaining my senses, I glared at him.

“I’ve had the proper instruction since I was four years old, thank you very much.”

I shook my head lightly, trying to regain control of my senses as I walked past him into the stables. Calypso stood waiting, her brown saddle already on her back. I stroked her gently between the eyes, greeting my friend warmly before leading her outside. 

I brought Calypso to a standstill and felt Eli stand behind me. 

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I needed no help mounting my horse, but I couldn't deny I wanted his hands on me. I nodded and felt his hands graze over my hips, before gripping my waist firmly and lifting me onto my horse. His hand lingered for a moment on my thigh before he turned and mounted his horse. He pulled out a magnificent helmet and placed it upon his head. He looked every inch the proud warrior, but then he gave me a swift wink.

This mysterious king was playing a dangerous game and for reasons unknown to myself, I was happy to play along.

---

We rode out of the castle gates together at a full gallop. I was grateful for the braid keeping my hair out of my face, the wind was harsh and I pulled my hood up over my head.

Eli was a skilled rider, following my direction without missing a beat. As we approached the village, we slowed to a trot. I had never been to the village without guards, but King Eli had refused them. Judging by the sheer size of him, I assumed we’d be fine.

It had been a hard winter for the villagers and it showed. While my father had decreased taxes this year, the price of wood had risen with the fall of the temperature. 

With its scarcity now, wood was being taken from the cluster of trees within the castle gates, in order to be distributed amongst the people. 

I told him this as we trotted along the snow covered street and he listened intently. People came from their houses, wrapped tightly in blankets, not to see the me, their princess, but to gawk at the foreign king. Children pointed and gasped when Eli growled in their direction. When they squealed with fright and scattered, he roared with laughter. When they remerged, he smiled kindly as they slowly crept back towards him. He let them stroke his horse, dismounting and lifting a young girl onto its back. When he put her down, she scuttled off with her friends.

“She’ll be the envy of the village,” I said, smiling.

He looked up and smiled back at me as he stroked his horse’s flanks. Gods, he was absolutely…

A shout went up as we saw a group of King Eli’s men riding towards us. I recognised one of them – he had glared at me during the feast. His eyes were no kinder now as they approached.

“What brings you to mingle with the commoners, brother,” he yelled, smirking.

Ah, brother.

“Princess Leela, meet my brother, Prince Lucien. He’s… somewhat of an acquired taste,” King Eli sighed.

I remembered my manners nonetheless and smiled, bowing my head politely at Prince Lucien. He assessed me without saying a word, his eyes travelling the length of my body. Then he glared at King Eli.

“Where is Princess Keira?”

“Back at the castle, I presume,” King Eli replied, staring up at him.

There was a thickness in the air, a tension that threatened to spill over into something greater.

“Did you wish to speak with her?” King Eli continued.

“No. I was merely curious as to why you’re here with…”

His eyes fell to me again and I looked away. His gaze truly made me uncomfortable, as though he were assessing meat at the butcher’s. King Eli mounted his horse, his face unmoved. His silence unsettled Prince Lucien.

“Well, we were just looking for an inn to sample Varunian mead, wine and perhaps women,” he said, grinning.

King Eli grinned at this despite himself, while I flushed at this crude talk.

“Don’t look so shocked, Princess. Even the most morally pure cities have whorehouses. One just needs to know where to look,” Prince Lucien said, winking.

With that, he rode off, with the other men in tow.

My jaw nearly fell to the floor.

“My brother Lucien… he is short on manners, but he’s not all bad,” King Eli murmured. “Now please, Princess, continue with this grandest of tours.”

I smiled at his compliment and continued.

As I showed him the market place and began to tell him its history, I caught him silently staring at me instead of the market. 

"I'm afraid you'll miss things if you're too busy looking at me, your highness," I said, glad to finally catch him off guard. 

"I assure you, I'm missing nothing. And you will call me Eli," he replied, without missing a beat. 

I blushed, cursing myself for my inability to control my flush. 

"I have one last place left to show you before we must go back for lunch," I said, trying to ignore the heat rising to my face. 

He grinned at me.

“Then please, let us continue. I am completely at your mercy, Princess.”