A Tale Of Time

Nine

                                                                                                                                                                  Age of Ayznver

                                                                                                                                                                   Year 750B

                                                                                         ARIANA

ZACHARY RODE like the devil.

As we'd stepped out of the forest, we stopped a few meters from the thicker trees to where his black Friesian stood. After petting its mane and whispering some kind words to it, he untied it from its place by the tree and he hefted me onto its back, swinging himself up then and spurred the horse in one fluid motion. He rode without apology, not stopping despite any discomfort either of us might have faced as we cut through a sloping path up towards the head of the valley, getting closer and closer to my Kingdom.

And suddenly it was there.

I hadn't realized how close we were to the Kingdom of Ayznver and honestly, seeing it now was more anti-climatic than I'd thought it would be. Ayznver, to me, was a country of dreams. And I'd admit that days after I found out about my identity, I'd spend hours and hours thinking about what it would be like. Most of my thoughts were fiction, palatial towers spanning the perimeter of the great city of Adian or perhaps large expanses of tamed green that would make the town like a huge garden. But the one feature that was fact and starred in all my fantasies were the roses that Ayznver were famous for. Pink, long stemmed and pretty ones in a sisterhood with the buxom, full-blown red roses. Hearing stories from Rook or Clayton was never enough.

My eyes were the only artists who were permitted to paint my kingdom.

But this...

This was a disaster.

There were no roses, only the bushes, long dead and rotten scattered round like a sign of the Rebel's corruption and dominance. The buildings, some were said to be a thousand years old, had been felled like trees and replaced with gruesome gold statues of a man, a woman and his daughter enthroned. The streets were empty except for the signs of war; no vegetable carts typical of sale or travelling salesmen, no excited lady on the arm of her beau beholding the majesty of the Rose City. And there was no music.

Ayznver was Ayznver because it always had music.

Now there were only sounds of death.

My dreams had been shattered.

Far off I could see, around the city square, the fire that had alerted us to the Beserkers' successful entry, and spread around it like a dance were hundreds of combatting soldiers that were butchering each other.

"Let's go."

Zachary urged the horse, sparing me the sight, as we cut through the outskirts of the city. It was ravaged by years of abuse and war. Many of the houses were dilapidated, had caved in or had entire sections missing. And it was silent, like many of the people had escaped. Which made me wonder whether the Rebels had let them.

"Isn't there supposed to be security?" I asked, holding tightly to Zachary, "They shouldn't have let us in so easily."

"Didn't you notice the dead bodies piled close by the forest? Our forces have taken care of them. In fact, we seem to be winning."

I hadn't noticed the bodies. The realization that I'd let something like that pass me made me feel incompetent. 

Zachary must've noticed how silent I'd fallen because he said, "It's okay to not know. It doesn't make you less than what you are. Remember you are scared and frazzled from nearly being abducted. You have the right to be tired."

I nodded but did not say anything. I had to be hard on myself, after all.

I couldn't afford to fail.

We rode in silence for what seemed like hours, stumbling across dead bodies. I recognized a few. Tommy, the boy who wanted to play music for a living and was hoping to use the money from the war to travel round the world. He'd been stabbed to death, alone on the cobblestones. Phil was there too in the pile. He was our resident jokester who wanted to marry a rich wife and settle with legions of kids. I now only saw his head. Or what was left of it.

After that, I buried my face into Zachary's back and cried.

Their sacrifice had put mine to shame.

"Such is war, Tahara," He began, voice soft with sympathy "You will see more of it once you stand beside the Tahjan as his wife."

I knew that. But that didn't make this easy.

"How long till we get to the castle." I said, once my tears had subsided.

"Another hour if we bypass the frontlines. I don't want to put you in an unnecessary fight."

"Do you know anything else about my own soldiers?"

"The Ayznver Retrieval? Well, the last I saw of Commander Escalen, he was charging rather bravely beside the Black boy and the older man. Edgar, was it? I like to think they are fine. I'm guessing their safety is very important to you?"

"Edgar not so much as the others, but yes."

Zachary burst into laughter and reined in the horse. We'd stopped by a stone fountain surrounded by a cluster of brick houses. The fountain was long dry and cracked, pieces chipped away with time. He got down and helped me, pulling the horse by the harness towards one of the abandoned houses. "We have to rest the horse before we continue."

I nodded and settled against the fountain, watching from afar as the black smoke painted the sky.

THE HORSE had rested more than I had by the time we continued. My eyes were heavy with sleep. Probably my body had finally figured that I wasn't in any danger had let the adrenaline that fueled my drive for survival to fade away. I wanted to sleep and live in dreams but I didn't. What would be the point? I didn't escape war there too.

"We're getting closer, Princess. Don't fall asleep."

How did he know? He must be psychic because he was so in tune to my feelings and thoughts. The Tahjan must keep him very close, then. Maybe Zachary could tell when people were lying to him. And he was friendly so he would be a great social asset...

I wondered if her genuinely liked me...

I wouldn't mind a friend when I was there...

"What is the Tahjan like?" I asked sleepily as we slowed to a canter.

"Hmm," He turned his head from side to side in question, "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to marry him. I don't know who he is or what he likes or what he expects from me. Don't you think I deserve to know what I'm getting into?"

Zachary was silent for a long while and I immediately berated myself for my stupidity. Why would he tell me about his King when he had no reason to?  

"Ignore what I asked. It's not necessary-"

"I'd prefer you get to know him yourself. My judgement might be... biased as I have known him for quite a long while."

I looked up at him but he was busy watching everywhere around us, like a hawk keeping us safe.

"How long?"

"How long what, Tahara?"

I looked at the passing street, "How long have you known him?"

Zachary breathed calmly and I knew that he was fond of his master. "Ten years."

What was it like to know a living person for up to ten years? I'd known my parents and siblings for more than, but I'd never truly known them. Not if they hated me so much and I was unaware.

I should rephrase...

What was it like to love a living person for up to ten years?

"You seem to love him a lot."

Zachary huffed at my declaration and made a turn down another body covered street. We passed a dead Beserker on the way, "I wouldn't say that I love him. He can be an ogre at times and downright impossible and stubborn. He never listens to reason and gods know he is ruder than the father that sired him."

Vael...

What if...?

"-but he's loyal. So loyal and composed because he has to be. it's what's expected, after all. Even though I know sometimes that he feels like tearing his hair out." Zachary chuckled.

It sounded like Vael.

My heart started to hammer. His disappearance would make sense if he was truly the King. The previous Tahjan was sick at the time Vael and I had met and the current Tahjan was crowned after Vael's disappearance. I could not ascertain the exact date because I was lost in the current of discovering who I was and letting Vanessa take my place. But gods knew that the dates must've been very close.

He could've left because he had to be Tahjan.

But no... it was impossible. The official surname was Heliria, not Erlich.

But he could've lied to me...

But that meant he'd lied to me about two things for five years. It meant I didn't know him at all!

No...

I had to find out.

But I didn't want to find out. I couldn't handle one more thing shattering my world. Vael was my normal, he was my constant. The only thing that was true. If I destroyed that... 

I couldn't survive it.

"Tahara?" He sounded worried.

"Zachary," My mouth was dry, blood pumping with fear, "Zachary, what... what's his name?"

"His name?"

"The Tahjan... the Tahjan, what's his name?"

Zachary frowned. He must've noticed that something was wrong but could not tell what. He didn't know the story at all. Shouldn't he, the Tahjan's close friend, know the story if the Tahjan was Vael?

The Tahjan wasn't him.

You're clutching at straws. He could've chosen not to speak like you have.

I paled and my body began to shiver. No... no...

"His name is Stellan, why?"

Stellan...

Stellan...

Not Vael.

YES.

He could not have lied to them about his birth name. His name is Stellan-

He could've lied to you...

The realization shook me to the core...

Why? Why would he lie so much to me? If he did. He didn't know who I was. I didn't know him. I posed no threat to him. I was just an ordinary girl then.

Why would he...

"We're here."

THE ROYAL CASTLE of Ayznver was perfect. I knew it would be with some part of me. This was the prize that they had labored so hard to get. So why would they abuse it?

Roses grew here, sprawling and uninhibited. The grounds were green and beautiful like how it must've been when my parents were alive. I might have grown up here, played here in another life. The castle was typical. Towers rose like giants, piercing the dull blue sky with the ease of a structure so portentous that its architects must've known it would be the most powerful thing around. The walls were made of stone, interlocked neatly without allowance to climb up and the portcullis hung open and abandoned showing a hint of an opulent interior that would rival and surpass the outside. 

"Where's everyone? Are we the first to reach here?"

Zachary shook his head and looked around more thoroughly than he'd been earlier. "See those crosses up there? Those are the Arrowslits. We'd have been shot down by now if there was no one here. But then again, they could be waiting to lure us in."

I looked around again but there was no sign of life. Almost like there was no struggle and that this place was in a separate time from the rest of the war-torn Adian.

"Let's go to rest of the way on foot."

I nodded and slid down the horse, eyes trained on every hiding place around that I could think of and see. It was unnerving to be here, so open and at the mercy of enemies.

But the gut feeling that I'd learned to trust from Vael told me that we were safe. 

For now.

Zachary got down and stretched out a hand for me. I took it and squeezed as we stepped through the gates.

Into life or death.