Vaerath
808 Words
Elera p.o.v
Three weeks of traveling with someone can tell you a lot about them.
We did not really talk, not in private anyway. Being close to someone for that long is like getting a message from them.
I found out that Cael wakes up before dawn every day and the first thing he does is read his letters and not eat. This means he is either not hungry in the mornings or his letters are very important. I think it is both.
I also found out that he checks the area around us before he sleeps. He does it quietly. I saw him doing it when I was awake. I paid attention.
His advisors listen to him. Do what he says and they seem to trust him. This tells me a lot about how he runs things.
I even found out that he takes his tea without honey.
He has always taken his tea without honey when we met in the market or on the warehouse steps. He never mentioned it. Neither did I.
It is the kind of thing you notice even if you do not want to. I noticed it which made me feel bad because it meant that I still had feelings for him.
We did not talk about the wedding or the note we got. We just talked about things like the road and the weather when we had dinner with his advisors.
He was polite. I could not really talk to him. I was polite too. I told myself it was okay.
It was not okay. It was the best we could do.
Then we saw Vaerath on the horizon one grey Tuesday morning. It was a city but it looked big and old.
I looked out the carriage window. Saw the walls and towers of the city.
My kingdom, the one my father rules is a city that shows off its power.. Vaerath is different. It is built to last with walls and practical towers.
The city has been attacked before. It is ready to defend itself.
I felt good about this, which was surprising.
When we got to the city the welcome was formal and organized. The court was assembled in the hall and everyone was trying to make a good impression.
I walked with Cael through the receiving line. Smiled and met all the people. I tried to remember their faces so I could navigate the court.
My rooms were in the wing on the third floor. The windows faced south which meant I got light but it also meant people could see me from the courtyard.
The furniture was nice and expensive. Someone with good taste had chosen it. There was a fire in the fireplace and fresh white flowers on the writing desk.
Senna had a room next to mine, which was a relief.
I tried the door to the corridor. It opened. I was a little surprised. Then I felt the cool air from the corridor and understood.
I went out into the corridor. I looked around. There was a guard at the end but he was not paying attention to me.
I went back into my room. I tried the door on the other side but it was locked from the outside.
So my room was not really a prison. It was not totally free either.
I did not sleep well that night so I got up. Got dressed in the dark. I did not wake Senna. I went out into the corridor.
The guard was still there. He was not looking at me. I went left deeper into the wing and found a long room with portraits in it.
The room was dim and quiet. It smelled like old oil and wood.
I walked along the room. I looked at the portraits. There were kings and a battle scene and a landscape.
Then I saw a portrait between two bigger ones. It was Cael. He was younger and not wearing a crown. He was standing next to another man in front of a warehouse.
The other man was Renwick, my fathers trusted advisor. I had seen him many times when I was growing up.
I looked closer at the portrait. It was not a painting but something someone had done quickly.
Both men were looking at something outside the picture. They did not seem to know they were being painted.
The date on the corner of the picture was six years ago.
So six years ago Cael was standing in front of a warehouse with my fathers trusted advisor.
I stood there for a time looking at the picture.
Then I went back to my room. Lay down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. I started to think about everything I thought I knew. I realized I had to change my mind.
- Writer
