The Last Mareta

Chapter 3

OMNICIENT POV (NARRATOR)

While Catherine and Gareth had found satisfaction in their newly found love, not everyone in Vertica was understanding of young love. Within the palace, King Alexander had other plans for Catherine, and Gareth certainly did not fit into his image.

The power of the Mareta was unmatched by any sole being or army to have ever walked the face of the earth. She was the possession of the strength of thousands of armies in one being. The ultimate image of power. Power that could conquer kingdoms and overthrow kings possessed by one person. That was what scared the king the most. He had lived to witness the reign of Elizabeth, the Mareta before Catherine, and he, more than anyone, understood the threat she had posed to his crown. She was a proud woman who understood the extent of the power she wielded and wasn’t afraid to use it to her advantage. She was smart enough to know that she would end up being one in a long line to wield the power of the Mareta and sought to manipulate her very own destiny by ensuring the cycle ended with her. She was ethereal and every man in the kingdom knew too well the power of her beauty. King Alexander was no exception. He had feared her power. He had feared her.

For this very reason, he couldn’t let Catherine have the luxury of free will. He had to keep her on a flawless leash before she discovered the extent of her power. He had decided to betroth her to his son, Kayfas. He knew his son had taken a liking to the young Mareta and would be doing him a favor by ensuring she was his.

King Alexander was no fool. He knew his reign was slowly coming to an end and the kingdomwould soon be handed over to Kayfas. He needed to ensure that the wedding would take place as soon as possible before he finally gave way to death. He would protect the crown in any way possible and this time around Catherine’s power was a threat he could not afford.

***

CATHERINE’S POV

Attempting to hide the events of this evening from Melina was a futile effort on my part. The moment I had walked through the doors of my chambers where she had been waiting for me with a bath and a fresh change of clothes, Melina could tell that something had surely happened at the ball. She didn’t have to press me much to tell her because talking about it was like re-living that moment and more than anything in the world I would have wanted to re-live it over and over again.

“I would have asked if you loved him, my lady, but your eyes already betray you” She said, teasing me while I had my bath

“If I may ask Melina…” I looked at her for approval to go on. She nodded. “…have you ever been in love?” I asked.

“In love” she pauses, “No never”. It didn’t sound very convincing though, but I had come to understand Melina well enough to know that she would only speak when she was comfortable with it, so I didn’t push further.

“What if I only think I’m in love because I do not know what love means?” I had been thinking about that for a while. Was I in the position to declare love when I had never even experienced the most basic form of love from a mother to her child? If I had been so unworthy of love, then what makes me worthy now? If my own mother could not muster a heart to love me, then why should Gareth?

“Well, I think you’re wrong”, Melina said as-a-matter-of-factly, “Man cannot define what love is all alone. Your heart defines it for you”. She sat behind me and gently began brushing the tangles out of my wet hair. Yes, Melina had always loved me, like a mother to her daughter, and I never doubted that, even if she had never said the words “I love you”. Her actions spoke loud enough for me to know.

I stepped out of the shower and let Melina dry me off before putting on the night gown she had picked out for me. After she was done getting me ready for bed, she left for the servant’s quarters, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The events of today had left me wondering what my future would be like. I never really gave much thought to it before, because the king had always handled all matters concerning me. Today I realized there are certain things I had no choice but to make some decisions, like who to love and how to love all by myself. I had barely sixty three years left to live and that’s the only future I ever thought about. My predestined demise. I was sure how my story ends, and I was sure it wasn’t pretty, but being able to love Gareth was worth the dive even though I’d surely drown.

***

GARETH’S POV

Cathy was perfect. Beautiful. Deserving of the world. A world I could not offer her. The only world I could offer was one she had always resented being a part of. Sorcery.

For as long as my memory could serve me, long before I had met her, sorcery had been a major part of my life. My father and his father before him had been drawn to the art and I had inherited that same interest. I would study all the books of sorcery, learning every form of curse or spell that there was. I had admitted them to my memory to the point where it had almost become an extension of my tongue. I could read all the ancient spells, no matter the language they had been forged in.

It wasn’t until I had turned twelve that I discovered that I was a sorcerer. That magic flowed through my veins. That somewhere in my bloodline there had been a sorcerer and that I had inherited far more than just an interest in the art. I had inherited power coveted by some, feared by some and hated by others. Cathy belonged to that last category. She had blamed sorcery for the way her life had been before becoming the Mareta.

Barbarian sorcerers had attacked Vertica in a grand ambush and all the men in Vertica were forced into battle alongside the Vertica army. Her father had fallen in that battle alongside many men. When her mother had found out what had happened she had been so distressed and slowly grew bitter. She poured all of her frustration on Cathy even though she had only been five years old when it all happened. She hated sorcery for taking her father away from her and for taking love from her life along with it.

I understood her resentment, but most of all I feared losing her to it. From the first time I met her, I knew she would be significant to me. I knew I had to keep her close, and after I discovered my powers, I knew then that to keep her close to me, I would have to keep that truth far from her. I was a sorcerer, and she hated my kind for their sins, but I am now her lover and I would protect her heart, even if it meant lying to her to keep her by my side.

I could never forget the look in her eyes when she admitted to loving me back. The pure, faultless and honest look of love, relief and admiration poured out from those beautiful set of hazel-brown eyes. It remained a wonder to me how she had managed to remain such an open and honest book despite all life seemed to constantly throw at her. She had always been my breath of fresh air from reality and I can only hope I was hers too. She was the one person I would give my very soul for if that’s what I took to protect her from this cruel world. She was without a flaw to me, and she was all I needed. What was the point of a life without love?

***

CATHERINE’S POV

The palace functioned purely based on protocol and commands. While the Queen was in charge of ensuring the smooth running of the palace by overseeing the staff and other Queen-related duties, the king busied himself with running the kingdom. He served as a judge to the people and Lord over all matters within the territory. He rarely bothered himself with those of us within the palace walls, as long as it was no imperial business. He barely even bothered to attend the numerous balls the Queen was fond of hosting, which was why I was utterly confused as to why the king demanded my presence.

Some guards had come with the order directly from the king and had waited to escort me to his court. After Melina had helped me into some appropriate clothes, I followed the king’s guards to meet him. The guards waited outside while I walked into the king’s throne. It was just as grand and intimidating as I remember it. From the extremely high ceilings to the distinct artwork that went into making the walls and floors. It was designed to command respect, and it served its purpose well. He was not on his throne but stood at the further end of the throne room. I lowered my head in a bow in curtsey and remained until he told me to rise.

“With all these formalities one would think you aren’t about to become family”, he said.

“Fa-family you say my lord?” I asked, utterly confused at what he had just said. He turned towards me and moved around the room until he got to where I stood. He looked at me as though he was assessing me.

“I really do cannot see why my son is so smitten by you”. He started, “You may be the Mareta, but you are still a woman who needs a man”. I was starting to seriously fear what was coming. From the sound of it, I wasn’t going to love it. He took a moment before he continued speaking. “I do not care to make this conversation longer than it needs to be, as you are well aware, I am a busy man, so I’ll make this quick”. The next words that came out of his mouth sent my whole world crashing violently.

***

“You are to marry my son, the prince, and serve as his wife while equally serving as the Mareta”, those words felt like daggers stabbing endlessly at my heart. Why would the king want a Mareta to marry the heir to the throne? And of all the people on earth, it just had to be Kayfas. What sort of man could he be if not the splitting image of his doting mother and naïve sister? She couldn’t seem to understand why the king would make a decision.

Gareth. The only man she had ever loved finally admitted to loving her back and their pre-mature love story was now ultimately forbidding once word got out of her betrothal. How was she going to tell the man she loved so dearly that she wasn’t allowed to love him anymore? How was she supposed to live with this? It was hard enough trying to meet up to the expectations everyone had of the Mareta, and now she would have to be the Queen too eventually. Had the king gone mad? The thought in itself was treason, but I couldn't help but wonder.

I sat back in my chair trying to digest what had happened in the throne room and was happy Melina wasn’t there to see me in this state. I was to meet with Gareth after dark today. I wasn’t sure if I could face him anymore. Leaving what we had was out of the picture for me, but Gareth was a man of honor and I feared that my selfish desire to have him to myself would ruin his standing with the king and I did not want to be the cause of his trouble. I still couldn’t let him go when I had not had the chance to love him properly. Love, past a one-sided obsession, but love that is given and reciprocated. Love that wasn’t scared of breaking the rules. I knew that if I took the dive, I would eventually drown. Would it have been worth it?