Aelia in the Ingdom of Farran

I know it's been a while, but life just took over and left me with no time to develop Aelia & Rowald's story. There is no sex in this chapter either, but I want the story to be more about the dynamics of their relationship. Which is not to say they won't get more intimate soon ;-) Thank you all for your feedback, public and private and I ask you to comment on this part as well, it really helps with the process.

- Nayeli -

They had been riding for five days, only stopping to eat and sleep. The journey to the capital normally took eight to ten days, but the prince was bent on doing it in less than a week, so they had been riding for as much as fourteen hours per day. Aelia had never been horseback riding before and, although she was a fast learner and not quite a stranger to physical hardships, the voyage was taking its toll on her. Still, she was in a surprisingly good mood, though she didn't quite understand the reason. She snuck a look at Rowald who was riding next to her and smiled slightly as she let her mind wander back at the strange events of the last few days.

She had just finished bathing in the new room that had been assigned to her in Terfyn fortress; her hair, still damp, was hanging on her back, almost touching her waist. She was dressed in a strange long chemise that had been brought to her by the servant girl who had prepared her bath. She walked to the window, taking in the same view she had from her previous accommodation. Still, it looked different somehow, and she wondered if it was because her station in this had improved.

Deep in reverie as she was, she didn't hear him come in (or the servant girl leave); she turned around and nearly bumped into him. His glacial blue eyes were staring at her, as if trying to pierce through her skull and into her mind. She swallowed her nervousness and stared back; as she had grown accustomed with this man, this approach seemed to inspire him some respect.

"I've brought your bag" he said, without moving his eyes from her.

"Thank you. What time do we leave tomorrow?"

"Dawn. Can you ride a horse?"

"No. Is there another way?

"Carriage, but it's too slow. We need to get there as soon as possible, before the Syrtars bring backups into the city."

"How far is it?"

"Eight to ten days, less if we ride fast."

"Well, I will have to learn to ride then. I will see you tomorrow." She was tired and hoping he'd leave and let her get some rest. In truth, she had never got on a horse before and the perspective didn't appeal to her very much. Still, this seemed to be the only way to get herself out of this mess, so she'd have to manage.

"I want you to show me how your things work; are they really magic, as my men think?" The question caught her by surprise. For a few seconds, she considered telling him they were, to gain some sort of upper hand; she decided against it, fearing he might read her and end the truce they seemed to have reached in the past hours.

"No, there's nothing magical about them, they're just some useful inventions. What do you want to know?"

"Well, for start, I want to know how you plan on climbing a vertical cliff?"

They spent the next hour with her showing and explaining to him all the details of her climbing gear; he seemed to be less superstitious than his men and possessed an inquisitive mind. He wanted to know how the flashlight worked and what the pepper spray contained. He was amazed at the lightness of her ice axe and it took a thorough explanation to convince him it was not a weapon. When he began asking her about her world, she smilingly sent him away, with the promise to talk more over the following days. For the first time since she'd met this strange man, she didn't feel an imminent danger emanating from him; in fact, she almost felt... secure.

"Rowald." she called, just as he was about to open the door. He turned to her with a somewhat surprised gaze; was that a hint of hopefulness she detected?

"I'm sorry about your father."

His eyes seemed to blur for a moment; he gave her a brief nod and left the room.

He was sitting by the fire, absently sharpening his sword while his attention was focused on the beautiful woman sitting across from him; the flames reflected in her auburn hair, giving it a surreal appearance. She was involved in what seemed like an intense discussion with Maelwyn, and Rowald could feel a pang of jealousy biting him inside as we watched her listen intently to his friend's every word. He couldn't understand why, he had just met this woman and besides, he had never been the jealous type; his mistresses, be they ladies of the court or mere servants, were always free to see whomever they wanted; he simply never cared. This woman was not even his lover, they had only shared two kisses and yet she had captured his attention like no other.

Watching her, his thoughts wondered back in time. They had just set up camp on the second day of the journey and he caught sight of her leaving the camp. She was only carrying a small bundle, all of her things remaining in her tent. He followed her, after letting Maelwyn know that he was leaving and giving him precise orders to follow if he didn't return by midnight. If she was indeed a spy, attempting to meet with her people and report the situation in his camp, he was prepared to strangle her on the spot.

She didn't seem to be in a hurry as she walked on the small path among the trees; in fact, she seemed to be savouring every second. A few minutes later, Aelia, and her hidden stalker arrived at a clearing where a nearby stream was creating a small waterfall as it flowed over the rocks. He remained concealed behind some bushes close to the bank of the river and watched mesmerized as she took off all her clothes and entered the water. She dove completely and resurfaced a few seconds later, clearly enjoying the touch of the water on her naked body. She washed her long hair with slow, flowing movements; she massaged the bar of soap all over her body, caressing her smooth, creamy skin several times. He simply couldn't take his eyes off her and his breeches were growing increasingly tighter.

Aelia emerged from the water feeling refreshed and clean; the two days of continuous riding had left her sore and sweaty and this was the first occasion she had to sneak out of the camp and bathe. She knew that if she had informed Rowald, he would have either stopped her or insisted that she take a guard; she wanted and needed to be alone for a few moments, after the two days spent under constant (though discreet) supervision.

The slight movement in the bushes made her jump: "Who's there?" she asked, quickly putting on her clothes. "Show yourself!" When nothing happened, she figured it might have been a wild animal or a bird. Still, the bushes were next to her path back to the camp, so she couldn't risk being ambushed by some rogue. She picked up a rock from the river bank and threw it into the bush. Next thing she heard was a moan, a curse and she saw the prince rising from the bush, rubbing his forehead.

"You nearly knocked me unconscious, you know!" he snarled at her.

"Serves you right for peeping. How dare you invade my privacy?" She tried to put on an angry face but she had to work hard to suppress her laughter. He seemed so confused, ashamed and piqued at the same time.

"You shouldn't be out here alone. You should have asked for my permission if you wanted to bathe."

"I think not." Now she was genuinely furious. Who did he think he was, ordering her around like that? "Why don't you admit that you still suspect me for a spy and you wanted to catch me in the act?" As soon as she had spoken these words, Aelia realized that this idea upset her more than him watching her while she was bathing, and the thought was troubling.

He seemed to be taken aback by her reaction; the fact that she was right only made it more embarrassing for him. He turned his back on her and started walking in the direction of the camp, ordering her to follow him back. Without a second thought, she ran after him, placed herself in his way and pushed him back with both hands. Taken by surprise, he barely managed to keep his balance; he had forgotten how strong this woman was, despite her delicate appearance.

"What the..." he was cut off before he could finish the sentence.

"No, you listen to me now! I have never done anything against you and from the first moment we met, you took me prisoner, tied me up, locked me in a dirty tower, harassed me and pretty much treated me like a possession to be toyed with. I offered my help when your situation was hopeless and you're still unable to show me some respect. You have your men keep me under constant supervision like some dangerous criminal and I can't even have an hour to myself to get cleaned up. I don't care if you are a prince, king, or whatever. This is it and you either review your attitude or you can just storm your damned city with the handful of men you still have, for all I care, but I will NOT go through one more day of this!" She was raging now, both against him, for continuing to treat her like an enemy and against herself, for believing their truce meant they were beginning to build some sort of friendship. Without waiting for his reply, she spun on her heels and walked swiftly towards the camp, leaving him with his mouth open.

Aelia walked into her tent and threw her towel into a corner; the fast-paced walk to the camp had done nothing to calm her. She felt like punching something, and kicked the mattress which served as bed; then, she realized she really wanted to punch herself, for being so naïve. This man was an arrogant ass, and she had known it from the very beginning, so why had she let her guard down to him?

The light rap on one of the wooden stakes supporting the entrance to her tent called her attention and she forced herself to gain control of her anger. She pulled aside the canvas and found herself facing the object of her fury. The look on her face must have been all too eloquent, because he quickly raised his hands in a gesture of good will.

"You spoke your mind, now let me speak mine" he said, before she could drop the canvas in his face. "I am not here to quarrel."

"Fine. Say what you have to say and leave; I need my rest if I'm going to ride another fourteen hours tomorrow." She folded her arms and waited, looking him straight in the eyes.

He took a deep breath; no-one had ever spoken to him the way she did, and still he wasn't angry. Instead, he found her demeanour strangely intriguing and attractive.

"You appear out of nowhere, dressed in clothes no-one has ever seen before and carrying strange objects, just when I'm battling my fiercest enemies. The very same day, I learn that my capital city has been conquered and my father killed, possibly falling prey to the betrayal of his closest friend and advisor. Then you somehow manage to escape the tower, sneak into my council room and eavesdrop on our discussions. And just when the situation is hopeless, as you said, you step in and offer you support; more than that, you offer to do something that no-one else has ever done before. After everything that has happened in the past few days, can you really blame me for being paranoid?" Not only had he not raised his voice, but he seemed like he really needed her to understand him.

Aelia gave him a long stare; in the short time since they had met, he had never acted so... reasonably. He had always been every inch the overbearing monarch, always commanding, never trying to explain his reactions. Even knocking on the entrance to her tent, instead of just storming in was unusual, and the awkwardness in his demeanour made it clear that he wasn't used to this approach. Gazing deeply into his cerulean eyes in search of sincerity, she suddenly became aware that she was slowly getting lost in them. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear her mind; looking back up at him, she said: "Alright. I see your point, but if we're going to work together successfully, I will need you to trust me. After all, I am risking my life in this little enterprise. We have a deal, and if you can't trust me to keep my end of the bargain, how can I trust you to keep yours?"

"Fair enough. I'll give you some space from now on. But please let me know when you leave the camp again; it's not always safe out there." She half expected him to choke on the word "please", but he did sound like he meant it, so she accepted this new truce.

They avoided each other for the most part of the next few days, but kept civil in their few interactions; she was beginning to develop a friendship with Maelwyn, Rowald's best friend and advisor. Unlike the impetuous prince, Maelwyn was calm, balanced and courteous. He was handsome, but in a different, milder way; she could appreciate his beauty without the shivers which usually went through her every time Rowald was nearby. They had taken to chatting during lunch stops and in the evenings. She was anxious to know more about this strange land and he seemed content to describe it to her. Thus she found out that Farran was one of the three larger kingdoms in their known world, together with Syrta – their arch enemies at the south and south-east border – and Algaran, to the east, which was prone to changing sides in their never-ending spars. Other political entities were insignificant and were usually mere pawns in these wars; most of them paid tribute to one of the great powers and were often required to send troops into battles that were not their own.

"Not unlike my own world..." she said pensively, "except we are more sophisticated at hiding the situation behind treaties and speeches..."

She also learned that, thanks to the defunct king Aldric's diplomatic skills and desire to put and end to the endless quarrels which were hindering all the kingdoms' development, there had been peace for almost a decade between Farran and Syrta; it was more like a tense truce, but at least the killing had stopped. Both parties had stationed troops along the border, in fortresses such as Terfyn, but until very recently no-one had broken the agreement. Now, the peace-loving king was dead, his beloved capital city fallen into the hands of his enemies and his son would most likely retaliate, sending the three kingdoms into another cycle of death and destruction.

"You seem sad, Maelwyn" she noted. "It seems like you don't quite agree with Rowald's intended course of action"

"Rowald is the closest thing I have to a brother; I would follow him to the edge of the world and die for him without question. So, whether I agree or not does not matter. I would, however, like to see our people continue to live in peace."

She sighed and turned her attention to the fire. Across, the prince was staring at them intently. She knew he couldn't hear their conversation, but his gaze made her shiver; she was by now almost getting used to the heat that was coursing through her body every time he looked at her. Almost...

They arrived to Caersten two days later and set camp close to its walls; along the way, their ranks had grown, as the princes' small contingent was joined by volunteers from the towns and villages they passed through. He had sent strict orders to commanders of the fortresses along the border not to follow him, but to keep close watch and prevent the Syrtars from sending reinforcements to their besieged army.

Rowald, Maelwyn and the other generals were gathered around a table covered in maps and sketches, faces dark and foreheads frowned. They all knew the fortress better than anyone; it was built to withstand years of siege. The walls and enforcements were impenetrable and the well-stocked granaries, terraced gardens and stables could provide the inhabitants with plenty of food. The only way to regain control of it was by cunning and all their hopes now lied with a strange girl who's allegiances were still uncertain.

"How did they even get past the border?" the prince asked. "Our defences were vigilant and we got no alert from any of the commanders. One would think such an army would not go unnoticed."

"The army itself is not that large; they relied on the element of surprise. I couldn't exactly count them, but I think they were even fewer than the garrison we had left in the city" said Maelwyn.

"As for their route, I'd wager my life they entered from the north-east. Algaran." General Eilert almost spat the last word.

"We will have to take care of those rats once and for all, after we finish our business with the Syrtars." Rowald was determined to see the people responsible for his father's death crawl at his feet and he would make sure they were never a threat to his kingdom again.

Aelia was standing aside silently, listening to the conversation and trying to understand as much as possible of the dynamics of this world. She made a mental note to talk to him later about his plans of revenge; the last thing she wanted was to help spur another bloody war in this land. Maybe, with Maelwyn's help, she could convince him to continue his father's policies of peace...

Earlier that day she had been accompanied by Rowald, disguises as fishermen, to the bottom of the cliff that was haughtily guarding the northern side of the fortress. It was a vertical and stunningly tall natural wall rising from the sea, relentlessly washed by angry waves; from where she was standing, on a small beach to the side of the great rock, it seemed about 120 m tall, with a nearly smooth surface. She could see why they thought climbing it was impossible; now she was almost inclined to agree. She spent the better part of the day studying it, trying to figure out a possible route to the top.

"Have you climbed anything like it before?" Rowald asked, scanning the seemingly polished surface of the cliff, a deep frown marring his handsome features. She hesitated between admitting the truth and setting his mind at ease with a lie.

"Sure, many times."

"Liar."

"Fine, I've never done it before. But I think I can. And if I can't, you have nothing to lose anyway" she shrugged.

"You're not doing this. I'll find another way."

"There is no other way and you know it. I said I can do it; why are you suddenly backing down?" Aelia couldn't understand his hesitation; she knew how important this was to him, so his behaviour seemed strange. He couldn't possibly be worried about her, they had barely spoken to each other since the night he'd followed her to the river; they had indeed exchanged some strange glances and she'd caught him staring at her more than once during the remainder of their trip, but this was still unexpected.

"Look, I know we had a deal and I'm willing to give you your freedom without expecting you to keep your end. It's impossible, you said yourself you've never done anything like this, so you'd be climbing to certain death. You're a stranger to this land and there's no need for you to share our fate. It would only be a waste of time anyway"

"Rowald, what is really the problem? Either tell me or we end this discussion here and now, and we start elaborating the strategy." She was tired of beating around the bush and wanted to either hear him say he was concerned about her safety, or get on with their plan.

He looked at her beautiful, delicate face surrounded by loose strands of auburn hair dancing in the wind, her wide emerald eyes looking up at him, slightly annoyed but covertly hopeful and he knew at that very moment that he wasn't willing to risk her life. Instead of saying it, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her face close to his; his lips took over hers in a deep, lingering kiss which sent shivers down his spine. He was expecting her to resist at first, but she surprised him again by responding passionately to his tongue's invasion of her mouth. Her arms encircled his neck and she pressed her body against his; she loved his warmth and hardness and wished they could stay this way forever. Unfortunately, this thought served only to remind Aelia that they could not. He had a duty to his people and she had promised her support. She reluctantly broke the kiss and released herself from his strong embrace. Her eyes met his as she said: