Jolie blinked sleepily, gazing slowly about her. Familiar gold silk curtains shrouded the circular bed laden with pillows of ruby, chocolate, cream and gold. Morning light filtered softly through the trio of tall stone archways leading to a circular balcony overlooking the green hills and smooth lakes of Alverda. A smile curved Jolie's lips as her gaze fell on her sister Kaline where she slept curled up in a chair by the bed.
Jolie's sleep had been uneasy and fitful. Suffocating memories of the cramped, dark confines of the chest she had hidden in had invaded her dreams. She vaguely remembered being found by servants, weak and confused. Pushing back the cloying fear that rose to overwhelm her, Jolie slid her feet to the cool stone floor.
She rose slowly on trembling legs and pushed back her tangled golden mane. Slipping on the waiting wispy wrap, she tied the belt around her slightly thickened waist. Weakness flooded her limbs as walked to the balcony's edge, yet she would not be denied the sight of her home world after so long. Her fingers curled around the cool railing for balance as she breathed in deeply of the perfumed air. She drank in the welcome sight. The breeze whispered through her hair and warm sunshine caressed her soft skin. She was home.
Jolie didn't know how long she stood there lost in her own thoughts before she sensed she was not alone. She gazed to her left as another come to stand beside her on the balcony edge. A bronzed profile met her glance, and fear shot through her. A split second passed before her body knew he wasn't Arik. His head turned to gaze down at her, revealing a face that was similar to Arik's, only younger, softer somehow, and lacking the vibrant energy that surrounded the king. His lips were different, thinner, and there was something about the shape of his eyes. Yet they shone with the same intelligence, and wariness filled her. Prince Trake.
"Kal has slept by your side every night since your return."
Jolie turned back to gaze over the lakes as she struggled to control her emotions. What right did this man have to call her sister by her beloved nickname?
The silence stretched as she become increasingly uncomfortable beneath his searching gaze. Did he know? Did he intend sending her back to his brother now that the drugs were cleansed from her body? Or was Arik here, on Alverda? Her knuckles turned white where they gripped the railing as she fought to draw breath into her lungs.
"Although no one knows exactly where it is you returned from. You were found laying unconscious on your bed. No one could provide an answer as to where you came from or how you came to be there." He crossed his arms over his broad chest as he propped his hip against the railing, gazing down at her. The musical language sounded stilted on his tongue.
"I-I can't remember." Jolie turned away from him, intent on fleeing to the safety of her chamber and her sister's sleeping presence. Trake caught her wrist and swung her around to face him. For an instant in time it was almost as though Arik stood before her. Jolie froze, the pulse fluttering madly at the base of her throat. "I can't recall anything after the invasion," she lied, tugging on her wrist.
"I give you fair warning. Whatever plots you are scheming, Princess Jolina, forget them. I will not tolerate a rebellion within the walls of my own palace."
"This is not your palace." She wrenched her wrist from his grip and fled back to her chamber on weak legs, catching a glimpse of surprise on his face. It was only as she reached the archways that she realised her mistake. In her anger she had spoken in his native tongue.
She dropped to her knees beside her older sister and gently shook her awake with trembling hands. Tears filled her eyes as they met her sister's warm brown ones and she wrapped her arms around her sister for the first time in what seemed an age. She was unaware of the look that passed between Kaline and Trake, before Trake turned away.
~*~
Jolie learned that her father had collapsed when Arik's men had stormed the palace. It had all been too much watching his peaceful world crumble beneath the force of the conquering invaders, and his heart had given way. Her father had been a gentle man, more suited to studying his favourite astronomy books than ruling a Kingdom. Sadness washed over Jolie, but also a guilty feeling of relief at knowing he would never discover the truth of what she had become. A king's whore.
Seemingly some things had remained much the same, while others had changed drastically. The fragile peace on Alverda was aided by the proclamation that Kaline's and Trake's first child would become heir to the throne. Until such time, the council had the authority to make decisions and laws across the land. The council was made up of an uneasy mixture of Alverdians and Loas warriors. Things had stabilised to a certain extent in the three months Jolie had been captured, but there was still so much uncertainty with the rebels. The rebels hid in the mountains, causing as much strife as possible in their cause to overthrow the conquerors.
Had it been members of the rebellion that had helped her escape Arik's harem? Why had she been left at the palace? Was it because she was ill from the effects of the drugged wine? The questions plagued her.
It felt strange to be in her old suite where nothing had changed, except her. All her gowns hung in the robes, pressed and scented with sachets of her favourite flowers. Her jewels and perfumes lay carelessly scattered across her armoire where she had left them so long ago. It was as though she had never left.
Kaline's sisterly patience opened the floodgate on Jolie's emotions. She found herself telling of her capture and the strange people and customs of Loas. Yet Jolie couldn't bring herself to tell her sister of the slave auction before the warlords, or of being locked up in a harem.
As if sensing her sister's reticence, Kaline asked gently "did they hurt you, Jolie?"
Jolie shook her head, unable to meet Kal's gaze. She loved her sister dearly, but Jolie couldn't find the words to tell her. It was too soon, too fresh. She wanted to forget Loas and its king. She couldn't bear her sister's pity, unintentional as it would be. "Do you - care for Trake?"
"At first, no," Kaline said, accepting the change of subject. "But now...You don't think..." Kaline trailed off, and Jolie hugged her.
"That you're betraying Cam? Of course not. He'd be glad you found someone to be happy with." Cam and Kaline had secretly breached the laws of Alverda and become lovers when they were fifteen. They were to cross palms as soon as Kaline turned twenty, only Cam had been thrown from his skian and killed instantly. Since then Kaline had avoided making a match, seemingly content to oversee the palace while their father was pre-occupied with books and treaties on astronomy. Jolie was glad to see her sister move on, but the knowledge that it was with Trake worried her.
They talked for an age as Kaline filled her in on palace gossip. The servants came and went, bringing food and refreshments and a hot tub of water for Jolie. It was only as Jolie rose from the scented water and the maid dried her hair that Kaline turned serious.
"Jolie, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but the mark on the small of your back...it's the same as Trake's insignia?"
Jolie met Kaline's troubled gaze, and shame flooded her. "I – it is nothing."
