Chapter 7: Auristela

Row after row of greenery towered over them as they descended deeper into the garden. The garden’s maze was just as she remembered. Impossible to see over with each wall covered from bottom to top in an assortment of floral arrangements, ranging from deep, black, night roses to the rainbow of forest lilies the empress prior loved so much.

Auri sighed as she allowed herself to take in the familiar, yet unfamiliar world around her. She also couldn’t help but notice that a few of the floral arrangements and statues (that had previously been there for years) had been switched out for something more suiting the tastes of the garden’s current owner. But still, it did not take away from the beauty of this little palace retreat.

She could imagine her older brother probably spent a lot of time here. It would be a nice break from all of the chaos at court. Auri turned her gaze to the knight trailing lazily behind her and found him staring off absentmindedly into the distance and rubbing at his chest. She cleared her throat to grab his attention. Alan seemed to jump a little, almost as if he had forgotten she was even there before giving her his attention.

Auri twiddled her aching fingers nervously as she spoke.

“I’m sorry for hitting you earlier. I shouldn’t have done that, no matter how angry I was.”

“Don’t worry. Didn’t feel a thing!” He tapped this armored chest with a shrug as they continued. “Plus, I deserved it. I shouldn’t have hidden that from you.”

“Are you sure?” She eyed him worriedly. His subtle flinching and prodding at his chest had not gone unnoticed. “I know I’m not that strong, but I can still do some damage. I also didn’t have a good check on my power at the time.”

“It’s okay, Auri, I promise!” He stopped beside her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

His warm brown eyes captured hers and he looked almost as if he wanted to hug her. To comfort her. Auri’s heart ached at the familiarity of his touch. It had been years since she’d last hugged him and she longed for it. She had never had a close relationship with her real brother, or step mother since the death of her parents, but that never bothered her because she always had Alan [regardless of how vexing he could be]. However, after growing out of their early teen years and having their coming-of-age ceremonies, it was no longer appropriate for them to be so close.

The princess was also surprised at the use of his childhood nickname for her. He hardly ever used it, and it was something he wouldn’t dare say -even in front of his mother- for fear of retribution. In Artemisia -by custom- only close family members and lovers were allowed to use each other’s nicknames. These customs were even more strict when it came to the imperial family, and it was dangerous to be so informal in public. However, as there was no one around to witness it, she decided to forgive his lack of propriety, just once.

She worried her bottom lip as he stared at her for a moment before smiling softly.

“You were stressed and it is normal for mages to lose control in situations like that.” Damn. Alan always could see right through her. Even without her saying so, he knew she was also scared about the loss of control on her magic.

“Not for me it isn’t. I can’t afford to lose control like that. I’m not a normal mage, Alan.” Auri wrapped her arms around herself as she moved away from him and his penetrating gaze. He sighed as he moved to walk beside her.

“I promise you, it will be okay. We will just have to have extra lessons on control. It’s no big deal!” He said.

The princess gave him a sidelong glance as frustration began to build in her throat. She couldn’t help but think of everything else that could have gone wrong at that time.

“It’s not that simple and you know it!” She hissed back. “What if someone had sensed my magic before I was able to reign it in? What if you had gotten seriously hurt? Or what if I-”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Alan moved to stand in front of her, stopping her in her path. He grabbed either of her arms, holding her in place. “Don’t dwell on the what ifs. Right now, we just need to focus on one thing at a time, like saving you from your impending marriage.”

He chuckled as Auri eyed him doubtfully.

“Regardless of the reason or how effective it was, I shouldn’t have done that. And I know that you only meant well. I shouldn’t have lost my temper so easily. A lot could have gone wrong,” She counterted.

“ But a lot didn’t go wrong. None of the other stuff happened and I am still alive and kicking.” He puffed out his chest and pointed thumb at himself with a snort. “I’m one of the strongest knights in the palace! Do you really think a punch like that would hurt me?”

“But I-”

“No ‘buts,’ Milady! I am fine and you are fine. That’s all that matters. If you’re really worried about me, you can make it up to me by not worrying so much. Besides, I’m pretty sure you hurt yourself more than me.”

Alan looked down at her with a knowing grin as he used his free hand to brush a stray, curly brown lock from his brow. If she didn’t already only see him as a brother figure, Auri might have thought he was almost handsome. It was no secret that many of the ladies at court had their eyes on Alan, and had it not been for his low birth and the fact that he was the only guardian knight of the [Abandoned Princess], He might have been married by now.

Auristela shook her head with a sigh.

“Still, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that, and acting that way makes me no better than them.” Thankfully, she didn’t have to explain who “them” was. He would know without her even having to elaborate.

Alan simply shrugged before tapping her nose twice -like his mother often did whenever the princess did something naughty- before sauntering off, still wearing the same smug grin. He knew how much she hated it, and couldn’t help but tease her with it every opportunity he got. He’d been doing it since they were children after almost every argument they had, and it was also how she knew, all was forgiven.

“Don’t worry so much! I’m fine, and you will be too, the sooner we can get back and ice your hand.” He gave her a pointed look.

Auri grimaced. She had hoped he hadn’t noticed how much trouble the bruising in her knuckles was causing her. She was having a little trouble opening and closing it now, but it wasn’t too bad. She knew she’d be alright. Afterall, she had survived worse. This injury, at least, was of her own making.

“My hand will survive. We can leave in a few minutes. I just want to see the maze to the end.” She took in another lungful of the scented air, allowing herself to relax a little as she released. “It’s been too long.”

Alan chuckled as he widened his steps slightly, putting more distance between him and the princess. However, he still did not her out of his sight. His steps were quick but measured.

“Are you sure you can make it all the way without injuring yourself further?”

“Well, I’ve made it this far haven’t I?”

“So you have. Shall we have a race then?” Alan goaded.

Auri groaned but said nothing as she trailed behind him. He continued to tease her and she did her best to keep pace with him as they made their way through the maze. She realized what he was trying to do, but she wasn’t going to give in. The princess was already growing exhausted and they were barely half-way through it.

“I’m not running.” She gasped out finally, while slowing her own pace to catch her breath.

“Why not? More exercise might do you some good. You’ve been cooped up in that dusty old palace for far too long.” When they finally reached the half-way mark, he picked up the pace again and then, he was out of sight.

“Hurry up princess, or else this turtle I just found is going to beat you to the ceremony!” He called out.

Although he joked with her, she knew he was just trying to lighten the mood and to give her a little bit of space without being too obvious. She appreciated it more than he knew. Auri was also aware though, that he would still be close enough by to rush to her aid if need be. He always stayed close.

She continued her leisure pace without worry, admiring the nature around her. There had been so many thoughts and worries rattling around in her brain lately, that she felt as if she would buckle under the pressure at any minute. As she walked however, that burden slowly began to ease. It almost felt as if her mother were right there with her, telling her not to give up. It was only once she was almost to the end of the maze that she remembered something her mother always told her, and it made her smile.

‘Ex adversitatis cineribus oriri debemus. Si tenebrae tantum sunt, stabiles manere debemus donec deae lucem videamus.’

It was a saying in the old language of her mother’s people that roughly translated to: (We can only rise from the ashes of adversity. If there is only darkness, we must remain steadfast until we see the light of the goddess.) The late empress and her people worshipped the old ways, and whenever Auri felt sad or cried, her mother would gently caress her hair with a small smile and say this. She supposed that it was her mother’s way of saying “suck-it-up” and “keep-moving forward,” and she needed to hear that more than ever now.

The princess was brought out of her reverie at the sound of heavy footsteps on gravel nearby. She couldn’t tell if the sound was coming from the next row over or not, but they were close.

Too close.

She began to panic. What if they were the queen’s loyalist, or even worse, Queen Mother herself? She and Alan had to get out of here. They couldn’t be seen before the ceremony.

“Alan!” She whisper-yelled to get his attention. He didn’t respond. She tried again. “Alan! We have to go! Alan!” The princess huffed as rushed to catch up to him.

“Alan where- umph!” As she turned the next bend that would lead out of the maze, her words were cut short as she smacked face first into cold, hard metal. Her nose burned and her eyes watered as she hit the ground. She also made the mistake of -subconsciously- using her injured right hand to stop her fall. Auri cried out in pain and was almost certain she heard something snap as she went down. Thankfully, she just barely managed to keep her head from landing on one of the very large stones that lined that maze’s paths. She sat on the ground for a moment to assess her injuries.

Pain raced up her arm, and it felt as if she had stuck her hand into a meat grinder. If her hand wasn’t broken before, it definitely was now. Groaning, she lifted her good hand to her face and realized that her nose was also bleeding. Auri quickly pulled out a handkerchief and raised it to stop the blood before it reached her pristine white robes. Then she tilted her head forward. She could only pray that it wasn’t also broken. The princess had always had a weak constitution, but the years of neglect and poor living conditions had only made her condition a lot worse.

Suddenly, there was a hand before her. When she looked up, she found a knight with the greenest eyes she had ever seen with cropped black hair. He was a bit shorter than most of the Artemesian men she had ever seen before, and he was wearing a uniform with a crest that she didn’t recognize on his breast. Not that she recognized many. She didn’t venture out of her palace often, so her knowledge of the knight orders was limited. Fear echoed through her as the knight stood over her, still holding out a hand to assist her.

‘Perhaps he hasn’t recognized me yet?’ She prayed silently. ‘Please don’t let him recognize me.’

Even though she spent most of her time in isolation, most people in the palace still knew what their princess looked like. Her portraits still hung with that of the emperor and empress prior, but she prayed -by some miracle- that perhaps this knight was new to the palace or hadn’t made that connection yet.

She did her best to shield her face with her hair and the long white veil of the saintess’s attire. With one hand injured and the other holding the blood soaked handkerchief, she only gave an apologetic smile before moving to stand on her own. She stumbled again, trying to get around her skirts and the knight, who seemed to realize her predicament, gently supported her elbow.

“Are you alright, My Lady?” The knight asked. His voice was deep with genuine worry.

Auri took a deep breath as she observed her surroundings. The fall had her a little disoriented, but after a few seconds, she realized that they weren’t alone. In her haste to find Alan, she had accidentally plowed right into Alan’s armor plated back. He stood stock still in the center of the pathway that led out of the maze, which had caused her to crash into him full force. And thanks to the annoyingly long robes she was forced to wear, she had tripped over them trying to catch herself.

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she nodded at the knight and took a step away from him. Alan glanced over her in concern, and she briefly wondered why he had not been the one assisting her, but then she noticed that there was someone standing just behind the knight who had helped her. That person had garnered Alan’s full attention. Her heart dropped in her stomach and the fear she felt made her nauseous.

‘This can’t be happening.’ Her brain wanted to live in denial but there was no escaping reality.

It was now obvious why he dared not move to aid her and why he had stopped so suddenly. The princess’s guardian knight raised his right hand fist to his chest and his upper body was bowed low as he spoke.

“I, Knight Alan Stewart, greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”