Learning The Hard Way

Iris patiently waited for Gaelin to speak. She had nothing to say to the man. He was the one that wanted to talk to her. If he opens his mouth one more time, and nothing comes out. I'm fucking leaving.

Gaelin closed his eyes " I'm sorry for your loss, Princess!" he breathed out the words, a semblance of a smile tugged on his lips, but it was far from genuine.

" I understand that this is a challenging time for you, and you'll have to forgive His Grace for the bluntness of his words! None of us expected to find you in this situation!" he paused for a moment. Gaelin was tactful. He played with his words. She decided to listen to his nonsense. Maybe he will say something worthwhile.

Gaelin licked his lips " Upon your return to Zandar, the ceremony will be held to announce our union! We have been promised to each other since birth!" Gaelin kept pausing, trying to find the right words, and rubbed his forehead with his fingers " I understand that you're grieving, and I will not take my place at your side, not until you're ready for me to do so! This is not a common occurrence!" he licked his lips again and paused. Gaelin was talking in riddles. He wasn't speaking his mind. Very common for high-standing people.

" What is your position within the court?" Iris said with an askew smile.

" High Vizir!" he curtly answered, shuffling in his seat as if the question was making him uncomfortable or unsettled for some reason.

" Why you?" Iris stood up from the chair. She had heard enough. She was about to leave all that nonsense behind, and she was less than enthusiastic to begin all over again. Rubbing elbows with her provisional freedom wasn't what she had in mind.

" My house is part of the echelon who founded Zandar! House Elfyd!" Gaelin firmly announced and stood up himself after a few moments of silence.

Iris hummed " Royalty?" Iris frowned, and Gaelin nodded in agreement.

" I'm sorry, Gaelin! Our union won't happen! I won't be returning to Zandar with you! I will find a way to get my husband back!" Iris coldly said, bowing to Gaelin and walked before he had a chance to respond as he tired at her retreating figure.

Ian rubbed off on her more than she had thought. She had never been this blunt with people until she met Ian. He spoke his mind and stood his ground. Iris felt her chest tighten at that thought and took a deep breath to pull herself together. She had to find a way to bring him back.

Azra sat on the edge of the makeshift bed, with his face resting in the palm of his hands. He jumped up the moment he noticed her presence.

" What did Gaelin want?" Azra hurriedly asked, following her to the small table in the tent, anxiously wringing his hands, giving her a worried look.

" He voiced out his intentions!" Iris vaguely replied and opened the book. She was focusing on the book's content, trying to brush away the events.

" The union that grandfather has arranged between you and Gaelin?"

Iris hummed and nodded.

" Where is the other book?" she didn't bother to reply to Azra. It was pointless to keep going around and have the same conversation over and over. Although she had made it clear that she would not follow or wed anyone. Everything she said fell on deaf ears.

The book that Bastos had left for her came into her view, and she had to come back to the present.

Iris opened the book that Azra had given her on the same page that belonged to Ettrick. She wasn't entirely wrong. The book that Ettrick had, had the same content as her, but he had deciphered some of the riddles in it. Iris wondered how long it had taken Ettrick to figure out the code for the secrets. Ettrick had been hunting her for as long as she could remember, and so did the witch. Maybe that's why he had dragged her soul to Hollow, to buy time. A time that they wouldn't have if she were to remain among the living. So, thousands of years. She didn't have that long! Fuck!

" Did you find something?" Azra's voice sobered her up, peering at her with angst and curiosity.

" No!" she sullenly replied, returning to stare at the books.

" Grandfather will begin the ritual at first light tomorrow to relieve you of your burden! I will gladly take your place, mother! Maybe you should consider Grandfather's offer! You'll finally have a peaceful life!" Azra reasoned, and Iris just blinked at him. A little taken aback that he sided with Lund. Azra had an kind heart. Maybe he saw the upside of things, unlike her, but he had inherited her naivety. That never ended well, didn't it?

" Father would have wanted that for you!" Azra added and sat down in front of her in one of the chairs. Sparkling blue eyes pinioned her and for a moment, she could see her reflection in them. She was a shadow of her old self, and Azra averted his gaze from her, looking down at the table.

" I know you love him, but father is not the man you knew anymore! I know you know that! You should let him be a mother!" Azra paused and raised his head " Grandfather said that in Zandar, you would have the life you wanted! They live in peace and harmony! He has also convened the Elden Council to find a way to heal the veil between realms!" Azra sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease his worries as her frustration grew, and she was sure that it was clearly visible on her face.

" I have to try! Your father has given his life for us! I can't believe how you, of all people, Azra, jump in and preach the same words." Iris spat in a fit of anger, stood up, took the books and left the tent.

" Mother! I see things for what they are! I know father has sacrificed a great deal, but he knew what he was doing! So, please have a think , before you give your final decision!" Azra tried to convince her otherwise, against her better judgement, as he followed her through the tents peppered around the camp.

She didn't know whether she should be proud or angry. Azra was the same sweet and kind, albeit born before his time and forced to mature faster than anyone. His reasoning was solid, but it presented a significant flaw. They were strangers. She had trusted those she had to known for a lifetime and that didn't ended well. How could she trust someone that just popped out of nowhere?

" My final decision is no! If you wish to take on the role of the Guardian of Ellora, it is your choice, and I cannot stop you! As your father said, you are your own man, and you can decide for yourself! I will continue to look for a way to get my husband back and your father!" she decisively said, halting her steps in front of what she thought was her tent.

The same sea of people gawked at her as she and Azra debated personal matters out in the open. Iris wanted to bark at them, but she pushed the tent's flap open and stepped inside, relieved that she had found the right one. They spun around the same tales over and over. She had no interest in taking yet another role that someone shoved down her throat.