all my tears have been used up

We were following our hearts //4

The next day, Kiva and Tipp were somewhat refreshed after the time it had taken to travel from Zalindov to the River Palace. Tipp had woken, excited to explore his new life; away from the horror of the prison, a new chapter of the story he was destined to live. He bounced, full of energy, over to Kiva's room, where she was still asleep. He gently poked Kiva in the arm, waiting until she was half alert.

"K-Kiva!" He exclaimed, grabbing her attention by dragging her out of her bed. Kiva grumbled, before she began to truly wake up, taking Tipp's hand in hers.

"We h-have so much to do today!" Tipp cheerfully said he led Kiva into his room. The sun was filtering into his room, feeling much more open than what Kiva's did. Kiva did not dwell on it though, instead reeling Tipp in for a quick squeeze.

"You have all the time in the world now." She softly whispered to him as he squeezed back. It was a sweet moment and for a moment, all of Kiva's worries about the coming future disappeared. She was simply thankful that she and Tipp had survived, escaped and were free. She was holding onto Tipp and he was safe with her.

That was, until someone interrupted her with a knock on Tipp's door.

"Come in." Kiva called as she let Tipp go to open the door. In the doorway stood a man, who looked similar to Jaren in looks and in age. He was dressed in finery, again similar to Jaren. Kiva could only guess that it was his cousin, Caldon, who had acted as crown prince during his visit to Zalindov. Though for Tipp, the man was a stranger who he had never met.

Tipp waved at the man, introducing himself. "H-Hi, I'm Tipp." He smiled brightly, as if he was inviting the man to become his friend. The man gave a quick smile to Tipp, before he introduced himself. Kiva found herself correct.

"I am Prince Caldon. Jaren has asked me to look after you two." His voice was deep yet different from Jaren's. Slightly cooler. Kiva glanced to see Tipp looking elated, now getting to spend the day with someone new, more so someone related to Jaren.

Kiva nodded her head, allowing Caldon to continue speaking. She was sure that he knew about her but what she wasn't sure about was how much freedom she would have. She assumed it would be quite limited and she was quite confused about why she was being included.

"I'll leave you to get ready for the day, clothes are in the chest of drawers. Two minutes. Then we'll tour the palace." Caldon instructed, pointing to the draws before he promptly left the room. Kiva could feel her nerves scrambling inside of her stomach but she tried to let them go as she changed her clothes, the first step into facing the day.

-

Kiva and Tipp began their tour in the throne room, it was long and filled with detail among the thrones and decoration. Caldon explained that this room was more a formality for receptions and hearings, before moving on to the River Palace's courtyard. There were guards walking in small groups around it. Some seemed to be carrying boxes from a tall archway, leading to a further part of the palace. Distantly, Kiva could see the gravel path where the carriage had arrived the day prior, but instead of it being empty, different horses and wagons were riding along it making their way to and from the palace.

"There is a festival in a few days. Everyone is preparing so, I doubt you will see the King, Queen or any other member of the royal family until it has passed." Caldon explained, looking to where all of the preparation was being made. Around the small group, lights were being strung along the walls of the courtyard and a platform was being raised. Some tents were being hung around the space, leaving Kiva to assume the festival was being held at the palace.

Tipp smiled, his eyes brightening at the sound of a festival. He clapped, begging Caldon to let him go. Caldon smiled, ruffling Tipp's hair with a firm nod, though from what Kiva had noticed about his demeanour, he had only accepted because he was so shocked to see Tipp excited, after the torment of the prison. Tipp hadn't said anything about the prison- neither had Kiva. Jaren may have, though if he did it was most likely to go on the royal record, not in any way helpful to overcome what he experienced or witnessed. She made a mental note that she needed to speak to Tipp so he could begin healing.

At around noon, Caldon took Tipp and Kiva to visit the kitchen for some food. Tipp's face looked like he had found treasure when he saw an assorted range of food, from savoury roasts to an overly sweet desert. At Caldon's urging, Tipp began feasting away while Kiva picked at some food. There were so many different options to pick, so different from the slop that was served at the prison. The smell was different too, from what Kiva had noticed throughout the day, the air outside was much cleaner and lighter whereas the smell in the kitchen was filled with mouth-watery goodness.

During lunch, a boy entered the kitchen looking around Tipp's age. Caldon called Tipp over, to introduce the two boys.

"Tipp, this is Oriel- Jaren's younger brother. Oriel, this is Tipp. He's a friend from Jaren's." Caldon left it simple, not wanting to bring back the traumatic memories for Tipp and not to scare Oriel. The two boys smiled at each other and began to chat with each other. Tipp needed another friend.

"They'll be good together." Caldon confidently said to Kiva. She gave a weak smile, hoping it was true. She did not want Tipp to make a proper friend- his first friend- only for then something awful to happen during the trial. It wasn't confirmed where Kiva and Tipp would be staying- they never had a future in Zalindov and now that they did, they needed to figure it out. Caldon and Kiva had moved away from the two boys, giving the boys space to speak with each other.

"I hope so." Kiva mumbled after swallowing some food. She didn't look Caldon in the eye, rather down at the food around her. "Does Oriel know about... er... Tipp's past?" Kiva struggled to find the right words. What Kiva meant to say was, Does everyone in the palace know about her?

Caldon nudged her with his elbow, forcing her to look at him. His gaze was neutral but he ever so softly said, "Only members of the royal family know, along with a selection of the council members. We'd like it to keep it that way. But yes, Oriel is aware that Tipp was innocent"

Kiva nodded, understanding. She didn't know what else to say but Caldon continued speaking, leaving her time to listen.

"If anyone asks, you are a guest of the palace. The scar on your hands was from an old attack." He picked at his food after that, Kiva staring off into the distance.

After a lengthy pause of silence, Kiva gently whispered; "I'm not evil... I didn't mean to do anything, not once. I had to do it for Tipp." Caldon sighed, pushing his plate away. He gave a low whistle as he turned to face Kiva.

"Look, I don't know you. I'll be real but I do know that you have been through some real things. I cannot guarantee that you'll pass this trial. I don't know what will happen in the future." He huffed, "I don't know how to look in the future."

Kiva stared at him, then looked back to Tipp. She could feel her eyes stinging, it was all becoming too much. Finally being free from Zalindov. Jaren basically hating her. She, becoming a prisoner of Evalon all because of her blood. Kiva needed it all to be fixed. She wouldn't survive being stuck in a palace, even if for days, waiting to see if she could ever become truly free.

"You have to help me." Kiva let out a breath, pulling her long hair off her face. She turned back to Caldon, looking him in the eyes, pleading. "I won't- I can't hurt anyone. I swear it on the gods! Please, I swear I'm not a rebel."

Caldon looked at her quizzically, as if he was analysing her.

"I'm sorry Kiva. The trial has to take place, that's where you need to make these claims. I can't help you." Caldon took another bite, glancing over to Tipp and Oriel. They were still happily chatting away, oblivious to the conversation Kiva and Caldon were having.

"The trial will be a day after the festival. You and Tipp will be invited- you're classified as Tipp's Guardian. We can't deny you of that nor does Jaren want you to suffer here." 

From here on out, I'm only updating the fic here!