Dissonance

the thirteenth chord - "tied"

Several guests had offered their good wishes afterwards, and the majority of them had come across, to Alaeca's discerning eye, superficial. By the time the queue vanished, all the names and faces Alaeca had tried so desperately to retain dissipated from her mind.

Seeing the large drums being pulled up at each end of the platform and well-dressed servants bringing in covered dishes, Alaeca could tell that the ceremony would begin shortly. She felt her stomach grumble, and over the festivities the sound was inaudible even to her ears. Alaeca fingered the skirt of her dress, falling into a sort of dreamlike state where all the noise seemed to be at a distance, one that could not be covered.

"You look pale." Arventh brought her back like fish yanked by a hook. Alaeca sighed. "This is more tiring than I thought it would be."

"Who would've thought sitting around and talking to people could be so exhausting, right?" The familiar voice almost brought Alaeca to her feet. The youngest general ascended the platform from the side with no steps, closer to Arventh. Alaeca's heart filled with joy. "Rivex!"

Arventh cleared his throat beside her. Alaeca laughed - it was a sweet, earnest sound that emerged from the very bottom of her heart. "I'm well, thank you. And Arventh is not being a... boulder." The word was strange on her lips, perhaps because she'd never heard it on any Xindinan's tongue before. Rivex's hazel eyes bounced between her and Arventh, as if trying to assess the air between them. He shot Arventh a wide smile. "So you're trying harder now, are you?"

Arventh grunted, hand flying to the side of his neck. Alaeca's eyes widened. Unrestrained laughter followed from Rivex's side. But Alaeca observed the king, who stared ahead, tight-lipped, and was making a conscious effort not to look at her. This man is not like Grance at all. Alaeca's heart warmed. Why was he so against me? What did I do to provoke that kind of reaction?

Rivex and Arventh chatted, while Alaeca kept close watch on their interaction. She remembered Ronov's occasional looks of desperation, and the wheels inside her head turned. What is it about Arventh that makes people like Ronov care about him in this protective way? Why did Taneiya tell me about his mother?

Alaeca swallowed the lump in her throat - she was surprised that uttering his name in her thoughts had become easier. More than her own place in Xindin, Alaeca found herself concerned about the questions that led to nowhere. But she had time to unravel them. I'm here to stay, whether Arventh likes it or not.

The two men had grown quiet. Alaeca blinked. "What?" A slight smile appeared on Rivex's lips. "You were really focused. What were you thinking about?" She reddened, opting to look at her pale hands instead of the inquisitive men on either side of her. "Nothing important." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arventh's expression grow steely. Her voice softened. "Really. I was just thinking about how close you both are." She wanted to continue, but sealed her lips when her heart felt a gentle prick. Saying too much too early is bad.

It seemed that she was misunderstood - as usual, when Rivex spoke, "You're missing Fyndan a lot, aren't you?" Alaeca instinctively looked at Arventh before deciding how to respond. His eyes were expectant, yet bore distinct coldness, as if nothing she could say could catch him off guard. Play along. "I am. Truly. The way you talk to each other reminds me of my best friend. I was thinking about her earlier to calm myself down, as well." At this, she sensed movement beside her. Arventh had leaned forward, closer to her and Rivex. His large hand fell on top of hers, and the flinch that usually accompanied his unpredictable touch did not follow this time. "Get ready. It's almost time." It took her a moment to process what he alluded to, and a rush of nausea flew to her stomach. Arventh added, in a deeper tone, "I'd like to hear about your family soon."