A Court of Separation and Scars

4.

Ruhn

He had known Velaria for almost his entire life.

They had first met at one of his father's state dinners. He had been talking to Cormac and making fun of his crown (they were children, after all) when he heard his father's booming voice calling everyone to eat.

As he was making his way to his designated seat, he saw her.

She was a new face, but she blended in perfectly. No one seemed to notice that she didn't really belong here, although she did a good job pretending like she did. No one noticed. Only he did.

He was drawn to her as soon as he saw her. There was something familiar about her, and he found himself swiftly weaving through the crowd to get to her. And then he found himself moving too fast, and he had lost her in the blur of people, and then – then he found his face in her purple embroidered skirt.

"Woah, there, kid." She laughed. "Going a little fast, huh?"

He slowly lifted his head out of her skirt, peering bashfully up at her.

She laughed again, the sound warming his heart as if it were spiced milk and honey. "You must be Prince Ruhn," she said, kneeling down to his level. "What a rush you were in to see your father. You must have truly missed him."

Ruhn shook his head back and forth. "No, he's too busy to talk to me," he said. "Besides, we're eating his favorite food for dinner: roast beef. I hate roast beef, it's yucky." His eyes widened suddenly. "But my dad says I shouldn't complain or else he's gonna lock me in my room again."

She winced, a shadow crossing over her face, but she covered it quickly with a bright smile. She scanned him with her stunning purple eyes, so purple they were almost blue, like his. "You must be excited for dessert, at least. And if you're not," she whispered, "I won't tell anyone. You can complain to me."

He paused, considering, then nodded. "I like when they make cherry chocolate cake, but my dad doesn't like chocolate, so they always make lime tarts for him. He only gets chocolate when my mom asks for it. But if it's not then, then it's lime tarts."

She stuck her tongue out. "I don't like lime."

Ruhn giggled. "Me neither," he said. "It's too sour."

"Seems like we have a lot in common, kid." She stuck her hand out. "I'm Velaria."

He took her hand and shook it up and down. "Did your parents not give you a last name?" he asked. "Mine gave me one. It's Danaan. With three a's."

Velaria let out a small laugh. "I'll tell you my last name later, but only if you do one thing for me, okay?" He nodded. "You can't tell anyone I was here. I'm leaving a present for someone, and it has to be a surprise."

"Okay!" Ruhn beamed at her. "I can do that."

"Thanks, kid," she said, ruffling his hair softly. "Now go take your seat. It's almost time for dinner."

And then she was gone, disappeared into the crowd.

But he didn't get to talk to her again until she visited a couple months later. He did see her during dinner, when everyone was distracted. One of his father's friends had begun clutching at his throat, and nobody but him noticed when Velaria slipped out the door. As soon as the giant doors had shut, his father's friend collapsed, and Velaria was gone.

She kept visiting regularly after that. Sometimes she would sidle up next to him unexpectedly in the street and they would go get pastries, or she would be sitting on his desk at the Aux. Once he got older, they went from taking walks or Velaria taking Ruhn to hidden places around Lunathion he had somehow never seen, to her then beginning to teach him how to fight.