Prophecy, Book One of the Kingdoms of Chartile

Chapter Thirteen: Lessons, part two

After the Council meeting, Piper had gone straight to her rooms. Valar had followed close behind. He yammered away about the next day's battle strategy meeting and other obligations she now had as the heir to the Elven throne. Piper opened her door in the Sapphire Quarter, stepped in as gracefully as a queen aught, and shut the door in Valar's face. She bolted it quickly and leaned against the door relieved. She heard Valar's boots shuffle away down the stone hall, and smiled a little as she sighed. She headed for the bedroom, letting her mother's dress fall to the floor where she walked. She fell into the feather-stuffed mattress and buried her face in the silk covered pillow. No more running. No more hiding. No more sleeping in drafty stone caves or digging in the dirt for mushrooms. She fell asleep still smiling, dreaming of fruit custards and horses whose coats shined like starlight.

She dreamed she was riding along one of the main roads through the Belirian Forest. The Elven Palace towered ahead of her. She laughed as her hair blew in the wind. She looked back and saw Dimitri gaining on her. She kicked her horse to run faster and whooped as they neared the front gates. Too late, she saw the guards on the battlements above the gate. They fitted flaming arrows to their bows and loosed them at Dimitri.

One. Two. Three. A dozen flaming arrows flew over her head and landed in Dimitri's chest. She tried to scream. She tried to turn her horseback. Dimitri fell to the ground, completely engulfed in the fire. The front gates of the palace opened before her, then shut again just as quickly. She leaped from her horse and ran to the closed gates. She cried out for Dimitri and demanded the gates be raised. She pounded against the metal repeatedly, until her fists pounded in sync with the sound of a tiny bell.

Piper came to enough to realize someone was ringing the little bell by the main door. She smothered the pillow over her head, ignoring both the bell and the tears that had made her face sticky. The ringing soon ended, and Piper shifted in and out of dream and nightmare.

The smell of fresh bread filled Piper's room several hours later. It managed to penetrate through the pillow she still held over her head. She sat up, her hair still clinging to her face, and hurried to dress. She chose a style that was neither Dwarvik nor Elven. The wardrobe held a fitted tunic that had been too long for her. She grabbed this and pulled on the black linen pants she had worn while living in the mountain. She tightened a jewel-encrusted belt over the tunic and hurried to pull on her boots.

Allies or no, she had decided it was too difficult to balance the ways of the dwarves with the culture of her own people. She was still trying to figure out how her own personality worked with her new status as the Elven Queen. She would certainly be expected to behave a certain way as the Elven royals before her. Therefore, she decided that as a queen, she would do as she liked, dress as she liked and act as she pleased. At this moment it pleased her to be comfortable and to stuff her face with that delicious smelling bread.

She opened her bedroom door and found Dimitri lounging across her fainting sofa, a plate of golden brown biscuits in hand. He smiled when she crossed the room in three strides to snatch a biscuit from the plate. She stopped, the sweet-smelling bread inches from her lips. She dropped her hand and asked, "Wait. How did you get in here? I locked the door."

Dimitri laughed. "I hope your instincts for safety soon override your love of food now that you are the queen-to-be," he said. Piper scowled at him. She placed her hands on her hips and sent little crumbs of biscuit scattering across the floor. "Honestly? I picked the lock."

"Dimitri!" Piper scolded.

"As Empress Nefiri's retainer, I have been sent on some errands that have required certain...skills is all. I wanted to surprise you. Especially since you were so kind to tell Valar where to stuff it last night. I thought you could use some cheering up this morning."

Piper shook her head and sat on the sofa beside Dimitri. She finally bit into the blissfully delicious bread, and sighed, a smile spreading across her face. "He's angry with me, isn't he?" she asked after a moment.

"Surprised, yes. Angry, no. I believe I heard him mutter something about "Just like her mother" and "a woman of few words." He does wish to meet with you as soon as possible. Before the strategy meeting, if possible."

"You've been speaking to Valar without me? What is Nefiri up to, Dimitri?" Piper moved on to a second biscuit. It was as tasty as the first. Soft, and subtly sweet with its honey glaze and buttery center. She took another bite and sighed again.

"Nefiri is, to be forthright, furious at Jayson, Jack, and Leo. She was bent on forcing them to live with the Black Diamonds. I was able to talk her out of it. I cannot say I blame her. It is hard to dismiss the grudge you have had for so long in a heart's beat." He ran his fingers through his black hair and shrugged. Piper had forgotten how much she enjoyed his company and his little quirks. He always fidgeted with his hair when he was nervous.

"Well, I do thank you for that. Though their methods may at times be rather unusual, I do believe it will be best for everyone in the end. Now, exactly why does that matter in regards to you speaking with Valar?"

"Seeing as you and I have been friends for so long, Nefiri has asked if I would be the liaison between you four and the dwarves. Five, I suppose, if you were to consider Valar. After you shut yourself in here last night, Valar asked to speak with me. He thought I could coax you out of your shell and convince you to meet with him. He has an alternate plan regarding Taraniz." Dimitri pulled the last bite of biscuit from Piper's hand and tossed it in the air, catching it in his mouth with a smug smile. "Have I succeeded?"

"Succeeded in what? Annoying me? Yes." Piper's voice was firm, but she smiled as she spoke. Dimitri leaned in, pushing her tangled mess of hair out of her eyes.

"Have I succeeded in coaxing you out of your shell, you uptight little fireball?" He did not wait for a response. He kissed her warmly. He pushed her back into the corner of the sofa and wrapped his arms around her back.

Piper kissed him back. She allowed herself to become lost in the familiarity of him. She felt his strong, knotted muscles encircle her, and felt his breath in her ear. He moved to kiss her chin, and she leaped from the sofa.

"Dimitri, this has to stop," she said, her voice shaking. "I told you, now that I will be queen, we cannot be together. My — my marriage will be arranged by the Elven Council. There is nothing to be done about it." She turned back towards her bedroom, ready to shut herself away once more. Dimitri's grabbed her wrist, and instinct overtook her. She twisted, stepping on Dimitri's foot, ready to elbow him in the stomach. This was a trick he had taught her. As soon as her foot came down on his, Dimitri spun her around. He pressed her back against his chest and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Let me go!" she cried. She fought the tears ready to slip down her face as much as she fought against Dimitri. Dimitri said nothing. He held her there. She struggled against his body, but it was no use. Eventually, she gave in. She gave in to his strength and to her tears. She slumped to the floor, holding her face in her hands. He still held her, gentler now. He let her cry and let her hot tears splash against his arm like he did three years ago beneath the beech tree. Finally, her crying subsided to little hiccups, and he wiped her face with his tunic sleeve.

"I do not care what any council says," he whispered to her. "I am never going to stop loving you. Stop fighting this. You know we're—"

"I don't want to lose you," she breathed through her hands. "If anything ever happened to you because of me, I—" Dimitri pulled her hands away from her face. Even when she cried, she was beautiful. He wiped the tears from her face again. "Dimitri, you are my dearest friend. I love you more than anyone I have ever known. I cannot bring myself to let you—"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "That is a burden for me to carry, not you. I will never force you to do anything against your will. But you cannot stop me from loving you." He kissed her fingers softly, and left the room, leaving the empty plate of biscuits sitting on the sofa.