Time for the Truth: a story of a sleeping beauty

part 17: Curious

"What can we do to help?" Asked the shorter one of the two that had held Morrigan. 

"Ridon floain" Rior said. He spoke to them in Moridjian and I did my best to translate for my parents. 

"He's saying that he knows it will require a lot of them, but there is a princess in need, their future queen's sister... I don't know what the next part is." I listened, trying to understand as much as I could. " he would appreciate if they would at least think on it." 

The other men erupted loudly, in anger. Their voices layered over one another until I couldn't understand any of it. Rior paced in front of them, holding up his hand for silence. 

"...pourtekis?" Rior finished. My father rubbed his tired eyes. The man who looked to be the leader (besides Rior) and had held Morrigan moved forward. 

"Excuse my anglish? But... the men want to know what would encourage them to do such thing?" his accent was even stronger than Rior's. 

"What is your name?" My father asked.

"Camden." My father nodded. 

My father began describing how the man would be paid to serve on the guard for the princess and always have a life here. The man shook his head. 

"We are already guards at home." He said and Rior nodded to him, agreeing to translate. 

"They want to know how close they would be allowed to be to the Princess." Rior looks at my father and the men all turn to stare. My father grew red with anger, but I placed my hand on his arm. 

"Father, this bond- they believe it will alter the way they think, the way they are. If they do this, they are giving up everything they know, and they believe they will be in love with someone they have never met. They are all young men who may have futures or others waiting for them at home. Try to imagine asking Basil to do such a thing." He nods to me and I drop my hand. Rior bites his lip. 

"Your Majesty, it is more than just protection they will want to give- it will be themselves, their heart and they will want to marry your daughter. The danger is if she does not want them back they will be... stuck." Rior spoke. 

"We don't know if that's completely true, right? What if they don't fall in love with her? I mean you were biased because you already liked me, right?" I asked Rior. He shrugged. 

"I definitely felt it, but you are right, I already cared for you- it was intensified. So imagine how strange it would be if they were to suddenly feel that with nothing there to begin with." 

One of the men asked a question and Rior grew thoughtful. I looked at him questioningly. 

"They asked me what it feels like to give it." He began speaking in rapid Moridjian. Some of the men looked shocked, others, wary, and Camden looked intrigued. 

Maybe we should focus our efforts on him- I thought to myself. I walked over to Rior and whispered in his ear, "You definitely need to tell me about this later." He blushed and smiled, which probably didn't look great in front of my father but... 

"Okay." Rior said to them, and the men left. Camden cast a glance back and I nodded at him. He bowed his head in response. Apparently okay meant the same thing in every language. 

"They need the day to think about it- and possibly a night." Rior winced at the last bit. My father nodded sadly. 

"What else do they want." He muttered, desperate. 

"You must at least promise for them to court her. They must at least get a chance, and a future here, and the ability to travel back and forth to visit their family at home." I say, knowing that is what I would have wanted. Rior nodded. 

"We will also give them great honor for helping your family." My father nodded, thanked us and stalked off. 

I stayed in the room with Rior. 

"So what did it feel like?" I asked, changing the subject. Rior breathed in deeply and released his breath in a long, slow stream. 

"It felt like I was being taken apart bit by bit."

"That doesn't sound pleasant at all." I joke, but I am biting my lip. 

"In some ways it was not, not at first. You were there, sick, almost dead, burning and shivering and I wanted to hold you more than anything in my life. It was like I was crazy, but I could barely control myself. I could not eat, and only slept when my body forced me. My father had to tell me that blood sharing made you stronger only if I was strong in order for me to stomach anything. It was like when I was away from you, I could not breathe the way I had before. The colors were all different, the sounds different. When I was with you, it was..." He closed his eyes and pulled me close. "It was like I was able to see everything, hear everything, become incredible if only for you. I would dream of when you awoke, and when you did and you were so angry I could feel your anger. It made me disgusted with myself. How could I ever do that to you? I remembered feeling justified when I did it, but I cannot imagine why now. Things really changed." I sniffed, my eyes filling with tears suddenly. 

"Do you think you would never have followed me here, truly been in love with me if you had not shared this death promise?" I felt a wave of unsteadiness come over me. Rior pushed my shoulders back to look me in the eyes, but I was having trouble meeting his gaze. 

"That is the crazy thing- I was already so convinced I could love you forever, and then it was like I was convinced I could not ever go without you, and I wanted you to feel the same, so I knew I could let you come here, just be there if you needed it. It is still a strange feeling, wanting someone other than yourself to be so happy and safe. I mean, I love my family, but you are entirely different- but still my family." I nodded and he cupped my face, wiping away the stray tear that had managed to fall. I leaned forward and kissed him as delicately as I could. Rior froze, trying not to pull me against him. I smiled against his lips and pushed myself against him just in time for the door to open. 

Basil stood there, almost smirking at the sight of us, but still angry about Morrigan. The betrayal would cost him his trust for a very long time. 

"Any luck?" He asked, and I was reminded of my previous plan. 

"Rior, I think the one that we should ask again is Camden." He looks sharply at me. 

"I do not know if it is a good idea. He is second in command of the military at home."

"And they could not spare him?" I ask, incredulous. Rior shakes his head. 

"No, it is not that, it is that he has a future at home he may be unwilling to give up. He is one of the smartest men working for my father- perhaps the smartest. He.... I do not know. We can ask." I nod slowly.

"He looked interested by the idea- intelligence tends to go with curiosity, wouldn't you say?" I spoke to Rior and Basil this time. 

Basil nodded. 

"Shall I go get him?" he asked. I shook my head. 

"No. Let us wait until after lunch, that way we can sleep and eat so we don't say anything rash." I smile, holding Rior's hand as I begin to walk to my room. Basil coughs and I laugh. 

"Basil, I will walk with him to my room, no further." I roll my eyes while Basil nods good-naturedly at Rior. 

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