In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 13: Shaky Truce~

A/N: Uuuummmm.... Let's just say things look up for their relationship in this one. And sorry, the letter is in the next chapter. Oops! :) And there's another picture of Maia Mitchell for you, the girl I picture for Kalysta.

"He persuaded you, then?" Zayn asked eagerly.

"Yes, he did," Kalysta said, still smiling. After a moment, though, her face fell.

"What's wrong?" Zayn questioned.

"King Naseer says you are trustworthy and hold to the same beliefs as the other nations," she said quietly.

"That's true." Zayn nodded. "I don't agree with Mullingar's method of operations, there's much that has rotted in that country, more than just the rulers. You'd think with its heritage that Mullingar would be the last country to allow what it does. But Murdoch has never been the most moral or reasonable man."

"Is there a reason you've been treating me like the scum on your boots this entire time, then?" Kalysta snapped angrily. "If you believe women should be treated with equal respect, then you have a bloody terrible way of showing it! You've taken every chance possible to put me down and ignore me and disparage my authority. At first I thought perhaps it was just me you were treating badly, except that you essentially called me a seducing distraction when I was Lyra, insinuating that I was attempting to get your men into trouble with the law by using my feminine wiles. I think "dirty hussy" was what I was called?"

"Hayden called you that, not me," Zayn said quietly.

"And that makes it okay for you to just sit by and watch without doing anything?" Kalysta's anger wouldn't be deterred. "I'm supposed to trust you, but everything is a trick with you! Who are you really, a man who fights to undermine his family and respects women in authority or a chauvinist like your family? I'm tired of your two faces!"

"And what do you have to say for your two faces?" Zayn yelled back. "You're a Princess that flaunts herself as a common serving wench? That doesn't give me much faith in your ability to rule. Perhaps you just enjoy playing dress-up?"

"That's used for information-gathering purposes!" Kalysta protested.

"What, you have no one else who can spy on your people?"

"None that have as much knowledge and experience as I do!"

"How would the whole of Elysium react if they found out their Princess was mucking around as a common trollop?" he mocked her.

"They'd probably be glad that the royalty actually does work in their nation, unlike some others we know!" Kalysta laughed scornfully. "What do you do besides play at a resistance and insult people for no reason? We began cordially on my birthday and you immediately took hits at me, calling me a child and spouting your stupidity about "women only speak when spoken to"! It's no wonder I don't want to trust you when the only experiences I have around you are of you scorning and degrading me! See? You're still a pompous ass, even after all of this!"

Zayn's eyes widened at her outburst and he seemed stuck for words at the moment. He rose suddenly from his chair and moved toward where she was sitting.

Kalysta grabbed her knife from where she'd placed it on the table, gripping it and rising to meet him.

"No, no," Zayn said quickly, holding his hand in front of him as a calming gesture. His expression was penitent. "I am making no move to harm you."

He slowed, and as he approached her he knelt at her feet, taking her completely by surprised.

"You have my most humble and sincere apology for my behavior, Your Highness," he said solemnly. She didn't think she could be more gobstruck, but then he took her hand, the one not holding the knife, and held it carefully between both of his. The physical contact made a warm rush spread from her fingertips to her body. He shouldn't be touching her like this; it was improper. But she found herself keeping her hand there, nestled by his callused palms, unable to move it for some reason.

"I've treated you abysmally, Your Highness," he said. "In my defense, I need to keep up the appearance of following Mullingar ideas and viewpoints, but I should have told you sooner who I was. I should have taken you aside and explained my behavior."

"Keep up the appearance?" Kalysta asked quietly. "Who in Elysium would care your viewpoint enough to tell your father? Is it the people with you? Would your own men turn you in?"

"I can trust my fellow Bradian men, but not those from Mullingar," he clarified. He still held her hand and his thumb on the upper hand was drifting gently back in forth, another attempt to keep them both calm it seemed. "As well, there actually are people here who would be happy to inform Murdoch of my actions."

"What? Who here would do that?" Kalysta asked sharply.

"No one in your staff, no," he rushed to assure her, "and not for lack of trying on Mullingar's part. I mean people in your country in general."

"I take it you've corrupted some of my nobles?"

"Precisely."

"I would not put it past them," she said thoughtfully. "They have not appreciated my movements to decrease the gap between classes. The whole of them are stuck thinking that people can only be what they were born into, and nothing more."

"Yes, several approached Murdoch, again, after you sixteenth birthday when your new policies came into play. They're part of the reason we can confirm your role as the true leader of Elysium."

"I did not expect this from you," Kalysta said next, "your apology at least."

"I know," Zayn sighed. "So often pride is at fault for a continued conflict, and it was mine extending it now."

"It wasn't all yours," she admitted, finally coming to her senses enough to pull her hand away from his. "I feel like I have much to compensate for with my age and I can bluster and get irritated enough to start any disagreement."

Zayn rose suddenly from his knees to stand in front of her, still too close for propriety. She looked away.

"So, no more arguing?" he asked, moving his head so she would look him in the eye. "I can't guarantee that I'll be cordial in mixed company, but I apologize ahead of time for the idiocy I'm forced to assume to hide my true political standing."

"Thank you for warning me," she said, doing her best to hide the trembling that had started in her limbs in response to his close proximity. "As long as we continue to communicate and you continue to prove yourself trustworthy then there shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll do my best," he whispered, as if sharing a secret with her.

Slowly, he reached out, grasping a lock of her hair and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger.

"It's too bad you must keep your hair up for societal structures." His voice was low and filled with some emotion that she couldn't identify. "Your hair is beautiful like this."

Finally shaking herself free of the spell he seemed to have put on her, she reached behind to put her hair up into a loose bun held by a sinew band.

"Yes, I had forgotten it was down," she said, hoping he didn't notice the creak in her voice. How was he affecting her like this? They were at each other's throats in anger just a minute ago! "Thank you for reminding me."

"I didn't say that so you'd put it up!" he chuckled.

After holding her gaze for another moment, he moved toward the door.

"D-Do you want to see what King Naseer wrote of you in the letter?" she asked, surprising herself with the excuse to keep him around.

That delighted grin spread across his face as he turned back to her.

"Of course, Princess. It'd be my pleasure."

A/N: Aaaaaaaah!! I'm so excited! Things are starting to fall into place! and now you know why he was so rude. :) more to come!

Leave me some comments guys! :) voting helps me motivate myself to update sooner! ;)