A Tale Of Queens

Moving Forward

Phelon found himself reminiscing as he sat in the palace courtyard.

His mind went to Ifika, as it often did these days. He remembered seeing her for the first time, two years after she had run away.

He was at Geleu, working on an exchange treaty with the Emperor. The old man grew very fond of him during his visit; something about bearing a striking resemblance to a former lover. It worked in Phelon's favour and after an agreement was reached, exotic dancers were ushered into courtyard for the entertainment of the Emperor's special guest.

Phelon could hardly contain his surprise when he spotted Ifika among them. Her eyelids were lined with kohl, her hands and feet were beautifully hennaed and her face and upper body were bronzed to perfection but she'd generally remained the same. Maybe slightly older, wisened to the world that her previously sheltered life had hidden from her.

Her eyes met his and widened in shock. He smiled coldly at her and she looked away.

The music began and the dancers commenced their routine. The choreography was astounding and in perfect synchronization, captivating the audience. Yet Phelon hardly paid attention. His eyes were on Ifika, burning, piercing, refusing to look away.

He could tell that she was well aware of his gaze. He noticed her miss a step or two distractedly and it pleased him to make her even more uncomfortable.

The Emperor noticed his fixation on her and clamped his shoulder, laughing jovially.

"I can send her to your room if you wish. A charmer isn't she?"

Yes, a charming runaway indeed.

Even Phelon was shocked by how bitter he was, seeing her in the flesh. But he took the offer.

After all, this could be the closure he had never gotten.

***********

Ifika was trembling when she entered the room.

She had assumed that Phelon and Khelet were closed chapters in her life. When she'd got wind of the news that he had married Alti, she realised that maybe this had been her sister's plan all along. To get rid of her and move in on him. She was regretful of her gullibility but there was nothing she could do.

Besides, her life here was satisfactory. The group of dancers she'd joined were very welcoming. And Geleu was a relatively peaceful place. She travelled sometimes to close-by cities for performances but she considered Geleu home. A place where she could settle down without the past hanging over her head.

And now Phelon was here to ruin it.

"Hail," she greeted him customarily. Her eyes remained on the cold floor as she knelt.

"You won't even look at me." Phelon's voice was a mixture of mockery, annoyance and frustration.

She gulped and looked up to meet his eyes. The anger she saw in them caused her to focus on the wall behind him instead. He sighed, taking her hand carefully, helping her to her feet. Ifika felt tremors up her arm and gasped. Phelon ignored that and led her to the bed, sitting her down. He sat beside her and she could feel his body heat, smell his musk. Ifika shivered.

"Why?" His voice was gentle when he asked.

In a subdued voice, she began to explain how pressured she felt with his proposal and how she was not ready to be a queen. This part was completely true.

However, when she got to the part where she and Alti planned her escape, she pinned the blame on Alti and painted a scenario where her sister took advantage of her naivety and convinced her that her only choice was to run far away, where Alti was increasingly mounting pressure on her and where she got cold feet but went ahead with the plot only because Alti had threatened to do 'unspeakable things' to her.