Abidon

*Very special thanks to Nicola Guills who gave me the new, more interesting summary.*

Abidon

Chapter II

~*~

An incredibly foul stench stung in Aisha’s nostrils; the reek of another human being who was either sick or dying, it was probably what had woken her. Frantically her eyes scanned the closed area of the cell but could see near to nothing in the darkness. Swallowing and trying to appease her gag reflex, she curled herself up tighter into a ball, huddled back into the corner and tried not to be too afraid.

When had they brought someone else in here? Her hands went to the cold ground and she frantically sought something in the darkness to defend herself with, if need be. A rock, a piece of wood, anything would suffice. Ugh, what she would have given to have had her dagger at that moment.

She heard movement, the sound of skin scraping against stone, and from the faintest sliver of moonlight coming through the window she caught sight of what looked to be another peasant dressed quite like herself, very dirty in soiled ratted rags. What should she do, she wondered. Staying put was the best of choices, maybe stand in case she needed to defend herself. Her eyes glimpsed the door and she wondered if there was any way to open it, was there any weakness in it at all?

A sharp hoarse coughing filled the cell and startled her. The figure moved in the darkness and grunted in his throat as though something irritated him. Aisha’s hand sought hurriedly over the stone floor in frantic search for a tool, anything. Her heart caught in her chest when her fingers brushed over a solid dusty thing. She sucked in her breath, completely relieved, and let her fingers close around it without restraint.

She held it up and saw that it was a bone, a human bone. What would not have been her first choice but would suffice if she indeed needed to use it. Aisha brought the bone into her stomach tightly and slid up along the stone wall as silently as she could. If this peasant were to awaken, she would not be taken off guard.

The same coughing began again and this time she knew that the man was awake. He snorted through his nose and then it calmed, and then came a tight swallowing in the throat, and Aisha could see in the moonlight that the man was awake and staring at her with large blue bewildered eyes.

Aisha sucked in a terrified breath and willed herself to be calm. Perhaps the man didn’t know that she was a woman, wouldn’t make the mistake that she was completely defenseless and take a shot of...whatever he would take a shot at doing. Her fist tightened around the bone as her eyes never left those of the peasant.

He continued to stare at her in the darkness, and contrary to what she was hoping, began to struggle to get to his feet. Clutching the bone as tightly as she could, she watched the man’s every move, to getting up on his knees and begin coughing again, to the struggle of getting up on his feet, holding out to the wall for support. Was he drunk? He sure smelled like it.

Aisha could see him a little better now, even in the darkness. Not someone she knew or recognized, probably another assassin of the Queen they had thrown in the dungeon, same as she. Perhaps the Prince had offered him a sort of partnership the same as her, and went back on it and threw him in this dirty little hole to shrivel up and die in.

He slurred something in a completely different language than the one she was accustomed to, and she did not recognize it either. What she did recognize was an interesting pique in his tone of voice, something not unlike shrewd and excited. But she could recognize that telltale look in his eyes, cold and hungry and anxious, even in the darkness that swallowed them.

She narrowed her eyes in warning. She was afraid but she couldn’t show it. If she had to kill to survive than so be it...even if it meant rotting away in a cell, at least she would rot alone and not in the company of someone who would violate her on a regular basis.

The man spoke again in his foreign tongue, the tone in his voice was expecting of something. She did not move or speak but her eyes held the same dangerous glare and held firm with his. He had had fair warning. Do not come any closer.

The man approached her steadily, surprisingly since he was seemingly drunk. His arms reached out for her and Aisha dashed to her side to avoid him, scraping her bare arm against the stone and listening to him collide with the wall. She turned around and produced her weapon in warning but the man didn’t seem to understand. He looked at her over his shoulder and growled something angrily, and then he leapt at her again, and this time she was not quite quick enough.

He enveloped her in his arms and held her tight. She tried not to scream and instead tried violently to shake him off. He began to laugh deliriously, he must have been completely drunk, and after talking a little more in his foreign tongue, he leaned in to kiss her mouth.

Suddenly, at a time of desperation, Aisha remembered when one of her brothers had tried to lull a girl and she, rather insulted, kicked him directly in the groin and her brother couldn’t move for days. She swallowed tightly and fought against him, but as his dirty, stinking face neared hers, she could see no other option. She pushed herself up against the wall the farthest she could go, waited only a split second for him to get right close, and then she lifted her right knee directly into his groin.

The man croaked like a winded frog and his arms fell off her to shield himself. Aisha took no chances and grasped the bone in both hands and hit him square across his chin. He fell over the wall and eventually down onto the ground and spat at her in his foreign language. And just when it looked like he was trying to get up, Aisha gave his pelvis the strongest kick she had in her.

Again the wind left him, she could hear it distinctly, and then his head bent and he remained still. Even over Aisha’s heavy breathing in the cell she knew that the bastard was still alive, she could hear the whistling through his nose. Her fists tightened around the bone that had indeed proved useful, and cowered from him in the furthest corner.

Some time passed but he didn’t move and Aisha was worried for a little while that she had killed him. But a very startling grunt in his unconsciousness proved her wrong and she was relieved. She settled back against the stone wall and relaxed as best she could.

Of course it didn’t take an hour for the guards to come stomping down into the dungeons and haul her out of the cell.

~*~

The Prince was dressed in a lovely wine red wrap that showed off his golden chest. The early evening light caught on his skin elegantly and in his eyes, so that when he looked upon her they were a much lighter shade of blue than they really were. He sat at a low table bent over long pieces of parchment, in a large open room with tall twisting pillars and magnificently tall windows. On either side of him the flames in their lanterns burned, creating a divine smell and warmth to a troubled soul.

The Prince had unrolled a piece of parchment and looked up as the guards entered, with Aisha in their hold. His expression did not change, and for a moment his eyes didn’t even remain with her, turning back to the parchment that held his attentions.

Aisha’s eyes fixed on the prince in anger, and not on her surroundings as she would have usually done. The prince knew that she was down there all by herself, surely he would have known if another prisoner had been put inside with her. Did he forget already who she was and what they had talked about not too long ago?

Luca looked up at her as she was brought forward. He sucked in a breath as though preparing for an onslaught, and sat back on the cushion to observe her. From Aisha’s pissed-off point of view, he looked like a smug bastard.

He looked over her for a moment with a pained expression on his face, as though he hadn’t quite seen her in her entirety the previous time they had met. At that point Aisha was less concerned about how she looked and more interested in hearing his explanation for what had happened in the dungeon. She gave him her most surly scowl that she usually saved for his wicked aunt.

“I have a plan.” he said clearly, with total confidence, completely ignoring her obvious displeasure.

The guards released their hold on Aisha, and she rocked from foot to foot and shot him a ferocious glare, completely forgetting just who she was in the presence of. “Really? I was nearly raped by a madman in your dungeons.”

She knew it wasn’t right to speak to a prince in such a manner. But she had completely forgotten herself.

Prince Luca drew in a breath, as though contemplating on whether to correct her and show his authoritative side, or ignore the remark and continue on. “Yes...I had him put there. I apologize about the lack of warning, but I needed to see for myself that you are capable of handling yourself in tricky situations.”

Aisha scowled and prepared to open her mouth for a complete onslaught that would surely have her thrown back into the dungeons with no hesitation. But then her eyes caught with the guard that stood behind the prince on his left, and the man narrowed his eyes to hers, not in a deadly way, but in a way of warning, and very slowly he shook his head. It was a simple, ‘do not dare take that turn’ piece of advice and Aisha suddenly saw the sense to take it seriously.

She swallowed, took her eyes away from the guard and looked to Luca, who stared at her expectedly. Aisha willed herself to calm down. “I can handle myself just fine.”

Luca nodded, looking directly into her eyes . “Yes, well...that is certainly evident.”

Aisha stole a second glance at the guard, almost looking for consolation, but his expression was not one that she could read. She ignored him then, looking down at her feet somewhat consciously, and all of a sudden very embarrassed by her clothes. Gods could she have possibly gotten any dirtier? Her legs were absolutely covered in dirt and dust, she looked positively filthy.

To distract herself from the way she looked, she shook her head and concentrated. “What plan do you propose?”

Prince Luca stood from his seat, and Aisha’s eyes wandered over him. He wore the most beautiful of clothes, this tunic that wrapped about his chiseled frame was especially flattering, with lovely golden embroidered hems and sleeves that broke away at the elbow. She pulled her eyes from his clothes and looked once more to his eyes but he was looking away as though trying to sum up what he was about to say to her.

He began to pace very slowly back and forth behind his little table, with his fingertips all pressed together. Aisha thought he was going to go on like this for awhile, but then he sucked in a breath and began to speak.

“To put it simply...” and then he turned and looked at her very seriously, which made her raise an eyebrow. Judging by the look on his face, what he was about to say next was conflicting with him. “My chances of gaining the throne are slim if I remain...unmarried.”

Aisha felt her eyebrows knit together and she frowned heartily. She found herself shrugging her shoulders very casually. “So...”

Luca bit down lightly on his lower lip and stared at her with all seriousness. “We pose as a courting couple. Eventually...we marry.”

Aisha’s expression must have been especially shocking because he was quick to add: “My aunt will have no place to kill either of us if you carry my heir. We will have better footing to ovethrow her.”

“What?!” Aisha spat it out completely without thinking, and rather loudly. “You’re mad!”

Really, what on earth was he thinking? Did he not see how she was dressed, the dirt and the mud and the grass and the blood on her skin, her clothes and in her hair? How on earth would he have come to the conclusion that marrying her would end their problem? She had always been taught that those of royal blood never bothered themselves with the likes of peasantry, surely he must have been joking.

Her shock to his suggestion obviously brought upon conflict for it showed in the Prince’s face. He sighed heavily. “My aunt is a sorceress, we try anything more mischevious and we risk being found out. A feign courtship is the most innocent of scams but also most convincing.”

Aisha shook her head in complete disbelief. This Prince had gone mad! Had he forgotten that hours before Aisha had tried to knife his aunt?

“She just saw me try to murder her!” Aisha belted out, louder than she would have liked.

Prince Luca pressed his lips together as though his patience with her was drawing thin, and indeed it probably was, she was being rather difficult. “We will prepare you to be the bride to a prince. We will groom you, dress you, and you will be a princess.”

Again Aisha opened her mouth to remind him that she had tried to murder the woman and the Queen would definitely recognize her, so Luca put up his hand as if to silence her. “My aunt never looks too carefully at peasants. In decent attire, she’ll never recognize you.”

Aisha shook her head in complete disbelief. She honestly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You make her sound like a complete fool.”

“My aunt is wise but she is also vain.” Luca said calmly. “With her own petty self to look after, all those boys she keeps in her chambers, she’ll never notice anything particularly dastardly, and certainly not if you look and play the part.”

Aisha couldn’t help but scowl and shake her head. She could feel it in her gut, it just wouldn’t work.

Prince Luca stared at her steadily. “You scowl at me as though I am mad. I’m telling you this will work.”

Aisha swallowed, looked down at her feet and around at her surroundings, anywhere but directly in his face. He was serious, dead serious in fact. But how could he put so much faith in a plan that was so risky? He obviously did not think much of the Queen and definitely wanted to be rid of her, the same as Aisha and the rest of the country. But was this really a way to go about it?

And...being the wife of a prince! Aisha was certain that royals had to marry other royal blood, if anyone discovered that he had married a peasant (even if for the sake of overthrowing the wicked queen), wouldn’t he be ruined? Embarrassed? Humiliated? The country wouldn’t want him for their King, and certainly not her for a Queen.

A Queen...she would become a princess first, for the sake of Luca’s plan. A princess. But it didn’t feel right, nothing about this felt right. It felt complicated and risky, and put together too quickly.

Aisha looked up at Luca but the prince only stared back at her with a saddened look, as though pleading for her to agree to the plan.

“What if I refuse?” Aisha said quietly.

Luca breathed in, and then he let it out, slightly irritated. “Then I suppose I will send you home to your family.”

That had surprised her. She figured he would have had her put back in the dungeons. But then slowly she saw what he meant. She would go home to her family, back to her village where the children were starving and the troops were ransacking the men and women of all their goods. And worse she would go back knowing that she had a chance to be rid of the Queen and didn't take it.

Aisha felt completely conflicted. On one hand she thought it was the stupidest idea she had ever heard of, and yet on the other she would do anything to be rid of Queen Dalal and have things back the way they were, not just for her but for her village and for all people across Abidon.

Finally, after a bit of deliberation, Aisha met Luca’s eyes. “I want to see her die.”

Luca was relieved, although he didn’t show it. “Then we are in agreement.”

Aisha took in a hesitant breath, and then let it out as she nodded. “Yes.”

Luca nodded back, just about smiling but not quite. “Excellent.”

There was a moment of silence as the understanding between them steadied. Aisha stared at the man who would become...ultimately, her husband. Her stomach lurched and turned at the idea, it still didn’t sit very well with her. She had to calm herself and tell herself that it was at least worth trying. And at the same time, she would marry Prince Luca and eventually become Queen, and be known as one of the usurpers of Queen Dalal.

It was worth a try and she knew it.

After a moment, Luca turned over his shoulder to one of his guards, the one that Aisha had secretly confided in. “Jaak will you please take her to the beautician.” and he turned back to Aisha. “The beautician will see to your transformation. And from there...we shall see.”


Aisha nodded but she didn’t say anything, and neither did the prince as he turned his back to her and left the room, followed by the single guard. She opened her mouth to call to him but didn’t know what she would say. Thank you? It didn’t seem quite appropriate, they hadn’t succeeded. Did he even know her name?

Jaak, the guard that Luca had instructed to take Aisha to the beautician, stepped up and gave her a little bow of his head. “If you don’t mind me saying so, I think you’ve made the right decision.”

Sighing, Aisha stared at the guard. She hadn’t taken the time to examine him before, he was slightly older and with the most lovely coloured olive skin, and dark black hair just a bit too long in the back. His voice was deep, slightly husked, and he had the beginnings of a beard on his chin. He had quite a nice face, one that suggested he was wise, and brown eyes that were solemn. Already Aisha knew that she could trust him.

She tried to smile a little but she was still uneasy about the entire ordeal. “I certainly hope you’re right about that.”

He eased a little smile for her, and placed both his hands behind his back. “I am Jaak, and completely at your service...your highness.”

Aisha’s eyes widened and she sucked in an alarmed breath. “Don’t call me that. I’m not married to the Prince yet. Aisha.”

Jaak smiled again and nodded. “Aisha. If we may, I’ll show you the way to the beautician now.”

Aisha nodded eagerly, for she wanted nothing more than something else to take her mind off of what had just happened. She allowed Jaak to step in front of her and lead her away.

~*~

Jaak led her through the many great halls of the palace, completely cloaked in night but lit by countless golden torches. Aisha stayed close to Jaak and kept her eyes away from anyone who passed them. She worried that someone would recognize her but no one said a word, not even looked at her disgusted by her appearance.

Aisha had a chance to take in the surroundings of what was now her home...and eventually her palace. It really was quite remarkably lovely, everything was in such pristine white marble, and the windows were tall and great with elaborate silver paneling. When she looked out at the city she saw the lamps in the streets and the greens of the trees and she felt an odd sense of peace, that soon their world would change for the better. Soon the queen would be rid of.

Then Jaak took her out away from the palace and into one of the courtyards, where the moon bathed the long lawn of green grass that led off into a vast forest. Aisha looked around anxiously, wondering where it was they were going and resisting the urge of asking Jaak and looking like a complete moron. When they made their way into the trees it was then that Aisha started getting very nervous, and thought that maybe the Prince had changed his mind about the entire thing and took her out here to have her executed.

Jaak, as if he had completely read her mind, chuckled a little. “The beautician is this way. We do not keep her inside the palace for...security reasons.”

Aisha frowned. Security reasons? Just who was this beautician...

Finally they came to a clearing in the trees, and Aisha gasped in delight when she saw a little house constructed in the form of a toadstool. She couldn’t help but let a laugh break from her, it was the most wondrous little thing she had ever seen. Inside the windows there were lights and a door, and stepping stones down towards the door.

Aisha followed Jaak along the stepping stones towards the little house. “Why do you keep your beautician in this place?”

Jaak looked at her over his shoulder. “These measures are taken when assassins sent to kill the Queen are rather...indispensable.”

Not quite understanding what that meant, she continued to follow Jaak up to the door and remained quiet as the guard knocked on the door. But he didn’t wait for whoever to reply, instead he turned the knob on the door and pushed it in.

“Ingvildr?” he called into the little house. “Ingvildr are you here?”

Aisha timidly followed Jaak into the little house, just as she heard a woman’s voice call out. “Quiet, quiet! Not so bloody loud, I hear you just fine, I’m right here.”

Aisha stood at Jaak’s side and looked around. The little house was not very different from one of her own huts in her village. It contained a small kitchen with a fireplace and a cooking pot, and then a small living area with a long bed covered in pillows, and an enormous looking glass propped against one of the walls. The place was a mess, really. Covered in potted dishes and blankets and small books.

But Aisha loved it. She felt it was cozy, and could have easily lived here if she had to.

Then, the rattling of a chain broke her out of her dream-like moment, and a gasp caught in her breath as a woman appeared from nowhere, or so it seemed. She was old but incredibly beautiful, covered in deep red clothes and walking with a bit of a slump. Her long white hair hung behind her in a tight elegant braid, pulled away from her face, and rightly so.

When the woman looked up at Aisha and Jaak, Aisha once again heard herself gasp. The woman’s had pink eyes...that were slitted. Quite like a cat’s.

“A Tulrulian.” Aisha whispered under her breath, completely in disbelief.

Jaak smiled at Aisha’s obvious surprise, and nodded to the woman. “Ingvildr, surprise. I’ve got a challenge for you.”

The Tulrulian woman glared at Jaak. “Haven’t I served my punishment long enough?”

“You’re still shackled, aren’t you?” Jaak said.

Aisha scowled, and then looking down at the Tulrulian woman’s feet, discovered that indeed there was a shackle around her left foot, with a chain attached.

The Tulrulian glowered at Jaak hatefully. “I’ve been here too long, making pretty too many boys far too young for their purposes! That bitch of a queen have something to say to me?!”

Jaak sighed. “She’s not for the Queen. She’s for the Prince.”

The Tulrulian then turned her pink slitted eyes to Aisha, and squinted at her, and then she looked her up and down and made a weird noise in her throat. “A challenge indeed.”

Jaak nodded. “Good, so I’ll leave her with you then?”

Aisha looked at Jaak as though pleading with him not to go just yet, she had just started to feel as though she had made a bit of a friend. But Jaak gave her a reassuring smile that told her that he’d be back for her. And she watched him leave the little house and close the door behind him.

Then, with a shaky breath, Aisha turned back and looked to Ingvildr, the Tulrulian, who was still looking her up and down. The woman’s eyes were nearly frightening to look into, so Aisha discreetly turned her eyes away.

“How do they call you?” Ingvildr asked quite suddenly.

Aisha cleared her throat. “Aisha of Flutura...ma’am.”

“And you’re for the prince, are you? Hmm...in that case we most definitely have a challenge. Well then, come this way.” she crooked a finger at Aisha to come inside, and then she turned to go into the little living room. Aisha followed slowly and carefully, trying not to touch anything.

Ingvildr pointed to a chair that was sitting against one of the walls. “Put this in front of the mirror and sit down.”

Aisha did so, and stared at her reflection as Ingvildr looked her over and made an interested noise in her throat. “You look as though you’ve been rolling in mud.”

Aisha nodded. “...Flutura has met difficult times.”

Ingvildr snorted. “As has all of Abidon. What do you think brought me here from Tulrulia?”

Aisha nodded, knowing that Tulrulia was indeed a hell of a long ways from here and indeed it would have been quite a journey to make.

“Hmm...I see we have quite a bit of work to do. And I think the very best thing is to get you washed first.” Ingvildr said, tsking as she rubbed a strand of hair between her two fingers. “And then from there...we’ll see what we can do.”

~*~

Next chapter: Aisha will learn a few things about being royal.