"Neil." Aveedah breathed at the sight of the young man approaching her, his eyes holding naked disbelief.
"Aveedah." He called.
"Is it really you?" He asked again and she nodded, a small smile on her face.
"How have you been?" She asked, tears misting her eyes.
Neil had been one of her favourite persons, he was younger but very funny, humble and eager to learn.
"How did all this happen?"
"Why did you not seek me out?"
Neil was quiet for a bit then he slowly backed away from her.
"I did not know who to trust." He said.
"And I am still not sure if I should trust you." He added, his eyes downcast but she could still see the change in them.
The once transparent eyes, were now clouded with hatred and pain. Anyone who was familiar with Neil, knows him as the most transparent person that can ever exist. It is a trait he had gotten from his late father, a beautiful trait had it not been for the greedy people around him.
He has only been thought to be good to his people, to be a kind and just ruler, a person with impeccable manners and a merciful heart. A person that knows nothing about scheming and betrayal. He, who only sees the good in people which was why even when every eligible bachelor only deemed Yvonne worthy of a night, he picked her to spend the rest of his life with, for he said behind all that bravery and flirting was a young, lonely girl begging to be accepted.
"I will never betray you Neil." Aveedah said, slowly moving closer to him.
"Yet you are waging a war against my people." He said, now looking into her eyes.
"That, is not as you say it. Your people are waging a war against me." She corrected carefully though she wanted to scream it out to the world.
She was not the oppressor here but the victim.
"Yvonne, Kebarah, they all had betrayed me. Yvonne was my fiancee yet she poisoned my drink, Kebarah was supposed to guide me, teach me how to be a better ruler but he snatched my kingdom from me and you are planning to take the whole nation and it got me thinking Aveedah, was this all a plan from the beginning. Did your father plan to take the water kingdom by sending Kebarah as an interim king of Bydreen?"
"Do not accuse my father..."
"Then tell me why he never came to crown me, your wedding has been over ages ago, he was supposed to come immediately after the wedding. I waited in a Kingdom I was being hunted for, for seven days hoping I would catch a glimpse of your father but he was nowhere to be found and I felt like a fool. Kebarah is his brother and unfortunately I still am a fool. You are his niece and you are married to his lying and cheating son." He spat, his voice louder than intended but he did nothing to lower it even when he could feel them attracting spectators.
"My father was murdered on my wedding day and Dunni left me at the altar." He stopped in his tracks, the shock of the revelation overwhelming him.
Aveedah walked to him and pulled him in a hug, then slipped a letter in his shirt.
"I want you to do your own research before I return. Read that, then you can decide the path you wish to take, I promise to respect your decision." She whispered and pulled out of the hug.
She had hoped for a better reunion but she could not blame him for his reaction. He had been betrayed and hurt by the people he thought were family. He was forced to leave his kingdom and seek shelter from a kingdom he had never heard of, leaving his fate in the hands of a man he barely knew.
Neil watched as she walked away, her back straight and her strides,long and graceful.
Her situation was similar to his yet she was not sulking, she was fighting to protect her people and herself.
His eyes landed on Velaine who was talking to Irina, leo and Arthur.
Was Velaine right in referring to him as a sulky child?
And did he spend all this time, hating whom he should have made friends with?
He watched as Irina nodded, gave him a scroll and went to her horse while Leo and Arthur bowed but stayed to bid him farewell. Aveedah had finally reached him and he walked up to her, a smile on his face as he said something to which she replied and he took her hand to help her on her horse even though Eric was right there waiting for him to move so he could do it.
The paper she had slipped in his shirt, he did not have to open it to know his necklace was in there. She had deliberately pressed it to his skin so he could identify it.
Velaine must have given it to her and he must have allowed her to see him too.
Is he not as bad as he had presumed him to be?
Had he been channeling his anger and frustration to the wrong entity?
"You can take him whenever you wish to. The man thinks I am holding him hostage." Velaine said, as they rode out of the palace.
"You took his necklace." Aveedah pointed out, her tone playful.
He rolled his eyes in response before he said.
"He is not even worthy of owning it."
"You should not judge him. His upbringing was a little different." She replied, a bit upset at his words.
"You mean, he was a pampered prince." He stated, unperturbed by her mood.
Aveedah rolled her eyes before she grumbled.
"I can see why he does not like you."
"It is because I say what needs to be said. He can not be pampered any longer and he needs to know that, his people need him yet he is hiding behind his pain relishing in his ignorance." He replied, allowing his horse move closer to her much to Irina's irritation.
"Sometimes, ignorance is bliss." Aveedah replied.
Velaine burst out laughing. He laughed so hard before he could bring himself to say.
" Pardon me but that is the stupidest saying I have heard in a long while."
Aveedah almost fell off the horse at his blunt insult and to think she had been admiring his soft laugh.
'I need to get a hold of my self.' She thought as she sped off making the man laugh harder while Eric increased his speed to catch up with her, the guards of Vedarah following suit