"Princess Yvonne or rather Queen Yvonne. I heard you were crowned impromptu due to the impending war." King lewis stated, mockery in his tone as he watched Yvonne gnaw her teeth against each other to keep her anger at bay while Kebarah simply smiled at him unaffected.
"And interim King Kebarah, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked, his voice playful yet his gaze serious.
"King lewis, I see you still are as accommodating as ever." Kebarah replied smugly.
King Lewis laughed humorlessly, his eyes settling on Yvonne.
"Your highness, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard so many things about you, things you should be proud of." She said, the glint in her eyes present to convince him of her sincerity.
King lewis laughed again before he replied.
"If you say so Queen Yvonne, I am proud." He chuckled at the end of his statement and they all joined him.
This is what power comes with.
When you laugh, they have to laugh.
"You should take rest, then we will speak after sunset. The journey from the water nation is neither short nor pleasant."
"Your highness, we do not....." Kebarah placed a hand on Yvonne's to stop her from finishing her sentence.
To win king Lewis over, patience will play the greatest role.
"I agree with you king Lewis, I hate to admit it but I am no longer as agile as I used to be. The journey wore me down and I am in need of rest. Please do excuse us." He said, his hand still on Yvonne's as they stood up from their seats.
"Take your time, Kebarah. Take your time." He replied, dismissing them.
"Chief messenger." King lewis called immediately his guests walked out of the hall.
"Your highness." The petite man approached in hurried strides, his gaze not daring to look up.
"Bring Noelle to me." He ordered.
Only a fool would let this opportunity slip from his hands.
There are desperate, so desperate that they are ready to dance to his tunes.
Irina could only grumble to herself as they witnessed yet another session of Velaine catching up to Aveedah and her racing away from him.
Is this some courtship style she does not understand?
She glanced at the stoic man beside her and just like she expected, he was looking straight ahead, indifference on his face.
Is this not irritating or is she the sensitive one?
Of course she is the sensitive one, she is watching the man she chases relentlessly chase another woman.
All for what?
It would only confirm her to be idiotic if she even thinks it is for the same reason as all other men.
Beauty, lust, the snobbish attitude all other men may find exciting and the most stupid one, the beauty of her heart? That is not Velaine.
He never indulges in an act that does not result to achieving the goal he has in mind
"Unnecessary ties ruins a promising future."
Words he had said the first time she professed her undying love for him.
So why is he bowing to her when his goal as she knows is to have her kneel before him .
Or atleast the part of the goal she was able to decipher.
He had said the previous night that love makes the work of the puppeteer easier but to her eyes and to the eyes of anybody who cared to observe, the strings are no longer in the puppeteer's hands but around them.
"You do not let go easily, do you?" He asked smiling through the fatigue threatening to engulf him.
Aveedah turned to glance at him and just like his voice had hinted, he looked weary and starved of proper rest.
"You did not get much sleep." Aveedah stated, sparing Velaine a glance.
"And you almost flew for it." She added referring to his crazy riding the previous day.
He smiled before he replied.
"I thought I could if I arrived early. it turns out preparation for war is not an easy task." He blinked his eyes in a bid to chase the sleep in them while Aveedah stared at him, guilt slowly crawling into her mind.
If he wanted, he would have insisted on sleeping before the journey commenced but he did not and while he tried to fit in her schedule, she had time to rest and even feed Keevah the little details she had discovered about him.
They continued their journey in silence, she deliberately riding slower until they approached a green forest immediately on the outskirt of Ridah. Aveedah's eyes lit up as she observed the place. The sun was high and at it's peak but the trees in the forest provided enough shade to shield them from the heat and provide them a more friendly atmosphere.
'This is perfect.' She thought and immediately came to a halt startling the guards behind her who struggled to stop at a permissible distance.
She did not bother to explain as she dismounted from the horse, a smug expression on her face.
Velaine who had only noticed her absence now turned his horse around, one of his eyebrows raised and his eyes questioning her.
She ignored his gaze and moved to Eric who had long dismounted from his horse and was waiting for her orders.
"The mat." She requested.
"And the pillows too." She added.
Irina joined them on the ground, barely able to contain her anger as she asked between gritted teeth.
"Your highness, we are a bit confused with the happenings, could you explain it to us?"
Aveedah glanced at her briefly before she turned to Eric and collected some pillows from him against this will and together they arranged it till she was satisfied with the order.
The guards watched quietly only glancing at each other in confusion.
She walked to Velaine and stopped by his horse, her expression softening a bit before she said.
"I wish to take rest. You can join me or stay on your horse." Her tone nonchalant yet her eyes told a different tale.
She is doing this for him.
Velaine smiled cheekily before he carefully dismounted from his horse.
"Is it too presumptuous of me to believe the true meaning of your statement is you wish I take rest?" He asked, his voice a quiet whisper.
She ignored him and walked to the carpet, removed her shoes and elegantly sat at the end and leaned her back against a pillow she had balanced against a tree.
"You may all take rest. This will be the only one for today." She announced loud enough for all the guards to hear.
"We appreciate your generosity your highness." They replied though some were irritated by her behavior.
They were told that the journey is an important one and they had to arrive early. So why is she causing unnecessary delays?
Velaine scanned their faces, noting the displeasure on some faces, mostly his own guards then he suddenly let out a long yawn, tears misting his eyes before he took off his shoes.
"Thank you." He said, unnecessarily loud.
She simply rolled her eyes before she closed them pretending to sleep.
Velaine stared at her poker face, a naughty thought refusing to leave his mind.
'There is no harm in indulging myself a little.' He thought.
He went ahead to remove one of the pillows from where it was kept, carefully leaned it against her outstretched thigh and lay his head on it, his weight startling her.
"What are you doing?" She almost yelled withdrawing her knees to her torso and in the process, pushed the pillow away making his his head lose balance and fall to the mat. She glanced around and noticed that all the guards had turned their back on them. An act of respect anytime they sensed a royal needed their privacy.
"I can not sleep while leaning on a tree and the pillow is too low." He explained innocently as he rose from his lying position.
"Then use two." She replied still shocked.
He moved closer to her, so close that she could not focus on him before he replied.
"My father once told me , if you wish to do good, you should do it all the way for a half done good will only serve in teasing the heart of the benefactor which is more cruel than outright evil."
As she tried to decipher the meaning behind his words with him so close, he added.
"So your highness, may I?" He asked and without waiting for her reply, gently held both her ankles and stretched her leg then leaned his pillow back against her thigh and laid his head just like he had before, but this time with her consent or so he believes for she did not push him away.