Mirelah;
"Kealith has a horrible allergy to these flowers, but he insisted that we plant them all over the palace. He'd rather have a hundred nose bleeds than have us remove even one of these bushes. "She says, and I fall silent.
"I used to wonder what he found so special about them… Until now. "I freeze as I stare at her and she smiles warmly at me.
"We serve the god of death, but that boy worships you… "She says as she tucks my hair behind my ear and I blink at her as I feel heat rush to my cheeks.
This is an emotion I don't understand. I don't know how all I've just found out makes me feel. Is Kealith in love with me?
I don't know him well enough or understand him. When it comes to him, I don't know what to think. If he loves me, is it a good thing or not?
And if he loves me… Why?
Of all the girls in the realm. All the powerful young women who would make excellent queens… why would he choose to love me?
"Mirelah? "Queen Velnara calls, and I look up at her.
"Where was your mind? "She questions, and I clear my throat.
"Queen Velnara… How close were Kealith and I when we were younger? "I question, and she smiles at me like I just made her remember something precious.
She leans into the bench and stares into the distance ahead of us.
"You both were inseparable. Kealith would bribe his brothers any way he could to make sure he was the one who got to follow Damarion to every meeting of the kings because he was sure your father would bring you. "She says with a big smile, and I move closer as I listen to her.
"I remember the light he always had in his big, innocent eyes every time. He'd hound me for weeks to help him get the perfect gift for you. He wouldn't shut up about you. I felt like I knew you without ever meeting you. He'd tell me how you snorted when you laughed and how it made him laugh too. "She says and my lips part in awe as my heart skips a beat.
"He told me he liked how happy he made you. He said he didn't think your home made you happy. Even when he was sick, he'd pretend to be fine just so Damarion would take him to the meetings. If I tried to get him to miss just one meeting, he'd tell me he was your happy place, and missing a meeting would hurt you… he never wanted to hurt you. He'd rather crash for nights after playing rigorously with his precious friend than miss a meeting for the sake of his health. "She continues, and I hold my breath.
I never knew Kealith and I… were that close.
"He was glad he made you happy, but I could see how happy you made him. "She says with a small chuckle, and I swallow. This is all foreign to me. It feels like she's telling me about Kealith and another person… not me…
"Right from when he was two, Kealith was plagued with horrible nightmares. Every night was torture. Nothing we did could dispel the dreams. I couldn't help him no matter what I did… But after he met his fiery dragon princess… the dreams stopped. "She continues before looking back at me, and my breath hitches.
His... His nightmares stopped after he met me!??
"They continued right after you suddenly stopped showing up. He lost his peace… For a year, he kept attending the meetings. Hoping you'd show up. But you never did. He always gave letters to your dad to give to you… but he never got a reply. He was broken. He withdrew from all of us. Then, his powers came and I must say, they couldn't have chosen a more worse time to manifest. He was a little broken child with powers he didn't understand. It was messy. "She continues, and I guilt slowly begin to wrap its itchy hands around me.
Guilt for things I can't remember.
Guilt about the fact that I even forgot them.
How could I!?
I was so close to him, and yet I never remembered anything about him. WHY!?
"You really can't remember anything? "Queen Velnara suddenly questions, and I swallow as I look at her.
I shake my head as I feel my guilt begin to grow bigger inside me like an irritating bubble as she smiles before placing a hand on mine which is on the bench.
"Don't worry. It'll all come back… in due time. "She says, and I force a smile.
I know they'll come back. Slowly… painfully… torturously. Like they've done in the past two days.
But why did I forget in the first place!? That's what I want to know.
Kealith said I told him Father wanted to separate us…
Father didn't want me to get married to Kealith. He was so worried about it.
And then there are the letters Queen Velnara just said Kealith used to send me.
I've seen many of my old things, but never letters. Not one. Could Father have hidden them? Maybe he never even gave them to me.
Does father know something about this?
Could he know why I can't remember anything??
Could he… could he be behind it? That makes no sense. Why would he wipe my memories?
"Okay. Now is not the time to brood on the past. Your next test is tomorrow, there's something important you need to learn before then. "Queen Velnara speaks as she grabs my shoulders, and I'm startled out of my thoughts.
"Huh? "I question as my mind tries to catch up with the present, and she chuckles.
I watch her pull out a piece of paper from a small pouch attached to her belt, and she points it to me. I stare at it, as my mind tries to recover from all the things she just told me.
She extends the paper further, and I slowly take it from her. When I unfold the paper, my brows crease. On it proudly sits words I can not read. They look like words from… the old tongue.
Nobody speaks or uses the old tongue anymore so…
"What is this? "I question, and she takes a deep breath.
"Something you need to learn for the ritual tomorrow. "She replies, and I look back down at the words I am certain I can not pronounce.
Ethari kaen d'rehsa, viath morvath ai'noshara. Thal'ven kai varan, kkurtasai'vetha.
I tilt my head as I stare at the words scribbled in perfect cursive I suspect to be Queen Velnara's handwriting, and her voice makes me look back at her.
"It's old Blood Crescent tongue. It means With blood, I forge my fate, bound in blood and fire. My heart is yours, my soul is this land's. It's the vow you must say tomorrow as you offer blood to the sacred fire. "She explains, and suddenly an avalanche of questions descends my mind.