Chapter 15-2
The Doriel residence felt warm and well-lived in. The great room to the right of the entryway was filled with an assortment of chairs and long couches meant to encourage rest and conversation.
Alise invited them to take a seat in the great room.
“I’ll check on arrangements,” Alise said. “Please wait for me.”
Raithion nodded and moved to sit on one of the closest armchairs with a view of the back of the house. Haedor chose a couch by the windows with a view of the front of the building.
“What do you think will happen next?” Haedor asked when they were alone.
“The Sura Clan’s decisions are made within a council,” Raithion said. “I’m sure that is who Alise is working with to arrange a meeting.”
“Not the angry Prince Azula?” Haedor said with a chuckle.
Raithion smiled and wondered how Azula had ended up the chieftain of the clan. He’d thought Alise would take over the role because she was the firstborn.
A woman brought them refreshments: a tray laden with fresh apples, a jug of fruit juice, and another of cold water. Haedor poured a glass of the juice for Raithion, who refused the apples. So, Haedor sat on the couch eating apples with fragrant enthusiasm.
The wait was long but comfortable. An hour later, a young boy ran in through the front door, full of energy as he sprinted down the wide hallway without a glance at them. The man who followed him smiled in greeting as he followed his charge.
“What a little whirlwind,” Haedor said, amused. “He looks the same age as Yulin, maybe a little older.”
Raithion nodded, turning to his left. His chair gave him a clear view of the door at the back of the manor. He saw when Azula walked in, leaving the door open and smiling at someone behind him. His lips curved in a devastating smile that brightened his features. He was still so handsome.
Then the boy who had come in running rushed Azula, hands open wide. Raithion did not hear what he said, but he heard the tail end of the word: “father!”
The violent dip that ripped through his heart was a surprise. His pulse froze as he watched Azula lean down and lift the boy with a wide smile. Then Azula kissed the boy on his cheeks, holding him close.
A son. Raithion forced himself to look away. His chest ached at the reality of Azula already belonging to another. Azula was handsome, a prince, and the Sura Clan always married early. At twenty-five, his family would have insisted on his tying the Gordian knot. What had he been expecting?
Closing his eyes, Raithion gripped the goblet he held until his knuckles whitened. He forced his mind to stop focusing on the crippling disappointment. He had spent five years nursing a ghost, only to find a man who had long since moved on. He wasn’t here to chase after Azula but to seek an amiable agreement with the Sura Clan. The rest was just his bad luck.
****
Azula carried Ruri into the kitchen to check what the baker had in his oven. Senin followed him into the kitchen, moving to open the drawer holding kitchen knives.
“I can’t believe you have us dealing with goat meat this late in the afternoon. Had we known, we would have started in the morning,” Senin complained as he found the right knife and hurried outside.
Azula glanced at Ruri, who was eyeing the baked oatmeal cookies laid out on a baking sheet on the large kitchen table. Azula glanced around the kitchen, and when he was sure there was no one to catch them, he moved closer to the cookies. He grabbed two, handing one to Ruri. He popped the other in his mouth, and they ate with relish, sharing wide smiles. When they were almost done, footsteps sounded behind them.
“Stop,” Alise said, and they both froze.
Ruri glanced at Azula with wide eyes; then, he stuffed the remaining bit of his cookie into his mouth.
“Turn around,” Alise said.
Azula winced and wiped his mouth, then Ruri’s, as he turned with a guilty smile to find Alise standing a few feet away.
“Caught you stealing cookies and spoiling your dinner,” Alise said, pointing a finger at them. “Confess, how many did you eat?”
“None,” Azula said, confident he had wiped their faces efficiently.
“Are you sure?” Alise asked, her eyes narrowing.
Azula glanced at Ruri, who was nodding his head. Unfortunately, he had crumbs on the corner of his lips. Azula sighed and grinned at Alise.
“Are you sticking with your story?” Alise asked as she frowned, her hands on her hips. “One big, one small, what am I going to do with you? No cookies before your evening meal. Agreed?”
Azula nodded, and so did Ruri, making Alise laugh. She held out her hands and took Ruri from Azula. Getting a handkerchief from her pocket, she wiped Ruri’s mouth.
“Azu, I brought the Draeya Prince and Lord Haedor to the manor,” Alise said, looking at him for a moment. “Juya has convinced the council to meet him tomorrow morning and have a good talk. I know you’ve been postponing, but we really can’t anymore. Yulin is healed. We can’t let them leave without trying. It’s time.”
Azula sighed. Were the empires all making a move today? One by one, knocking on the door. Azula shook his head.
“Trevan is outside helping Senin clean goat meat for the bonfire,” Azula said. “You have a Lyrian Prince in the manor. Are you planning on getting them to meet by force?”
“Perhaps,” Alise said with a small smile. “We don’t need to force anything. The bonfire is at our home. Our guests can mingle. The council is attending, so they can familiarize themselves with the Draeya Prince. As for Trevan, thank him for his continued business, and send him off. It’s a normal evening on Sura Island. The Lyrians can try our barbecue, too. It’s high time they tried our great food. Right, Ruri?”
“Right,” Ruri said, looking at Azula with triumphant eyes.
“See, Ruri agrees,” Alise said.
“I feel tired just thinking about it. So, I’m not playing,” Azula said, reaching under a counter by the washing area to get a bunch of skewers. “You deal with it with Juya’s help. I’m going to help prepare food and deal with Trevan. You entertain the Lyrians.”
Azula started to head for the door, but slowed down when Ruri wiggled until his mother let him down. The boy came racing after Azula as they walked out, shouting, “Let’s make barbecue skewers!”
****
Alise let out a soft breath as she stood in the empty kitchen, staring at the open back door. Where did her brother inherit his stubborn attitude from?
Shaking her head, she turned to look at the oatmeal cookies. Thinking about Azula and Ruri with crumbs on their cheeks, she laughed.
“Naughty devils,” she said and stole a cookie, too, eating it fast before she headed out to entertain the great Draeya Prince and the Lord General until Azula could gain the courage to take over.
****
The bonfire was held in the back courtyard of the Doriel residence. A large, round fire pit was built upon stone tiles in the middle of the backyard. The fire was lit, and the clan members trickled in, helping with food that was grilled over coals on large grills mounted on the ledges of the stone firepit. There were stone tables all around the courtyard, where platters of food were placed for guests. There was no shortage of seats; if not stone stools or benches, people made do with the stone ledges around flower beds or brought chairs from inside the manor.
Lamps in holders lined the trees, illuminating the courtyard and the cobbled paths leading to the docks and around the manor.
Raithion loved the warm atmosphere and the laughter that filled the evening air.
Alise and Juya accompanied Raithion and Haedor, making sure they had a place to sit, enough food and drink, and steady conversation. Alise talked to him about his work in Lyria, his family, Yulin, and his parents. Raithion found himself sharing about Naeri, Yulin’s health, and why he was wearing mourning clothes.
Raithion decided then that Alise was a true diplomat. She never once let him feel any tension because of their political differences.
At one point, Alise excused herself to handle a matter. Juya and Haedor were discussing the merits of the carriage they had used earlier in the day.
Raithion shifted in his seat and noticed Alvas, who had taken care of Yulin, sitting on a flowerbed ledge a few feet away. She had her back turned to him. A tall man came to sit next to her, holding a plate of beef skewers.
“Kalas, did Prince Azu get enough to eat?” Alvas asked. “He has a terrible habit of taking care of everyone but forgetting himself.”
“He’s with Trevan. I sent a platter of grilled meat and vegetables to their table,” Kalas said. “Prince Azu is occupied with sending the general off. We can worry about it when he’s done. I don’t know why he’s so nervous about it today. Their relationship has been very good.”
“How good can it be when one of them was oblivious the whole time?” Alvas asked, her tone filled with wistfulness. “It’s a good thing we have Ruri. Otherwise, there won’t be a next chieftain if we leave it up to the prince.”
“Alise and Juya seem to be heading toward a marriage,” Kalas said.
Raithion’s gaze shifted to Juya, who was almost drawing diagrams for Haedor as he animatedly discussed Sura Clan carriages. Azula’s potential brother-in-law looked very passionate. Raithion smiled and sipped his juice, tuning back to Alvas and Kalas’s conversation, shamelessly listening to the gossip.
“It will be good if the Princess can find happiness again,” Alvas was saying. “Yemin’s death was hard on her. It was lucky she had to protect Ruri, which gave her the strength to keep fighting.”
“True,” Kalas said with a heavy sigh. “If the prince hadn’t taken over, she might have miscarried and lost Yemin’s son forever. It would have been a devastating tragedy.”
“It’s all fate,” Alvas said.
Raithion’s heart skipped.
“The prince taking over saved Ruri and his sister, allowed our clan to thrive, and get through,” Kalas said.
Raithion’s heart didn’t just skip; it seemed to restart, a frantic, thrumming rhythm taking hold in his chest. Yemin’s son. The words echoed in his mind, sweeping away the suffocating weight that had crushed his spirit since he first saw the boy. A wave of profound, dizzying relief crashed over him, so intense it made his hands tremble. Azula was single. He was still unattached, unclaimed, and suddenly, impossibly within reach again. The mourning clothes he wore felt a little less heavy, the evening air a little sweeter. He sat up and scanned the courtyard, searching for Azula, but he couldn’t see him.
Raithion stood, decided to find him, and get his answers straight from the source.
*****
“I’m heading out,” Trevan said as Azula stood by his carriage. The bonfire was still ongoing. “You should head back.”
“We cooked up a storm for you,” Azula said with a small smile. “You’ve ended up leaving early.”
“I know. It’s better to be on board as we prepare to cast off,” Trevan said, reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it to Azula. “This is for you. I hope you find what you’re looking for in Lyria. I pray the Sura are always carefree. Let me come visit for a bonfire next time.”
“It’s a plan,” Azula said, taking the envelope and putting it in his jacket pocket.
Trevan stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. He did not give Azula enough time to think about it. He let Azula go and stepped into the open carriage. Azula blinked, and Trevan was already settled inside.
“See you,” Trevan said, waving at him as the soldiers escorting him to the docks closed the carriage door.
“Safe travels,” Azula said as the carriage left.
Azula stood in the quiet driveway for a minute, his thoughts consumed by Trevan Pearcliff. He felt guilty that he could not reciprocate Trevan’s feelings. Perhaps if he weren’t the clan’s chieftain, he might have chosen to return to the Nerasa Kingdom and live with his master, Yantian, at the Sura Clan workshop at Rewa Port. Maybe in time, he might have loved Trevan and learned to live in Nerasa.
“What are you thinking about, standing alone?” Alise said, walking up to him. She took his hand and turned him toward a path that led around the house to the back courtyard.
“I was seeing Trevan off,” Azula said. “We talked. I told him I was sorry for not knowing he liked me. He gave me an agreement that I’ll explain later. Now he’s gone back home, they’ll cast off when the tide’s right, and I feel some guilt toward him.”
“Guilt is natural,” Alise said, squeezing his arm as they walked slowly. “I can genuinely say that Trevan is a good man, and I hope he will find genuine happiness in Nerasa. He’s a statesman. I trust he will keep to the agreements we have put in place. We can thank Juya for pushing for legal agreements with the Nerasa court.”
“Yes,” Azula said with a nod, also grateful for Juya’s insightfulness.
They cleared the length of the house and were now at a fork, with one path leading to the dock by the lake and the other to the back courtyard.
Azula gave the bench by the dock a wistful look.
“The bonfire is still going,” Alise said.
“It is,” Azula said. “I need some time to myself.”
“Okay,” Alise said as they stopped at the fork. “While you and Trevan were saying your goodbyes, I had a good talk with the Draeya Prince. Raithion’s wife, Naeri, died of the poison his son ingested. Her final act was to save Yulin. He now wears mourning clothes because of her. The fact that she was poisoned at all is enough to tell me that he has not lived an easy life. Perhaps the last five years have been full of strife. Having lived through a rough period ourselves, Azula, perhaps you should hear him out so that we find a solution to our standoff with Lyria.”
Azula glanced at Alise in the lamplight and smiled at her determined look. “Fine, I’ll listen to you, Princess.”
Azula kissed her cheek. “Tomorrow. For now, let me spend a few minutes alone.”
“Okay, I’ll go find Mom and Magnus to arrange a council meeting in the morning,” Alise said, letting go of his arm. She headed toward the courtyard, and he started a stroll to the dock.
When he reached the bench, he sat down and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Thinking about Raithion hurt. He could not forget the picture of him kneeling while holding his son. Alise was right. If his wife had died of poison, what would he have lived through in the capital?
“May I join you?” Raithion asked in a soft voice.
Azula sat still, not moving or turning to look at him. The bonfire party continued in the courtyard, bursts of laughter filling the air. Azula did not answer.
Raithion did not wait for an invitation. He walked in front of Azula and sat next to him with a soft sigh. He was still dressed in black, like a haunting ghost. The only color on him was his green eyes and the gold clip holding his dark hair. How pitiful, this glorified Draeya General.
“Are you happy?” Azula found himself asking.
After everything that had happened between them, that was the only question he wanted to ask.
“I—” Raithion started, then let out a soft, dry chuckle. “I haven’t had an answer for that question in five years. But after your mom healed Yulin, I can say that, yes, I’m happy now. Happy that Yulin has survived a disaster and got a chance to live. Happy that I’m here, hoping to make amends to you and your people.”
“What about before?” Azula asked. “Before the poisoning.”
“Before, I was just surviving one day to the next,” Raithion answered. “Lost in a thick, dark cloud that I could not escape. I married Gesi Ajai’s daughter. Ajai is a devious courtier who has spent years plotting to gain control of the imperial court. His machinations even resulted in Yulin’s poisoning and the death of my wife. It has been a dark hell. I was not happy, Azula.”
“Then why did you let any of it happen?” Azula asked, unable to keep his anger from rising. “Why didn’t you stand with our clan back then?”
“I never got the chance,” Raithion said, his voice filled with a desperate energy. “That evening we arrived in Genad City together was when I discovered I was to marry Naeri. It was a plan made by the Basileus and my father. They said they had negotiated with Ajai that if I married Naeri, your clan could escape unscathed. I had no choice but to follow through to protect you. There was nothing I could do to change what happened to your father. It was already too late by the time I discovered it. So, I’ve lived with the choices made that day for five years, until Naeri was poisoned.”
Azula sat in silence, staring at the lake; the waters were dark in the moonlight. Strangely, the pain in Raithion’s voice was as dark as the lake’s endless depths.
“You and I have broken promises between us,” Azula said, his voice soft. He crossed his arms and dug into the tight knot in his heart. “You need to tell me everything that happened after we parted, Draeya General. I have lived with a muddled view of the events that led to my father’s death for five years. I need a clearer mind, so you’re going to help me clear my muddled heart.”
“Okay,” Raithion said. “First, I have one question for you before we delve into the past.”
Azula frowned and glanced at him. “What question?”
“Have you tied the Gordian knot with someone?” Raithion asked.
Azula stared at him for a minute, then shrugged. “I have not,” Azula said with a sigh. “Unlike you, my hair remains unbraided, without promise to some unfortunate soul to share my grief and struggles.”
Raithion let out a soft breath and then seemed to relax into the bench as he launched into a tale of his arranged marriage, of years living in a sea of aphrodisiac plots in his manor, which resulted in Yulin and a daughter he called Skye.
Raithion didn’t just speak; he purged. The words spilled out of him like a confession, raw and jagged with the weight of five years. He spoke of his efforts to clear spies from Basileus Dio’s palace and remove military officers loyal to Gesi Ajai throughout the Lyria kingdom.
It seemed like Raithion’s life had been trapped between a dangerous, ambitious courtier, an even more ambitious Basileus Dio, and two innocent children who met the wrong parents.
“I did not love her, and in a way, I feel guilty for that,” Raithion said. “I’m wearing these mourning clothes as a way to repent my choices with Naeri. I don’t know if it is enough—it probably never will be—but mourning her is all I can do for her soul.”
Azula closed his eyes at the pointless nature of Raithion’s arranged marriage.
“The Basileus used you to stabilize his throne,” Azula said. “Your family’s military strength became the sword he used to cut away the rot in his palace and within the military ranks. He used your sister to stop Gesi Ajai’s daughter from marrying into the Adertha House. And he traded our clan’s innocence to achieve his goals. We had no chance against all that planning.”
Raithion stayed silent.
Azula wiped his hand down his face.
“Then what happened to the thief we caught together?” Azula asked, turning to face him.
“Are you asking as the Sura Prince or as Azula?” Raithion asked.
“I don’t know why you think those are two different people,” Azula said. “I told you I need to clear the confusion in my mind. All I remember of my time in Genad City is a scramble to find my father. I never had the chance to chase after you or see what you did with that thief who was stealing our ore.”
“Fair enough,” Raithion said. “I have the answers you need. But you can only get them when we meet with your council. What I have to say requires a direct answer that you can give me decisively.”
“Why?” Azula asked.
“Because I’m willing to fight with you to reopen the case of the forged silver,” Raithion said. “Reopening that case will exonerate your clan, which is something I have wanted to do since they closed it prematurely.”
“How can I trust your word?” Azula asked.
“Don’t trust my word,” Raithion said. “I’ll let my actions prove it. I owe you for saving Yulin.”
“No, we won’t place such a debt on your life or Yulin’s,” Azula said. “Saving lives is what healers do. It was done fairly, and you know my mother was willing. What I need from you, Raithion, is a meeting with Basileus Dio. As the Sura Prince, I want a face-to-face with the Adertha Basileus.”
“What about the case?” Raithion asked.
“If we can open the case, we will find the evidence ourselves,” Azula said, then stood and looked at Raithion. “Alise made the right choice, bringing you to the manor. There is a council meeting in the morning. Plan your answers well. I’m sorry about what you had to live through with your wife. I’m happy for you and Yulin that you’ve managed to make it through. Please, enjoy the view of the lake. I’m sure Alise has arranged a comfortable room for you. I’ll see you at the council meeting.”
Azula looked at Raithion for another minute, then walked away, heading back toward the glow of the bonfire.
****
Raithion watched Azula walk away with a small smile. His heart felt lighter, as though sharing the jagged truth of the past five years with Azula had finally drained away the festering anger and shame he’d carried like a crippling weight for so long. He felt a dizzying, unfamiliar sense of freedom, as if he had finally stepped out from the shadows and into the light.
He was elated that Azula was free. It felt like the start of hope. A small start, but he reached out and held on to it tight.
Settling on the bench, Raithion took a deep breath, appreciating the cool night air, and stared at the quiet lake, feeling like he was finally looking at a fresh start.
*****
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