Arranged (11 page)

"Do you like your room?" he finally asked.

She studied him for a moment before answering. "It's better than the dungeon."

He was silent.

"Can I go home now?" she asked in a whisper. For a moment, he wondered if she had even spoken.

"I cannot allow you to leave."

He could tell she was trying to be strong, but her eyes watered slightly. "You said I wasn't a prisoner anymore…" She pointed out when she had regained some of her composure and was sure she wouldn't choke over the words.

He didn't know how to tell her that she could never leave, so he settled for not answering at all. She was quick to catch on. He watched as her shoulders sagged slightly, as if another load of stress had been added to the weight that was already there. For a moment, he felt ashamed of himself for hurting her more. With a deep breath, he banished those thoughts from his mind. She was his. She wasn't going anywhere.

As Qwinn warred in his mind for control, her eyes flicked around nervously. "What is this place?" She finally asked, changing the subject. She needed some answers. Again, he was quiet. This time she dared meet his eye.

"This is Vidar. Or, as your people call it,
the underground city.
"

She blinked in obvious confusion. What he'd said made it sound as though humans knew about his place, but she was sure she would have heard something about the underground city. She must have had her confusion written on her face, because he continued to explain.

"A long time ago…the humans banished my people to these underground caves. I am sure they have long since forgotten us," he said bitterly.

"W-why did they send you here?" she asked.

His shoulders stiffened and his nostrils flared. Obviously, the subject still held poorly with him. She couldn't blame him. When she realized that she was sympathizing with a one of the creatures, she mentally smacked herself.

He averted his eyes from her.

She waited quietly. Even though only a few candles lit the room, she could tell that he was warring within himself. She knew she'd better leave him alone, who knew what he could do to her. If he had enough power in him to heal her ankle, how much destructive power did he have? She would rather not find out.

He realized that she was watching him and his tension grew. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

She shook her head. Her nerves were jumping around so much that she couldn't even imagine eating. She glanced back out the window, giving them both room to be alone with their thoughts.

There were a few reasons she wasn't demanding answers from him. One, he was a creature from an underground world, who knew what he could do. Who knew if she was merely going insane? Two, though he was thin, he was obviously toned and a lot stronger than she was. Three, he was the only one being remotely kind to her.

Her eyes returned to the strange bubble on the ceiling of the cavern. She turned to ask him what it was, figuring that was a safe subject, when she softly closed her mouth. She was alone again in the room. She sighed and rubbed her hands over her arms. Strangely enough, she felt more alone that she had since she'd arrived.

Qwinn squeezed his eyes shut. He was glad he got out when he did, or he might have said something he shouldn't have. She was safe, he tried to convince himself that was the only reason he had come to her room. He rubbed a four-fingered hand over his face and pushed off the door. There were so many emotions warring for dominance in his mind. He didn't even have the strength to begin to sort through them anymore. He desperately needed sleep. Two mornings with no sleep and every expected him to perform his kingly duties without flaw.

He stalked through the dim halls of the palace, plagued by memories he'd rather not have. Eventually the anger that seemed laced in the memories began to warm his blood. Then an idea hit him, he marched through the halls with a purpose, passing a few guards that were standing around talking.

As soon as they saw him, they straightened and bowed their heads while placing a fist over their hearts. He nodded towards them and hurried past, entering the training courtyard. The morning air was cool against his hot skin. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to expel the haunting memories from his mind. He trudged forward, selecting a sword from a rack and twirling it easily in his hand.

The humans had shown no mercy, despite the fact that the Vidarian people had served under their king for many years with no issue. The humans had not thought twice before banishing a race to live underground forever. It was only by the power of Ahanu, the earth, and the magic that sang in their blood that they were able to sculpt the caves to fit their needs. The forest was their perfect home.

He grit his teeth, the anger in him rising at the injustice. With a growl, he spun and sliced the sword through the air. A metallic twang followed. He leapt, slicing an imaginary foe. His growl grew into a roar as he fought his way around the spacious courtyard. He banished thoughts of disgusting humans, even banished thoughts of Alison. He was softening too much toward her. He sliced, dodged, rolled, kicked, lunged and roared until couldn't breathe.

He doubled over as the exertion hit him in a wave. He gasped for air, while trying to hold down his bile. His arms quivered as he braced himself on his knees. His heart was pumping furiously; however, he had achieved his goal. His mind was quiet. He had a moment of peace.

He tossed the sword down onto the dirt floor of the courtyard and staggered toward the door. He knew that now that he was done thinking, he'd be able to sleep. Finally.

Alison curled her legs to her chest as her back pressed into the wall. She glanced at the door again. She had finally gotten under the covers; feeling too exposed just standing there. Now that she was awake, she knew she would have a hard time falling back asleep.

As she watched the shadows, she kept expecting him to step out, watching her with his dark eyes that seemed so haunted they almost made her want to cry. She told herself that the only reason she felt safer when he was around was that he was the only one who was speaking to her.

She shivered. She couldn't deny that he intimidated her, yet she felt safe. He was hard toward her.
Why?
She had done nothing to him, but he had mentioned that humans had hurt his people. Was that reason enough to kill her? She had filled in the gaps to her own questions. He told her she was no longer a prisoner, yet he wouldn't let her leave, which only led her to believe they meant to kill her. Perhaps they ate humans. When she had been carried through the enormous doors and into this world, she had seen a few of the monsters with large, sharp teeth.

The hairs on her arms rose in fear. However, she got the feeling that he wouldn't hurt her. She immediately shook the thought out of her head. She could trust no one here. The light in the strange cavern brightened, but not enough to chase away every shadow.

Jabr stood before Qwinn's large bed with his arms crossed. "Still in bed at this hour?" he clicked his tongue. "It is well past midnight!"

Qwinn pushed his head deeper into the pillows. "I was having a good dream," he groaned. Then he froze. He had been dreaming about Alison, again. This time he'd held her close, circling her in his arms. Those emerald green eyes twinkled up at him. In all his other dreams, he had never touched her. But in this dream, her skin had been as soft as silk.

He quickly shoved the thoughts away. She had too much power over him. "What is so important that you had to wake me?"

"Your presence is needed at the south gate."

Instantly Qwinn shot up in the bed. "Has there been another attack?" He was already up, grabbing his discarded clothing from the floor.

"No attack. The builder has finished repairing the wall. He is waiting for you're approval."

Qwinn growled slightly. "That is what you woke me for? I only just fell asleep." He grit out. Jabr stood his ground, not intimidated by the Vidarian king. Qwinn sucked in a few deep breaths, knowing it would do no good to yell at Jabr, he wouldn't not fight back, which sometimes made Qwinn angrier.

But that was why Jabr was one of his closest friends. He was one of the few who could handle the king's rages. Qwinn continued to dress. He tied his sash around his shoulder and waist and ran his hands through his dreads. "I cannot return to sleep now that I am awake."

Jabr nodded. "There is more."

Qwinn's dark eyes fell upon his friend, the anger he had just reigned in, threatening to bubble forth again.

Jabr took everything in stride. Most of Qwinn's subjects would have melted in the heat of his gaze, but his friend lifted his chin. "The girl, Alison, is awake and banging on her door."

Qwinn swallowed hard at the mention of her name. He nodded, his anger subsiding as quickly as it had come. "We will see to the wall first."

Without another word, Qwinn breezed past Jabr and out the door.

The entire ride to the wall passed by in a blur. The only thing that Qwinn could concentrate on was the fact that Alison needed him. He had given the guard outside her door the order to not enter her room until he return. Now, however, he couldn't seem to do anything fast enough. His sister had insisted on sharing the first meal with him. He could barely be contained in his seat.

The south gate came into view and Qwinn slowed his Ou'tani to a trot. The guards spotted him a few moments after he had them and they bowed their heads slightly. Qwinn rode right to them and dismounted. One of his guards grabbed the reins of the Ou'tani and pulled it off to the side.

The soldier in charge stopped in front of Qwinn and bowed his head, placing his fist over his heart. "The wall is patched, just as you have asked."

Qwinn noticed a shrimp of a man hovering behind the soldier. The king assumed him to be the builder. He nodded and walked toward the wall where the hole had been just the night before. Silently, he placed his hands on the wall and closed his eyes, sucking in a few deep breaths to focus his energy. In his mind's eye, he saw the wall, then dove in deeper, into the stone and mortar. He sensed the stone for any weakness, and pressed his magic against the wall, securing it from any future attack. It didn't matter, the Torin would not attack in the same spot twice.

When he was pleased with the wall, he pulled back and faced the builder. "It is strong. Good work."

The small builder smiled hugely. "Thank you my King," he said, bowing lowly.

Qwinn nodded at the man, ready to leave. The farther he rode from the palace, the more anxious he became to return. "My Ou'tani," he ordered. A soldier handed him the reins and he mounted with ease. "As you were," Qwinn said as he turned the animal and nudged it with his heels. The Ou'tani leapt forward into a quick pace as he guided it toward the palace.

Alison lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. She had pounded on the door for over an hour and she hadn't heard so much as a peep.
Maybe they left me here to rot?
She thought grimly.

Then suddenly the door opened and a small woman entered carrying a tray. It was full of what looked to be food. She set the tray on the small table by the bed and quickly left, the lock sliding into place behind her. Alison sighed heavily. She should have ran for the door when she had the chance, instead she had frozen at the sight of one of those creatures.
How am I ever going to get out of here?

Her eyes settled on the tray the woman had brought in. Her stomach growled viciously at the sight of food.
Poison!
The word screamed through her mind. She turned her eyes away from the tray and stared at the ceiling again. Her stomach growled. She ignored it. It growled louder, as if trying to get her attention. She rolled onto her side, facing away from the food. Then suddenly her mouth watered at the thought of warm bread and she was helpless to stop herself. She faced the tray one more time, praying that it wasn't poisoned, and even if it was, that the poison would act quickly and be done with her.

Cautiously, she reached for what looked like a fruit. She figured that it was the safest choice on the tray. The strange round purple fruit had little spikes in a few random sections, but to her surprise, they didn't hurt when she touched them. They folded easily under her touch. She brought the purple fruit to her nose and sniffed. It smelled divine.

Her stomach cramped again with hunger, her mouth watered. It seemed she had no choice but to taste. Her teeth broke the flesh of the fruit easily and its juices burst into her mouth, causing her to moan. She was starved and the fruit was unlike anything she'd ever tasted before. The spikes did nothing to hinder her experience.

When the fruit was gone, she turned back to the tray, eyeing the other foods with a new curiosity.
If they want to kill me, why feed me?
She wondered. But her stomach wasn't complaining. She picked up what looked to be a big slice of bread, only it was black. One bite and she found that her taste buds agreed with the black bread. She ate ravenously and was about to reach for the next item on the tray when there was a knock at her door.

She instantly stood and backed away from it, her eyes once again scanning the room desperately for a weapon. As the door swung open, her back pressed into the opposite wall. There was no place left to go.

Qwinn entered the dimly lit room and glanced around. He didn't understand why he was nervous. He pushed those feelings aside and stepped deeper into the room. It took him a moment to spot her, pressing into the wall across the room, trying to get away. When she saw him, he couldn't help but notice the small amount of relief in her eyes and a swelling of pride raced through him at being the cause of such a feeling. Again, he had to take control of his thoughts and feelings. He cleared his mind.