Arranged (29 page)

Alison's eyebrows rose. She was almost hypnotized by the story. The memory was so potent; she could almost feel Qwinn's fear.

"While my father fought, humans slipped into our house, slaughtering anyone who got in the way. Adalia and I were too young to fight and so were hidden in the closet. When the humans came to our room, my mother used what little powers she had to protect us," his voice grew thick with tears. "One of them drove a sword through her heart, as easy as if she were a sack of grain…they couldn't find me and my sister. We…saw the whole thing…"

Alison's heart broke as she watched a tear slide from Qwinn's eye.

"Vidarian soldiers were coming, so the humans fled. My powers were not developed enough to save her." His tears increased. "I should have practiced more…instead I wanted only to learn to fight…men were never healers." He closed his eyes finally in misery. "If I had practiced, I could have healed her."

Alison watched his shoulders slump in anguish. It flashed her back to when she lost her father. She could relate to his pain, though she hadn't watched her father die. Before she could stop herself, she slid to him, wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a comforting hug. "It wasn't your fault," she said soothingly.

To her surprise, he held her as if she were his lifeline. In her minds-eye, she could practically see the horrible event play out before her in that very room. No wonder the Vidarian's hated humans. No wonder Qwinn never wanted to speak of his mother; the horrible memory of her death must have replayed every time anyone mentioned her name.

"I lost my father when I was eight... He was all I had and the next thing I knew, he was gone," she said softly. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." She breathed deeply, feeling her own tears surface at the familiar pain. "I know how you feel, but… it helps me if I think of the wonderful things we did together, instead of his death."

Qwinn pulled away slightly, his arms still surrounding her. "I will never forgive what they did to her. She was innocent!"

Alison nodded. "I'm not saying you should forgive them…just… remember her. I'm sure she was an amazing woman. Honor her memory."

Qwinn studied her face thoughtfully. It was then she realized how close their faces were. A blush lit her cheeks as she lowered her eyes shyly. He gently brushed his knuckles across her cheeks before unwinding himself from her. "I apologize. You should not see me like this."

She shrugged, covering her shyness. "It is nice to see that you have normal emotions," she teased lightly.

He smiled sadly. "I should let you rest," he said as he stood.

"Qwinn," Alison stopped him. He turned toward her. "Perhaps you could tell me how wonderful your mother was sometime?"

After a silent moment, he nodded then left.

Alison stared at the ceiling, ever since he had woke her up, she wasn't able to fall back to sleep. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts and excitement at her newly healed leg. Shortly after he left, she heard voices from the hall. She assumed Qwinn had set the guards into place, as he said he would.

For some reason, she didn't mind. She had no urge to run away, this morning anyway. She found herself to be more curious than anything. Qwinn had showed her a new side of himself, one that intrigued her. Something in her told her that she would be able to help his tortured soul, even if only in a small way.

In the entirety of her life, she never felt needed by anyone as she did now. The feeling was heady. She could almost still feel his arms around her. Before this moment, she had never taken herself to be a romantic, but she wouldn't mind being held again. She tried to fight herself on this, but there was no denying that she was strongly drawn to Qwinn. So, for now, she would wait and see what unfurled.

QWINN WOKE IN A BETTER MOOD than he'd been in a long time. The fact that he could still smell Alison on his skin made his smile bloom. She had touched him on her own accord and didn't recoil in disgust. When she'd hugged him, he had calmed and for the first time since retelling that horrible night, he felt as if he could breathe. Her touch soothed more than she knew.

As he bathed and dressed, he noticed a slight bounce in his step. His world didn't seem so chaotic anymore now that everything was smoothed over with Alison. As he made his way to the council chamber, Adalia intercepted him. She looked fired up and ready to tear into him, most likely about the fact that he'd ordered her not to see Alison. When she registered his mood, she stopped. "What happened?" she asked in confusion.

Qwinn felt a smile tug at his lips. "What do you mean?"

She wasn't falling for his act of innocence, but she was still confused by his mood. "You seem…happy."

His smile grew. "Is that a crime, sister?"

"No…what about Alison?"

"Taken care of." He stepped around her.

She quickly followed. "What? Taken care of meaning we have talked it out or taken care of meaning I've killed her?"

He chuckled. The sound actually felt good. It had been so long since he was truly happy that this was all so new to him. "We've talked about it." He grabbed the handle to the chamber. "One more thing, I've healed her leg," he finished as he shut the door on her shocked face.

Today was a good day, he decided. He would not let anything ruin it.

After the meeting, he tried not to rush straight to Alison's room. He didn't want to seem too eager; however, he was lying to himself. He wanted to see her.

Outside her door, he heard laughter. He let himself in to find Adalia bracing Alison as she tried to move her hips in a circular fashion. As soon as the girls saw him, Alison blushed brightly and immediately stopped.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

"I figured that since you healed her, I should start teaching her how to dance."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Dance?"

Adalia smiled mischievously. "Yes. She wants to learn."

"It was just a little silliness really," Alison added awkwardly, grabbing her cane and bracing herself.

"Nonsense," Adalia said. She turned to Qwinn. "She has a lot of potential."

Alison blushed again as his eyes fell on her, studying her. He wasn't sure how he felt about her dancing. Shea was a dancer and their relationship ended badly…but Alison was not Shea.

Dancing was one of the most beautiful forms of expression there was. The Vidarian people adored it. Qwinn, however, saved his form and grace for the battlefield. Whenever there was a celebration, it wasn't uncommon to see almost every member of society joining in one traditional dance or another. The dancers at the tent chose entertainment as their means for a living, while others only danced when the occasion called for it, trying their hand at other jobs.

"Be careful," was all he said. If dancing made her happy, he wasn't going to take that away from her now that they were on good terms again.

Adalia lifted a brow in surprise. "When can I take her to the tent?"

Now Qwinn felt uncomfortable with the thought of her dancing, at least with the others at the tent. His minds-eye produced a vivid image of one of the males wrapping himself around her as the drums slowed. Adalia cleared her throat, pulling him from his thoughts. "You may join us of course," she added, reading him.

"Unfortunately, I already have plans for her tonight. Perhaps tomorrow."

Adalia pouted slightly then curiosity got the best of her. "What are you planning?"

"I am going to take her on a tour of the palace." Alison smiled slightly at his words. He finally turned to her. "Have you eaten?"

She nodded. Without pause, Qwinn offered his arm to her as he'd seen humans do on the surface when they strolled the parks at night, unaware that he was on patrol. He hoped he was doing it right. She accepted his arm, handing her cane to Adalia, who followed closely behind. When he sent her a look over his shoulder, she straightened proudly. "I insist on coming. I can just imagine the quality of tour you would give her," she snorted.

Even her tease could not ruin his mood. They walked past the guard posted at her door. As they walked, Qwinn snuck a peek at Alison out the side of his eyes. He was amazed at how much better she looked. Within a matter of hours of her being healed, there was a healthy glow about her.

They continued down the hall and Qwinn couldn't help but feel proud about the fact that she looked so excited to be out of her room and he happened to be the cause of that.

"My room is farther down the hall and around the corner," Adalia said, smiling.

"There are so many rooms," Alison said in overwhelmed surprise.

"We will only show you the important ones," Adalia said.

The going was slow. Alison's legs were stiff from not walking for a few days. Qwinn did his best not to rush her as they walked. When they took the stairs, he offered to carry her, but she insisted on doing them herself.

With every step, she grit her teeth. He wanted to help her. He wondered if he should have healed her leg more than he did. He'd left the smallest of fractures, everything else was completely healed.

When they reached the bottom, he insisted they stop so she could rest. Though she claimed to be fine, he could see in her green eyes that she was thankful for the break.

They showed her glimpses into the kitchen, training room, hall to the laundry and the nursery where Alison had once helped.

Adalia filled her ear with all sorts of memories pertaining to each room, like the time she snuck into the laundry hall and dumped all of Qwinn's clothing into the purple dye, then into the green dye, creating a horrible array of splotchy colors. Or the time their father threw a celebration in thanks for the harvest and Qwinn ended up burning down one of the fields with a misfired flame orb.

"Those happened when we were much younger," Qwinn tried to explain to Alison, who smiled in amusement at the stories and his embarrassment.

When Adalia began to tell Alison about his stint as a dancer, he cut her off in Vidarian, warning her that this story could lead to something he didn't feel the need to tell Alison about yet, if ever. His sister sighed, but relented. They came to the inner courtyard garden and walked inside. Alison opted for a seat on the soft grass as Qwinn and Adalia kept telling her stories about when they were young and more playful.

"QWINN, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR people," Alison asked. It was almost strange to see him so relaxed around her. She felt as if she were participating in a rare event. He was always so busy and so grumpy. But today, she'd seen him smile, genuinely smile, a few times. Though she fought to keep her feelings at bay, she had to admit, he was very attractive when he laughed.

Qwinn folded his legs as he sat and met her eyes. "What would you like to know?"

"Well," there were so many questions. "How did you become King?" Adalia snickered at the question, and Alison continued to explain. "What I mean is, do your people vote or is it birthright?"

He seemed slightly confused by her question. "My family has been the royalty of these people since the beginning of time itself. When a male heir is old enough, he is bestowed with all the power of the Kings previous, all the way to the first Vidarian."

"You're related to the first Vidarian?"

He smiled. "We all are, but yes, my family is pure from his blood."

"But what about Adalia? Can a woman rule?"

Adalia smiled largely at her question and watched her brother closely as he answered. "A woman may not rule. It must be a male."

"What happens if you do not have an heir and you are killed? Who will rule then?"

"I will never be killed," he said seriously.

"Figuratively speaking."

Adalia tried to stifle a laugh as her brother groped for an answer while trying to contain his rising frustration. Alison suspected that no one
ever
questioned the king.

"In that case, when Adalia has a son, he will be the heir and eventually made King."

"Who rules in the meantime?" she asked, aware that she was annoying him.

"The council."

Alison thought it over. "I think Adalia would make a great Queen."

Adalia giggled as she bowed and Qwinn shook his head. "That's not our way."

Alison giggled with his sister. "I'm teasing."

Qwinn's eyes narrowed playfully as his annoyance washed away.

Alison learned a lot about the Vidarian's, sitting in the courtyard. She found out that girls are never born without a twin brother, but boys could be born without a twin sister. Even though, reasonably, there were more men in the Vidarian population, many did not mate with Vidarian women, which meant the people were not struggling from such odds. Also, a lot of the men became soldiers, who had little time for relationships because they became were soldiers until they were too old to fight.

Children grew at a rapid speed until they reached their fifty-year mark, which is considered their maturity, and then slowed dramatically to the normal Vidarian aging. Their maturity age looked the equivalent of a ten-year-old child.

The variety of shapes and colors of Vidarian's had to do with breeding with other races and species. The powers that many Vidarian's had also differ according to mate-selection. She was amazed to find that oddities in body form were the norm, if not welcomed.