Bonds of Promise

Aethan

When I opened my eyes they immediately met with fierce black ones, and the hand that clamped over my mouth just barely stopped my cry of alarm. I kicked out next, feet hitting flesh even as a familiar voice said, "Quiet, Lord Aethan, it is Mirax."

Mirax. In my stupor I still struggled beneath him, despite recognizing his voice and every wrinkle of his face. Yes, I recognized my father's chief of staff, what he hadn't explained was what he was doing here, on my ship and on top of me.

When he was sure I would not fight him he released me and I got up, brushing down my tunic and fixing the strands of light hair from my face. I glared at him as hard as I dared. "What's the meaning of this? How did you make it aboard the Trident? Or even know where we are?"

Mirax looked at me in disgust, as if I had questioned his considerable skills. That look plainly said that he knew everything of importance in the realm. "You need better guards, your highness – all your men are either asleep or otherwise occupied."

Ire ignited within me as I defended my sailors and guards, "We are out to sea and far in our own waters away from danger. There is no need for –"

He interrupted me, a rudeness I always had to bear with Mirax, "Danger is everywhere, your highness."

How could he say that even after one year of having established peace? Sure there were reports of piracy from time to time but no one was ever stupid enough to attack a royal frigate. We would outgun them easily.

I said nothing else to Mirax though. I had not seen him in over a year, and his appearance could mean nothing but trouble. Mostly he appeared to me when I was in Gorma at my house there, and it would be about some small matter of governance or the other.

Some lord that my father wanted to manhandle into giving in to his demands, usually a dispute over land, settlement or which lord or knight his daughter would marry. My father gave the assignments and Mirax came to grade me. That was the way things worked. What could it be this time?

"Well? You've found me in the middle of the Vernet, I would think it's very important." I didn't want to mince words with him, we had too much of a complicated relationship. He had to accord me a measure of respect because of my title, but I was required to obey him totally. There were consequences if I didn’t, as I had learned painstakingly.

"It's your sister..." Mirax hesitated. In the lapse of silence from one sentence to the other I strained my ears to listen to words not yet said. When anticipation had filleted my nerves of its steel he spoke again. "She passed three nights ago, after falling grievously ill."

And when my ears finally heard what it had strained to hear I did not believe it. What was he saying? Was he talking about my Aella? Princess Aella, my twin sister had been sick, and had died?

He was wrong. I would've felt it if that were true, I would've known it deep within me, I was sure of it. He had to be wrong.

One moment I was aware of everything. The ship's creaks and groans in the gentle waves, the sounds of snores and the rustle of rough spun sacks in the breeze. The snores of men in the night.

Then the world fell silent.

Aella, dead. The other half of my soul, gone.

Cerulean eyes like the ocean my twin sister could not have evaporated. Hair bleached by the sun she could not have been struck by its rays. My sister had to be alive...

My asked the question to confirm, "With what illness?" Aella was the strongest person I knew. Not to mention that our medicine in Gracia was the best in the entire continent of Kulviere. She was also as healthy as a horse.

"The healers said it brittled her bones and caused her to waste away, they had never seen anything like it."

And I had not even felt it. I had remained so ignorant through it all, I could have been doing anything as she had battled for life, then finally heaved her last breath. Perhaps I was fishing or swimming when it happened. Oblivious to the loss of my own blood.

Mirax waited, although I could feel his impatience growing with me. Having him in the room while I processed made me remember that Aella was not just my sister, but a crowned princess of the Northern Kingdom, and the heiress to the throne. Now with her gone, I knew what they expected.

"Your highness," Mirax's voice hardened, "This is not the time. I am charged with bringing you to the capital with all haste."

"No," I answered him uselessly, "I'm not going to him."

"You don't have a choice, Aethan," Mirax dropped the title and advanced toward me.

"To Readris, and to my father? Leave me alone Mirax, I want to be alone right now." I was slower than Mirax could bear, he lost patience.

"Yes, to Readris. The King has summoned you, so you will go. You must go."

He had a determined clench about his jaw and so I knew there was no escaping it. I gave in, "I'll turn the ship around."

"That won't be necessary," Mirax halted me with a squeeze applied to my shoulder. "I've alerted your advisers already and they have come with me tonight in my skiff. You will leave with me while they accompany your men back to Gorma. "

I didn't understand. Why did I have to leave my ship or my crew when I could sail to the capital? Was there really this need for secrecy? From my own men?

"Am I in danger? When my mother died they rang the bells across the realm for hours and called the people to mourn for a full week. Why can't the men know?"

"Aethan. No questions. Just come with me." He surveyed the room, "Leave any of your clothes behind, have you any ceremonial tunics for Lumen and Virax to use?"

I frowned. Those garments were for the royal house only, if both Lumen and Virax were here and needed this clothes as they accompanied the men back to Gorma instead of me, they could only be doing one thing. "You're going to trick the men..." Mirax did not deny it, giving me only an appraising look. "Is that really necessary?"

"Answer me little princeling, there is no time to lose." Mirax voice held an edge now, as if he were barely holding back from physically striking me. It had happened before, only Mirax could do this, and it would be like an extension of my father's own hand.

"I don't have any royal clothes aboard." My sister was gone and he stood here asking me for tunics.

"You ignored protocol? You do know you are required to take with you at least one of the royal robes with you wherever you go, what if you were not recognized and needed to confirm your identity? Or what if I needed you on official business?" Mirax crossed the room to the wooden closet, "Have you nothing that doesn't make you look like a fisherman's son? I've sent you dozens of garments over the years."

"What isn't back in Gorma, I sold," I took great satisfaction in telling him.

"You...sold them?" His tone contained rage and a sort of grudging respect. "And who, pray tell, gave you permission to sell them?"

His washed out grey eyes narrowed on mine as I replied, "They were mine to dispense of, were they not?" I was proud of myself for not meekly quailing under his gaze. I was a prince. I would stare this viper down to know when it would strike.

But I did not see the strike coming. It caught me off-guard on the right side of my face in a stinging slap. My hand reached the warm skin and soothed it slowly as I processed through the pain. This was nothing, his right hand hit much harder than his left.

Mirax closed the short distance until I could feel his breath, "When your father, the King, gives you gifts, never scorn him by selling them."

My father was not a father to me. He was simply the King. And I knew what he thought of me. He thought I was useless and an unnecessary addition to his family.

It came as no surprise to me that he selected Aella over me as the heir, despite her being a woman. And even when he betrothed her to the prince of the Southern kingdom eight months ago, he had not renamed me the heir of his kingdom. He must be so devastated by Aella's death. He must even wish it were me instead.

Mirax continued with his composure back intact as if nothing had even occurred. He took my chin in his hand and turned my face left and right, inspecting it. "Good, I've not left any bruises. That would've been inconvenient."

I was property, after all. Mirax never treated me like a human, I was simply his assignment whenever he visited, and anything that was not according to plan was 'inconvenient'. I stared him down.

He would never break my spirit. Aella and I had promised each other that we would never lose ourselves and forget who we were. No matter what Mirax or our father did to us. I thought of her now for strength as Mirax took me above decks.

Masters Lumen and Virax were the only ones there, wearing their black robes that covered everywhere but their eyes and hands. As Magi, they were capable of the most underhanded of tricks. They could fool most men with the greatest skill. If they even said to one of my men that I was in my cabin, he would never doubt it. If they wanted they could pose a sack of potatoes as me and it would work effectively. They gave me small bows when they saw me.

"My sympathies, Lord Prince," The words came from Lumen, my adviser and trusted friend, in his thin, high voice. "We will do our utmost to safeguard your estate in your absence."

Mirax spoke before I could address them in return, "You have your orders, Magi. Do your duty well and your conditions will be met." He grabbed me by the arms and brought me to the rail of my ship, shoving me to go over and jump into his waiting ship.

Would he not even allow me my farewells? And what did he mean about their 'conditions'? Was I being sold? My teachers had simply turned over my location and offered their services to him for promotions? This last soured and stung.

Mirax didn't let me linger, with his feet over the rail he gave me a stern command, "Get in, now."

So I jumped and landed quietly in the small boat, regaining my balance with ease. I felt like a Lord's dirty little secret, being smuggled out of the rooms before the light of day like any common whore. But then again to my father, I probably was less, he wouldn't pay me a single coin.