In Blood and Love

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Even Galene did not speakb up to break the tense silence as first. The young girl's eyes darted around the table, her mind working to figure out a way to diffuse the situation. In the end, she seemed unable to discover a way and instead simply crammed a spoonful of soup into her mouth.


After another moment, people brgan moving, getting up to prepare for bed. There were the standard goodnights and beforen long, only Galene, Barrin, Naomi, and Raleigh of the royal family were left.


"Come with me," Naomi said to Barrin, glancing over at Alexandra once. Barrin obeyed, getting up and following his mother out wordlessly. Galene blinked and glanced over at her father but got no further explanation.

 

[tamaracorine]

Alexandra stared down at her lap as Barrin walked away with his mother. She did not know how to recover or if she could recover. The welcome had been warm but the air around her suddenly felt cold. It was not going to be easy to adjust to this place. Freedom came with new requirements.


Her hands gripped her dress tightly, scrunching the fabric up in her hands. Her mind was racing with thoughts of how to apologise to Barrin for her insensitivity. She was certain a few moments later that her betrothal was over and she and Bethany would be going home that evening.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"Mother?" Barrin asked as they walked through the castle. "Mother, what is it?"


Naomi sighed heavily as she turned to look at her son, her face heavy and her eyes clouded with something that made Barrin pause for a moment in his steps.


"Your betrothed is an interesting character," Naomi said, walking again, Barrin jogging slightly to keep pace. "I suppose it was ignorant of me to assume that things would slot into place just because we had finally got a worthy ally, on paper at least. In person, they were slightly different, though not totally unexpected. My expectations were not terribly high for them but they were..."


"Unconvincing in their helpfulness?" Barrin asked as Naomi opened a great oak door to a room with a plush bear-skin rug spread out in front of a desk carved from some ancient tree on the edges of Vanguard. Whimsical designs of trees stretching to the sky, of rolling hills and swaying meadows were carved into the front of it. There were parchments on top of the desk and a quill pen dipped in ink. Naomi sat behind the desk and glanced at Barrin through heavy and tired eyes.


"She is different from us," Naomi said, "in more than just tradition. She does not look like us nor does she act or think like us. Alexandra is Enmorion and she will always be, no matter what we do. It is why you will always be Vanguardian and that not even they could break that from you. You are the blood and flesh of this land and they cannot unroot you from it. Do you understand?"


Barrin nodded and sat carefully in one of the plush chairs in front of the desk.


"She is... weak," Naomi said carefully. "Physically. Mentally, she has lasted so long in Enmorion and I'm sure that was not easy."


"They whipped her for rebelling," Barrin said quietly, remembering what the princess had said. "They didn't like what she did and tried to stifle it."


Naomi shifted quietly in her seat, her eyes glancing down towards the curved writing of some faraway kingdom that she had been examining before dinner had been prepared. "Then perhaps she is not weak," Naomi said.


"I do not believe so."


Naomi's eyes flickered to Barrin's face which was as blank as it was open; firm in his belief. "She is stronger than you think. mother. She may not be able to swing a sword well and her courtesies may make you feel as though she is not trying or perhaps trying too hard but she has survived under a thumb for so long."


"Perhaps," Naomi said, picking up the quill and playing with the feathers. "But she is certainty different."


"I don't disagree with you."


Naomi tilted her head at her son, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration and thought before drawing apart again. "What have you learned about her today?" Naomi asked, placing the quill back and leaning forward, taking the role of a mother listening to her son again. Barrin slouched in the chair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, a habit he had.


"Well," he said. "She likes to swing swords and does not know how to dress in armor. She is eager to learn and can be made to speak her mind so long as she does not feel as if the words she says have offended you or even annoyed you. She is skittish in my opinion. She is overly willing to obey, to conform and in a way, that prevents her from staying in one place to be analyzed. As soon as she thinks something has gone wrong, she will change."


"She is a foreign land with no friends expecting what she had at home," Naomi said. "Do not expect her to be the same as your sisters or our people or even that she will change.'


"That's the problem," Barrin said, sitting up. "She's so different I don't like it. I feel like I have to teach her everything."


Naomi stood up and walked towards Barrin, pulling up a second chair so that she could take his hand into hers and stare at him. "Sweetie," she started quietly, "I know training others has never been your strong suit. You command and demand and you forge your own path and you want someone like that, someone you do not have to lead along. Alexandra and Enmorion are not things that will follow your commands unless you take their hands."


Barrin pursed his lips for a moment. "You say Enmorion as well."


"It is a land that you may not inherit but that you will have blood in or rather, your children will have blood in. You must know of that place if you wish to bring children that may reconcile Vanguard with a land so far away."


"I am not good at leading," Barrin said tiredly, his eyes falling on his mother's face.


"A single failure does not make you pathetic," Naomi said sternly, "it is dwelling on it that does." Her eyes softened and her hand reached up to cup his face. "You are stronger than you think you are and you are more noble than you give yourself credit for. There is no need for you to think otherwise. As a leader, you will face hard decisions, perhaps even death and you will lead people to the end. But if you make yourself a good leader, they will follow you willingly."


"I don't want to see anyone die," Barrin said hoarsely.


"I know, sweetie," Naomi said quietly. "I know. There won't be anymore deaths. I promise."


There was silence, before Barrin sighed and Naomi dropped her hand. "You must try to figure out Alexandra. I will help, but I make no guarantees. She is a strange girl, to be true and Enmorion is a strange land. I do not understand the words she says, dismissing concerns as if they were air. But I do understand now that she has suffered, and in that suffering self-importance has withered and given way to doubt and misery. You'll have to tend to her, and I know you do not wish to, not wholly, but you will. You'll have to show her that she is safe here, in Vanguard, that you are safe for her. That she will be happy."


"Yes mother," Barrin said.


When she hugged him, he could smell the grass after rain, the cool morning air, the blueberry pastries she made on their birthdays and when they were sad, home in her hair. Perhaps one day Alexandra would smell like home, too.

​

Galene continued swinging her legs and staring at Alexandra, her blue eyes rolling to drink in the image of the princess. She was not all too sure what had caused the silence, only that the comment that Alexandra had said was strange and not Vanguardian. But wasn't that the point? The foreign princess was foreign after all, having just come to their home. Wouldn't she carry with her traits from Enmorion?


Sometimes, Galene felt like she was dumb, that she had missed some message in her childishness and her eagerness to cling to every last second of her childhood. She knew that when the duties began, she would have to abandon time to run, time to climb, time to hunt for fun and swing down stairs on banisters. She would become like the rest of her family; tall, strong, firm. Boring, almost. Galene wanted to ride free forever, to enjoy life forever. Being chained down seemed... tiring. She had once asked if perhaps she could be sent off, to which her parents had both reacted with livid responses.


That was the first day she learned about how lucky and different she was to be living in Vanguard.


Alexandra just needed time to learn that Vanguard was different and that she was also lucky to be here.


"So you like balls," Galene said as her brother and mother disappeared from view. "Do you do special dances there?"

 

[tamaracorine]

Alexandra let her thoughts drift. Galene's question conjured all sorts of memories in her mind. The restrictions of her kingdom were vast, but there was one night every season that brought the greatest freedom women could know. This was the freedom to dance. It was beautiful to see people become swept up in the music. Alexandra used to watch as a child, and see men with the women they were courting. There would be shy glances and tender touches and sometimes, they would sneak away for some kisses behind a pillar. She was amazed at what happened those nights.


Balls were held at the change of seasons. It was to ease the transition and celebrate what was, and ask for the gods blessing of the season to come. It was a night of joy and hope and even the hungriest of the kingdom were fed well. Music played in the streets and the King's men would deliver food to the slums, and give them blankets for summer and thicker ones for winter. It was a night of unity.


She glanced at Galene. "We do have special dances. Each turn of the season." she explained. "It's one of the things I know I will miss about my kingdom. I'll also miss our gardens. They sprawl across the grounds, you see - stretching as far as the wall goes. There's even a maze there. I used to run from my father's guards into there and they never learned to catch me. Except, one simply cut through the hedges one day." she chuckled. "I enjoyed that part of my childhood." she admitted. "What do you love, Galene? What do you enjoy about your life?"

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"We have a garden here," Galene said. "Casimir is sick all the time so he spends a lot of time there, tending to flowers that are brought from all over and are supposed to help him in some way." Galene had picked out a slice of orange and was consuming it in between sentences, seemingly having tossed any table manners to the side. "No mazes though. But the kingdom is so large and there's so many buildings and stalls that it's like a maze," Galene added, perking up. "We could run through the streets together. I could show you all the hiding spots and such.


"That's my favorite part, you know. Just being able to run everyone. Mom and dad say that eventually, I'm gonna have to grow up and deal with all the royalness that comes with being a princess, like all my siblings do. But I don't want to; they all seem sadder when they learn to be a royal."


Barrin had stopped playing with her as much when he was given his regiment and at one point, after a night where the castle was so alive Galene almost thought that the sound of feet hitting the ground was its heart beat, Barrin stopped completely. He had retreated to his soldiers and his training and it wasn't until Nartai had coaxed him back to the castle instead of the barracks that he gave Galene a smile, ruffled her hair, and ran after her in the streets again. Even Nataxie, who Galene had always seen as quiet and stoic and very royal and queenly had changed. Her lips would dip into a frown more and more, her eyebrows furrowing together as she watched the commoners wander by. Her lips would purse and her eyes would glance every which way, into the corners and the dark as if expecting something there.


Her parents had said that they were learning. And that, Galene could believe. Wonder was a silent heir but she was happy as well, her lips curling as often as Nataxie's dipped. Nartai had entertained Galene when Barrin hadn't, though she soon learned to avoid him and her niblings when they were around, their rowdiness unparalleled, even for her.


"Sometimes," her mother would say, stroking her hair as she complained about the doom of sadness that she saw ahead of her, "things get worse before they get better. And that's ok. Barrin and Nataxie are just... transitioning. Things are hard and new. They'll be happy again, I promise. I wouldn't ever let you be unhappy forever."


But then the letter came, the letter that said that Barrin had to marry, that he had to give his heart and his soul and his life to another that he didn't know, that he wouldn't know. Or at least that's what her siblings whispered, often shutting their mouths when Barrin came into the room. Galene didn't understand it. Alexandra was to be another woman from far away, come to their kingdom to take part in it. Sure, she was to wed Barrin but what harm could come from that?


Her family sometimes glanced at her when she voiced it, ruffled her hair or squatted down to look her in the eye. "It is something you don't understand yet," Wonder would tell her, smoothing out her rampant curls. "And perhaps you will be unique in that you never will."


Galene didn't know what that meant but hadn't pressed.


"Barrin's been kinda sad lately," Galene said suddenly. "I dunno why. Could you ask?"

 

[tamaracorine]

"I could." Alexandra offered immediately. She gave Galene a small smile. Her hunch was that her presence was the cause for his sadness, and that he would become sadder before he would become happier. She wanted the Prince to warm to her. It would take him time, she knew. She knew that they would have to learn how the other worked, and what made the other smile.


Smiling. She would need to work out how to make the Prince smile. The Princess leaned over the large table, "Tell me, Galene, what is your brother's favourite thing to do? What makes him smile? Perhaps, he would be less sad if I could find a way to make him smile." It was simplistic and almost childish, but her task for the moment was not to rule well, it was to find a way to get to know her fiance. It was a deceivingly simple task and it was proving harder than she wished. "Is there a food he loves? Is there a place he loves?"

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"He likes the quiet," Galene said, eating a few grapes. "He used to take me to a place down by the river, under this great big willow. These days, he doesn't take me anymore." She allowed herself to be sad for a moment. Over the past year, a strange distance had grown between Galene and most of her elder siblings, the most prominent of which was between her and Barrin. She had loved her older brother, had played with him eagerly but as he shouldered more responsibility, he shrank away from her child-like games. "I think he goes there to think quietly. You know Vanguard is very loud all the time and it's hard to find any place to rest and think up of something.


"He takes people he likes on picnics, I know. I think he likes squishy cheeses and crackers; anything he can dip something harder and flat into, really. I don't know why he likes those things but he does.


"He also likes to train, or rather, he likes to relax through that. It helps clear his mind and focus him on one task."


Galene grew quiet for a second. Barrin had retreated to the barracks after the horrifying night she had spent awake, eyes peering into the dark and then out the window, where she thought she could see pinpricks of light. Someone was attacking them, someone big and powerful and Barrin had led his regiment into battle for the first time and emerged a commander, the old one having been vanquished.


It was a strange night for Galene, who had been told nothing, instead instructed to stay inside, in bed, to not worry.


But she had and the silence had only made her wonder more as commands were shouted outside her door.


"He doesn't really like fighting," Galene said. "I think he just likes repetitive physical tasks, ya know?"

 

[tamaracorine]

Alexandra listened carefully. She made mental notes of what it was that he liked - picnics, squishy cheese, and repetitive physical tasks. None of those were Alexandra's specialty, especially when he had to teach her how to use a sword better, and she had no idea where to go for a picnic. She frowned as the task suddenly felt too hard, too overwhelming, too hopeless. "Yeah. I know." she responded to Galene eventually, her voice quieter than before and her eyes full of sadness. Her lips turned into a slight frown.


----


Her mother had given her endless lectures about what to do and what not to do with the Prince. She remembered sitting by the fireplace in her mother's quarters, a look of shock on her face. "You see," her mother had explained. "The way to a man's heart is not his stomach, it is his bed. You must seduce him. You must find a way to make him desire you. Do whatever you must for that to happen."


The Princess had balked at that. She had been taught to preserve her purity, and suddenly she was being told to throw it away in an attempt to win a man's heart. "This is politics, isn't it?" she asked her mother. "Giving up parts of yourself to win."


"Yes, Alexandra. You must give up your dignity for the sake of this kingdom. You are simply another pawn in this game, and the sooner you realise it, the better." she told her, an almost gentle tone to her voice. "I am also a pawn, I took longer to realise it than I should have."


---


"Perhaps," Alexandra wondered out loud. "Perhaps I am not what will make your brother happy, Galene. But if it is his happiness that you desire, I will seek to make him smile. A picnic, you said?"

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Galene watched Alexandra carefully, her eyes scanning the other's face as it shifted. She didn't really know a lot about Enmorion, but from what she had heard, it was not pleasant and somewhere that would frown upon Vanguard.


"It is Enmorion that won't make him happy," Galene said, "but as free as Vanguard is, it won't make you happy either, not completely. You both grew up apart and in different ways; you're going to have to figure out how to reconcile your differences and what you like.


"My parents always say that in a relationship, you have to make compromise. If you don't, you won't have a good relationship because someone is always sad and sadness can give way to rage and rage will give way to war." She chewed on a grape for a moment. "What makes you happy?"

 

[tamaracorine]

Alexandra shrugged, "Happiness has never been my concern, to be honest, but exploring has always made me happy. I love exploring. I love finding new places and seeing new things. That's why this seemed so promising." she leaned back in her chair, glancing around the room. "Do you think they will come back soon? Or should I retire to my room and give your family some time?" she asked quietly.


The Princess laughed. "My apologies, Galene. I should keep my wandering thoughts to myself. I will wait until they return and then retire. Travelling has made me tired and more sensitive than I would like."

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Galene shrugged at the other princess. "I don't know. They're both adults and have responsibilities." In a way, it made Galene feel bitter, how they continuously left her out of the conversation, of the knowledge that they spread so eagerly. She was the youngest and acted like a child because she liked to but she considered herself smart, wise, deserving of information. They would rather keep her in the dark and then plunge her into blinding light than allow her a little glimmer. She knew that it was probably "for the best" and she was taught some things but it felt as if there was always a door closed to her.


"You can go if you want," Galene said. "There's no one stopping you."

 

[tamaracorine]

The Princess smiled slightly at Galene. It was a sincere smile. "Thank you." she stood up carefully, adjusting her clothes. "You have made me feel more welcome here than you could know, Galene. I'm grateful for you." she told her. "I hope we can become friends. I'd love to explore with you." she turned and walked out of the dining room, making her way back to the chambers she had been given.


Bethany was waiting for her. Her face fell as soon as she saw her friend. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.


"Yes," Alexandra responded. "I misspoke at dinner and Barrin disappeared with his mother to speak. I've never felt so exposed or confused. There was no way to fix it, Bethany. I'm a foreigner and always will be." she sighed and began to undress so that she could put a nightgown on. She slid into bed beside Bethany, glad for the company.


The girls fell asleep almost immediately. Alexandra was too tired to speak much more, and Bethany knew when it was not good to push her to speak. The bed was luxurious and the room was warm. It was a relief after nine nights in a carriage.


Morning arrived too soon for Alexandra's liking. Bethany helped her dress in something closer to Vanguardian custom - no corset to restrict her breathing, and her hair relaxed in curls around her shoulders. The Princess left their room and began to walk towards breakfast, taking deep breaths as she went. She wanted some time with Barrin - she wanted to go somewhere with him, to see him outside of his role.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Galene swung her legs from the chair, peering out after the princess, a small frown on her face. Her father had long since left, probably to do some of his own "duties" and her mother and brother had yet to return. Deciding that the castle might prove more insightful if she wandered around it instead of sitting in one spot, she leaped off the chair and onto the ground before walking, eyes peering upwards at the domed roof of the main hall. She ascended the stairs, one small hand skimming the railing, her eyes trained ahead, adjusting as the servants lit torches to guide her way, smiling down at her. Galene walked down the long halls, her shadow cast against the stone and her ears turned for whispers that contained any hint of fact.


She heard a few servants mutter about a pregnant knight and her husband arguing over when or if she would stop being one; a cook make a quip about the blueberry cobbler that the queen made that Galene dismissed as jealousy; and most interestingly, a whisper about herself against a wooden door. Pressing her ear up against it, she heard the familiar voice of her father, low and honey-like and familiar, and one of a man that Galene could see in her mind's eye, though she could not remember what he did.


"She has not matured yet," her father said sternly.


"Does not matter. They want another."


"They'll have her when she is grown," her father said, anger creeping into his voice. "They do not get to take her away.


"That is not for you to decide."


"Bullshit," he spat and Galene's eyes widened; she had never heard her father swear before. "They'll take her from this castle after they trample my dead body."


"Perhaps they will."


There was a silence that made Galene feel cold and she could see her father staring down the man, eyes hard and hands clenched, mouth set like his mind.


"May Vanguard stand," the man said, though Galene could hear the sneer.


"May Vanguard stand," her father repeated, though the anger was still there.

​

Barrin frowned as he realized that everyone had finished and that the dining room was empty.


"You should retire to bed," his mother told him, resting a gentle hand on his arm. "Tomorrow will surely be exciting."


Barrin sighed in response.


"I will have Auria or July take Alexandra out," Naomi reassured him. "Her role will be closer to theirs and I am sure they will be more than willing to teach her the ways of Vanguard and royalty."


Barrin gave his mother an appreciative smile before heading upstairs, bumping into his sister as she came down the hall, eyes wide.


"Hello there," he said, smiling at her. She glanced up and blinked before waving her response and leaving him to stare at the back of her head, feeling a pang of guilt. He had been Galene's best friend for the first five years of her life, until he had responsibilities and she found the outside. Even so, they remained close until Barrin was given charge of the regiment that had been dragged through the worst attack on Vanguardian soil in centuries, bloodied and hardened. Galene seemed to sense something had happened but was never told, a poor choice in Barrin's opinion. She was forever curious and she was not sharpened yet; if they let her be now, slowly but surely, she would not snap when they did so later and too quickly.


He made his way to his room, taking off his armor and placing it in the proper case before wandering to his bathing room and slipping into the water, which was now cold. He winced but did not get out, appreciating the fact that it relaxed his muscles and made the pain numb. After scrubbing away at the dirt and filth, he got out and slipped under his own covers, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how the hell he was supposed to deal with Alexandra when she was so different and he so changed.

​

Barrin had left early as the sun rose, heading out to the barracks to train. The queen had seen him off and waved down Auria, who had a basket in hand and a plan to see the docks and relax away from her babes.


"Do you think you could take Alexandra?" Naomi asked her daughter-in-law.


"Of course," Auria said, settling in a chair and bringing to her plate a soft pastry, one that was not sweet. "She seems an interesting individual."


"Indeed," Naomi said and Auria placed the piece of pastry she had broken off into her mouth slowly, realizing that there was another motive. "Barrin seems to be struggling to adjust to her due to her... differences," she continued. " Perhaps you could teach her?"


"Of course," Auria responded, though a bit more stiffly.


Naomi sighed into her tea as Galene made her way to the table. "Is the other girl around?" she asked.


"Bethany?" Naomi asked, lowering the cup and frowning at her daughter. "I believe so, why?"


"I need to ask her some things," Galene said, her eyes wide.


"The servants may know," Naomi said slowly.


"Great," the young girl said, turning to one and asking if they could get the other foreigner for her. They nodded and sped off as Galene pulled up a chair and plucked an orange from a basket.

 

[tamaracorine]

Bethany was approached by one of the servants as she walked through the halls. She was simply exploring, trying to work out the layout of the castle and the best ways to escape if they needed to. "Yes?" she asked as gently as she could manage.


"Princess Galene would like to see you." the servant explained.


A small smile formed on Bethany's lips and she nodded, turning to follow the servant back to the dining room where she had last seen Galene. She bowed slightly to the royalty in the room. "Good morning, Your Highnesses. How can I be of service?" she asked, not looking at anyone in particular.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Galene glanced up as the servant entered, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth. "Do you have anything to do today?" she asked.


Naomi said shortly afterwards, "Do you know where Princess Alexandra is?"