The table is set with roasted fish, cooked seaweed, bread, and other delicacies from our lands. The kitchen must be showing off since Ereon is eating with us, wanting to put their best culinary foot forward. Which I can’t help but think is humorous considering he's been eating from the kitchens since he arrived, just not at our table. I was raised to always respect the common folk and castle workers as much as I would respect any royal because we do not survive without the other. We don'thave the fish we eat without the hard work of those who do the fishing and we don't have the meals before us, without those who serve in the kitchen. My mother always wanted to show that a title does not define your worth and instead, one should look at the heart of the individual. So with that in mind, we normally don't have this much prepared for dinner. This is all the kitchen’s doing, not our request.
“Thylas said you once again went to the markets without an escort, Carnaxa,” my father groans from the head of the large table. My father, King Clennom, with his stark white hair and clearly irritated expression, meets my eyes with his stern gaze.
Thylas stands on my left side, which is my father's right. My guard has an expression that never changes. He keeps his eyes distant and unmoving, but I know he is watching. He's probably smiling internally. He loves getting me in trouble, ever since we were little kids.
“Thylas, should either learn to do a better job of watching me or a better job of keeping his mouth shut.” I toss a grape in my mouth and wash it down with a sip of water. Thylas' feet shuffle the slightest bit behind me and I hear a sigh come from his lips. Ereon is here and it's making everything that much more uncomfortable. Dinners are usually just my father and me, a time of connection after my mother's death. Now I have Ereon across from me and Thylas at my back. My father could have at least invited Siphonie and Rhenor to break the tension.
"Daughter, we have discussed this. You cannot be moving around the city like this when there are so many new faces in the kingdom now, including people from all over Ashonera for the fishing season. I don’t feel safe with you leaving the grounds unguarded. Keep Thylas with you.” His eyes flick toward Ereon. It's his men who roam the streets my Father is worried about. His men come from a kingdom that views women as property.
Ereon hasn't said a word since dinner began, after his initial greeting, his eyes bounce back and forth between my father and me. “Your Grace,” he begins wiping the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin. “Maybe Princess Carnaxa has a point. Maybe we should punish the guard for not doing his job. How hard could she be to watch? My men would have no problem watching her. Would you like us to replace this one?” Ereon motions with a bob of his head to Thylas.
I choke on my drink, this was not what I wanted. How could I have been so stupid as to speak my mind in front of Ereon? Of course, he would want to punish Thylas. Father is used to our little disagreements but knows that at the end of the day, Thylas is a loyal member of the AntalianShayi, my father also understands my free spirit. He blames my mother for that.
I smile at the Prince. “Prince Ereon, thank you so much for your offer, but I promise you, Thylas is a dutiful guard. We've known each other since we were children, I know my safety is of the utmost importance to him.”
“As much as that pleases me to hear Princess Carnaxa, your safety is worth more than a childhood friendship. If we were in my kingdom, he would be flogged or potentially face a worse punishment for not watching over you.”
Thylas stands tall but I can see his fingers tense at the sound of being flogged. He knows too well the sharp pain of a whip, even though it was long ago. The air in the room becomes tight with tension and even my father seems to dart his eyes toward Thylas to gauge his expression. The day of the flogging is forever ingrained in all our memories.
My father tosses his linen cloth beside his plate and crosses his legs. “That won't be necessary, Ereon. Thylas is one of our most trusted inside the AntalianShayiand I know he has my daughter's best interest in mind. Carnaxa should be the one to blame as she knows it's not safe to be wandering during thistime.” He eyes me and I know not to argue at this moment. Shaston is a whole different world. “Women of Antalis are simply more independent than they are in the north. Our women are known for their tempers and will to fight, as well as their utter disregard for their own safety while in search of satisfying their curiosities.”
“Then perhaps it is Princess Carnaxa who should bear the brunt of the punishment. Women are taught their place in Shaston, regardless of their station. When she is to be my queen she will do well to remember this.”
I grind my teeth at his statement. Queens are not meant to be simple accessories to their king. The thought of being nothing more than a silent partner goes against everything we are taught in Antalis and against everything my mother stood for. I pop the knuckle of my ring finger to keep from speaking out, how dare he have the audacity to recommend I be punished for a simple walk around my kingdom. I should speak up, I should say something more but my father looks at me, a subtle shake of his head. A reminder that this is not the place.
I sense Thylas step just a half step closer to me, his fingers itching toward his sword. We don't talk about it, but I know he does not like the idea of me becoming Ereon's wife. Maybe it's his long-ago feelings he had for me, or maybe it's just loyalty to Antalis and my father. At one point in our friendship we would have already discussed this, but the last few lunar years we've grown more distant and I don't know how I feel anymore. As he grew and aged, he got more handsome and also more cold toward me. The dark times after my mother’s death were when my father's reign changed the course of our lives with the decisions he made and as a result, Thylas pulled away from me.
It would be nice to have someone from Antalis in Shaston with me, but Thylas is a wild card. He's loyal to my father, to Antalis. But if he left to go to Shaston it would be an easier life to pledgehis loyalty to the Shaston King instead of living as an Antalian on their sands. Thylas' fault is his loyalty, the unnecessary desire to show my father he is worthy of the home provided to him all those lunar years ago. Thylas never talks about where he is from, I don’t know if he even remembers, but he's thankful for his home in Antalis nonetheless.
“You are correct, Prince Ereon. My daughter should be punished but you would be wise to remember that you are in my home and not Shaston. As such, you will keep that in mind as she is my daughter and not yet your queen.” My father pushes back from the table and tosses his napkin onto the table as he ends the conversation, “I think it is time to depart.” He walks away, not giving anyone a chance to have any other words. He glances at me over his shoulder. “Come daughter, for your punishment,” he states, as he makes his way through the doorway, not sparing another glance back.
Sweat thickens across my brow and my hands become clammy. I've seen father's punishments but have never been on the receiving end of them – even when it was deserved. He's not dealt out the roughest of punishments in many moons. The times after my mother's death were rough and I often wondered if we would end up like Shaston, but my father was able to reign in his anger and keep Antalis a peaceful nation, as we've always been. However, he will still sentence punishments if the offense is significant. Those who rape or kill, those who deserve punishment.
As I stand up, my purple gown slightly touching the floor as I do; Ereon stands, and bows at the waist, a slight grin on his face before he gets in the last word, “Your Highness.”
“You have to watch your mouth and your attitude, Carnaxa!” my father yells, as he slams the door shut behind him.
After leaving the table we walk down the long corridor to his personal chambers in complete silence. Thylas is behind me, his heavy boots thumping against the castle's marbled floor. The castle is one of Antalis' greatest treasures. It is not made of the grey, dull stone of the peoples’ homes, but of white marble with gold and blue veining throughout. The ornate, floor-to-ceiling windows let the natural sea air and light in. The moon shines down on us as we walk, reflecting off the polished floors. Even so, this walk feels heavy with strong words that cannot be said because of the ears that might hear. Strands of cerulean hair tickle my pale olive skin as the ocean’s breeze whips through the corridor. My father is not pleased by what transpired in the feasting hall, and I worry about what he will say as we stop in front of his door.
“Thylas, you are dismissed for the night. I will have someone else watch her. She will be ready to see you in the morning, as she will be there waiting for an escort before she leaves her chambers.” My father turns to his personal guard and politely requests, “Eldoris, please stand outside. I'd like a word with my daughter before you take her back to her rooms.”
Eldoris, wearing his own golden armor, stands tall and nods quietly to my father. He has been my father's personal guard for many lunar years, since he was a young man himself. His father was the guard for my grandfather as well as his paramore, and when my grandfather stepped down from the throne and walked into the sea's embrace, his guard went with him.
Thylas bows slightly. “Good evening, my king” – and then he turns to me with a weary smile on his face – “Good evening, Princess.” He turns and walks down the hall. Thylas is one of the tallest in theKe Neye. His shoulders are strong and broad, but I know the dark secrets held in the scars across his back. Hisarms bear the markings of what it takes to become a soldier of theKe Neye. The tattoos are from the rankings he has gained in theShayialong with his personal story. They swirl in dark ink around his arm, in a language lost to most. The tattoos detail the sacred oath one must say when joining the AntalianShayi. The soldiers are the only ones in our kingdom to wear those specific tattoos, some have more than others. Oaths of marriage and words of honor are also seen marked on their skin. Thylas is still young, but I have no doubt he will have more markings as time goes on.
Father slowly opens his door and beckons me inside. His main room is dimly lit with only one burning candle near his bedside. I walk toward his window and peer out, watching as the waves come in and out. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly as the waves appear to do the same. The moon, high in the sky, has a small cloud in front of it, and I watch as it drifts across its face.
Father walks toward his table and grabs a glass and the dark liquor next to it. Pouring himself a finger and slowly brings it to his beard-covered mouth. He's aging and the stress of the future doesn't help. My mother and he tried to have another child, so I wouldn't be left alone in the world. Instead, they had me, and my mother was taken by the deluc.
“I'm sorry, Father,” I say as my fingers begin to tremble as I remember how the loss of her affected him, how her passing impacted the kingdom.
He looks toward me and his eyes soften. “Don't do that. Don't act as if you're scared of me – I have not permitted floggings in several lunar years. I'm not going to harm you, I just want to remind you that you are not always in a place to be sharing your thoughts.”
Father pours himself another finger of liquor, and the tension between his eyebrows relaxes just for a moment before he turns back to me.
“You know I don't want to do this, Naxa. I just don't know what else to do. Iviloan would have … she always knew what to do. I never wanted this. You will be the sole ruler of Antalis and you have to have a powerful husband to defend it with you. We are in a time of peace right now, but the Southern Continent could decide at any time to challenge us. If I broke the agreement of your betrothal, Shaston could, within their contractual rights, declare war on us. I made a rash decision, one I must stand by now. Many of our young people have not seen battle, and the ones that have are too old to carry the burden alone. OurShayi Yengosoldiers are strong for war at sea and ourShayi Makasoldiers are prepared for battles on land, but the Kingdom of Shaston lives in the blood of battles.”
I walk toward my father and put my hand on his squeezing tightly. “I know, Father.”
