A: Ch. 5.1

Chapter V

'Amazing how they can come so close and see nothing.'

'In time they shall see. You have seen how observant the boy is.'

'Yes... the 'boy'.'

Kya had never been so grateful to be home. Back in her room with a real bed and fresh clothes and a vanity with a brush! She had forgotten what spectacular luxuries these were! Upon entering the castle, Hilt was shown off to his room (somewhere in the lower levels, she was sure) and Kya was allowed to hurry back to her own quarters. Hilt still had her bow, quiver and dagger, but she at least had her pack. There wasn’t much left in it of much use save for two small, gold hair clips in the shape of rose leaves. Each had a small inscription on them, and while she had not worn them in some time, she never left without them.

The first thing Kya did was collapse in her gloriously soft feather bed and bury her face in the down pillows. It was so comfortable! Unfortunately, the crisp, fresh linens only amplified her own filth. Groaning, she pulled herself away from the blissful warmth and embrace of her bed and turned to gaze at her reflection in the vanity across the room. Kya didn’t recognize herself. She had a few scratches across her face and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was knotted and matted and her face had a thin, gaunt look.

A bath, food, and then a nap, Kya decided. She could order a servant to draw a bath for her, but it would take nearly half an hour for them to boil the water and bring it up to a basin for her. No, instead she would go down to the deepest part of the castle in the spire of its base. There were a series of hot springs that bubbled and gurgled to life there. How the water managed to come up through the single, thin branch that held the castle up amongst the waterfalls was still a mystery, but Kya was certain that it was a message from the Spirits that even under the most extreme of circumstances, the strong could still stand.

Gathering a fresh set of clothes and a warm towel, Kya crept out of her room and tiptoed through the halls. She didn’t know why she was moving so taciturnly; there were hardly any people left in the castle. Most of the servants were gone, the guards were gone, the council was mostly gone… Normally she’d be scolded for not waiting for a handmaiden, but Kya felt quite safe not being seen.

As she walked down the warm cherry and oak halls she began to think of her father, which ultimately led to her Uncle, King Yaro. The corridor she was walking down used to have large paintings of the late King, his Queen, and herself as a child, but now it was stripped bare. There were several anchors in the wall which held up famous blades and axes. None were used by Yaro, of course. He’d never touched a weapon in his life.

It saddened Kya to see so much of her father erased from what was supposed to be her home. It wasn’t much of a home anymore, was it? The life she had before was long gone. She was no longer the princess, she no longer sat upon a throne, she no longer slept in her childhood bed, and she no longer had her father. Instead she was Kya, and Kya was nothing. Just another officer, another woman who had to scream to be heard in this world of men. It was better this way, she kept telling herself. It was easier.

Her mind drifted back to Cress and her heart skid down to her stomach. He was a fat little man who had never left the Capital before. Kya doubted he’d lasted more than a day on his own. Hilt would have been more merciful just to kill him.

Kya had hardly the chance to think anything more about her clumsy, loyal friend as a screechy voice called out, echoing in the halls.

“Kya?!”

Kya whirled around in time to see a white and amber streak run towards her and tackle her in a tight hug.

“L-Liore,” Kya said stiffly. How many years had she switched names with this girl? It was still difficult to call another by her own name.

“You’re back? You’re actually back!” The girl squealed with delight and grasped Kya in a tighter hug.

“The guards at the gate said I was expected,” Kya said, feeling a flush creep up on her cheeks though she wasn't quite sure why.

She and Liore had been friends since childhood, ever since her Father died, so it seemed natural for her to take her place as a substitute, a doppelganger of sorts.  She still remembered the moment she switched names and officially became Kya. But every time she looked at her dear friend, it sent ripples of unease through her body.

They looked rather similar, especially with the bleaching dyes which turned Liore’s dark hair into amber locks. Liore, though, was striking. Where Kya’s nose was bumpy with a bulbous tip, Liore’s was thin and straight. Kya’s round face constantly gave her the dumpy appearance of a young child, but Liore had sharp cheekbones and large eyes. Perhaps they weren’t so alike; Kya just wished that she could be close in comparison.

Liore fit the role of princess better than Kya ever did. Her hair was always perfectly sculpted and her clothes never had a thread out of place. She spoke with an eloquence Kya had not mastered and she dominated the attention of every man when she entered a room. Kya turned into a frightened, invisible mouse in comparison.

Still, Kya would feel the occasional sting of jealousy around Liore. Her uncle had stripped her of her title, her father, and now her name.

“Yes, well, that,” Liore said, still smiling. “It was a teeny tiny lie that I came up with. I said I’d received a hawk with a letter from you that spoke of your success in the mission and your immediate return.”

Kya stared at Liore, her mouth dropping. “You did what? Why did you do that? And why did anyone believe you?” Kya would never have done that. She would send word to the King himself, or to Grand Scepter Gardel, the leader of the council. Why would anyone, especially the King, believe Liore’s absurd tale?

“I said you had written to me in code and that I was ordered to burn it after I read it,” Liore said defensively. “Look, King Yaro was being an obnoxious little prick and this little story scared him enough to pack his things and leave as quickly as possible. He thought that it was your ghost who had written the note and that you were in fact returning to kill him in his sleep. Well, I can’t give him all the credit. I may have encouraged that little story,” Liore said, a wicked grin on her face. “I said the ink was written in phantom blood that could only be read in the full moon.” She giggled and beamed at Kya.

“What have you done?” Kya asked, feeling her heart sink. The King was gone. He had fled north, just as she had feared, and it was all thanks to idiot Liore. “Why would you do that, Liore?” Kya demanded, her voice angry now.

Liore recoiled, looking cross. “He was making ridiculous orders to the people in the Capital. He insisted on a ten-fold increase in agriculture before the end of fall and even commanded that the Salvation of Serenity be torn down in place of a new temple for his idiot Gods. I was protecting the Capital when you went off on a suicide mission. I was doing what a princess ought to do: protect her people, not abandon what’s important.”

Kya was fuming. Firstly, she was upset that her Uncle was gone. Secondly, she was furious with what he had tried to do in her absence. The Salvation of Serenity was a temple erected just outside the castle to honor the Spirits. As the beliefs of people began to wane (much due to the encouragement of their King) it grew more neglected. But many people still secretly prayed in the middle of the night in its beautiful stained glass walls.

“You know all that I did was to protect this country,” Kya snapped, feeling the flush darken on her cheeks.

“Don’t even try to convince me of that. You know as well as I that the King created the mission to get rid of the Knights and Lords that were giving him trouble. You offered to do this! You were happy to accept the death sentence!”

Hurt, but still angry, Kya glared at her friend. They were being too loud and it was too easy for others to spy on them as they lingered in the hall. “You still shouldn’t have done that. You should have waited for my return. How long ago did he leave? Why did he take so many people? What did he do before he left?”

Liore glared at her. “I want to know why you’re here,” she said calmly, ignoring her questions. “You’re alive. Did you succeed, then? Did you capture the Third General?”

Kya had the knee-jerk reaction to spill her whole confession to Liore. She desperately wanted to admit everything that had happened since she left on her mission. The deal she had made with the General, the slaughter of Vawl, how she abandoned Cress, and her commitment to take Hilt to the North. 

The girl paused, the words lingering on the tip of her tongue. Liore was looking at her expectantly with those large grey eyes. Swallowing hard, Kya finally took a breath.

“No,” she answered. “The General left the city before I had the chance. I lost track of Cress and wound up in Vawl. There was an attack, everyone was killed. A young man saved me and escorted me back here,” Kya said quickly. She bit at her lip at looked up at the disappointed princess. “Lorant was there. In Beinn.”

“Lorant? But I thought he—“ Liore started.

“He’s dead. They killed him. I saw it happen.” Kya’s throat felt dry and ached. Her fingers were tingling and the sides of her vision began to go black. She squeezed on her set of clothes and looked down on the floor.

“Kya,” Liore said tenderly. The girl reached out to touch her, but Kya pulled away reflexively. She didn’t want comfort.

“The General did it. And then he slipped out of the city during the night.”

“And Vawl?” Liore asked softly.

“I can’t talk about it right now,” Kya said, her voice crackling. “I have lots to say, much of it must be to the council.”

Liore took her hand. “Let us go to my quarters. We can sit and talk through it all together. I’m sure you haven’t had anything decent to eat, my dearest friend. I can send for warm sweetbread and some tea.” 

When Kya didn’t say anything, Liore reached out and hugged her again. “I have missed you, so. I can’t tell you how many days and nights I cried and prayed for you. I thought perhaps Taerce the Deceptive would be kind and bring you back, and he has, but not without scars. I knew you were strong enough to return, but I always feared that he would be stronger. Please, my friend, my sister, come with me.”

Kya finally noticed that she was trembling. She forced herself to stop. “How would you stand me?” Kya teased. “I must smell like a goat that rolled through the manure fields.”

Liore laughed and pulled back, her face scrunched up. “You were going to the springs, weren’t you?”

“I haven’t properly bathed in ages. I didn’t mind as much as I traveled, but I realized I wouldn’t be able to stand looking the court in the eyes like this.”

Liore held onto Kya’s hand gently. “I’ll have a few servants draw a bath and prepare a meal for us to eat in my room. When you’re done washing, I will brush and braid your hair before you meet with them, and you can tell me all about what happened. All right?”

Kya smiled, instantly relaxing. As much as she wanted to disappear into the black waters of the springs and let her troubles melt away, she couldn’t deny that familiar company would be comforting. Liore was the closest thing to family that Kya had anymore. For how many weeks now had her only company been General Noden?

A shiver went down her spine. She would not allow that man to frighten her like a little bird when she was in her own castle. This would work out, somehow. She would find a way to deceive him, to trick him, and finally kill him.

General Hilt would not leave this Capital alive. 

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