LAVEN HEPHAESTUS ARVENALDI, II
I CONTINUOUSLY DRIFT BACKWARD, avoiding the ferocious swing of a new trainees blade. It may have been a mistake to give her a real sword instead of the makeshift wooden swords.
I stand up straighter. “All right now,” I stop the young girl from nearly stabbing me in the chest.
“The aim is to kill,” she says with ferocity rolling in her childlike eyes as she points her sword at me. I begin to wonder if this little girl is Amias’s child and he did not tell me.
I stifle a laugh as her expression grows in fury.
Even the youngest children we are training, not to the same extent as others, just enough to know how to wield a weapon against someone who means harm. This little girl will know exactly how to defend herself with confidence. She seems very willing to take my life right here although this is just training.
“Watch,” I motion for her to follow my lead.
I pull my sword from the sheath wrapped around my hips and steady my feet apart.
I look back at her from the corner of my eye and she does the same. I cannot help but to smile at her determination to be great.
I settle down into a lunging position and angle the handle of my sword at my hips with both hands before slowly rotating the blade forward.
Each movement I make, she replicates.
“And again, this time by yourself.”
Her face goes stone as she separates her feet, gradually lunges forward while simultaneously bringing the handle of her sword to her hip and rotating the blade outward. She returns to a stanced position before repeating the same motions over.
All around the sounds of war training ricochet on the Training Grounds, but none of it distracts her as she continues down the squared off area specifically for sword practice. Once she meets the end I stop her. “Now backwards!”
And with ease, she does.
“An intelligent child,” Hua smiles.
“Very much so.”
“What is her name?”
“Lilyana, she and her family are here today to train. They are commoners from the Southern Villages. Very nice people.”
“Where is Roaner?” Hua asks after looking around the grounds and not seeing him.
“He is in Xenathi telling Vallehes and Penelope of our visit to Provas.”
“Laven!”
We both turn to the voice calling my name, knowing who it is by sound.
“Well look there, speak his name and he shall appear.” Hua says as Roaner approaches, she nudges his shoulder before ascending toward Lilyana and guiding her to the Archery Unit.
“Goodbye Laven!” She says with a grin as Hua takes her away.
“Bye Lilyana!” I call back and she grins, continuing to wave.
“How did it go in Xenathi?” I ask Roaner.
“It went well,” but quickly he ventures the conversation elsewhere. “Did you know Ivella was accepting suitors?”
I almost did not hear him properly. “Run that by me once more.” I lean my head further out to be sure I am hearing him correctly.
“High King Neryus of Ramana was in New Quamfasi while I was, he was fully courting Ivella for what seemed to be marriage.”
“You cannot be serious.” I cross my arms as I force a laugh.
“On my life, Laven, High King Neryus is pursuing Ivella.”
Does he not have any fucking Hybrid women to pursue out of the thousands in Ramana?
“What on earth were they doing?”
She will accept suitors but not accept me, someone who has tried to be a suitor and much more for years now.
“She dined with him in the courtyard, they went on a horseback ride through the countryside, he met Vaigon and Vorzantu–”
“He met my fucking children?”
Roaner’s expression turns wary. “It was brief, but yes, he did.”
“Where are they? Right now in this moment where are they?”
“He was leaving when I was.”
“Good,” I fix my sword into the sheath before walking away.
“Laven, wait!” Roaner catches my arm. “Do not think too harshly just yet she could deny Neryus.”
“Do not think too harshly? Either Ivella has lost her damn mind or she wants me to. To introduce Vaigon and Vorzantu to someone that means to be in a position that is mine is a threat standing on its own. What she did is harsh, I am merely reacting.”
“Shit,” he mumbles as he looks down the way to the entrance of the Training Grounds.
Ivella is vastly approaching in the distance, donned in a long dark and light orange dress that flows with each step. The moment our eyes meet she ascends across and grabs my arm taking me with her, when we land we are in my personal study.
“You told Vallehes we have children?” She shouts as I look down at her.
“Do we not? Or are you planning for Neryus to father Vaigon and Vorzantu?” I respond just as aggressively.
I could not care that my half-lie has caught up to me, what I care about is that she has allowed not only Vaigon and Vorzantu around Neryus, but also that she did not tell me that suitors were lining up at her door.
“Laven, that is not the point! You told Vallehes we have children and that was the reason that we needed to see each other. You could have told him more specifics or at least tell me that you are relaying this message to him so I am aware of it. He is walking around believing I have birthed twins that belong to you, that is not what happened. And Neryus has nothing to do with this conversation.” Her anger is rising with each word and I can feel the heat from her body forcing outward and directly on to mine.
But neither of us take a step away. If at all, we have moved closer.
“Should I have lied? No.” I make an effort to calm down, though I am finding it nearly impossible. “Vallehes was threatening that I would never be allowed to see you unless supervised given the history of our people, my immediate thought was to tell him that we have children since it was not a complete lie. And Neryus has everything to do with this conversation and I will not let you avoid the fact that you did not tell me you were accepting suitors.”
“Firstly, I was not expecting Neryus, he just arrived and asked to be a suitor. When a woman becomes a Right Hand she naturally gains suitors, especially if she is not already married. I was never expecting this nor accepting and I did not turn Neryus down after he came all this way. Above all, not now given the time we are in and any wrong move could trigger a bad reaction from any realm.”
“Ivella,” I heavily exhale as I pinch the bridge of my nose before looking at her again. “I do not care.” I honestly speak. “I have been the utmost patient man with you and I am done. I am telling you now what I want and it is you. I do not want you to marry anyone and you are aware of why.”
If these words do anything, it builds her anger encompassed by passion. “An ultimatum is below you, Laven.”
“No, not an ultimatum. I am telling you how I feel and I am allowing you to choose what you wish to do with what I tell you.”
My father said ‘pain is inevitable, what it is you choose do with that pain is what matters.’ I believe this applies to all things in life and not singularly pain.
“Just because you do not want me to marry does not mean I will not!” She retaliates once more. “And as a High King I am sure you will be searching as well given High King’s have a time frame before they find a wife.”
“So then we both are to explore all options but each other?”
“I guess so.”
“Then leave,” I nod to the door. I lift a hand and it opens.
Hesitance.
She stares up at me as her chest rises and falls and I greedily watch as this dress perfectly extenuates her most glorious parts. And the sun and moon necklace she saw while in Provas sits prettily upon her neck.
Still, she has yet to leave because she does not want to.
‘I am asking you to continue to be patient just as you ask her to be patient with you.’
Finally, she turns and the moment she reaches the door I breach across the room and shut it just before she can leave. I tighten my hand on the knob as she reaches for it.
Her breathing goes ragged as I press my entire body against her back.
My eyes roll at the sensation of her being so close again.
I lower to her ear and her entire body shudders as I inhale deeply.
“Leave this room knowing that a marriage to him or any man will not keep me held away. Universes are not far enough apart to keep me from finding my way to you. If you think a silly marriage will do it, you are wrong. I am the doing and undoing of everything we are as you are too. Go and marry him Ivella and watch how much more unbearable I will become for you. I can get much worse than this and I have not even begun yet.”
As I stand straight, she ascends from the study and back home.
When I arrive back to the Training Grounds I find Amias and pull him to the side.
“We train. Now.”
Immediately he can tell something is the matter and does not question it as he grabs his sword and we gain the attention of many as he lets me battle through every emotion I do not know how to process.
