The Darkened War

Ch.8

     Daniel all day had felt like he was going to hurl, and continuously forced himself to choke it down. Nausea had kept him company since his conversation with Eric, and his headache had not ceased either. Daniel groaned and sank into his chair; today, of all days, he would be married. He had dreaded this day for a long time, but he never imagined he would have no strength to stand when he would be expected to walk down the aisle. Yet, there was no way out of it. He had held off the wedding for too long already; postponing now, the day of, would increase the tension Rayland was beginning to have with Olcarcioway. He would not risk their alliance.
Daniel forced himself to stand, and glanced at the small table beside his chair where Angelica's maid usually left him his tea. At its absence, he swore under his breath. Daniel was not sure how long ago it was Angelica had been making it for him daily, but he had begun to expect it. He despised Angelica, and knew she was likely trying to use this as a form of manipulation more than anything, but he didn't mind. He was not easily manipulated; these favors would not make him detest her any less. Still, the drink eased the pounding in his head, if even for a few minutes--so he would not refuse it. Especially now, when he was desperate. Daniel rarely got sick, and it had never been this severe.
He stumbled into the hall, hoping to catch a glance of the maid. If she couldn't do her job, she belonged in a prison cell; and that was if Daniel decided there was a reason to let her live. He longed to get his hands on her, but it was Angelica, not her maid, who stopped him in his tracks. Her dress was stunning; designed so the bottom half looked as if it was made up of dove feathers. Her makeup impressively brought out her better features; her cheeks and lips were rosy with blush and lipstick. She was glowing. Suddenly, reality hit him like a harsh slap to the face. His fever must have been higher than he thought, if he had actually been admiring her appearance. He feared he must be facing some form of dementia, if even for a second he had viewed her in any sort of a positive light.
"Where is your maid?" Daniel snapped.
Angelica frowned, "You are breaking tradition."
Daniel merely repeated himself.
Angelica sighed, "I had your tea sent to you, I don't know where my maid is now, she must have gotten preoccupied . . ." seeing Daniel's expression, she ended her sentence with, "please do not prolong the wedding any further, you can carry out her death sentence as soon as it is over."
Daniel sensed hidden sarcasm in her tone, but said merely scowled; he knew she was right; right now, the wedding was his priority. It was time for him to prepare for what was sure to be the most miserable day of his life.
The ceremony was held outside. The sky was clear for once, and sun's heat hit the back of his neck as he made his way down the aisle. When he reached the end, he stood and watched as Angelica made her way up; in moments, they would be expected to exchange vows Daniel did not plan to keep, and he would tie himself to the person he despised most with a bitter kiss.
The Priest began to speak, and Daniel stared into Angelica's eyes—they darkened as he did. The kindness she had shown him the last couple days, genuine or not had dissipated. Her mask was gone. Daniel did not mind; he had seen through it before this; he only wondered why she was choosing to rid herself of it now. He decided it didn't matter, and was sure the darkness in Angelica's expression was reflected in his own. The next thing he knew they were exchanging "I dos" and her lips were on his. The kiss was light, but not gentle; it was a promise: they would always be at war. Angelica tasted like tea; her own, but something was missing in the flavor. . .
The kiss ended, and Daniel shook his head. Did he really desire her tea so much that he was analyzing the taste of it on her lips? It was only a drink, he had thought, but he craved it as if it were a drug. The Priest declared them husband and wife, and before leaving the altar, Daniel stared down Angelica and wiped away their kiss from his lips with his thumb. She smiled.
The wedding party lasted into the night, and after a few dances here and conversations there with some of the important guests, a piece of cake, and a few glasses of red wine, Daniel grew tired and snuck back into the castle. The nights had become loud and festive, and everyone had become far to indulged in celebration to notice even the king take leave, so he slipped off down the halls returning to his room. At Daniel's entering the reflection looked up from lazily picking at his cuticles and grinned; as if his dull night had just been made interesting. For a moment, Daniel regretted his decision to come here; but at the sound of distant cheers, he decided he would rather be anywhere but that crowd.
"I see, so you have just been married," the reflection observed, glancing at Daniel's ring, "how was the wedding?"
"It does not matter; it is over now. What, did you expect me to be overjoyed?" seeing the amusement in the reflection's eyes, Daniel sighed, "No, of course you didn't. You knew how much I hated it all even before asking me how it went." He rested his head in his hand. He was too tired, sick, and out of it to be dealing with the reflection's sarcasm and rhetorical questions.
But the reflection did not seem to notice his mood; or more likely, not care, because he continued, his tone dripping with mockery, "What shall you do for your honey moon? Something enticingly romantic? Perhaps that one island your parents visited on theirs."
"You know very well I have no time for that, nor do I desire it." The mirror smirked, and Daniel stiffened as a new realization hit him. "I never mentioned where my parents went vacationing after their wedding." He knew the reflection had an uncanny knowledge of nearly everything; even events in kingdoms far from theirs. Still, it still struck Daniel odd that the reflection knew of something to do with his parents that had taken place decades ago. It made him wonder how long the reflection had resided in this castle, and even forced his mind to question what exactly the reflection was. He had avoided thoughts like these for so long; the reflection was useful, and had been with Daniel as far back as he could remember. He couldn't afford to become skeptical now, and quickly dismissed the thoughts.
The reflection was just as quick to brush it off; "You said it one time or another," he responded, before asking Daniel exactly what he was he was planning to do with Angelica, now that they were married.
"That spoiled princess now answers to me. While we were only engaged and Rayland and Olcarcioway's alliance was on the line, I had to hold back. I hate to admit it, but she had a form of power; that is, I had to be careful not to do anything that would anger her parents. Now, however, she is my wife; and the king and queen of Olcarcioway will be returning home to their kingdom for good. Their alliance with Rayland was sealed by our marriage. There's no doubt being married to this woman is like bondage in some ways, but in others, it's as if prior ropes I had been bound with have been cut. I am free. So, I will spend every moment of this freedom making Angelica regret the day she first stepped into Rayland."
The reflection smiled darkly, and Daniel froze. He had not expected that reaction. He stared into the eyes of the reflection for a long time, before it finally said, "You underestimate Angelica." It was stated as a fact, not a suggestion, and something about its tone made Daniel shiver. "You are so oblivious I don't know whether it is amusing to watch or tiring. You are quite awful at playing this game. You focus in on eliminating one enemy, while your others work at eliminating you. You may be winning the war against Effulgence, but it will be all for nothing, when Angelica wipes you off the board. Before you brag about what play you are going to make, you should discover what cards are in the other player's hands."
Daniel's head was spinning; though whether it was the cause of the wine, his illness, or the reflection seemingly talking in circles, he didn't know. It didn't matter though; it was clear to him now there was something he didn't know. Anger rose in him. "But I have you," Daniel protested with a scowl, "you are my card. Why should I fear others when I have you in my deck?"
The howl of laughter that came from the mirror sounded unhinged, and Daniel nearly winced. "Who told you I was in your deck?"
Daniel's heart was racing. "So, you do not tell me everything. You've been keeping much from me."
"I am not your pawn, Daniel." The voice sounded eerily joyful. "I am not in this game at all--I simply enjoy watching from the sidelines. If I told you everything I knew, the game would not be very interesting, would it? It gets boring in here Daniel. You can not blame me for seeking entertainment."
Daniel snarled, slamming his hands against the glass "THEN PERHAPS I'LL SHATTER THE--" Then the reflection hissed, disappearing. The glass cracked; and Daniel's eyes widened as he looked into the mirror and saw what face was staring back at him: his own. Where then, was the man who lived inside? Fear flooded him as he backed away from the broken mirror and ran to his door, trying to turn the handle. However, his efforts to twist it, no matter how frantically, were useless; Daniel was locked inside. A wave of panic washed over him and he kicked the door.
"Daniel." The firm voice came from the mirror, scolding him, "Do not act like a fool. I will unlock the door in good time." Daniel turned around to find the reflection back in its place, all amusement gone. Daniel slid his hands off the handle and turned to face it. Its voice was dangerously calm, "Listen to me, I cannot side with you in the game, I will only level the playing field." With a sigh, the reflection motioned for him to sit back down in his chair. Daniel's legs shook as he moved across the floor to take a seat. "You have allowed yourself to be manipulated because you believed you had more power than you did. You have not considered all the possibilities; because of this, people you had not suspected were able to take advantage of you—but, you can turn this around. I'm confident in your ability, Daniel. I have been with you for a long time, and know that while your arrogance has the ability to make you idiotic, when focused, you are a master of lies. How many kings can manipulate an entire kingdom? You have the capability; you only need to recognize the threat. Do whatever it takes, and remember lies become truth with time."
"Without you, how will I know if others are lying to me?"
"Separating lies from truth is difficult--also unnecessary. Don't play their game; create your own. When you make the rules, the game can be persuaded, or, rules could be taken from one game and applied to another. The same goes for life. You are not playing one game, Daniel, but many games, all at once. When you lie, you're only changing a situation in the eyes of others—by doing this, you change their truth. You decide what game the rest will play, and that is how you will win."
Daniel, unable to respond in the moment, and feeling dizzier by the minute muttered, "I'm going to lie down."
The reflection smiled as it watched him go. It was amusing; watching Daniel grasp at straws to try and figure out what Angelica was playing—but he only had so much time left. Maybe that was why the reflection had decided to share so much; but was it enough? It would be a shame if Daniel died and the game ended; but the reflection had played his part, and if it was rendered useless, that was entirely out of his hands