War of the Ocean

Chapter 9

The next two days were a blur of eating, sleeping and  practicing walking. She had tried finding the prince on several occasions but each time she had been told that he was too busy. At the end of the second day, she collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. The muscles in her legs ached but it was worth the effort; she could walk on her own now.

There came a knock at the door and something slipped beneath the door. Making her way over, she knelt down and scooped it up. It was a cream coloured piece of paper and when she flipped it over, she could see that there was gold writing on the other side. Frowning, she read it.

Arelena,

I hope that you would be kind enough to accept my invitation for dinner tonight. Meet me at six o'clock sharp in the dining room.

Prince Reidan

She scanned over the invite several times before folding it in half and carrying it back to the bed. Placing it on the bedside table, she considered the offer. Dining with the prince wouldnt bthe perfect opportunity to convince him to help here . But what would she wear? That problem was solved when three quiet maids entered the room.

They fussed about her, brushing her matted golden hair and pinning it up; changing her into a gown of navy blue fabric and slipping blue shoes onto her feet. Finally they brushed a blue powder on her eyelids and painted her lips red. When they lifted a mirror to her face, she stared at it strangely. Underwater, there were very few reflective surfaces so she had never seen herself before. For a whole minute she just stared at herself; she was beautiful.

One of the maids—who had been silent up until now—cleared her throat. 'If you would follow me, I will escort you to the dining room,' she said.

Turning away from the mirror, Arelena followed her out of the room towards the great double doors marking the entrance to the dining room. Two guards in red opened them for her to reveal the room behind them as the maid slipped away. The dining room was a long, empty hall filled with light. At the head of the long, wooden table she could clearly see Reidan sprawled across a large, cushioned chair with a feast before him. His eyes met hers and he smiled.

'Welcome Arelena,' he called. 'I'm so glad that you decided to join me!'

A servant pulled out a chair for her to the right of the prince. As she approached the chair she could see the servant staring up at her in awe before quickly averting his gaze. Taking her seat, she looked to the prince who was gazing down at her.

'I hope you don't mind,' he began. 'I thought I might get to know you better if we were alone.'

Were there others in this palace aside from her, the prince and the staff? She hadn't heard from anyone so she had assumed that there was no one else but the prince made it sound as if there were. Perhaps they would be easier to persuade and able to help her reason with the prince. Pushing the thought away, she decided that she would get to know Reidan tonight. Information gathered on him now might help her in the future, she decided.

'What would you like to eat?' He asked, beckoning a servant with his left hand. 'We have everything, just point to what you want.'

Nodding, she glanced at the food in front of her. There was roasted meat, a dozen different salads and much more. She began to point to random dishes she wished to try and the servant piled it up on her plate. Once she had everything she wanted, she looked back to the prince to see if she could begin. Understanding, he gave her an encouraging nod and she started to eat.

It must have appear very unladylike the way she shoveled food into her mouth but Arelena didn't care. She ate until she could eat no more and leaned back in her chair as a clear indication of it. Reidan had already finished long before her and had sat, watching her with interest as she finished. Now he was staring down at her with amusement in his brown eyes.

'Had enough?' She nodded her reply. 'I haven't seen anyone eat like that in a while. I suppose you must have been hungry though, you were out for a while and who knows how long ago you ate before today.' She sat in silence—for that was all she could do—and watched him as he spoke. 'How did you get here by the way? What happened?'

Thankfully, she didn't have to come up with a reason then and there, for she had no paper or pen to write with. Instead, she stared up at him, hoping that the next time he asked she would be far more prepared. She added making up her story to the list of things to do when she was alone, right underneath practicing walking.

Reidan sighed. 'Sorry, I forgot paper and pens,' he told her. 'Never mind, I think it would be best if we ended the night here, anyway.'

Nodding her agreement, Arelena rose from her seat. She turned and left the room, only realising that she didn't know the way back to her room once she was outside. Deciding that she would attempt to find her own way back, she set off through the confusing web of halls and corridors, wishing she had someone to guide her.

Ten minutes later, she knew that she was hopelessly lost. However she could hear footsteps approaching from around the corner and stopped to wait. Whoever it was should be able to guide her back to her room. If not, she would wait for the next person and the next if she had to. Fortunately the man who did come around the corner stopped to help her. He was well-dressed with sparkling green eyes and hair so dark it almost appeared black.

'Are you alright?' He asked, obviously wondering who she was and what she was doing.

Unfortunately, Arelena had no way to communicate with him. She opened and closed her mouth several times before hanging her head. If only she had her voice. But the man seemed to understand and smiled at her.

'You're the girl they found on the beach,' he realised. 'I'll take you back to your room.'

Relief flooded over her and she smiled for the first time since arriving. In fact, it was the first time she had smiled in what seemed like forever. With a brother like Tristien, it was difficult to be happy or show any sign of happiness, especially while in a kingdom like his. She allowed herself to be lead away by the man, back to her room.

'My name is Kaiser, in case you were wondering,' he tried to make conversation before stopping short, remembering her inability to speak. 'I apologise,' he told her. 'Anyway, we have arrived at your room. I hope to see you again.'

He bowed to her and spun on his heel, walking away. After watching him leave, she opened the door and walked into her room. There was a maid already waiting inside who helped take her hair out, wash her face and change into a nightgown. Before leaving, the maid blew out the candles that had been lit earlier on and left her alone in the dark.

Yay, Kaiser's made his first appearance! Hope you enjoyed!