The Princess's Secret [completed]

68: Words Of A Friend.

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Tamar.

The sun was fading in the sky as they returned to the castle, and tiredness hung heavily on the shoulders of all who accompanied them.

She glanced up at the stars, which shone so brightly in the sky, their numbers too vast to count. It was more beautiful than any art in the land, and she wished she could stare forever.

But her neck grew tired too soon, and she returned her gaze to the castle ahead, glancing at Caspian. He had pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, avoiding the curious gazes of those who peered out of the tiny houses. 

She had been eager to see her friend again, but had been disappointed to find her eagerness went unmatched. Caspian had said very little to her all day, the only time he'd spoken at length being when he told her the tale of Roemma.

She tried to ignore how much that stung. His message was clear, they were on a business level and nothing more, the past was gone and done.

She sighed silently. What had she expected? He had only talked to her during those weeks because they were cooped up in the same castle.

They reached the castle doors and dismounted, and Tamar led her guests inside. She called a maid over and requested that tea be brought to the study, then turned to her guests. "Is there anything you require?"

"Thank you, but that will be all, your Majesty." Caspian replied, bowing. She returned the favor and led the way to the study, directing them to take seats around the table. 

She sat as well and leveled her gaze at her guests as Sinati joined them. The Three and Caspian returned her gaze. "Now the matter of what must be done to avoid stirring up old rivalry. Any suggestions?"

Caspian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "In light of the events that have transpired in the past months, I find it difficult to imagine our peoples hating one another again, yet there is a lot of blame to go around..."

"The bad that has happened between Rayndra and Adrelawin will always drown out the good. People are far better at remembering the bad than they are at remembering the good." Sinati spoke up, his tone grim. "It would take a very special kind of bond between the kingdoms to erase the reminders of evil times."

Jamaal nodded in agreement, and Tamar noticed him studying Caspian. She glanced at the king, but his expression hardly changed. Something had to be bothering him, she'd never seen him so withdrawn before. 

Hiram stood and began pacing, frustrated with lengthy discussions as usual. "So what if the people have some doubts? We know that this is a dependable alliance, isn't that enough? The people can learn over time."

"Perhaps," Isidro began, glancing around the table at all of them before returning his gaze to the pacing warrior. "-but what about the next ruler? How can we trust that they will know the strength of this alliance? And how can we ensure that the alliance will remain strong in the generations to come?"

Sinati nodded in agreement. "What we have right here and right now, is a rare opportunity to ensure security for many years to come. Out of the good that has happened here, we can build a strong foundation for the future. Or," He paused and leveled his gaze at Caspian, who suddenly looked uncomfortable. 

Tamar glanced between the two men, seeing a different conversation going on beneath the surface of his words. Obviously they both knew what needed to be done, but Caspian for once was hesitant to do it. She frowned as her advisor continued. 

"-we can let this opportunity slip through our fingers, and lose it forever, along with everything we've worked so hard to build." His words became foreboding as he finished, and his gaze narrowed.